Fiction Addiction: March 2014

Monday, March 31, 2014

The Season Finale of The Walking Dead (Spoiler Warning)

We just finished watching the last episode of season four of The Walking Dead.

I liked it, but I didn't love it.

Tim liked the last line. Or maybe he just liked the ending.

I was less impressed.

They're screwing with the wrong people.

Yes, Rick and his gang are bad ass. Hours before saying that line, Rick killed someone...not with his bare hands, but his bare teeth.

But I think all survivors left in that world are bad ass. I think most of us are in agreement that the "they're" he's referring to our cannibals. So Rick and his gang....well, maybe THEY'RE the ones screwing with the wrong people.

I'm not sure how I feel about the flashbacks of the episode. I suppose they might have added some poignancy. But I kind of get the feeling the writers were struggling to come up with enough content to fill up a 44 minute episode, and the flashback segments were their solution.

I just don't know if it was needed, otherwise. We already know that Rick started a garden, and I don't think it's a huge surprise that Hershel had to talk him into it. There was no big revelations in the flashbacks, except maybe the fact that Phineas enjoyed playing with Legos, back before he got sick. If he survived, maybe he could have built something really cool.

Back to the bare teeth thing. I thought that was awesome, and I don't judge Rick. It was a brilliant and courageous move. If I'm ever in a situation where I can use my teeth to kill those threatening people I love, I hope I can do it. I see the scene as sort of foreshadowing the Terminus thing. If the Terminus people are cannibals, they bite human flesh. And look, Rick has something in common with them. He bites human flesh too!

Then there's the talk about hunger, and the remark about how most of their conversation involves food. They're starving and food's scarce. The cannibals are hungry too. They've come up with a solution.

Oh, and then there's the whole thing about monsters. People are doing crazy and violent things during this apocalypse. Bonds are being formed...strong ones. And we see that people will do about anything to protect those in their own personal family circle.

I guess the question is this. If the only way Rick could keep his post-apocalyptic family alive was to kidnap and eat strangers, would he do it?

Losing Love For The Walking Dead

Before this season of The Walking Dead, I considered myself a pretty huge fan. Now my love has greatly diminished. Though we haven't yet watched the season finale. Maybe that will totally wow me, and my love will blossom again.

Until then, I've decided to make a list of things that have made me lose the love, along with a short list of things I still do love.

I'll start with the negative. Sorry.

1. The communicable disease storyline. Are zombies not enough excitement? Do they not provide enough conflict? It's like the creators of the show imagined they might be getting boring, so they decided to throw in something new.

What really bothered me though was the confusion between viral and bacterial infection. Hershel compares the illness the the Spanish flu, yet asks the survivors to bring back antibiotics.

Now if we look at that in a dictionary sense, it's probably okay to use that word. Antibiotics can refer to a medication that kills any microorganism, not just bacteria. But in terms of medical lingo, antibiotics are known for targeting bacterial infections.

It's hard for me to imagine a medical professional (such as Hershel Greene) would use the term antibiotics when referring to antivirals.

The feeling I got was that the creators of the show didn't do diligent research.

I lost some respect.

2. Talking Dead time increase I used to love The Talking Dead. I thought it was funny and cathartic. I loved the montage of episode deaths. I loved the insights from random celebrities. But then the show changed from being a half hour program to a full hour one. For me, it was too much. About half-way through, I start getting antsy. I want them to hurry up and get to the preview scene for the next episode. Really, I just wan it to be over and done with, so I can go and do something else.

A few episodes back, we quit The Talking Dead.

3. Twitter I've learned my lesson now. For me, it is not a good idea to follow celebrities involved with the TV shows I love. I don't know. It kind of ruins the magic. I begin to see the actor more than I see the character.

Also...I'm not a big fan of over-promotion, and with my excessive amount of Walking Dead folks on my Twitter feed, I saw way too much Walking Dead promotion.

Every time I checked my Twitter, I was bombarded with The Walking Dead tweets and retweets.

Of course, this is my fault. I shouldn't have done so much following. I remedied that though. I unfollowed all Walking Dead folks. We'll see if that changes my feelings at all...over time.

4. The practical joke that Andrew Lincoln played on Norman Reedus.

I liked the story behind the prank. Nick Santonastasso has no legs, and only one arm, and he's a huge fan of The Walking Dead. He exploited what makes him unusual to get the attention of people from the show. I respect that. A lot. Santonastasso went to a grocery store and approached people, pretending to be a zombie. Then he put the video online. It was fun.

Well, Nick Santonastasso got the attention of someone. Andrew Lincoln played a trick on Norman Reedus. They hid cameras in a room with Reedus, along with Santonastasso under a food cart. Then when Reedus is alone, Santonastasso jumps out at him.

Santonastasso's missing his legs and arms, and he has zombie make-up on; but does any of that matter? No! If you had anyone jump out from under a food cart, I think most people witnessing that would be horribly startled.

I think they could have came up with something better.

For me, the only redeeming thing about the video is that Andrew Lincoln's so adorable in his eagerness to do the prank.

Now that I've been a negative bitch, I shall go ahead and say some positive things.

So...this is what I still like.

1. The Quiet Artsy Episodes I get it. There are zombies, and they can be killed and mutilated in all sorts of exciting ways. I do enjoy the zombies, but I'm one of those who's more interested in the human stories. I like the episodes this season where there was less action and more psychological insight. I think my favorite was the one with the Governor seeking out redemption....so sad that he failed. Then I also loved the episode with Beth and Daryl.

2. The Music This is probably what I love most about The Walking Dead. According to IMDb, I have Thomas Golubic to thank for that. He's the music supervisor, which means he chooses the songs.

I've been introduced to some great songs, thanks to Golubic. I have a Walking Dead list on Spotify.

I'll list some of my favorites....

1. "I See A Darkness" by Johnny Cash, and that has led me to loving other Cash songs. I had heard of the guy vaguely before The Walking Dead....knew there was a movie about him. But I never really listened to his songs.

2. "Tomorrow is a Long Time" by Bob Dylan. They played this on the finale of the first season. It's a
beautiful song.

3. "The Parting Glass" by The Wailin' Jennys. I fell in love with this song after hearing Emily Kinney sing it at the prison campfire.

.

4. "Hold on" by Tom Waits. I was obsessed with this song too. Emily Kinney has a way of making me fall in love with songs.

5. "Up the Wolves" by The Mountain Goats. They played this song at the end of this season's Daryl and Beth episode.

Why is it, when a song becomes more popular because it's featured in a TV show or movie, an old fan of the song gets annoyed?

Is it bad to be introduced to a song this way? How did the complainer first learn of the song?

In some ways, I think the person's not actually annoyed. It's just a roundabout way for them to brag about the fact that they knew about the song before the general public.

In the case of "Up the Wolves", YouTube user Contextneeded says, Don't you hate it when a fanbase from out of nowhere comes and fucks with something you like? But how are we messing things up? Are we taking something away from him by liking the song?

I do think popularity can ruin things. Like tourist attractions or your favorite small town. It's not fun to be in a swarm of people taking selfies. And then you get long lines everywhere. But with a YouTube video, how's popularity going to diminish the experience of old fans?

Saturday, March 29, 2014

Reminds me of Mary Alice

Last night I started reading Fannie Flagg's I Still Dream About You.

In the novel, Maggie Fortenberry's planning to commit suicide and is trying to write a suicide note that will make things easier on her friends.

She expects the suicide to be a surprise, because she's been good at faking happiness.

It reminds me a lot of Desperate Housewives, so far. Mary Alice Young seemed to have a relatively perfect suburban life. Then she shoots herself. It turns out she had a big secret...later revealed throughout season one of the show. From what I can see on the book jacket, Maggie has a secret too.

There's a big difference though between Desperate Housewives and I Still Dream About You. The former deals with the aftermath of the suicide. In the latter, we see what's going on inside the mind of someone planning to commit suicide.

There's probably other major differences as well. I'm on only page 14 of the book, so I have a lot to cover before I know more!

Friday, March 28, 2014

Empathy

I've been reading Copper Sun, a beautiful, yet very sad, young adult historical novel written by Sharon Draper.

It's about an African girl who witnesses the murder of her family, is put on a ship with deplorable conditions, and is then sold to some very awful white Americans.

It's a story most of us have heard many times. I know the history...at least in a general sense. But I don't think I've often heard the history as a story that many times. For me, there's such a difference between reading facts and reading a personal account (either biographical or a fictional story based on fact).

When I read about atrocities or disasters on the news, I rarely feel any empathy. Then I feel kind of awful about myself. I hear thousands of people died and I just get this feeling. Such is life. Shit happens. It's the human experience.

I definitely get a lot of empathy though when I read more personal stories.

Sharon Draper's novel is definitely provoking my empathy.

There's some awful examples of human cruelty in the book. Shocking stuff. I'd like to believe that this high level of evilness was rare in slave-owners, but from other novels and nonfiction I've read about human upon human atrocities, it's hard to have faith my wish could be true.

One of the most heart-breaking aspects of the story is the treatment of a four-year-old little boy named Tidbit. His story must have really touched me. I was reading the book in bed last night, then stopped so I could get some sleep. I had this sudden feeling of worry and panic. I thought Where's Tidbit? I guess I got so emotionally involved with the novel, for a moment I thought it was real...and that I was responsible for Tidbit's well-being.

Thursday, March 27, 2014

Blitz Survival Games

My son Jack and I are both huge Minecraft fans. I joked with him that maybe I should start yet another blog...just for Minecraft. But then I decided it fits fine here, because Minecraft's a fictional world.

I usually play Minecraft alone in what's called Single Player. I play survivor mode which means I have to search for the materials I need to build shelter, stay nourished, and fight monsters. I had one world for a long time and usually stayed in the same area. I built a neighborhood with houses made out of multicolored wool.

Then I eventually decided to create a new world. In this one, I'm nomadic. Every day I walk for at least two minutes and then build a new house. My rule is I can't build in the same type of biome I built in the day before. So for example, yesterday I built a house in the desert and today I built a house in the savannah.

I quit the game, for the day, after I've grown six units of wheat, which will create two loaves of bread.

It all sounds a bit boring. I sound like an old lady, which I kind of am in the world of Minecraft. I think most players are much younger than me. I think it would be cool though if there was some type of club for old people playing Minecraft.

Anyway....

Now Jack has gotten me into these multiplayer Hunger Games inspired games called Blitz Survival Games. It's just like the book and movie. You have to stand on these things until they let you move. Then you can either run for the goodies in the chest or run and hide.

I'm very good at the running and hiding. I'm horrible at the fighting. I've had only three kills, and one of those was Jack letting me kill him.

I had a weird thing happen in the last game. Like a lot of video games, you get hearts. And each time you're injured, you lose hearts. In Minecraft you get one row of hearts. I'm not sure how many that is.

Okay. I'll look it up.

Answer: 10.

So the last time I played I had 20 hearts for some weird reason. Also, you get one freebie set with every game. Something to help you with the quest to kill and survive. I chose the sword package. Instead of getting that, I got an impressive amount of armor.

It's like I was suddenly blessed or something.

Didn't matter though. I still died.

I took that as a sign that I should quit. If you get all these freebies (for no apparent) reason and you still get killed, it kind of looks like you're hopeless.

But then I remember my motto lately is Don't Give Up! So I'm going to get my ass back in there, and probably get re-murdered. That's fine though.

Here's a video of Jack playing the game. I'm impressed with his skills.

Love!

I'm feeling happy right now, because I'm falling in love with a new show.

What is it?

New Girl.

I love the feeling of falling in love with a new show.

Then there's the opposite...falling out of love. I think that's where I'm at with The Walking Dead.

Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Satan and Judy Martin (Warning: American Horror Story Spoilers)

We finished watching the second season of American Horror Story tonight, and it made me think about a quote from William Peter Blatty's The Exorcist.

Perhaps evil is the crucible of goodness... and perhaps even Satan - Satan, in spite of himself - somehow serves to work out the will of God.

Well, the last episode was incredibly touching. I think it was one of the most heart-warming horror stories I've ever seen.

I have a weakness for stories of redemption and forgiveness, and American Horror Story certainly delivered.

Jessica Lange plays Sister Jude, a Nurse Ratched character, cruel to the mental patients entrusted in her care at Briarcliff Manor. She prescribes electric shock therapy to patients, whips them with canes, and commits a mentally healthy reporter against her will. That's all in the beginning of the series. In the end, she's the beloved nana to the children of one of her former patients, Kit Walker. She's rescued by him, lives with him, helps take care of her children, and he's there at her death bed.

How did we get from point A to point B?

Well, first we learn that Sister Jude isn't a simple monster. She's a fractured soul who sought a religious haven after believing she killed a child in a hit and run accident.

Then the devil himself comes to Briarcliff. Possessing a nun, he causes more shit to happen in a place that was already really shitty.

With events orchestrated by Satan, one thing leads to another and sister Jude becomes a patient at Briarcliff. The cruel treatments she gave to the patients is now given to her. Through her horrific experiences she learns what she did in the past was wrong.

She apologizes to the reporter she had committed, and helps her to escape. She becomes friends with some of the patients she used to abuse. She also becomes severely mentally ill herself, not from a biological brain anomaly but as the result of her mistreatment.

With the help of Kit Walker, a former patient, she's cured and becomes a decent human being. Well, and there also might have been aliens in the woods who helped with her treatment as well.

For the most part though, I think it was mostly Satan who saved Judy Martin's soul.

She sought salvation for the hit and run accident, tried to find it with God, some nuns and a Monsignor at Briarcliff, but that all turned out to be hell....with or without Satan. Then Satan comes along and does the actual saving.

Are we to believe that Satan did it on purpose? Deep down is he a good-hearted soul who wants to help people with a little tough love? Probably not. Although I do kind of like that idea.

What I think is that it's probably more unintentional.

I think evil can lead to good.

Not always.

Sometimes when bad things are done to people, it makes them worse human beings. Evil begets evil. But other times people change for the better after experiencing something horrible. American Horror Story also had an example of the former. Dr. Oliver Thredson's abandoned at birth and raised in an orphanage. This becomes his excuse for being a serial killer who skins his victims alive. His son suffers the same fate, and he too uses it as an excuse to murder random women.

Whether we believe in Satan or not, I think most of us can agree that the evil in our society can't be blamed on Satan alone. We do most of it to each other. We hurt each other, and we never can predict the consequences. We'll ridicule someone not knowing whether they'll laugh it off, hide in their room and cry, slash their wrists, go on a shooting spree, or rise up and form an anti-bulling organization that helps others.

Although I'm very touched by Sister Jude's transformation, and fascinated by the idea that Satan kind of gets the credit, I think it would be better if we could more often better society with kindness and compassion rather than wicked tough love.

Loved this Paragraph

I'm continuing to read Clayton Smith's novel Apocalypticon.

I decided what it reminds me of is the movie Zombieland. It has that type of sense of humor. I guess other films in that genre would be Sean of the Dead and This is the End.

I'm trying to remember if I've ever read a book of this type. Apocalyptic Comedy.... I can't think of any off the top of my head.

Anyway, I love Smith's style of writing minus a few metaphors. I'm pretty intolerant of metaphors. But Smith has only a few and I haven't found any that totally irked me. It's fine if people sprinkle a few here or there in their writing. I might have a few in my own novels. But if I start reading a book and there's too many, I often just quit.

Wait. I meant to be talking about the positive and I got sidetracked.

I wanted to share an excerpt from the novel. I think it's a good illustration of Smith's writing style and sense of humor.

Crap. It turns out you can't cut and paste from the Kindle cloud reader. Oh well.

I guess I'll start typing.

Pat weighed his options. On the one hand he hated both hippies and smug college students, especially the dirty ones. On the other hand, he really loved fires, possibly more than he hated hippies and college students, and he suddenly remembered that he hadn't eaten since the snack pack this morning. His distaste for opinionated young gadabouts was a matter of preference, but his need for hot chili was bordering on survival necessity. He begrudgingly kowtowed to rule number one: Survive. "I guess we go out there," he said miserably, "cause I don't think there going to let us start a fire on the train. But I tell thee this Benjamin Judith Fogelvee. I am taking my machete, and if I hear just one of them complain about the one-percent, so help me, I will butcher the hippies like it was Mercenary Christmas". Mercenary Christmas was the title of the video game he and Ben had developed a few years earlier. Neither of them was a video game developer; thus far it was a "concept piece" only.

I especially love the last line.

You know...this is also helpful to me, because I wasn't sure how to emphasis words in a book. In my blogs, I capitalize, but I figured for a book it might be wrong.

I can also learn from his sentences, because I have a habit of making mine extremely short. Someone in my younger years must have made me paranoid about run-on sentences. Tim mentioned it to me. He's been reading my novel, and then I was reading reviews of my old novel. I have the choppy sentence syndrome.

Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Fast Growing Babies! (Warning: American Horror Story Spoilers)

We just finished another episode of American Horror Story.

My little brain found more connections between the two seasons.

Babies.

Both seasons feature accelerated supernatural pregnancies.

And both feature babies born from evil fathers who grow up to be evil. Well, we never saw the baby grow up in the first season, but we did see him, as a young child, murder his nanny.

We have two episodes left for season two. In the episode we saw today, Lana breastfed the baby she had originally planned to abort.

Supposedly this baby grew up to be a serial killer, like his father, and is now breastfeeding from adult prostitutes, because his mother deprived him.

I said to Tim...wouldn't it be funny if Lana ended up being a good mother to her child, and the man we're led to believe's her child is some delusional guy who just imagines he's the son of a serial killer.

I'm wondering what's going to happen in the last two episodes.

Trapped

We have three episodes left of the second season of American Horror Story. It's grown on me now. I love it. I was a little slow to warm to it though.

I wanted to say I must like it less than the first season, because with the first season we could rarely stop at one episode. We almost always ended up watching two. With this season, we've been watching only one a day. But with Desperate Housewives, we watched two episodes a night. We watched only one usually of Ugly Betty. Yet I liked Ugly Betty more. Jack informed us today though that he liked Desperate Housewives a tiny bit better. So maybe it was his wishes that we watch two.

Maybe I did like season one of American Horror Story a tiny bit better. But that doesn't mean my love for the second season isn't strong.

I now see the commonalities between the two seasons....I mean besides the actors.

Both stories deal with people being trapped in horrible situations. It's very suffocating. That feeling of no escape. Then the trapped people end up finding unusual allies. It's very dark, but also kind of sweet. There's evil, but also redemption.

I wonder if season three has the same themes.