Last Post on Blogger

 As the title suggests this will be my last post on Blogger. I'm moving to WordPress at www.areyouscaredyetblog.WordPress.com so if you would like to file me there I would appreciate it much!

  I also need some help from you, my readers. I would like to know if there are still enough people interested in the Dead Dancing Women recaps to go on with them after the move or if everyone is ready for something different?

  I'd like to get back to what I had originally hoped to make this blog about: horror. But if there are enough people still ingested in the Dead Dancing Women recaps then I will continue them until the book is finished. So let me know below what exactly you would prefer.

  I do plan to continue with the X-Files recaps on my new blog and I promise there will be more horror oriented posts.

  I'm still tweeting my way through Dracula at PickingOnStuff@GKimball5 so hope to see you there as well! Dracula is almost done and next up will be Ghost Story by Peter Straub.

  Thank you for reading and I hope to see everyone after the move!

Dead Dancing Women: Chapter Twelve

  Previous Chapter:
 
  A whole lot of nothing, really. Emily made some phone calls then went to see Harry and Joslyn. Neither of which were home.



  Chapter Twelve:

  Emily is meeting DD at Fuller's EATS. She stops to check out Eugenia's family tree in the vestibule so as not to offend Eugenia and end up with cold soup for a week. Emily remarks a couple of new names and thinks it's weird that none of the names are Fuller. She leafs through a bit to check and, nope, nary a Fuller to be seen. In case you're interested the names she reads are: Harry Longabough, Robert Leroy Parker, Ned Christie, Pearl Bywater and Etta Place.

  Emily walks into the diner where the air is a-quiver with smoke. And, again, I call bullshit because this was written after the law went into effect. She spots DD and makes her way over to her, noting that the vet, Doc Crimson is there and she should talk to him about the impending puppy. She stops by for some free advice and he tells her to grab some puppy chow, a bed and some toys. Also get him shots. The vet loses a lot of my respect because he mentions shots but not getting him neutered which is just as important.

  Anywho, she finally sits with DD and fills her in on nobody being home. DD affirms that it was 'Miz' Poet's arm. They're keeping their voices down because of eavesdroppers. The table closest to them has the funeral home family: Gilbert (the gambler) and his twin, Sullivan. *eyeroll*

                                                                         

                                                       Scully gives great eyeroll


  Emily suggests talking to them but DD suggests talking to their mother first, because she's a friend of 'Miz' Poet's. DD doesn't trust the boys because Gilbert's the gambler and Sullivan's the drinker. And, since Emily is talking to Deputy Dolly, we get the obligatory cut down. This time it's about how her hair is flattened down when she takes off her hat.

  Gertie notices Emily's gray hair and shrugs. Because gray hair is sad. Remember Gertie? The beautician that Emily doesn't trust with her hair because Gertie herself has a bright hair color that Emily does not like? And her hair is thinning? Because we all know that thinning hair is always the person's fault. Always. Grrr.

  Anywhat, DD notices and says that she'll pick up some hair dye for Emily's Friday Night Makeover.

  Then they get down to business.

  DD breaks out a notebook and suggests they outline what they know already. Emily uses this as an opportunity to bring up her writing skillz. DD gives her the eyebrows of disbelief and they continue.

                                                                      

 

 

 They decide to talk to 'Miz' Poet's daughter, Amanda. They also want to talk to her other friends: Miz Coy, Mary Margaret and Joslyn Henry (again). They also want to go talk to the preacher that spoke out against the older women's dancing, worship thing.

  DD thinks it's someone in Leetsville but Emily disagrees and suggests that maybe Harry had a hand in it. I thought they lived in Leetsville? Outside of it but still inside the town lines.

  As they make their way out they are stopped by everyone wondering about their "secret" investigation. I didn't know it was supposed to be discreet since they're eating at the main diner/hangout instead of meeting at their homes.


  They head to Amanda's house first. We get a description of the house, a cute little gingerbread thing. Emily takes time to note that the daughter has let the garden go to hell, even though it's fall. Then she gets maudlin about abandoned gardens. She wonders why 'Miz' Poet's friends haven't stepped in to take care of it. Um, maybe they're upset also? Why doesn't Good Neighbor Emily do it?

  Amanda opens the door and we're told that Amanda is a tiny, petite woman. Amanda eyes them a bit. Amanda is in her early forties, tiny, blonde (fading out of course, because Emily notices everyone's hair) and has a large-eyed waif air. Which annoys DD.
  They explain why they're there and finally get in the door. Emily does not approve of the décor, calling it "faux country" and "cute enough to give you a queasy feeling."
  It seems that in her mother's absence Amanda has untidied the very tidy living room. Emily pegs her as a woman who's never quite grown-up and sucks the life out of anyone who's elected by her to be her keeper. Fair. I know people like that.

  Amanda moves some newspapers around then acts like she's going to swoon. Emily thinks to herself about a woman she interviewed in Ann Arbor who acted the same way until her missing husband turned up with a bunch of stab wounds, inflicted by the swoonee. So, you never know about people, is the gist of it.

  Emily introduces herself as a reporter so Amanda starts giving out grieving daughter quotes then waits until Emily finds a pen to write them down. DD asks about any enemies, like the pastor who spoke out about them. Amanda insists that it was just a misunderstanding and that her mother and friends weren't into any Pagan stuff. Just nature and dancing outdoors for 'health reasons'. Sounds better than the gym. DD wonders if maybe one of the parishioners took it a little too seriously but Amanda No Ways.

  Amanda does remember her mother complaining about being over-charged for firewood. Dolly asks about who inherits from her mother. Emily thinks that's a little personal. Um, hello? Police investigation?

  Amanda gives a non-answer and claims she never married because she had to look after her mother. Whatever special snowflake. She also tells them that she's having a service and hopes they'll come. At the church. Where the pastor spoke out against them. Sounds like a good way to honor your mother. Emily and DD wonder if she wants to wait until the rest of her mother shows up but Amanda doesn't want to wait.

  DD tells her that Ernie sends his regards and Amanda blushes. As they're leaving Joslyn Henry pulls up. Emily and DD say hi and Emily says she was just over to Joslyn's house. Joslyn wants to know what for. Emily wanted background on 'Miz' Poet for her article. Joslyn brushes them off, needing to talk to Amanda.

  DD and Joslyn decide to split up again and question different people. DD reminds Emily to ask about what happened a month ago because that's when 'Miz' Poet was killed.

  They decide to question Joslyn later, after she's calmed down.



  End of Chapter



  Well, lots of excitement this chapter! More questioning! Talking!


  Well, that's it for today. Tomorrow I'll try to squeeze in an X-File but with Christmas...I dunno. So, Saturday at the latest.

   Happy Holidays! Whatever holiday you choose or not choose to participate in.

Dead Dancing Women: Chapter Eleven Recap

  Well, it's that time of the week again. Time to visit Emily in Northern Michigan.



  Previous Chapter:

  Emily had the police in her house to investigate the severed arm and Deputy Dolly stayed the night. Emily was also even more insulting than usual and was insanely shocked that Deputy Dolly had went to Beauty School.



  Chapter Eleven:

  Starting the chapter DD has gone home and Emily is bored and lonely. For not seeming to like DD all that much she sure seems lonely when Deputy Dolly is gone.
  Anywho, Emily complains that the air is stale and she's breathed it so often before that now she's allergic to it. Or something equally weird. Her fridge, birdcall clock, and silence all annoy her. Birdcall clocks are not cute or charming. They're annoying. She wants to be touched but she's quick to assure us that it's not a sexual craving. Literary people are above having normal, human impulses.
  In other words, she's lonely. Even though a chapter or two back she was all, "solitude! Can't get enough of it! I'm an island unto myself!" I guess she's over that now.

                                                                

  She decides a puppy is great because she's never had a dog and she'll be starting from scratch with it. She thinks that with an older dog she'd be jumping through hoops with it. I really don't follow her reasoning here. An older, calmer dog would be better to start with than a puppy. Especially if you have no idea what you're doing. Especially since she says that she does not have the energy for an older do. Because puppies are always calm and need minimal care. Twit.  She thinks having an older dog would be like being married to her ex and goes on to explain that she's not a wimp (hahahaha!)


  She calls the State Police to get more details on the arm and head. The State boys are reticent about it but do confirm that they are from the same person, Mrs. Poet. We know it's Emily because she says Mrs. instead of 'Miz'. She asks the hard-hitting questions like, "Are they investigating it as a murder?" and "Have they taken fingerprints?"  She also asks if it's true the head was sawed off and if the arm was, too. Which Sheriff Lucky could have told her the night before but she didn't want to hear it.

  She mentions teeth marks on the head and he agrees that's true and tells her that maybe she should speak to the other officer, Officer Brent. He of the mono-brow.

  Emily says, yet again, that no animal put it in her trash can. I swear she has said this in every chapter. He makes a lame joke about homicidal chipmunks. Funny. Emily gets frustrated ay his non-replies to a novice crime reporter.

  She hangs up and calls the paper she works for. Remember, The Northern Statesman (run by a former downstater). Bill is worried about her, what with all the body parts being flung at her these days, and offers her his spare room. She says it's tempting but he gets flustered and says he didn't mean anything by it. She gracefully resists the urge to laugh. She tells him that she's in good hands with DD looking out for her. To take all the burden of Dolly bashing (which would be a cool name for a band, Dolly Bashing) off of Emily's shoulders Bill says he's heard of DD and is not impressed.

  After the phone calls she stands at her window for a full hour just staring at the lake. She's not in the mood for writing (no wonder she never sells anything).
  She and DD had planned to meet after Emily had spoken again to Harry and Joslyn. The thinking there is that maybe DD scared them with her uniform so they might open up better with just Emily around. Maybe Emily would even get in the front door.

  As she's leaving she sticks the puppy note for the mailman in the mailbox. She's freaked out to put the note in because there might be another body part waiting for her. Sadly, there's not. She over-dramas about how the silence and woods seem so scary now.

  She's putting off going up Harry's overgrown drive because it seems scary, too. She doesn't feel as though she belongs anymore. And this gem of a quote:

  "Voices came from some place off in the woods. Male voices, calling to one another. Men, where they weren't supposed to be. It frightened me..."

  Until she remembers that, duh, search party for the rest of 'Miz' Poet. It makes her feel safer knowing that the big, strong, policemen are around so she goes to see Harry.


  All that worry and drama for nothing. Harry's not home. She walks down to Joslyn's house but she's not home either. Emily takes a minute to admire Joslyn's flower beds.

  She decides to ask Joslyn to help her design a flower bed in the spring. Then she goes into a rambly inner monologue about how her imaginary garden is perfect. No bugs or beasties chewing on them. No storms to beat them up. Then we get a metaphor about her garden, like her life, is lost inside her head.



  End of Chapter



  Wow, that's two uneventful chapters from two different books. Oh well, tomorrow is Wednesday and that means The X-Files which is rarely uneventful. And maybe Thursday we'll get lucky. Maybe Emily will do something really exciting. Like pay some bills. It looks like DD shows up in the next chapter so at the very least we'll probably get some rudeness slung DD's way. Emily can always be counted on for bitchiness towards her fellow women.


  As always, leave me a comment, a like, a share, tweet or a suggestion. I'm teaming up with someone so check out my other blog that's coming soon. It's going to be strictly gaming related. I'll let you know when and give you a link when it's up and going. And, as always, thanks for reading!


  Also, I'm still doing Dracula tweets o if you want to follow along my Twitter handle is PickingOnStuff@GKimball5

  I should warn you though that I've only been averaging a few pages a night. The holidays and stress are kicking my ass. But, hope to see you









 




  

Dark Fall: Lost Souls - PC Game Review

  I bought this on Steam not too long ago and finally got around to playing it. I played the first game, Dark Fall: The Journal, about eight years ago and enjoyed it. I do have the second one but read a synopsis online and the story didn't really catch my interest. So, I thought I'd move on to the third game in the series. The stories don't seem connected although I believe the first and second game share some characters.

  The Plot:

  You play as an Inspector. That is the only name you're given.
  Four years prior to the start of the game a little girl named Amy went missing after playing at a playground. The Inspector arrested a homeless man named Mr. Bones for the crime. Everyone was happy until it came to light that the Inspector (you) had planted and tampered with evidence. The Inspector was disgraced and Amy was never found. Amy's parents never forgave the Inspector, believing that while wasting time with Mr. Bones, the real culprit was never caught.

  As you progress through the game you gain more clues to Mr. Bones, Amy, yourself and the Dark Fall.



  Story:

  I enjoyed the story. It was creepy, atmospheric and fairly coherent. Some things were left unanswered for me though. Maybe it's just me. I might not have been observant enough (or smart enough) to put it all together. I'll go into further detail in a moment. The
  There were no jump-scare moments but plenty of startling and creepy moments.



  Gameplay:

  It's your standard point-and-click adventure game with emphasis on puzzle-solving over combat. In fact, there is no combat. Sometimes these types of games are easier for me to play as you can get up to do things during them without being worried about coming back to a dead character. And when you live in a house with several people always calling you that can be a real consideration. Trust me.

  The voice-acting may not be the best but it's certainly not the worst I've heard. The only real issue with it is the weird over-emphasis with which the actors give their lines.

  It ran smoothly on my computer which is having it's own "issues" at present. If you're looking for technical specs, sorry, I am not tech inclined. Basically, if it runs, great! If it doesn't, damn it! So, there you go. About all I can say is that I have Windows 7.

  It didn't seem like a very long game. I racked up eighty-odd hours with it but, like I said, I was called away a lot and instead of saving and quitting I would just let it run. So, maybe a day or two? It's hard to say. If you're smarter than me and don't do any excessive backtracking (or obsessive note taking) then you might get through it a lot faster.

  In fact, I think that would be the greatest flaw with it. And it's a flaw shared by other point-and-click adventure games. It's not very clear sometimes where you're supposed to go.

  The difficulty seemed just right on easy. I haven't tried 'Hard' mode yet but I will update as soon as I do.

  I'm not on my own computer so I will also add screenshots when I can.



  Overall Impressions:

  I really enjoyed the game. I like creepy over jump-scares. I like the slower pace of point-and-click games. The story seems pretty well thought out. The detail in the train station and hotel is great. I particularly liked the ghost flashback puzzles. A lot of attention was paid to period detail and music. The soundtrack was unobtrusively creepy. I think that music can be used very effectively to heighten tension and motion. Unfortunately in more recent media (movies and TV included, especially) the music is jacked too loud and drowns out any chance at tension. The scares are telegraphed miles ahead of time because of the music. I like when it's kept to the background, unobtrusive but noticeable. It's a fine line and this game does it well.

  The sound effects are eerie as well. Even with so many distractions it kept me involved, wanting to press further.

  I guess my overall opinion is that if you like this type of horror game then you'll like it. If you weren't a fan before then this won't change your mind. It's available fairly cheap on Steam so if you're into this kind of game then give it a go. I'd start with Dark Fall: The Journal first, though, because I'm anal like that.  I didn't this time (small miracle) but I plan to. I also plan to play the second one, Dark Fall: Lights Out just because I haven't and it bugs me.






  Spoilery Spoilers Below:

  The only issues I had with it were a few storyline problems. Clearly, during the game you realize that Amy is not at all what she seems. She was kicked out of her school for doing a black magic ritual (with Mr. Bones). There is a note in one of her books about the ritual itself and performing it to summon 'Angels'. But that is about all the information that you get. Did she cause the Dark Fall with her ritual? Mr. Bones says that she's with the 'Angels' and her 'sisters' now and that they take care of her. Assuming she disappeared because of the ritual, how? Why? Was she evil before summoning the Dark Fall or did it turn her evil? Why was she keeping the others there?

  Just quite a bit was left dangling on that part of the story.

  Also, you get a lot of story on the ghosts that you release. But when it comes to releasing Mr. Bones and your confession so much is left dangling. Obviously, you've killed Mr. Bones. It's pretty clear throughout but when did you kill him? What led up to it? History changes for the ghosts when you release them, why not for you and Mr. Bones? So much is left dangling here.

  Also the two endings. While both good they leave a lot of resolution unaccounted for.



  End Spoilers


    

  So, that's my take on it. It's hard for me to get near my consoles in the winter so I've been trying to scoop up on horror games on Steam when I get a chance (and the money).  Next up is 7th Guest and I have a good feeling about it. At the start up menu was Tim Curry's voice welcoming me. What could be better than that?  I've been wanting to play it for a while now but (before Steam) I could only ever find it on disc and, knowing it's age, wasn't sure I wanted to spend that kind of money on a game that may or may not work. So, bought it through Steam and I will let you know my thoughts on it when I get done playing it. At the rate I'm going it should be a month or two. Just kidding, I'll try to be a little quicker than that.

So, I'll see you guys again soon. As always, feel free to leave me a comment or anything. I'm always looking to improve the blog so any suggestions are welcome.








 
   

Flashback Sunday! The Locker: Chapter 5 Recap

  Finally back on track, baby!
 
 

  Previously:
 
  Marlee survived the first day of school with no more smelly locker incidents. Noreen and she chatted about boys and Marlee met a creepy guy who called her a snob. Dobkin (Marlee's younger brother) also reminded her that the smelly smell she smelled was the smell of death and that she had smelled it before...when their parents died.

  That's a little longer intro than I usually do but it's been a couple weeks since I did The Locker so I thought I'd give a reminder. Anyways...



  Chapter 5:

  Marlee freaks out on Dobkin for reminding her of it. She gives Dobkin, her six-year-old brother, a huge guilt trip and starts to stomp off until their aunt pulls up to pick them up. Aunt Celia notices that they're not speaking but decides not to interfere.

  Once home, Marlee stomps upstairs and locks her door. Dobkin hangs back, probably feeling like shit.

  Upstairs, Marlee is crying into her pillow, trying not to think about what Dobkin said. She remembers the night that their parents died. She had been studying when she felt something similar to what she felt when she opened The Locker. She had gotten upset and run into Dobkin's room (who probably would have been four). They'd held each other until the doorbell rang. Which was the police? I'm guessing, because she doesn't exactly say who told them. Or who arranged the funeral or any of that.
  If the police told a 13 year old girl that her parents were dead when she was by herself with her brother they should be fired. I'm assuming their aunt took care of the rest of it.

  She goes to the door to find Dobkin there. She doesn't apologize for screaming like a maniac at him. He tells her that their aunt knows she's upset but doesn't know why. And apparently doesn't care to find out. Dobkin says their aunt thinks maybe nerves.
  Marlee suggests that maybe that is why she felt what she felt and Dobkin whatevers her. He asks her what she knows about the girl that disappeared but Marlee just knows her name.

  Marlee goes over it again and they try to think it through. Dobkin suggests reading old papers to see if they say anything about the disappearance. Then he asks about what Noreen and Tyler did when Marlee freaked out. Like, "Oh, no. The haunted locker strikes again!" But Marlee says they acted normally. Dobkin reminds her of their parents again. How she knew they were dead even though they were miles away. She gets tired of the conversation and hurries him out to do homework. Dobkin warns her that it might happen again, she says no. Dobkin warns her that next time it might be her that's in trouble.

  She looks out over their backyard a bit and thinks to herself that it's a little weird that no one has come to welcome them to the neighborhood or anything. It being a small town and all. She notices a tree very close to the house, perfect for climbing out onto or Dawson's Creek levels of spying.

  She thinks over what Dobkin said and tries to argue with herself a bit. But that doesn't work for long because she remembers that when it was her turn to pick the city it felt like something grabbed her hand and slammed it into Edison. That is one far-reaching ghost. Or, are her psychic powers like Batman? They know where they're needed.

  She feels someone watching her so she screams for her aunt. But then it's gone. So, I'm guessing next chapter when Aunt Celia arrives to check it out, Marlee's going to feel like an idiot and make an excuse. Just a guess. If Aunt Celia does. She might just think it's nerves.


  End of Chapter


  So, not much exciting this chapter. Just a lot of Marlee arguing with herself. Come back on Tuesday for more of Emily being rude to Deputy Dolly in Dead Dancing Women and Wednesday I'll have another X-File up. After the holidays I plan to do more episodes a week. At this rate the new show will be in it's fourth season by the time I get to the end of season 1.