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Taxidermist Brings Flying Monkeys and Frankensquirrels to Unlife
Urban Fantasy Always Takes Place In Alternate Worlds
First 5 Minutes Of The Princess And The Frog Is A Love/Hate Experience
Richard K. Morgan Talks Noir Fantasy
Is This The Year Urban Fantasy Conquers Science Fiction?
Proof That Every Fantasy Book Cover Must Contain a Sword
Sam Rockwell's Two-Sided Fantasy Hero Blows The Gentlemen Broncos Trailer Away
Miyazaki's Fishy Love Story Celebrates the Spirit of Adventure
An Evil Steve Jobs Lords Over Robert Rodriguez's "Shorts"
Has Sci-Fi Become Too Infected By Fantasy?

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Jack_Burton
11/05/09

In reply to Taxidermist Brings Flying Monkeys and Frankensquirrels to Unlife
# 10 reminds me of the Sumatran Rat-Monkey from Dead Alive!

Love 'em! #taxidermy
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Bigdamnhero
11/04/09

In reply to Taxidermist Brings Flying Monkeys and Frankensquirrels to Unlife
I volunteer my head and half of my torso when I die, so I can be mounted and stuffed a la Jeremy Bentham, into a life-sized statue of Zaphod Beeblebrox. Who's with me? #taxidermy
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Bigdamnhero
11/04/09

In reply to Taxidermist Brings Flying Monkeys and Frankensquirrels to Unlife
I wonder if this is some kind of trend. There was a booth on the showroom floor at SDCC 09 that had similiar stuff. This other guy mixed in some steampunk elements, though; I think he had a squirrel with a section of his tail replaced with chain link, or something. #taxidermy
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Evil Tortie's Mom: R.O.A.C.H.
11/04/09

In reply to Taxidermist Brings Flying Monkeys and Frankensquirrels to Unlife
Do capricorns have wings? #taxidermy
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♠ Final ♠
11/04/09

In reply to Taxidermist Brings Flying Monkeys and Frankensquirrels to Unlife
Welcome to the only museum in the world without a 'Do Not Touch' sign. #taxidermy
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cylon_conspiracy
11/04/09

In reply to Taxidermist Brings Flying Monkeys and Frankensquirrels to Unlife
This is wrong. And I don't mean that in a funny way, but in a "this is really inappropriate" way. #taxidermy
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disatess
11/04/09

@cylon_conspiracy: I agree . #taxidermy
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cylon_conspiracy
11/04/09

@disatess: Somehow I feel compelled to watch Casino Royale again, where they have the little chase through the Human Body Art exhibit.

And that compulsion has left me, and I'm fine again.

But hey, if you ever want to buy Freddy Krueger a housewarming gift, now you know where to shop.
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Edited by cylon_conspiracy at 11/04/09 7:37 PM cylon_conspiracy was starred cylon_conspiracy was unstarred

theredlibrarian
11/04/09

@cylon_conspiracy: How, exactly, is this "wrong?" Everything Sabrina uses is found or donated. Nothing is killed to do it. This isn't like she's using the taxidermist's version of conflict diamonds or anything. What about it do you find repulsive?
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cylon_conspiracy
11/05/09

@theredlibrarian: I think it's wrong to make art out of dead bodies. It's disrespectful to any spirit or consciousness or whatever you want to say that may or may not be in an animal (or human). Even if you don't think there's such a thing as that it is just disrespectful to the memory of something that used to be alive.

I can ALMOST understand simply stuffing a dead animal so you can appreciate its form for what it is. But taking bits and pieces from other animals and mashing them up together for some aberration? To me that's just f'd up.

I didn't think these creatures were killed to make art. I just think its extremely improper.
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Edited by cylon_conspiracy at 11/05/09 1:14 AM cylon_conspiracy was starred cylon_conspiracy was unstarred

Qev
11/05/09

@cylon_conspiracy: I hope you don't ever wear leather... #taxidermy
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cylon_conspiracy
11/05/09

@Qev: At least leather provides some sort of utility. It's not making a mockery of the animals that were used. #taxidermy
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NeVeRMoRe666
11/05/09

@cylon_conspiracy: I think the cow would disagree with you. #taxidermy
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gd01skorpius
11/04/09

In reply to Taxidermist Brings Flying Monkeys and Frankensquirrels to Unlife
These pictures never load properly for me :( #taxidermy
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LittleDragon
11/04/09

In reply to Taxidermist Brings Flying Monkeys and Frankensquirrels to Unlife
The Capricorn is actually kind of pretty and the flying monkey is funny. #taxidermy
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Ruthless, If you let me
11/04/09

@LittleDragon: You picked out my faves. #taxidermy
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Soupytwist
11/02/09

In reply to Urban Fantasy Always Takes Place In Alternate Worlds
I am so happy to see Rachel Pollack's Unquenchable Fire referenced by another creator. That book blew my mind wide open when I was a teen and I don't know anyone else who's even heard of it, let alone read it. It is my single reference point for "magical realism" or whatever trendy name that type of fiction has now. #fantasy
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goldfarb
11/01/09

In reply to Urban Fantasy Always Takes Place In Alternate Worlds
so we're not counting miracles and transubstantiation etc as belonging to the realm of 'the fantasitic'?
it's always interesting to see religion slip out from under things like this...
the four bullet points above are, pretty much, true right now in the 'real world' #fantasy
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Tomb: R.O.A.C.H.
11/01/09

In reply to Urban Fantasy Always Takes Place In Alternate Worlds
Now I know what to write in NaNoWriMo. #fantasy
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ManchuCandidate
11/01/09

In reply to Urban Fantasy Always Takes Place In Alternate Worlds
Oh boy, I can't wait for the Warlock of Walmart #fantasy
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Purple Dave
11/01/09

In reply to Urban Fantasy Always Takes Place In Alternate Worlds
There are three basic stances to take on this:

1. As they've said, it has to be an alternate universe, because the public is fully aware of the supernatural goings-on around them.

2. Whether or not it is an alternate universe, the supernatural has managed to be discrete enough with their activities that the public is blissfully unaware of what's been going on around them, and there's no reason that it should affect the day-to-day life of the average non-supernatural being.

3. It's all happening for real, right now, in _our_ world, and not only do you not know about it, but as a bonus they've successfully managed to distract you with all these tasty "fictional" stories. And don't you feel stupid now?

Don't believe #2 or #3 are possible? Go read the Great Game trilogy by Dave Duncan (Past Imperative, Present Tense, & Future Imperfect) and pay special attention to any mention of either WWI or the Spanish Flu. #fantasy
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Bill-Lee
11/01/09

In reply to Urban Fantasy Always Takes Place In Alternate Worlds
The position of these authors assumes that there would be interaction between these magical beings and humans. The Harry Potter novels, to use a popular example, posit a world where beings such as elves and magic using humans voluntarily segregate themselves from the non-magical world. When the characters from Harry Potter must interact with muggles they either do so in secret or pose as ordinary humans. It is implied in the novels that muggles and wizards evolved side-by-side but gradually drifted apart. Humans developed technology in order to achieve artificially what wizards do through naturally occurring magical abilities. Humans invented the light bulb, for example, because they can't wave around a stick and produce light by shouting bad Latin and worse Greek.

Likewise, the real folklore that deals with faeries, demons, ghosts, elves, and similar creatures has always taken the point of view that these beings do exist. We don't see them unless they want us to and outside of pranks and curses they would rather not interact with humans, after all they do have their own affairs to deal with.

And even if magical beings did interact with humans, they wouldn't necessarily affect our history. History is written, as they say, by the victors. In most urban fantasy I have read, the struggle for the dominance of the Earth the victors are clearly human beings. The history books are written by human beings with a vested interest in propping up the human claim to the planet by celebrating the achievements of humans. Biased human human historians would likely leave out the contributions of magical creatures, confining them to the literary ghettos of folklore and mythology.

Furthermore, why would ghosts want civil rights or suffrage? They have an entirely new state of existence to explore. As beings of pure energy they can go anywhere and do anything; the affairs of our world would likely hold very little interest to a creature like that. Who cares about air pollution, health care reform, and nuclear war when you're already dead? Those problems can no longer affect you. And if those problems can no longer affect you, why would you give a rat's ass who lives in the White House or 10 Downing Street? #fantasy
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whateley23
10/31/09

In reply to Urban Fantasy Always Takes Place In Alternate Worlds
It's interesting to me that everyone seems to know what "magic" is, but no one cares to actually define it, except by allusion. Certainly, my own definitions of "magic" (I use several, depending on context, some of which I see as "real" and others entirely "fantastic") are very wide-ranging. On the one end of the scale, there are such things as prestidigitation and the various psychological technologies such as the Arts of Memory and Bonding. On the other end are such things as D&D/Vancian and pulp magic or Katherine Kurtz's Deryni. All of these things are "magic", but some are more likely than others. Is there some rule that Urban Fantasy is required to have its magic on the fictional end of the scale? Because, if things closer to reality are allowed instead, the social changes aren't going to be as dramatic as all that.

In other words, isn't Foucault's Pendulum, in some sense at least, Urban Fantasy? How about 100 Years of Solitude? Where is the boundary line? #fantasy
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Chip Overclock
11/01/09

@whateley23: Good point. All fiction can be classified as fantasy ("this happened"), alternate history ("this happened instead"), or secret history ("this is what really happened"). You happened to have named Eco's grand unified conspiracy theory (I guess that would be a secret history) and (I think, I haven't read it) a magical realism novel. But really, I think you're point can be made about all fiction. #fantasy
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