Hi, everyone. I am a semi-established writer of fiction and non-fiction. I live in Rockland County, NY, where I ply my trade and occasionally get paid for it. You can see my full website, with links to published work and my blog, at www.casanders.net
I’ve been watching the news, and I noticed a distinct change. Now every story has surveillance video that goes with it. It doesn’t matter if it’s an attack, a car accident, or police brutality, there’s always someone taping.
I don’t know if this is good or bad.
Let me clarify: Big Brother is watching us, but it is not some super-powered dictatorship. We are Big Brother.
The surveillance tapes I see on the news are almost always from stores or cell phones. We are recording (and policing) ourselves. The internet surveillance that we usually deal with comes from companies trying to better target product to audience, though we can be sure that the govt gets a hold of it too. We are casually revealing information about ourselves on social media without thinking of the ramifications. The govt doesn’t have to watch us, because we give them what they want.
I don’t know if this is good or bad.
Of course, the govt and law enforcement can always subpoena these tapes, but they rarely have to. What store owner isn’t going to let the cops look at them? If there’s a crime near their store, they want it taken care of or else it could hurt business. I’m more concerned with the govt looking at our info, but again, we choose to give it away. We let them into our lives, because we feel that the tradeoff is worth it.
I believe that human curiosity, the need to connect with other people, and the thirst for information is stronger than our desire for privacy. We want to know, NEED to know, and we’ll trade knowledge in exchange for knowledge.
The thing is: while they’re watching us, we’re watching them. Groups like Anonymous consistently reveal information on shady doings. Civilians record police acting outside of the law, and apps allow you to send it straight to the ACLU or (usually) Youtube. Fights get recorded. Hate-filled rants get shared and shamed. Powerful Tweets and memes get passed around and open eyes (or at least open a dialogue. Whether the dialogue becomes people comparing each other to Hitler is up to the debaters).
We’ve become a second layer of police. If the media is the Fourth Estate. and bloggers the Fifth Estate, than we are the Sixth Estate, keeping an eye on what the others miss. We might be the most powerful of all.
I don’t know if this is good or bad. I do know that we have the power if we want to use it.
Watchmages are Wizards that have taken on a role of leadership in the magical world. Each Watchmage rules over a region or a large city, where they are responsible for the regulation, assistance, and justice for all supernormal elements in their jurisdiction.
Watchmages are either appointed by the Star of Nine–the Wizard’s ruling body–or ratified by them. They are expected to abide by the Star of Nine’s rigid laws, and any Watchmage that does not is punished harshly. There’s a saying that “there are no ex-Watchmages.” This is not exactly true, as Watchmages do resign (forever is a long time to hold a position), but Watchmages are not cast out for failure, they are executed.
There are some Watchmages that are not connected to any city or region. They wander the world, dispensing justice as they see fit (though within a Watchmage’s jurisdiction, they (usually) defer to the Watchmage. They are called Shadowmages, and they have much more leeway within The Star of Nine’s Law.
The Star of Nine rules over the Watchmages. It makes the Laws that all supernormals must abide by, and has final judgment over all. Although all Wizards have a say in the Star of Nine’s doings, older wizards carry the most gravitas and have the most control.
Though The Star of Nine exists to keep the status quo, there are many factions within and political infighting. One might say that it’s the infighting that keeps the status quo.
The Star of Nine’s symbol is an Fourth Way Enneagram without a circle.
A Watchmage’s Duties: A Watchmage’s primary duty is to prevent Warp within their domain. This means keeping a close watch of the Magelings and Dwellers in an area, as an errant spell or visible Dweller can warp and tear the Veil.
Other duties include providing assistance and acting as judge to the supernormals in their domain, and defending the domain from hostile supernormals such as elemnetals, werewolves, vampires, and the undead. They also investigate rumors of new supernormals, usually the product of Warp or magic gone wrong.
While Watchmages have the right of judgment within their domain, they sometimes pass prosecution of major crimes to the Star of Nine.
History of The Watchmages: Watchmages have existed as long as Wizards, though their duties and the name was never defined until the Star of Nine formed. The Wizards acted as leaders and shamans in small tribes, and later on court magicians, kings, or even gods on Earth.
The misuse of magic by Wizards has led to great calamities in the past, such as destruction of whole civilizations. After the Crusades, the oldest Wizards formed the Star of Nine to govern themselves. Since then, there have been no major breaches in reality, though thousands of magelings and Dwellers have been “purged” from our side of reality.
The population surge and technical advances since the Renaissance have changed the nature of the position. Watchmages are often overwhelmed with growing populations, and new inventions, and a changing world that they find hard to understand. Like Dwellers, they are often lost in the new world, using laws and methods that no longer apply. Magelings have become both a greater threat and greater ally than ever before, for they understand the modern times.
The Star of Nine’s Duties: As mentioned above, The Star of Nine oversees all of the Watchmages and Shadowmages. They appoint Wizards to these positions, transfer them, and “remove” them when necessary. They make all of the Laws and hold trials for Magelings that commit grievous crimes (such as extreme Warp or creating new supernormals).
When necessary, they create new laws and weigh the virtues of new spells and curios, deciding whether to allow or outlaw them.
Although they’re banned from doing so by their own laws, The Star of Nine is very involved in mortal politics. Most of this puppeteering comes from the oldest Wizards whose power renders them free from the laws. Some have lived so long that they see humanity as nothing more than pieces on a chess board.
History of the Star of Nine: The Star of Nine formed after the Crusades in response to Wizards causing and using political upheaval for their own benefit. The original council consisted of nine members, but in 1653, under pressure from the Watchmages, they expanded it so that all Wizards have a say in the government. The original nine members still have the most power by way of influence and magical might. The downside of this equality is that The Star of Nine is incapable of taking swift action, at least with everyone’s knowledge. Instead, it created many clandestine actions and conspiracies within.
The Star of Nine has had trouble dealing with the modern world. The oldest members have the most difficulty. As such, The Star of Nine is approaching a tipping point where they must either adapt or implode.
Book Content Rating: Adult (18+) Language and Violence
Author Bio:I love to write horror thrillers with intense personal relationships between characters. I started reading earlier in life than most of my friends and spent many hours hidden in closets and under beds, sneaking in just another ten minutes of whatever book I was reading. As soon as I was old enough, my mother would send me to the library to pick up books for her. This delighted me because it opened up a whole new world of books not available in school. I read everything I could get my hands on but was drawn to sci-fi, horror and thrillers. As I matured, I would say my main influences became Stephen King, Dean Koontz and William Faulkner. My writing definitely reflects those influences. I can honestly say my twitter bio describes me to a T – Write, scare myself, turn all the lights on, write some more. Take a break, play pool, kick butt/get butt kicked, go write more horror, double lock door. To reach me regarding my book (s) or to just say hello (please, no spam), email me at SuziAlbracht@aol.com or tweet me on Twitter: @SuziAlbracht. Send me an email if you want to be alerted of new book releases.
Book Blurb: The thing Evil craves most is innocence. When small children disappear, you can be assured that Evil has crawled out of its dirty corner. And when those children turn up dead, Evil has clawed its mark on humanity.
What if you were a homicide detective and little girls were suddenly being kidnapped and murdered by a devious pedophile? And what if that pedophile left no evidence behind except for the broken bodies? What would you sacrifice to save just one innocent child? Would any sacrifice be too great? What if it cost you someone you loved? What if, by saving that child, you unleash a horrific monster into your own life?
Mikael Ruskoff was living his dream. He was a highly successful, homicide detective working a career he loved. He had a mother who adored him, a son he took skateboarding, and a wife he loved more than words could express. He played a mean drum set every Thursday night with his best friend on guitar. His life was comfortable and pleasurable. Then he caught a case that would change his life forever.
This is one creepy novel. First you have a man who wants a little sister so desperately he’s willing to kidnap children, only to kill them when they refuse to live inside his shed. Then you have this hellish substance that turns victims into puddles of bloody liquid. And in the middle of all this is Mikael Ruskoff, a homicide detective who’s charged with solving a seemingly never ending string of murders. Suzi Albracht has a fantastic imagination, and she does a wonderful job bringing this disturbing tale to life. Twists abound. Characters are connected in ways you least expect. And it’s all presented in a way that will leave you on the edge of your seat. (or in my case, my bed) Definitely a novel horror fans will want to check out.
After reading and enjoying Albracht’s Scorn Kills, I knew what was in store when I began reading this novel. I wasn’t let down. In fact, after the first few pages I was convinced the author had taken this tale of horror to an even greater level. Like any good novel, horror or not, it’s the well written characters that drive the story. In this department, Albracht didn’t skimp: Jake Holyfield and his pregnant wife, Caroline; his brother Bobby and friend Max – the good guys – pitted against evil in the form of Carl and Dimitry Ivanovich. Quite simply, the bad guys want the good guys on their team, by whatever means. And they do have interesting means. But this story is also about the frailty of the human condition. What moral price would someone pay for unlimited money, youth, or the woman of their dreams? This is a fast paced read, with unexpected twists and turns, leading to a well-done ending. I definitely want to read Albracht’s next book.
Someone certainly learned the hard way what happens when he scorns the woman he married! I couldn’t put this down and look forward to reading other books by Ms. Albracht.
I finally got around to seeing Inside Out last week, and I was stunned at how great it was. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen a movie that managed to be funny, moving, and intellectually compelling. Disney continues to nail it.
Disney always puts out excellent movies, and I think that the big reason is that they hire the best writers and directors. Pete Docter–the director and one of the writers on Inside Out–is a certified genius. He’s been nominated for 6 Oscars, and won 1 (For Up, a beautiful movie) Check out his filmography. He’s hardly had a single miss.
It doesn’t matter if it’s in a song, a book, tv show, or a movie, story must always come first. Disney gets that.
Warning: Some spoilers below
Feelings suck
What really struck me was how well they portrayed how the human brain works, and especially the function of Sadness. It’s all a metaphor of course, but it’s true. Sadness is the hero of the story. The other emotions stifling her is what causes the trouble, and her taking control at the end is what ends it. As Rosey Grier once sang: “It’s alright to cry. Crying gets the sad out of you.”
It also created a great allegory for depression. One by one, the aspects of her personality crumbled until her emotions were locked out of the controls and she felt nothing. That’s what Depression is. it’s not Sadness, it’s Apathy. You don’t feel joy, you don’t feel anger. You don’t feel. You lose your personality. As someone who has fought with depression (and mania, and anxiety) for most of my life, I understand. I hope other people understand too.
And when Bing Bong (Riley’s childhood imaginary friend) sacrificed himself…
Feelings suck
Yep
The moral of the story is that as you age, your emotions and memories become more complex. A memory can be colored (in the movie, literally) with joy, sadness, fear, anger, and disgust. To a child, everything is one emotion or another. To an adult, nothing is.
This chart only shows when two emotions combine. What do you get when three, four, or five do?
Feelings suck.
On a side note, the short in the beginning, Lava, was emotionally manipulative and made me cry. Fuck that shit. I hate crying at movies, and I hate having my buttons pushed.
Feelings suck.
Like my posts? Follow my website or “Like” my facebook fan page and/or follow me on Twitter. You can also purchase my debut novel, Song of Simon, at any online bookstore or a real one (they both exist). Song of Simon currently has a 4.7/5.0 rating on Amazon, so it’s pretty damn good. If you’re looking for something FREE, you can read my serial (soon to be an expanded series of novels) The Watchmage of Old New York. Though it ended in February, 2014, it remains one of the most popular serials on JukePop OF ALL TIME!
Gnomes are one of the most common Veil Dwellers in New York. Along with Pooka and Goblins, they make up about 80% of New York’s Dweller population. They are the “salt-of-the-earth” types, the dream incarnate of the common person that works hard for their families and for the joy of a job well done. Their inherent abilities reflect this.
They prefer to live in woodland settings, and even their houses in cities reflect this with plants and small animals living within.
Friendly but reserved, Gnomes are generally good, practical, reliable citizens. Except for Goblins, Gnomes have adapted best to life in the mundane world, as long as they stay in rural settings. Of course, life on this side of the Veil can corrupt anyone.
Appearance: Gnomes are shorter than humans, averaging four feet tall. Then tend toward stout bodies. Ruddy cheeks and broad faces are common as well. Adult men favor beards, but women keep their faces clean shaven.
Gnomes prefer understated clothes, especially earth tones. Comfort and practicality trump fashion. Some Gnomes dress in the fashion of their homeland, but not if it will make them stand out.
Society: Gnomes are very family oriented. They marry early and tend toward large families. Like other Dwellers, they form clans that can consist of any Dweller race. They get along especially well with Pooka, and Gnome/Pooka marriages are common. There’s still stigma attached to this, as Gnomish parents push their children to marry of their own kind. Marriages with any other Dweller races is scandalish. Marriage with humans is looked down upon, but accepted as a fact of life in the mundane world.
Gnomes are distrustful of the larger races such as Ogres and Trolls. They have a fierce rivalry with Goblins that sometimes turns violent.
Gnomes are usually religious, following the traditional Dweller beliefs and attending church dutifully. Of all the races, Gnomes are the most likely to become priests.
Gnomish Names: Gnomish names tend toward the lyrical, like the Sidhe. They are usually two to four syllables, with the emphasis on the first syllable ie: GEE-bee, TEE-pa-tok, etc. Female names usually end in a vowel sound, and male names rarely do.
Abilities: Illusionary Guise–Like all Dwellers, Gnomes can disguise themselves as human. Their guise is usually of a short, stocky person, a larger version of themselves.
Knack–Gnomes are born with extraordinary talent in one field. Common ones include farming, tradework (tailor, shoemaker, haberdasher, silversmith, etc), organization skills, writing, and cooking.
All Gnomes have some skill with plants and animals, which is why they get along well with Pooka.
Object Summoning–Gnomes can summon objects at will, but only those related to their knack or that will help them achieve a goal related to their job. This requires a small amount of Glamour.
Limited Apparation–Gnomes can apparate (teleport) short distances, no more than a quarter mile. This requires a very large amount of Glamour, so they rarely use it. If related to their knack, it becomes much easier (for example, Geebee often apparates around Turtle House when called).
Resistance to Injury–Like all Dwellers, they cannot be hurt by normal means. Only Magic, Glamour, attacks by other Dwellers, and extreme elements harm them.
Susceptible to Iron and Salt–Like most Dwellers, pure iron causes grievous injury to them. Even being around iron causes discomfort. Alloys like steel does not have that effect. Salt causes them discomfort, and too much will burn. If their knack involves salt (like in cooking) it causes less irritation.
I’ve written before about how much I love this movie (the sequels, not so much) but it’s not for the absurd comedy and stoner jokes. There’s more to this movie than you might notice, especially if you’re high, and let’s face it, when you watched it, you were probably high.
Yes, you
Despite this, Harold and Kumar is a great absurdist comedy, with excellent story structure and character development. Yes, it has NPH, Chris Meloni covered in boils, and a cheetah going for it too, but follow this logic.
Story Structure: H&K has near-perfect story structure, a retelling of the Hero’s Journey that would make Joseph Campbell proud (and very confused). They leave their Ordinary World–one where Harold is bullied by coworkers and longs for his neighbor Maria, and Kumar resists his father’s demands and destiny to become a brilliant doctor–to search out the prize that will make their lives complete: White Castle Sliders.
Along their journey through fearsome New Jersey (brave the Parkway…if you dare) they meet Allies and Enemies (Freakshow, The Extreme Kids, Bradley the Hippie Dealer, Neil Patrick Harris on Ecstasy, overenthusiastic suburban cops, the cheetah, etc), suffer terrible ordeals (NPH steals Harold’s car, the cheetah breaks Harold’s laptop, Harold gets thrown in jail…all the bad things really happen to Harold), but come out stronger and transformed at the end, defeating their enemies, both within (Kumar and his inner fears) and without (Harold’s coworkers). They return to their home in Hoboken transformed. Kumar is ready to go to med school, and Harold finally makes a move on Maria.
The prize at the end of the Hero’s Journey: you know you want it
Good story structure is more than just the hero’s journey. H&K open several absurd side plots, but manage to close every one of them. The cheetah escape reported on the news later gives them a ride. The two guys that look like them in Newark show up at the hospital. Bradley is in jail when Harold gets arrested, Bradley’s pot is used to frame and arrest the Extreme Kids, NPH returns the car and pays for their Sliders, and so on.
But wait, there’s more. While Harold and Kumar are having their adventure, their neighbors Rosenberg and Goldstein are having a parallel adventure off screen. This is important, and adds a new level of depth to the movie.
Character Development: Both Harold and Kumar change drastically through their journey. Harold begins as timid and paranoid. He ends as–while not exactly bold–a braver human being, standing up to his rivals and claiming his heart’s desire. Kumar begins as a boorish slacker. Despite his incredible aptitude for medicine, he refuses to do anything besides get high all day. By the end, he realizes that he was resisting for the wrong reasons. He was afraid that he’d be another sterotyped Indian doctor, but to paraphrase him, there are worse things I could be than a great doctor. Plus how cool was saving that guy in the hospital?
Oh yeah, they saved a gunshot victim’s life in the hospital (where they went to get medicinal marijuana)
False Moral: There’s also a false moral in the story, a technique that you don’t often see. While Harold is in jail, he encounters a black man who casually tells him that he was arrested and beaten for being black. When Harold asks how he can be so calm about it, the man says that he’s been harassed by idiots all of his life, and it’s not worth getting upset about. The universe usually works out as it should.
It sounds like it’d be the moral of the story, but it’s a trap. If Harold was to take the man’s advice, he would still be the timid, passive man he was at the beginning. The man was a “shadow mentor” on the journey. Instead, Harold sees an opportunity to beat his enemies and takes it, stealing The Extreme Kids SUV and asserting himself against his coworkers.
Allusions: Remember when I mentioned Rosenberg and Goldstein? Here’s where they come in.
H&K is clearly an absurdist comedy, and alludes to one of the greatest absurdist comedies: Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead. Like in H&K, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are part of a parallel story, the background to Hamlet. Rosenberg and Goldstein (note the similarity of names) play a similar role.
There’s something else. In the beginning of R&GAD, they flip a coin repeatedly, and it keeps coming up heads. That’s a signal to both the characters and the audience that something is wrong with reality. This prepares the audience for the absurdity to follow (though not nearly as absurd as H&K). Early in H&K, Kumar drops the scissors he’s using to trim his pubes. It lands point down and doesn’t fall. Similar to the coin flips, this is a signal that something very strange is about to happen.
Yes, I believe that this was intentional. No, I’m not high.
Why is all of this important (Besides reviving NPH’s Career?: It’s fairly simple to make a stoner comedy. Get a bunch of people high and send them on a misadventure. It sells. People like this stuff. Cheech and Chong made a career out of it (their movies are so freakin’ bad). Adult Swim made a phenomenon out of it (most of it good). But you can still have a stoner comedy and make it well-written. Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle is proof that no matter what the genre, a good story will always prevail.
There are two types of magic users in The Watchmage Chronicles. The first are Wizards: immortal beings with the power to channel Chaos Energy. The second are Magelings: Humans that have learned magic through apprenticeship and study. Though Wizards are far more powerful, there are few in the world. Magelings are plentiful, and their spells make up the bulk of magic in the world.
Wizards: Wizards have existed since pre-civilization, and were often the leaders of great civilizations or gods that they worshipped. Legends of great lost empires and divine acts are often the blurred retelling of their great feats. Though few in number, their kind have shaped the world and human existence, unseen and unknown. They are the invisible hand that pushes society forward and pulls it back.
Even Wizards don’t know if they are human or some other species, though they debate it at length. They appear to be exactly like a normal human, but with one difference. Within them is a Chaos Seed: a connection to the Dream World that produces Chaos Energy. Wizards use this energy to transform reality. They weave the same spells that Magelings do, but Chaos energy gives them more pronounced results.
Wizards are usually reclusive and avoid the company of short-lived humans. The exception are Watchmages. Watchmages are Wizards appointed by their ruling body–The Star of Nine–to oversee populated areas and keep Magelings and Dwellers from causing mishaps and Warp. Some Watchmages live in large cities, while other–more rare–Watchmages roam over a larger area, distributing justice as needed.
As long as a Wizard’s Chaos Seed exists, he cannot die. If his Seed is completely drained or somehow removed (though this has never been recorded), the Wizard will die.
Magelings: Magelings (they call themselves by many names: mages, magicians, sometimes even wizards) are human beings with nothing special besides the intellect and will to weave spells. They learn magic through apprenticeship to established Magelings and from years of study and practice. Like Wizards, they weave spells using the five elements, but lacking Chaos Energy. While they lack the potency of a Wizard, magelings can prove quite powerful. A Mageling armed with relics to enhance their spells can match a true Wizard.
Magelings have a very close-knit society, hiding themselves within fraternal and religious orders. They sometimes try to manipulate society like Wizards, but are less successful than they believe. Family lines play an important part of Mageling society. They often pass their secrets down from parent to child or other relatives.
Magelings are under the thumb of Wizards, and must be careful not to break their laws with reckless spells, as Watchmage justice is swift and…unpleasant. Sometimes a Wizard will take a mageling student in order to properly teach him magic and instill the law of The Star of Nine. Learning from a Wizard is considered a point of honor among Magelings.
In my last post, I talked about how excited I was to go to Sesame Place with my friend and her 3 year old. It did not disappoint.
I’m amazed at how powerful nostalgia is. Every time I saw one of the characters, the kid in me wanted to jump and give him a hug. I saw Grover (now relegated to a bit part on the show) in his Super Grover costume and shouted “K (name withheld because she’s a kid) look! It’s Super Grover!” When she got her picture taken with him and a hug…I don’t know what the proper emotion is here. Vicarious joy? Nostalgia? A little bit of jealousy?
One of the things that I love about Sesame Street is that it’s so obviously New York City. At least, the old NYC where I grew up, before it became a playground for the 0.01% percent. Even so, if you go to the outer boros, you’ll find streets like Sesame everywhere. My part of the city, Co-op City in the Bronx, was different, but you didn’t have to go far to see a real life Sesame Street.
When I went as a kid, the park was very different. I don’t remember meeting any of the characters. This time they were everywhere. K met Grover, Big Bird, Bert and Ernie, Honker, Elmo (who isn’t as annoying as I used to find him) and got hugs from them all. Yeah, a little bit of jealousy. I shouldn’t be jealous of a 3 year old, but there’s a lot of things I shouldn’t be.
I did get a thumbs up from Bert when I told him that I like pigeons too (I lied. They’re flying rats.)
The rides were pretty much county fair rides souped up with sesame themes, but that’s ok. The regret that I had to ride them alone. Most of the rides held two to a car. that meant that K rode with Jen, and I rode by myself. Grown man riding a Sesame Street ride alone? Yeah, a little awkward. I shouldn’t have cared, but as much as I like to say that I don’t give a damn about appearances. I do. I hate that about myself. I don’t know where it came from, but it’s something that I’m trying to overcome.
It was Sesame Place’s 35th birthday, and everything there reflected that, especially the parade. Oh my freakin god, the parade was amazing. I have so much respect for those dancers in the muppet suits. They were dancing hard in near 90 degree weather, and they were incredible. There’s something surreal about seeing an 8 foot tall yellow canary doing the running man five feet from you. K got a high five from him (her?) too.
It’s nice to see that dance and theater majors have places they can work that actually fit their major. It’s not as worthless a degree as people joke.
Seriously though, theater majors rock.
I shouldn’t talk about useless majors. I got my BA in Creative Writing. That leaves me qualified for one thing: writing creatively.
By the end of the second day, I was exhausted. Kids have boundless energy, but grownups do not. I think I’m still recovering.
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