Interesting Links – September 29, 2015

Yesterday, I introduced you to Queen Viarraluca, the heroine created by dubiousbyhabit of Sartorially Smart Heroines.  In the same post, I was given a link to dubious’s older blog, which contains excerpts and discussions of First Empress, the upcoming novel of which Queen Viarra is the protagonist.  I don’t know about anybody else, but I’m looking forward to it.  Keep us posted, dubious.  I’ll want a copy when it comes out.

Next, a little strip from The Oatmeal that I’ve been meaning to share, out of pure rueful desire for commiseration: How Your Body Responds To Exercise (at Different Ages).  The Twenties was true (if only I’d put the kind of effort into my health program then that I do now!), the Thirties has looked about like that so far, and as I approach my Forties, it’s starting to look more and more likely…

But for some hope, look at the hidden bonus panel.

Finally, to round it out, a long-delayed return to The Horrors of It All.  Today’s story, “And the Blood Ran Green“, is based on a story by Robert Bloch.  Considering that he’s the one who developed the Dark Young of Shub-Niggurath from a throwaway mention in Lovecraft, just part of one of the Dark Mother’s many epithets, to the terrifying tentacled tree-things we all know and fear, it seems that Mr. Bloch might have had the same sort of thing for vegetable-based horrors that Lovecraft did for fish-based ones.  No matter; as you’ll see, he did them very, very well.

Interesting Links January 6, 2015

First and foremost, I’d like to share this Air Force training video.  The first woman you see – and you see her repeatedly throughout the video – is my youngest sister.  We’re so proud.

Next, we have a Buzzfeed list to remind us that not everything that comes with the New Year is positive.  Some things get lost along the way:

21 Classic NYC Spots That Closed Forever In 2014

I would also add the Park Slope branch of Chip Shop, but since they still have the Atlantic Ave location, that’s maybe not as much of a tragedy as some of these others.  Most of these – the ones I’ve heard of, at least – I’m sad about in either a “shucks, I never got to go there” or “my god, I thought they were eternal!” sort of way, but the one that really breaks my heart is Kim’s Video and Music.

The Heyday

Interesting Links – November 23, 2014

When I wrote my post about Slither, I mentioned that I wasn’t a great fan of the zombie genre, mostly because the zombies themselves are rarely the real threat.  Most zombie stories – indeed, most “apocalypse” stories in general – are about what happens when civilization is stripped away.  90+% of the time, the answer to that is chaos.  Only the most brutal and violent survive, and they take what they want from the soft and civilized, because that is the true nature of humanity.  We are the monsters.

Except that we never would have invented civilization in the first place if that were really our nature.

Cracked makes that point in greater depth in:

4 Reasons ‘The Walking Dead ‘ Hates Humans More Than Zombies

(Incidentally, if you want to read their classic article about why a zombie outbreak would never become an “apocalypse” in the first place, check it out here.  I love World War Z as much as anyone, but Max Brooks had to cheat like hell to make his collapse plausible, and he’s more honest and skillful than most.)

As long as you’re at Cracked, check out 28 Celebrities With Amazing Secret Talents, because people are never limited to what you know about them, and it would be nice to have some of those surprises be non-horrible for once.  I was particularly surprised and impressed by Johnny Cash and Flavor Flav.

Next up is our next installment of The Horrors of It All.  Once again, it’s a double feature: The Thing That Devoured A Planet/It Came From Beneath The Earth.  The first makes an utter hash of the Theory of Relativity, but it makes a good cosmic horror story nonetheless.  The second is just the kind of goofy fun that those old horror comics loved.

And now, last but not least:

Have you ever heard of Vivian James?

She’s the mascot of #Gamergate.  She’s supposed to represent the perfect gaming girl, the kind that isn’t interested in all this inclusivity and representation bullshit, she just wants to play Vidya Games (see where she got her name?).  Nothing wrong with that, as far as it goes (though it seems odd to think that using a fictional female mouthpiece will somehow make the horrible things you do to real women okay), but #Gamergaters being the kind of people they are, it was about five seconds before they took this character, who they often spoke of with doting affection as their daughter, and started making porn of her.  Hell, even in the original version (the green and purple one), her clothing is a reference to an obscure 4chan rape joke.

It wasn’t long before we white knights and Social Justice Warriors started to feel sorry for the poor kid.  So finally, one of us went and wrote the comic about what we’d all like to do:

The Rescue of Vivian James

Enjoy.

Interesting Links – October 21, 2014

I was originally going to post more interesting links this morning, but as I looked them over, I realized that the other ones I had in mind were gorgeously visual, and deserved separate posts where I could share the pretty pictures.  Those will be coming soon, but for right now, we just have the two.

The first is some good advice for both those planning to visit NYC, and those who live here.  There’s some debate over #2 (some lifelong residents agree, others argue that Katz’s is nowhere near the tourist trap that the Carnegie Deli is), but otherwise, New Yorkers seem to agree on:

33 Things You Shouldn’t Do in NYC

The other Interesting Link is yet another installment from The Horrors Of It All.

It’s no secret that many horror stories are actually morality plays: don’t do this, or something horrible will happen to you.  Usually this “punishment” is for something grossly disproportionate, like teen sex or drinking, but other stories make you wish that the rough justice of the horror world could sometimes prevail in ours.  Such is the case in the tale of animal abuse avenged that is

To Kill A Werewolf!

Update

Hey, all.

As it turned out, I was wrong about the madness at work ending, or even my having time over the weekend to prepare some interesting things for you.

Both conditions should clear up soon, but in the meantime, check out this latest offering from The Horrors of It All, The Man Who Tricked The Devil.

You know, I often wonder at the Devil’s behavior in stories like this.  You’d think he’d ensnare more souls if he had a reputation for not cheating people.  After all, look at the two friends of the protagonist in this very story: their argument isn’t that no amount of money is worth an eternity of torment, their argument is that the Devil always cheats bargainers (though I have to say that the one who was bargaining for a beautiful woman made it easy for him with his obliquely worded wish, and would probably deserve punishment from even the most benevolent of entities, what with wishing for a person like she was property).  It’s almost like he’s trying to discourage people from making deals with him.  Almost makes you think that the theologians who believe that Satan is still working for God have it right.

Interesting Links – September 2, 2014

Hey, all.

I know this is going up late in the day, and most of you will probably see it tomorrow, but the Internet had some nifty stuff to offer today, and I wanted to share.

First, it is with greatest pleasure that I announce that Left Behind Tuesdays have returned to Slacktivist!

Today, Fred Clark gives us an illustration of how your unexamined prejudices can leak out into your writing.  Tim Lahaye and Jerry Jenkins are always shocked an insulted to have someone accuse them of anti-Semitism.  Doesn’t their unfaltering support for Israel prove that they can’t possibly be anti-Semites?  And yet, in the latest passage of Nicolae: Rise of the Antichrist, our heroes are fleeing from the fanatical, Christian-killing Jews into the protective arms of the Antichrist.  For a fuller explanation, check out:

NRA: The Only Thing Worse Than The Antichrist

Next, we have our next offering from The Horrors of it All.  For you horror hounds out there, The Beast From The Deep may look oddly familiar, and it should.  It’s based on the same short story by Ray Bradbury that inspired The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms.

And finally, a chance to do some good.

As you may or may not have heard, Christy Mack is an adult film star who was beaten nearly to death by her ex-boyfriend, a mixed martial artist named War Machine (no really; he legally changed it).  Between lost time at work and the sheer magnitude of her injuries (he ruptured her liver), she could use some serious help with her medical expenses.  Several of her friends and colleagues have started a fundraiser.  Go over and check it out, give what you can.  They’re close to their goal, and every little bit helps.

(Note: some of the info on the page is a little out of date.  War Machine was arrested on August 15, and is no longer at large.  So there’s that, at least.)

Interesting Links August 28, 2014

I wanted to reblog these properly, but one is on blogspot, and the other is…I don’t know.  So this is the best I can do.

First is a poem to make you stand up and shout “Fuck yeah!”:

This is For the Women Who Don’t Give a F*ck

Second is the first of what I intend to be many links to The Horrors Of It All,  a compendium of horror comics of years past.  Today’s offering is:

Arbor Day, a Mad magazine slasher movie parody from 1981.  It’s hilarious, but you might be a little depressed at how little has changed.