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PopeAlessandrosXVIII
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PostPosted: Mon Oct 31, 2011 8:00 pm    Post subject: IFQ Issue #36 Reply with quote


Bringing you the News The Old fashioned Way



Spooks in the Ghost Town
A look into the Halloween Haunts around IF.

Costume Spots!
Story by: PopeAlessandrosXVIII


Roving Reporter Stein and his companion Rover have been seen stalking about IF, using their keen eyes to catch glimpses of some of our more regular members visiting their local haunts in their Halloween bests! Rover took several snapshots and here we will present the findings.

Thunderbird:




Lilith




Andolyn




misterbiz




Barking_Basenji_Splitpin




HalfEmptyHero




AngealPureheart




Tikanni Corazon




Vishal and Vikas Muralidharan




Kalanna Rai




Kalyssa Summers




PopeAlessandrosXVIII



Care to show off your real life Halloween Costumes? PM PopeAlessandrosXVIII before the end of November with your own Halloween snapshots and be in the next issue of the IF Quirer!


Master of Darkness and Sunshine Princess Comparison Interviews
Story by PopeAlessandrosXVIII

Wondering a bit about misterbiz and Andolyn's new collaboration, Stein and rover took it upon themselves to do an interview with each of them to gain some perspective.

Sunshine Princess Interview


~Rover and Stein walk in, Stein with fake(?) blood stains all over his lab coat, and Rover in a werewolf costume. Rover sits facing you and his long shaggy ears come up with whirring sounds and seem to lock on you~


Stein: Hello there, it's good to see you today. How are you this fine day?


Umm...I'm... ::eyes fake(?) blood nervously:: good...?


Stein: Good to hear. Now, I must thank you for taking this interview. I am sure this will be very interesting for our readers, don't you think so?


Yes...I would say so.


Stein: Heh, and now on you our first question. You are somewhat of a specialist as I understand it, just how did you get started in your particularly genre?


Well, now, I wouldnt call my self a specialist...but I do have a particular...interest, shall we say? In relationships that are deep and meaningful. perhaps that's mostly because my real life relationships are so deep and meaningful themselves and they give me such good material to write from. Very Happy I wrap my fantasy around my reality, and WHAM! instant "romantic" story. =)


Stein: Is that so. . . . Are there any particular stories in your genre in IF that you really enjoy?


Hmm...Well, my genre is relatively young here on IF, but Vikas's "Hate" is particularly good & I'm looking forward to seeing more of it. =)


Stein: Yes, yes. Seeing as this is a comparison interview, let me ask, what is your favorite story here on IF done under misterbiz's genre, Horror?


o0o...That's a hard one...Well, if it counts, I'm really loving Fading Immortality...but I might be ever so slightly biased on that one. Wink As for one's Biz has written on his own...I love them all so far. Alice has captured my attention hardest of all at the moment since it's written about my favorite story...Alice in Wonderland, but my first love of Biz's works is and will remain Eternia. =) OH!! I almost forgot his short story, Just Until Sunset...I'm waiting for an SG spinoff on that one too. XD


Stein: Interesting. Now, both of you are Guild leaders, can you tell me just how that came to be?


Umm...Well...Don't know about Bizzy, but for me, TBird said, "hey you should write a romance", and I replied, "hey maybe I will!" and he said "While you're at it, I'm starting a romance section if you're interested in leading it," and I said, "ok!" It was a fascinating conversation, really...


Stein: I see. Who or what, if any, is your real world inspiration for writing in your genre?


Oh boy...Here we go...Well, I've only got one story in my genre so far...and the only person from RL so far is...oddly enough...BIZZY!! In just the few short years I've known him, Biz has been one of my greatest friends, even to the point of saving my life ((though i'm sure he wont call it that)) when I was suffering asthma attacks. I won't tell you which character he is, though those of you who know him well will be able to spot him easily. Wink


Stein: Mmm hmm. Do you have a published work in your own genre that is a favorite of yours? If so, what is it called, and can you tell me why you like it so much?


Well...It's sort of embarrassing, but to be totally honest, I dont really read many romances...I need a little bit of fantasy and intrigue in there with it too...so...::sigh:: the only romance that's high on my list of reads is...don't laugh...Twilight. the first book is just intriguing. The romance is intense, but not too much. The characters are completely believable...outside of the sparkling vampires thing...I just love it. =)


Stein: Thank you for the insight into your mind. *Bows* It has been an honor. Please read the next issue of the IF Quirer! Come Rover. *Spins out of his seat and stalks towards the door, blood(?) stained coat flaping out as he does so*


Thanks! Will do! ::waves nervously while continuing to wonder about the blood::


Rover: Wuff. *Wanders out in his werewolf suit*




Master of Darkness Interview

~Rover and Stein walk in, Stein with fake(?) blood stains all over his lab coat, and rover in a werewolf costume. Rover sits facing you and his long shaggy ears come up with whirring sounds and seem to lock on you~


Stein: Hello there, it's good to see you today. How are you this fine day?


Dark and bloody gloomy as usual...so you know...I'm at the usual level of Awesomness


Stein: Good to hear. Now, I must thank you for taking this interview. I am sure this will be very interesting for our readers, don't you think so?


Of course it is...you put Mister Biz in anything and the reader's will flock to you. You'll have to beat them off with a piece of Vincent Prices leg to get them back.


Stein: Heh, and now on you our first question. You are somewhat of a specialist as I understand it, just how did you get started in your particularly genre?


It started at a young age when my mom introduced me to the magic of the slasher flick and the works of Stephen King. Ever since, I have been simply captivated by horror. Then when my life started going downhill, it helped by allowing me to escape reality and see people whose lives were worse off then my own. So I started writing it and just couldn't stop.


Stein: Is that so. . . . Are there any particular stories in your genre in IF that you really enjoy?


Yes. I have to say its Alice by myself...considering I'm pretty much the one pumping life into it. But yes, Alice is the piece I'm proudest of.


Stein: Yes, yes. Seeing as this is a comparison interview, let me ask, what is your favorite story here on IF done under Andolyn's genre, Romance?


Yes. Her Color is simply spectacular and not just cause yours truly plays a part in it. It is written well and is definitely unlike any other romances that I've tried to read. They suck.


Stein: Interesting. Now, both of you are Guild leaders, can you tell me just how that came to be?


Well T-bird told me about the guilds and I told him they sounded awesome. Then he asked me, knowing full well my love of and history in the genre, if I would be interested in the position. I gladly accepted, because...you know, I'm awesome and junk.


Stein: I see. Who or what, if any, is your real world inspiration for writing in your genre?


My first real girlfriend shows up a lot in my work. I can't help but place her in because she was the subject of my real life horror story. I watched her crumble and fall from grace and it was terrifying to know that I was powerless. That I could do nothing to save her. I could only watch her destroy herself. So now, I take all of those feelings and I place them into my work, where I am able to save her. I can be the hero. Because seeing that...it changes ya.



Stein: Mmm hmm. Do you have a published work in your own genre that is a favorite of yours? If so, what is it called, and can you tell me why you like it so much?


The Store by Bentley Little. It is dark and heavy and simply brilliant. He knows how to genuinely frighten you by taking something so ambiguous and making it terrify you. It left me with a feeling of dread and paranoia that stayed with me until the next morning when the sun rose. I was also pretty creeped out by any gas station at night that I came across while reading it.


Stein: Thank you for the insight into your mind. *Bows* It has been an honor. Please read the next issue of the IF Quirer! Come Rover. *Turns to leave, blood(?) stained coat flaping out as he does so*


*bows* No problema, Stein. *stares longingly at the blood on the jacket, suddenly feeling hungry*


Rover: Wuff. *Wanders out in his werewolf suit*



What could these two very different people come up with when their genres collide? Check out Fading Immortality by misterbiz and Andolyn, a.k.a., the Master of Darkness and Sunshine Princess today!


NaNoWriMo
Story by Mister Biz

It's that time of year again people. NaNoWriMo. Now some of you may not know what that is. Well, it is an annual compettion of sorts where authors from all over try to write a 50,000 word novel from November 1 - November 30. It is a difficult task that many try and many fail. However, hundreds...thousands of people succeed each and every year. Yes. And this year we have a handful of IFians participating. Those IFians are: HalfEmptyHero, Shillelagh, Muaddib, Lilith, Barking_Basenji_Splitpin, kkdestiny and of course me. So if you are interested, go here and good luck to all those that are participating.


If Only Wordfind
The first three IFians to find all the words, mail PopeAlessandrosXVIII and you shall be rewarded from the IF Treasury!



Word Find Words:
Horror
NightDead
misterbiz
Slaughter
Control
Creepy Cave
Death Day
Dark Guild


Wordfind Winners from last month:
1st: N/A
2nd: N/A
3rd: N/A


Linear Lane Looky Loo
Story by PopeAlessandrosXVIII

Destruction to the False Gods – PopeAlessandrosXVIII

Line of Kavanagh: The Original – Andolyn

A Hunter's Tale – Kalanna Rai

No Name Story – PopeAlessandrosXVIII


And here are some in the Dark Linear Lane

The Hell Half – misterbiz

Blood Stained Paradise – misterbiz

The First and Last of Everything – PopeAlessandrosXVIII


Come support the muse in Linear Lane today!





Story by PopeAlessandrosXVIII

Eden's Call – Lilith – 6
SparkleSteps – Tikanni Corazon – 6
Edge of Glory – Kalanna Rai – 5
Heavy Metal – Thunderbird – 5
Escaping Eternia – misterbiz – 4


Flying into first place is Lilith's Eden's Call. Still keeping on steady in the top five, Tikanni Corazon's SparkleSteps meanders into second place. Coming out of nowhere, Kalanna Rai's Edge of Glory pops into third place. Returning to the top five is Thunderbird's Heavy Metal in fourth place. Dropping from it's first place last month, misterbiz's Escaping Eternia takes op the rear in fifth place.


Top 5 Peek
Story by PopeAlessandrosXVIII


Eden's Call by IF's own fairy Lilith move deeper and deeper into it's fantasy adventure, each moment as heart pounding as the next. IFians wait with baited breath as SparkleSteps, a tale of fantasy and family by esteemed Fantasy Guildmistess Tikanni Corazon hovers on the edge before what's sure to be it's fantastic last chapter/s. With grim determination, Edge of Glory by the illustrious dragon of IF Kalanna Rai hits with one tough decision point after another as lives hang in the balance, and new fantastic creatures are discovered. The epic tale of angels, demons, science, and mortality Heavy Metal surges forward with renew resolve backing it's author, Thunderbird. Finally, the new turn on the term “Zombie Apocalypse”, Escaping Eternia by the Master of Darkness misterbiz, shuffles ever forward in it's progression, with the never relenting ease of zobified travel.


All of these tales are dualy recommended by this editor.


Crime and. . . . .Punishment?
Story by PopeAlessandrosXVIII


This month's IF Quirer sponsored debated covered Heroes, and how they break the law. . . .without consequences in many a tale, game, and on TV.

This is what was posted for the debate:

In many stories, the "Hero" seems to be allowed liberties that no normal person would be allowed. They break laws, but through their actions, bring about an end that enough people wished for that they do not feel the need to punish the Hero for breaking these laws. Such as, taking something that doesn't belong to them from a treasure vault, or a museum. Or perhaps, forcing one of the misguided good guys to open a door, or some other such thing, on the threat of their life.

The debate here is, Do the ends justify the means? Just because a good was brought about, does that mean the bad can be dismissed? This is only in terms of stories, so try and keep that in mind. Would you like to see more heroes punished for the crimes the commit during their quests, or does that just ruin the spirit of the tale?


And here are some people's ideas on the subject:


”My first thought is the RPG hero of a video game, who gets to walk straight into people's houses, talk to them, take anything they have lying around, and then leave. I mean, it's a classic Machiavellian argument, but it really loses something in its transistion to literature.

If it's a seedy crime drama, the character will try and go above the law, get in trouble, and then we'll have a nice plot angle. If it's closer to a light-hearted superhero tale, then the police are inept and the hero has to overstep legal bounds to save the day but its okay because no one cares when he wins. It's not so much that the characters don't care as it is that the mood of the story will be ruined if they care. So, by necessity of plot, they don't care.

If the boundary is good versus evil instead of legal versus illegal, it's still the same sort of thing. If it's closer to a morality tale, the character skirting the line loses, or somehow falls from grace. If the tale is more mature, they can blurr the lines, and you have characters who serve the greater good while commiting a lot of small evils.

It doesn't really matter what the answer is, because the story is written to promote a view. Or it contains the conscious or subconscious views of the author. Or it's been written to provoke a reaction from the audience. Whatever the reason... the answer is solely for story purposes.”
- Shillelagh



”It all boils down to what are the rules of the world in which you are writing for. I can only speak on what I plow my creative endeavors into and for me it all comes down to how much realism I am going for. I don't like it when my "good guys" just get away with things, so in the end I make them work for it. Sometimes that means they are being chided, or being accosted, or their own internal darkness seems to override them. You have to simply look at your story, your characters and decide what makes this work. If its more compelling to let you "good guy" get away with something that us normal people wouldn't, then let him get away with it. On the opposite end of that though you always have to be prepared to bring some retribution down.” – Emperor



”And I guess all I can really say about this is that it boils down to 'suspension of disbelief'. When an actor deviates his performance from how a real person would behave in a particular situation we cause the audience to break their 'suspension of disbelief'. This is jarring and makes the story less compelling and interesting to follow.

But I find that if consequences are never upheld for protagonists simply because the protagonist has the role of being the protagonist, it becomes a painful breach of reality and thus creates a nasty suspension of disbelief. If its a matter that's skirted and flirted with in rational ways, it can be pulled off and often upholds the value of the story over the cold hard reality of a similar situation in RL. But when it goes too far, which I feel in modern storytelling media often does, it becomes a little distasteful. So as an author, its something to weigh out - how much to hold the reality of cause and effect over the heads of our fictional characters. Go too far in either direction and you can create a problem for your audience.”
– Thunderbird



”It really depends on the story. It depends on how realistic you're trying to be. If the story takes place in a fantacy world, it's all up to you. If it's supposed to take place in the real world, it depends on how real you want it to be. Most of the time, the situation has a lot of variables.

The reader could assume that any social, moral, or legal consequences may come after the story ends. If you plan to write a sequal, it might be a good idea to take this in to consideration. If you plan for your character to have been foundout but not aprehended, they may need to watchout while visiting a certain jurisdiction in the sequal. If they are punished, you can mention this in the sequal.”
– kc9cra



”I would like to address two points in my reply. First, context is everything. There is no clear cut right or wrong in story telling, it simply must adhere to the rules one creates. If it does, and protagonist escapes all trouble, then so be it. But if it breaks the previously established rules of the world, then it will not flow well. This leads to plot holes and such.

My second and last point is that as the writer you are writing about what happened, not what didn't happen. Let me give you an example. Bob is a superhero. He is mortal and has no super powers, sort of like Batman. Now in the vast majority of cases, a man who fell off of a five story building would get hurt and probably wouldn't be walking. But I am not writing about them, I am writing about Bob. Bob just so happened to fall off the building and continued to limp away. This goes for all things, crimes included. If a superhero destroyed my shop just to catch a criminal, I would be angry. But it's not about me, it's about the shop owner that didn't get angry. All the pieces fit together to create the story, and while they might seem unlikely, we aren't writing about what didn't happen but what did.”
- HalfEmptyHero



Find this interesting? Join the debate today!



Mr. Biz's Mindset
Story by Mister Biz

Ah...since All Hallow's Eve is upon us, I figured I will share my favorite memory from this, my favorite holiday. We're going to go back a handful of years to when I was a younger Biz. A still-in-high-school Biz. And as i said this is my favorite holiday so I went all out on my costume. I decided to be The Headless Horseman. It took some work but I finally got it perfect to make me appeared a foot taller and look headless. It was awesome. Perfect. One of my best costumes to date.

Once I was finished, I called my girlfriend Jess and asked her what she was doing. She told me nothing. Her dad was the opposite when it came to my feelings of the holiday. He despised it. His idea of a good Halloween was taking his children to the Hell House (christian version of a haunted house) in order to "scare" them into obedience and following his ways. Guy was a major asshole. So I told her that I understood, called her dad several not nice names, and told her that I was going to be at the Halloween Dance and what I was in case her dad let her come. So off to the school dance I went in a costume that left people questioning my identity. An hour into the snoozefest, that I only attended to show off my costume and left people in wonder, I turned and I saw her.

Jess was walking into the room. I could tell because of the shirt that she wore, it was covered in fake blood and her head was tucked down into it to give her the appearance of having it removed. In her hand she held an object that appeared to be a cantaloupe with a face painted on it and wearing a wig. She walked to he and gave me the melon and hugged me. I asked what she was supposed to be and she said one of my victims.

After the dance, which contained much attempted kissing by us through our costumes, I asked her if her dad changed his mind. She said "No. But I'd rather have fun on your favorite holiday than listen to my dad tell me why it can't be mine." We kissed and that night, she stayed at my place to prolong her father's wrath. We fell asleep on the couch watching The Rocky Horror Picture Show for the third time in a row. It was perfect.

Ok. That's my column...tune in next issue for my thoughts on why horror creatures are in a disappointing state and how we can make them better again.



Guild Ads and Updates
Story by PopeAlessandrosXVIII

The Fantasy Guild has been quiet this month. Other then the ever growing Dragon population/army, there hasn't been much activity.

The Horror Guild started a new competition called “Short Story Horrorshow”. With a 1,666 word limit and the subject as horror, who knows what will come of this? Members, join the competition today!

The Romance Guild has had no activity this month. Come, let the love flow!

The Sci-Fi Guild has not been active for some time! Come members, break out your chemistry sets and give it some Life!

The Humor Guild has had little activity with the Trash Talk competition winding down. Member Vikas waits for a response from Thunderbird as he calls the Mayor out for another round! Let's heat this ember members!

The Experimental Guild has had no activity this month. The experiments sit sad in their cages, waiting to be fed. Come on members, feed your poor experiments!

The Art and Poetry Guild has had no activity this month. The moths and mice have begun nibbling on your papers and canvases members! Go, now, save your supplies!



General News Report
Story by Mister Biz

NaNoWriMo is starting up again and a handful of IFians are already getting in on the action. The staff at the IFQuirer would like to wish the best of luck to all those participating.

The Tournament of Icarus Faraday has began in the Innovation Isle. Check it out now, enter your characters and see who is truly worthy.

A couple new SG's have started up this month. They include: Fading Immortality by Mister Biz & Andolyn and New Chicago by kc9cra.

There has also been a small discussion in the open forum about how we may stimulate more activity within IF. Check it out here


And that's all for general news this last 2 months! If you feel you have a bit of news you'd like to see in the next edition of the IF Quirer, feel free to contact the Chief Editor PopeAlessandrosXVIII at any time during the month.


Business


Still on hiatus. . . .

Happy IF Day!

Celebrating IF days in the month of October are:

Smee
D-Lotus
Reiso
Shady Stoat
DukeReg
OldJoe
dragon_fire372
CunningFox
Bookwizard
Crowkiller
dudewherethehackami
RandomMN
vgmaster
Hella
isdead
inara
jhonscrypt
mickyG
BetrayedYetLoved
aaron_zeus123
nater1234
aasinactually
Ember71094
izzyra
Javert
KaiaBelle
Cicicoco97
Cortlin360
the thwacker
coley
tweac
angel666
WhiteRaaven
KnowledgeZii
thomaswill199
MistressMidnight
morgandog
ChoKiba
Patches
avid64
skary
januaryannmay
Tikanni Corazon
dino44
hanea
Martheena
HuelEulatha
kkdestiny
sonofmedb
elevaus
Barking_Basenji_Splitpin
blood abuse
Redeye
PopeAlessandrosXVIII (Whoo)
chrissie726
hellix
Jseme
Super Ginger
Pashyn Lillie
warriorofdoom
babeme13


Congrats to all and Happy IF Day



Words O' Wisdom

”Experience has shown, and a true philosophy will always show, that a vast, perhaps a larger portion of the truth arises from the seemingly irrelevant” - Edgar Allan Poe




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PopeAlessandrosXVIII
Arts and Poetry Mod



Joined: 10 Oct 2010
Topics: 122
Posts: 1858
Location: Surrounded by many beautiful naked men

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PostPosted: Tue Nov 01, 2011 10:35 am    Post subject: Umns Reply with quote

*Bows* I pray you all enjoy your costumes!
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And my first Finished work Death Day
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Lilith
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Joined: 10 Feb 2007
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PostPosted: Tue Nov 01, 2011 11:50 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Okay, if I own those boots, where the heck did I put them?

Razz

No complaints here Pope, although I think I must be getting mighty chilly with nothing up top to really cover up with. Razz

Good issue this month! I like the way you made it a little creative with chucking costumes on people for Halloween/Samhain/All Hallows' Eve/ect.

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Thunderbird
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PostPosted: Tue Nov 01, 2011 5:30 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Yeah... wicked duds, Pope! For everybody, very nicely done!

In fact... I may need to change my av for a bit... lol! I mean... wow... that's tres cool!
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Zephyrrr! And...
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HalfEmptyHero
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PostPosted: Tue Nov 01, 2011 6:38 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Interesting issue.

I am a bit intrigued by my full empty glass. I'm not quite sure what that means, nor what you implied by it. There is no way to see anything but two empty halves. Perhaps it has some deep philosophical meaning that I can't comprehend. I'll be watching you very closely pope, there might be more to you than meets the eye. Wink
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Vikas Muralidharan
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PostPosted: Tue Nov 01, 2011 11:18 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Haha.. Love Smile
Amazing issue pope Very Happy
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Be sure to read HATE in Romance section Wink



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