Volume 2 Issue 2 | February 2014
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Nerdfighter Spotlight: Emily Graslie
This month we scoop the brain of Emily Graslie, Star of the YouTube video series Brain Scoop.
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The Moose, The Pie Eater, and The Angel
Bromance, pie, rock music, gore, and mythos, what isn’t there to love about this month’s fandom? Supernatural.
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The Many Wonders of Felicia Day
We look at the work of nerd royalty Felicia Day and wonder how she appears in everything we like.
Reader Submissions
Letter from the Staff Hey there, fellow Hunters and Anglerfish readers! This is the first time I’ve gotten to write one of these, so I’m pumped to welcome you all to the March issue! This go-around, we’re looking at everyone’s favorite demon-hunting brothers – The Winchesters – and Supernatural. There’s so much Supernatural content that we’re bursting at the gills – and that’s not even including our Nerdfighter Spotlight interview with The Brain Scoop’s Emily Graslie!
Jason Stack Co-Editor in Chief
Issuu - www.issuu.com/theanglerfish Tumblr - theanglerfishmagazine.tumblr.com Twitter - www.twitter.com/anglerfishzine Facebook - www.facebook.com/theanglerfish
Managers & Editors Brandon Dannenhoffer Eric Cole Jason Stack Keren Moros Jordan Kahle David Pantoja Eefje Savelkoul Katherine Taylor
Graphics & Design MaddieValley Mayela Gutierrez Hayley Pike Jackie Files Jessika Raisor Kenza Samlali Vaiki Tress Sarah Lowe
Writers Marissa Hubelbank Alyssa Nabors Cecily Dreyfuss Sarah Mills Melissa Heineman Lucy Pegg Joie Ling Kaya Mendelsohn Ruth Tirado Pallavi Pillutla Jacob Lambrecht
Social Media/ PR Mert Keceli Tristan Dane Megan Manzano
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Founder Co-Editor in Chief Co-Editor in Chief News Editor Reader Submissions Art Director Sr. Design Lead Sr. Design Lead
Designer/ Illustrator Designer/ Illustrator Illustrator Illustrator Illustrator Illustrator Illustrator Illustrator
Writer Writer Writer Writer Writer Writer Writer Writer Writer Writer Writer
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The Anglerfish | Issue 12 January 2014
I’ve had a fascination with the supernatural from a young age – mainly because of my skepticism. I read up on ghost myths, local ghost lore, and even attended a lecture at my local library by the author of several local ghost-hunting books. Aliens were a little too out-there for me - no pun intended – and cryptozoic creatures had their roots in urban and cultural legends. Then again, nobody has ever caught Nessie or a Sasquatch. So when Supernatural came along, I was as good as sold, what with my fascination and the initial tackling of urban legends, but as the seasons went on, my interest waned. However, Tumblr (and Wikipedia) has kept me abreast of what has been happening to the Winchesters, Castiel, Crowley, and other friends and foes of the Winchester brothers. So, as I mentioned, we’ve got a lot of Supernatural content from a look at the fandom to the show’s soundtrack to a look at Felicia Day to SuperWhoLock. Yes, we even cover SuperWhoLock. We’ve also got some more general scare-related articles, like a review of the new PS4 game Outlast and some year-round spooky webcomics. Also, because it’s March, we’re also taking a look at the history of St. Patrick’s Day and St. Patrick himself! With all that said, you’re good to read on – but be wary of anyone asking for your soul. If you need any help hunting or just want to say hi, you can find us on our Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr accounts and drop us a line there. We promise to get back to you before ol’ Azazel comes for our souls or the warring angels raze humanity. Happy hunting, ya idjits! Jason Stack Entertainment Editor/Co-Editor in Chief
CONTENTS On On The The Cover Cover
The Moose, The Pie Eater, and The Angel
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Bromance, pie, rock music, gore, and mythos. What isn’t there to love about this month’s fandom? Supernatural.
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Nerdfighter Spotlight
This month we scoop the brain of Emily Graslie, star of the YouTube video series Brain Scoop.
The Wonders of Felicia Day
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We look at the work of nerd royalty Felicia Day and wonder how she appears in everything we like.
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Something Old, Something New SuperWhoLock Get Your Scare Fix Vampire Academy: A Saga That Bites Terrible Heroes Why I Did Not Outlast Outlast Supernatural Sounds
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Winter Survival Guide Rights Of The Dead Bieber and Padelecki The Myths of Saint Patrick Fun Facts About the Supernatural Word Search Art & Literature
Nerdfighter Spotlight
Nerdfighter Spotlight: Emily Graslie The Anglerfish sits down with Emily Graslie to talk about her scientific curiosity, careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, and the internet as a medium for learning. by Jacob Lambrecht
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The Anglerfish | Issue 2 Volume 2 February 2014
Nerdfighter Spotlight
The Anglerfish: What is the story behind the Brain Scoop?
I am not sure I have an answer. I have done so many cool things with the Brain Scoop. If asked to decide between camping in Kenya for 10 days or working on the two-headed calf project, I am not certain I could pick a favorite.
TA: If you could tell young women aspiring to work in STEM fields anything, what would you say?
Emily Graslie: I was an undergrad student at University of Montana and a EG: Do it! My mother is a physician, so friend mentioned he had borrowed some when I was growing up, I always thought specimens from the zoological museum. At if I enjoyed the sciences, I could pursue the time, I did not know what a zoological TA: In your “Where My Ladies At?” video, a career in them. The “Is it possible for museum was, so naturally I was intrigued. you talk about gender inequalities in the women to have a family and career?” A few weeks later, I visited the university’s science, technology, engineering, and question should not deter you from followzoological museum and was fascinated by mathematics (STEM) fields. In your mind, ing your interests. the animal specimens. During my senior what are some issues or reforms that need year of college, I met with the curator and to put women on the same playing field as TA: What is your definition of Chief arranged to do an internship sketching men? Curiosity Correspondent? specimens for my studio art degree. After some time drawing the animal specimens, EG: It comes down to pay. Women are paid EG: To correspond with curiosity? I am not it became clear to me I wanted to do more $0.33 less per hour than men for the same entirely sure. I would say I use any medium than draw the specimens. I I can in order to help foster an kinda gave up halfway through appreciation for our natural Hank came by to film an and just started doing speciworld. episode of Crash Course men prep. Don’t remind my art school advisor. I learned TA: Can you walk us through about the vertebrate skeleton specimen prep at Montana, on a typical day, if such thing in the summer of 2012. He came the fly. Hank came by to film an exists, as Chief Curiosity episode of Crash Course about Correspondent? back that fall to ask if I would be the vertebrate skeleton in the interested in hosting my own show summer of 2012. He came back EG: I am not sure such a day that fall to ask if I would be exists. Take today for example. and in December, I got an email interested in hosting my own I started today by filming from Michael Aranda about what show and in December, I got the world’s leading meteor an email from Michael Aranda researcher who pioneered would become the Brain about what would become the a new method of dissolving Scoop. Brain Scoop. I loved the online meteorites. Embedded inside medium and was excited by the these meteorites are nanodiaprospect! monds - carbon compounds work. This inequality exists in all indusonly 1000 atoms large - that are so small TA: It has been a little over a year since the tries, not just STEM fields. Furthermore, you need to digitally recreate their image. Brain Scoop launched. Where do you see there is nothing happening in the state or And to think these carbon atoms are the the channel going over the next year? national legislatures to pass reform in this same atoms that are the ancestors to all area and frankly, it’s obscene! There is still life on this planet and that this one meteEG: Honestly I have no idea. I have a difa great deal of pressure for women to put orite is responsible for that - incredible! In ficult time knowing where next week will their careers in hold if they have a family. addition to the filming, I also learned how take me, not to mention a year from now. Men are not taking equal responsibility to prepare and skin a bird for specimen Ideally I’d love to expand The Brain Scoop in household matters, which often forces prep. As a person, my thirst for knowledge as needed - like, expand our staff and women to have to choose between starthas been satiated! But there are also less interns and equipment so production time ing a family and a tenure track profession, exciting days where I have to sit down and allows for a better turn around. I don’t and in most cases, women will choose answer emails all day. I try to plan those know if that’s feasible at this time, but family. Not that there is anything wrong administrative duty days so I can watch there are so many stories to be told here with starting a family, but we need to see Sherlock or Battlestar Galactica while at the Field, and I’m not so arrogant as to some reform that is more accommodatworking. believe I can do it all on my own. ing for women who want to start both a family and tenured careers. For instance, TA: I am sure our readers will be delighted TA: Do you have a favorite project you maternity leave for women in the United to hear you follow shows like Sherlock have completed for the Brain Scoop or States is about three weeks. In Germany, and BSG. Have you seen series three of Field Museum? women take six months of maternity leave Sherlock yet? and have a guarantee of a job when they EG: That is a really difficult question and return from leave. EG: I have not. Perhaps I will try to catch
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Nerdfighter Spotlight up on that this weekend while catching up on email. TA: The last time I was at the Field Museum, I thoroughly enjoyed the Bunky Echo-Hawk Modern Warrior exhibit. Do you have a favorite display at the museum? EG: I love the diorama halls! The diorama halls and animal specimens are probably my favorite because that is what got me interested in science. At the same time, we have a fantastic wall on evolution and the history of our planet. We will be opening a cool exhibit on biomechanics in March. TA: Pretend we are going to the Field Museum and only have time to go through three exhibits. Which exhibits should we see? EG: The diorama halls, Evolving Planet display, and the Granger Hall of Gems. The Granger Hall of Gems has this incredible plesiosaur fossil filled with opalized limestone. It looks beautiful! TA: How do you think educational YouTube channels like the Brain Scoop and Crash Course will impact education? EG: I think, at “worst,� they supplement classroom education. That is to say, these videos provide another outlet for for children who are already learning about these topics. In a positive sense, channels like Brain Scoop and Crash Course empower people that might not otherwise have access to this information. I have received emails from young women who say they have found their calling after watching these videos. I think the best thing about these channels is Hank and John are showing people what is possible. All in all, I think they are brilliant!
Want to see what Emily is up to? You can follow her and the brain scoop at the following: thebrainscoop.tumblr.com/ twitter.com/ehmee www.facebook.com/TheBrainScoop
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The Anglerfish | Issue 2 Volume 2 February 2014
Fandom
The Moose, the Pie-Eater and the Angel In a world where Angel and Charmed were ending, fans of the supernatural were in pain. Then, there was light, or rather fire, emerging from the ceiling with a burning Mary Winchester dripping blood onto her infant son Sam. And with that, Supernatural was born. By Melissa-Lynn Heineman
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Fandom Supernatural is one of those shows that caters to a wide variety of people, especially those who liked its predecessors, and would make way for fans of later shows. Dynamic, filled with bromance, pie, rock music, gore, mythos, and a bit more pie, Supernatural is an answer to those who love their crime-drama submerged in paranormal. It encompasses mythology from all across the globe, and references and parodies numerous genre tropes and mainstays. Supernatural begins with brothers Sam and Dean Winchester reuniting to find their more-absent-than-usual father. Sam is in law school, and Dean is with their dad, John, doing the family business: hunting the supernatural. They live by a code to destroy evil, as evil killed their mother, and hunt down the yellow-eyed demon that killed their mother and destroy him. This leads to the first arc of the Supernatural (here on out abbreviated as SPN) fandom: The Colt. The colt, a 1835 Colt Paterson revolver, is rumoured to be able to kill any demon, no matter how impervious they are to any of the textbook slaying methods. The first and second seasons follow the brothers as they seek out their father, the Colt, and Yellow-Eyes, which leads to Sam dying and being brought back through a deal Dean makes with a crossroads demon. The third season deals with the brothers attempting to find a way to break the contract and the emergence of a major demon, Lilith. The series follows this theme: the brothers often find themselves and their souls tangled up with Hell and various demons, and they constantly are seeking something out. The plot thickens when Sam discovers he has demonic powers and begins to drink demon blood, and then Castiel, Crowley, and Lucifer come into the picture. Castiel is an angel who becomes the third in the fandom’s beloved trio. He, like all demons and angels, uses the bodies of mortals as “suits” to perform tasks and live in on Earth. Castiel has had massive arcs in the show, ranging from getting used to mortal customs, everything from pay phones to voicemails to porn, to becoming both God and a mortal. He is known as family to the brothers, but often is paired by the fandom with Dean, becoming the beloved “Destiel.” Pairings are an obsession of the show’s fans. “Wincest” is a thing, as is “Daddykink.” So, many fans pair the brothers together, or with John, their father. Incest aside, there are many other pairings, one being Destiel, that rule the fandom, sometimes leading to viciousness. “Wincest” being what it is, there have been handfuls of fans who pair together Jared Padalecki and Jensen
Ackles (Sam and Dean, respectively). There are fans who also couple the adolescent children of the two men, and alter the characters through genderbending. This has created a tear in the fandom; one side is excited by altering the nature of the show, and the other isn’t. Many consider the former “rash” and “inappropriate.” These fans are the die-hards, and are very passionate about the actors - perhaps more so than the show. This draws a lot of attention to the fans, as there have been many occurrences where fans physically attack the male trio, or verbally attack, threaten, and demand answers from the cast and crew. Despite this reputation the fans have gotten, there is immense show loyalty, making the fans an expanded part of the large SPN family. Having grown up on the road, the boys mostly stuck to each other, considering the friends they make in adulthood their family more so than their deceased father. Other than Cas, Bobby Singer is one of these people. Bobby is a father figure to the boys and a fellow hunter who goes through some devastating changes over the course of the show. Even in death, he helps
The show really does follow the the brothers, and this allows viewers to develop a very personal relationship and become invested in their many plights. the boys in their endeavours. Then there is Chuck Shurley, a prophet who writes a novel series called Supernatural, stories about two traveling brothers. His stories are inspired by his prophetic dreams, which accurately portray the Winchesters’ experiences. This becomes a large part of the series once it’s shown how big the fanbase for the novels has become, and there is a convention at a hotel for it. Other members of the family are Kevin Tran, a later prophet of the Lord, and Ellen and Jo Harvelle, now-deceased mother-daughter hunter pair. Even more members include the likes of Garth Fitzgerald, a hunter, Jody Mills, a police officer, and famously, Felicia Day’s Charlie Bradbury, a nerdy hacker-turnedhunter. And that’s not to forget Dean’s
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Fandom Illustrations by Eefje Savelkoul
beloved 67 Chevy Impala, Baby. That being said, as dark as the show may be, it has serious emotional impact on its viewers. The show really does follow the the brothers, and this allows viewers to develop a very personal relationship and become invested in their many plights. The show may be repetitive and drag on, but its “feels” and constant twists leave us hanging wanting more and begging for our boys’ suffering to end. The boys do go through slow and trying character development, and Sam and Dean’s relationship is believeable. The writers are also clever in mocking their own show, its genre, and those around it. Some notable occurrences of this are the numerous meta-episodes, which reference a breaking of the fourth wall or display the fictional nature of the show. In the episode “Hollywood Babylon” (S2E18), Dean asks “Does this feel like swimming weather to you? It’s practically Canadian,” as the show is filmed in Canada. “Lazarus Rising,” the first episode of the fourth season, introduces Castiel. He claims himself the Angel of Thursday, which was the day the show aired. Then there all the Supernaturalrelated topics, involving discussions with Chuck about the book series’ fans and the pairings (slash fiction). Also, the books are all titled after their respective episodes. Other signs of mocking have been direct, namely through cultural references. A personal favorite is season 6’s “Live Free or Twihard,” in which Dean becomes a vampire, and they visit the house of a teen girl whose room in a shrine to Twilight. Dean also makes countless references to The X-Files, Star Wars, Batman, a long slew of horror and fantasy films, Back to the Future, and Star Trek. The show has mocked itself in episodes such as “The French Mistake” (S6E15), where the Winchesters end up in a parallel universe where they are Jared and Jensen, actors starring in the television show Supernatural. The show is in its 9th season, and there is no ending date currently in sight. There is speculation the show may make it to an 11th season, though. Nevertheless, with its brilliant mix of horror, comedy, and drama, and its constant pop culture references, it leaves a lot to love and cherish. It balances the three beautifully, and is a model for other shows, perhaps explaining many current popular shows as of late. For those who are hungry for more shows of the same style, Grimm, Once Upon a Time, Sleepy Hollow, Lost Girl, Being Human, The Vampire Diaries and American Horror Story adequately fill the gaps left by winter and summer breaks.
Supernatural Sounds “Driver picks the music, Shotgun shuts his cake hole.” It’s the house rules, and Supernatural has picked some great 70’s rock music to give their show a gritty and nostalgic feel. By David Pantoja Kansas, Foreigner, and Journey are but a few of the awesome rock bands that have been picked to be the “soundtrack” of Supernatural. Sure, music from more current performers finds its way onto the show, but the lion share is from ‘70s rock bands that many fans of the show grew up with. This nostalgic soundtrack is fun because it also introduces the younger fans to good music, at least in Dean Winchester’s opinion. So here is a small selection of performers and songs that you may hear while watching the 8 seasons available on Netflix: Creedence Clearwater Revival “Run Through The Jungle” Foreigner - “Long, Long Way From Home” Kansas - “Carry On Wayward Son” The Animals - “The House of The Rising Sun” REO Speedwagon - “Back on The Road Again” Journey - “Wheel in the Sky” Lynyrd Skynyrd - “Simple Man” Bon Jovi - “Wanted Dead or Alive” (Because sometimes Bon Jovi is cool.) White Zombie - “Thunder Kiss 65” Deep Purple - “Smoke On The Water”
For more extensive playlists you can check out these Spotify links: Season 1 Season 2 Season 3 and a list of every song by episode is available at Fanpop.com
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Books
Something Old & Something New ‘Slapstick’ & ‘Midwinterblood’ If you’re in the mood for unorthodox storytelling, we’ve got two great reads from award-winning authors. Happy reading! by Marissa Early-Hubelbank Slapstick was written back in 1976 by the great American writer Kurt Vonnegut. The story is told by Wilbur Daffodil-11 Swain: a two meter tall, hundred year old halfgenius; he is the King of Manhattan and
the very last President of the United States. Written by a then 54-year-old Vonnegut, this novel is described in the prologue as an imaginative narrative about what it’s like for Kurt Vonnegut to live as … Kurt Vonnegut. (“Who is he [Swain] really? I guess he is myself - experimenting with being old.”) This novel is hyper-intellectual, yet confused. The narration is emotionally burdensome, but detached. It doesn’t do much in the way of character development, and this “unrealistic” story is frankly disturbing on however many levels you could name (but falling short in comparison to William S. Burroughs’ Naked Lunch). That being said, this book is a complete and utter delight. The writing is purposeful and eloquent, and it gives only enough pieces of character to suggest the bigger picture of Swain’s mind and life - one that is funny and ironic, but often times quite unfortunate and sad. In doing so, Vonnegut manages to make you very sympathetic to the life of Dr. Swain without ever letting you truly understand him. It’s even more interesting
property of Dell Publishing est 1921
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property of MacMillan Publishing est 1843
to consider that this pervading loneliness which shapes Swain’s character is that which defined Vonnegut himself. Furthermore, he wrote Slapstick at a time he suspected that his creativity was dwindling. In its own way, this novel is full of honest anxiety as well as humor. This book does more than offer interesting insight on Kurt Vonnegut’s mind - it’s an offbeat ode to the loneliness which plagues all of us at one point or another. It isn’t for everyone, and this is not his most
Books hailed novel, but if you read this and enjoy it, it certainly gets you interested in reading all the others. (Hi ho.) The ominously titled Midwinterblood was written by Marcus Sedgwick in 2013. This novel starts in the year 2073 with the flight of journalist Eric Seven to the mysterious island of Blessed. He’s there to follow up on a strange rumor that’s been circling around the strange, little place - that its inhabitants have started to live forever. When things take a turn for the unexpectedly worst, a bizarre story begins to unfold itself: Eric Seven has been to the island before - in many different times as many different people. Midwinterblood is divided into seven linear short stories which allow the narrative to work its way backwards to reveal the truth behind the life of Eric Seven. It’s a tale that spans thousands of years, with the over arching theme of love: that which bonds a mother and her child - or two lovers, or complete and total strangers. It’s not your conventional romance, and that makes it extremely refreshing. This book (titled after a real painting also featured in the story) is really different in the way its format offers multiple modes of storytelling. Most of the stories are told in third person limited - but one is written like an old fable. Another is in first person flashback - and this one is told by an ancient Scandinavian vampire. Every character is completely different from the last, and the mystery surrounding their connection never becomes boring. This story isn’t really anything you would think to look for in a book, and that’s why it’s a great time. It’s enjoyable, relatively short, and the pacing never slows. Marcus Sedgwick’s latest is definitely worth the read.
SuperWhoLock:
Run, Save your children, and run faster If you’ve been on Tumblr since the birth of Tumblr, you may have seen this interesting and occasionally scary fandom strutting about. Explore SuperWhoLock and try to understand what it means. By Erica Croft You may have stumbled upon it while listening to a babbling fangirl. Perhaps you met its acquaintance on your favorite Doctor Who Facebook page. Or maybe you found it on your dash while scrolling Tumblr. “I try not to openly participate because it’s scary,” says Mekenzie W. (Swiggity-sas-Im-an-angel-you-ass on Tumblr). No, I’m not talking about a tasteful “Destiel” fanfic or a leaked TFiOS trailer. I’m talking about the horrifying combination of three of the most powerful fandoms: Supernatural, Doctor Who, and Sherlock combined, titled “Superwholock”. Urban Dictionary defines it as “A fan combination of the shows: Sherlock, Supernatural, and Doctor Who. A great idea in theory, but too bad the fandom is
nothing more than a bunch of egotistical pricks who think they run Tumblr and try to shove it down your throat.” This combination has been responsible for the birth of many brilliant pieces of art and many terrifying AUs (alternate universes) hosting disturbing fanfictions. For example, maybe Sam touched a Weeping Angel and Dean begged the Doctor for help? Or maybe, a younger version of Dean and Sherlock meet in a boarding school where the Doctor is posing as a teacher and all three slowly fall in love? But it’s equally true that anything goes. Isn’t that the best thing? One of the most incredible qualities of the internet is its vast ability to connect people who care about the same things and use those things to bring themselves closer together. The internet helps us tear down emotional walls and create new stuff - awesome stuff like a fantastic “SuperWhoLock” comic that is both funny and creative (http:// superwholockthecomic.tumblr.com/) and uncomfortable stuff like boarding school fanfics. All three are very different but the internet brought them together.
By Vaiki Tress
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Web
Get Your Scare Fix 24/7/365
... Sort Of
Spooky shows only stick around for part of the year, leaving you forlorn and pining for a good scare. Don’t worry, though, as thrills and chills are only a click away with these fantastic web comics, updating weekly yearround! by Alyssa Nabors
Eerie Cuties
Namesake
Updates Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday by Megan Lavey-Heaton and Isabelle Melancon Started in the autumn of 2010, the story of sisters Emma and Elaine brings in some old familiar characters and settings, but adds a dark twist that’s 100% new. Enter the universe of Namesakes, people with the ability to travel to other worlds - worlds like Oz and Wonderland. Many Namesakes don’t get a happy ending, however - and the two organizations that fight to control them and the magic that seeps through the world connections aren’t improving their chances. For fans of fantasy of the twisted fairytale variety, this is definitely worth checking out.
Updates Mondays and Wednesdays
Magick Chicks
Updates Tuesdays and Thursdays by Pixie Trix Comix Eerie Cuties, which started in 2010, is all about the students at Charbydis Heights, a high school for students of the monster persuasion: vampire sisters Layla and Nina and their friends Chloe (the succubus), Brooke (the snake demon), Ace (the werewolf), and Kade (the cat demon). Early on in the series, Layla’s nemeses, the trio of witches Melissa, Cerise, and Jacqui, cause a little havoc and get sent on an undercover mission to an all-girls hero school, leading to the creation of the spin-off Magick Chicks in 2011. While there are more laughs than scares in this pair of comics, you just might find a few frights here and there.
Sorcery 101
Updates Mondays by Kel McDonald Sorcery 101 has been around since 2005, and is currently in its thirty-first chapter. On an alternate-timeline modern-day Earth, the existence of vampires, werewolves, and magic users in several shapes and sizes has recently been revealed to the general public … most of whom think that it’s all a hoax, anyway. Our hero, Danny Gunn, teaches private school by day and attempts to learn sorcery from a cranky vampire by night, all while living with Brad, his werewolf best-friend, Brad’s mage wife, and Brad’s werewolf daughter. If you’re craving wacky hijinks, a little intrigue, and a lot of Danny’s failing love life, this is definitely the comic for you.
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Wapsi Square
Updates Monday through Friday by Paul Taylor Paul Taylor has been telling the story of Monica Villareal, a museum anthropologist and magnet for the supernatural, since 2001. While jokes about Monica’s bodacious rack and storylines that deal mostly with romance are not hard to find, this is honestly one of the spookiest webcomics around, not only because of the ghouls and gods hanging around, but the psychological bent Taylor gives so many of the characters’ inner conflicts. If you want a comic that you’ll have to read while it’s still daylight or else risk losing sleep, this is definitely the one for you.
Entertainment
The Many Wonders of Felicia Day
Illustration by Hayley Pike
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Television
The Many Wonders of Felicia Day Star of Supernatural and all things nerdy, we invite you to take a tour through the world of Felicia Day. Please fasten your seatbelts, the exits are here, here and there... by Lucy Pegg Anyone who’s spent a decent amount of time trawling through the nerdier side of the internet is likely to have stumbled upon Felicia Day. She is indisputably among nerd royalty, with her acting work appearing on cinema, TV and computer screens and her writing credits across the internet. But with so much awesomeness to her name, just what are the real stars amongst her constellation of work? A key stop on any connoisseur’s journey through Day’s work would have to be her turn as Penny in the initially internet-exclusive Joss Whedon musical Dr Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog. Although Penny may not be quite as feisty or fearsome as the female characters we’ve come to expect from Whedon, she has a quiet confidence that is entirely heartwarming. Not only does Felicia Day prove she can sing, but she manages to live up to the standards of Broadway’s Neil Patrick Harris. With her adorable clothing choices and innocent glow, the only thing you need to be wary about here is the ending. There’s another internet adventure for Felicia Day in The Guild, the web series of her own creation which launched her to online fame. The series is based around a group of online gamers playing a World of Warcraft-style MMORPG and their relationship via video messaging as they play. In later seasons, the episodes branch out into the real world with visits to a convention and the offices of The Game, as well as delving into the role playing gaming itself, with the actors portraying their in-game characters. Even if you’re not a gamer (and I’m really not), this series is delightfully geeky and it’s brilliant to watch the friendship develop between such a disparate group of people. Perhaps her most mainstream appearance has been as Charlie Bradbury in
Supernatural. As a computer-hacking lesbian Potter and Tolkien fan who’s unafraid to challenge the Winchesters, I don’t think I’d be wrong to say she plays what is really a dream character - in fact, she’s probably the best thing about the TV series, in my opinion. And having now appeared in three episodes without (permanently) dying, it looks as though, unlike many other female Supernatural characters, she may be here to stay. Sticking with the fantasy theme is her season seven appearance in Buffy the Vampire Slayer as Vi. To be honest, her role is small, but given her cute haircut and hat combos, along with the serious vampire ass-kicking she delivers in the final episode, it’s definitely still notable. If you’re into graphic novels, she crops occasionally in the comic continuation of the series too! Not content with simply acting and writing, Felicia Day also created and manages the YouTube channel Geek and Sundry. She crops up in the channel content every Monday as she plays retro games with her brother in Co-optitude (worth watching just for the sibling rivalry and excessive swearing) and occasionally joins the board game madness that is Wil Wheaton’s Table Top (ridiculous accents and a very competitive streak are in full force here). Even if you’re not a Felicia Day fan, this channel is worth checking out just for the sheer amount of great content it provides on a weekly basis. And thus the tour of the many wonders of Felicia Day concludes. However, a final honourable mention must be given to her cameo appearance in Husbands - the ‘marriage equality comedy’ web series created by Jane Espenson and Brad Bell - in a role that can best be described as ‘sexy pizza girl’, which really, I think, says it all.
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Vampire Vampire Academy is a popular and beloved series, but the movie’s trailers left viewers with doubt. So how did the film hold up for fans and other movie-goers? by: Melissa-Lynn Heineman At this point, a lot more people know about Vampire Academy than they did a few months ago. Movie posters have sprouted up at bus stops, subway stations, and other similar locales; it’s a lime green beast with two girls on the front, the final layer being a bright pink slab of text: “They suck at school.” Paired with a Mean Girls-esque trailer filled with campy vampire footage and awkward one-liners, the movie looked like another Vamps or perhaps just Mean Girls: Vampire Edition. Then a new trailer hit the internet, after the film made its way into theaters. It reveals a darker take, exploring the history of this story’s vampires, which gives a more dynamic and thriller-esque depiction of the film, thanks in part to Gabriel Byrne’s voice over. This trailer more evenly layered out the those who brought together Vampire Academy: Blood Sisters, them being Mean Girls director Mark Waters and Heathers screenwriter Daniel Waters. The movie is adapted from Vampire Academy (or Blood Sisters, as it is known more internationally) the first book in a series by Richelle Mead. The series follows dhampir Rose Hathaway, training guardian of Moroi princess Lissa Dragomir, as they face against all odds: the evil, murderous Strigoi, cruel teenage society, prejudice, love, and politics. The first book follows the girls as they are forced back to St. Vladimir’s Academy, where dhampirs (vampire/human hybrids) and moroi (vampires who don’t kill and possess magic), go to hone their normal people skills, and then test their strength and magic, respectively. Upon first seeing the initial trailers and the awful movie posters, many, myself included, were weary of the film fans had been waiting years for. It seemed campy, overly dramatic, and forcibly witty,
Film
Academy: A Saga that Bites lacking the thriller-nature that the series was known for, instead going with a teen drama angle. The newest non-marketed trailer displays the side we longed for, and it, when compared to the film, shows that the film is truer to the books than the initial trailers and advertisements would lead unacquainted viewers to believe. This just proved that if the movie fails in theaters, it’s mainly due to marketing and bad critic reviews. Bouncing off that last comment, the reviews for the film have been atrocious. But there are a few things to recognize here: this film was not meant to be Oscar-worthy. It’s a feel-good teen drama that expresses dynamic female characters forced into a cliché high school
background. That being said, it’s a good film with pretty on-par acting. Zoey Deutch as Rose is fabulous, and while she doesn’t have the appearance many of us originally pictured for our Rose, she hits every mark when it comes to sassy, sarcastic, loud, and badass Rose. Her chemistry with Lucy Fry’s Lissa is entirely believable, and the two stand their own, along with Sarah Hyland and Sami Gayle to create three-dimensional characters, all filled with sass, hurt, and typical teenage vibes and the hidden quirks that honor the characters they portray. Unlike some other films, this film doesn’t fail to create realistic characters, as their performance isn’t surrounded by the fact that they have superior reflexes, speed or sharper teeth than the average human.
They are girls who happen to be vampires. The film is very true to the book, removing few scenes and changing few things. There is one unexpected and new scene that foreshadows the ending and opens up the opportunity to create at least two more sequels. It will not be a disappointment to fans, though it may feel rushed. Other viewers? Of the 30 people in the theater, I was the only person under 20, and all the other viewers were laughing. That isn’t to say this film is for everyone because it’s not. But for a teen film, it balances action and comedy quite well, and has a lead that shines in her portrayal of a badass-beloved character.
Image rights: Reliance Entertaiment
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Television
Terrible Heroes
The Winchester brothers: tragic figures, but they are no heroes. What makes our favorite supernatural hunting pair such antiheroes? Perhaps it is the charm, the humor, or their Devil-may-care attitude. By David Pantoja Supernatural is a show that has garnered a large fandom that, combined with Doctor Who and Sherlock, has conquered
much of Tumblr. Why does the show have such a large devoted following? The Winchester brothers. Sam and Dean are funny, charming, easy on the eyes (ladies?), and heroic. They also happen to be terrible heroes. Now, before I begin receiving hate mail for trashing the Winchesters, let me say that they are plenty heroic, but they lack the altruism that makes a hero a hero. Sam and Dean are anti-heroes; they save the world, but God help the world if one of them is placed in
harm’s way. Heroes are those who place the needs of others above their own, but the brothers fall short of this simple definition. How many times have Sam or Dean decided that the fate of the world was less important than the fate of one another? So, perhaps they are tragic heroes, you say. Tragic heroes are heroic in every way, save a single, small flaw that results in their undoing. The Winchester brothers don’t have much but they do have each other, the Impala, and a long list of flaws.
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I began watching the show only recently and soon found myself Devouring six seasons in about three weeks. In those three weeks, it became clear to me, at different times, that Sam and Dean are kind of crappy heroes. They don’t share the moral fortitude that classic heroes are expected to exhibit. They watch porn, sleep around, lie, cheat, steal... you name it they’ve done it. Then I realized that they aren’t heroes. They are regular crappy people like everyone else who happen to be placed in extraordinary circumstances and try to act heroically. Who would try to exorcise a demon while trying to fight off an innocent person’s possessed body wielding an axe? Not me; I’d stab that poor demon possessed bastard in the head with my demon-slaying knife and haul ass out of there. Honestly, the Winchesters are morally ambiguous in the same way that any normal person would be if faced with death, the end of the world, and fighting the supernatural. The realistic nature of Sam and Dean Winchester’s characters make the show entertaining and relatable on some level. Sure, they are two brothers chosen by heaven and hell, are used as pawns, and they live a completely unrealistic life, but the way they respond to that life is the way we would if we were in their shoes. So while our favorite supernatural-hunting protagonists are terrible heroes, they make for awesome everyday anti-heroes.
Why I Couldn’t Outlast Outlast
Games
A warning before you read this: I am quite possibly the biggest wuss in the world. I knew after the first 15 seconds of this game that I would not be able to make it through without soiling myself. Console gaming has lacked quality horror games for many years, possibly since the first Resident Evil - just the first Resident Evil. The evil geniuses at Red Barrels Studio have done the horror genre a much due service, and with Sony’s help, they have managed to place this terrifying masterpiece in the hands of more than just P.C. gamers. By Jason Pantoja
The Story
At the open of Outlast, you find yourself, Miles Upshur, a reporter on the verge of cracking a big case at Mount Massive Asylum. Of course something crazy is happening at an asylum, and when you approach Mount Massive, everything goes to hell-literally. Being a journalist much unlike Brad Pitt in World War Z, you are armed only with a camera with few batteries and your God-given ability to run. As you begin your descent into the madness that is Mount Massive, you will quickly learn that being a journalist is truly just a mad man’s idea of a career. While there is more to the story than that, it is nearly impossible to discuss it further without ruining it. I can tell you that a lot of your time will be spent walking in darkness, running in darkness, or sniveling in darkness - basically lots of darkness.
The Gameplay
During my small stint of running and hiding in terror, I did come to find something interesting about Outlast’s gameplay. Outlast relies heavily on the use of its camera, and while you may think it trivial or annoying, I can tell you that you would be very wrong in thinking so. The camera is the most important tool that you are provided - mostly because it’s the only one. Without it, there is no way to survive what Outlast has in store for you. You must use your camera and its night vision to navigate the enveloping darkness of Mount Massive, and as i mentioned earlier, will be a lot of darkness. The camera cannot run without batteries, which you will of course need, so i’ll kindly pass along a tip I didn’t recieve: save your batteries! Depending on the difficulty you chose to play on, you will find fewer and fewer batteries. While there is little to the story, your camera does help to move it along, but only when you find key points and record them using your camera to add them to your notes. So if you’re a completionist, save your batteries or you
Illustration by Vaike Tress
If you too are too scared to outlast Outlast, you can view these playthrough videos on YouTube.
Outlast prt 1 Outlast prt 2 Outlast prt 3
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Games The evil geniuses at Red Barrels Studio have done the horror genre a much due service. will miss a lot. The Recap The minds behind Outlast are as demented as they come. They have an overwhelming knowledge about the importance of light, music, and sound. Let me tell you, violins are the scariest sounding instruments in the world. The sounds of broken glass, creaking boards, and phones left off the hook, and the ramblings of tortured inmates are just some of the things that will get your heart pumping. Combine that with Upshur’s heavy breathing and panting, and you will easily forget who’s more frightened: Miles Upshur or you, the gamer. Red Barrels Studio was paid by some mad man to port this horrific masterpiece to console and they did an amazing job at it, so much so that I could not complete a playthrough. How can someone write a review without ever completing the game? While I was way too scared to play through the nightmare that is Outlast, I did resort to YouTube to watch the game unfold. And while I was too chicken to play through the game, I’m sure that any true horror fan will find the exhilaration they so desire, although I would recommend that anyone with a faint heart steer clear of the madness that awaits at Mount Massive Asylum. There are few games that are half as terrifying as Outlast, but Creative Assembly has taken Aliens down a notch and is currently working on what will hopefully be known as the best Alien game ever developed. Alien: Isolation follows Amanda Ripley as she traverses a ship haunted by a bloodthirsty Xenomorph - or Alien to the uninformed. This space horror is scheduled for late 2014, so in the meantime, let your pants be scared off by Outlast, and it’s not an issue if you chose to watch the YouTube playthrough videos. Illustration by Vaike Tress
Red Barrels Studio
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The Anglerfish | Issue 2 Volume 2 February 2014
Human Interest
Winter Survival Guide For most of us suffering through the colder climates, winter is now starting to drag on. But with these ideas you can take advantage of the season’s end and drag yourself through to the warmer months! by Lucy Pegg It’s February and by now most of us are feeling less “winter is coming” and more “why on earth is winter still here?” So here are seven tips to get through the latter end of the winter months. Work from your bed -- Everything seems better from underneath a duvet, so grab your laptop and work from there. Not only do essays seem far more manageable when you’re cocooned in pillows and softness, but it means you’re in just the right place to start watching your favorite TV show or film when you finish a hard day’s work. Hot drinks -- They’re not so good in summer, so now is definitely the time to take advantage. Try melting Nutella into hot chocolate or add vanilla or almond essences to your coffee to have Starbucks-style drinks without venturing out of the warmth. Body heat preservation -- When it’s cold outside, it’s the perfect excuse for cuddling up to someone inside. So find your significant other -- platonic or otherwise -- curl up with your favorite movie or TV show and get snuggling. And with Valentine’s Day just around the corner it couldn’t be more perfect timing! Stitch and bitch -- Winter is the perfect time to get into knitting or crochet; there’s no need to wait months to wear the awesome hats and gloves you make and there’s just something cozy about getting hopelessly tangled up in wool as you make sense of patterns. Why not start with an easy Harry Potter house scarf or a pair of simple arm warmers? Brief academic relaxation period -- If you’re still at school, college, university or anywhere else that makes you take summer exams, appreciate that for a month or so more you don’t need to panic about upcoming tests. Because by the time spring gets here, you’ll be wishing it was winter again, when you weren’t spending every minute of the day poring over revision notes. Shelter in the cinema -- In the next few months, a whole host of eagerly anticipated films will be making it on to cinema screens. So if you’re looking for somewhere to socialize away from the cold why not watch Veronica Mars (out March 14th), Muppets Most Wanted, Divergent (both out March 21st) or The Book Thief (if you live in one of the many countries where it has not yet been released). Forget about fashion -- When you’re getting depressed about the endless days of wind and frost, just remember that this is the one time of year you don’t have to put effort into what you wear. Because you’re going to be wearing a coat or jumper over everything all day, whether the layers underneath match at all is absolutely irrelevant. Relish the freedom from the constraints of style! With these tips and ideas under your belt, spring will seem nearer already. If you do decide to take our advice, why not tell us about it on Twitter, Facebook or Tumblr?
By Katherine Taylor
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News
Rights of the Dead
In France in 2002, it was ruled that a couple who had requested to be kept in a refrigerated container in their cellar after their deaths had to be removed and buried or cremated. Even though the craziest last wishes may not be respected forever, if no one knows what you want, it’s very unlikely that it’ll be done. by Alyssa Nabors
In November 2013, Marlise Muñoz, a paramedic, wife, and mother, collapsed from a pulmonary embolism and lost all brain function. As medical professionals, she and her husband had made their final wishes clear to each other, knowing that the unpredictable could always happen; Muñoz had no wish to be kept on life support. However, the hospital she was taken to refused to remove her from life support until January of this year-- because she was fourteen weeks pregnant. It sounds horrific: forcing the body of a dead woman to continue functioning for a further six months, against her wishes, while the baby grew, deformed and still unlikely to survive, inside her. Her family undoubtedly suffered even more from the struggle to have her wishes respected. Imagine how much more distressed they would’ve been if she hadn’t made her wishes known?
Wills and dying wishes are the stuff of fiction to most young adults, and asking about such things is usually deemed morbid or inappropriate. And on some level that seems true--if you’re gone, what does it matter to you what happens next? Part of establishing what you want done with your body and belongings is simply making things easier for the family and friends you leave behind. However, in cases like Marlise’s, it has a direct effect on when and how you finally go. Here’s what you need to know: Your Brain In a lot of medical situations, a person may be technically still alive, but continued life depends on medical assistance of some kind. This can include decisions like Marlise Muñoz’s on whether you’d like to
Illustration by Vaiki Tress
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The Anglerfish | Issue 2 Volume 2 February 2014
News Wills and dying wishes are the stuff of fiction to most young adults, and asking about such things is usually deemed morbid or inappropriate; however, it has a direct effect on when and how you finally go. be kept alive by mechanical aid, for how long, and under what circumstances. It also can include details like how you’d like to be taken care of (like that episode of ‘Scrubs’ when Carla and Ted sing “Talk Dirty To Me” to a patient in a coma). Making these wishes known can have an impact on when you are declared legally dead and what your quality of life is like up to that point.
confide them in someone you trust will follow them and fight for them if obstacles present themselves. Your Belongings This is one of the most common concerns people consider when thinking of their demise, and one of the more complicated if you’re thinking of each individual possession. However, it’s also one of the most helpful for whoever will be taking care of your affairs--even if it’s something as simple as designating a particular charity that you’d like things to be donated to or which friends and family you’d like to give an opportunity to own a keepsake. Your Internet Presence This is a new and kind of weird one: what happens to your Facebook account when you die? There are ways for your loved ones to get in touch with social media
site administration to obtain access to your accounts. Facebook actually has a Memorialization Request form to convert an active account once someone has passed on. However, if there are specific ways you’d like these accounts to be handled, you have to figure out some way to document usernames, passwords, and what you’d like done. For all of these decisions, you need some way to communicate them to your loved ones. You may not want to go as far as making a will, and that’s fine. You may just want to tell someone that there’s a file on your laptop they should look at if anything happens to you. You may just want to tell someone: “Hey, I’d rather not be cremated, and don’t let them bury me in anything but jeans.” The more explicitly your wishes are documented, the more likely they are to be respected.
Your Organs Depending on the country where you live, organ donation by deceased persons can be something that you have to refuse to participate in or something that you or your surviving family have to explicitly consent to. In the United States, consent for organ donation must be obtained from the donor or donor’s surviving relatives; making this wish known is as simple as renewing your driver’s license. In many states, the form includes the option to designate yourself an organ donor and is symbolically represented on your new license. Your Body In an interesting article published on Slate in 2002, Dahlia Lithwick discusses the legal complications of how bodies are handled. Lithwick identifies three interested parties whose desires often conflict: the dead person, the dead person’s loved ones, and the state. Sometimes the people entrusted to carry out last wishes find themselves unwilling to do so; sometimes the state deems the last wishes unsanitary or its laws are framed in such a way that the deceased’s survivors’ wishes take precedent over the deceased’s. This is why it is important to document your wishes, or at the very least,
Illustration by Vaiki Tress
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Opinion
Bieber and Padalecki: Idols and Ideals
“I have a world of 12-year-olds trying to kill me” is not a sentence Jared Padalecki will have cause to say very often. Why is it currently the case, and what does his Twitter row with Justin Bieber’s fans represent?
As a Nerdfighter, I try at all times to be awesome, especially when it comes to other people. I try to treat them with respect and empathy and view others as complexly as I view myself. But I’m afraid I’ve never quite succeeded when it comes to Justin Bieber. I am completely ambivalent to his music. His sound is definitely not to my taste and I find his lyrics tedious and banal. But I really don’t care about that; no artist will ever be able to appeal to everyone, nor should they try to.
Twitter debacle with Supernatural star Jared Padalecki is not to do with him – at least not directly.
Padalecki taunted Bieber over social media after a police raid at the singer’s home resulted in the arrest of rapper Lil Za for drug possession, asking “how much [he was] paying [his] friend for pretending by David Harris that it was HIS cocaine, and taking the fall for you.” Bieber’s fans immediately took to the social media platform to voice their furious 140-character retorts and threats. Many went as far as attempting to organise a boycott Imagine how of Supernatural – which failed spectacularly different his when the show’s next episode was its most actions might be watched since October 2010.
if he considered that teenagers the world over might model their behaviour on him.
The issue I have is with how shockingly self-centred he is. I am not understating when I say that I find it truly disturbing and at times sickening. I could spend a very long time listing the many incidents that have led me to this conclusion with a detailed account of why I find each one appalling, but I shan’t, because it would leave me feeling very irate. But for me, the worst part about his recent
This and other recent events all showcase the fact that Beliebers are willing to defend their teen overlord to the hilt, including and especially when it comes to actions that are inexcusable by any objective standards. And I find this very troubling.
On one level, Bieber needs to come to the realisation that he has a massive amount of influence over people who are in crucial formative stages of their lives. I accept that this is incredibly hard to live with, but it is the price you pay for a successful career in the music industry. As such, he obviously needs to act responsibly. Imagine how different his actions might be if he considered that teenagers the world over might model their behaviour on him. But this addresses the symptom, not the cause, of what has gone wrong. The real problem, in my opinion, is our propensity to view our role models as one-dimensionally good or bad. You either love Justin Bieber to pieces and listen to his music 24 hours a day whilst praising his actions and claiming the sun shines out of his every orifice – or you constantly complain about his music and personality alike. The middle ground is seldom travelled. It is not a requirement that every aspect of a person conforms to one uniform trait – in fact, I do not think that is ever quite the case. Not imagining other people complexly frequently manifests itself in a lack of empathy, but I think that it is equally dangerous when it results in a refusal to challenge our opinions of others. After all, only a Sith deals in absolutes.
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History
By Katherine Taylor
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History
The Myths of Saint Patrick Saint Patrick’s Day is a day in which many places around the former colonies of the British Empire, Europe, and surprisingly, Dubai, dress up in green and take pride in being Irish. Guess the phrase “Everyone’s Irish on Saint Patrick’s Day” really is true. Many people tend to celebrate the day, and do not know much about the history or even most of the myths and legends that have built around the RomanoBritish missionary. Let’s fix that, shall we? By Katherine Taylor The basic thing about Saint Patrick’s Day is that it is a Catholic Feast Day to celebrate the miracles and life of the man we know today as Saint Patrick, but was most likely called Patricius--a man who was captured by slavers and brought across the Irish Sea to Ireland where he lived for six years before escaping to England. He would later become ordained as a cleric like his father and grandfather before him (back when priests could marry and have children) and return to Ireland, eventually banish the snakes from land, turn his walking stick into a living tree, speak with ancient Irish ancestors, teach the world that the clover represents the holy trinity, and convert the entire country of Ireland to Christianity! When it comes to these stories, I recall little detail from my Sunday (on a Tuesday) School. I remember watching a video where a 16-year-old Patricius would invent windsurfing just before being kidnapped and brought to Ireland where he would befriend two other slaves who looked like twin Wendy’s. I realize none of that makes sense. I thought so at the time and still do today! Banning the Snakes from Ireland In case you didn’t know, Ireland is pretty lacking in snakes. Not a single species of snake is native to Ireland. (I also believe
they are considered an exotic pet over there. I could be wrong though.) The legend goes that during a 40-day fast atop a hill, he was attacked by some of them. He banished them by chasing them into the sea with his walking stick. Two things with this legend: the mental image of your local pastor chasing snakes with a stick (you’re welcome), and there is always that one snake to ruin it for all the other snakes. Aside from science proving that this didn’t happen by the lack of snakes in the fossil records of Ireland, this story has a double meaning. The snakes can represent evil, and also represent paganism itself. Since he was credited with converting the entire country in a single lifetime, it’s as though he banished paganism itself, which is kind of funny to me, since considering several Irish pagan deities ended up being turned into saints. Walking stick into a tree This story is a little weird, and definitely must have a pagan root in there somewhere. He struck his ash wood walking stick into the ground, as he began evangelizing his message of the dogma. He supposedly went on so long that the stick took root by the time he finished. The tree of legend is still growing today. It’s known as Aspatria (or Ash of Patrick) This has a symbolic meaning behind it; the stick takes root just like his message of Christianity. See what they did there? Saint Patrick and the talking dead? Not exactly. I recall hearing this legend (probably in that whacked out cartoon from Sunday School). Supposedly one day while adventuring, Saint Patrick happened upon two ancient warriors of Irish legend named Caílte mac Rónáin and Oisín. These two were members of Fianna, an old tale band of warriors kind of like a Celtic version of King Arthur and his knights. Anyway, these two had an epically long argument comparing the warrior feasts and closeness to the nature of paganism and the peaceful unheroic non-sensual life of Christianity. There is no word that I can find about who won the argument. Since the conclusion is a hard to find story, I can only imagine that this one was a pro-pagan
story and has slowly been being erased ever since. The shamrock and the cross Firstly, I must insist that this is about regular clovers, not the mutant good luck charms. The story goes that Patrick, while explaining the holy trinity (Father, Son, and the Holy Ghost) to the Celts, plucked a shamrock from the ground and used its leaves as a visual. Ye’ Ole PowerPoint I guess. It’s a cute little story, and even possibly true to some degree; however, the fame of the Shamrock is far older than the fifth century. They predate Patrick as being a representation of the Celtic reincarnation cycle and a symbol of the “triple Goddesses”. One of the aspects, the Maiden or Brigid, was transformed into a saint of chastity by the seventh century. A trick used throughout the pagan world to make converting easier for the Celts, Norse, and Franks. Saint Patrick, after his death in 461, was pretty forgotten. It wasn’t until the sixth century that he started to get some momentum when Ireland’s influence started to stretch across Europe. (Fun fact: Ireland, though never part of the Roman Empire, helped to preserve the Latin language after the collapse in 410 A.C.E.) When Ireland started to become the “big deal” of the day, the Catholic Church capitalized on the situation and canonized him. The feast day just grew as time went on. Today, Saint Patrick’s Day parades are everywhere in the U.S., except Alaska, all major cities in Canada, Ireland (duh), England, Scotland, Australia, New Zealand, across most of Europe, China, Japan, Korea, Singapore, Taiwan, the Caribbean, and again, Dubai. Like many holidays with religious context, Saint Patrick’s Day has basically been reduced to an excuse to get hammered and throw up on your best friend. As you chug your green beer, just remember for a moment the man behind the myths and admire how widespread his story has become. And remember, Saint Patrick would not condone drinking and driving. Slán leat.
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Vampires, and Werewolves, and Ghosts, oh my! 7 Fun Facts About Vampires There are several origins for the word “vampire”. Scholars argue that the word could come from the Hungarian word vampir, the Turkish word upior [meaning witch], the Greek word nosophoros [meaning plague carrier], or the Serbian word Bamiiup. The Sesame Street vampire, Count von Count, is based on a real vampire myth. One way to stop a vampire is to throw seeds outside a door or to place a fishing net in a window. Vampires will supposedly be compelled to count the seeds or the holes in the net, distracting them until the sun comes up. A rare disease called porphyria can cause vampire-like symptoms, including sensitivity to light, hairiness, and, in extreme cases, teeth could be stained red. Oftentimes people with this disease go mad.
the Impaler. Vlad had the habit of nailing hats to people’s heads, skinning them alive, and impaling people on giant stakes. He also, reportedly, liked to dip bread into the blood of his victims and eat it. The first English work of fiction about a vampire was written in the early 1800’s by John Polidori. It was called The Vampyre. The first vampire movie is reportedly Secrets of House No. 5, released in 1912. By the end of the twentieth century, more than 300 movies and 1,000 novels about vampires had been created, and over 100 of those movies featured Dracula.
The most famous real-life vampire, and the inspiration for Dracula, was Vlad of Walachia, also known as Vlad
7 Fun Facts About Werewolves Lycanthropy, the technical name for the ability to change into a wolf, comes from the Greek words lykoi [meaning wolf] and anthropos [meaning man]. The earliest description of a werewolf is thought to be found in the Satyricon, believed to be written by the Roman Petronius in 64 AD. In this book, Petronius writes that he was walking through a churchyard at night under the full moon - when a man named
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7 Fun Facts about Ghosts There are four different kinds of ghosts: human spirits (a human who has died and remains behind in the world), a past recreation (the same activities, noises, and other sensory perceptions being repeated over and over again), animal spirits (similar to human spirits, except animals), and non-human spirits (demons, poltergeists, and other evil beings).
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Ghosts can be tracked using an EMF meter, a device that measures changes in electromagnetic fields. If there is a spike in the EMF meter,
that is a sign that a ghost is near. The best way to speak to a ghost is by asking questions while recording with a digital recorder. Ghosts will often answer at low decibels, and you will be able to hear them during playback at a higher volume.
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The first ghost ever recorded was in the first century A.D. when the Roman Pliny wrote that his home in Athens was being haunted by an
Niceros stripped naked and transformed into a wolf. Clinical Lycanthropy is a real psychological condition.
The most famous werewolf might be a man named Peter Stubb, who was known as the Werewolf of Bedburg. In 1573,
old man with a long beard rattling chains. The two most haunted places in the world are in Australia. The most haunted is The Beechworth Lunatic Asylum, which in its heyday, housed more than 1,200 patients. During the 128 years it was open, over 9,000 patients met their end. Visitors can take a nighttime ghost tour if they choose. The second most haunted is The Princess Theatre, which is home to Frederici the ghost, who was killed on stage in 1888 when a trapdoor opened underneath him and he fell, resulting in a massive heart attack.
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Georges Melies in 1896. It was two minutes in length, and depicted its main character, Mephistopheles, summoning ghosts and demons. The highest grossing movie based on spirits, and indeed, the highest grossing supernatural horror film of all time, is M. Night Shyamalan’s The Sixth Sense, which made $672 million worldwide in 1999.
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The first ever film about ghosts was Le Manoir de Diable (House of the Devil), created by the French filmmaker
he was convicted of killing several people, including his own son. Stubb claimed that his powers were a gift from the devil, and he was granted a magical belt that allowed him to transform into a monstrous wolf. He was decapitated on Halloween. Between 1520 and 1630, over 30,000 people in France were accused of being werewolves.
In 1999, some 900 people in the United States insured themselves against turning into werewolves. The first feature film to feature lycanthropy was The Werewolf, a twenty minute silent film released in 1913. The highest domestic grossing werewolf film is 1994’s Wolf, starring Jack Nicholson and Michelle Pfeiffer, and it made $65 million in the US alone.
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Art & Literature By Kat Taylor
By Eefje Savelkoul Island
By Vaike Tress
The not-so wounded angel
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Art & Literature
By Jacquelyn Files WIndow
By Jessika Raisor Submit your art or writing to us at theanglerfishmagazine @gmail.com or our Tumblr! It doesn’t have to be Nerdfighter related, share what you want to share. Have you submitted something and it’s not in The Anglerfish? Don’t worry, we’re probably just saving it for a future issue. Are you missing the literature? Submit some yourself for the next issue!
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The Anglerfish | Issue 2 Volume 2 February 2014
Art & Literature By Vaike Tress
Vlogbrothers eyes
By Eefje Savelkoul
By David Pantoja
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