the pulp (Issue 2, March 2014)

Issue 2, March 2014

Issue 2, March 2014

The People of the Hour!

Editor Talk I’m astounded by the amount of support and interest you Edmontonians have shown in the pulp. Since the website’s launch, I’ve been approached by so many well-known local writers, community and web representatives, other journalists, and everyday people just interested in a little bit of nerd culture. It boggles the mind.

This project started out (as most projects do) with a passion. A passion for nerdy things; a passion to connect with other like-minded enthusiasts. I’m extremely grateful to learn that, in fact, almost everyone has a geeky hobby.

The older gentleman sitting next to you at Starbucks? Warhammer aficionado. The bar star with fake eyelashes? Obsessed with Japanese dramas. The bodybuilder covered in tattoos? World of Warcraft enthusiast.

To be quite honest, nerd and geek culture are so prolific as a lifestyle in this day and age, that I’m not even sure they exist anymore. We use ‘nerd culture’ as a term of reference for the kinds of things that, several years back, were laughed at and ridiculed. Now, people don’t care. We enjoy video games and read comics with relish. Nerd culture has become cool. the pulp isn’t about being cool. Our magazine is about enjoying the things you want to enjoy. Doing things that you want to do rather than things you think you should.

This issue is filled with Twitter chat, Speed Racer justification, metafictional references, and even more Choose Your Own Pokémon.

We’re a bit different, but so are you. Enjoy.

Cheryl Editor-in-chief thepulppress.com

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Cheryl Cottrell-Smith, Editor-in-chief She’s a pretty good writer and she’s the head honcho. That’s all you need to know. For everything else, there’s Google. @CottrellSmithC Matt Bowes, Editorial Contributor Self-proclaimed cultural commentator/arbiter of good taste from Edmonton, Alberta. He enjoys movies and books, and writes about them sometimes at thisnerdinglife.com. @matt_bowes Eric Silver, Editorial Contributor Writing and editing by day, collecting gym badges by night...and sometimes day.

Quitting smoking to use that time to game. @ericrsilver Kelsey Beier, Editorial Contributor Lover of music, writing, traveling and working with kids. Teacher by day; unpublished author by night (and sometimes on the weekends).

Trent Wilkie, Editorial Contributor Local writer and journalist. Current Editor of Camrose Canadian. Can be found at www.trentwilkie.com. @thetrentwilkie Teresa Simmons, Editorial Contributor Writer and blogger. Can’t live without classy little black dresses, seafood, holidays, Indie music and lip gloss.

Issue 2, March 2014

Table of Contents

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How to win at Twitter: 7 tips for tweeps by @thetrentwilkie

4

Is meta dead?

7

For Your (Re)Consideration: The Wachowskis’ Speed Racer (2008)

9

How to look stylish in geek-chic eyeglasses

11

Choose Your Own PokĂŠmon Adventure Ch. 2

12

Butterbeer fit for a Half-Blood Prince

15

When do girls become mean girls?

18

The merits of manga

20

Issue 2, March 2014

How to win at Twitter 7 tips for tweeps by @thetrentwilkie

Everybody knows that Twitter is the new bar/cafeteria/gynecology symposium in which thousands of voices try their best to be heard. A cacophony of ideas, political opinions, jokes, and sometimes just sounds are thrown into the inter-either in hopes of gaining some sort of traction. Here is a little guide to help put chains on the winter tires of your tweetings.

By Trent Wilkie

Got an extra nipple or toe? The Internet wants to hear about that. Don’t trust your landlord because he constantly refers to himself in the third person? A lot of people can relate to that. You’ve given yourself the nickname ‘Crazy Bowels’? Get that crap out there.

In the biz, we call this “car accident tweeting,” because everybody loves to look.

Those who say they don’t are either liars or they were born without eyes.

Tip #2: Use your illusion (a.k.a. bitch about magic).

Throw away reason. Pick a mania and go with it.

Mine? Everything unexplainable is magic. Hell, everything you don’t even understand is magic.

Higgs boson particle? Magic.

Tip #3: Start every tweet with a statement about not wanting to sound a certain way, then sound that way…hard.

Left-handedness? Magic.

Smiling in your sleep? Magic.

“I don’t want to sound anemic, but I’d love to blast a couple litres of plasma into me.”

“I don’t want to sound racist, but the Etruscans. Seriously, what’s up with Etruscans?”

“I don’t want to sound like a drunken 14th century mercenary, but fuck Charles the Wise, to death…a lot.”

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Issue 2, March 2014

Tip #4: People love selfies of sneezes.

That doesn’t need anymore explanation (pro-tip: don’t take a picture of a pet sneezing though; it will break the Internet).

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Issue 2, March 2014

Tip #5: Tweet inspirational porn with reckless abandon.

First of all, it’s far easier than actually committing to changing your life for the better. Why do when you can just say?

It is a scientific fact that for each inspirational quote or picture posted, you will get the equivalent of a cocaine high for at least 15 minutes. That’s like 15 minutes of fame without all the ridicule or effort or talent. 15 minutes in heaven as they say, or gregarious second-basing.

Anyway, post something like this:

Tip #6: Word mosaics about farts.

It’s how my mom met my dad. They’re still happily married.

Tip #7: Finally: be yourself.

Then, make sure your genitals are clean because the amount of Twitter cunnilingus/fellatio offered by twitizens is going to make you wish you had a spare set (of genitals).

@thetrentwilkie 6

Except cooler and skinnier and wittier and with more friends. Actually, just start a spoof account.

Offend as many peoples as you can, or pretend that you don’t care. Or buy a horse farm. Post pictures of the horses. That, my friends, is a surefire winner. Or not. But hey, at least you get horses.

Is meta dead?

Issue 2, March 2014

By Cheryl Cottrell-Smith

Thanks to Netflix and its everincreasing ability to ruthlessly indulge in television shows (we all know the lure of the “20 seconds until the next episode” teaser), I recently decided to start watching the Supernatural series from the beginning. If you haven’t seen the show, you probably don’t have the best impression of it. Supernatural can be cheesy, sometimes the acting is horrific, and the storyline can be pretty predictable.

Aside from all of the negative 7 qualities, though, the show is simply hilarious. It’s addictive. There are some

qualities, though, the show is simply hilarious. It’s addictive. There are some real gems in the first 7 seasons, all of which are so delightfully amusing because of the show’s ability to poke fun at itself.

If you’re friends with a lit major, you’ll have heard this statement before: it’s just so meta.

Metafiction is self-consciousness on a fictional scale. In literature, for example, authors emphasize the fact that the work is literary, or artificial, by introducing parodies or ironic statements about the work itself.

work itself.

Metareference is a common metafiction technique, used in literature, film, and television as a self-referential device. Characters can be aware that they actually are the character they’re playing, or the work of fiction might poke fun by including itself as an actual artifact in the story. More often than not, it’s a comical trope and, especially in the case of Supernatural, offers humorous fan service to those longstanding, devoted viewers – they’re the ones who will get the inside jokes, after all.

Issue 2, March 2014 Guy’s inexhaustible cut-away scenes).

Is it the 21st century’s blatant narcissism, fostered by social media, selfies, and self-publishable blogs (all three of which I am guilty), that warrants an increasing number of self-referential fictional pieces? Do we need to match the inside jokes, after all. our obsession with ourselves to a TV Self-reference and selfland that, in many ways, mimics our selfconsciousness are great qualities in any piece of art because they drive home the devotion?

Metareference might just be fact that these works are active television’s version of the selfie. Shows reflections on humanity. You never forget that you’re on the outside looking are constantly referring back to themselves or including clever cut-aways in but, if done well, you can still enjoy to, again, put themselves forward (as the ride.

Mainstream metareference, though, themselves). When you watch a Family Guy episode, how often do you find is as prolific on television as Charlie yourself thinking, “Ha! That’s funny Sheen. Just when you think it’s been because they used irony to make fun of played out, you see it in another show.

Any preliminary research will unearth a themselves! Family Guy just referred to number of buzzfeed-esque lists, profiling Family Guy!” The worst part, like all jokes, is when somebody tries to explain current metafictional television shows. the metareference to you, as if you didn’t In Flavorwire’s “The Most Meta TV get it the first time.

Shows of All Time,” Emily Temple At the end of the day, televisionhighlights 30 Rock, Community, Supernatural, Family Guy, and Arrested based metareferences are an amusing technique. Is meta dead, though? Has Development, among others. television killed it? Have our favourite BuddyTV has a Meta Slideshow for shows used metareferences so often that “TV’s 20 Most Self-Referential Shows.” a) they aren't unusual anymore, and b) John Kubicek, the author, showcases nobody wants (or needs) to understand Glee, ‘Til Death, The O.C., and Lost. Of course, Supernatural is number one. Of the depth of metafiction on a literary level? Do these metafictional devices still course. make us take a step back and actively Even Wikipedia’s list of place the things we’re experiencing in metafictional television shows is longer their proper places, do they cause us to than you’d expect, although (I’m sure) reflect deeply on fiction, humanity, and not nearly comprehensive. As above, personality, or do they just invoke a animated shows such as Family Guy, hearty “HA” before we move on?

The Simpsons, and South Park have a Start with something simple and place of prominence, simply because well-known, such as The Princess Bride, metareference can be easily achieved in a novel that begins with a man reading a animated form without looking like the 8 story called The Princess Bride. It’s as show is trying too hard (see Family

Is meta dead? continued…

easy as that. Metafictional references can, of course, be increasingly complex depending on how self-referential or convoluted the fictional piece wants to be.

Part of the reason I love Supernatural is that it isn’t afraid of metareferences: in one episode, Sam and Dean meet a man who has authored the Supernatural series of books, which is based on their lives. In another, they’re transported to a TV land in which they must play their part in a number of different (and generic) television shows (their CSI: Miami reference is classic). And, in another show, they’re transported to a different world (ours), where they discover they’re actually Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki, actors in the show, Supernatural.

They’re amusing, yes – but do they even come close to the depth of Fight Club, a psychologically complex film/novel in which the narrator is acutely aware of his distance from the narrated events, even as he narrates his involvement with them? Does it cause us to muse on the nature of fiction itself, as Northanger Abbey’s debate about the value of novels (within a novel) is wont to do?

I suppose the important question is: do we care?

It might be that we’re happy to continue doing what we’re doing, with smart phones in hand, taking selfies of ourselves while watching a television show that ironically makes fun of itself for being a television show.

That’s so meta.

CC Photo Credit: Warner Bros.

Television

For Your (Re)Consideration: The Wachowskis’ Speed Racer (2008) In 2008, the Wachowski siblings unleashed a masterpiece that has yet to receive its proper due, whose box-office and critical failure foreshadowed films like Scott Pilgrim vs. The World and Pacific Rim as an example of nerd culture running up against the uncaring mainstream. Speed Racer, the hyperkinetic, candy-coated adaptation of a classic 1960s animated TV show, has all of the same elements that a film like Pacific Rim would bring to the fore five years later to (slightly) more financial success: a bold visual style provided by household name creators, a multi-ethnic cast, and a sense of earnest goodness in the face of peril.

While, admittedly, the Wachowskis’ stock had fallen somewhat with the disappointing sequels to their smash success The Matrix, it’s not like they were unknown quantities in Hollywood, with the trilogy having banked over 1.6 billion dollars in ticket sales worldwide.

Still, Speed Racer was a box office and critical bomb, not even recouping its 120 million dollar budget and currently sitting at a 39% Rotten Tomatoes score.

Critics found the visual style overwhelming and “video game-y,” the characters cheesy and under-developed, and the story to be overly simple. As is often the case with critics dealing with an artwork released ahead of its time, they were dead wrong.

Speed Racer is as big, brash, and exciting

9 a love affair with fun and childhood as a movie gets. The team behind the film makes their intentions known in the first

Issue 2, March 2014

By Matt Bowes

success: a bold visual style provided by household name creators, a multi-ethnic cast, and a sense of earnest goodness in the face of peril.

While, admittedly, the Wachowskis’ stock had fallen somewhat with the disappointing sequels to their smash success The Matrix, it’s not like they were unknown quantities in Hollywood, with the trilogy having banked over 1.6 billion dollars in ticket sales worldwide.

Still, Speed Racer was a box office and critical bomb, not even recouping its 120 million dollar budget and currently sitting at a 39% Rotten Tomatoes score.

Critics found the visual style overwhelming and “video game-y,” the characters cheesy and under-developed, and the story to be overly simple. As is often the case with critics dealing with an artwork released ahead of its time, they were dead wrong.

Speed Racer is as big, brash, and exciting a love affair with fun and childhood as a movie gets. The team behind the film makes their intentions known in the first scene, where the young Speed Racer doodles cars in his school book instead of paying attention in class. Comically childish pictures of race cars come alive around him as his future girlfriend Trixie looks on from across the room. In an age when genre movie franchises spend two and a half hours rehashing what most comic book creators worth their salt could lay out in a page or two, this is all the origin story we need for Speed, with the possible exception of finding out if he ever graduated from 4th grade.

million dollar budget and currently sitting at a 39% Rotten Tomatoes score.

Critics found the visual style overwhelming and “video game-y,” the characters cheesy and under-developed, and the story to be overly simple. As is often the case with critics dealing with an artwork released ahead of its time, they were dead wrong.

Speed Racer is as big, brash, and exciting a love affair with fun and childhood as a movie gets. The team behind the film makes their intentions known in the first scene, where the young Speed Racer doodles cars in his school book instead of paying attention in class. Comically childish pictures of race cars come alive around him as his future girlfriend Trixie looks on from across the room. In an age when genre movie franchises spend two and a half hours rehashing what most comic book creators worth their salt could lay out in a page or two, this is all the origin story we need for Speed, with the possible exception of finding out if he ever graduated from 4th grade.

The story then effortlessly folds together young Speed and his brother Rex driving together on the Thunderhead raceway with Emile Hirsch’s grown-up version doing the same after Rex’s untimely death. This crashing together of time and space throughout the film is exhilarating, a perfect realization of themes the Wachowskis will play around with for its duration: the history of racing, the feeling of speed, and the importance of family. This visually-focussed approach

Issue 2, March 2014 known in the first scene, where the young Speed Racer doodles cars in his school book instead of paying attention in class. Comically childish pictures of race cars come alive around him as his future girlfriend Trixie looks on from across the room. In an age when genre movie franchises spend two and a half hours rehashing what most comic book creators worth their salt could lay out in a page or two, this is all the origin story we need for Speed, with the possible exception of finding out if he ever graduated from 4th grade.

The story then effortlessly folds together young Speed and his brother Rex driving together on the Thunderhead raceway with Emile Hirsch’s grown-up version doing the same after Rex’s untimely death.

This crashing together of time and space throughout the film is exhilarating, a perfect realization of themes the Wachowskis will play around with for its duration: the history of racing, the feeling of speed, and the importance of family.

This visually-focused approach to narrative is what I think critics at the time found to be too “videogame-y”, when in fact it’s closer to what Hitchcock’s “pure cinema” sought to achieve: camera movement, music, sound, and montage (editing) being used to push a story forward rather than relying on dialogue.

I do think, though, that the opening scene of the film does call to mind video games, but not in the way critics thought.

Rex’s car appears to the grown-up Speed as a ghost on the track, as Speed finds himself close to beating his brother’s 10 record on Thunderhead. This is very similar to many racing games, where you

record on Thunderhead. This is very similar to many racing games, where you can often compete against your own best time, as personified by a ghost. Perhaps critics at the time lacked the video game knowledge to appreciate this nuance.

A later scene in which Speed comes face to face with the head of rival racing company Royalton Industries is another mini marvel of economic storytelling and visual flair. Royalton (Roger Allam) is outraged that Speed won’t leave Racer Motors and work for him, so as revenge he meticulously lays out the fixed history of professional auto racing to this point, while also describing in exact detail how Royalton Industries intends to bury him in the next race.

All of this flashes by in a matter of minutes, and this intricate little montage also turns out to be essentially what happens later on, leading Speed down the same vigilante road his brother ended up on years before.

The other big allegation thrown at the film is that all of the characters are flat and poorly defined. I could make a joke about someone forgetting to inform critics of the source material, but I’d argue instead that this seeming overearnestness is in service to a greater goal.

Speed Racer deftly manoeuvres around the quagmire of seriousness that a lot of genre film feels the need to saddle itself with at the moment. The Christopher Nolan Batman films (The Dark Knight was released the same year), Man of Steel and the recent Star Trek Into Darkness feel the need to couch their fun premises in misery and terror in an attempt to court “serious” filmgoers, a strategy that I believe will have limited dividends. Some movies can get away with this: Zack Snyder’s

For Your (Re)Consideration: The Wachowskis’ Speed Racer (2008) continued… have limited dividends. Some movies can get away with this: Zack Snyder’s Watchmen, for all of its perceived faults, at least used this tone to great effect as the apocalyptic storyline demanded it.

Speed Racer, on the other hand, is not afraid to be purely fun and joyful.

We don’t always need a tortured hero who whines about having to live up to ideals and do his duty. Sometimes, you just need a guy who is the best at racing cars because he was born to do it, and his family is in his corner, backing him up.

All in all, if you haven’t seen Speed Racer before, I suggest you give it a chance. Its trademark visual style and pure cinema storytelling bring a deceptively simple story about family and sport to the next level, one that 2008 just wasn’t ready for yet.

*Keep checking www.thepulppress.com for more info on Graphic Content's upcoming screening of Speed Racer!

CC Photo Credit: Warner Bros.

How to look stylish in geek-chic eyeglasses

Issue 2, March 2014

By Teresa Simmons

NEEDS YOU! Like what you see?

Want to get involved? the pulp is a free, not-for-profit magazine made by writers from all walks of life. If you’re into the nerd culture/pop culture scene and fancy writing a few words for our little publication, get in touch with us today!

We don’t like to assign articles. We want YOU to tap into that wild, wonderful, and slightly batty sense of creativity. Pitches about anything and everything (as long as they fit within the pulp’s theme) are welcome.

Articles range from 500-800 words, although some features have license to be longer, if necessary.

Email eic@thepulppress.com for the full deets. We nerds need to stick together.

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Big, thick-framed eyeglasses, like the ones Urkel wore in Family Matters, are no longer unfashionable. They’ve become an increasingly popular, geek-chic fashion accessory for every nerd-to-be. People are not only wearing them to look stylish, but also to look more attractive and intelligent to the opposite sex. Who knew that geeky eyeglasses would become sexy and fashion-forward? Before you decide to rock a pair of geek-chic eyeglasses like Buddy Holly, though, there are a few things that you should consider.

Be Original Don’t go to any old eyeglass store—sorry, that just won’t cut it. Choose an eyeglass store that has a wide selection of stylish and funky vintage-inspired eyeglasses. Our personal favourites in Edmonton are Smith & Wight Opticians and Women with Vision. They both have a great selection of European eyeglasses.

If you’re on a budget and want something more affordable, check out some vintage and second-hand stores - you might just find the geekchic eyeglasses of your dreams. Just make sure the frames are strong enough to hold prescription lenses. When you’re out and about, the last thing you want is for your glasses to split in two and fall into a public toilet. You’re going for geek-chic, not dumpster-chic.

Go for Black Black goes with everything and is the perfect colour choice for just about any occasion or event. If you’re craving a pop of colour, go for it, but buy a second pair of eyeglasses in black – trust me, you’ll need them!

There’s something about black that instantly makes you look smart, professional, sophisticated, and pulled-together, but wear black from head to toe and you’re ready to attend a funeral. Black vintage eyeglasses work better

funeral. Black vintage eyeglasses work better than any other colour if you want to easily update your look to geek-chic without shopping for a new wardrobe. And you’ll look just as intelligent as (if not more than) Leonard in The Big Bang Theory, minus the crazy hair. We trust you have a good stylist.

Select the Right Shape Bring a friend along with you and take your time when shopping for a pair of eyeglasses.

Thick, black, and rectangular (ah, yes - the hipster style) won’t suit everyone.

Of course, you should always choose eyeglasses that flatter your face shape. For example, if you have a round face shape, rectangular eyeglasses will balance out your face.

What you want to stay away from is anything that makes you look like Mr. Potato Head with glasses - a look that is very far from geek-chic. Potatochic isn’t in style at the moment (but give it a couple of years).

You should also think about whether or not your eyeglasses will suit your lifestyle (this includes your wardrobe) and hairstyle. Your eyeglasses should reflect your personal style and your fabulous nerdy personality. If you frequently like leaning over railings to peer down great heights, though, then you might need to temper your geek-chic glasses with a trendy eyeglass neck strap…just kidding.

Glasses that make you look geek-chic and feel your nerdy-best is the way to go. Think of them as a stylish accessory that functions as a fashionable addition to your wardrobe.

Experiment with different shapes and sizes, but remember: only you have the power to decide just how far you want to go with your geek-chic eyeglass style.

Issue 2, March 2014

Eric Silver’s CHOOSE YOUR OWN POKEMON ADVENTURE Part 2

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Issue 2, March 2014

Choose Your Own Pokémon Adventure Chapter 2 – The First Catch Aquacorde Town – Santalune Forest When we last left off, Ashley had encountered her first wild Pokémon: a Pidgey. All of this chapter’s decisions were left in our trainer’s capable hands. Let’s see how she deals with the twists and turns of Santalune Forest.

“Woah, what’s that Pokémon?”

I’ll have to catch one of those later.

“Alright. Steve: Bubble!”

A stream of bubbles shoot from his mouth. It seems like a more concentrated blast than when I battled Shauna.

“Your Pokémon get stronger the more you use them,” chirps Shauna, as if she somehow knew what I was thinking.

The new-and-improved bubbles explode on contact with the defenseless bird, and it falls to the grassy ground, clearly in critical condition.

“Now you can try to catch it,” says Calem.

I throw a Pokéball through gritted teeth. It connects with the Pidgey, engulfs it in a red light, and absorbs it into its spherical containment.

I pull out my Pokedex and point it at the bird.

“Okay, a flying type. That would be handy to have on my team.

Go, Pokéball!”

Shake, shake.

Shake, shake.

I wind up to the side and send a Pokéball flying towards the small bird. The Pidgey flies up a few feet and the ball soars harmlessly below it.

“Sometimes, a Pokémon still has enough strength to break out of a Pokéball,” explains Shauna. “That’s what’s going on right now.”

“Hey, Smashley!” I hear an annoyingly familiar voice approaching. “Don’t you know you have to weaken a Pokémon before you can catch it?”

The Pokéball finally comes to a rest.

Damn it, shut up Calem.

I run over to pick it up and, as I do, I see a boy coming over to me. He’s waving at me, trying to tell me something.

“I know that! Come on out, Steve. Let’s show this little birdy what we’re made of.”

Steve leaps out of his ball and lands in a thicket of grass. A

13 group of small bug Pokémon crawl away from the impact.

“Yes! I caught my first Pokémon.”

“Um, hey, excuse me,” he says when he gets within a few feet.

“Did you know you can nickname your Pokémon?”

“Oh yeah? I’m going to call this Pidgey Little Birdy then.”

Issue 2, March 2014 “Oh!” he replies, a little taken aback. “You’ve already picked up the Pokéball you used to catch it. Now it’ll only respond to its species name. You have to do it before you touch the ball.”

Finally. I get to go on a real adventure.

Where were you a few minutes ago?

“Calem!” Shauna gasps. “That’s not very nice. You’re going to keep your promise, right, Smashley?”

“I see. Thanks, bud.”

“My name’s Markus! Markus Wells.”

“Well, it’s nice to meet you, Markus. My name’s Ashley. But I should be…”

“Can I call you Ash? Are you just starting your adventure? You should catch a bunch of Pokémon. Like, 100!”

Heh, this guy’s really excited about this.

“That was nice of you to humour that dweeb,” Calem sneers.

I shrug. “Yeah, sure. Why not? Who knows, maybe I’ll run into him again one day.”

As I walk between the first pair of trees that mark the entrance to Santalune Forest, the beating sun fades behind the thick overhang, leaving only the beautiful komorebi to light the way.

“I knew you were a good person,” Shauna says smiling as I gently roll my eyes. “Let’s go through the forest together; I’ll heal your Pokémon if they get hurt.”

“That seems like a lot. How about 10?”

“I guess that’d be enough...but don’t forget you can only carry six at a time. The rest get transferred digitally to a storage system that you can access from computer terminals in Pokémon centres.”

I thank him, shake his hand, and start walking toward the entrance to Santalune Forest.

“Oh – Ash, wait!”

“What is it, Markus?”

“If you catch a Caterpie, can you call it “Worm”? Pikachu should be "Ben Drowned," Scatterbug should be "Harry Potter," and…”

“Okay, okay,” I say, between laughs. “That’s enough. I promise to do that. Now I’ve got to be going.”

-------

“It was nice to meet you!”

Thanks to Markus Wells for his comments this week. We’ll see his Pokémon nicknames in next week’s chapter.

I barely hear that as I start running to the forest entrance.

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[End of Chapter 2]

Do you want to be an NPC in the game? Offer suggestions on strategy, encounters, and more? Submit your team and trainer name for Ashley to battle? Comment on the website or tweet your suggestions to @thepulppress or @ericrsilver with the hashtag #CYOPA.

Butterbeer fit for a Half-Blood Prince

Issue 2, March 2014

By Cheryl Cottrell-Smith

alike were invited to the Room of Requirement, where they could partake in refreshments such as butterbeer, witches brews, decadent Crave Cupcakes, devilish Moonshine Doughnuts, and jelly beans to rival Bertie Bott. Our host for the evening was Yelp's enchanting Community Manager, Jennie Marshall, who greeted guests in a cloud of smoke before pouring them a glass of sweet, sweet butterbeer.

Entrance to the Harry Potter Exhibition was included, so guests traipsed down after their refreshments and sat under the Sorting Hat, tremulously awaiting their Hogwarts fate. We were then left to explore the world of Harry Potter, including 15 screaming mandrakes, Yule Ball gowns, and the Nimbus 2000.

If you missed out on the event, you can

If you've ever wondered why so many people take the time to review every restaurant, business, and bus bench they've ever interacted with, your wondering ends now. Yelp Elites - the cream of the reviewing crop - get to go to events like the "Yelp into Harry Potter" event on March 13th. Worth it? I think so.

The event was hosted by Yelp at Edmonton's Harry Potter hub for the spring: the Telus World of Science Centre. Muggles, witches, and wizards alike were invited to the Room of Requirement, where they could partake in refreshments such as butterbeer, witches brews, decadent Crave Cupcakes, devilish Moonshine Doughnuts, and jelly beans to rival Bertie Bott. Our host for the evening was Yelp's enchanting Community Manager, Jennie Marshall, who greeted guests in a cloud of smoke before pouring them a glass of sweet, sweet butterbeer.

Entrance to the Harry Potter Exhibition was included, so guests traipsed down after their refreshments and sat under the Sorting Hat, tremulously awaiting their Hogwarts fate. We were then left to explore the world of Harry Potter, including screaming mandrakes, Yule Ball gowns, and the Nimbus 2000.

If you missed out on the event, you can still treat yourself to some magical local treats.

Issue 2, March 2014

and the Nimbus 2000.

If you missed out on the event, you can still treat yourself to some magical local treats.

Crave Cupcakes, a local bakery run by sisters and co-founders Carolyne and Jodi, offers a selection of deliciously decadent and adorably teeny cupcakes throughout Calgary, Edmonton, and Saskatoon. Their Dark Angel cupcake, a chocolate cake swirled with cream cheese buttercream, might be good enough to turn you over to the dark side.

16 Moonshine Doughnuts takes

Moonshine Doughnuts takes everything you thought you knew about the sweet treat and turns it on its head.

Strawberry wasabi, orange cardamom with maple pecan, whisky cinnamon...the list goes on. Because who doesn't like a unique doughnut?

Ravenswood and Dreaming Tree Wines provided the vino for the event, serving up tastings of a fruity zinfandel and a hearty, full-bodied blend.

Aye, true witches brews, indeed.

Alley Kat Brewery, one of Edmonton's most notorious and fabulous local brewers, greeted guests at

Edmonton's most notorious and fabulous local brewers, greeted guests at the entrance to the Room of Requirement with offerings from their full line. Aprikat, anyone?

Cococo Chocolatiers provided a corner of decadence for those chocolate lovers. Wickedly good truffles served next to the wine booth? That's just great marketing.

Of course, we can't forget Slow Food Edmonton, those excellent toasters of marshmallows. They were the cherry on a very sugary cake.

Top off these treats with a glass of

cherry on a very sugary cake.

Top off these treats with a glass of butterbeer (Butter Ripple and white cream soda) and you'll be on a sugar high so potent that you'll start to think you're Buckbeak. Enjoy!

P.S. The Harry Potter Exhibit has been held over until April 6th. There's still time!

CC photo credit: Yelp and Vivid Vision

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Issue 2, March 2014

Issue 2, March 2014 I often compare my current profession as a Grade One teacher to that of a zoologist or a wildlife biologist. I spend many hours up close and personal with the young species of 6-year-olds who will, in time, become the future men and women of society, and it often fascinates me how immune and, at the same time, how shocked my reactions to their day-to-day behaviors can be. I really enjoy teaching but, almost as much, I enjoy trying to understand and dissect the little personalities that are rapidly developing right before my eyes.

For the most part, the boys as a group are easy to understand. I watch them from afar, making mental notes in my head in a sophisticated British accent.

“The young males seem to be continuously trading these “subjectively valuable” playing cards containing imaginary cartoon animals with corresponding powers.”

These trades, however, are not just about the cards. The social cues that become intertwined with the trades are what make this activity most fascinating. Even after class has resumed, the young’uns can be found making secret trades in our attached boot room, or even in the hallway with a student from another class. Everyone knows the trick: you see your friend from another class walk by and wave you over, fascinating. Even after class has then you immediately ask the teacher to resumed, the young’uns can be found get a drink or go to the bathroom so that making secret trades in our attached you can secretly re-connect in the boot room, or even in the hallway with a hallway. student from another class. Everyone Although most of the girls are not into knows the trick: you see your friend from trading cards to the same degree, the few another class walk by and wave you over, that are take the trading game to a new then you immediately ask the teacher to dimension. From my professional a drink or go to the bathroom so that 18 get observations, when a trade goes poorly you can secretly re-connect in the between two boys, one boy will cry, the hallway.

their day-to-day behaviors can be. I really enjoy teaching but, almost as much, I enjoy trying to understand and dissect the little personalities that are rapidly developing right before my eyes.

For the most part, the boys as a group are easy to understand. I watch them from afar, making mental notes in my head in a sophisticated British accent.

“The young males seem to be continuously trading these “subjectively valuable” playing cards containing imaginary cartoon animals with corresponding powers.”

These trades, however, are not just about the cards. The social cues that become intertwined with the trades are what make this activity most fascinating. Even after class has resumed, the young’uns can be found making secret trades in our attached boot room, or even in the hallway with a student from another class. Everyone knows the trick: you see your friend from another class walk by and wave you over, then you immediately ask the teacher to get a drink or go to the bathroom so that you can secretly re-connect in the hallway.

Although most of the girls are not into trading cards to the same degree, the few that are take the trading game to a new dimension. From my professional that you can secretly re-connect in the observations, when a trade goes poorly hallway. between two boys, one boy will cry, the Although most of the girls are not other one will add his new prized card to into trading cards to the same degree, the rest of his pile with satisfaction, and the few that are take the trading game to the teacher will change the subject and a new dimension. From my professional demand the boys get back to work. This observations, when a trade goes poorly will, in turn, resolve the conflict. between two boys, one boy will cry, the Contrarily, when a trade between two other one will add his new prized card to girls goes poorly, the big guns come the rest of his pile with satisfaction, and out. You will often hear bribes between the teacher will change the subject and

When do girls become mean girls?

By Kelsey Beier

“The young males seem to be continuously trading these “subjectively valuable” playing cards containing imaginary cartoon animals with corresponding powers.”

These trades, however, are not just about the cards. The social cues that become intertwined with the trades are what make this activity most fascinating. Even after class has resumed, the young’uns can be found making secret trades in our attached boot room, or even in the hallway with a student from another class. Everyone knows the trick: you see your friend from another class walk by and wave you over, then you immediately ask the teacher to get a drink or go to the bathroom so that you can secretly re-connect in the hallway.

Although most of the girls are not into trading cards to the same degree, the few that are take the trading game to a new dimension. From my professional observations, when a trade goes poorly between two boys, one boy will cry, the other one will add his new prized card to the rest of his pile with satisfaction, and the teacher will change the subject and demand the boys get back to work. This will, in turn, resolve the conflict.

Contrarily, when a trade between two girls goes poorly, the big guns come out. You will often hear bribes between the rest of his pile with satisfaction, and the girls, such as, “I won’t be your friend the teacher will change the subject and anymore if you don’t give me that card,” demand the boys get back to work. This or “I won’t pick you during calendar to will, in turn, resolve the conflict. add the fish to the tank.” These bribes Contrarily, when a trade between will receive responses like, “Well, what two girls goes poorly, the big guns come do you have to give me instead? I really out. You will often hear bribes between want that small jewel change purse or the girls, such as, “I won’t be your friend your Santa eraser.” In the end, both girls anymore if you don’t give me that card,” will end up in tears, the teacher will or “I won’t pick you during calendar to change the subject and demand the girls add the fish to the tank.” These bribes

Issue 2, March 2014 or “I won’t pick you during calendar to add the fish to the tank.” These bribes will receive responses like, “Well, what do you have to give me instead? I really want that small jewel change purse or your Santa eraser.” In the end, both girls will end up in tears, the teacher will change the subject and demand the girls get back to work, and the girls will continue to hold grudges until at least the next recess, or until one of the bribes is successfully transacted.

What worries me the most, however, is not the trading of the cards. It’s the manipulative behavior that presents itself so early in a young girl’s personality. More frightening still is the fact that they know how to use this manipulation to their advantage at the age of six or even earlier.

Being a girl myself, I know how this works and I know for a fact that I was, and probably still can be, quite mean to other girls in certain situations. When these conflicts arise constantly in the classroom and when the girls are always in tears over girl dramas, including exclusion and popularity (because Tracey’s tapered sweatpants are pink and Sasha’s are only a pale blue), it breaks my heart to not be able to teach them a life lesson immediately, knowing that they will have to go through their lives playing these games of manipulation until they finally realize that they are something of worth and that they don’t need anyone else to tell them this.

In the meantime, I will continue to have classroom conversations centered on the topic of what makes a good friend, hoping to get through to these little 19 prima donnas in some way.

The irony of all this talk about “mean girls” is that I often find myself having to

The irony of all this talk about “mean girls” is that I often find myself having to reflect on the same life lessons that I am trying to present to my Grade Ones on a daily basis in relation to my own life. For example, I will admit to my guilty pleasure of absolutely loving The Bachelor. I know the show is horrible and degrading towards women beyond belief but, for some reason, I’m unbelievably addicted to it. I love seeing the girl drama unfolding while I’m nestled comfortably on my couch, out of harm’s way.

Perhaps the fact that I finally have less mean girl drama in my own life validates my interest in seeking it out as a complete outsider. Regardless of my excuses for loving the crap show, it seems as though the female species may just be equipped with the innate capacity to manipulate and be mean to other girls.

I may not know exactly when or how this “meanness” develops, but I guess I could try to be more conscious about when or if it stops completely.

As I tell my grade ones, “Don’t waste your time being mean to each other.

Before you know it, the recess (of life) will be over and it will be back to work.

And then you’ll have had no fun at all.”

CC Photo Credit: Paramount Pictures

When do girls become mean girls? continued…

Issue 2, March 2014

The merits of manga

By Cheryl Cottrell-Smith Once upon a time, I didn’t know a thing about manga. I had no idea that such things existed. I didn't know they required reading from right to left, like reading a book by starting at the end. I scoffed at most anime, having experience only in the Sailor Moon department. I was completely and utterly clueless.

Due to a number of circumstances, my manga and anime ignorance has taken a complete 180 degree turn. Todate, I’ve read and collected many series of manga. I’ve watched countless seasons of Gundam-style or steampunk or shojo anime. My dark side conversion has been completed.

It all started, oddly enough, on the LRT. It was during my first degree at the University of Alberta, where I was an English Honours major, converted over 20 from an interesting but hardly employment-lucrative Philosophy

employment-lucrative Philosophy degree. I had this friend—we’d worked together at Quizno’s in our teens—who had taken a job at a comic book store while he was in school.

We’d kept in touch over the years and, on my twenty-something birthday, he gave me the first volumes of Bleach and Naruto. I was intrigued but didn't really know what to expect.

The thought of reading a comic book backwards delighted me - it was so unusual.

I didn’t become a convert to manga right away. I bought a few more volumes of the same and enjoyed them, but they just weren't intellectually stimulating enough. Bleach and Naruto tend to appeal to a younger crowd and are much more focused on images and fight scenes than extensive dialogue. Plus, there were just so god-damn many volumes that I

just so god-damn many volumes that I wasn't about to drop several thousand dollars on collecting them all.

Thankfully, shortly after my introduction to manga, my friend began reading the Death Note series. He called me and strongly recommended that I read them—apparently, they were right up my alley. He’d even get me them as soon as they were published in Canada (a long time after they're published in Japan).

Thus began a number of illicit meetings on the LRT, which we happened to catch at the same time after class. We’d meet, he’d bring me the next volume or two of Death Note, and I’d give him a few bucks. He got a discount, so I never had to pay full price. I plowed through this text-heavy, mentally stimulating graphic novel and, from that point on, I had a new hobby.

Issue 2, March 2014 niche (Initial D), and some are ridiculously gory (Battle Royale – the original Hunger Games). Some are just obsessed with schoolgirl boobs (Psychic Academy).

It’s a rich scene, almost as much so as the world of the literary. I started off with Death Note, an intellectual supernatural drama, moved on to Samurai Deeper Kyo, an action manga that deals with the divide between mankind and divinity (with tons of cool fight scenes), and became obsessed with Fullmetal Alchemist, a steampunk-eque storyline focused on the nature of alchemy, science, and philosophy…with automail limbs, of course. point on, I had a new hobby.

Along the way, I even tried to If you’ve never read or give Bleach another try but, after 20 watched Death Note, the main premise is volumes, I had to stop. Collecting manga based on a male high school student who is a time- and money-consuming hobby. finds a notebook. The notebook belongs I’m of the opinion that, if you can read a to a death god (shinigami) and, if you manga volume in 5 minutes, it’s not write someone’s name in it, that person worth buying. You wouldn’t pay $12-15 will die. There are a number of ways to for a novel that you could read in less be creative, though—you can control the than an hour, would you? nature and time of that person’s death by When I read a really great book, I writing it in the notebook. The story can picture everything. My imagination becomes more intense as a goes wild; it’s like watching a movie quirky/creepy young detective is inside my own brain. Manga novels are introduced and thus begins a battle of similar—they provide some of the wits between the main character and the graphics, but a really good story will pull task force trying to find him (and of you in and force your mind to fill in the which the death note owner also blanks. When you think back to the time becomes a member). It’s convoluted and you read a brilliant manga, it should brilliant. replay in your head like a film. The I didn’t stop. I tried out a few other graphics are there to guide you but, series, tending to lean towards ones with likeany great novel, there’s so much unique stories and brilliant narrative. more behind what’s being said and Some manga series are just plain weird drawn. The important things sometimes 21 (Gantz), some have a clear and obvious lie directly outside of the panel. Your niche (Initial D), and some are attention might be drawn to a significant

attention might be drawn to a significant object sitting just beyond the edge of the splash page. Speculation is key.

There’s plenty of literary merit in graphic novels and manga and it’s pretty widely recognized at this point in time.

Universities are crafting classes around the study of the graphic novel and the significance of comics as a part of Japanese or European or North American culture. And it’s easy to see why: comic books can encompass a whole range of genres and literary themes. They represent the mid-way point between a literary culture and a world obsessed with the visual.

Manga is no different. It exemplifies unique approaches to the big questions of life through the eyes of Japanese culture. There might be an abundance of giant robots, supernatural beings, and (dare I say it?) tentacles, but, at the end of the day, they all tend to grapple with the same existential questions: why are we here and what is our purpose in life?

CC Photos: a scene from Battle Royale, Ed and Al Eric from Fullmetal Alchemist, the notebook from Death Note

Issue 2, March 2014

Issue 2, March 2014

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