SR 1 PAGE SIXTY-THREE

Finally, a major character who wasn’t created in my little cubicle at CalArts! Skarsdayle was designed for this issue, doodled on some sheet of paper that’s inexplicably gone missing even though I save everything. The universe itself wants no record of her!

Skarsdayle’s look is 100% “Evil Chrissie Hynde.”

Chrissie Hynde is the lead singer, guitarist, and main songwriter for the 1970’s-present rock band The Pretenders. Always liked them, and thought Chrissie Hynde had a really cool look. Almost menacing. What’s she hiding under those bangs, exactly? She’s like one of those guys you never see without sunglasses. (FACT: No one knew Neil Gaiman had real human eyes until 1998.)

Hiding a character’s eyes is a really cheap and easy way to make them seem 300% scarier. A while back I was trying to think of what makes the alien from Alien such a deeply upsetting monster, and a lot of it has to do with the lack of eyes. H.R. Giger managed to create something that feels unique, believable, and alive, but with no “windows to the soul” to lock onto. With most monster movies, I feel at least a small twinge of emotion for the poor dumb animal tearing people apart, but that cold, eyeless Alien is different. That empty death machine has to DIE.

So yeah, people with long bangs are empty death machines. If you ever run into Chrissie Hynde be wary she doesn’t pierce your forehead with her second set of jaws.

GOTH HISTORY CORNER: In mid-70’s London, Chrissie Hynde was present at the exact epicenter of the KABOOM that created both punk and goth culture. She worked at SEX, a hip clothing boutique that brought together all of Greater London’s biggest and best freaks (including Siouxsie Sioux). The co-owner of SEX was infamous Sex Pistols manager/Svengali Malcolm McLaren, who tried to set up his employee Chrissie Hynde with a band of her own. That band, Masters of the Backside(?), fell apart instantly, but all the non-Hynde members went on to become pioneering punk/goth band The Damned.

Thank you for letting me bore you with these facts!

SR 1 PAGE SIXTY-FOUR

IMPORTANT THEMATIC MATERIAL.

Some people just want to arrest the earthquake.

How does the Serenity Prayer go again? I don’t have a grandma’s house handy, but I think it’s “God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.”

Chuck clearly lacks that wisdom. He’s living in a world where people with the power of Zeus are casually strolling around. The notion of controlling witchcraft through legislation is demented. What Chuck’s doing is the equivalent of threatening every tree in America with a lawsuit so they don’t dare fall on his car. Lost cause, bud!

I don’t like to talk about themes in Serenity Rose too much. Part of the fun in reading any story is to roll the ideas around in your own brain and decide what they mean. My opinion would just ruin things. That said, though…“finding a way to roll with the chaos” is something we definitely come back to a lot.

BACK TO THE PRESENT!

All work and no play makes Aaron a dull boy. All work and no play makes Aaron a dull boy. All work and no play makes Aaron a dull boy. All work and no play makes Aaron a dull boy. All work and no play makes Aaron a dull boy. All work and no play makes Aaron a dull boy. All work and no play makes Aaron a dull boy. All work and no play makes Aaron a dull boy. All work and no play makes Aaron a dull boy. All work and no play makes Aaron a dull boy. All work and no play makes Aaron a dull boy. All work and no play makes Aaron a dull boy. Please buy my book! All work and no play makes Aaron a dull boy. All work and no play makes Aaron a dull boy. All work and no play makes Aaron a dull boy. All work and no play makes Aaron a dull boy. All work and no play makes Aaron a dull boy. All work and no play makes Aaron a dull boy. All work and no play makes Aaron a dull boy.

NEXT WEEK: SMITTEN WITH HYBRIDS!