Mynx

Scanners Despite the incredibly sarcastic tone of my RT review, I do have to admit that this movie isn't awful. The music is cool, and the concept is awesome, it was just the execution that I had trouble with. Scanners is about, well, scanners. People with telepathic skills which enable them to read minds and (somehow) blow people up and set them on fire. The film follows one scanner as he tries to thwart either the mean scientists who keep tying him up and running tests on him, or as he tries to defeat an 'evil' scanner. I never actually figured out what was happening at this point because I was too busy cheering at the brief moments of gore or begging the film to hurry up and DO something. Personally I blame Cronenberg. The guy makes some interesting films, but they are so. freaking. slow. that I usually lose my will to live or pay attention while watching them. Hence the overdose of snark. Also, it was 1am.

Ring (Japanese version) You all know the story. Watch the weird video, get a phone call, die in 7 days. This review will be in two parts - a brief what-did-I-think-of-it to follow below, and a copy of my chatlog with Wyvern while watching the film can be found here I have to say, when the American remake of this film came out I was hideously disappointed by it. While the premis of the film wasn't bad, the US version seemed slow to me, and had this horrible habit of making me think it was wrapping up and about to end, only to stagger on for another 20 minutes. But hey, I'm an avid believer that all good films should be shown in their original format and not remade a million times over by Hollywood. Yes Scorsese, I'm looking at you, you thief. So when I finally got a copy of the Japanese original of this film, I didn't exactly have high hopes, as I knew the US version was meant to be a "scene for scene remake", but I was hoping for some form of entertainment. I got my entertainment, but probably more from the act of reviewing it in a mix of allcaps and random references than from the film itself. It wasn't bad, it just kind of left me feeling a little underwhelmed. It probably didn't help that I knew the story backwards and was watching it with a cynical eye, but there you go. It's like how those movies with the big "OMG YOU'RE THE KILLER" revealing moments are never quite as good the second time around. It's a shame really, I would have liked to have come across this film without prior knowledge to see what I thought of it. Because I hadn't, though, I'm kind of left wanting. Although I'm sure if you watched this film on a big screen in the dark you'd get your jumps, it wasn't great enough that I'd insist people watch this one over the US version. All in all, about average, really

An open letter to my sister’s psychotic cat: Dear Jessie, I’m sure it is no mystery that I am a cat person. Nor is it an unknown fact that I do indeed like most animals I encounter. But you, my dear…thing…do not fall into this category. The first issue I take with you is the fact that you bring shame to the species. Cats are graceful, beautiful hunters. You can’t even jump up to the window without falling over. And yes, I was watching that time you fell down behind the computer desk. Yes, I have seen how well you “hunt” the brightly coloured catnip mouse. But that does not mean I think you are a good huntress, nor do I condone you using my bare, unprotected foot as the landing pad for your pounce/maul/death charge. You are not a princess, we are not your slaves, I WILL throw you out of a room if you do not stfu at 6am. Do not think my parents equal safety for you, cat, I have my ways. Then there is the issue you seem to take with the dog. Get over it. He’s ten years older than you, ten times your weight, and the only reason he doesn’t eat you is because he loves my sister too much. But just because he could eat you does not mean you need to challenge him to a fight every time you see him. And no, I do not find your inability to pass him when he’s sleeping to be adorable. Maybe I would have found it slightly endearing if my attempts to carry you past him did not leave me with scars in my upper arms. Next time I catch you picking a fight with him, I’m shaving you and coating you in BBQ sauce. I’ll buy my sister another pony. Believe it or not, they’re lower maintenance than you are, Miss I-can’t-eat-the-same-meal-twice. My days in this place are numbered, cat. So are yours. Pray that my tenure runs out before my patience does. Yours sincerely, Mynx

I found this website tonight while looking for something to read, and during my hunt I came across a section entiteled "Open Letters to People or Entities who are Unlikely to Respond." I then found one entitled "To my Sister's Psychotic Dogs" and thought I'd shamelessly write my own rendition of a similar topic. So here, I present to the Pen, a thread for open letters to anyone or thing who may not respond. Enjoy

Apparently, a wolf wants me to play...*looks pointedly at Tanny* Will come up with a character this weekend Edit - sorry guys. Too much going on in RL. Have to count me out of this one

Happy happy happy birthday Alaeha!

Amanda scribbled down as much of the message as she could keep up with, focussing mainly on the airport information, but also making small notes to everything else the strange man said. As she wrote, a detached part of her brain - the ever rational Alyssa - began to process and comprehend the message for what it was. The beginning to finding the answers she'd wanted for so very long, without quite knowing the questions. A popping noise made her look up from her notes to see her computer staring back at her with a blank screen. Dead. Five minutes, she thought to herself, getting up and running to her bedroom to pack a small bag. For a moment, Amanda hesitated. What about her students? Her friends? Granted she didn't have many of the latter but could she really just walk out on it all? You don't have a choice, her rationality pointed out. Sighing agreement to herself, she grabbed a bag, a change of clothes, her wallet and passport, etc. Bag packed, she slung it over her shoulder and headed for the front door, before she thought better of it and headed back to her bedroom to climb out the window. Just in time, too. As she jumped off the balcony and landed on the soft grass in her backyard, she heard the door above her being broken into. Had it only been five minutes?! Glancing to make sure no one could see her, Amanda slunk out of the backyard and hailed a taxi to the airport. She approached the desk uncertainly, wondering what name she should give. The teller gave her a bored look when she hesitated. "Uh, checking in? Miss Hall," she handed over her passport. The teller took it and began to look up the details on the computer. "The only 'Hall' we have here is Alyssa. Says here you're name is Amanda." Thinking quickly, she smiled ruefully at the teller. "My friend booked the tickets. He has a cynical sense of humour. Alyssa's my...well...I prefer to go by it. I just haven't had time to change it legally yet." Not interested in the backstory, the teller printed the ticket and handed it over. "Better run. Plane leaves in five." Alyssa got off the plane, Amanda left behind at the plane's boarding gates, it seemed. She'd barely gathered her bearings when the intercom buzzed. "Paging Alyssa to the front desk? There's a call for you"

A - Approach her...carefully, that is

Happy birthday! Come back and write here!

"Terribly sorry," Mynx stood up from her seat at the table. "But I have to go. Busy busy, don't you know." Mynx's dead eyes shone with mirth as she moved away from the mob. "Seeing as you're so...caught up with those little ones, I won't disturb you in your fun." Mynx chuckled. "Don't worry, they'll find me when they need to. Just make sure you don't do anything you might regret." With that last, vague threat over the treatment of her minions, Mynx twitched her tail with a laugh and wandered off.

"What I want to know," Mynx laughed as she conjured a horseshoe and gently flung it in the Raven's direction, "is where you got so many horseshoes...I don't suppose there's a herd of grumpy horses anywhere?"

Sighing goodnaturedly, Mynx conjured another cup of coffee and settled back in her chair to watch the show via Minion-Link

A purred chuckle echoed from the shadows of the Cabaret room, drawing enough attention from the orc and the Raven to see a feline grin over a steaming cup of coffee. "You're both crazy. You do know that, right?"

I'm in Character to come Edit: Miss Amanda Hall/aka Alyssa 25 Preschool teacher New enough at her job to still delight in it, but has never been able to escape the feeling that there should be more to life. Became a teacher because she thought she could learn what what she thinks is missing through teaching. Edit part 2: Her chosen name is Alyssa - Greek for Rational. Her years of reading and searching for more information has left her with a wealth of knowledge and her level head makes her a voice of reason even amidst chaos.

Oooooh an excuse to jump around and shoot things and use shiny weapons??? *bounce bounce bounce* *composes self* I mean...yeah...cool...whenever...

And a fine poem it is, Yog *grins* Happy birthday, Mighty Pen! And thanks to all here that have made this place the haven it is *Scatters hugs and cookies for all*

Aliens vs Predator: Requiem I have a confession to make. I didn't hate the first installment of this franchise. Sure, the storyline was weak, the effects weren't fantastic and it was all a bit far fetched...but I had fun. I mean, I wasn't expecting a serious film, I didn't get a serious film, there was enough shiny to keep me happy and the fact that I hadn't seen any of the original films for either franchise (I know, I know, I'm working on it) didn't matter in the slightest. So when I saw the trailer for the sequel, I was all geared up to see another gory comedy... This one though...eeeeeenh. The movie starts where the first one ended, with a dead, pregnant Predator birthing an Alien-Predator hybrid that proceeds to take out everyone on the ship, forcing it to crash somewhere in Colorado. A signal from the ship attracts a lone Predator who sets out to clean up the mess like the industrial Alien garbage man he seems to be. Now at this point, I'm still happy. It's when we bring in the human characters that I started to have problems. Unlike the first one, where everything revolved around the big things that bled acid and/or made creepy clicky noises before killing you, this movie decides to hit the breaks, and change tracks into some weird teen romance...thing. It was at this point that I got bored. Really, really, REALLY bored. Then the Aliens hit town and I got confused (partly because it was dark things attacking in the dark and I had no idea who was living or dying or what). By this point it was a bit of a shiny mess. There were amusing moments, I will admit, and I've grown a soft spot for the Predators because like the old school Batman they seem to have a tool for everything. But the sheer, stupid ineptitude of the human characters (especially the cops and/or military) just made me grind my teeth. Having said all that, I know I was alone in my annoyance watching this movie with two guys who enjoyed the thing, so I guess you'll have to take this with a grain of salt. I went there expecting shiny death and comedy. I just got shiny confusing boredom. Oh well. Maybe the third one will be better...or at least explain itself...

Game over. Final scorecard: Apt Toys (not so) happy customers and employees: Mynx => Sally Kellerman, 17, high school cheerleader and part-time employee at Customer Service Wolf Guinea Pig => Pig, a guinea pig, representative for GP Toys villager Apt Toys ex-happy customers and employees: Mardrax => Nick Degras, 10, fulltime student and Santa's helper villager, first lynching Giles => Brian, 10, Sally's kid brother Seer, first kill Vene => Matthew Jonathan Clarke von Wunscheringen III, Mattie the Third for short, 11, spoiled-rotten-to-the-core-and-then-some son of an extremely wealthy CEO villager, second lynching Panther => Thomas Steward, 21, employee villager, second kill Gryphon => Jamie Baron, 12, whose parent works on the janitorial staff Wolf, third lynching Blby => Bartleby, a guinea pig who works as one of Santa's elves Baner, third kill Mithrandin => David Reyes, 18, student, took the job on the store in the seasonal wrapping presents department villager, fourth lynching Patrick => Santa (alias Michael Short, 47) villager, fourth kill Wolves win. Thanks Tanny for running this game and to all for participating

OOC: Posting on behalf of Tanny... Sally hummed happily to herself as she skipped away from David's body, acting like a child in...well...a toy store. All sanity had left the girl's mind now, whatever dormant shadow that had lurked in the pack of Sally's mind had finally broken free this night when the power went down. At first, even Sally hadn't been aware that she was (partly) to blame. She had vague memories of seeking out Jamie, thinking him to be her brother whenever she tried to recall the memory. But after Brian had died, the wall that had divided her mind began to crumble. By the time Jamie died, it was completely gone. "On the ninth day of Christmas my true love gave to meee," Sally sung to herself as she pranced through the store. Something shiny distracted her from her song, as Sally came to a halt in front of a shelf full of mirrors. Eight stood on display, showing Sally in her bloodstained dress, an eery grin on her face. Eight reflections, plus Sally herself... "Nine ladies dancing" Sally giggled again, and did a twirl for the mirror. When she'd stopped spinning, she noticed Michael, the store's Santa watching her with a horrified expression as he took in her bloodstained clothes. "You!" He spluttered, advancing on her slowly. Sally's smile became a pout. "You're a bad Santa," she whispered in a childlike voice, before her fist lashed out and broke the mirror behind her. Picking up one of the shards that fell to the floor, Sally grinned slowly as she advanced on Michael. Stumbling backwards, he tripped, hitting his head as he fell back. Blinking away stars, he barely had time to register Sally before she leapt upon him and began to stab... When she was finished, Sally laughed delightedly to herself and began to sing again. "On the tenth day of Christmas my true love gave to meee" Picking up another shard of glass, Sally went in search of a certain guinea pig. "Heeeeere Pig Pig Pig..." OOC: Game over. Wolves win by the sheer luck of the dice.

Posting on behalf of Tanny... Night phase for next 24ish hours or until otherwise advised. Apt Toys (not so) happy customers and employees: Patrick => Santa (alias Michael Short, 47) Mynx => Sally Kellerman, 17, high school cheerleader and part-time employee at Customer Service Guinea Pig => Pig, a guinea pig, representative for GP Toys Apt Toys ex-happy customers and employees: Mardrax => Nick Degras, 10, fulltime student and Santa's helper villager, first lynching Giles => Brian, 10, Sally's kid brother Seer, first kill Vene => Matthew Jonathan Clarke von Wunscheringen III, Mattie the Third for short, 11, spoiled-rotten-to-the-core-and-then-some son of an extremely wealthy CEO villager, second lynching Panther => Thomas Steward, 21, employee villager, second kill Gryphon => Jamie Baron, 12, whose parent works on the janitorial staff Wolf, third lynching Blby => Bartleby, a guinea pig who works as one of Santa's elves Baner, third kill Mithrandin => David Reyes, 18, student, took the job on the store in the seasonal wrapping presents department villager, fourth lynching

OOC: Posted on behalf of Tanny via her directions while she deals with RL. A giggle behind David stole his attention away from his finger. Spinning around, David's unwounded hand searched blindly for the scissors even as he sought out the owner of the voice. At first, he couldn't see anyone, before a figure rushed by, giggling childishly. Frowning, David looked around to see if there was anyone else who had seen the figure. Finding himself alone in that part of the store, David steeled himself and followed after the figure. Guided only by flashes of a figure ahead of him, dressed in something pale and giggling like a small child, David followed until he came into a clearing in the middle of the aisles, almost a crossroads. Seven manniquins, dressed up as...milkmaids?...stood, one at each aisle, blocking David. Frowning in confusion as he tried to process this, David heard the giggle behind him. He turned, just in time to see a figure dressed as a milkmaid, something held above their heads. Grinning darkly, the figure brought the metal milk pail down over David's head. The first blow knocked him unconscious. He was dead by the fifth, but the figure stopped only when his face was no longer recognisable, a shapeless mess on the floor... OOC: by the decree of the dice, David/Mith, a hapless villager, was lynched. It is now Night Phase. Either Tanny or I will make the next post, depending on her availability and any instructions she PMs.

Sally trembled with shock at the continuing turn of events. They'd found one of the killers and it had been a kid...a kid about the same age as Brian...But there was still someone else killing people...that poor guinea pig...This was insane. Everything was insane. And to think, Sally had believed that kid when he'd tried to accuse the store Santa. Stifling a whimper, Sally hugged her knees to herself and began to rock gently back and forth, eyes glazed. OOC: Siding with the random choice of a guinea pig...Vote for David/Mith

I'm up for it

Sally hid in a corner and cradled her head, unable to believe the madness that was going on around her. How could so many people be dead? Who would want to hurt innocent kids like her brother? ...there seemed to be an awful lot of voices drifting around that were accusing the store's Santa...and his helper had been one of the first to be killed...could it be? OOC: Santa/Patrick

Ditto to all that's been said Nicely written *hugs*