Shell's off in her own little TARDIS

-little-owl-:

Oh Red, you have my heart.

When you rescue Sorcha from drowning.

When you grab her hand during the rain storm.

When you defend her against the Fair Folk.

When you are carving on her ring.

When you take her to the beach and tell her the story of Toby.

When you ask her to marry you.

When you leave her to go look for Simon.

When you are trying to save her at the burning.

When you let her leave with her brothers.

When you go to Sevenwaters, hoping she loves you. 

Is Music Corrupting Our Teens? 

A topic that has been popular in every generation is the effects of ‘new’ music on the era’s young people. Music has been around for thousands of years. Why is it now that the popular music is blamed as the cause of an increase in crime, violence and other issues in teen’s lives?  Could it really just be an excuse to shift the blame from society?

Music matters to teens. It is a major part of our lives. Music is an escape from the world, a place where we can be ourselves, and music does not judge us. What is it about music that is supposed to be the cause of teen rebellion? I have found it is not in fact the music but the cultures and ideals spawned by the music genres. 

If teens follow a trend, companies, which of course are run by adults, package it up, promote it and sell it. This includes the latest trend. Emo. Society promotes it, flaunts it and turns it into a stereotype. Along with the stereotype of emoism came self-harm. So is it really the fault of teens that they follow these trends, when it is being supported by the rest of society?

Although I do not personally agree, the band My Chemical Romance has been described as an emo band because they often sing about death, depression and violence. This band in fact tries to separate themselves from stereotypes. In an interview their front man Gerard Way comments: “We’re not here to cash in on a commercial movement like a buzzword, we’re not here to do that. It (Emo) was what was going on in New Jersey, in like, full force. We didn’t want to have anything to do with it.” So if the bands themselves aren’t trying to promote the themes in their songs who is?

Symphony Fantastique by Hector Berlioz tells the story of a young man who is gifted with a lively imagination. The young man poisons himself with opium because he is in the depths of despair caused by ‘hopeless love.’ During the fourth movement of the piece he is executed.  As you can see this morbid piece involves, death, drugs, suicide and depression. How is rock music any worse? You may say it is because classical music doesn’t influence teens, because it isn’t a popular type of music.

Many teens listen to classical music and other ‘non-popular’ styles of music but because they are not viewed as popular music the media never covers these styles, leaving them out of consideration as influences on teens. In truth there is probably more music with so called ‘happy’ lyrics than those with controversial lyrics.

Many bands have been blamed for promoting violence but in 1999 the Columbine school massacre evoked a new revolt against rock and heavy metal music. This time the focus was on rocker Marilyn Manson. In the documentary Bowling for Columbine Manson shares his view on why people blame him and his fellow artists.  “Its easy to throw my face on a TV because I’m, in the end, a poster boy for fear because I represent what everyone is afraid of because I do and say what I want.”

Michael Moore interviewing Manson about his controversial image

The American President whom everybody knows or a rock star that many teens neither like nor listen to his music. Marilyn Manson responds, “I’d like to think me, but I’m gonna go with the president.”

So why are we blaming the problems of today’s teens on  ‘rock’ music? It’s because society wants something to put the guilt on to, instead of looking in the mirror and seeing the real problem.

Written for an English assignment in year 12… 

500 word story written based on a picture of a baby (me) who looked very doll like. Awarded an honourable mention in 2006.

It’s happened once. It can happen again.

Mia couldn’t sleep.  She had tossed and turned all night but the image of a doll was etched in her mind.  The doll was frighting lifelike and every detail was perfect.  Her gorgeous, one year old baby sister had received the doll in the mail from an anonymous sender.  Mia stared out the window of her new bedroom pondering the light flickering in the upstairs window of the huge deserted factory next door.  She began to feel uneasy and felt a tickle of dread rise from the pit of her stomach.  She heard a scream coming from the building and the light in the window flickered.  Without thinking Mia ran to her sister’s room.  The room was silent. Mia listened for the sound of her sister’s gentle breathing but it never came. Her sister was gone but so was the doll.

Mia ran out into the street.   “Sophie!” Mia screamed, her voice echoing down the street.  Mia was sure her sister was in the factory.  The big iron door creaked loudly as it swung open, revealing the dark, cold factory inside.  A chill filled her.  Mia took a few tentative steps inside when she felt something gripping her ankle. She let out a bloodcurdling scream.  Sophie’s new doll was at her ankle, it’s knifelike nails slicing her leg.  

“We’ve been expecting you Mia,” said the doll eerily, it’s eyes rolling back into its head. “Welcome to the tour of our factory.”  

Mia tried to escape but the doll simply dug its nails deeper into her flesh, making Mia collapse.  A clunk announced the arrival of an army of dolls.  A throne of human skulls was lifted by eight grotesque looking dolls, whose bodies looked as if they’d been tortured, bloodstains coating their clothes and their eyes as red as rubies.  Mia screamed as she was tied to it, the chains eating into her flesh.  Her eyes refused to close as she was carried to the room of death.  

Sophie hung by her feet in the middle of the room over a large vat of kaolin and petuntse, the ingredients for porcelain.  Dolls lined the room, their eyes were frozen in fright, except for a few whose eyes were being injected with…  Mia shuddered. She didn’t want to know.  Mia screamed to Sophie, but she didn’t move an inch.  Suddenly she was upside down, swinging by her ankles.  The room was deathly silent, until she heard the sound of footsteps.  

“Hello Mia,” smirked a cruel looking man as he entered the room. “You and your sister will be the gems of my fine doll making business?” he snickered.  “A genius way of doll making, if I may say so myself.  I’ll love creating your new look. It’s simply cruel. Lower em in!” 

Chains were broken and Mia’s head sped towards the porcelain mixture.  She was drowning, drowning, drowning. Porcelain filled her nose, her mouth, and her whole body.  The mixture tasted of death, vampire blood.  

Her mortal heart stilled as her immortal heart began.