Laura Morrigan

They call it an Antique store, although it has had many names over the years. A Curiosity Shop, The Wunderkammer. I remember a time before this shop even existed, before the antiques were even created. The people who work at this store are less than children to me, insignificant. I will still be here when they are dead beneath the soil, or ashes in a pot somewhere. Humans are ephemeral, I go on. I am tarnished now, you can barely even see the shadow of a reflection in me. Part of me hopes that means the spell is wearing off, that one day I will simply be no more. The other, more intelligent part of me thinks it’s just because no one knows how to take proper care of a mirror these days. The Queen used to have her servants clean me daily with soft cloths that tickled and polish that stung in a good way. Like how men say aftershave feels. But the queen is less than ashes now, no more than a story, a cautionary tale. And yet I linger on.   The bell dings merrily and the shop is flooded...

Donut County is a quirky single player Indie game. You primarily play as a raccoon called BK who has used a hole-making app to sink everyone underground. The story is mostly told in flashback, with everyone already stuck underground. The main objective is to use the holes to swallow objects. The holes grow larger every time you swallow something until you are able to swallow whole buildings. There are also a few puzzles where you have to catapult things, collect water, etc. Some of these can be a little fiddly. There is no guidance and you have to work them out for yourself. I especially enjoyed the puzzles where you used a frog with a long tongue to grab things. After each of the levels there is a Trashopedia, where you can read BK’s amusing descriptions of items such as “Car: A dumpster you can drive” and “Cardboard box: It’s a free house, don’t get it wet". There is humorous dialogue between scenes from the Donut County residents trapped underground. This game is suitable for c...

I She had been told the surface world was dangerous, but she could not resist it. It was such a different place from the world below the waters. Under the sea, the colours were murky, sounds were muted. Everything was calm. Above the water the sun shone down, nearly blinding you at first. There was the screaming of gulls, it wasn’t a nice sound but it was different. So loud and immediate. Everything was so intense. Then, of course, there were the humans. She watched them in their fishing boats. They were so like her yet so different. They wore coarse clothes, where she went naked. And, just like the stories said, they had legs. They walked around on their boats like it was nothing. She watched in wonder. Her tail was strong and powerful, it could move her through the waves like a bullet. Yet, as she watched, she envied them their legs. She dreamed of walking around like they did. Of going back to land, of seeing all the wonders there. Day after day, she left her watery home to visit th...

Christmas is nearly here! If you've run out of Christmas movies, here are five TV series episodes to keep you going. 1: Supernatural: A Very Supernatural Christmas  (s03e08) An early Supernatural episode that offers laughs, monsters, and a poignant flashback story to Sam and Dean's childhood. Also a nostalgic re-watch for those who finally finished the last season.   2.   Futurama: Xmas Story (s02e04) This episode introduces us to  a hilarious future Christmas where a robot Santa kills naughty people. This early Futurama episode is a real classic of the series.   3.   Chilling Adventures of Sabrina: A Midwinter’s Tale  (s01e11) Based on creepy Christmas monsters from folklore, this is a fun seasonal episode. If you haven’t seen this regrettably cancelled series it is spooky and funny with loads of great horror references. Luckily there will be one more season, coming out 31st December.   4.   Doctor Who: The Next Doctor  (Christmas Spec...

CHRISTMAS. For most people, the word conjures up images of snow, a jolly man in a fur trimmed red suit, blazing fireplaces and an extravagant roast dinner. However, a large part of the world actually celebrates Christmas in Summer. Australia has been a British colony since 1770 and has inherited a lot of Christmas traditions, such as eating similar foods, listening to the same Christmas music and Christmas crackers with paper hats and terrible prizes. Many Australians of British descent listen to the Queen’s Christmas speech, but this is by no means mandatory. While Australia is a multicultural country, and many other cultures celebrate different holidays during this time such as Kwanzaa and Hannukah, Christmas is widely considered a non-denominational holiday in Australia. It is mainly about food, family and a day off. The Australian Aboriginals are made up of many different cultural groups that celebrate differently. The Arnhem Land Yolngu people celebrate the last season of th...

This hallucinatory modern film pairs the classic revenge themes with themes of demons and magic. Filmed with pulsing colourful lights, short animated sequences, we are given the feeling of a dream or perhaps some kind of acid trip. The trippy soundtrack from Icelandic composer Johan Johansson melds perfectly with the fever dream visuals. Johansson was gaining recognition for his music when he unfortunately passed away at only 48 and this was his last film score. We learn little about the main characters other than they are in love and happy with their simple life. When a group of cultists destroy that life, of course, we are thirsty for revenge. One of the great things about a revenge film is that we are allowed to revel in the violence, to enjoy bad people suffering for their actions. Seeing evil be punished is a guilty pleasure we are allowed to embrace in film. British actor Linus Roache is amazingly creepy, playing a despicable and somewhat pathetic failed musician bec...

Considered to be one of the best films in British history, Don’t Look Now is a slow burn thriller that keeps us wondering whether something supernatural is going on or not. Based on a story by Daphne du Maurier (famous for Rebecca and The Birds), the film is the story of British couple John and Laura who, after the tragic death of their daughter, go to Venice to work on a church. A pair of women who claim to be psychic and sightings of a small figure in a red coat that matches the one their daughter wore have them questioning whether she could still be with them. The film is very elegant and slow paced, only reaching its thrilling conclusion near the very end. The dark, maze-like streets of Venice form an atmospheric setting, full of weird noises, dead ends and a mysterious murderer. As the main couple, Donald Sutherland and Julie Christie’s love and frustration feel quite real, while the psychic sisters keep us guessing on whether they are up to something or not until the very end. ...