A Short Weekend of Squees

Darth Vader Masked Avatar
Day 6 was lost to a mysterious box filled with tissues that emptied. Quickly. *sniff* I did find a link to squee about. In an effort to get back on track, I’ve acquired a new planner and calendar. Come to find out, the artist is on Etsy: Katie Daisy. Squee!

For Day 7, I have to go with what’s on my monitor right now. I’ve subscribed once again to the new season of Doctor Who! Huzzah!

(Also Ah-choo!) Stupid cold.

6/365 and 7/365

    Mood: I can’t feel my nose. Weird.
    Caffeinated Beverages Consumed: No clue. Downing too many fluids.
    Work-Out Minutes Logged Yesterday: I snored. That should count!
    In My Ears: “Robot of Sherwood”, Doctor Who Season 8
    Game Last Played: Age of Reckoning: Kingdoms of Amalur
    Book Last Read: The Crimson Affair by Lilith Saintcrow
    Movie Last Viewed: Godfather III
    Latest Artistic Project: Um…
    Latest Fiction/Comic Release: Last Man Zombie Standing. See also: need to write more flipping comics and exercise my art skillz again. Feh.
    Latest Game Release: Hunter the Vigil: Mortal Remains
    What I’m Working On: Primarily tie-in games work, original comics, and novels.


3 of 365 Squees: Puppets!

Fizgig Avatar

There’s a lot of artistry that goes into putting on puppet shows, and I’m fascinated by a puppeteer’s ability to create props, to bring a lifeless doll or sock or what-have-you into a state of being. Now, that said I’m pretty specific about my squee’ing for puppetry in general, because I don’t like many forms of ventriloquism or stories about reanimated dolls like Chucky and the like. For me, it’s about the immersion into a world of wonder or a strong character via the hands of a talented artist or troupe. At some point, I’ll post my thoughts on this topic a little more clearly, but that segues from squeeing and goes into how I feel about American horror.

I have fond memories of The Muppets, and when I eventually got around to watching E.T., Gremlins, The Dark Crystal, and (my personal favorite) Labyrinth? Well, I was in love. The thing about The Muppets, though, is that this show is how my family realized I had a musical aptitude. Their grand musical numbers? I picked out the melody line and played them by ear. Many, MANY hours and lessons and performances later…

Anyway… I’m in awe of puppetry and the work that goes onto recreating an experience whether that’s through the use of modern dance, shadow puppets, or building set props or using (what my limited hindbrain thinks is puppetry, but is likely not) stop motion photography to recreate a story. For live performances, I used to go to more when I was a student because of the discount I got to go see shows–and I remember specifically and still have feelings about the art-as-educational performance put on by a troupe of Brazilian dancers that told the story of kids living on the streets of Brazil and the fantastical legends they believed. Another one, was a Japanese tale I responded to about a couple, a pot of gold, and the morals about greed therein.

So yes, this does mean I’m not a fan of green/blue screen technology when I can “see” the seams as a viewer. Flash and shock and awe don’t create wonder for me; it’s about pulling me deeper into the story as opposed to yanking me into it and giving me mental whiplash. It’s not because I’m against technology, mind you, or that those artists don’t have mad, impressive skills in their own right—I’m exactly the opposite when it comes to video games because there I can sit back and immerse myself into a longer story on my own schedule without feeling like I’m on a rollercoaster ride. Pacing is everything to me, and an art form like puppetry really focuses on the minutia, small details to bring that character or world to life.

I feel like one of the reasons why I appreciate physical set design more for performances specifically, is because I can imagine an empty stage. I’ve been on them before and after shows I’ve been in. Logically, I can “see” the elements required and wonder at how much time it took to put those pieces together. That said, movies like “9,” mini-scenes illustrated in movies like Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Snow White (the Julia Roberts version) and whatnot… I really dig using all kinds of methods to tell stories as opposed to being married to one style.

So that’s today’s squee! To “get your puppet” on, here’s a nifty little site called “Short of the Week” that shares loads of short films in all kinds of genres. For puppetry, check out the haunting Cicada Princess. Thanks to the site, the films are free to play!

3/365

    Mood: Well, I’m rested NOW!
    Caffeinated Beverages Consumed: On my second cup.
    Work-Out Minutes Logged Yesterday: Had to unpack boxes. Erg.
    In My Ears: “Crossing the Goon Sea” by Eric Serra from the Lucy soundtrack
    Game Last Played: Age of Reckoning: Kingdoms of Amalur
    Book Last Read: Re-reading His Dark Materials trilogy by Phillip Pullman
    Movie Last Viewed: Lucy
    Latest Artistic Project: Um…
    Latest Fiction/Comic Release: Last Man Zombie Standing. See also: need to write more flipping comics and exercise my art skillz again. Feh.
    Latest Game Release: Hunter the Vigil: Mortal Remains
    What I’m Working On: Primarily tie-in games work, original comics, and novels.


Day Two of Squee: Lord Lardbottom

Zak the Elf

Went to bed at “I’m too old for this!” last night. A lot of my projects are overlapping for this quarter, and I’m in full steam ahead mode. So today, for daily squee? I’m going to talk to you about one of my cats. His name is Zakar a.k.a. Lord Lardbottom.

Zakar is the first cat I’ve been the guardian for, and our second pet. Our first was a dwarf hamster named Moogle, and he has long since meandered into Chocobo Heaven. Zakar, who’s named after the Mesopotamian God of Dreams, is an unusual feline. You see, he’s a Rescue with a capital “R.” When he was found, he had no tail–a genetic anomaly that classifies him as a “manx”–and six/seven toes on each paw. Because of these not-like-other-cats bits, his chances of being adopted dropped dramatically. We decided to take him in and save his life.

zakar and moogle

At first, I was a little uneasy about how best to care for him. I’d never been a pet guardian before, you see, and while I lived with other cats in the past none of them had been mine to protect. To some, Zak is very strange. Not only is he able to open up doors and is extremely vocal (I think he sounds like a duck, personally.) he’s definitely got his own way of doing things like all cats and communicates his wishes. Loudly and with vigor. But? He also watches out for me, too. He’s a people cat and runs our humble manor in his own way.

Cat Nap

One of tricks he performs has to do with Mr. Pig. I bought a stuffed pig for a friend’s baby shower, and Lord Lardbottom immediately “acquired” it. He finds and beats Mr. Pig to a pulp numerous times and carries it around like a tiger with a fresh kill. Yeah, Zakar’s not messing around, but he is definitely slowing down the older he gets.

Mr Pig is Conquered

Anyway, the point of this post is to squee but I find I’m a little embarrassed when it comes to Zak Zak. I had a lot of anxiety over bringing him into our care. I didn’t really know how to be a good guardian at first–if I was going to do the job right–and while I figured it out with a lot of help and patience from others? I hesitated to squee when I first saw him. I was fascinated by this tailless-giant-pawed-kitten-with-ear-mites-and-so-much-spunk who had taken on a great dane and wasn’t taking [Insert your flavor of excrement here.] from anyone. This tiny little being had so much personality and never faltered, despite the occasional bout of tail envy with our other cat, Rimmon.

zakar is hiding

Not ever having had any pets like this of my own, I was curious about the little guy who hid under dressers, demanded cuddles, and who’s since proven to be a Catnip Addict of the Criminal Sort. It’s hard for me to put into words due to The PastTM, even as a writer, but the point I’m embarrassed to make is that I didn’t fall in love with this cat–at least not for the first couple of days. I remember that after a week went by, I got over my trepidation by looking up kitten behavior and asking loads of questions. Falling into a routine, playing with him often, giving into his cuddle demands… Yeah, he’s got me wrapped around his paws for sure.

Zakar (a.k.a. Lord Lardbottom) is now over ten years old. He’s had some health problems over the years because he’s a manx, and our vet has been helping us to take excellent care of him. He goes in regularly, has strong opinions about the vet in general, and he’s very, very spoiled.

Zen-Zakar

When I think of Lord Lardbottom (his latest nickname) now, I squee. I squee loudly. Because Zakar has taught me an important lesson: that when something or someone enters into your world, and it’s not exactly what you expected, it’s not the end of the world and could turn out to be awesome. That it’s okay to be nervous or anxious or all of those negative emotions at first, because I’m not perfect either–because there’s no such thing.

What is “perfect” but an expectation people put on others to be statistically normal grounded in biology or some other quality as determined by…which authority again? BORING! Who has time to live up to anyone else’s definitions of perfect? Sounds painful and wholly unnecessary, because it is. That word causes hurt, confusion, pain. It doesn’t help us take care of one another; it puts walls up between us and says: “Here’s this invisible, unachievable standard!” Certainly, this cat didn’t “ask” to have no tail, digestive problems, issues with balance, and oddly-shaped paws the size of a small dinosaur. Put a kitten to sleep because he’s not quite right? I don’t think so.

Zakar, to me, is perfect just as he is. I like to think that I’m Lord Lardbottom’s guardian, but in reality? I think he’s been mine.

2/365

    Mood: Overtired
    Caffeinated Beverages Consumed: Two cups so far and more coming.
    Work-Out Minutes Logged Yesterday: Typing like crazy.
    In My Ears: Blah, blah, blah!
    Game Last Played: Age of Reckoning: Kingdoms of Amalur.
    Book Last Read: Re-reading His Dark Materials trilogy by Phillip Pullman
    Movie Last Viewed: Lucy
    Latest Artistic Project: Um…
    Latest Fiction/Comic Release: Last Man Zombie Standing. See also: need to write more flipping comics and exercise my art skillz again. Feh.
    Latest Game Release: Hunter the Vigil: Mortal Remains
    What I’m Working On: Primarily tie-in games work, original comics, and novels.


365 Days of Squee Challenge. Day One!

Dancing Chick Avatar

After seeing my cousin’s 365 Day photo challenge, I decided to come up with one of my own in the form of my 365 Reasons to Squee. Over the course of the next year, each day I’m going to find something past, present, or future–a memory, an object, an experience–that is squee-worthy to me. Squee-worthy you say? All those happy little emotions that bubble up to the surface when you say, do, or think something so awesome you can’t help but feel happy.

So instead of photos? You get my squees. And? If you’re so inspired? By all means, do the same! Attribution appreciated, as always.

To kick things off, I’m going to give you one of my happiest experiences as a kid–going to the library. Surrounded by books, by so many stories, by so much knowledge…it was total freedom for me. I read everything, losing myself in worlds I’d never seen, places I hoped I’d be able to visit one day. Being surrounded by books, tomes that people had dedicated so much time and energy into writing, it gave me hope. I was never alone in the library. Never. There was always another book to read, another story to tell, another sense of awe and wonder to feel, another human being to recognize, acknowledge, and listen to.

I’ve joked that music saved my life and writing gave me a reason to live it. Looking back, as I try to quantify those times I retreated into the confines of a book…I suppose this is the literal truth for many reasons. For me, books aren’t stagnant objects that sit on a shelf collecting dust. They are a repository of past and present human knowledge, a gift that’s freely accessible and available to everyone, a way to connect with other minds and hearts to be entertained, educated, and inspired. These feelings have roots in my childhood, in all the reasons why the library became one of the most hallowed places for me, why a book was always nearby.

So thanks and a huge round of applause to all the librarians and teachers who cheered me on to keep writing and reading, who encouraged my reading/writing level to increase despite my age, and who always greeted me with kindness.

1/365

    Mood: Grateful
    Caffeinated Beverages Consumed: I’ve had two cups so far. Trying to limit myself to that.
    Work-Out Minutes Logged Yesterday: I took a nap instead. BAD WRITER!
    In My Ears: Lament of the air conditioner.
    Game Last Played: Age of Reckoning: Kingdoms of Amalur.
    Book Last Read: Re-reading His Dark Materials trilogy by Phillip Pullman
    Movie Last Viewed: Lucy
    Latest Artistic Project: Um…
    Latest Fiction/Comic Release: Last Man Zombie Standing. See also: need to write more flipping comics and exercise my art skillz again. Feh.
    Latest Game Release: Hunter the Vigil: Mortal Remains
    What I’m Working On: Primarily tie-in games work, original comics, and novels.


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