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My initial reaction to this text is unease and weariness. Reading on, the story began to further disturb me as images of gore and apathy played within my mind. The structure of the story is very well written, the author creates this new world/society in such a disquieting way that it's both phenomenal and candid. 

An immediate connection I made with this text is to the film series Alien vs. Predator. The reasoning for that is the idea of inseminating humans with the aliens' eggs as a way to keep their population going and the scene in which the Predator's young rips itself from the human's abdomen. A psychological connection I made there is this underlying sense of co-dependence that I can only describe as Stockholm Syndrome. The Tlic take more than they give and manipulate the humans into doing what they want. This "alliance" is supposed to be of equal stature, but the Tlic give the Terrans a false sense of freedom as they discreetly manipulate their every choice. Gan's mother is probably the only character who seems completely aware of this but is in a position in which she cannot say anything. She knows she must follow what T'Gatoi and the other Tlic want because the punishment may either leave her children motherless or cause her children pain. 

If I were to adapt this story into another medium it would be a film. Some changes I would make would first be some background of the story, provide some intel on how the humans got to this alien planet and why they chose to leave Earth and stay on said planet. I'd provide insight into Lien's perspective and elaborate on why she is unease and cautious. In the beginning, Gan has rose-colored lens when it comes to the Tlic, he thinks highly of T'Gatoi and doesn't understand the tenseness of his mother's demeanor whenever the Tlic gives him or his siblings attention. By adding these elements, the audience will better understand the relationship amongst the Tlic and Terrans right off the bat and relate more to Lien while anticipating the moment where Gan's lenses come off. 
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Marissa Meyer's Cinder is a cyberpunk/dystopian retelling of the beloved tale of Cinderella and takes place in a futuristic world that is plagued by disease and overrun by technology. Cinder is a cyborg mechanic who lives with her stepmother and two stepsisters in New Beijing. She was adopted from an orphanage in Europe by her father but after his death, Cinder's stepmother was forced to take care of her. Much to her resentment. After Cinder is volunteered by her stepmother to be a lab rat for vaccination research, she learns of her true identity and becomes hunted by a vicious Lunar queen who is responsible for the death of her parents. 

In this new world, a plague called Letumosis – the Blue Fever – is killing thousands a day as scientists desperately search for a cure. Cyborgs are seen as second class citizens and used as guinea pigs to experiment the vaccine's effectiveness. This new world is equipped with various kinds of androids that range from medical assistance to basic household assistance, relying entirely on technology. Lunars are "people" who escaped to the moon and have evolved into something more than human. In this evolution, they obtained the abilities to control another's mind and alter how one sees them. 

We are introduced to an advanced world where some are mechanically altered and others live their lives completely dependent on technology. This mirrors our current world in some ways but the extent of this dependency goes beyond what we experience today. No one does anything for themselves, there are robots for almost every single thing that needs to be done. This world creates a new category of discrimination: cyborgs. As I mentioned earlier, cyborgs are considered second class citizens but it goes beyond that. They are not even considered human to most people and referred to using the pronoun "it." 

Meyer creates a reality that sets forth what our world will become if we continue spreading hate and idling by.
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Aimee Carter's The Goddess Test is a modern retelling of the Greek Myth of Persephone and Hades. It follows Kate Winters, a high school senior whose mother is suffering through the final stages of cancer and has asked to live her last days in her hometown in Eden, Michigan. After a tragic event, Kate meets mysterious Henry and strikes a deal with him. Confused at first, she pretends it never happened until he comes two weeks later to collect her end of the deal. 

In Carter's version of the myth, she has renamed the fourteen Olympians with modern, American names. Hades goes by Henry, Zeus goes by Walter, Hera goes by Calliope, and Hermes goes by James. In this version, Persephone died a thousand years ago leaving Hades to rule the Underworld on his own. Growing tired, he promised his family a century for them to help him find a new wife before he gives up his place as Ruler of the Underworld and fades – ceasing to exist. Each girl has been mortal and has endured the seven tests. Initiated by the Olympians,  these tests are intended to see if the candidate is able to handle immortality. This has been going on for eighty years, all eleven girls have been met with death. Twenty years later, Kate is the final girl and is Henry's last hope before fading. 

Carter's reinvention of this myth is made relevant in the contemporary world by humanizing the Greek Gods. She's provided them with human, modern names and given them each a role within the little town of Eden. Eden doesn't exist, not even in the book. It is a town the Gods created to help ease Kate into entering the tests. The town is made up of Gods disguised as high schoolers, teachers, neighbors, store owners, etc. Even Kate's mother is a Goddess, Demeter to be exact. Kate is the human sister of Persephone. By creating this "town," giving the Gods human personalities that are relatable, and a heroine that follows the rules of logic and rationality, Carter was able to incorporate this little impossibility within the contemporary world. 
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Erin Morgenstern's Night Circus is a complex historical fantasy about the seduction of magic, forbidden love, and perseverance. Taking place over the course of 30 years, the plot of the story follows Celia Bowen and Marcus Alistair as they are trained in the arts of magic and illusion with the intent of competing against one another at the dispose of their "fathers," illusionists and magicians who placed a better as to which child is better.


Night Circus intertwines complex moral issues and spiritual challenges within a false world that parallels ours, mimicking struggles of everyday teens but adding a fantastical twist that leaves
For example, Celia Bowen is left at her father's, Prospero, doorstep after the loss of her mother, where he proceeds to groom her and use her to gain more money. He shows her off during his shows and actually enters her into a competition with a rival that could very well possibly leave her dead. The situation with her opponent, Marco Alistair, is not any better. Adopted at age seven, Marco was adopted by "The Man in a Gray Suit", Marco never learns his adoptive father's real name and is given no parental affection of any sort. He is taught magic and homeschooled as The Man in a Gray Suit prepares him for the competition. 
This shows the lack of emotion between children and their fathers, an issue that touches a lot of teens today.

​The main spiritual issue is the main characters trying to find themselves and their purpose in the world on their own. Their parental guardians were constantly telling them what their purpose is and what they must do but the truth is that this is something they need to figure that out on their own. 
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Terry Pratchett's short story Troll Bridge is a tale of a barbarian named Cohen who meets a troll under a bridge and befriends him. Throughout the tale, Mica the troll tells Cohen all about his financial issues and the stereotypes of trolls under bridges. There is an underlying tone of dissatisfaction when Mica talks about his occupation. 

Since this is a short story, the tale isn't complete and is left open-ended. It looks into the first part of the hero's journey, reflecting his call to adventure and crossing the first threshold. There isn't this huge bloody battle with a dragon, it is just a man listening to a troll's tale of his life, choosing to help him financially and spiritually as he bestows the troll with advice. 
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This week I chose to read Patricia Briggs' novel, Moon called. I got through about half of it and loved it. The book follows a shifter, or skin-walker, named Mercy Thompson who can shift into a coyote. Living in a trailer next to the rich alpha of the local werewolf pack, Mercy tends to get herself into loads of supernatural trouble, earning her constant scolding from her "lovely" neighbor. But after an attack that leaves most of the pack dead, the alpha severely injured and his daughter missing, Mercy must reconnect with the people she left behind years ago to try and save the alpha and find out who attacked them. Unfortunately, while doing this she also must deal with the reconnect of the man who broke her heart all those years ago and is the reason why she left.

Since this week's discussion is about The New Weird, let's discuss it. The "weird" elements in this novel are obvious. The idea of supernatural beings, how they work and live among humans. In Moon Called, you meet shifter, werewolves, and the occasional gay vampire. One thing I found particularly interesting is Briggs' concept of the Shifter/Skin Walker. In some cases, such as True Blood or Supernatural, a shifter is someone who takes on the form of another human, stealing that person's identity. It is seen as evil and unnatural. In most cases, a character who shifts from human to animal would be a Were person. Since Mercy can shift into a coyote, she'd be called a were-coyote. Only if she shifts from herself into the skin of another would she be considered a Skin Walker. Very interesting take on this myth. 



Another take on the New Weird is the film, Cabin In The Woods. I'm going to be honest, I watched this film years ago and hated it. Granted when I watched it I was expecting an actual horror movie so it left me quite disappointed. BUT I rewatched it with the knowledge of it being a spoof and I found it rather entertaining. The concept that the reason the stories behind horror films happen is to appease the "Ancient Ones" was quite interesting. I enjoyed the whole "behind-the-scenes" take on it and it actually opened my eyes to something I didn't notice when previously watching horror films. The characters' archetypes – the whore, the athlete, the scholar, the fool, and the virgin. The last archetype is quite funny because the character, Dana, is not a virgin in the least. It was actually revealed at the beginning of the movie that she screwed one of her professors. Although between the two girls, Dana was the most innocent. This archetype set off a series of connects in my brain and it all made sense. The teens who get killed in horror flicks are always involved in some form of copulation. 

Furthermore, I presume the compelling element of the Weird is the fascination with what isn't and what could be. Here you have characters that are like everyday people who have mystery, supernatural events happening to them that you know in your mind that it isn't possible but there's a part of you that thinks, "What if?" This question comes to the front of your mind because maybe the character believed the same thing you did, that none of this is possible, that it doesn't exist but it happened! It leaves your mind wondering if maybe all of this stuff is real, you just haven't experienced it yet.
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For the weekly topic of J-horror, I read two short stories from Lafcadio Hearn's Kwaidan: Stories and Studies of Strange Things – The Story of Mimi-Hashi-Hoichi and Diplomacy. The Story of Mimi-Hashi-Hoichi follows the tale of Hoichi, a blind struggling musician who is invited to live at the Buddhist temple, Amidaji, by his friend, the Priest. Amidaji was built on the grounds of Akamagaseki, the death place of the Heike who fought against another ruling clan by the name of Genji. The whole clan perished, all the children, women, warriors and even their emperor. The warriors would haunt the shores of Akamagaseki, sinking ships and drowning swimmers. The temple was built as a way to appease the spirits along with the creation of a cemetery that housed tombstones with every warrior's name. 

After the priest leaves on business, Hoichi decides to play his biwa on the verandah connected to this room in an effort to wait for the priest's return. Many hours later, the priest has yet to return, Hoichi is approached by a stranger who asks him to come play for him and his people. The man was one of the ghost warriors and after they were done with Hoichi, they planned to kill him. The priest returned and having heard where Hoichi was going at night, warned and had his people perform a ceremony and write words all over his body so the ghost could not see him. 

The priest left that night and when he returned the next morning, he found Hoichi bleeding on his verandah. His people forgot to write on Hoichi's ears and the ghost ripped them right off. Apologizing profusely, the priest tended to Hoichi's wounds and upon recovery, Hoichi was known as Mimi-Hashi-Hoichi - Hoichi the Earless. 

Diplomacy was super anti-climactic. A huge disappointment, really. There was no physical ghost or haunting. It just told the story of how an executer avoids being haunted by the spirits of his victims. I finished reading it and yelled out loud, "That's it?!?!?!" As I said, super anti-climactic. 

Overall, I enjoyed the writing behind the stories and how it plays into cultural legends of that time.
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The Vampire Academy follows Rose Hathaway and Lissa Dragomir who are seniors at St. Vladimir's Academy, a boarding school used to educate both Moroi and Dhampirs, who are each segregated into different dorms and classes. Rose must protect Lissa from forces who mean her harm, while also trying to navigate through the drama of high school. Having run away from campus two years prior, Lissa and Rose are captured and returned to St. Vladimir's Academy, to continue their studies. Trying to cautiously fall back into a routine, Lissa continues focusing on mastering her "element" as well as academic studies. Rose goes back to her guardian training as she tries to catch up with the rest of the novices.

Richelle Mead's novel, Vampire Academy, assumes the idea of the "Vampire" in a very different way than Stroker's gothic novel, Dracula. Deviating from today's typical pop-culture-vampire norm, Mead incorporates ancient vampyre lore as a way to explain the character relationships in this anecdote. ​

By adapting the folklore, Mead was able to create a diverse social hierarchy. She derived phrases Moroi and Strigoi from Romanian folklore/mythology, and the phrase Dhampir from Slavonic Gypsy Lore. The phrase Moroi is defined as the phantom of the deceased who chooses to leave his/her grave to draw energy from the living. Known as Night-Walkers, the Strigoi are malevolent creatures known to have been the original inspiration for the infamous blood-crazed vampires we know today. Taken from Slavonic Gypsy Lore, Dhampir was used by gypsies to describe the child of a vampire. 

Within the novel, the Moroi aren't spirits but born vampires who are mortal. Mead kept the meaning of Dhampir true but made them guardians of the Moroi. The Strigoi are still known as the Night-Walkers but they are the main villain against the Moroi, and who Dhampirs are trained to kill. By doing this Mead created a social caste system between the characters, segregating them into three diverse groups. Mead further extends the caste system by adding a monarchy within the Moroi community. Ruled by twelve royal families, the Moroi are led under the regime of the Royal Court, an order consisting of all twelve families and managed by a single King or Queen who is elected from one of the twelve families. Among the royals is Lissa, the princess and last remaining heir to the Dragomir line.

The main relationship outlined in this novel is the friendship between Lissa and Rose. With Lissa being not just a Moroi, but a Royal, and Rose being a Dhampir, Mead breaks the social rules within her own class system. Having met at the age of five, the girls became fast friends and Rose was welcomed into the Dragomir family with open arms. When the girls were fifteen, Rose accompanied the Dragomir family during their winter break that resulted in a car accident that left Lissa's parents and older brother dead, while the girls miraculously survived. Afterward, a psychic bond formed between the girls, allowing Rose to sense when Lissa is in danger, and at times allow Rose to step into Lissa's mind and see what she is seeing. This further strengthens the girls' relationship and becomes the very reason why Rose is the primary choice to become Lissa's guardian. 

By adding all these social elements, Richelle Mead created a universe that combines concepts from long ago with the modern world. Absolutely beautifully written start to a six-book series that I cannot wait to finish! I recommend this book profusely.
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This week I read The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde. This gothic tale follows the life of a young, beautiful man by the name of Dorian Gray. Throughout the novel, Dorian is influenced by Lord Henry Wotton, who puts youth and looks over morality and personality, after meeting him at a mutual friend's home – where Dorian was getting his portrait done. Soon Dorian is sucked into a society filled with seduction where he inherently sells his soul to stay forever young.

One of the elements of The Gothic used in Oscar Wilde's novel is sublime. Everything is romanticized, every detail described as magnificent. I also see the element of Parents vs. Youth between Henry and Dorian. Although Henry isn't technically Dorian's parent, he acts as a guide in Dorian's transition into manhood. Henry is the one who convinces Dorian that looks are everything, that as long as you look perfect, you will be loved. Dorian isn't his own person, Henry molded him into the monster that had become of him. Henry took Dorian's naive personality and creating something horrible. Before Dorian is immature, he blames others (Basil) for his shortcomings and throws temper tantrums as if he is a little boy. There is also the damsel, Sybil, who is a struggling actress. Unfortunately, Dorian isn’t the hero due to the fact that his rejection of Sybil immediately results in her suicide. 

Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray is a classic novel filled with seduction, drugs, and sex. It's based around the concept of moral ethic or lack thereof. Overall, The Picture of Dorian Gray was an entertaining and dark read. I enjoyed it.
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When I think of horror, I think of something that has the ability to scare me beyond any sense of comfort. When I watch a horror flick or read a horror novel, I expect certain elements. These elements include gore, suspense, dark and ominous settings, murder, supernatural elements (i.e. ghosts, monsters, demons, vampires, etc.), basement, haunted houses or buildings, atmosphere. 
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Jena
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