B is for Buffy, Blade and Bram Stoker: Vampire Hunters

With the recent popularity of Twilight, The Vampire Diaries and the Sookie Stackhouse novels, vampires have become something of a hot topic. Each of these series features one or more protagonists of the blood-sucking persuasion, thus turning vampires into sympathetic heroes. Even Anne Rice is guilty of humanizing these demonic beings, and while I respect her amazing storytelling talents more than I can express, I take a slightly more . . . old-school view of these creatures of the night.

That being said, I thought for this post I would discuss the men and women that make up the other side of this genre – vampire hunters.

When I was in middle school a friend of mine introduced me to Joss Whedon’s hit tv show Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I was immediately enraptured by Whedon’s witty dialogue, gruesome villains, AND his depiction of a sassy, petite demon hunter. Despite her diminutive stature, Buffy was everything a slayer should be: athletic, powerful, and above all, stylish. She could vanquish a demon in under a minute, all the while wearing three-inch heels. Definitely one of my childhood – and present day – heroes.

After Buffy, my interest in slayer legends expanded with an introduction to the vampire hunter Blade. I read some of the Marvel comics and absolutely loved the film series starring Wesley Snipes. I thought the concept of a vampire hunter who was himself half-vampire thoroughly fascinating. To loath vampires to the very core, and yet have inherited their thirst for blood, a constant reminder that he's made from the very thing he hates . . . now that’s genius. Add in a double edged sword and the ability to walk in the sunlight, and you’ve got a recipe for a lethal hunter.

Last but certainly not least, I want to mention perhaps the most famous and influential vampire hunter of all time – Abraham Van Helsing. Unlike Buffy and Blade, Bram Stoker does not portray Van Helsing as a “career” vampire hunter; rather, he becomes one out of necessity. When Lucy Westenra falls ill of an unknown disease, Dr. John Seward contacts Van Helsing because of his knowledge of “obscure diseases”. Though by no means a demon hunter, he recognizes the mark of the vampire upon Lucy, and eventually tells his friends how to kill her. He manages to destroy the three blood-sucking brides of Dracula single-handedly, and is instrumental in defeating the most famous vampire of all time himself, Count Dracula.

Needless to say, I doubt today’s sparkling vampires would hold up against hunters such as these.

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This post is part of the Blogging A through Z Challenge 2012. My theme is (in case you didn’t already guess) science fiction. Stay tuned for the rest of the alphabet, and if you’d like to check in on the rest of the participants, simply click here.

A is for Asimov and Automatons: Questioning Robot Ethics

It's April 1st and that means it's finally time for the Blogging from A to Z Challenge 2012. For those of you who missed my previous post, my theme for this challenge is Science Fiction! Here is my very first post of the contest, and today A stands for Asmiov . . .

Science Fiction writer Isaac Asimov - considered one of the "Big Three" with Robert Heinlein and Arthur C. Clarke - is perhaps most known for his Three Laws of Robotics. Created as a safeguard against human injury at the hand of our creations, these laws state: 

1) A robot may not injure a human being, or through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.

2) A robot must obey orders given to them by human beings, except when such orders conflict with the First Law.

3) A robot must protect its existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First and Second Law.

*** 4) or 0) A robot may not harm humanity , or through inaction, allow humanity to come to harm. (This law was introduced at a later date.)

However, robot ethicists have argued that these laws are unethical because they take away autonomous beings' free will; they believe that robots need to develop their own ethical code, rather than have one written for them. This at first seems absurd, especially in light of movies like The Terminator where robots are intent on wiping out humanity. Films in which I’m sure the characters were thinking "now would be a really excellent time for a few laws of robotics". And when we think about it, robots aren’t living creatures, and therefore don’t deserve the same right as human beings . . . right?

And yet, if we’re giving them the right to life, do they then not deserve, like all beings, free will? Could they not merely be considered the next wave of evolution? Just as human beings were once the newest evolutionary phase, don’t robots then deserve the same chance at a life of freedom and choice? When god created mankind, he instilled within us an ethical code (much like Asimov's Laws); but he also allowed us the free will to override it should we see fit. Do automatons not deserve the same? 

Human beings have gone through a long road of evolution to reach our modern principals of morality – we once believed slavery was not only morally acceptable, but industrially necessary. It took a span of many  years to reach the conclusion that this was not in fact the case. Should robots, even knowing their potential threat to humanity, be denied this same evolutionary process? Does it make us unmoral as creators, to disallow this for our created? Or is it our responsibility to ensure peace? Can we even do that, knowing how destructive and un-peaceful humanity is?

God knows I never thought I, who am terrified of terminators and weary of technology, would be advocating for robot rights.

Perhaps we can only imagine a destructive race of articficial beings because we, the human race, are ourselves so destructive. Therefore, we fear that what we create will be similarly instilled with the seeds of destruction. Much as we pass on many of our own beliefs and prejudices to our children. Perhaps we should wait until we’re a more peaceful race before we introduce another . . . though in that case, we’ll be waiting an awful long time. I fear that technological progress far exceeds the speed of moral progress, and no amount of Robotics Laws will ever change that.

Blogging from A to Z Challenge Kick Off

It's finally here! Sunday is the long anticipated kick off of the Blogging A to Z Challenge. It's brought to you by the brilliant minds at Tossing It Out, Amlokiblogs, Alex J. Cavanaugh, Life is Good, Cruising Altitude 2.0,Retro-Zombie,The Warrior Muse,The QQQE, Author Elizabeth Mueller, Pearson Report, No Thought 2 Small, Breakthrough Blogs, and Coming Down The Mountain. 

If you're interested in joining, simply click here. There's already over 1,400 participants and it should be a great way to meet new bloggers!

I cannot wait to get started. This is my first year participating, and I'm looking forward to the challenge of posting everyday (except Sundays) for an entire month. While some people have already written all their posts and have them saved in a Blogger folder just waiting to be uploaded,, I prefer the old fashioned method . . . writing them in a frantic panic the night before. Should be lots of fun. 

I did, however, do my prep work. I came up with a topic for every letter (apart from N and Q, stupid letters that they are), did all my research (which mostly consisted of movie watching and reading some awesome books), AND decided on my theme! And what is it may you ask? If you know me personally this should come as no surprise, but my theme is --

Science Fiction

So stay tuned for 26 (hopefully) awesome posts and lets get ready to blog from A to Z . . . sci-fi style!

The Hunger Games

I hate to be predictable, but I’ve gotta do it. I simply have to write about . . .

Like everyone else in the world, I went to see The Hunger Games movie this weekend. And I have to say, I loved it. Not surprising since I consider the book the best thing I’ve read since Harry Potter. But still, I was relieved that the film didn’t let me down. However, several of the people (heretofore known as the “Haters”) who went with me didn’t feel the same. Which flat out shocked me.

How could they possibly not like something so clearly AMAZING? My guess is mental deficiency. Or perhaps they’re being paid off by Twilight fans. Regardless, I’d like to round up all these Haters and make THEM fight to the death.

But the one thing I couldn’t shake off were the Hater’s complaints that there were too many aspects within the movie that went unexplained. For example, the three-fingered salute the people of District 12 give Katniss after she’s taken her sister’s place in the Games. When I thought about it, I realized that they were right; it wasn’t ever explained. I would argue that the director assumed that a mature, rational audience would be capable of making the intuitive leap from salute to gesture of honor and support, with a hint of rebellion . . . but perhaps the director (and I) both assumed wrong.

The truth is, The Hunger Games – both movie and film – is an incredibly complex story. Suzanne Collins doesn’t baby her audience, and neither did the film’s director. Perhaps it’s a movie best enjoyed by those who have read the book, and therefore already understand the little nuances the director doesn’t take the time to explain. The movie is, after all, almost 2 ½ hour long . . . though for the record, I would have happily sat through several more hours.

So for all the Haters that argue the movie was too confusing, I would suggest that they just GO READ THE FIGGIN’ BOOK.

I guess that’s the moral of this story aka. blog post. Always, ALWAYS read the book before going to see the movie. No matter how independent the film is from the original text, it always yields more if you’ve read the book first.

The Princess Predicament

When I was a little girl, I loved the Disney princess movies. Truth be told, I still do. Little Mermaid, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella – they’re all wonderful. And I’m not ashamed to admit that I spent a lot of time dancing around my house, pretending I was one of them.

However, when I got older and began developing a fascination with superheroes and villains during my teenage years, it occurred to me how limited I’d been in my childhood. As a girl, I’d been steered towards “girly” interests – like the Disney princesses. I had a plethora of tiaras and tutus, but one ever gave me a comic book. Or superhero action figurines. 

Now that I’m in my twenties, I’m faced with a slight crisis of identity. When faced with the choice between princesses and superheroes . . . which do I chose? Some might think this a silly concern, but it’s actually come up more than once. And apparently I’m not the only one who feels this way, because a few clever artists came up with a solution. Please let me introduce . . .

The Princess Superhero!!!

Above: Ariel, Aurora, Esmeralda, Mulan, Meg and Jasmine

Below: Ariel, Belle, Aurora, Jasmine, Cinderella, Mulan, Snow White and Tiana

Pretty awesome, right? And what's a Superhero Princess without a comic book to chronicle her adventures?

It certainly makes me wish someone would come out with a summer blockbuster film where they all team up, like the Avengers or the Justice League. We could call them Team Tiara! But regardless, I think I've found the solution to my predicament . . . and my next costume idea for Halloween. 

Insecure Writer's Support Group

It's that time again . . . the first Wednesday of the month means Insecure Writer's Support Group. 

That's right, it's time to discuss my writing insecurities, which frankly, are legion.

• I'm working on the zillionth round of edits for the SAME book and wondering will it ever end
• My agent asked me to change my title (for the third time)
• I keep reading books that make me feel inadequate
• I'm worried I'll never get published 
• And my personal favorite, even if I do get my book published, what if no one bothers to read it? 

Sigh. And those were just my Top 5. 

I was thinking of all the tools writers use to help them in their efforts to write the perfect novel. Critique partners, writing courses, seminars, Save the Cat books, heavy drinking . . . uh, just kidding. And then I stumbled across this on iwastesomuchtime.com: 

 

One super expensive Liberal Arts degree and four years of struggling to perfect my novel, and someone finally tells me.  

A New Blog Award!

Megan over at Paws, Fangs and Smiles has awarded me with the Kreativ Blog Award!

Thanks Megan! So, as per the rules of the award, here are seven "interesting" things about me . . . I'll try not to repeat any I've said before:

1. I'm currently reading novels by "classic" science fiction writers (Philip K. Dick, Robert Heinlein, George Orwell, Isaac Asimov, Jules Verne, H. G. Wells, Arthur C. Clark, Aldous Huxley, etc). 

2. I read all six of Jane Austen's novels once a year. I get something from them different every time.

3. As a child I was traumatized by The Fox and the Hound, Dumbo and Bambi. This trauma has carried over into adulthood. I don't watch movies about animals. Ever. 

4. I love Ridley Scott and James Cameron films. I re-watched Alien and Aliens last weekend in preparation for the upcoming release of Prometheus. I could not be more excited. 

5. One day I will own a castle. Inside there will be a zip line, a ball pit room, a trampoline room with Velcro walls to stick to, a library modeled after the one in Beauty and the Beast, and several Mini Coopers to race through the halls (like in The Italian Job). There will also be a moat. And a helipad. And possible a catapult.

6. I have an intense fascination with superheroes and villains. I cannot wait for all the comic book movies coming out this year (The Avengers, The Amazing Spider-Man, The Dark Knight Rises, and Superman: Man of Steel). 

7. I own Converse in three colors - black, red and blue. I'm currently on the lookout for green ones. For St. Patrick's Day. 

Here are the ten blogs I'm passing this award on to. I have no idea what the parameters for awarding blogs with this award are (other than I guess they're creative?), so I'm just going to award blogs I enjoy with fun posts. Check them out!

Kate Scott Writes
Colin D. Smith
Lover Dove Writes
My Pet Blog
Peggy Eddleman
The Walrus Room 
Vive Le Nerd 
Widdershins and Skeleton Keys 
Losing Sanity
Fulfilling Dreams