An early 20th century representation of a Scandinavian frost giant, from the silent movie Conquest of the Pole by French film pioneer Georges Méliès. To me the creature looks more like a goofy Russian ventriloquist’s dummy. Which is no less horrible than a bloodthirsty spirit to my eye, but probably not what the director intended.
Category: Humor
Jimmy’s Got a Problem
Jimmy Olsen, Superman’s pal, got up to all sorts of trouble in the 1950s, so much so that he had his own comic. This was one of the milder issues. Note the comics authority code at the upper right, probably the reason why such bizarre storylines became commonplace — violence and mayhem had become definite …
Worldbuilding Wednesday 11/20/19: Minor Magical Items
Some magical items are very useful to the recipient. Some are cursed, or useless. But more often than not they have a minor kind of magic, helpful in a certain situation. Here are some of those items. Minor and Mundane Magical Items The Wizard Kift’s Small Dirt-kicking Satyr: A diminuitive statue of a satyr …
Parakeet Horror
I had a parakeet growing up, and I loved the little thing. But as pets, budgerigars have their horrible side. When they die, for example. Often suddenly and without warning. Nothing can freak out a small child like seeing a bird that had been happily chirping an hour before lying motionless on the bottom of …
Worldbuilding Wednesday 8/14/19: Trendy Scented Candles
Yankee Candles, the granddaddy of all candle companies, was founded in 1969 by New Englander Michael Kittredge, who melted Crayola crayons together to make a candle for his mom. His company grew throughout the 1970s, given a strong push in the U.S. by hippie aesthetics and the back-to-earth-movement, to become the flagship giant it is …
¡Lengua de Cerdo!
This is a fresh pig’s tongue as might be available from a specialty butcher. Not very appetizing, is it? What if I told you it was most delicious, and that I created a recipe to cook it? Pork Tongue prepared in a pressure cooker 3 fresh pork tongues, cleaned 3 cloves garlic 2 bay leaves …