Posts Tagged ‘scary stuff’

My Favorite Fantasy Stories

Posted: October 8, 2012 in Living and Life, Reflections, Review, Scary Stuff
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Anyone else wondering if Mickey Mouse is hiding behind a corner?

Lately I’ve been reading a lot of of books based on Celtic and Arthurian mythology. Knights, faeries, dragons, magic and wizards. I’ve been on a bit of a fantasy binge. So I’d thought I’d devote a post to some of my favorites…not including Harry Potter. Or Tolkein. Or Lewis. Or Game of Thrones. Why none of those, you may ask? Mostly because everybody’s read them and I don’t want to just tell people what everyone know. That, and I’ve only read two of the four mentioned.

So here’s my fantasy favorites, all for your enjoyment:

THE AGE OF MISRULE by Mark Chadbourn

Honestly one of the most interesting fantasy stories I’ve ever read, weaving together both Arthurian and Celtic myths with New Age philosophy and beliefs. In modern-day Britain, strange things start happening. Dragon in the sky…electricity failing mysteriously…technology going haywire…stepping out at night becoming an extreme sport. What’s happening is the ancient gods, demons, and magical creatures of days past are returning to our world, and the only thing standing in the way of humanity being bulldozed by this change is the Brothers and Sisters of Dragons, five ordinary humans who’ve been gifted with the Pendragon Spirit, a power given to them by Existence itself to help humanity weather the coming change. Together the Brothers and Sisters must learn to work together and help humanity adapt, especially when the demonic Fomorii are working to bring their master Balor back to life and wage war on the god-like Tuatha Da Danaan.

I really enjoyed this trilogy, not only because it’s unique and Mark Chadbourn knows how to write a compelling plot and characters, but because even though the world is full of supernatural dangers, I’d want to live there. Heck, I’d want ot be a Brother of Dragons, helping to bring the change to humanity. After all, it’s a simpler life, one where if you’re not working on the land, you’re learning to be in harmony with nature and the spirits around you. And you get to learn magic, which is pretty cool.

 

 

 

 

EARL AND THE FAIRY by Mizue Tani

A series of light novels, the story follows a woman named Lydia Carlton, who is one of the last few fairy doctors around (fairy doctors being people who mediate between humans and fairies). Unfortunately for her, humans in 19th century are not too predisposed to seeing or believing in fairies, so Lydia’s kind of an odd duck to other people. That is, until she meets Edgar Ashenbert, a cunning, manipulative, and mysterious nobleman who enlists Lydia’s help in reclaiming his heritage, which includes a sword that belonged to the Blue Knight Earl, a warrior who had holdings in the realm of the fairies and Edgar’s ancestor. Torn between falling in love with Edgar and hating him for using her in his schemes, Lydia becomes embroiled with supernatural events that seem to gravitate around her and Edgar, sometimes endangering both their lives.

The series is quite popular in Japan, with 29 volumes out already, and a manga and anime series based on the books out as well. Unfortunately, only the manga is available in the US, and only the first 3 volumes as of last month. Still, it is worth a read, especially if you’re looking to get into manga and need an opinion on a good one.

 

 

 

MERLIN

A TV miniseries starring Sam Neill and Miranda Richardson, Merlin chronicles the life of Merlin in his battle against the supernatural Queen Mab. The story starts several years before King Arthur, beginning with Merlin’s birth, his magic training, his animosity with Mab, the rise and fall of Arthur and Camelot, and the final defeat of Mab and the death of magic. I saw this when I was younger, and I always thought it was an amazing story, though now that I think about it I’m not sure how pissing off Merlin and doing everything you can to hurt him is supposed to save your kingdom…oh wait, now I see what Mordred’s purpose was! I really need to rewatch that series now.

The special effects aren’t Avatar or Inception-grade, but the story is compelling and even if the effects aren’t top-notch, they do look believable for their day. Sam Neill is great as a pensive, all-knowing Merlin with anger issues, while Miranda Richardson is the ultimate femme fatale, a hoarse-voiced queen of magic with spells galore and a thousand and one tricks up her sleeve. You’ll love it if you watch it.

 

 

FAIRY CUBE by Kaori Yuki

Kaori Yuki has a reputation for powerful stories with Gothic and supernatural elements. Here she upholds her reputation with Fairy Cube, a story about a boy named Ian who sees spirits and fairies and is haunted by a spirit named Tokage. When Ian is killed by his father in a drunken rage, Tokage possesses Ian’s body and starts romancing Ian’s childhood friend Rin. Determined to get his body back, Ian teams up with a fiery fairy named Ainsel and a mysterious shopkeeper named Kaito in order to get his body back and save his friend. At the same time, Ian starts to become aware of a company called Gotoh that has ties to the spirit world and has sinister plans for the human world (I always knew corporations were up to no good).

Exciting and with Kaori Yuki’s awesome art and storytelling, Fairy Cube is an exciting read for all those interested in dark fantasy in general. I certainly enjoyed it.

 

That’s all I have right now. If I think of any other stories I’d want to put up here, I’ll let you know. If you have any suggestions, if you’ve read any of these works and want to give your review of them, or if you think I’m crazy because I haven’t read Tolkein or Game of Thrones, let me know.

The Latest Idea: Dybbuks

Posted: September 26, 2012 in ideas, Scary Stuff, short story, Writing
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Leah’le, a character from the 1937 film “The Dybbuk”, who was possessed by the titular spirit. Based on the play of the same name by S. Ansky

Well, it seems I have a lot of creepy stuff on the mind lately: evil dolls; succubi; and now dybbuks. Anyone want to put down bets on what will be the subject for the next short story?

Anywho, I saw The Possession a while back (wrote a positive review of it) and just now I finished watching The Unborn (one of those movies that I enjoy but the critics just seem to hate). Both have to do with dybbuks, which if you are unfamiliar with, are spirits that were once the souls of humans but, according to Jewish mysticism, were barred from Heaven or turned away from God and became monsters that possess human beings, looking for a second chance at life.

Both these films got me thinking about dybbuks, and now I want to write my own story about a dybbuk (or maybe more than one; who knows?). Of course, it won’t be like The Possession or The Unborn, which follow the typical possession-exorcism story. Instead, I’ll probably try to make the dybbuk seem like a hero instead of a villain, and maybe I’ll mix in some British folklore while I’m at it (I’m not saying what or how, but I will say it involves dogs).

i’m not sure what sort of story I want to tell yet, but I’ll see what I can come up with. I just hope that I don’t accidentally summon something by thinking about it too hard like I did when I was researching succubi!

Getting Back Into Snake

Posted: September 24, 2012 in ideas, Novel, Progress Report, Writing
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Remember when I said that after I finished that short story for class, I would jump right back into the exploits of my mafia-hunting serial killer the Snake? Well, it took me a day or so to get around to the first chapter (I had classes and homework, I wanted a chance to sit down and read a couple graphic novels, and then there was that errand downtown I had to run today, but why am I boring you with that?). I took a look at the opening I’d written and I was like, “You know, this sounded so cool when I first wrote it, but now it just seems kind of…extaneous and unnecessary.” So I cut out and rewrote the opening…and a bunch of other stuff. It was like I was taking the gristle off a slab of meat.

No, wait. It was like I was taking the fat out of fresh milk. Not as elegant a metaphor, but it’s a bit more original, and I give you all permission to use it after I’ve just used it.

So now on to the rest of the chapters, all thirty-three of them. I plan on doing some more backstory on some of the more major characters, plus making the Snake much more empaphetic, because honestly, when we finally meet him face-to-face (sort of; he wears a mask) in chapters three and four, he’s more sinister and scary, and not at all the kind of guy you want to root for. I also want to include the media’s portrayal of the Snake, make him like some sort of symbol for what the police could be doing with a nearly untouchable organized crime family, because if there’s one thing that can rile law enforcement up, it’s when journalists poke at police work (no offense meant for journalists who actually cover police stories and criticize them for whatever they may or may not have done).

All this in addition to the usual stuff that comes with editing. After that I’ll get into the outline and see what I can fix up. Maybe I’ll include some brushes with death and a new ending where the Snake not only faces off with the mafia family he’s sworn to destroy, but with the police officer and FBI profiler who’ve sworn to bring him in. There will be blood, betrayal, some literally deadly fights, love, character growth, and possibly an explosion or two.

I’ll also add in chapters where we see the underworld social order changing, because when you have a serial killer who’s killing your group’s members and getting away with it, you know others, both mafia and possibly otherwise, will try it too.

We’ll see what we get, but from the description I’ve just given, and the outline I’ve already written, it’s looking like a whole new novel. Hopefully it’ll be a better one too.

Snake: Part II Done

Posted: September 17, 2012 in Novel, Progress Report, Scary Stuff, Writing
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Creepy Mayan snake god gobbling someone up. I have a feeling my character would find some connection to this image.

Well, I finally did it! I finished Part II of Snake, though truthfully it’s coming about four days later than I expected.

Part II deals a lot not only with the main character’s quest for revenge, but also with the circumstances that caused him to take up serial killing. It totaled about twenty-one chapters, eighty-six pages, and twenty-two thousand and thirty-three words. Add that to the prologue and Part I, and you have a total of thirty-four chapters, one-hundred and thirty-eight pages, and twenty-five thousand, three-hundred forty-six words for the rough draft of Snake. Several times chapters were added together and split in two in order to keep the story flowing and the tension high. I have to say, at certain points it was an arduous process writing out this section of the novel.

Now that I’ve got Part II done, I’m going to wait a little while before I start Part III, which is probably the longest of the parts in Snake, take some time to finish a short story and edit a couple more. I also plan on going over the outline of Snake and see what I can do to make the plot more exciting, because as it is it’s a good story, but I want to make it great. I plan on doing some more character development with the Snake and some of the people close to him, which will probably mean going back to previous chapters and doing a few additions. I also plan to add some scenes showing the fallout of what happens when a serial killer goes after a mafia family and not only evades the family but the police itself. And lastly, I want to change the climax, see if I can change the setting so that not only does the Snake face off against the mafia, he faces off with the police too, and does it in front of everyone.

Sounds more exciting that way, anyway.

I’ll let you know when I begin Part III. Wish me luck.

An Evening On The 8th Floor

Posted: September 9, 2012 in Living and Life
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8th Floor Improv, to be exact. You see, this evening I went with some members of my dorm to see the campus improv-comedy group, 8th Floor Improv. I’d never seen an improv show before, so I was expecting the show would be awesome or a total fail. Luckily, it was awesome.

Of course, that’s not what I’m here to write about. I’m writing about something the members of 8th Floor did that was very special to me. You see, at some point during the show, the cast asked for a volunteer. Guess who got picked? ME. They sat me down for a candid interview al a Jon Stewart at the Daily Show to talk about who I was, my political impressions, and I got to plug my blog and short story Aasif (which may explain the sudden rise on my stats counter). I also got to show a little of my creepy side, perhaps a little more than I intended, but still enough to show that I’m serious about being the next big wave in horror, and I got to talk about Hunger Games, the book of which I’m reading for the first time, and how I would use economic warfare to bring the Hunger Games to a grinding halt.

It was pretty fun, and afterwards the actors used the discussion to “portray my dreams and nightmares”, which was pretty funny; the actress playing me nearly got me confused with Mitt Romney, couldn’t pronounce my legal name, tried to kill someone criticizing her by writing that person into a short story, and nearly got sued by actors playing Stephanie Meyers and Suzanne Collins.

To 8th Floor Improv, thanks for making me laugh till I nearly puked. In return, I’ll put the link to your website here for anyone who’s interested (http://8thfloorimprov.com/). And if anyone from the group wandered onto this blog, here’s the link to that child-soldier short story you sounded so interested in (http://mobiusmagazine.com/). It’s the fifth one on the list right under “Fiction”. Enjoy.

Oh, and to those who follow this blog and write also, I got a question or two for you: have you ever been interviewed? And if so, do you have any tips? Because like I said, I got to show my creepy side, but I worry sometimes that when I show it, I show too much of it.

Review: The Possession

Posted: September 3, 2012 in Review
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The movie poster for “The Possession”; if you want to scare your girl, bring her to this movie.

aka The Exorcist for both this generation and the Jews.

Did that opening statement interest you? Well if it did, then good, because this movie was awesome! I was freaking out! Based on a true story (there’s a book out there that explains that true story, and I’m trying to get my hands on it), The Possession chronicles a family’s troubles as the youngest in the family buys a box from a yard sale, unaware that the box contains a dybbuk, a type of demon or spirit from Jewish folklore. The movie featured among its cast Jeffrey Dean Morgan trying to be a good dad after divorcing his wife, played by Kyra Sedgewick, Natasha Callis as the possessed little girl (and who might have a good career going for her, if you ask me), and Hasidic rapper Matisyahu as an exorcist named Tzadok (and yes, there are Jewish rappers; including this guy, there are three professionals I know of).

The film was very well done in my opinion, with the little girl Em showing both some Exorcist, some The Ring, and even some Grudge in her performance. The effects were simple but very effective, with wind, flashing lights, and a roomful of moths among what was used. And in the end when you actually see the dybbuk, you can’t help but be grossed out by it; it’s disgusting to behold.

The script was also well-written, though reminiscent of The Exorcist in that at first the possession is considered a reaction to the divorce, followed by a medical/psychological problem, and only afterwards, with a little too much grace, is the supernatural acknowledged. However, even though the plot was done, it found new life here. Not to mention that the end left room for a possible sequel.

Oh, and Matisyahu’s character made a joke at some point that has a distinctly Jewish flavor to it.

For the possession, I give The Possession a 4.8 out of 5 for being utterly freaky, the actors convincing me with their emotion, and some very nice special effects. Points were taken off, because like I said, the acceptance of the supernatural was just too rapid for me, or at least there was less reluctance to accept it than I thought there would be.

What I Expect From The New “Carrie”

Posted: September 3, 2012 in Reflections, Review, Scary Stuff
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The cover of the original Carrie novel. Oh, does this bring back some fond memories.

In case you haven’t heard, MGM and Screen Gems are doing a remake of that wonderful debut novel of His Highness Stephen King, Carrie. I feel a strange connection with that novel, not just because I’m a huge fan of King, but because I was bullied when I was a kid, so I know what it’s like to want to lash out (and sometimes actually lash out) at the bullies who hurt you. So you can tell I’m super-excited that Carrie‘s getting a third chance at the screen, big or small.

I’d like to devote two posts to Carrie. One will be on what I hope the filmmakers will do with the novel, in comparison to what others have done with the novel. The second post, which I will write in the morning or afternoon, will deal with what I hope people will get from a new film adaptation of Carrie. And trust me, what I’m thinking of, is probably different than what you’re thinking of; they are two very different subjects.

Theatrical poster for the wonderful 1976 film.

Alright, the first film, the one that’s famous, starred Sissy Spaceck as Carrie, and Piper Laurie as Margaret White. Spaceck was very believable as Carrie, though a tad prettier than I expected, while Laurie was freaky as hell as Mrs. White (honestly, I’m soooo glad my mother, who’s a rabbi, is not like her!). The prom scene seemed not as scary as I’d hoped, though that may be because I’m a Generation Y-er, which means I’m used to special effects and whatnot. And of course, Chris Hargensen was a total bitch. 4.2 out of 5, if I had to review it.

The second film, a made-for-TV movie, could’ve done a lot better. Angela Bettis not only looked like a real Carrie, she embodied the role to the point I believed that girl was Carrie. Patricia Clarkson, on the other hand, did not intimidate, but then again what do you expect: the woman was passive, and wore colors other than black. Not scary in the least. The music for that film also was better suited for a Hallmark Channel white-women romantic drama centered around family life, not a Stephen King-based horror movie. There were high points though: not all the characters were Caucasion, and Sue Snell was even African-American, so kudos for diversity, which I think should be looked for in every movie, especially horror with its nearly-always white victims. And the special effects, while not exactly state-of-the-art enough to look very real, were done in such a way that during the prom scene, I had a huge grin on my face from glee. Once again, freaky as hell.

Poster for the flop of a TV remake.

Like I said however, the TV remake could’ve been better, barely getting a 2.9 on my review scale.

Now what I hope from the new movie: we’ve learned by now that Chloe Grace Moretz, the little girl with a punch from Kick-Ass, is playing Carrie, while Julianne Moore, who I’ve seen in a couple of films but never really taken note of till now, is playing Margaret White. Now, as I’m not that familiar with Moore’s work, I’m going to decline to specualte on her in the role and hope she plays a good crazy woman. As for Moretz though…well, she’s a very pretty fifteen-year-old. The make-up artists are going to have to work hard to make her look plain. I’m also a little surprised that they didn’t include an actress who’s maybe a little chubbier so as to be more in-line with the book, but hey, if Moretz can seel it, I won’t complain.

As for special effects…let no expense be spared. This is a movie about a psychic girl with a ton of issues, and the one thing the TV remake did right was make that prom scene scary to behold. So this time around, I hope they can top that: students screaming, flames burning students while scoreboards fall into water to electrocute other students, and Carrie standing in the middle of it all, a melding of the Queen of Hearts and the Red Queen, silently chopping off heads.

Promotional image for the new movie. So far, I like what I’m seeing.

 

Was that a great metaphor or what?

Two other things I’d like to see: one would be more of a stand-off near the end between Chris Hargensen and Carrie. It just seems a little anti-climactic that Chris and Billy always see Carrie on the road and then get killed while accelerating at her. Can’t Carrie have a few seconds to say, “Very funny, bitch” or something before crushing them? Or maybe just a stare to say, “Our eyes are locked. Here’s my revenge”?

I’d also like to see the inclusion of the subplot featuring Sue’s pregnancy. So far, that hasn’t made it to the films, but I would love to see it happen in this one. After all, it plays a big part near the end of the novel, especially since this is a story centered around blood. Blood starts it, blood is at the climax, and blood should symbolically end it.

By now I’m thinking my words won’t affect the script, but hey, I can hope, right? Let’s see what happens.

Tune in at some point tomorrow; I’m planning on doing some thoughts on the subjects of Carrie and bullying, all before I go to see a movie at the theater near campus.

Bye.

Aasif is Published in Mobius Magazine!!!

Posted: September 1, 2012 in Progress Report, Scary Stuff, short story, Writing
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Oh, happy first day of Septhember! The Buckeyes are preparing to kick Miami of Ohio’s butt, the sun is shining, and a certain little short story got published! The web address for Mobius Magazine is down below. Once you get to the website, you’ll find my short story on the left under fiction. I hope you enjoy reading it.

This story was inspired by the Kony 2012 video that came out back in April, and you can definitely see the influence there. The story itself may have taken me a week to write, but I credit the fact that I had great inspiration behind it that it didn’t take longer.

Please feel free to tell me what you think of the story. Did you like it? Hate it? Was there a particular part that stuck with you? Did you think a certain character may have been a racist caricature of some ethnic group or another? Whatever your thoughts, please leave me a comment and let me know.

So, without further ado, here’s the address for Mobius Magazine. Hope you like what you read.

http://mobiusmagazine.com/

“The Street Urchin’s Gift” Is Getting Published!!!

Posted: August 27, 2012 in Progress Report, short story, Writing
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Okay, so I’m logging onto my computer with the aim of getting alittle homework done before lunch. But what do I find out? That a short story I wrote last year, “The Street Urchin’s Gift” is going to be published by The Writing Disorder next June, sometime around my birthday. Can I just say one thing? Awesome!

The Writing Disorder is an online magazine that caters to a wide variety of interests, including poetry, fiction, art and reviews, and does everything from literary to genre. I found them while looking for a magazine to send “The Street Urchin’s Gift”, and thought they’d make a great match, and I sent it in. It took a while for them to get back to me, but it was well worth it: today I got the email, and you cannot imagine how excited I am!

“The Street Urchin’s Gift” started out as a story I wanted to write for another magazine, one that dealt with Victorian and Edwardian England and liked scary stories. The story itself centers around making an impossible choice when neither one benefits you, and the moral problems of that. When I found out the magazine I had in mind went defunct, I decided that “The Street Urchin’s Gift” deserved another chance. Seeing that I decided right off the bat to go with the Writing Disorder, I’m very happy with the choice I made.

I would like to thank The Writing Disorder for accepting my submission and will try to send a little business your way. In fact, here’s a start: if any of you have a short story or poem that you’d like to see published, here’s the link to the website of The Writing Disorder. Hopefully it’ll be a match for your work.

http://thewritingdisorder.com/

Developing Backstory

Posted: August 22, 2012 in Progress Report, Reflections, Writing
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Every character we meet in a story has a backstory, even if it’s not always elaborated on at first. Voldemort has a history, though we don’t get the full grasp of it until around the sixth book or so of Harry Potter. Han Solo had an entire career and a few debts to Jabba the Hutt before he and Chewbacca met Luke and Obi-Wan, though we only find out about it in the Expanded Universe. And before Alex Cross battled his first psychopath, he had lived in Virginia, grown up in DC, and gone to college to study psychology and psychiatry. Heck, James Bond probably has a full history, though I’m not sure if Ian Fleming ever went into great detail about it.

This evening I wrapped up a major part of the Snake’s history, and how he went from a regular–okay, not-so-much regular, but still relatively regular compared to what he became–teen into a serial killer who hunts members of a certain powerful mafia family. It was probably the longest chapter yet in Snake (which is saying something, seeing as thrillers have very short chapters), and I had a lot of fun writing it and exploring the Snake’s disturbed psyche. I’ll probably go over it again before I move onto the next chapter, but it’s still a chapter that’s very important to the story and a chapter that, if all my dreams ever come true, will be reviewed by future generations as a memorable scene in the development of the Snake.

Now that I think about it, the Snake’s modus operandi was the first thing that I created for the Snake and his backstory, including why he’s kiling (which is the major driving force of the plot, if truth be told), came afterwards. At first he was nothing more than the archetypal bloodthirsty killer, but when I gave him backstory he seemed almost like a character that, while most people would condemn his actions if he were a real person, would identify with him on an emotional level. Maybe that’s why I enjoyed writing his character so much, and why I think as people read more and more about the Snake and the mystery of his is peeled away, they may come to enjoy the character more.

That’s the hope anyway.

For my fellow writers out there, how do you develop character backstory? Do you create the character first and then create a history to match? Do you think the backstory influences the character, or the character decides the backstory? And what sort of backstories do you like to create? Let me know if you don’t mind sharing.

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