Character Interviews: A Whole New Chapter.

I want you to close your eyes. 

I want you to clear your mind. 

Use your imagination for this next post.

You ready?

Good.

Open your eyes. 

Before you sits a small set, backed against walls covered in pink, yellow, and blue striped wallpaper. In front of these walls are two red armchairs. In one of those armchairs, is a medium-sized cheetah you recognize. Their fur is brushed and they are uncharacteristically dressed like they're going to a red carpet showing of a movie based off of a book that still has yet to be written. Clad in slacks, a white button-down shirt, and a bedazzled vest, the cheetah stands from the chair on the right. 

"Hello!" Scribbles smiles warmly, like he's smiling directly at you. "Welcome back to character interviews!"

He slowly sits back down in his chair and taps the cards in one paw against the other. "It has been way too long since I have down one of these! And I figured since I had been planning to bring it back anyway, I'd give it a bit of an upgrade! We have a set, we have a new format, and most important..." Scribbles raises a paw to the air. "New characters to interview!"

You hear an obviously pre-recorded audience clap from behind you, which is confusing because... This is all in your head. Right?

"Now, let's refresh ourselves on the purpose of these interviews." Scribbles lifts one of his legs up and crosses it over the other. "I started these four or so years back so we could all get to know the characters I have created better. And it was a fun process! I would present a character to my readers, and my readers would send me questions in return! I would then conduct an interview of sorts with the character! Things were crazy, but it didn't matter to me. It was a fun practice and that is why I am bringing it back!"

"Things will be a bit different this time, though. I will still be interviewing characters, new ones and ones who have already been through this."

The cat let out a chuckle.  "Now why would I repeat interviews? Is this just a ploy to get more views and interaction? These are both fair questions. So yes. I am obviously starving for attention! Let's just get that out of the way. But some of these original interviews happened four or so years ago. These characters are in my head and all of them have grown more over time. Some of them have had big changes made to them. And their stories deserve to be told, even outside of the work they are featured in."

"One main thing that will change, is that I am not going to solely rely on you all to send in every single question I use. And the timeframe between the interviews will change as well. These changes go hand and hand almost. While I will be using any questions my readers have for these interviews, I will also be throwing in some of my own questions to spice things up. I want to reveal who my characters are outside of the story they are in." 

"With me today, I have my first ever guest for a character interview ever. She is here to help me demonstrate the new format." Scribbles snuck a peek from the cards. "She is one of the primary antagonists of one of my favorite works in progress, Penned to Kill: A Jackson Pacer Mystery. Readers of my blog will remember her as a thorn in young writer, Jackson Pacer's, side. Beauty queen, head cheerleader -- and again I add-- Antagonist..." Scribbles shoots a toothy grin towards the occupant of the other chair. "Shelby Keener!"

The seat across from where Scribbles is sitting is occupied by a teenage girl. She is 5'll, blonde, and sitting with perfect posture despite the sour grimace on her face. She is wearing a long-sleeved pink shirt and blue jeans. "Somehow, that intro was meaner than the one you gave last time." She looked away from Scribbles. "Let it be known, I did not want to do this!"

Scribbles giggled mischievously and looked down at the cards in his paws. "Wonderful to see you back here, Shelby. I thought it would be good to give you a proper interview whilst not being a jerk. Just because I hate you, doesn't mean my audience will too."

"Yeah... I do not trust this at all."

"Perfect!" Scribbles looks up from the cue cards. "I asked you this during the last interview when you weren't prepared. Here's your chance to form a better answer." Scribbles pauses, reaches for a glass of water on the table between the two chairs, takes a sip, then returns the glass to it's spot on the table. "Shelby. You are the head cheerleader at your high school. How much cheerleading experience do you have?"

Shelby clears her throat. "I have been put through rigorous training for a majority of my life, to be honest. Between that and pageantry, both are difficult, but the endurance it took to become a cheerleader was far harder for me. And I had been involved in the sport since I was seven."

Scribbles nodded, "Of course. Both fields must be insanely competitive. The pressure and stress that must put on someone..."

Shelby shifted in her seat a bit. "Let's just say it's hard staying on the top."

"I can understand that. And you really like staying on the top, don't you?" Scribbles narrows his eyes. 

Shelby coughs and looks away. 

"Moving on!" He flips to the next card. "Here's a fun one!" Scribbles turns to you, the viewer. "Here's an example of a question someone might send in!" He turned back to face Shelby. "If I were going to buy you a coffee for your birthday, what kind of coffee should I get?"

"Hmm... That is a good one."

"Came up with it myself!"

"Oh..." Shelby rested her head on her palm and bit her lip. "I'd have to go with a Trenta iced coffee with cream, four pumps of raspberry, and four pumps of white mocha. I also love putting a dash of cinnamon on the top."

Scribbles' face scrunched up in disgust. "I do not understand how you drink that."

"Shut up! It is my drink, dammit!" 

Scribbles turned back to look at you again. "Then the third type of question I might throw in for fun is one to poke into their brain a bit. For example..." He turned back to Shelby. "Final question for this interview... What is it about Jackson Pacer that upsets you so much?"

Shelby didn't say anything for about a minute. Scribbles looked at his watch, then at the wall while he waited for her to think of an answer.

"I hate you."

Scribbles shrugged, "Not surprised, with the plot I have planned for you."

"What was that?"

"Nothing!"

"Listen, Jackson Pacer is a... He's scary! He doesn't talk, he's pale like he's the Grim Reaper or some crazy *BEEP* like that! He doesn't leave his house except for school and when I do interact with him he's cold. He talks to me like I am an annoyance to him and, like, I kind of hate him. I just started being rude to him because he freaks me the *BEEP* out and I don't like the energy he gives off. Of course, my brother Mikey loves him. Can't get enough of the guy. It pisses me off that he's still a feature in my life."

Scribbles puts the cue cards down on the table beside them. "Truly an honest answer... Have you considered that you might just not like him?"

"I just said that."

Scribbles blinks. "Oh! Sorry."

Shelby crossed her arms. "This is why I didn't want to come."

Scribbles smiles. "Well! That wraps up this character interview! Thank you, Shelby, for coming despite my obvious dislike for you! If any of you readers want to learn more about Shelby Keener, I will be posting some links to chapters of Penned to Kill that you can find her featured in! Don't forget to answer the poll on the sidebar! Would you want to see Shelby Keener included when Heroes Collide possibly returns? Or do you think I should just finish the darn book first!"

"Next character interview will be in this same format so please, on the form I am going to be linking, make sure to leave your thoughts on things I can do to improve, along with questions for my next interview subject!"

"Zombies Hate Theater Crashers is the story of a zombie who just wants to watch a movie without it being spoiled. Too bad even the apocalypse has rude people. Maggie is just a simple zombie, but really she is so much more. Check out the full story over on my Wattpad! Then come back and submit any questions you might have for Maggie! 

Fear Street: 1978 (Review with Light Spoilers!)

This post is coming a bit later than I would like. I am posting this after coming back from Megaplex and mostly writing it before I leave! Why? Because I cannot allow myself to prioritize correctly! Wooohoo!'

Fear Street: 1978 is the second installment in the Fear Street Trilogy that was released on Netflix this summer. For those of you who kept up with my last post, you know I set out to review the first movie of this trilogy last week. And as I said in that review, this series only gets better as it keeps going along. This film is a high point of the series, particularly because of it's actors. Most people will probably recognize Ziggy's actress, Sadie Sink, as Max from Stranger Things. And she and the others did an amazing job with this movie.

There will be spoilers in this review. I will withhold as many as I can! ALSO! FEAR STREET IS NOT FOR CHILDREN! ALL THREE MOVIES INCLUDE DRUGS, SEX, GORE, MURDERS, AND TONS OF PROFANITY.

Rather than just follow the kids from the first film, this movie mainly focuses on the story of the Berman sisters, Ziggy and Cindy at Camp Nightwing in 1978. The story is told by a woman named C. Berman, a woman who was introduced in the first movie as someone who had encountered the witch, Sarah Fier. The survivors from the first film break into her tightly locked shelter desperate for any advice or knowledge of how to shake off the curse. So she relays what she remembers from her time at the camp.

Camp Nightwing is a camp where the two towns, Shadyside and Sunnyvale, can coexist and enjoy summer together. Ziggy is a camper at the camp, while her sister Cindy is a counselor. Ziggy isn't too cool with being at the camp, nor being around her sister. So this gets her in trouble from time to time, as she acts out. She is targeted relentlessly by campers from the Sunnyvale group. The sisters have animosity between them as Cindy seems to want to be above being a Shadysider, while Ziggy scorns her for what she sees as idiocy. Ziggy believes in the curse of Shadyside, while Cindy thinks if she lives a nice good life she can escape the misfortunes of their home town.

The concept this movie brings up a lot is the difference between the two towns. With the curse of Shadyside, there is the flipside of the successful Sunnyvale. People from Sunnyvale (with one exception, sort of) are portrayed in this series as snobbish and very entitled. Meanwhile Shadysiders are more resigned, renegades, or escapists. There is an obvious bias against anyone from Shadyside which comes up more prominently in this film than the first. There is also a symbolic element to this concept throughout the movie, one I almost didn't catch until the second go-through. (I cannot say though. SPOILERS.)

The movie expands the idea of Shadysiders' just snapping. We are introduced to the killer of this movie before he even snaps and becomes the Nightwing Killer. He is Cindy's kind and innocent boyfriend and fellow Shadyside councilor, Tommy. 

Vinnie! Stop! Spoilers! 

Believe it or not, this is not a spoiler either. The movie lets you know he is the killer and makes you watch as he slowly comes under the influence of the curse. Actor McCabe Slye shows great range as the nice boy Tommy in his slow descent into the devil's grasp. 

This movie also shines light on another killer's backstory from the first film. Ruby Lane, a young girl who took a razor to her friends, her boyfriend, and herself. The girl's mother is the camp nurse, a character we actually end up seeing in all three movies. (The acting in this series in amazing.) The troubled woman is only in a few minutes of this movie, but you see the pain of a mother who didn't understand why her child just snapped. She had gone looking for the truth and found it... Unfortunately in trying to prevent the curse from taking another victim, she gets knocked out of commission before any of the bloodshed starts.

There are two other standout characters in this film. The characters of Nick Goode and Alice.

Nick Goode appears in the first film as the Sherriff of Shadyside. I didn't mention him in the first film as he didn't really have a part in that in that film other than appearing in the opening scene and playing the roll of the police who don't buy the character's testimonies. In this film though, he is a lot more grounded and actually a super likeable character. He is a young camp counselor, introduced as a Sunnyvaler who is slated to take the roll of Sherriff after his father's death. He is mostly associated with Ziggy, and takes a liking to her after he saves her for getting burned by b*tch supreme, Sheila and is able to relate to her with Stephen King and other things. The chemistry the two have is amazing and it feels very genuine. He obviously was not my favorite with the existence of other better characters but he was decent nonetheless.

Speaking of better characters, we have Alice. Played by non-binary actor, Ryan Simpkins, this character is by far one of the best in the series. Alice has all of the workings to be a character thoughtlessly murdered in the beginning of a camp slasher. Drugs, Sex, Rock N' Roll, antagonistic towards the likeable good-girl, Cindy. But Alice is given extensive backstory that ties to the way Cindy is. Ryan Simpkins shows the best range here for Alice, going from silly, to angry, to terrified. Alice and Cindy's dynamic in the film is one of the most realistic parts of this film. Their relationship is a testament to the way Shadysiders handle being in a "cursed" town. Some, like Cindy, try to live life as good as they can  in hopes of escape. And some, like Alice resign themselves to the town and just try to live while they still can. Alice turns out to be a really quick thinker and is actually a main part of the reason the plot moves forward for them.

C. Berman. Yes. I can see your shocked expressions. I am well aware. I do want to talk about Gillian Jacobs' character in this movie. This is what I expect a survivor of a serial killer to look and act like. OCD and Paranoia. The idea of the safety of self over others; the resigning to people thinking you are crazy. This is very reminiscent of the Laurie Strode we got in the 2018 Halloween sequel. You only see a handful of her in this movie, but she demands attention with every second of her dialogue.

A final comment before I get to reviewing everything I hated and loved. This movie answers the question of what happens is Jason killed campers. The movie had Tommy killing counselors and campers alike, (Though with the campers, they were killed off-screen. I appreciate that the movie didn't want to go too dark with the carnage. It deepens the dagger into Shadyside's hopelessness. The curse can affect anyone.)

Downsides to this film? My gripes only really surround Nick. There's a budding relationship in this film between Ziggy and Nick and it's made VERY clear that Nick is a counselor and that Ziggy is a camper. I am not sure how the ages are in this film so that element is a bit awkward there? Nick is clearly at least a year older than Ziggy but it is weird. Also why are there no other adults at the camp ground. There is usually some higher up person that actually looks like they're old enough to be a head counselor. All these counselors in this movie looked rather young (except for the nurse) and they seemed to be in charge of the whole camp. 

Upsides? Other than those things, this movie was pretty good. This was a tried and true 80's slasher and you could tell. We got more lore into the curse and the backstory of Sarah Feir, and the beating heart of this mystery is coming into clear view. Alice, Cindy, and Ziggy make for great characters, each embodying a different aspect of final girl energy! Tommy was super likeable which made everything worse. The tension between the kids from both towns made you want to see every Sunnyvale kid burn, but the movie didn't want to give it to you. It knows what kind of movie it is, and it really delivers.

Overall! I give this movie a 9/10. Not much explanation needed here. It is very clear that I love this one. 

There is one more part of the trilogy, which I will cover later. Hope you guys have a good night!

Fear Street: 1994 (Review? Light Spoilers)

If you know me at all...

If you have had any type of conversation with me in the last year...

You already know what I am about to say.

Vinnie is a collection of small woodland creatures in wrapped in blue flannel.

NO! Well... yes? It's complicated. But that is not the point.

The point is, I L-O-V-E horror. Stories! Movies! Tv Shows! For normal readers of my blog or my stories, it's no surprise. I am a huge fan of the horror genre, particularly the slasher genre.  Normally my horror interest stems from mystery. There's a killer with a mask hunting down teenagers. Who is the masked killer? 

Horror is an exciting genre. The Ring, Alien, Scream. All great movies. And as the years have gone by, horror has grown so much. In the last five or so years there have been so many good horror movies and shows coming out (Not just slashers. I do love them all equally for the most part.) Movies and tv shows like Get Out, Freaky, Netflix's Haunting anthology series, American Horror Story (only certain seasons), and Supernatural (Again, certain seasons.) are among some of my favorite examples.

However, this summer introduced me to a series of horror movies that I thoroughly enjoyed. 

I am talking about the Fear Street trilogy on Netflix! The series was inspired by the more young adult-oriented novels written by R.L. Stine, and directed by Leigh Janiak. 

People may see the name R.L. Stine and think "OH! That is the man who wrote Goosebumps! These are probably going to be such cool movies!" Which would be correct! However, this is not Goosebumps. In fact, going into this review, I am going to put a big ol' warning on this one!

FEAR STREET IS NOT FOR CHILDREN! ALL THREE MOVIES INCLUDE DRUGS, SEX, GORE, MURDERS, AND TONS OF PROFANITY. Also, there is a light spoiler warning though I will try my darnedest not to reveal too much.

Fear Street is divided into three movies. Part One was called 1994, Part Two was called 1978, and Part Three was called 1666. Each movie covered a different story with an overarching story that I think connected them all wonderfully. I will try to cover each in a different post because... there is a lot to cover. 

1994 introduced us to Shadyside and Sunnyvale. Sunnyvale is a perfect city, while Shadyside... Shadyside is a city with a grim history of killing and bloodshed, reeling from the recent set of killings. It is amidst this that we meet our protagonists. Deena, a girl who is recovering from a breakup. Sam, the ex who moved to Sunnyvale and tried to get over Deena. Josh, Deena's little brother who's obsessed with the history of the town. Kate, the pretty girl looking to get out of town. Simon, a goof. A series of events including a rivalry between the town's youths, and a car crash lead the characters to encounter a series of ruthless killers from the town's past. 

This movie was a great way to start a horror series. It paid great homage to some great 90's horror, while giving its own spin to the classic tropes of those types of movies. It's a classic slasher mystery. But the mystery isn't of who the killer is, the mystery of this film is more How? Or why? It presents a problem. Long before their time, a witch named Sarah Fier cursed the town of Shadyside. Every so often, her curse claims a victim who snaps and kills a bunch of people. These killers range from a bagheaded camp counselor, to a 50's milkman, to even a puritan preacher. 

Now you're probably thinking, VINNIE! What the heck? That is a huge spoiler!

But it isn't. For this whole trilogy, the people holding the knife/razor/axe are shown to the audience. Sarah Fier's curse is the main story of the show. The main purpose of this first film is how to stop the killing.

Downsides to this first film? There weren't too many. In a movie that subverted the genre of horror, they still had the classic tropes of people going to investigate weird noises, couples going off to have emotional moments/hookups when they know that multiple killers are out for their blood, and a few weird scenes where characters are clearly thrown in for the sequels. However, these aren't awful things! I think they add to the movie. One of these particular scenes leads to some of the funniest dialogue in the movie. 

Upsides? This movie does a hell of a job kicking off the series. It sets up the rest of the trilogy rather nicely. The cast is amazing. The movie gives us a rare instance of LGBTQ+ representation in the cast and a movie where people of color aren't picked off one by one. If you are a fan of the gory movies, this one is probably the best out of the trilogy for that. The opening is SO well done! And I know I already commented on the cast, but each of the characters was great. Deena felt like an angry teenager who was still ready to do anything for Sam. Josh does a good job of conveying the lore of the curse while filling out the nerdy little brother role. Kate and Simon were really great characters and felt like real teenagers. (SIMON IS MY FAVORITE) And Sam... Well... You will have to watch the movie. 

In conclusion, this movie was a good start to the series! It established the story and gave us people to root for. I'd give it a solid 8/10. 

An 8/10? I thought you loved this movie!

That is true. But there are two other movies in this series. And trust me, it gets better from here. However, I currently don't have time to write it. Plus, I know some of you. Reading this on a screen can't be easy so why should I make you read an entire essay about three movies when I could easily split it into parts? 

Okay. BYE! 

Update

 The last two months have been super packed with things. Some good! And some bad. And some... Some of them make me wish there was a camera around that I could give an unamused glare. Point is! I am alive! YAY! It got rough; it is currently still a bit rough. But things are better now!

I have survived! The year is halfway (Over Halfway? I feel like this is more accurate.) And it has been awhile, but I am ready to see how many more goals I pulled off in these last few months! I have copied the list from the earlier goals post to see how well I have faired. 

• Write Resolutions!
• Graduate with my English BA
• Pass my two hardest classes
• Write more poetry  (I wrote many more!)
• Make steps towards vaccination. (Completely vaccinated since before)
• Do more editing (professional/personal/commissions) (I have done two more.)
• Read a book! (Maybe one of the cool flashy ones by your friends!)  (I have read two! The Dragon Tax by Ian Madison Keller, and The Melody of a Street Corner by Sean Rivercritic.
• Submit a story to Werewolves versus Suburbia (It wasn't accepted.)
• Have a new story come out in an anthology (Three are in the works! Hopefully, to be released soon!)
• Write PJ related short stories and related things
• Finish drafting Sunnydale
• Get a new job in the school system
• Complete any commissions I have queued up.
• Write more Heroes Collide
• Expand "Spirit of Christmas" to a pocket shot or novella (Making good progress on this one!
• Complete a very special rewrite!
• Love Me (I am serious about this)
• Exercise a bit more (I actually did this one!)
• Play a sport? (Try again.)
• Learn how to dance! (The sport one seems more realistic. You have two left feet!)
• Write more blog post(s) (Ummmm... Oops?)
• Write another zombie story. (You know the one.)
• Finish Zombies Hate Vegans
• Finish SIR REGINALD THE HETEROSEXUAL ROGUE
• Finish Justice Served Cold
• Do some work on Jackson Pacer: Penned to Kill
• Do some work on Calamity High
• Write a story for the Pirate Puppers Anthology
• Fanfiction??? (YES!)
• Make my way to Megaplex this year!

There aren't any NEW goals except for one! The convention one, of course! Hopefully I have a chance to complete some other goals soon! I do have a post or two planned for soon, but we'll cross that bridge when we get there! ;) Thanks for reading! Take care of yourselves.