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Lesson 2
Reply to post your assignment.
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18 Replies
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Ken Wood’s Terrifying Monster
Using this assignment I was able to crystalize the parameters of my story’s monster, how it evokes mystery, how it looks, how it behaves, and how it terrorizes. It helped give me ideas for when to conceal and reveal certain things about the monster and how the survivors will overcome it.
1 TERROR
I decided to create my unique spider monster out of two Brazilian species: It is a cross breed between the most deadly spider in the world, the Brazilian Wandering Spider species, <i style=”font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;”>Phoneutria Feras (FERAS), which is Greek for <i style=”font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;”>Murderous Beast, and the largest spider in the world, the Goliath Bird-Eating Tarantula.
I invented the scientific name Phoneutria TERAS, which is Greek for Murderous Monster), for my monster.
Teras is doubly-aggressive, doubly-venomous and doubly-intelligent. As its parent, FERAS, Teras does not make a web to catch prey. It hunts it down.
Teras’s venom paralyzes first, then causes a violent seizure, followed by death all within 60 seconds. Accelerated decomposition follows leaving a human body to decay within hours compared to a week in the sun.
Its digestive juices are pumped into its prey causing the flesh, mussles and organs to dissolve rapidly into mush, which Teras ingests like a slurpee. Its digestive juices also enter the bloodstream causing rapid body-wide decomposition.
Its silk has a tensile strength 100 times tougher than a strand of steel of the same size.
It ejects a stream of silk to capture it prey. Handling the silk only causes one’s hands to get stuck in it.
It can break thick, tempered glass by flicking its pedipalps (those thingies beside its mouth.
Its fangs are oversized and are intimidating when extended. They drip with a creamy-yellowish venom just before striking.
The spider either creeps up on its prey, runs or drops upon it, or snags it with silk and jerks its prey toward itself. It viciously bites and can be seen pumping its venom repeatedly into its prey.
The monster isolates its victims in small spaces.
The monster is an expert at escape. It can’t be put to sleep with the normal CO2 anti-venom scientists use to put other spiders to sleep.
Like a tarantula, it will shake its legs and release urticating hairs which get in the eyes and lungs of its prey and cause excruciating pain and swelling.
It’s attitude is, “Kill brutally and messy.” A human after death may have his head plastered to the wall with a half-dissolved face.
2 MYSTERIES<div>
The world has seen spiders, but none as large, grotesque, and venomous at the same time.
It’s speed, intelligence, strength, and ferocity, are like nothing witnessed in a spider before.
A big mystery is, how did a Brazilian Wandering Spider, FERAS, mate with a Goliath Bird-Eating Tarantula. It is unheard of in nature. They would kill each other. This is a secret revealed in Act 3.
Looming question: Are there more TERAS’s or should we just kill it before it kills other people?
This is the dilemma that causes the arachnologist to keep Teras alive. If there are more, we need to keep Teras and farm its venom in order to develop a stock of anti-venom. This causes a problem. Teras knows how to escape any enclosure.
Main Monster Mystery: In order to survive, an anti-venom must be made which can act in under sixty seconds.
How do you kill it? It has an immunity to pesticides and bug killers. In real life, the sting of the Hawk Wasp is the Brazilian Wandering Spiders’ death blow. I want to bring this to bear in Act 3.
Why it doesn’t kill the daughter of the arachnologist or the arachnologist is also a mystery to be revealed.
3 FEAR PROVOKING APPEARANCE
This spider is large, hairy, and intimidating. Its eight eyes stare at us blankly. Its fangs are unusually huge and drip venom. It creeps slowly and strikes rapidly.
The collection of other venomous creature in the Anti-Venom Laboratory of the University create additional fear factor, especially when TERAS engages them in a “Bug Wars” scene.
4 RULES
Teras kills everything it thinks is a challenge to it or its interests, and it thinks everything and everyone is a challenge. It has one exception.
It has different methods of attack, i.e. creeping up on, or rapid fire striking, but the outcome is always death.
It is brutal when it kills, and abusive to the corpse after death.
The Monster has desires or motivations that are outside the norm. Unknown until near the end, we learn that TERAS’s motivation is to get back to the bananas in the Warehouse. Reason: She laid egg sacs there and wants to stock the space with food, because she has produced a “boat-load” of spiders that come out hungry. Three egg sacs with 1,000 spiders each.
5 MYTHOLOGY
TERAS’s origin, sudden appearance, and reason for existence is only revealed fully in act in ACT 3.
</div> </div>
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This reply was modified 2 years, 2 months ago by Kenneth Wood.
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This reply was modified 2 years, 2 months ago by Kenneth Wood.
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This reply was modified 2 years, 2 months ago by
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Running late on this but
Two movies which I watched and seem to fit the parameters of “ horror” are :
“Secret Window” (2004 ) (genre mystery/thriller). with Johnny Depp as a writer isolated in a lake cabin unable to write. Location is simple.The “ villain “ comes to the cabin saying his work was plagiarized by Depp. It evoked fear of violence to Depp. He is terrorized and apprehensive as the man returns. Violent acts including surprising murders to victims barely related to Depp. It appears that Depp will be the man’s victim or not! There are several paths leading the viewer to question all reality. The story is twisted! Budget: $40 million ,Gross $92M
Movie 2
“Pay the Ghost” (horror). (2015) with Nicholas Cage as a father who loses his son at a Halloween carnival. The entire film is his desperate undying search for his son who was never found . A year passes until cage, continued his research about Halloween and events that happened. There are ghosts involved in this film, and again, a twist in finding the boy.. Few locations .
Production cost:$40 million Gross:$92 million.
horro0r film recommended: “The Others” (2001) stars Nicole Kidman
$17 million budget, Gross $209 million!
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Spike’s Terrifying Monster
What I learned doing this assignment is how deep this rabbit hole can go. While researching I found there are many different ideas on witchcraft. It’s also a little scary because I have been told I don’t want to mess with this when asking if anyone knew anyone who practices. I want to be as accurate as possible without going too far into the religion. The possible deviation gives me the reason for making up my own ideas on what can happen.
Lesson 2: Crafting your monster.
1: My “monster” is or seems to be, an old Haitian woman Voodoo priestess. I’ve played around with the idea everything that happens wasn’t under her control.
2:
Their Terror: She has the ability to make your life miserable through unseen “magic”.
Their Mystery: You won’t know who is causing all the kaos and death around you.
Their Fear Provoking Appearance: Her appearance seems somewhat normal for a priestess but she can conjure up your worst nightmares that seem to follow you into reality.
Their Rules: She must possess a personal item, lock of hair, or physical contact with/of victim.
Their Mythology: Passed down from many generations, the power of this religion is still strong if not stronger than when it was conceived. Has there been a deviation that no one knows about yet?
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Assignment 2.
Jon Clark’s Terrifying Monster: The Secret Santa (Demon).
I liked this assignment because it’s forcing me to focus and define the villain in a way that’s bringing up ideas for some great scares.
Their Terror:
The terror begins normally enough as you go through your day. Then you notice that something seems off. What is normally one way, is different. Like the arrangement of your closet. Like how all your wardrobe seems to be in the shape of a tall thin man. How wire coat hangers have fallen to the sleeve of your jacket and now appear to be claws. And when you reach back to step out of your closet, your shirt sleeve catches on the door and closes it on you and now you’re stuck inside your own closet. And you’re not alone. Because you hear its low voice speak your name… your full name.
-How does the monster terrorize?
It’s the very personification of a curse. With it’s mission being to hurt you once each day for four days, then to murder you on the fifth day, right after revealing your tormentor.
-How does the monster pursue?
Your normal everyday world is suddenly altered with it’s arrival. It takes form, attacks–sometimes fast, sometimes slow, sometimes leading you into the pain yourself.
-How does the monster isolate?
It manipulates and warps your world. Even if your friends/family/authority figures are there, they may not help you, may even be used against you, and later they will have no memory of the event.
-What is the terrible thing they do?
Day 1. It gives you a bruise.
Day 2. It’s a cut.
Day 3. It takes blood.
Day 4. It takes a bite.
Day 5. It kills you. (See answer below)
-How does the monster cause death?
It kills any way it gleefully wishes, but is ALWAYS a dig at a character flaw that you have.
-What makes this inescapable?
There is nowhere you can run from a creature that will find you wherever you go and one that can change anything in your world. The only choice, the only chance you have is to find who created the curse and get them to stop it.
Their Mystery:
Secret Santa is a deadly curse based upon warping the idea of having a Secret Santa that gives you a present each day. But there’s a specific daemonic presence behind this curse, one with its own personality. It will do its job, and with delight, but it desires even more.
Their Fear Provoking Appearance:
Although it can disguise itself hiding behind the trappings of Christmas, we have hints that there’s something behind it, a nasty, dark man-like form. Which the girls later discover is a demon, conjured to fulfill this curse. All revealed through the story.
Their Rules:
It’s only allowed out once a day. It has an agenda that it needs to take from you and once it has collected that day’s mission, it leaves (and reluctantly). What if the curse is broken before it finishes the mission? It may break free (which is what it secretly desires).
Their Mythology:
The mythology of this creature is that it’s a demon, conjured to do harm. In the sequels, we will learn more about who it is and all the horror it’s unleashed in the past.
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“It’s only allowed out once a day.”
Mystery to explore: Who or what is controlling the demon?
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Good point.
I’m thinking that originally the girls attempt a half-hearted series of apologies to anyone that they may have offended or hurt. Then later, they (or our main character) discovers who the person is, and why. She could make a much more serious apology, and I’m thinking that the offended girl truly accepts the apology, (and feels guilty for what she’s done-because it’s all gone too far now). She attempts to remove the curse. But it’s too late. The demon won’t let her. Now the two girls work together to try and stop it. Maybe the offended girl is forced to sacrifice herself to put an end to it–just when the girls have reconnected.
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Kris’ Terrifying Monster
“What I learned doing this assignment is…?”
I’ve been kicking this project around for a few years so much of it has been pretty well thought out, but I’m discovering that the more I can hold back from the audience, and lean into the mystery, the better. Really let the audience get enough clues, and discover the answers along with our protagonist.
Their Terror: The Quarterman is launching an attack on the citizens of a small Irish town, the victims each have one of their limbs brutally torn or cut off. No one is safe, not even women and children. The Quarterman is hiding on the outskirts of town, but no one is exactly sure where. It strikes at different times and places, at your work, in the streets, in your home. It appears feeble at times as it’s evolving, but even the town’s biggest man is no match for it in its early stages. It collected a large chain from where he was uncovered, and will use it to snare its victims.
Their Mystery: How and why is it selecting its victims. It’s definitely targeting, because there are some citizens that he completely ignores, and even bypasses. How did it survive 1200 years in the peat bog, and reanimate when uncovered?
Their Fear Provoking Appearance: One of the things that I loved about ALIEN was that the xenomorph evolved. One of the things that drove me nuts about ALIEN was the WAY that the xenomorph evolved. Egg, Facehugger, chestburster… 7’ tall bi-pedal behemoth. Wait, I think we skipped a step. The Quarterman begins as a head, shoulder and arm. As it claims its victims it is reassembling itself from a woman (another arm and breast), a child’s tiny leg, and large man’s long leg. The limbs are held together through attached tissue, but he also uses the chain to tie himself together, so he is reminiscent of Jacob Marley (not to be confused with Bob Marley ;). He is lopsided, and during his evolution even looks vulnerable. His original head and arm look like old leather as they’ve been marinating in the peat for 1200 years. As victims get in his way, he takes an arm here and there and attaches them until the climax where he resembles an out of balance shiva. Some limbs are even backwards, or attached incoherently, a shoulder attached to another elbow, etc.
Their Rules: The Quarterman is out for revenge. It is not interested in hurting anyone outside of its main drive; kill the descendants of those who betrayed me. Furthermore, it kills the youngest in the chain first, because it wants the parents of the victims to feel the pain it has felt. While it takes no interest in killing anyone outside of the immediate legacy… if you get in its way, it won’t hesitate to dispatch you.
Their Mythology: The Quarterman (Fergus Brody) was the son of a Lord who practiced black magic in the 800s. He was a good man, but his father (the Lord) was hated by the village, because when he needed a sacrifice he wouldn’t hesitate to select one of them. When the Lord died, Fergus rode into town to tell the good news that his father’s reign of terror was over, however four conspirators lay in wait for him. They believed that the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, so they decided to nip this in the bud before Fergus picked up his father’s practice. As he was drawn and quartered, Fergus, who had learned a thing or two about black magic from his old man, swore vengeance upon their children’s children, just as he was being persecuted for crimes that he did not commit.
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This reply was modified 2 years, 2 months ago by Kris Kristensen.
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This reply was modified 2 years, 2 months ago by
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Mike’s Terrifying Monster
What I learned doing this assignment is that I need to create a monster that may be out of view most of the time but who has a disturbing appearance.
The Monster is a teacher, maybe a college professor, who likes to quiz his victims
Their Terror: He puts people in torturous traps and then has their friends solve problems to try and free them. Each wrong answer adds to the torture until they die
Mystery: How can the survivors solve the problems and save the victim and themselves
Fear Provoking Appearance: He wears a professorial outfit: tweed jacket, etc, smokes a pipe. He should wear a mask of some kind; I’m working on that.
His Rules: This is his classroom. You do what he says. Be prepared. Stay in Your Seat. Answer the questions correctly and on time– or face the consequences.
His Mythology: He was a strict and demanding teacher. A group of students played a prank on him by shooting fireworks into his office. They ended up setting it on fire, but he disappeared. later, over the years, each one of them ended up dying under suspicious circumstances.
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This reply was modified 2 years, 2 months ago by Mike Coste.
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This might be a little on the nose, but the professor’s mask could have something to do with the subject they teach. Maybe the mask could change based on the questions he’s asking in the moment. For some reason I am feeling history here. Lots of options for masks there. Or mythology.
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I love it. Thanks! I may just make him a Math teacher (because they are the cruelest). I was looking at Einstein masks, but I like this! Plus, I don’t have to think up too many math problems.
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This reply was modified 2 years, 2 months ago by
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Subject Line: Andre’s Terrifying Monster.
What I learned doing this assignment is…
My Monster shows up in five ways; the first four of which I want to create for a new monster (Terror, Fear, Provoking Appearance, Mystery, Rules) and the fifth for a sequel (mythology).
A great monster for a new horror movie is a combination of three things-
1. Unique 2. Unknown and 3.Terrifying.
Create an early version of my monster.
1. Tell what or who my monster is.
The unholy trinity Satan, Lucifer, and the Devil-in the form of The Executive, Legislative and Judicial branches of a system government.
2. Give a few sentences for each of the following for my monster:
· Their Terror: Not just death, but Life Eternal. Rule the world by ruling the most powerful country on the planet. Designed to be produced as a movie, shot and edited as a documentary; think Blare Witch.
· Their Mystery, the secret, question, or puzzle that must be solved in order to survive this monster: Gabriel vs. Lucifer, the final verdict.
· Their Fear-Provoking Appearance: Black Sclera. Shadowy non reflective skin, absorbs light, no bounce reflective as seen in the Avengers.
· Their Rules: Its number, 666. This class began 03/06!
· Their Mythology: Their myth, is that they do not exist.
Note: To be updated as developed.
-Andre
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Subject Line: Andre’s Terrifying Monster-update…
What I learned doing this assignment is…
a. My Monster shows up in five ways; the first four of which I want to create for a new monster (Terror, Fear, Provoking Appearance, Mystery, Rules) and the fifth for a sequel (mythology).
b. A great monster for a new horror movie is a combination of three things-
1. Unique
2. Unknown
3. <i style=”font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;”>Terrifying.
1. Tell what or who my monster is.
· The unholy trinity Satan, Lucifer, and the Devil.
In the form of The Executive, Legislative and Judicial branches.
· In a BODY and Sworn in publicly as the Officers of the Administration of the New Head of “the liberated worlds and systems”, the entire ADMINISTRATIVE CABINET of Lucifer.
· The dragon eventually became the symbolic representation of all these evil personages.
2. Give a few sentences for each of the following for My Monster:
Their Terror: The war in heaven was very terrible and very real. While displaying none of the barbarities so characteristic of physical warfare on the immature worlds, this conflict was far more deadly; material life is in jeopardy in material combat, but the war in heaven was fought in terms of life eternal.
Their Mystery: the secret, question, or puzzle that must be solved in order to survive this monster:
a. Very little was heard of LUCIFER on Urantia owing to the fact that he assigned his First Lieutenant, SATAN, to advocate his cause on your planet 53:1.4 (602.1).
b. Gabriel vs. Lucifer, the final verdict.
Their Fear-Provoking Appearance:
a. Black Sclera.
b. Light absorbing/matte-Shadowy non-reflective skin, absorbs light, no bounce reflective as seen in the Avengers.
Their Rules:
a. It’s number, 666.
b. This class began 03/06/2023!
c. Sovereignty.
d. The First Source and Center, is first promulgated on earth, by the 100 CORPOREAL MEMBERS of PRINCE CALIGASTIAS STAFF.
Known as Expanding Revelation of Deity, goes on for more than 300k years. Until suddenly being terminated by the planetary secession. The disruption of the teaching regime of True Concept of the First Source and Center but a planetary secession disrupts the teaching regime of true concept of the first source and center (God).
e. And it is to their everlasting dishonor that the emissaries of Lucifer and Satan spared not the infant-training schools, but rather sought to corrupt these developing minds in mercy.
Their Mythology: Their myth, is that they do not exist. Just another Urban Myth. (Sell the urban myth genre).
-Andre
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Lesson 2: Crafting Your Monster!
What I learned doing this assignment is…
1. Tell us what or who your monster is.
My monster is a 30 foot albino snake that terrorizes a neighborhood in the winter because it blends into the snow and can morph through objects.
2. Give us a few sentences for each of the following for your monster:
Their Terror: Blends into the white snow and morphs through objects like walls of houses and garages and sheds.
Their Mystery: The victoms don’t see it coming. How can such a beast exist in the cold of winter?
Their Fear Provoking Appearance: It’s size at 30 feet with teeth and red eyes.
Their Rules: At this point in development of the Albino snake, it just appears out of nowhere in peoples houses and makes meals out of people after stunning them with venom and constricting them or just eats some people outright.
Mythology: Maybe it’s from off-world with its ability to morph through objects.
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Chris’s Terrifying Monster
What I learned doing this assignment is…enjoy the freedom to create and make the characters/rules world up as we go.
1. Tell us what or who your monster is. A seemingly hyper intelligent sociopath shapeshifter that befriends you only to leverage your biggest internal wound (and fear); then leverages that to destroy you.
2. Give us a few sentences for each of the following for your monster:
Their Terror: leverages your biggest wound and fear against you.
Their Mystery: where are they getting their intel?
Their Fear Provoking Appearance: Shapeshifts into what scares you the most
Their Rules: there are no rules. Think sociopath on steroids (I guess that would be a psychopath)
Their Mythology: Shapeshift
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2. Terrifying Monster
What I learned doing this assignment is that the monster is a true character and needs to have more depth than a two-dimensional secondary character. In fact, the more depth you can imbue the monster with, the better.
The obvious monsters in my story are the big wildcats. However the hidden monster is the psychopath fraternity brother who incites the cats to violence. The answers below refer to the psychopath.
<div>
Their
Terror: He terrorizes by insisting people do his bidding as their superior;
he eggs people on to do stupid and/or dangerous things past their better
judgement in service to his ego or amusement; and he belittles and bullies
those who don’t go along with his misadventures. He also does these
sadistic things under the guise of fraternity hazing of pledges.
</div><div>Their
Mystery: How does Ethan, the psychopathic frat boy, get away with harming
so many people in ways they can’t anticipate or evade? He is insidious,
mean, vengeful, angry, sadistic, and able to work in underhanded and
unseen ways to accomplish his eternal mischief.Their
Fear Provoking Appearance: The frat boy Ethan has a rubbery face that
looks like a caricature of a frat boy. He often wears a menacing grin.Their
Rules: Ethan believes he is a superior human and will always come out on
top. To achieve that end, he does as many dirty things as he can get away
with to elevate himself and demean others.Their
Mythology: As a small child, Ethan’s father died. His mother remarried a
psychopath who beat him, molested him, and tortured him by locking him in
closets, sheds, and horrible places where disgusting things happened to him.</div>
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Rachelle’s Terrifying Monster
My monster is Doctor (name), a deranged surgeon dedicated to using his skills to create the mythological from the living.
Their Terror: The Doctor terrorizes his “employed” victims through blackmail, forcing them to perform his morbid surgeries. He terrorizes members of the group by trapping them in the compound, separating them, and evoking the primal fear of being his next experiment. His completed experiments are terrorized by their own existence, living out the pain of what he has turned them into. He pursues them through the use of his “employees,” and the monsters he has already created. The compound is designed to isolate and funnel them towards him and away from any exit. The monster causes death when a surgery goes wrong or he lashes out in a rage. Most of his victims live out a fate far worse than death. The compound makes the Doctor inescapable.
Their Mystery: Members of the group have no idea what they have stumbled upon. The mystery of the monster for them is who created these evil beasts and how they will escape. The “employees” know who the Doctor is and what his creations are. They don’t know what he will do to them if they refuse to assist him. They don’t know how to escape the compound or where these monsters are housed.
Their Fear Provoking Appearance: I am thinking grotesque/disturbing monster. In addition to forcing the “employees” to operate on his victims, the Doctor has an idea of what he would like to become. I’m thinking of large bat/dragon-like wings and devil horns. His post-op creations will also have disturbing appearances.
Their Rules: Insatiable need to create mythical beings and transform himself into the most supreme being of all. Some meditative practice or manifestation technique makes him appear to have supernatural powers. Because he is the master of the compound, he has a strict routine of body conditioning which makes him stronger than most people.
Their Mythology: Saving this for later.
What I learned doing this assignment is how much easier it is to write according to conventions and a formula. It’s like filling in the blanks. Simple.
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Rad’s Terrifying Monster
What I learned:
This exercise helped me strip back some of the complexity around the monster I was inadvertently adding.
The rules really helped me understand what the monster was doing and why.
Their Terror:
Torment the innocent victims of liars / cheaters / dishonest people by sucking out their souls and depositing them into paintings filled with their worst nightmares and fears
Then they act as the conscience of the cheater / liar dishonest person and show the pain being endured by the innocent victims
They pursue by causing the innocent victims to fall unconscious when they have viewed the painting in the presence of the cheater. Their soul goes into the painting while their body goes to the hospital presumed into a mystery illness / coma
They isolate by taking the innocent people into a painting where no one else can hear them scream or yell against their worst fears Their body physically experiences what their soul / consciousness is going through and ppl see it in the hospital but they cant be reached.
They isolate the cheater by becoming an aggressive conscience connected by cell phone or wifi coverage
The terrible thing they do is they punish the innocent people being deceived by dishonest liars and cheats
The Monster causes death by causing the cheater to confess which releases their innocent people who are then primally traumatised after hearing of the deceptions and kill the dishonest person who just confessed
Its inescapable because wherever there is phone reception, the spirit will be able to travel to haunt the cheater’s conscience to confess their sins
Their Mystery:
How do we release the victims from their worst nightmares and reconnect their souls with their bodies?
The cheater / liar / dishonest must confess all wrongdoings and dishonesty to release the innocent
Their Fear Provoking Appearance:
Iconic visual – “signal strength”, things we normally want in everyday life – a strong signal or wifi connection
The immediate full battery charge on your cell, a particular sequence of blinking blue or red light on all wifi connected devices such as a printer or router meaning the paint spirit has arrived
Any device with a light ie kettle, toaster, tv, heater
Electronic voice – like the ones ghost hunters use to capture ghosts speaking to them amongst the static and white noise
Their Rules:
He wants to show dishonest people who they’re hurting
The dishonest people get punished
It punishes them by putting the innocent victims of their deception into a coma but seizing the consciousness of the innocent victims into a painting full of their worst fears
It hounds the cheater urging confession and acts as a conscience now that they can see who they’re really hurting with their deception.
Once the dishonest person confesses all wrongdoings, the innocent are released by restoring their souls back to their bodies and theyre given the opportunity to cleanse their memory of the experience by killing the dishonest person with help from the spirit
Everything is exposed and on the table and the cheater is permanently punished
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This reply was modified 2 years, 2 months ago by Radford White.
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This reply was modified 2 years, 2 months ago by Radford White.
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This reply was modified 2 years, 2 months ago by
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Bill Anderson’s Terrifying Monster
What I learned doing this assignment is the value of confronting specific questions about the monster to manifest it in a visceral way.
MOTHERLAND
Terror:
Terrorize: The ghost of the Mother uses every living and decaying thing in the dirt on the farm can attack and kill.
Pursue: It stalks its victims underground, unseen, travelling through roots, mycelial threads of fungus, insects and creature that live in the dark of the dirt.
Isolate: It reaches up into the air through the leaves of living trees and plants to cause sudden extreme storms, floods, etc that keep it victims on the farm and makes them more vulnerable to their hidden subterranean killers.
Terrible thing monster does: Perverts and amplifies natural phenomena into becoming lethal to its victims.
Cause of death: Asphyxiation.
Inescapable: You can’t leave the ground.
Mystery:
What will placate the vengeful ghost of the mother of the family?
Fear provoking appearance:
Grotesque and disturbing extreme escalations of creepy crawlies, rotting fungus, grasping roots, snakes, rodents…
Rules:
The ghost of the mother is protecting a child. She attacks and kills the greatest threat to the child. (Which child…?)
Mythology:
When mother was alive she and father farmed the land organically: they had two daughters and the land could sustain the family. The father wanted a son. The mother knew they couldn’t afford another child, but the father persuaded her that a son would be an investment in the farm, not a drain of resources – production could increase by more than what the son would consume. But they had another daughter. Against mother’s wishes, the father unilaterally decided the only way forward was to borrow money and turn the farm into an intensive, agrochemical concern. This turned the mother’s postnatal depression into suicidal despair. She poisoned herself with the chemicals she believed her husband was poisoning their farm. Now as new generations of her family begin to emerge, the spirit of the mother fights to protect their land she is literally part of.
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