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vivienOops. I was too busy with Halloween revelry yesterday - and then too sleepy when I got home - to post!
Consider this a Things That Are Scary" combo.
You've probably noticed that everything on this countdown has been a real thing. Even Crybaby Bridge is a real place and a real urban legend to experience. There is very little in the fictional world that truly scares me. Zombie shows and movies are intense, but I know that the makeup is well done. I think the Gentlemen from Buffy are fiendishly delightful. The little girl from
There is one exception. There is a version of a fictional character that gives me shudders and creeps me out so badly that I don't even want an image on my computer to upload for this post. I feel silly even admitting it, because, uh, this villain should be on my list of bulletproof tropes.
Heath Ledger did much too good of a job portraying the Joker. I only saw
With
Then the Aurora theater shooting happened, and I had firsthand experience of a dear friend's son and friends being injured in the shooting (not enough for hospitalization, thank goodness) and going through the trauma of my kid suffering through loss and realizing it could have been her had her best friend bought tickets for their midnight showing experience. The perpetrator claimed to be the Joker upon being taken into custody (although this has not been confirmed and the perp got the cosplay REALLY wrong if so, and why I fixate on that, I don't know, but I am not trivializing - that is just where my brain goes).
That was all it took to cement an already difficult to take character into an image that makes me quail and want to hide. I don't block all the Joker tags on Tumblr, because it's not
Okay, on to something that is REAL (more or less) and much easier for me to look at!
Ghost lights can be found twinkling on and off all over the country. The Marfa Lights in Texas are probably the most famous, but there are many sites like this one devoted to lesser known ones. The folklore is common - tragic death, either from battles or from railway or car accidents that leave spirits to wander, trying to light the way.
The stories that spook me the most are the stories of ghost lights chasing cars.
There is a good write up of one in Florida on Greenbriar Road. An uncle of mine used to tell a story of being chased by lights on a rural road near Lawton. I think it was a GREAT story, and only that, but it always gave me shivers.
The best footage I've found of ghost lights is from the Brown Mountains of North Carolina.
A local news report - ignore the goofy Native American image in the rock part. Native Americans of that region never wore warbonnets. /eyerolls at idiots
This is more of the footage mentioned in the report.
I am certain that there is an explanation for these and the other ghost lights on record. I am also certain that while it is fine to look at pictures and Youtube videos, I never ever EVER want to see ghost lights in person. NOPE. NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE.
Consider this a Things That Are Scary" combo.
Real vs. Pretend
You've probably noticed that everything on this countdown has been a real thing. Even Crybaby Bridge is a real place and a real urban legend to experience. There is very little in the fictional world that truly scares me. Zombie shows and movies are intense, but I know that the makeup is well done. I think the Gentlemen from Buffy are fiendishly delightful. The little girl from
The Ring
didn't scare me because all I could think of when I saw her onscreen was that she got onset tutoring like every other child actor in the world, and that blew the illusion. Mannequins, ventriloquist dummies, and creepy dolls are all just props. Come on, I love Voldemort for heaven's sake.There is one exception. There is a version of a fictional character that gives me shudders and creeps me out so badly that I don't even want an image on my computer to upload for this post. I feel silly even admitting it, because, uh, this villain should be on my list of bulletproof tropes.
Heath Ledger did much too good of a job portraying the Joker. I only saw
The Dark Knight
once in the theater with Anime Girl, and I left feeling creeped out and raw and in need of a long hot shower and/or brain bleaching. The Joker repelled
me and the violence and intensity of the movie was just... too real. I avoided watching it again on DVD when AG showed it to her mom that Christmas. I never wanted to see it again.With
The Dark Knight Rises
coming out, enough time had passed that I thought I'd watch the first two of the series with AG again before we went to see the new movie together. I was in no hurry, though.Then the Aurora theater shooting happened, and I had firsthand experience of a dear friend's son and friends being injured in the shooting (not enough for hospitalization, thank goodness) and going through the trauma of my kid suffering through loss and realizing it could have been her had her best friend bought tickets for their midnight showing experience. The perpetrator claimed to be the Joker upon being taken into custody (although this has not been confirmed and the perp got the cosplay REALLY wrong if so, and why I fixate on that, I don't know, but I am not trivializing - that is just where my brain goes).
That was all it took to cement an already difficult to take character into an image that makes me quail and want to hide. I don't block all the Joker tags on Tumblr, because it's not
that
triggering, but I do scroll by REAL FAST as soon as my brain registers "Joker" for an image. I'm sure that will fade with time. For right now, you now know Viv's fictional character Achilles' heel.Okay, on to something that is REAL (more or less) and much easier for me to look at!
Ghost Lights
Ghost lights can be found twinkling on and off all over the country. The Marfa Lights in Texas are probably the most famous, but there are many sites like this one devoted to lesser known ones. The folklore is common - tragic death, either from battles or from railway or car accidents that leave spirits to wander, trying to light the way.
The stories that spook me the most are the stories of ghost lights chasing cars.
There is a good write up of one in Florida on Greenbriar Road. An uncle of mine used to tell a story of being chased by lights on a rural road near Lawton. I think it was a GREAT story, and only that, but it always gave me shivers.
The best footage I've found of ghost lights is from the Brown Mountains of North Carolina.
A local news report - ignore the goofy Native American image in the rock part. Native Americans of that region never wore warbonnets. /eyerolls at idiots
This is more of the footage mentioned in the report.
I am certain that there is an explanation for these and the other ghost lights on record. I am also certain that while it is fine to look at pictures and Youtube videos, I never ever EVER want to see ghost lights in person. NOPE. NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE.