Included Below: Zombies / The Campsite / Undone / Kiwi / SWDT Redux. Click HERE for further information about this newsletter. To those from before and those who are new-
I. WELCOME!
Finding your purpose.
A friend of mine likes to talk about how people have a type when it comes to monsters. Some people like vampires, some ghost stories, others zombies, and so on. I am firmly in the zombies camp, paying my dues through eleven seasons of The Walking Dead.
By now, I’m sure you’ve at least heard of the hit show, The Last of Us. I must admit, I went in with a heavy dose of cynicism. It is based on a video game and I am not here to slam them. The last video game system I had was the Sega Genesis, so I am clearly not qualified to have an opinion. Video games are one hundred percent an art-form, so much so, that I would argue shows like The Walking Dead have embraced and been influenced by video game narrative structures. But, one must admit, that adapting video games into television shows or movies definitely has a spotty history.
But, it’s zombies, so I looked into it, and The Last of Us was developed by the writer behind the Chernobyl mini-series. I decided to give it a go. The first episode was good, standard end of the world zombie stuff. Every episode kept getting better, even if you hate this kind of genre, episode three is something quite unique and special. And it continues to get better from there. If you do actually start watching the show, I highly recommend listening to The Last of Us podcast after each episode. It’s with the creator of the game (and also the show) Neil Druckmann and showrunner Craig Mazin (Chernobyl). They provide some great behind-the-scenes information, the differences between the video game and television series mediums, and lots of other stuff.
So, why do I like zombies so much? Well, it’s not exactly the zombies. It’s more the ability to explore human behaviour, choice, belief, purpose, and so on. Purpse is the one I’ve been thinking about most, at least when it comes to The Last of Us. When there’s a zombie apocalypse, it actually seems to be a way for people to step up and discover who they are inside. Even the bad guys. They might be misguided, but they know who they are. I don’t mean this as an identity, which I think can be a bit dangerous. I’m talking about an unspoken feeling that you get when you find it. And, in our current world, it’s sometimes a little challenging to figure out what exactly is our purpose.
Now, I’m not (entirely) wishing that some kind of zombie apocalypse happens. However, it would be helpful to highlight this notion of purpose and the importance of it. There is something appealing about the world falling apart and instantly your purpose becomes clear. This purpose seems to come in relation to other people. A consistent approach in the zombie genre is the creation of found families. Almost everyone that has survived has most likely lost their actual blood family, and in a way, people are forced to pull apart the traditional family structure and build something new. That’s what a lot of us have had to do without a zombie apocalypse, those of us out there without a family of their own. We have to find our people, redefine what family means, and build new kinds of relationships. I guess there are some things that are easier to talk about within the context of a post-apocalyptic world?
What is my purpose? I used to be so much more sure of that. It’s felt eroded lately. Perhaps it’s just the product of getting older? Of shifting priorities? Maybe to be more confident in my purpose I need the end of the world to happen?
Or I’m reading too much into all this and it’s just fun to watch people get chased and eaten by zombies.
Q - Without telling me what it is, have you found your purpose?
II. TALES FROM THE DREAM ROOM
Each month welcomes an exclusive excerpt of a story from a parallel world.
The Dream Room is a place that where everything is interconnected. The sights and sounds and people that inhabit this world feel familiar. The tales pulled from the Dream Room are sometimes true and sometimes fiction, they may scare you or make you laugh.
Now it’s becoming a series of novels. Every month this section will include an excerpt from a work in progress of the first volume in the Dream Room Series. The Dream Room is a place not to be taken lightly and if you’re ready to enter, read below and click on the link for the full story.
THE DREAM ROOM SERIES - VOLUME ONE: Blair didn’t go deep into the forest, yet. She swept around the perimeter of the three main buildings. They called the place where they lived simply, The Campsite. It was a campsite that was abandoned long ago.
At first glance, it seemed like it could still be abandoned. When Isaac and his wife arrived many years ago, he renovated everything by himself, this facade of abandonment was intentional. Isaac knew that in order to protect his family, combined with his desire for non-violence, his first line of defence was invisibility. He also knew that the majority of people rarely paid attention to their surroundings, so if they had strangers passing through, they’d do just that: pass through. Probably hadn’t realized The Campsite was someone’s home.
There were three main buildings: the Main House, the Lake House, and Pine Manor. Blair walked the perimeter of the Main House where she watched Isaac go inside and return with washcloths, water, and other first aid items. She paused, looked on as Isaac washed the woman’s face.
Read the whole excerpt at this link.
III. PAUL’S PICKS
A recommendation of something watched, read, or listened to.
The show Undone is a pleasant surprise and explores "the elastic nature of reality through its central character, Alma. After getting into a nearly fatal car crash, Alma discovers she has a new relationship with time and uses this ability to find out the truth about her father’s death.”
Undone was created by Kate Purdy and Raphael Bob-Waksberg, of Bojack Horseman fame. Similar to Bojack, this show mixes humour and lightheartedness alongside some darker themes of death and mental health. There is a tension throughout the show as to whether Alma is actually experiencing this journey or there is something darker going on. There is also the added depth of incorporating Alma’s Mexican-American heritage and traditions.
To add to the show’s style is that it was made with an animation method called rotoscoping, a technique that animators use to trace over motion picture footage, frame by frame, to produce realistic action. So, it’s not just actor’s voices in this show, they actually filmed them and animated on top of the footage. Undone is a tight two seasons with eight episodes in each one. And if you make it to season two, there is something quite emotional waiting there for you.
Q - Any television show or movie suggestions?
IV. FROM THE ARCHIVES
An old story from my blog brought to you in a new way.
What seems like a long time ago, I released a book called Dreams of Being a Kiwi. And since this month’s newsletter has a loose theme of mental health, I figured it would be good to drop this in here. Excerpts from the book can be found on my blog starting below, audio excerpts on my podcast, and more information on the book can be found at this link.
DREAMS OF BEING A KIWI (OCTOBER 2018): Helen checked on me for the last time in the middle of the night, left my door open. She trusted me. After she left, I dramatically removed the bedspread to reveal that I had my clothes on already. I was clever that way. Nothing else was going with me. Every one of my possessions would remain as they were, they would only lack an owner. I said GOODBYE! to the bed I slept in for years. A bed that I had twisted and turned on top of and thought thoughts I didn't want to think anymore. I made the bed, I respected the bed that provided me with rest when the voices were asleep.
The hallway was empty, the plans unfolding in my favour from the start. Down the hallway to the stairwell – this was a low security area. They trusted me, we were usually on lock down in our rooms anyways.
The ground floor – the tricky part. The anxiety of the ground floor turned the sound up in the back of my head, but by the Grace of God it stayed to a low murmur. The sound I heard was fear and fear was only a feeling and I could control my feelings.
Read the whole story at this link.
Q - What is something that was old to you but is now new again?
V. WATCH, LISTEN, READ, OR DO
Something to take with you.
I know it seems like all I’m doing in this section is talking about Stories We Don’t Tell, but what the hell, we’re knee deep in our live event season and so there’s a lot going on.
We’ve already done two workshops and lemme tell you, the stories are intense. Afterwards, my colleague and I were remarking about how there is an emotional weight that is absorbed in these workshops. That’s part of the idea - participants unload their stories and we meet them halfway, guiding them to structuring and telling their stories that best suits them. Fun might not be the right word, but it is always exciting.
Our next event is coming up on March 18th, and you can RSVP at this link. It’s going to be a wild one. See you there.
Q - Do you have any recommendations for live events in Toronto?
You’ve probably noticed that I’ve included a question at the end of each section. No, this isn’t required homework. However, if you are compelled to write to me with your thoughts, I would love to hear from you. Who knows, I might even share some of the answers in future newsletters (anonymously, of course). Email me here: jpd@pauldore.com.
February 2023 Edition: Puzzles / Scratching / Manifesto / How Things Have Changed / SWDT.