SignatureWRITTEN BY VALERIE MECHA
SEPTEMBER 29, 2015 Erasing, obliterating
recreating, redoing. Long pencil strokes smoothly gliding along the blank, white, paper that taunts and mocks. The outline, the sketch, the very beginning of an image appears. No particular shape or form, a hint of what is yet to be. Tentative marks in black, following the rules made in light gray, if there is an error, there is no turning back. Bringing out the picture in a BOLD, DARK, color Slowly... Carefully... Shakily… Completed. Next the color, Calm, pale, greens Light, rosy, reds Sky blues and mellow yellows. The blending, adding life inside the lines. No particular person, item, or scene can be distinguished. Is there blooming flowers? A hint of a building? A billowing tree? This is the artist’s impression. Finally moving to the bottom of the page, to the right hand corner, armed with a pen, Two ideas in mind First, last A scribble. The sign of a name. The pressure of what seems to be a thousand years... released, like steam from a kettle This creation is mine, I am the artist. PHOTOS BY ALEXXUS HART
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ART BY VALERIE MECHA
WORDS REALLY DO HURT SOMETIMES, DON’T THEY? THE POWER BEHIND WORDSWRITTEN BY ALEXXUS HART
SEPTEMBER 29, 2015 To some people words may be just a form of communication
but what they don’t understand is that when words are spoken, they are normally never forgotten. Sometimes the things people say, stay in the back of our minds forever and for some reason they just won’t go away. We all know a person who looks so scared to smile, so afraid to speak up, What they don’t realize is that there are people out there just like them. People who are scared. That girl to the left, starves herself just so her younger siblings have enough to eat. Yet people in the halls scream anorexic on a daily She's afraid that her friends will judge her, because her family lives in poverty. What she doesn’t know is that there are people just like her. People who live in poverty. That boy to the right, hides from the crowd just so he won’t be noticed, yet people in the halls call out his imperfections. All he hears is how nerdy he is or how nothing he does turns out right. All he ever wanted was to just fit in but he was born to stand out and what he doesn’t know is there are people just like him. People born to stand out. There are boys and girls, with scars, who wear a fake smile, that they don’t believe in and as soon as somebody touches them they just flinch and pull away. They say they aren’t worth it. They say they are nothing, but a blank page in a story of an epic tragedy. Their minds are full of these thoughts, that keep them up at night, crying in the dark. So I am not going to sit here and watch those who are "different" be treated this way, I will not be a bystander because they deserve so much better. Everyone needs to know they have a voice and right now my voice is to help those being bullied because of who they are. Eminem once said, "I don't care if you're black, white, straight, bisexual, gay, lesbian, short, tall, fat, skinny, rich or poor. If you're nice to me, I'll be nice to you. It's as simple as that." In honor of National Bullying Prevention Month which is October I want everyone to be who they are and not hold back. Stay positive towards yourself and others because together we can change the way of the world. |
How to Create Disturbing Characters
WRITTEN BY CORI KRONSCHNABEL
SEPTEMBER 29, 2015
SEPTEMBER 29, 2015
It is not easy being a writer. It takes a lot of hard work, time, and imagination. Being a writer myself, I have first hand experience with frustrating writer’s blocks and the massive amounts of thinking and creativity it takes to create a solid, original character. Over time I have found and developed tips and tricks that help me when I am writing. Since I know how difficult writing is, I wanted to help out my fellow aspiring authors.
Every now and then stories need a little spice added to them. Sometimes that spice can be a bit overwhelming, and comes with a side of blood and gore. Not every story has characters that are all sunshine and rainbows. Once in awhile there needs to be a dark little twist thrown in, and that twist is in the shape of a disturbing character! When I create characters, I always use some type of “fill-in-the-blank” format. The format changes depending on what the theme for the character is. I use the format below for creating characters that have dark pasts and disturbing personalities. Each part will be explained in depth. Remember, this is just a base. You can add or take away whatever you want. In honor of the Halloween season, let’s get to work! |
Character’s Name
Birth Name: Age: Gender: Sex: Orientations: Relatives: Illnesses/Disorders: Known Alias’: Known Crimes: Known Associates: Appearance: Personality: Skills and Talents: Personal History: Now let’s go through each category! The categories with less information come first, and the categories with large amounts of information come last. Illustrate by Shalen Tully
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Character’s Name
Probably one of the most important parts of creating a character is picking out a name for them. This is at the top of the list, however it is probably one of the last things you do. To get ideas for names, you can simply do a Google search. Search for “creepy names,” or “scary names.” If you want your character’s name to have something to do with death, you can look up how to spell “death” or whatever word you want in a different language. Personally, I am a Tumblr junky. I love the website, and I end up finding a lot of sources that help with my writing. A certain post I found has a ton of names that are native to different parts of the world. It is an excellent resource for picking out names. If you want to go the extra mile, you could also just buy a name book! http://anomalously-written.tumblr.com/post/96982193662/you-know-what-i-love-names-you-know-what-i |
Birth Name
How does this category differ from the one above? Well, your character may prefer to go by a different name rather than the name they were given at birth. In the case of frightening, “bad” characters, they may go by an alias for their name, instead of their birth name. This is definitely an optional category, depending on the situation your character is in.
Age
The simplest of the categories. This is strictly up to you, and I can’t give much advice for picking an age. Under this category you may also want to put the date that they were born, with the day and year.
Gender
Gender is a mental thing, a thing you feel comfortable with calling yourself. So what does your character identify as? Are they a girl? Are they a boy? Or are they non-binary or genderfluid? What about transgender? If you don’t know much about gender, you should do some research before you choose your character’s gender. Do you have no clue what gender you should choose? Then don’t choose one! Characters develop from different experiences, and it’s okay if your own character is unsure about their gender. Gender discovery is one of the many parts that can be included in character development.
Sex
Very different from gender. Sex is biological - it’s something you can see. Females have female genitalia, and males have male genitalia. Transexuals are people have gone through hormone treatment or have gotten surgeries to change their sex. Intersex individuals do not have just one sex. They are born with both male and female genitalia. Once again, if you don’t know that much about sex, you should do some research.
How does this category differ from the one above? Well, your character may prefer to go by a different name rather than the name they were given at birth. In the case of frightening, “bad” characters, they may go by an alias for their name, instead of their birth name. This is definitely an optional category, depending on the situation your character is in.
Age
The simplest of the categories. This is strictly up to you, and I can’t give much advice for picking an age. Under this category you may also want to put the date that they were born, with the day and year.
Gender
Gender is a mental thing, a thing you feel comfortable with calling yourself. So what does your character identify as? Are they a girl? Are they a boy? Or are they non-binary or genderfluid? What about transgender? If you don’t know much about gender, you should do some research before you choose your character’s gender. Do you have no clue what gender you should choose? Then don’t choose one! Characters develop from different experiences, and it’s okay if your own character is unsure about their gender. Gender discovery is one of the many parts that can be included in character development.
Sex
Very different from gender. Sex is biological - it’s something you can see. Females have female genitalia, and males have male genitalia. Transexuals are people have gone through hormone treatment or have gotten surgeries to change their sex. Intersex individuals do not have just one sex. They are born with both male and female genitalia. Once again, if you don’t know that much about sex, you should do some research.
Orientation
There are two very important types of orientations - sexual and romantic. Sexual orientation has to do with who is your character sexually attracted to. Some examples of sexual orientations are heterosexual, homosexual, bisexual, and asexal. Romantic orientation has to do with who your character is emotionally attracted to. Examples of romantic orientations are panromantic, biromantic, and lithromantic. There are so many sexual orientations and romantic orientations that it would take too long to name and explain them all. Feel free to do some research, and really get to know your character. Relatives Now we are getting onto the good stuff. More often than not, disturbing characters don’t exactly have an excellent family background. Their family may have not treated them very well. Their family could have even died - by the character’s hand, or by another’s. Maybe the character is adopted. Here is an organized way to list out the relatives - Melissa Smith, 55, mother; John Smith, 56, father; Patrick Smith, 12, brother... etc. First part is the relative’s name, then their age, and then their relation to the character. If the character has no relatives, simply put “deceased” or “none” in this category. |
Illnesses/Disorders
Most disturbing and creepy characters have some sort of illness, whether it’s mental or physical. I specialize in dark, creepy stories, so I have many characters that aren’t exactly stable. One of my characters went through a traumatic event when she was younger so she has PTSD. Another one of my characters was kidnapped, and he ended up developing Stockholm Syndrome towards his kidnapper. I also have another character that has dependent personality disorder and is affected by bipolar disorder. Those are some examples of mental things that affect the character. There is also the possibility of something being physically wrong with them. The same character of mine that has PTSD also has phantom pain from a bullet wound. If you don’t know a lot of illnesses or disorders, mental or physical, just do some research. As you may have noticed by now, when you make a character you are going to need to be prepared to do a lot of research. |
Known Alias’
Characters don’t always have to be heroes or morally good people. Some do bad things, and they may use an alias. An alias is a false name a person uses, usually for a short period of time. Alias’ generally get changed often. This is another optional category. Known Crimes Disturbing characters aren’t exactly morally sound, and they may not make responsible or kind decisions. Some examples of crimes can be breaking and entering, possession of illegal items, distribution of illegal substances/objects, murder, kidnapping, arson, etc. This probably shouldn’t be an optional category. Known Associates Who does your character associate themselves with? Are they part of a group? Do they have friends? This part will be in list form. Here’s an example - Peter Johnson, Marcus Johnson, Megan Mannings… etc. If you want to put down ages next to the names and what their relation is to the character, go ahead. Since we are talking about creating characters that aren’t very nice or honest, maybe they associate with people or groups likes themselves. One of my characters was formerly a part of the Italian Mafia. Another one runs a group that makes and distributes illegal substances. The possibilities are endless! |
Appearance
This category and the next one may be the longest ones. When you are describing how your character looks, you have to think about a lot of things. What does their hair look like - color, length, is it thick or thin, is it curly or straight? What is their body type - are they tall, short, fat, or skinny? Make sure you are specific. Don’t just put tall, but put “tall, 6 feet 4 inches.” What are their facial features like? Do they have a tall forehead, or a small nose? Facial features can be hard to describe, but you can do a search on things that you should cover. Think about if your character has any significant physical marks - freckles, moles, or scars? Piercings are also an option, and can add a creepy feel to a character, along with tattoos.
Personality
This can take absolutely forever to describe! Try to keep this as short and sweet as possible when first creating your character, just to get a basic idea of them. You can definitely add more things later on, when you think of things that your character likes or dislikes. Disturbing characters absolutely have some pretty interesting quirks and interests.
If you do want to get super into your character’s head, search “oc ask meme tumblr” on Google. You will find a ton of questions that your character can answer, so you can understand them better as their creator. Some of the questions you can find for your character to answer are “What’s the biggest sacrifice you’ve made?” or “Have you ever lied because it was beneficial to others?” and even “How long can you hold your breath?”
Skills and Talents
Another fun category for creating disturbing characters. Here is where I put things like “weapon of choice” and whether or not they have experience in certain types of fighting. A talent can also be something silly, like “they can cross their eyes”, “able to do backflips”, and even “can swallow swords.” Let your creativity flow, especially in this category!
Personal History
This is an important category, and the reason why it’s last is because it can get extremely long. When talking about your character’s history, you generally want to briefly explain what happened in the character’s life up til now. Talk about their family and friends, what kind of schooling they had, and especially traumatic events. Traumatic past events are the key to creating unstable characters. If you don’t want to write an essay, you can record important events in a bulleted list, with the date of the event, and then a description of what happened.
This is your character’s past, so it is crucial to try and get down as much as you can. If you want to change details later on, don’t feel bad! The idea you first had of your character can change! It’s almost as if they have minds of their own.
Character creation can take a very long time. It usually takes me 1-3 full days to create a concrete original character. During the process do not stare at your computer screen or notebook paper the whole time. Have water near you at all times, and make sure you take bathroom and snack breaks. If you want to get some inspiration from published authors, I recommend taking a look at stories by Edgar Allen Poe and H.P. Lovecraft. They are excellent horror writers, and I get a lot of my inspiration from them. Here’s the most important tip I have to offer you - have fun!
This category and the next one may be the longest ones. When you are describing how your character looks, you have to think about a lot of things. What does their hair look like - color, length, is it thick or thin, is it curly or straight? What is their body type - are they tall, short, fat, or skinny? Make sure you are specific. Don’t just put tall, but put “tall, 6 feet 4 inches.” What are their facial features like? Do they have a tall forehead, or a small nose? Facial features can be hard to describe, but you can do a search on things that you should cover. Think about if your character has any significant physical marks - freckles, moles, or scars? Piercings are also an option, and can add a creepy feel to a character, along with tattoos.
Personality
This can take absolutely forever to describe! Try to keep this as short and sweet as possible when first creating your character, just to get a basic idea of them. You can definitely add more things later on, when you think of things that your character likes or dislikes. Disturbing characters absolutely have some pretty interesting quirks and interests.
If you do want to get super into your character’s head, search “oc ask meme tumblr” on Google. You will find a ton of questions that your character can answer, so you can understand them better as their creator. Some of the questions you can find for your character to answer are “What’s the biggest sacrifice you’ve made?” or “Have you ever lied because it was beneficial to others?” and even “How long can you hold your breath?”
Skills and Talents
Another fun category for creating disturbing characters. Here is where I put things like “weapon of choice” and whether or not they have experience in certain types of fighting. A talent can also be something silly, like “they can cross their eyes”, “able to do backflips”, and even “can swallow swords.” Let your creativity flow, especially in this category!
Personal History
This is an important category, and the reason why it’s last is because it can get extremely long. When talking about your character’s history, you generally want to briefly explain what happened in the character’s life up til now. Talk about their family and friends, what kind of schooling they had, and especially traumatic events. Traumatic past events are the key to creating unstable characters. If you don’t want to write an essay, you can record important events in a bulleted list, with the date of the event, and then a description of what happened.
This is your character’s past, so it is crucial to try and get down as much as you can. If you want to change details later on, don’t feel bad! The idea you first had of your character can change! It’s almost as if they have minds of their own.
Character creation can take a very long time. It usually takes me 1-3 full days to create a concrete original character. During the process do not stare at your computer screen or notebook paper the whole time. Have water near you at all times, and make sure you take bathroom and snack breaks. If you want to get some inspiration from published authors, I recommend taking a look at stories by Edgar Allen Poe and H.P. Lovecraft. They are excellent horror writers, and I get a lot of my inspiration from them. Here’s the most important tip I have to offer you - have fun!
Social Media and Relationships
WRITTEN BY EVA SZOCIK
SEPTEMBER 29, 2015
SEPTEMBER 29, 2015
Social media. It’s of utmost convenience.
From texting to instant messaging to tagging friends in photos or posting status updates and more, social media is a great way to connect with people, share what we’re doing and express ourselves.
There’s no question that social media is getting more popular everyday
It offers any user an instant audience, instant attention.
The absolute luxury of keeping in touch.
It facilitates possible lonely feelings.
There’s also no question that the internet has helped some of us rekindle relationships that
wouldn’t have been rekindled otherwise.
But, what does “friending” someone on facebook or following someone on Instagram or adding
someone on snapchat offer in the form of a true emotional connection?
There’s really something special about a real-life, intimate relationship.
Social media doesn’t offer that.
How influential can an friend on the internet be?
Can internet relationships even compare to real life, face-to-face relationships?
Studies have shown that people seem to put their best foot forward while communicating/posting on social media. Any emotional insecurity, weakness and conflict in general seem to be hidden or put to a minimum on social media sites. It’s usually pretty difficult if not completely impossible on social networking to reveal the traits and qualities that define pure, deep, intimate connections.
Additionally, real life relationships take time and effort.
They all-in-all help us learn about ourselves and others.
When “meeting” someone online and chatting with them, they not only have the time to think about exactly what they’re going to say, but it is impossible to truly understand their personality and how they actually are in real life.
Meeting someone in real life is a whole lot different.
You hear their voice.
You get a sense of their personality and how they work.
You see how they put their sentences together naturally.
Yes, online friendships are without a doubt valuable and convenient in numerous ways, but they lack the ability to give us the opportunity to develop lasting and deep closeness emotionally.
So, seek out your online friends.
Rekindle lost connections.
Revisit friendships.
As long as it’s not at the cost of deepening and nurturing real-life relationships.
From texting to instant messaging to tagging friends in photos or posting status updates and more, social media is a great way to connect with people, share what we’re doing and express ourselves.
There’s no question that social media is getting more popular everyday
It offers any user an instant audience, instant attention.
The absolute luxury of keeping in touch.
It facilitates possible lonely feelings.
There’s also no question that the internet has helped some of us rekindle relationships that
wouldn’t have been rekindled otherwise.
But, what does “friending” someone on facebook or following someone on Instagram or adding
someone on snapchat offer in the form of a true emotional connection?
There’s really something special about a real-life, intimate relationship.
Social media doesn’t offer that.
How influential can an friend on the internet be?
Can internet relationships even compare to real life, face-to-face relationships?
Studies have shown that people seem to put their best foot forward while communicating/posting on social media. Any emotional insecurity, weakness and conflict in general seem to be hidden or put to a minimum on social media sites. It’s usually pretty difficult if not completely impossible on social networking to reveal the traits and qualities that define pure, deep, intimate connections.
Additionally, real life relationships take time and effort.
They all-in-all help us learn about ourselves and others.
When “meeting” someone online and chatting with them, they not only have the time to think about exactly what they’re going to say, but it is impossible to truly understand their personality and how they actually are in real life.
Meeting someone in real life is a whole lot different.
You hear their voice.
You get a sense of their personality and how they work.
You see how they put their sentences together naturally.
Yes, online friendships are without a doubt valuable and convenient in numerous ways, but they lack the ability to give us the opportunity to develop lasting and deep closeness emotionally.
So, seek out your online friends.
Rekindle lost connections.
Revisit friendships.
As long as it’s not at the cost of deepening and nurturing real-life relationships.
Seven Bridges
WRITTEN BY KATIE GILLINGHAM
SEPTEMBER 29, 2015
SEPTEMBER 29, 2015
Imagine walking through a beautiful, enchanting
forest. Soon, you find yourself at a beach, leisurely s trolling the shore, watching the crashing waves and the shining rocks along the shoreline. Now imagine that’s a reality because it is! This fall’s destination of the month is Seven bridges. Although the leaves have not yet turned, when they do, it’s simply mesmerizing! If you stray from the main paths, you could get lost for hours and hours and never want to leave. Parks like these are very scarce in Milwaukee, so places like these should be very treasured. In the fall, all of these leaves turn bright reds and oranges and yellows, making for a fantastic scene to admire. It may be a bit muddy, so one may need to be prepared for that. You can cross rocks over small streams to get to the other side, or of course, bridges. Here you can just get lost and think. Spend quality time alone and reflect on nature. Maybe walk the beach or even go for a swim in the summer. Or bring some friends to join you on your journey through the enchanting Seven Bridges. |