Halloween Party

 My characters

2023 Inktober 30 - Roald Dahl Trick-or-Treating

Drawn with my best friend and critic Jillian in mind. She adores Roald Dahl, so she proposed some of the famous Dahl characters in a Halloween setting.

Here, we have Matilda, James from The Giant Peach, and Charlie from The Chocolate Factory all dressed up and having a good time together. You can make up your own minds who's hiding underneath that Swiss cheese bedsheet, but yes, it's a little homage to Charlie Brown.

Since Matilda is known for her magic powers, making her a witch was perfectly logical. And Charlie's looking mighty sweet in his chocolate bar outfit, and I dunno; I just put James in a random, cute costume.

That's the great thing about some of Dahl's young protagonists. They go through a lot of hardship, but they actively choose not to let those hardships harden them. They choose to remain gentle and kind even when others are nasty to them for no good reason, and every time they end up in the dirt, they just pick themselves back up. But sometimes they're not above a little petty revenge, like in Matilda's case.

Like Roald Dahl himself said, the nastiness of a character made their just desserts that much more satisfying.

And in the end, the kids end up with what they rightfully deserve, and then some. Some of their families may be considered unusual, even unconventional, but a true family is a true family, oddities and all. I believe James and Matilda would make a cute couple when they're grown.

And now we've only got one entry to go. I think I got something real good for Halloween's official entry.

2023 Inktober 29 - Chernabog

Naturally, I have to include Chernabog somewhere in my Inktober stuff. Usually I save him for last or next-to-last, but I decided today was close enough.

Next to Frollo and Maleficent, he's my favorite Disney villain. He'd be at the top of the list if his appearance on-screen wasn't so short-lived, but in a way, the brevity of his appearance makes him that much more fascinating and frightening. Sometimes less really is more.

Personally, I feel the first few Disney movies show Disney and his crew at the top of their game. While I'll admit they can be a bit much for young children and even some adults, there's a certain boldness in Snow White, Pinocchio, and even Dumbo and Bambi that we just don't get anymore, least of all these days. When telling my own stories, I usually use these movies as my main inspiration and foundation, especially Pinocchio. Have plenty of sweet, feel-good moments, make everything work out okay in the end, but don't hold back (too much) with the dangerous, scary stuff and give your viewers a good reason to cry. For every laugh, there really should be a tear.

In any case, I can't hear "Night on Bald Mountain" anymore without seeing Chernabog's face, this my second most favorite segment of Fantasia (it's one of those mandatory Halloween clips for me) and Beowulf will take one look at this big bad guy and immediately run for the hills as fast as he can. Beowulf knows when he's outmatched and he doesn't dare mess with supernatural forces. Sometimes he knows when it's best to just flee for your life.

In fact, that's why he's not a complete villain and why sacred ground wouldn't affect him nearly as much as other werewolves. He knows the difference between good and evil, he doesn't try to excuse himself, and he has no tolerance for those who try to desecrate holy things. He knows God is good, he knows the Church is good, and he knows perfectly well evil is not a toy.

For that matter, this would make all the difference among werewolves. The only reason they can be called "monsters" in the first place is because most of them fully embrace this monstrous form. They actually like to terrorize people and they not only get used to murder but it becomes their twisted idea of fun. They decide, "Then let me be evil!"

If they did none of those things, if they all held themselves in check like Beowulf does, they'd really just be talking wolves who can only venture out at nighttime.

As Beowulf himself says, "Some are evil for evil's sake. Others are evil because the world leaves them no other option."

And whenever anyone dares to call Beowulf a monster to his face, he's far from offended but he silences them with this challenge, "You try living the way I do and see how long you last." Indeed, a lesser soul would have long since cracked like a nut.

That's partly what wins Reid, Malachi, and even Terence over. None of them can understand how Beowulf stands it, but the fact that he's made it this far is an incredible achievement, and there's good in him yet.

You could say, in the end, Beowulf gets the last laugh on the Devil himself. What a fine addition this noble little soul would have made to the Devil's collection, but instead, he gets a very last-minute opportunity to go to heaven after all and he doesn't let that opportunity go. He sometimes tells his victims before killing them, "Tell Satan I said hello. No doubt he'll have heard of me and is waiting for me."

Then the day finally comes when he can tell Satan to his very face, "The joke's on you, sucker!"

2023 Inktober 28 - Relaxing Witch

Only a few days left, which means there are only a few Inktober entries left. It's both a relief and a disappointment when it's all over.

I wanted something with a witch, so I decided to do a witch just taking it easy on her broomstick. She doesn't need to worry about falling off or crashing into anything. 

I often get lulled to sleep in the car, and I often caught a few Zs when I took the city bus to my college campus, since it took at least an hour to get there. Of course, I kept music playing in my ears the whole time so I wouldn't completely doze off and miss my stop, but I got to relax, rest my eyes, and let my thoughts wander. Sometimes, if I had an early class, I decided to have breakfast at campus, which meant I got to stay in bed for a few more minutes.

The bus is one of the few things I actually miss about college. I had an ed-pass so I didn't have to worry about paying fees, but it cost $50 if you lost it, and it was only good for as long as you were in college. I still have my pass in my wallet, as a sort of souvenir.

I remember dressing up as a witch a few times for Halloween, too.

2023 Inktober 27 - Cat in Pumpkin

Simple cuteness, that's all I have to say. I wanted something fairly quick but also irresistibly cute. 

2023 Inktober 26 - Cookie Monster

I may not watch Sesame Street on a regular basis anymore, and to be honest, I kind of don't like the new format anyway. But I'll always cherish those sweet childhood memories and Cookie Monster is still my favorite.

Tonight, I'm going to bake some cookies and put blue icing on them with candy eyes, sort of like little Cookie Monsters. It's for a Halloween party at my church tomorrow, but I have work tomorrow, so I'll save myself time and stress by baking them tonight. I'll be sure to show you a photo of them later.

UPDATE: Here they are! They didn't turn out quite like I'd hoped, but they were still fun and they tasted good. That's what counts.

It was kind of relaxing, really, almost like edible painting.

2023 Inktober 25 - Lion vs Unicorn

For whatever reason, the Lion and the Unicorn are sworn enemies, so that's today's self-imposed prompt.

Terence doesn't mind any kind of animal that lets him be. He's not too terribly friendly with werewolves, but given that a certain pack of werewolves spend a good portion of the story absolutely hell-bent on killing him, can you blame him? This makes his relationship with Beowulf that much more ironic, and Beowulf is the first to admit it.

So, why does Beowulf side with Terence? How does Terence save Beowulf from becoming a complete villain?

Well, Terence goes through a fair bit of hell himself. He gets knocked down plenty of times, but always finds some way to get back up, even if he needs a helping hand. He even shows compassion to Scorpio, notwithstanding he has every reason in the world to hate Scorpio and he'd be totally justified in killing him himself. Beowulf sees a lot of his old self in Terence and is reminded anew of the good things in the world.

The big difference between Beowulf and Scorpio is that Beowulf has known love, whereas Scorpio only ever knew hate and only relied on hate to survive. Scorpio would do absolutely anything to preserve himself, even though he hardly has anything to live for; he's as good as an empty shell. It knocks him for quite a loop when Terence dares to show him compassion, of all things, and he resents how Terence refrains from delivering the killing blow.

Basically, when Beowulf takes a good look at Terence, he sees love all over again, and his belief in it is kindled anew.

Therefore, after Scorpio, Moloth, and the rest are gone and Beowulf is his own master again, he decides to follow Terence and give the side of goodness another try.

Granted, it's far from an overnight process. Terence certainly hasn't forgotten his history with Beowulf, and Beowulf still makes plenty of death threats to Terence's face even if he never follows through with any of them. Then the opportunity comes when each saves the other's life at great personal risk, and then it all snowballs from there.

By the end of Terence's life, the wall between him and Beowulf had been reduced to permanent rubble. Beowulf loves Terence enough to genuinely mourn him when he finally passes away, and he makes himself Daire's special bodyguard from that point on. Of course, he comes and goes on a whim, but he never strays too far, and the day finally comes when he decides once and for all that Daire is his true home.

That's one of the reasons why Beowulf gets along with Reid so well. Reid is practically Terence all over again, albeit with wonderful characteristics all his own, and both he and Terence hold a special place in Beowulf's heart. Once again, Beowulf sees love, hope, and strength incarnate, and most importantly, Reid knows perfectly well what Beowulf is and yet it's not enough to drive him away. He's definitely scared of Beowulf, but he won't run from him. Beowulf wants to be loved but he doesn't want to be taken for granted, so Reid fulfills both requirements nicely.

You could say Beowulf develops a hard shell that both Terence and Reid crack, almost by pure accident, and yet it's the good kind of crack.

2023 Inktober 24 - The Ghastly Grinner

When I was younger, we stayed well clear of the show, Are You Afraid of the Dark? I wanted to watch it more than once, but my sister and mom said no way.

Even so, I was able to catch at least a couple of episodes, and to this very day, I must confess that's pretty bold for a show aimed at kids. It's amazing how much people test the limits of what you should put in a TV show, a movie, or a book where there are children present. How much kids can really handle depends on who you ask. Personally, I don't believe in dumbing anything down for kids, but I believe in a certain limit, too.

Not too long ago, I checked out The Tale of the Ghastly Grinner, which is cited (for excellent reason) as one of the most disturbing episodes of all. There's something about scary clowns that just plain creeps people out. Like I said before, this is bold. 

And now we've only got one week left, one week and one day until NaNoWriMo.

2023 Inktober 23 - Scooby-Doo

I must say, this is one of my favorite Inktober entries so far. Maybe I'll try this again on a larger scale in full color.

So, yeah, not much to say about Scooby-Doo, other than I was nuts about him as a kid and while I still like him to this day, I don't really care for the modern shows. The worst of them all has got to be that new Velma show. Turns out Scooby-Doo himself is not in there because the execs said he was off-limits, but even putting that aside, the characters are completely butchered and Velma herself has become completely unlikable. It's political correctness gone way, way too far. Too "woke," if you will.

I didn't care all that much for the 2002 live-action movie, either. What works for a cartoon doesn't work quite as well in the other format, and I don't appreciate the so-called obligation to make the humor much cruder, with stronger language.

For the most part, I'll stick to Scooby-Doo, Where Are You, and I do like Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island, Scooby-Doo and the Witch's Ghost, and Scooby-Doo and the Cyber Chase. I even like Scooby-Doo Meets the Boo Brothers and Scooby-Doo and the Ghoul School. Those last two movies carry nice childhood memories, and Scrappy is a lot more tolerable and helpful in those. For that matter, I don't really understand why people hate Scrappy so much, and why the execs can't just make him more likable if he's that bad.

Ah, well, I still had fun with this, and it definitely helped me blow off some steam from work. Work is nothing I really can't handle, but it's like an unpleasant roller coaster ride; you have to wait until the ride's over before you can get off, and all you can do in the meantime is hang on tightly. 

Here's the Scooby-Doo piece I did for FanX: 

2023 Inktober 22 - Jack and Sally

My dearest friend,
If you don't mind,
I'd like to join you by your side
Where we can gaze into the stars

And sit together
Now and forever
For it is plain
As anyone can see,
We're simply meant to be

The best Tim Burton couple out there, no questions asked. They don't make couples like this anymore.

Provided it's done correctly, I have no problem with lovers starting out as childhood friends, and then their relationship gets "upgraded." For that matter, your spouse should be your best friend as well. Dad always called Mom his best friend, and vice versa.

I used Jack and Sally's relationship as the basis for the romantic relationship between some of my own characters, like Romulus and Kyla, Reid and Lara, Oliver and Angela, and especially Kaylee and Troy. In the beginning, each considered the other "the best friend I could ever ask for." Then they take it a few steps further, and nothing really changes after all, except for the better.

When all's said and done, they're "simply meant to be."

2023 Inktober 21 - Woody and Shark

My most favorite scene from the first movie. That sarcasm could peel wallpaper.

Tom Hanks must have had a real ball playing this character. You may or may not be surprised to know there's a Toy Story 5 in the works, even as we speak. Well, I'll at least reserve judgment until I hear the full premise, but I still say they should have stopped for good after Toy Story 3. Heck, I would have been satisfied if they brought the curtain down after Toy Story 2. 

Sheesh, if it's not unnecessary remakes we have to worry about, it's one unnecessary sequel after another. Sooner or later, you're going to have to say "the end" and be done with it. 

2023 Inktober 20 - Kermit

I always liked Kermit the Frog, and I especially love it when his face gets all scrunched up! Cracks me up every time.

Next to Kermit, my favorite Muppets are Fozzie, Gonzo, Miss Piggy, and Animal. Beaker, Rowlf, and Rizzo are kind of adorable, too. 

2023 Inktober 19 - Garfield and Odie

I've always had a soft spot for Garfield. I may not be a die-hard fan but I've never disliked him by any means. I especially love friendly moments between him and Odie. So, that's today's entry.

I'm posting this a little early because I got a night shift tonight. I don't usually work nights; I've told my boss that, while I'll work whenever I'm needed, I prefer mornings because it's more convenient for my family, and I'm just the kind of person who likes to get work over with as soon as possible so I have the rest of the day to myself, so I don't have to watch the clock all the time.

Besides, I worked plenty of night shifts at my old deli job and that was always a headache. Clean-up took forever, especially the dishes because we didn't have an automatic dishwasher, and I especially hated cleaning out the old grease from the fryer. It was hot, slimy, stinky work; I would almost rather clean a toilet.

And customers never failed to pop in at the very last minute to ask for something, to ask if we were still open. I wanted to scream at them, "Oh, go home, already!"

My most vivid memory of that place was when a couple caught us just after we'd drained the fryer and filled it with soapy vinegar to clean it out. They wanted a fresh batch of chicken, there was no earthly way to cook it that night, they got mad and complained, and since this supermarket couldn't afford to have even one customer upset, they gave them a whole chicken meal free of charge...which they claimed five days later.

It still puts a bad taste in my mouth to think about it. This place would do anything to make a customer happy, even at the workers' expense. Ironically, they didn't want any workers to stay for too long because they didn't want to pay more money. In short, management was a real piece of work.

So, that's another reason why I prefer to work in the daytime. But I guess they must be pretty desperate for help tonight; my current boss even apologized to me when he asked. One of the night workers got pretty sick, so I can't hold that against them.

Oh, well, it'll only be for a few hours, I live close enough, and at least I'll get paid for this.

The funny thing is, I kept waking up this morning to check for messages. Lately, they've been messaging me outside my scheduled shifts, asking if I could come in, so my days off aren't really days off after all. A little more consistency and better communication would be nice. Then, just when I thought I would have all of today to myself after all, I got a message asking about a rare night shift. So, I can't help feeling like I sort of jinxed it.

But again, this isn't too bad. It won't kill me, it'll add a few more dollars to my next paycheck, and this job beats my old job out of the park. Maybe I'll even ask my boss later if I qualify for a raise. 

2023 Inktober 18 - Perry Mason

Mason's name did originate from Perry Mason, a show of which my parents have been fond for years and Mom still watches it every night. Now I can't hear the character's name anymore without thinking of my Mason. Mason James Wiles would be a fantastic lawyer, one of the rare upright ones.

Plus, a mason is someone who specializes in building with stones or bricks, which makes my character's name all the more appropriate. He becomes famous (and beloved) for getting his kingdom out of the mud and making it even better than it was before, albeit with a tremendous load of outside help.

Most people shunned him because of his family name, holding him accountable for things his parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents did. It got so bad that the Wiles were even more vilified than Beowulf was. His father-in-law wanted nothing to do with him because he was a Wiles, and that was essentially his logic, "He's a Wiles. He's scum. What more is there to say?"

Nero even let his irrational hatred override his love for his own daughter. It was enough to make some of Mason's naysayers say, "Well, that's a little harsh."

However, Mason proved everybody wrong and made the name "Wiles" desirable once more. Again, he couldn't have done it without help, but all that help would have been useless without his initiative in the beginning. He's so devoted to Reid and to Cecily because neither of them gave up on him, and he'll be forever grateful to two of Cecily's three siblings for going out of their way to help him when they owed him nothing. They helped him just as much for his sake as for their sister's sake, leaving Nero with a hefty meal of humble pie.

Years down the road, Mason's son falls in love with Reid's daughter, and when it turns out she feels the same way, their parents are more than happy to grant their blessings. Even Adela only wants her grandson to be happy, whatever he decides, and she's as amazed as anyone that her wish has come true after all. She got to join the Lactantius family tree when she wasn't forcing it so much.

Reid and Mason are blessed with many grandchildren, four of which they get to share with each other, and they get to retire when they're good and ready and they both live to a ripe old age. All's indeed well that ends well.

As for the TV show, I'd personally recommend it. I'm more partial to the Raymond Burr version; the latest version, the one that's darker and edgier, not so much.

Some episodes are better than others, and it may not be a 100% accurate portrayal of what happens in a courtroom, but they do a pretty good job at making you wonder who the perpetrator is, how all the puzzle pieces come together, how Perry Mason will crack this case. Almost like a 1950s Sherlock Holmes. And you'll never, ever forget the theme song. Theme songs are forever. 

2023 Inktober 17 - Vampire

I never liked vampires. I never liked bloody scenes and I especially can't stand the hot, steamy stuff, where evil incarnate is outrageously sexualized and hopeless idiots somehow fall head over heels for a creature who has every intention in the world of killing them. I needn't remind you of my feelings about Twilight, though I'll admit it's good for a laugh if nothing else, and it's definitely showed me the kinds of stories and characters I don't want to create. 

That said, I like to poke fun at vampires every so often, and I've got at least one story in mind in which my Beowulf encounters an actual vampire. With Beowulf being a werewolf and how werewolves and vampires are sworn enemies and all, I suppose such a story was inevitable, sooner or later. I'm kind of looking forward to it.

I'm also planning a standalone modern-day novel in which a girl encounters a vampire, but it's the complete opposite of Twilight. She doesn't develop an unhealthy obsession with him, she's a competent girl who learns to actually stand up for herself, she rescues someone who's worth rescuing, she's personally responsible for the vampire's demise in the end, and the whole story is told in just one book. Like I said, it's pretty much everything Twilight is not, so this ought to be interesting and fun, too.

Like the saying goes, only time will tell. 

2023 Inktober 16 - Snorkeling Girl

I knew there was going to be a wet picture somewhere. The question was whether it'd be snorkeling, scuba diving, or just plain swimming, and how much of a "silhouette" the wet character would be. 

Some people prefer the ocean because there's a lot more to see down there. Then again, they always recommend you perfect your skills in a pool first, and sometimes the swimmer just likes to relax under the water. There is something soothing about letting the water carry you, with nothing else to occupy your mind.

And now we're more than halfway there already. Jumping jellyfish!

Happy Birthday, Mom!

A very happy birthday to my mom. Hope it's been a great one.

 

We got her some really nice stuff. She's a huge M*A*S*H* fan, so we included two seasons of the show that she didn't own before, along with an old Hanna-Barbera cartoon, some nice clothes that include a pink shirt with Dad's name on it in front of a big red heart and a soft white sweater with cupcake-like sprinkles all over it, and she can never say no to candy.

 

We already ate out at Culver's for her birthday dinner on Friday. But today, she opted for a delicious pork roast with mashed potatoes (mashed from real potatoes) and Cherry Coke. It evoked nice memories of the Sunday dinners we used to have with Grandma and Grandpa. Speaking of Grandma and Grandpa, we also visited their graves after church and watched their special anniversary tape when we got home, at Mom's insistence.

 

Love you so much, Mom.