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davyruiz · 4 years ago

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Effulgent Creatures

I stood with my back against the wooden cutout of our alien mascot and I could hear the distant traveler taunt me over the sounds of lost souls shuffling through the arena. There was a part of me that knew the laser-tag armor was just plastic but I didn't care. What was real anymore? Everything began to suck the moment that band and its singer came to town.

Me and QT worked at Retro Cosmos Fun Zone, a large laser-tag and indoor mini golf place for kids and adults. We mostly host parties and rarely is the place empty. For the tiny town of Cardinal Creek, it was the only other hangout aside from the mall. Otherwise you would have to travel out of town to find entertainment. I moved to the mountain town when I was 16 and I never looked back.

QT was a manager and I ran security. Even for a glorified space play place, you could never be too safe. We used to have animatronics but after too many incidents and vomit clean ups, we removed them. Now the stage hosts live entertainment. That's where we saw them perform. Effulgent Creatures. They were a flashy retrowave band that was asked to perform for a graduation party. I don't know if it was the alcohol or their music but something made that group intoxicated and crazed.

QT was enamored. He loved the new sound and the saxophone was enchanting. The lead singer was called Medusa and they sang like an otherworldly being. I too enjoyed the show but something felt off. We were told to host the party after close which was not too bizarre but I was told the band requested it. They didn't want to perform for anyone other than the party goers and workers.

It was played off as normal and explained away as not wanting to perform for free for others. QT bought it but I was not convinced. Medusa was so alluring and the music had a way of making you feel transported. I know we worked in an 80s style entertainment place but it suddenly felt like we were back in that time. It truly felt like we were transported to another place entirely.

Our cute alien Gigi Blu and their human comrade Ultra Spark fit right in and suddenly the place felt alive with new energy. Just as quickly as things changed, they changed once again. It did not feel so welcoming. The music played and I suddenly felt drained. I looked around at the crowded party room and everyone looked withered. Smiling and joyous but dried like corpses. I turned to Quinlan and they began to change.

I pulled them from the room but just as we made it towards the doors, QT was grabbed. The crowd turned on us and took Quin away. They knew I couldn't leave. I tried to call for help but nothing worked, not even slamming the locked doors to make noise. Like I said, it was like we were in a different place and time. No longer in Cardinal Creek.

At first the party goers kind of mumbled about. The Effulgent Creatures slowly took control. Medusa gave commands over the loudspeaker, taunting me as I snuck to the security office. I could hear Quin in the background. Met him the day I moved into town and I couldn't think of leaving them behind. Not in that moment and any moment after. I had to try and save him.

After I suited up with the vibrant green and gray armor, I grabbed some mace and my nightstick. I did not know what was waiting for me outside my security office. I would have grabbed more mace if I knew. The creatures lured me to the Meteor Tunnels, the place that connected the lazer-tag arena and neon golf course through colorful plastic tubes.

High above the entire entertainment zone, I searched for QT. The bubbles on the tubes let me see out over the different arena spaces and odd golf obstructions. I could also see the party goers shift and rock like living mannequins. After taking out a few of the aggressive partiers, I searched the thirteen hole golf course first.

I only found Gorgon the drummer and Minotaur the bassist. It was clear I was not going back out the way I had entered. I was stuck between the two massive musicians who wore bizarre garb. Neon and sparkly, like something out of a retro music video. I tried to run but Gorgon grabbed me. It was the first two punches that really got me.

They fought me and tossed me around like a beloved chew toy. Both remarked they wanted to keep me alive for Medusa as they launched me into the plaster castles and thin wood characters. A crashed ship was the final hole and Gorgon flipped me over the silver spacecraft. They laughed.

The cute little puppet that we stuffed into the driver seat sat looking at me and things began to blur. I remember grabbing the pieces of the spacecraft and going for the Gorgon first. My anger had filled my head and the blood fucked with my sight. It was all red and bright lights.

Soon the fight was over and the two lay together as I continued to look for QT. It was like Medusa kept moving every time I got close. I went to search the laser-tag arena. All the while different party goers kept coming at me. Trying to capture me or stop my progress. It was like they could not die. I feared Gorgon and Minotaur would be back for me.

That was when I saw Cyclops. They were in the main office and could see the entire complex from there. I knew of the secret halls used for emergencies and quickly ended their never ending gaze. This angered Medusa and they finally exposed their hiding place.

In the center of the laser-tag arena was QT and Medusa. I had to fight off more party goers as I navigated through the fake moon surface. The mace was depleted by then but I noticed the purple laser-gun stunned the lost ones long enough for me to knock them out with my nightstick. I began to play the worst game of laser-tag you could imagine.

I was almost near the singer from another space when they called a swarm of partiers to protect them. There were too many to fight off so I had to make a plan quick. The odds were stacked against me for sure but all I could think of was the years I had spent with QT.

We got the jobs around the same time and felt like it was bizarre. The first year in town and I kept running into him. Then we got hired at the same place and over the seven years went from cashiers and ticket counter to helping run the place. It was a great time in my life and I didn't want it to end. Not like that.

Looking at the four eyed alien Gigi, it hit me. I began to sing. Everyone including Medusa stopped to look towards where I was hiding. I kept singing. All those moments in that play place swept through my head. I could hear both of us singing as we walked hundreds of cakes to different party goers.

Retro Cosmos Fun Zone had a stupid birthday song we sang for every kid party and I sang it loud. Medusa was confused and so were the consumed. I was afraid but I kept singing and suddenly Quin Thomas began to look like themselves.

Whatever spell Medusa had on him under was no longer working and he knocked Medusa into the crowd of party goers. They turned on their master without question. QT jumped from the giant foam comet and into my arms. I pulled them through the crowd so fast I did not see what became of Medusa.

Once we got to the doors they suddenly flew open. We stepped out into the night sky and the full moon shone above us. QT kissed me and I kissed them back. We called the police right away but they never found the party goers or the band.

There was a mess left for us to clean and many questions to answer but in the end, only me and QT knew what happened. The party members stayed missing and there were no records of a band called Effulgent Creatures. Cardinal Creek slowly fell back to another quiet town in the mountains.

QT and myself decided to leave shortly after. We tried to forget about what happened but we couldn't. After a year of planning, we began to travel. We searched for months for any clues or remnants of the band from another space and time. Our quest has brought us to Chicago.

We don't know if this up and coming band is the same from before. Both of us are willing to bet our lives to find out. QT and I managed to sneak our way into the first performance of Nowhere Out. I will never forget how Medusa sang or how that band made me feel. Tomorrow will hopefully be the end of it all.

#davy ruiz #short story #original #fiction #fairytale #writing #story #art #short #love #adventure #horror #new #hero #lgbtq #spooky #romance #sci fi #scary story

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flickdirect · 6 years ago

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Jim Henson was a master of his craft. Not only did he give us The Muppets but he brought us the beloved series, Fraggle Rock as well. The show debuted in 1983 on HBO in the US (other stations internationally). The series became a hit with kids and continued for four seasons, with the last season airing until March of 1987. Now, those of us who grew up with the Fraggles can enjoy the series again and introduce them to a new generation with the release of Fraggle Rock: The Complete Series on Blu-ray.

This 12-disc release contains all 96 episodes of the series and it's a joy to relive favorite episodes and characters. The "cast" includes Gobo Fraggle, the level-headed main character of the pack who is also an explorer of the various tunnels in Fraggle Rock. His uncle is Uncle Traveling Matt, who explores "Outer Space", which is what the Fraggles call the human part of the world. Next, we have Mokey Fraggle, a free spirit type who is artistic and fairly low key; Wembley Fraggle, who is the high strung best friend of Gobo; Boober Fraggle, a highly intelligent yet often melancholy Fraggle; and Red Fraggle, the fun-loving and lively best friend of Mokey who would love to be in control of more situations like Gobo.

The entire collection is housed in digital sleeves which is not the best format to keep the discs scratch free and safe. It also makes the package take up more space on your bookshelf while the protective coating on the Blu-rays make DVD scratches ancient history. While the packing of the Blu-ray states Fraggle Rock is in 1080p it is actually in 1080i with a 1.33:1 aspect ratio. Because the source material was shot on video there was not much Sony could do to clean up the video to meet today's standards. However, while they try their best, that 80s retro video feel and all the artifacting that comes with it still shines through even with the best equipment. Fairing a bit better is the DTS-HD 2.0 audio mix. The dialog is crisp and clear and the songs come through in better quality than ever heard before.

Special Features included in this set are:

NEW Fraggle Music Celebration

Celebrate your favorite Fraggle songs with sing-alongs for every episode or hit shuffle and let the Fraggles choose for you!

NEW Life on Set: Moments with Jim Henson

NEW 1993 "The Today Show" Segment featuring Uncle Travelling Matt

Down at Fraggle Rock: Behind the Scenes (48-minute version)

Fraggle Songs & Doozer Music

Interviews with Fraggle Rock Creators and Puppeteers

Seasons 2, 3 and 4 Overviews

Docs and Sprockets

"All Around the World" Music Video

Travelling Matt

20 Travelling Matt Segments

Special Tribute to Jerry Juhl

Scared Silly: Art Imitating Life

Production Design Featurette

Electro-Mechanical Puppetry

Doozer Design

How the Trash Heap Came to Be

Gorg Design

Interviews with Michael Frith, Kathy Mullen, and Gerry Parkes

HBO Promos

You Cannot Leave the Magic: Excerpts from the Last Day of Shooting

Dance Your Cares Away: The Evolution of the Theme Song

The Inner Gorg: An Interview with the Performers Inside the Costumes

Let the Music Play: An Interview with Phil Balsam and Dennis Lee

Celebrating Fraggle Rock: Excerpts from the Wrap Party

Designing the Puppets: An Interview with the Puppet Makers

Directing the Fraggles: An Interview with Eric Till and George Bloomfield

Additional Interviews:

Dennis Lee with Mokey

Jerry Juhl with Gobo

Jocelyn Stevenson with Red and Mokey

Faz Fazakas with Cotterpin Doozer

A Minute with Travelling Matt

ADDITIONAL CONTENT:

All 13 Episodes of Fraggle Rock: The Animated Series

Animated Series Behind-the-Scenes Featurette

Animated Series Character Galleries

Animated Series Opening Scene Storyboards

Sony and The Henson company made a great archive of one of the best shows of the early 1980s. While compared to today's video/audio standards the set does show it's age. However, for an 80s child like myself, it brings a smile to my face (I also am now taking my traveling Matt Cardboard Cutout that came with the set along with me everywhere I go!).

About Maureen Buccellato Maureen's taste in film and television is across the board; from horror to romantic comedies, drama to science-fiction, she likes them all.

Read more reviews and content by Maureen Buccellato.

via FlickDirect Entertainment News, Exlclusive Interviews, and Film Reviews

#IFTTT #FlickDirect Entertainment News #Exlclusive Interviews #and Film Reviews

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mallsbiz · 7 years ago

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Puppet Master & Killjoy: Complete Collection

PUPPET MASTER A demonic crew of puppets unleash their murderous talents on psychics investigating their owner, Andre Toulon. PUPPET MASTER 2 Toulon’s army of assassin puppets exhume their beloved creator to gather the brain matter that keeps them alive, but the Puppet Master has a deadly plan of his own. PUPPET MASTER 3: TOULON’S REVENGE After Toulon escapes a kidnapping attempt that killed his wife, he exacts revenge with Six Shooter, Blade and Leech Woman, a new army of mini-murderers. PUPPET MASTER 4 Blade, Tunneler, Pinhead and the newest head-swapping puppet, Decapitron, go toe-to-toe with their most menacing enemy yet—a team of terrifying gremlin-like creatures. PUPPET MASTER 5 Caught between two foes, the half-pint heroes must preserve the magic formula which gives them life…while Puppet Master Rick’s life hangs in the balance. CURSE OF THE PUPPET MASTER Toulon’s puppets have a new master in backwoods scientist, Dr. Magrew, who has been desperately trying to duplicate the great Puppet Master’s work. RETRO PUPPET MASTER Young Toulon is taught the secret of life by an Egyptian sorcerer, but then becomes the target of an evil god. PUPPET MASTER: THE LEGACY Toulon’s reanimation formula is in jeopardy when a rogue agent threatens its protector. PUPPET MASTER: AXIS OF EVIL A young man named Danny saves Toulon’s puppets after his death and must now bring them to life to defeat the axis of evil. KILLJOY When an outcast is bullied to death, a killer clown exacts revenge in his honor. His name is Killjoy and he thinks murder is a laughing matter. KILLJOY 2 On a wilderness rehabilitation trip, a group of at-risk youth find themselves in the home of a voodoo woman where Killjoy’s spirit is summoned. KILLJOY 3 A group of unsuspecting college students accidentally open the portal to Killjoy’s demon realm and get trapped in a strange funhouse world with the killer clown and his friends.

from Products – www.Malls.biz https://malls.biz/product/puppet-master-killjoy-complete-collection/

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