Starkid’s Hatchetfield trilogy!!!

 

The Guy Who Didn’t Like Musicals

PREPARE TO BE SICK OF ME!! 

This may be well known to anyone who has talked to me about media for over 15 minutes but Starkid Productions itself has plagued my brain since the end of the first semester of junior year. Now they have done much more than Hatchetfield-related work and were well established for the musical they put on in college by the name of “A Very Potter Musical”. Youtube and virality and the time being basically unheard especially by a couple of theatre majors at the University of Michigan. So when this launched them into success it took them by quite a surprise. They went on to release two more of these musicals which were equally as beloved by their increasingly blossoming fanbase. Starkid also played a role in launching Glee’s Darren Criss into stardom. 

 

But that’s a whole other blog, we’re here to specifically discuss the Hatchetfield trilogy starting with the first Musical in the trilogy. 

 

Spoiler Warning Ahead. Also this is going to be a long one. 

 

This trilogy was started by the 2018 show, “The Guy Who Didn’t Like Musicals”. The show follows Paul Matthews a run-of-the-meal tech worker at a company named “CCRP”. Paul is gloriously boring, and he likes it that way. We meet some of his co-workers Ted Spankoffski, the office sleaze-ball, Bill Woodworth, a divorced father yearning for his daughter’s approval, Charlotte Sweetly, a woman having an affair with the aforementioned Ted Spankoffski and stuck in a loveless marriage with her husband who is also not the most admirable. Paul is enamored with a barista by the name of Emma Perkins at the local coffee shop “Beanies”. Emma is very snarky and sarcastic, Paul witnesses her get into an altercation with a customer when she refuses to sing after she tipped him. After the man barges off and Emma is scolded by her manager, Paul walks up to the counter asks for his usual, black coffee then drops a five-dollar bill in the tip jar. Much to Emma’s chagrin she starts singing to which he quickly stops her informing her of his hatred for watching people sing and dance. They engage in brief pleasant conversation before a young boy with low blood sugar has an outburst about his delayed hot chocolate.  

 

Paul rushes off with a smile, and heads in for the night. The next morning, there’s a news announcement about a meteor that hit the Hatchetfield theatre, much to Bill’s dismay he had planned to take his daughter there to see Mamma Mia with her girlfriend. Paul turns off the tv ignoring it completely. He goes outside and sees the Greenpeace girl, a climate-concerned protester he’d run into the day prior but instead of carrying on their snippy conversation from yesterday she is singing, joined by an entourage of other citizens including kids from Hatchetfield High’s smoke club and the local Homeless man. This freaks Paul out he rushes to work where he tries to explain what happened but sees a distraught Charolette struggling to pour herself coffee. He asks her what’s wrong and she recounts her morning to him listening to her usually pitchy husband sing the same song Paul had heard from the protester except with perfect pitch. 

 

Paul is called into the office by his boss who has a song of his own, which serves as a kind of fourth wall-break where he enquires about Paul’s wants as the main character must have something to motivate him. Once the song is over he rushes over to Beanies where after a brief scare he sees Emma is still normal. He tries to explain to her what is going on but she obviously has a hard time believing him, they are then interrupted by Emma’s co-workers who pull Emma into this elaborate dance, and she half-heartedly dances along with them as Paul watches mortified. Emma meets her breaking part when there is an entire other eight-count added to the dance. She quits dramatically throwing off her apron in the process it is then revealed to her the gravity of the situation Paul was trying to warn her about. Here it is revealed that a blue substance put into the coffee of the customers causes them to cough and sputter before joining Emma’s coworkers in song and dance.  

 

Paul and Emma make a run for it and meet Ted, Charlotte, and Bill in an alleyway where they are hiding from the commotion. It is there they inform Paul that their boss has been turning their other coworkers into singing zombies. After a moment of banter, Charlotte’s husband shows up after she calls him for help but unfortunately for them, he has already been turned. Amidst his musical performance, Ted cracks him over the head with a trash can lid and his brain falls out, completely blue and covered in the same blue goo that was in the customer’s coffee. Charlotte seldom leaves her husband in the alley until Emma mentions her professor who has a panic room using his doctorate to convince Charlotte to come along with them, taking Sam along. Once they arrive at Professor Hidgen’s house which is behind the gates, he allows them in disgusted they dared bring “one of them” into his home. He has them tie Sam down and he runs experiments on the blue goo he pulls from Sam’s brain. We also find out that Hidgens theorized this exact scenario twenty years ago. 

 

Sam and Charolette are left alone for a period of time in which he wakes up and sings a ballad convincing her to untie him. Once she uncuffs him from the chair he picks her up, plunges his hand into her abdomen, and rips out her guts.

 

 Cut to Paul and Emma getting to know each other better, finding out they went to opposing high schools and Emma’s high school’s showing of Brigadoon’s head started his hate for musicals. Emma confides in Paul about her sister who passed away in a car accident and was the reason she returned to Hatchetfield after leaving to backpack in Guatemala. We learn more about Emma’s upbringing, always having to live in her “perfect” sister’s shadow and having her life be put on display for the first time after her death. We learn about Paul that he loves Hatchetfield and never dreamed of living and in spite of recent events still doesn’t.

 

This heartfelt moment is interrupted by a singing Charolette who busts into the room guts hanging from her abdomen now the same blue as Sam’s brain. She performs a song, detailing how she’ll make them join her if they won’t do it willingly. Which she’ll do by puking goo into their mouths, causing their organs to renew and be enhanced. Her and Sam’s performance is cut short by Hidgens who saves the dead killing both Sam and Charolette with a shotgun. He reveals to the survivors that the Charlotte they knew was gone the minute she sang her first note, this goo which was connected to the meteorite that hit the Hatchetfield theatre earlier that day. This goo had genetically constructed its victims from the inside out. 

 

Bill gets a call from his daughter revealing that she had never actually got on the bus to Clivesdale she was supposed to this morning and was trapped in Hatchetfield High surrounded by the singing doubles. He talks off to save her with the help of Paul and the shortcut Emma used to use back in high school. The two men leave but when they find Alice it is too late she is one of them and Bill meets his demise at his daughter’s hands. Paul is almost killed before a man by the name of General McNamera and his army break in and rescue him before also knocking him unconscious. 

Back in the panic room, Emma forms a theory that the musical doubles are all controlled by the meteor and by destroying this hivemind it could destroy the clones too. But Hidgens, enraptured by the idea of a new musical race knocks her and Ted unconscious. 

 

Cut back to Paul and General McNamara who gives the opportunity to leave the island which Paul refuses to do without Emma. The General gives Paul his gun and tells him to go save Emma. 

 

He finds Emma and Ted being serenaded by Professor Hidgens performing a song and dance from the musical he spent his years in solitude writing along with musical doubles he let in by opening the gates. These doubles soon turned Hidgens into one of them, but in the distraction Paul, Emma, and Ted were able to escape. At least till the doubles appear out of nowhere to which Ted throws Paul in their direction, and Emma chases after him. Ted is met with the General who he thinks will save him but it’s revealed that he has also been turned, dooming Ted along with the rest.

 

Emma saves Paul and they make it onto the Helicopter but soon they realize that the woman operating it is also a musical double, in a struggle with the gun, the helicopter crashes still in Hatchetfield. Emma having been impaled by a piece of the helicopter can’t go anywhere, it is up to Paul to save them. He arms himself with grenades and follows Emma’s instructions to try and destroy the meteor. 

 

Once he gets there, these doubles taunt him urging him to sing along with them Paul tries his best to refuse but his proximity to the hivemind causes notes and dance moves to come out of him against his will. With the last remaining bit of his humanity, he pulls the pin to the grenade and throws it into the meteor. 

 

The last scene of the musical takes place at the hospital where Emma has had her leg patched up and is in the process of being given a new identity and being moved to a remote plot of land in Colorado, Emma Perkins will be believed to have died in the Hatchetfield catastrophe. After the colonel leaves Paul walks in but Emma’s joy quickly shifts to fear once he begins to sing. An entourage of town folk come from behind the curtain and the play ends with Emma screaming to the audience for help.

 

You would think that an ending like that wouldn’t lend to another musical but you would be surprised because next along came Black Friday. Which will need its own blog. 

 

But TGWDLM was well-liked when it came out and is still known as one of Starkid’s most popular pieces at the time of its release, besides the Harry Potter trilogy. This musical does a great job of balancing strong emotions with humor. Emma’s monologue about her sister is heartbreaking but it’s perfectly sandwiched between moments of comedic relief but not in a way that doesn’t allow the audience to sit in these emotions and recognize the depths of these characters. Another instance of this is Bill’s daughter Alice’s death, her double performs a heartbreaking song about the two’s strained relationship confronting Bill with the mistakes he made wracking him with guilt. Watching him confront this while also realizing he had lost his daughter was so beautifully depressing. 

 

Overall it’s a beautiful piece of work, and I recommend it to anyone who likes horror or apocalyptic media and musicals. Also, the songs don’t take away from the story at all and add to the story whether it reveals characters’ inner-emotions, make revelations to the audience in a playful way, or make moments that would be less entertaining with dialogue more entertaining. 

Eldoria is a world is filled with many magical creatures called Mystics, these creatures have many different powers and abilities that make them great companions to Fledglings or baby witches. There are many different Mystics that can control or manifest an arrange of powers to help their human companions. Mystics are strange animals that the people of today still don’t understand the depth of their power. All they know is that whenever a Fledgling forms a bond whether it was a forced bond like some Fledglings with a darker craving of power do. Throughout the game you will gather Mystic companions and grow your power and theirs. As your story continues you will notice that some Witches and their Mystic companions have either gone missing or are missing. You will slowly discover who is doing this and try your best to stop them. And it wouldn’t really be a good story/game if there weren’t a few characters that you could romance to spice things up. 

Setup 

1. Create Your Avatar: When creating your Avatar, you can also choose what type of Fledgling you want to be. The types of Fledglings are: 

• Kitchen/Hearth-Uses herbs, cooking, potions, and any other type of recipe to concoct spells.  

• Hedge- These Fledglings have a closer connection to animals and nature. 

• Elemental- Has a strong connection with many of the elements in the world and can cast and create many different spells.  

• Crystal- Has a connection to the energy/power that certain rocks/gems have. 

• Cosmic- These Fledglings look to astrology, astronomy, and the stars and moon to give them strength. 

Each class has a unique set of spells and a synergy bonus with Mystic of the same element. 

2. Explore the World: 

The game spans diverse zones volcanic wastelands, frozen tundra, and enchanted forests each filled with creatures to tame, resources to gather, and bosses to conquer. 

Gameplay 

1. Encounters: 

Each zone offers a mix of combat, exploration, and puzzles:

Combat: attack, defend, or cast spells using your Mystic’s abilities.

Exploration: Search for items or hidden creatures. Mystic can aid with their unique skills, like a Flame Lynx burning obstacles or a Wind Hawk scouting ahead.

Puzzles: Solve challenges with spells or Mystic abilities, such as freezing water with the Aqua Otter to form bridges. 

2.

Taming Mystics: 

To tame a Mystic:

Depending on how powerful you are you can use your own powers to attract Mystics

Meet specific taming conditions (e.g., calm a frightened Aqua Sprite with a healing spell). 

Trade resources to earn its trust. 

Tamed Mystic level up, unlocking powerful new abilities. 

3. Boosting Powers: 

Mystic enhances your character with:

Active Skills: Mystic cast spells like Fire Claw (Flame Lynx). 

Passive Bonuses: Improve stats, like a Wind Hawk boosting movement speed. 

Combo Moves: Combine Mystics’ abilities for unique effects, like a Fire and Earth Mystic creating a Lava Wave. 

4. Quests and Rewards: 

Complete NPC quests and environmental challenges to learn new spells and level up your companions. 

Winning the Game 

The final challenge is defeating the corrupted Witch. This battle requires you to:

Strategically using your Mystics’ and your own powers combined. 

Counter the Fledgling’s spells.

Survive waves of summoned beasts. 

Victory depends on how well you’ve built your team and combined their powers with your magic. 

Story Aspect: Experiment with new Mystic combinations, explore different zones, and tackle harder difficulties for endless fun. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for reading this month’s blog and I hope y’all enjoyed my concept. Also, if anyone knows anyone who’s good a coding and could help me possibly make this game a reality that would be so appreciated.

Lots of Love 😉 

                   -Crislance  

As we all know, every story that is created is just another version of a once classic story.  

We all watch TV shows that come from a cliche plot, or we read books that have the same overused trope. You know what I mean.  If you have ever watched one Hallmark movie, then you have seen them all.   

Well in this case, these two movies I’m talking about have the same plot, but the way they were executed, MAJORLY DIFFERENT. Well maybe except for the ending. But most movies have the same type of surviving character, so that was a given.  But besides that, there were extreme differences that left me viewing each movie as if it was a readaptation of an original.  But the new version is better!  In my opinion.   
This post will have spoilers, so if you think you may want to watch these movies one day, here’s the warning. 

FROZEN 

I honestly feel like I’ve talked about this movie before. Just in case I didn’t though, here’s a summary.  Frozen is a horror movie about survival, not a distressed sister.  In this Frozen, there’s a man who takes his girlfriend and his best friend to a ski resort.  At that ski resort they cause some problems on their final night after convincing a ski operator to let them go down a cliff one more time before it closes (they did this in bad weather by the way, who’s fault? let me be quiet) and the first operator leaves and tells the second operator that there is only one group left.  Which is wrong, because there was a family before the friends got on, meaning there were only TWO groups left! Two I tell you!  With that misinformation, the second operator shuts down the ski lift, because it’s the final ride of the week. Yep, you heard me.  It’s the weekend now, which means the ski resort will be closed over the weekend. Now the three friends must survive. 

With that out of the way, this is the part where I start contrasting the two movies. 

THE CHARACTERS 

In Frozen we have characters who are somewhat flat. They majorly stayed the same throughout.  If they did have their big development, it would probably be seen in just the last five minutes of the movie. There were just three of them, and spoiler, one of them died in the first ten minutes of the movie.  And yes, it was the boyfriend.  And yes, he started as the mediator and died as the mediator.   So, then we’re left with the best friend and the girlfriend.  I didn’t like any of those two honestly.  You know when movies usually give you someone who you want to live, I didn’t get nothing out of those two.  The best friend was really just being a jerk and wishing half the time that the girlfriend died instead.  And the girl, she was just complaining about a good share of the movie.   Also, they didn’t give me high stakes.  Whenever they were to talk about their lives, I was just thinking; is that a good enough reason for you to want to live though.  I know how that sounds, but we all know that in a story there should be some kind of goal.  A reason for them to truly want to escape outside of the fact that they just don’t want to die.  The best friend was just scared of death and the girl just really missed her cat.  I mean, not saying that those aren’t valid reasons, but will those things really motivate you to just survive?  So, to me, the characters in Frozen didn’t have much depth to them.  

THE SETTING 

The setting was a single chairlift in the middle of an abandoned ski resort.  It’s freezing and it’s slowly getting dark. That kind of setting should make you feel suffocated in a way.  It should keep your breath hitched throughout. For Frozen, I do remember keeping my hands clenched in a fist.  I think the setting was neat.  It also did seem as if it could be a likely scenario in real life.  So, the setting did add a lot to the story. 

THE DEATHS

These are survival movies, which means that the way the characters don’t survive is greatly scrutinized.  Their deaths could be symbolism.  Their deaths could tell stories, their deaths could be red herring or call backs. In Frozen, their deaths were very graphic and gruesome.  

This is a huge spoiler coming up.  

So, earlier in the movie, the friends were discussing what they feel would be the worst ways to die.  Yeah, yeah, I know.  And the boyfriend’s answer was being eaten alive. This, of course, comes back to bite him.  Literally.  In an attempt to escape and get help, the boyfriend jumps off the chair.  Note: The chair is about 40 feet above ground. So, when he falls, he breaks his legs.  The audience literally sees his bones poking out.  Then while he’s just accepting his fate, some wolves close in on him.  Then he’s eaten.  Yeah, that’s how that went.  Then after that, the other deaths are calmer.  There isn’t much importance in the other deaths.  To me, it just seemed like the movie needed some characters to die, so they were just written off.  

THE SURVIVOR 

Both movies had the same survivor.  It’s just one of them didn’t fight as hard as the other did.  

In this movie, the survivor closed the movie so easily and so quickly.  The whole time I was just thinking, “If it was so simple, why couldn’t the characters just do this in the beginning?”  It made no sense; it didn’t seem impossible to live.  Why did they set it up as if it was?  When the survivor did the bare minimum to live.  Then the movie had one of those open-ended endings.

I just shook my head in disappointment.

BREAK 

I’m going to go ahead and say it, but I think Break was better.  This may have nothing to do with it, but it was a Russian movie. Anyway, Break follows the story of five people, two women, three men who originally want to celebrate New Years Eve on top of a mountain, but instead it turns into a fight for their life after they get stuck in a gondola lift. To start off, I loved the fact that we got a couple again, but this time, they split up.  Yep, one of the friends gains some common sense (the inciting incident was the same as Frozen) and decides not to go up the mountain.  It was refreshing, because now I’m wondering, oh what’s his role if he’s not stuck? Then and there I know it’s going to be good, because we have someone on the ground.  Also, Break did seem a bit extreme, but the behavior seemed a little more realistic to me.  

THE CHARACTERS 

The characters are flat in here also, but at least this time their individual personalities are more diverse.  Only talking about three of the characters, we have an influencer (the girlfriend), the jerk (the villain basically) and the golden boy (the sad boyfriend) that all played their roles well.  

The characters actually stuck to me, I genuinely felt bad for some of them.   Also, the stakes! The stakes were so high.  I won’t go over all of them, but a huge one was that the girlfriend was pregnant and one of the men was going to propose!  They had something to go back to.  How they felt conflicted about some of these things were relatable.   I understood them.  I really didn’t want to like them because they did that to themselves, but I really wanted to see them live. 

THE SETTING 

The setting was so isolated.  It was that one lift 11,000 feet above ground! Even though it had more resources for the characters to work with, it was scarce and easily damaged because it was an old lift.  There wasn’t anywhere for any of them to go.  Then it didn’t help that there was an icy waterfall under them.  I know.  This whole set made me feel the chill, especially since it cut to the scenes where the one with the sense was driving in his warm cozy car.  The setting was full on body shivers. 

THE DEATHS

Won’t go into detail, but all the deaths had a purpose. They all had a cause and effect that kept amping the stakes.  Every loss had a contribution.  But I do want to note, unlike the sacrifices from Frozen, this movie had deaths that were a result from fighting based on human flaws.  If you would watch it, you would know what I mean. 

THE SURVIVOR 

This survivor stood on business. That’s all I have to say.  They did what they needed to do, all while keeping their morals.

 

But yea, go checkout Break.  I think a lot of you would love it. 

 

 

This month I’m speaking on the topic of music. Real original I know, but the more that I try to extend upon my taste, the more that I come to realize that no matter what I do, no matter how many bands I extend to, it always comes back to this man: Liam Mccay. 

And I know that some of you might be asking “Who is this skinny white kid,” and to that I must say, the bane of my existence, this skinny white kid is the bane of my existence. He is a musician, a singer, the creator of many bands, and my number one Spotify artist for two years running. 

One thing that many people don’t realize when I talk about his “many bands” I mean he has MANY BANDS, these bands include: sign crushes motorist, take care, birth day, moonwater, hold, make his ribs show, manta, miserable teens club. And while these might just sound like songs on a singular album, or albums from one band’s discography, I can assure you that each of these are individual bands spearheaded by Liam Mccay. While it seems as if this might be a niche band, or something that only certain people have heard, there are many clips of his music that have gone viral all across the internet, as a result garnering one of the most infamous names in the slowcore community.

When it comes to my personal experience with this band, I found it through other friends and such, I also found it in a time in my life in which it felt as if the things being performed from the confines of Mccay’s mind was the only thing that could speak to a sad younger version of me who only liked his music because “it seemed sad enough I could understand it. But after years of listening to this artist, his music and I, growing in simultaneous fashions. What makes Liam Mccay’s Discography so unique however is that many of his songs are created with the idealization and portrayal of emotion in mind much more than any finite sound. 

Throughout my time as a listener to many of his different bands, there have been many songs that have met my infatuation and left me playing it over and over again. An example of this is a song titled “Manifesto”. What is unique about Manifesto is that it is much more similar to the name than any other song that he has ever created. Much of the song, if not all of the song, exclusively being a written manifesto being spoken out behind music, the most interesting aspects of this song are for sure the lyrics, on the surface superficial, but the longer that the song goes on the more that the ideologies being portrayed throughout the piece become apparent. I would show off specific lyrics but part of me just wants to leave it to the imagination until you find yourself interested enough to actually listen to the song. And I’m not anything if not a slave to my own intuition so I think that I’m going to take my own advice here. And listen to the godforsaken song. 

While many if not almost all of his songs are pretty downbeat, there is one song that I feel like is different beyond all of these, it is actually the song that inspired me to write this blog in the first place, it is also the song that made me realize there is no way that I am ever going to escape Liam Mcaay. It is a song called bleed. I know it might not be the most honorable strategy of discovering new music, but I heard this song on tiktok, of course it was the chorus and the best part of the song that was being played so it immediately caught my eye, or I guess my ears or however you notice music. But it was a song that had a strong chorus and a voice that just itched the right part of my brain. So, as I began listening to that song over and over, I found myself looking into more songs from that band and that album specifically. I was obsessed, not to mention super proud of myself for discovering a new artist and getting to listen to a brand-new discography. I enjoy this feeling because I like feeling that I am opening up my horizons and creating a new environment for change in my artistic interests and the way that I listen to music. But nope! It turns out it was nothing more than just my favorite artist of all time in a different font and under a different name. Which is fine I guess, if I had to listen to one creator in different fonts, I would want it to be Liam Mccay.

The title pretty much says it all. Here’s a snippet from a draft that may as well be seen, because who knows when it’ll come to fruition?

–

Shale’s hooves thump against the ground. The field is nothing. Dirt and roots break under every steady hoof for miles and miles on end. The snow rolls in ridges and craters from where it’s filled undone earth. It’s as if the cloudy sky crashed down in swathes of churned dead gray and fascia white, meaning what they’re walking on must not even be land at all. It’s a corpse. Hugo sees the same scenery no matter where she turns her head, and it’s all the same. She thinks that no humans could have done this. They are not possibly so powerful they can create this distortion; rend this land until it’s so out of reach. This must have been the battleground of dragons. This field is a setting in tales of draconic warlords. 

Then Hugo sees little feathery tips sticking out of the snow, cast about as if they were the same as the twigs buried in the snow. But there’s no forest here. They’re iced over arrows. Some are so shattered and strewn they’re no better than splinters. Hugo flicks her eyes to Shale’s hooves, the bumps in the snow, and feels the way she jostles in the saddle. There could be anything in the snow. Rusted spears crafted for human hands; ripped off chest plates forged for human figures. Rot. Bones. Hugo’s mind flicks to Brutus.  

Brutus.  

Hugo could have done this with her. Hugo should have done this. But this isn’t the work of Derecho, it’s the work of humans, and Hugo feels pressure building behind her skull. She wants to run, she thinks, and she doesn’t know why. She keeps running to how this could have been her, but it wasn’t her, wasn’t even a dragon, should have been her, and all of it fills her lungs and makes her want to crumble to snow. Snow is a nothing of a thing, in her mind. She listens to the way it crunches beneath Shale’s hooves, and to her it sounds like final, choked breaths. Maybe she heard the same sound in the moments when Brutus died. Felt it in the lightning and the reverberation of the ground. Maybe this is what Hugo choked on that day. But then why didn’t Derecho choose her?  

Why is she still here? 

Because she could never be chosen. She isn’t enough— she’s destined for too little, and anyone who’s heard her sister’s tale knows. Derecho saw the destiny flowing through Hugo and saw it wasn’t incredible, nothing with luster nor impact, and showed the world just what a sorrow that is. Brutus was worth all her mother’s grief and more. Even her death was bright. Hugo can only follow her, like back when they were young. 

“For the love of our sanity, be careful,” Ailith spits out the words as if they were bile, “There’s all sorts of sharp things in the snow here. Shale just nearly got speared and you didn’t even blink.” 

Hugo curses, “I didn’t mean to— I’ll keep my eyes sharp.” 

“Sharp,” Ailith huffs in passing, “I’m holding you to your word. Shale is, too.” 

With a nod, Hugo’s guilt moves her hand to softly stroke Shale’s neck. Right. She wouldn’t forgive herself if Shale got hurt from her carelessness. She hopes whoever buys her after Hugo’s gone will give her all the luxuries Hugo can’t. 

For now, though, Hugo needs to make sure they make it. Ailith rides a little ahead as to get a view that isn’t half Percheron flank, Hugo assumes, so she stays a bit back. If she were alone, she would run, but she has three lives around her she can’t go on without. She bears the burning in her eyes from scouting the shining snow. They can’t go fast because then they’ll up their chances of injury, but they can’t go slow because of the sun. Getting caught out here in the darkness would either give the horses frostbite or, again, impale them. Hugo pats Shale again in apology. 

She begins to wonder how many horses died in the battle that took place here, but Hugo locks away the thought for Shale’s and Lumber’s sakes. It’s a disturbing thought and she has to focus. She notices now that some of the large lumps beneath the snow are darker than others, and she avoids them without mind of what may be underneath. They must be getting into the real thick of it. Hugo sees the way Lumber’s nostrils flare and Shale’s ears perk. 

“Where’ddya think they were headed to?” Ailith cuts in. Hugo turns the question over in her brain. 

Ok so basically I have been working on building the world for this like fantasy novel I want to write, and I have been doing this by writing prologue as a way to just get some of baseline lore of this world down. I decided it might be fun to put it out there and possibly get feedback on it. 

 

A soft breeze blew through spring’s misty air whistling through the trees, rustling through Milo’s rich brown hair making it appear messy, something he couldn’t mind as it’d give Lorena an excuse to run her fingers through it later. It had been a while since he’d seen her, but he had written her everyday, each of her letters still laid on his desk, he thought of them higher than any jewel or any medal, their own special treasure. 

 

He smiled to himself as he headed toward his stable where his stallion Barnabee stood strong and tall, just as he was.

 

“Hey there girl” Milo cooed at her running his hands through he main before he saddled her up to prepare for the day. He had many plans for later, he would try and get King Antonio to let him off early so he could go to the Midinite Forest and hunt for Borphis, that would allow him to make Borphida a dish used to show love or adoration. 

 

It wouldn’t be easy to get the king’s approval, not because he was particularly strict in nature, in fact he and Milo were much more than just the roles they held within the castle. They were in fact best friends ever since they were school boys. Milo’s family had a long history of being loyal servants to the throne, his father had been Antonio’s tutor so they were able to built a friendship that survived till he followed in his fathers footsteps and decided to dedicate his life to protect the throne. Only recent tensions were driving a wedge between the two friends. 

 

Antonio along with most of the village folk spoke down on Milo and Lorena’s relationship, Lorena took most of the harsher lashes. Rumors that she was merrily using Milo to exceed her certain status as a commoner. Milo knew better than to listen to these false narratives, Lorena’s love for the knight was the realest thing he had ever felt. There was no opinion in the world that could make him doubt that. 

 

Soon Milo arrived at the castle where he stood in his post for the day until he was alerted by a servant that Queen Calliope had needed him. 

 

“My Lady? You called?” Milo said  entering her chambers bowing once he was in her presence. 

 

“Sir Milo, I thank you so much for coming. I am in need of your assistance.” Calliope responded with a fragile voice Milo could tell she was distressed. 

 

“Of course your highness, it is my pleasure.” he said bowing once again. 

 

“Oh Milo, please give me a break with the pleasantries you know they’re quite unnecessary.” Calliope paused to allow Milo to stand tall once again. 

 

“I am worried about Antonio, he seems to not be his usual self.” Calliope informed him twiddling with her fingers and motioning him to a seat. 

 

“How so?” Milo queried, becoming increasing concerned by observing her mannerism. 

 

“Locking him in his study for hours at a time, secretly sending letters back and forth.” she answered. 

 

“How has he been delivering them?” Milo asked. 

 

“By Harthwool Swallow” she answered looking down. 

 

This caused Milo’s already growing worry to skyrocket as it was common knowledge that letters delivered by Harthwool Swallows were of not only dire importance but secrecy. He wondered how Calliope even managed to find out about them. 

 

“I do not wish you to spy on him, I just want to know if he’s alright, I’m sure there’s reasons for his secrecy but I just must know if he’s ok…will you please do this for me?” Calliope begged tears welling in her gorgeous amber eyes. 

 

“You have my word Madame” he said once again without a bow this time. 

 

“I infinitely thank you Milo, you’re truly the best among me. I wish to excuse you from your post today. I know there’s a special lady you’d rather be seeing right now. I know Antonio has been quite disapproving of the two of you but I’m sure if you think highly of her she must be quite the lady.” Calliope said, looking at him sympathetically. 

 

“Thank you my Lady, have a great night. I shall see you in the morrow.” Milo said, trying not to rush out back to Barnabee with excitement.

 

His feet carried him at a speed that can only be compared to light. He mounted his steed with great haste and carried himself off into the night. He cut through the forest of Niteshade.

There could be found the Brandile, a species comparable to that of a hog, known amongst the kingdom as a delicacy of great romance. Although it is deterred to seek them out as they inhabit the same forest as the night feeders. Inhumane creatures that resemble that of humans but lack the souls of the species they imitate. They’re known for feeding on the flesh and blood of those who are lucky, the others are left half-dead and infected. 

 

This didn’t stop Milo, he was knight afterall. Bravery pumped through his veins like the women and men before him. He unsheathed his blade and walked into the forest with his head held high. He is hyper aware of his surroundings, a predator. His eyes hooded and blood hungry as he observes the terrain, the  moonlight paints the green fauna a navy blue, it would be beautiful if one wasn’t aware of what lurked in the shadows. 

 

He crept through the forest, steps soft as to not be detected by anything that lurked in those behind those trees. 

What’s up everyone, it’s been a while hasn’t it. I think my last blog was a month ago, dang that was a long time ago. Wow that feels like a long time ago but anyways, this blog isn’t about how time, if I even start to think about that I legit might start crying while writing this so let’s move on.  

So, I didn’t really know what to write for the blog so I’m just going to talk about this that I’m trying to get for Christmas. It’s called Under the Oak Tree by Suji Kim, who was also South Korean volleyball player. She is a former member of the South Korea women’s national volleyball team which placed fourth in the 2020 Summer Olympics and fifth in the 2016 Summer Olympics. Isn’t this lady amazing like image doing all this while completing a five-year, book series, which I think is awesome.  

But this blog isn’t about how amazing Suji Kim is. This blog is about her most popular novel Under the Oak tree. I don’t really know where to start with this, who am I kidding yes, I do. So, I found out about this series on Webtoon, yes yes laugh it up I can hear some of y’all now. It doesn’t matter where I found the series just know that you really should check it out for yourself. 

Ok enough of that I know the three people reading this are eager to know more about this story so let’s go.  

                                                                                                                    TW: Mention of Abuse 

Now image you’re the daughter of a duke and your being made by your father to marry a knight that works for him because your dad is a coward who didn’t want to get to war and fight a dragon that was killing hundreds of people, but he also didn’t want to disobey the king of your kingdom. So, what does he do he picks one of the low-born knights that worked for him and as him marry you so he can technically be a part of the family and go to war instead of your old, crusty, evil, good for nothing father could live another day. Well this might not really be happening to you but this is what happened to young Maximilian Calypse, or Maxi for short. She’s a young woman only 22 years old in the first novel. She is heavily abused by her father for a studder that she has had since she was really young.  

The novel starts off with the day of Maxi’s wedding and quickly moves to the night before, which I going to skip over because even though it most definitely doesn’t get skip over in the book, I’m writing this blog for school and don’t want to get in trouble so. After a passionate first night as a married couple Maxi wakes up to find that her husband has went off to war and she is once again left alone. Then for the next three years Maxi stays with her evil father and continues to be mistreated by him and everyone around her. Then one day she is told that he is coming back but now he isn’t just some lowly knight, he’s a sword master who defeated the powerful dragon Sect. Because of her father and some of the people around her she is told that now that Riften, the man she married, has more power he is only coming back to divorce her. Maxi believes them and is so scared to be seen as useless to Riften that when he does show up, she tries to do everything she can so he would want to keep her. Riften tells Maxi that he’s taking her back to his home. She quickly agrees and they set off to Anatol, his home.  

So, I’m going to leave off here because I don’t really want to spoil everything if somehow the two people still reading end up liking what’s happening so far and what to read more. So far only the first volume of the novel is out in English but the second one is coming out in May, so you still have a lot of time to catch up, and the manga is complete, so you don’t have to wait for updates with this one. 

Anyway, I hope y’all enjoyed my final blog for the 2024 year. Its been a great year and I can’t wait to see what going to happen in our new year. 

 Chao~ 

Shows

Some of my favorite shows were wrapped up for their final seasons (or so they say) in 2024. 

So why not talk about some of them, especially the ones that left me crying at 4 a.m. during Thanksgiving break. 

Only Murders in the Building

 

I’ve talked about this show before and about half a month ago, I finished the fourth season. Which they say is the last season, but if you watched the ending, then you know that has to be a lie.  It has to be.  I mean, they can’t just leave the dead doorman sitting in the fountain without any justice, right?  Right?!  

Anyway, the whole show, to me, had some of the best plots.  And I genuinely loved all the characters and the cast who played them.  That’s why I have to give them their flowers by adding them to my wrap up.  

If you all haven’t checked this show out yet, I highly recommend that you do.  This isn’t a regular whodunnit show. 

Arcane

NO ONE SPOIL THIS FOR ME!  I haven’t finished Season 2. I’m planning to, but I want to talk about what I’ve watched so far.  I’ll try my best not to give any spoilers. 

Seeing these characters again had me crying silently.  I mean, any of you who watched Season 1 may understand my cause of distress.  Personally, my favorite characters are Jinx and Kaitlyn.  I don’t know much about that now.  I think I’m leaning more towards Victor than Jinx because I’m liking Victor’s story more, currently.  Again, I haven’t finished it, so that may change.  Now with Kaitlyn, I’m kind of iffy here. See, because I don’t know if I’m loving where her character arc is going.  She seems more reckless to me.  But I do still see old Kaitlyn there.  Also, after what she went through, she does deserve to shake things up a little.  

Back to my point, I have heard that this is reportedly the last season.  So, I’m going to add it to my wrap up.  Arcane, you are the best show I’ve watched so far. 

Death’s Game 

                                                 

Unless you watch K-Drama, most of you will not have any idea what this show is.  But that’s okay, because I’m going to talk about it anyway.  Death’s Game, y’all, y’all, this short show left my jaw on the floor.  It was so serious that I emailed some Youtubers to watch this show. I’m totally not embarrassed.  But anyway, Death’s Game is a South Korean fantasy anthology mystery thriller that is based on the many lives that’s taken over by the one life of a man who decided that his life wasn’t worth living anymore.  Yes. This show was sad.  But yes. This show kept my attention throughout.  I mean the way they executed its theme, chef’s kiss. Listen, in the email to the Youtuber I said; It’s a beautiful story about redemption and the moral theme is executed neatly.  It has a diverse mix of thriller, action, and romance. There are moments that make me cry and there’s moments that make me want to shake the main protagonist.  I mean it too.  That’s why it made my 2024 wrapped highlight. 

Movies

If I’m going to talk about shows, then I have to talk about some of the movies I’ve watched in 2024.  That may be a lot, I don’t know.  I can’t even remember the beginning of 2024. 

Moana 2

This automatically came to mind because I just watched this Saturday and felt that it was the best Disney movie that came out this year.  I was like, no wonder Wish wasn’t as good. Disney had to make sure that all their elbow grease went towards Moana 2.  This movie to me, was quite different from the first but in the best way possible.  For example, the music was on a different level.  The lyrics to all the songs were on point.  And I’m not belittling the work of Lin-Manuel Miranda for working on the first Moana, it’s just the music in this one gave me more symphonies, and they weren’t just lyrical, but had more meaning.  If that makes sense.  I just think you need to watch it. 

BERNIE (2011)

This is a movie based on an actual crime that happened, but the movie is a literal comedy.  I mean I felt so bad when I was laughing, but the movie stars Jack Black.  I mean, throughout the movie it was like these witness accounts told by these hillbilly people (I promise this was how it was being portrayed) from like the same neighborhood that was telling the most insane jokes and encounter statements.  I mean, I don’t know.  It was something.  Any who, the reason this movie made it to my 2024 wrap is because it was quite interesting.  I did do research on the actual case, and I don’t know, you’ll have to look at it yourself to understand.  But without looking at the case, the movie was neat.  I think the cinematic story was quite interesting. Also, Matthew McConaughey was in there and he played his lawyer role well too.  But yea, this made it to the wrap also. 

Podcasts

I’ll make this quick.

Rotten Mango and Murder with My Husband

                                                                           

These are true crime podcasts, but both styles are different.  If you listen to these types of podcasts, then you should check it out.  

React Cast 

Quite lighthearted and funny.  If you get tired of music for a moment and just want to chill, then this is the podcast. 

John Merrick, known under another name, “The Elephant Man” is the starring protagonist in many a media today. As of now, there is a Broadway play (That David Bowie starred in??), a book, and a movie. In this post, I’ll be talking about the movie.

There are so many things I’d love to talk about in this movie. I only just watched it the other day but I’m already obsessed. It expands upon so many hidden issues. Hidden is an ironic word in this case, given John Merrick’s condition. 

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
A quick synopsis:

The Elephant Man is an unfortunate story about a man born with “Proteus syndrome”
A rare condition that affects the growth of tissue, bones, organs, and skin. It enlarges them abnormally. It can cause extreme pain. It can also disfigure the face, like John Merrick’s

One man, The Circus man, takes interest in his appearance and uses him in his “Freak Show” for the circus.
Not only was he not paid, but he was also forced to live in awful living conditions.
A Doctor of Anatomy, Dr Fredrick Treeves, takes him away to the hospital. In the hospital, he’s given food, water, a warm bed, and much more. 

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

One thing that kept coming to mind as I watched the movie, was how… no matter what environment he was in, John Merrick was always being observed. From the circus to the ending scenes where he was being applauded, he was always the center of attention, which he most definitely did not want.

In the beginning, he was observed in the circus and onlookers who found his appearance strange and frightening.

Then he was displayed in front of scholars and doctors. Doctor Treeves, as hospitable as he might have been, was still only doing what the circus man did. Just in a different lighting. |

The security guard in the hospital would often sneak those who paid enough into the hospital to take a look at John. This eventually led to the circus man coming back and kidnapping John from his new home. In the picture below, he is being held against his will and displayed to people outside the window.
This scene was very traumatic, It was hard to tell if John was limp from shock, or maybe, as a defense mechanism, he just tuned everything out, trying to wait for it to pass. The scene gets more graphic as they force John and one of the women to kiss.

(I hate this security guard with a burning hell fire passion.)

Near the end of the movie, John and his friends go to a play, he was absolutely in love with it. But at the end, his actor friend came out and claimed to dedicate the show to him. This did nothing but put him in front of the audience again. He was once again displayed in front of everyone. Only under different light. 

What hurts, is that he only stood because the Doctor told him too. from the looks of it, he didn’t like being the center of attention, even positive attention.
Throughout the movie, it seems like he has been nothing but a tool for attention. Whether to make money off of it or to put nobles in a better light for being in his company. And yes, they do treat him well, but It feels more like an exchange, rather than goodwill at times.

The Beautiful thing about John Merrick though, is that… throughout the movie, he found beauty all around him. He found so much beauty in the world and showed so much appreciation and wonder. When invited to the doctor’s house for tea, he saw the pictures over the mantle piece and was absolutely star-struck at the beauty of not only how it was arranged, but also of the pictures of the beautiful children and relatives. 

In the beginning, Doctor Treeves tries to prepare John for an interview. He tries to get John to memorize a Psalm from the Bible. At this point in the movie, it was assumed that John Merrick was unintelligible and illerat. This was excruciatingly false. Doctor Treeves brought in his director, who would be the one conducting the interview. John had been very nervous and stumbled over his words that he already had trouble enunciating. 


The Director politely leaves, talking to the Doctor outside. He had seen through the facade. However, John started reciting more than what he was taught from behind the door. It caught the attention of the Docter, “I hadn’t taught him that part” He said. When asked how he knew the rest of the Pslam, John said that it was his favorite and that he thought it was very beautiful.  

Near the end of the movie, an actress comes to his room, giving him a framed photo of herself John takes it, saying he needs to set it in a place of honor. He places it right next to a framed photo of his missing mother that lies on his bedside.

The point of what I’m saying is… Even in a world that looks upon him as if he is a monster, John Merrick finds the beauty in everything, and appreciates everything. I think one scene in this movie could sum up every moral that it told throughout the two-hour film. 

—–

Throughout the entire film, after he is brought to the hospital, we watch as John builds a cathedral out of boxes and other materials. He uses the cathedral out of his window as a reference. However, he can only see the very top, so he has to imagine the rest.

THIS PART DUDE!!!

HE CAN ONLY SEE THE SURFACE, THE VERY TIP OF THE ICEBERG IF YOU WILL, BUT HE DOESN’T STOP OR JUDGE IT, HE WANT’S TO LEARN MORE ABOUT IT AND EXPLORE IT, AND GUHH!!!




This part sums up that we shouldn’t look at the tip of the iceberg and think we know everything. We shouldn’t call it quits and think we have the whole idea from just looking at the surface. We need to have an unbiased curiosity. A genuine intrest in people. 

I love this movie so much, I would strongly encourage everyone to watch it. Yes it’s filmed in black and white, but I think that helps with the atmosphere and time of the film. The story is filled with such detail and so much depth that I can’t help but watch it again. 

(p.s)
I just wanted to add a small bit about my favorite scene. After being kidnapped by the circus man, he escapes and runs away with the help of his friends who had also been titled “Freaks.”

He rides a boat and eventually finds himself at a train station. Where a series of events leads to him being chased into the men’s bathroom. Where he is crowded and surrounded by everyone, where he is once again on display for everyone to see. In the most desperate voice, that almost made me cry, he shouted,

 

Heres the Link to a Youtube Clip

“NO!”
“I AM NOT AN ANIMAL”
“I AM NOT AN ANIMAL”
“I AM A HUMAN BEING”

With shocked faces, the men look amongst themselves, then John faints, eventually taken by the police, and returned back to the hospital.

Thank you for reading! I hope this interests you enough to watch the film, it’s really a masterpiece.