Five Second Fables: The Twitterverse on God Creating Animals

Barlow's Aesop

Twitter has been telling tales - fables, to be more precise - and apart from the funny factor, it turns out they tell us a lot about us, our stories and how we see the world.

Barlow's Aesop

Crowd sourced information gathering and storytelling is a fairly new phenomenon, made possible by the age of social media. Twitter in particular, encourages people to distill meaning down to 140 (or less) characters, which is excellent practice for writers and storytellers, and for spreading the word very, very quickly. It's even become a wide-spread tool for distilling themes (ie. "elevator pitches" which are useful in a wide variety of fields) but there are other applications storytellers and folklorists can use them for as well. Memes, with their unique form of social commentary (yes, cat memes, DO say something about society), spread ideas, create context and bridge facts with fiction, often blurring the lines between the two to create a new "thinking space" for issues.

A few years ago fairy tale scholar Donald Haase* proposed a "communal catalogue" of #TwitterTypes, which were to be new summaries of traditional tales in 140 characters or less, to be used as a modern projection of the tale types classifications. Why Twitter? In Haase's words (from his personal Facebook page):

Because the discipline of 140 characters composed on a computer or smartphone forces creative choices about a tale’s “essence,” and those choices reveal, to the Tweeter, the alternatives — the “Tweets-not-taken.”

(Note: we did actually collect as many of these #twittertypes as we could find at the time and are considering adding a page for them to be stored here, perhaps added to if folk are inspired.)

While the project started well, and proved fascinating, it didn't last long and was not very extensive, which was unfortunate, as the potential for study using this tool and tack is wonderful and very reflective of how people today think. It also reflects the methods and thinking process for how we often tell stories in this social media and visual era. The experiment, though not proving successful as a modern alternative to the Aa-Th classification system as planned, did, however, make the point of showing that tales can be told, distilled, summarized, from various cultural and personal viewpoints via this social media medium.

God creating the animals ‘The Taymouth Hours’, England 14th century.

The "creation fables" shown below, though created purely for humorous intent, tell their own silly stories, not unlike many ancestral creation tales in which gods and goddesses were seen to be just as fallible and emotional as man, deciding and acting according to their personal agendas.

Described mostly via a brief dialogue exchange with God and an angel "sidekick" (or creation-technician), there isn't a lot of narrative detail, but each imply a situation and a result, and collectively - as they were written by multiple Twitter-users in a collective "brainstorm" - they provide a snapshot of modern humor and fable. They also wonderfully illustrate storytelling via memes (or memetics).

We're sure there are folklorists out there who could easily expand this into a fascinating lecture on storytelling and sociology but for today: the lecture is over. ;)

We've decided to call these, "Five Second Fables".

The Lion reads to the Animals (Aesop's Fables), 1869, Ernest Griset

Warning: While the content included in this post is generally considered humorous, we are aware that some people may feel offended as it uses casual references to God, and describes God (and angels) using colloquial humor and some bad language. As a result, we are putting these "tweet-fables", under the jump. Please consider yourself warned and read at your own risk. We do hope though, that it will add some smiles to your Sunday.

✑  ✑  ✑  ✑  ✑  ♛ (click the "Read more" link below this line) ♛  ✑  ✑  ✑  ✑  ✑

The Nutmeg Princess Now Lives Underwater in Grenada (& A Brief Discussion of 'Story Forensics')

You've likely seen some of the incredible sculptures from this underwater park in Grenada around the place. The statues have been designed to promote coral growth and are now ecosystems themselves, in fact it would be accurate to say the statues together are a living, artificial reef. (If you visit and dive to see them, please don't touch! Just pose and selfie. ;)

It should be noted that the diver and artist-sculptor who creates these eco-encouraging art pieces (and is doing amazing things to battle our rapidly disappearing coral reef systems around the world), is specifically attuned to both the historical and the folkloric aspects of "Spice Isle', in fact, he calls those topics a 'passion':

Known as Caribbean’s ‘Spice Isle’, Grenada has much to offer its visitors, especially seagoing tourists, from amazing forest reserves to picturesque waterfalls to a vast array of gorgeous white sandy beaches to name but a few. But what draws more and more visitors from every part of the globe year after year is the stunning-and-unique-of-its-kind Underwater Sculpture Park –the newest attraction of the island’s beautiful shallow waters, based on the original sculptures of the famous British sculptor and diver Jason De Caires Taylor, who has a special passion for creating fantastic pieces of work showcasing Grenada’s history and folklore. (Travelvivi)

I couldn't resist showcasing some examples. Click on the images to see them full size:

 

 

 

The newest sculpture was just, um, 'planted', less than a month ago and now that the dust, er, sand, has settled and the local sea life is becoming acclimated, these beautiful photos are starting to appear online.

Nutmeg Princess almost ready to be 'put to bed'

From Travel Weekly:

The Nutmeg Princess statue has been added to Grenada's Underwater Sculpture Park at Moliniere Bay, just north of the capital of St. George's on the southwest coast of the island.
The 11-foot-tall statue joins 100 sculptures at the park that opened in 2007 and serves as an artificial reef that forms a substrata for the growth of marine life.
...The Nutmeg Princess depicts Grenada’s first fairy tale princess emerging from a large nutmeg pod and reaching to the heavens with a handful of the spice Grenada is known for.

This is not from a traditional tale - well, not exactly anyway. The Nutmeg Princess is a 'well-loved classic' folktale written in 1992 (yes, very recently!).

The story goes like this:

The idea for the story was the result of a school visit where a little girl put up her hand and asked if (author, playwright and storyteller) Keens-Douglas knew a story about a black princess. At the time, he didn't, but it was all he needed to inspire him. 

You can go debate about whether it's possible to write a 'real' 'new fairy tale' or not, but for the record, I'm on the side of 'absolutely it's possible - rare, very rare, but possible'. Almost always the ones that stick are grown out of older stories, with the storytellers/writers well-rooted in folklore and tales, and while most 'new' tales are really just variations, I do believe that sometimes, there might just be a new one...

I don't know enough of the pattern markers to 'measure' how old a specific tale really might be (whether the writer knew that or not) and I don't have a 'story-forensics* & lexicology' database that casts a wide enough net to track it either in the multiple classification types, but there are 'tells'. For instance, at a quick read through, this tale feels like a repurposed myth, but I've also read a range of Caribbean tales and know the boundaries between myth and fairy tale are a little more blurry in this part of the world than we're used to.


Does that mean it's not new? Although unlikely, the answer really is 'No'. Because there's that sliver of possibility that it just might be. New-but-familiar is that extraordinarily elusive combination that many artists, from writers to musicians, strive for, with many never knowing whether or not their 'successes' are truly new or not!

What a brain stretcher. I'd like to hand this over to a PhD candidate please!

In the meantime, all those who would like to join me in cross-checking the story-forensics database, please put on your geek gear, ink your tattoos, bring your uber-hack skills and wear boots and your ATU credentials. I'll meet you in the lab, where the cool soundtrack is. (Note: We do accept tweed if you can 'bring it'.) Oh yes - and be prepared for lively debates... ;)

Note: I now have a yen to re-read Seanan McGuire's Indexing... man I wish that series had kept on going! Just adore the concept and have a feeling it was just a teensy bit ahead of its time.

*Yes - forensics: you can't tell me you haven't thought how people use and twist fairy tales can't be considered a crime from time to time! ;)

Article: Discussing NPR's "A Girl, A Shoe, A Prince: The Endlessly Evolving Cinderella"

Cinderella illustrated by Katerina Shtanko
All illustrations in this post are from the book shown above
(via http://www.fairyroom.ru/)

First of all I want to say: GO READ THIS ARTICLE by Linda Holmes for NPR. The whole thing. I want to discuss it a little and wish I could just copy it all and paste it here, but you'll have to do with teasing extracts until you go eyeball the whole piece yourself. It's a wittily written, guide through Cinderella's transformations from one version to another. Still not convinced? It starts like this:

"Woman gives birth to a gourd." 

This is the opening to the description of an Italian variant of the Cinderella folk tale — or, really, a relative of one of its relatives — taken from a book called Cinderella; three hundred and forty-five variants of Cinderella, Catskin, and Cap o'Rushes, abstracted and tabulated, with a discussion of mediaeval analogues, and notes, written by Marian Roalfe Cox and published in 1893. In this version of the story, the heroine is born inside a gourd and accidentally abandoned in the forest — understandable, given that her mother has just brought forth a squash from within her person, and the last thought she's entertaining is probably, "Hey, I'll take that with me." 

Our heroine is discovered by a prince, who finds the talking gourd and takes it home. If nothing else, perhaps it has a future in show business. At some point, she presumably emerges from it — the details offered in the book about this particular folk tale are limited — and she becomes a servant... 

The tale is, of course, Zuchinetta, one of Cinderella's many, many ancestor-cousins. The immediate reaction when I bring this version up? "So pumpkins.. not such a new concept then?" (Perrault, you sly little writer you! Gourd, pumpkin... not such an out-of-the-blue choice after all, was it, Sir?
                            
Cinderella was always a gourd girl... (I know - it almost hurts it's so bad..)

Then Holmes discusses the variation that includes a little chewing out of the relatives... sorry. That's chewing ON relatives.. (yikes):

One begins with Cinderella, her two older sisters and their mother agreeing to a whimsical bet: First one to drop her spinning spool will be eaten by the others. When Mom proves clumsy, the sisters indeed eat her. (A deal's a deal?) Cinderella decides not to eat her mother, but to wait until the killing and eating is over, then bury her mother's bones. You know, out of respect. Fortunately, her mother's bones turn into coins and beautiful magic dresses. It's no fairy godmother, but you don't look your mother's gift bones in the ... mouth, I suppose.

Ba-dum-bump. OK, so Cinderella wasn't always such a "gourd girl". And this isn't the only version in which she does some.. less than "good girl" things.

It's not really that far a leap from bones to an oft-visited grave, though, is it?

But for all the weirdness and downright "heck-no!" factor in the more gruesome variants, Holmes explains how, somehow, Cinderella, the basic story, is still recognizable and remains as durable as ever.
                             
From there she goes on to discuss what a Cinderella story actually is and discusses one of those things I wish more people understood: the great differences in how people use language with regard to fairy tales - something which mixes up a lot of messages. For example, the use of the word "fairytale" (wish fulfillment/idea state) is completely different from the phrase "fairy tale" (a wonder tale) which, now that people are once again looking back to see where these stories came from is beginning to get mixed up with "folktale" (a traditional tale or legend that's considered false or based on superstition) all over again. Holmes discusses how the phrase "Cinderella story" is actually a different entity altogether from discussing "the story OF Cinderella" (or a Cinderella tale-type) and 'why' and 'how' they're an interesting reflection of the time period in which they were made (including all those spins and spin-offs).

All of this is walked through step by step with much humor, pithy historical recaps and some interesting social commentary until she ends up at... Captain America. Yes. The super hero. Like this:

If it's just a rescue of a deserving underdog from an ordinary life and delivery to an extraordinary one, then... to be honest? — Captain America is Cinderella. Lots of our current stories are. What is a fairy godmother, after all, that isn't also present in the idea of being bitten by a spider and gaining the ability to climb buildings? What is that pumpkin coach but ... the Batmobile? And not to return to the tone of cannibalism and murder, but what consideration of unloved pop-culture girls whose evil mothers won't let them to go dances is complete without Carrie? 

Too far afield? Sure. But this is folklore, and it doesn't end, it just takes new forms...

This is why I feel it's important to follow fairy tale news. Not that I will be posting on SpiderGodmother or the BatPumpkin anytime soon, but maybe this will help people understand how some of us see fairy tale connections EVERYWHERE. Sometimes they're overt (I try to put those here in the blog, to point out conscious uses of the tales) but mostly they're not (and sometimes I might nod in that direction as well) but the point is, tales are being told - and retold - continuously. We influence them just as much as they continue to influence us.

How did Holmes get from gourds to pop-culture edginess being (possibly) just another version of another fairy tale? You'll have to go read it, but she ends on one of my favorite subjects. To continue from above (emphasis in bold is mine):

It isn't as if folklore goes up to 1900 and then stops, and everything after that is "pop culture." The production is different and the financing is different, but the appeal of stories that overlap and wind together, and the appeal of stories told and retold in different forms in different voices and variations, is not only a function of greed. It's also a function of instincts to tell and share and revisit stories you've heard before, not because they're new, but because they're not.

Now go read it all. It makes you feel extremely glad (and possibly a little ahead of the curve), to know that we love one of the most cultural defining and describing (and predicting!) subjects of all time: FAIRY TALES.

"The Mythology of Grimm" by Nathan Robert Brown

Spotted (and snagged) in Barnes & Noble last week was the relatively new release The Mythology of Grimm. (Actually, for the first time in a VERY long time, the fairy tale and folklore section was both full and had a good selection of newer books I hadn't seen in the wild before.)

The book is not authorized/endorsed by anyone affiliated with the NBC TV series Grimm but is written by someone who has published several works with regard to mythology and pop culture.

The book is much more than a fan discussion of the TV show elements. It begins with a condensed but clear historical overview of popular fairy tales collectors and their work. As you would expect, the Grimm brothers and their work on Household Tales feature prominently, but also Perrault, Joseph Jacobs and the Aarne-Thompson-Uther tale classification system and other well known names (to readers here anyway) are mentioned as well.

It then heads into a discussion of the weaponry used in Grimm, which is what you'd expect from a fan-aimed book but in the show a weapon is usually creature/Wesen-specific and directly related to the mythology surrounding the creature or tale the overall story is drawing from. in this way, it's a good overview of the types of challenges and creatures within the stories.

The rest of the book goes into (essentially) tale types used and retells the Grimm version of the most popular incarnations. For example, Little Red Cap is retold with a brief introduction to the tale's context/history but with commentary and a good sense of humor).

Here are the chapter titles discussing the tales (I'll put an explanation next to the title in brackets, in case you're not familiar with the show and the titles reference isn't obvious):

The Illustrated Grimms Fairy Tales - Pop Up Book
by V L A D I M I R stankovic

• Red Hoodies and Cross-dressing Blutbaden
• Bears, Blondes, and Butchery
• Dancing to the Piper's Tune
• Ultimate Showdown - Blutbaden vs. Bauerschwein (Three Little Pigs)
• Sexy Goats and Eager Beavers (The god Pan and Bluebeard)
• Wild Chicks with Long Hair (Wild children & Rapunzel)
• Giants, Ogres, and Giant Ogres
• Bread Crumbs and People Eaters
• Coins of Blessing, Coins of Curse
• And Now... Dragons! Or Dåmonfeuers (The Four Skillful Brothers)
• Cabbages andCookies, Donkeys and Love Spells (Donkey Cabbages)
• Chicks in Comas
• Weird Little Guys with Funny Names
• Foxy Fuchsbau (The Fox and the Cat)
• Wesen of the NewWorld (multiple legends/folktales/lore)
• Greco-Roman Wesen (Greek myths - Minotaur & The Slave and the Lion & Pompeii

After the retellings, the author discusses how each tale was referenced in the TV show with well considered research details that won't overwhelm a non-academic. I think he's done a good job at drawing people into the tales this way.

But it doesn't stop there. The chapter on Red Hoodies and Cross-Dressing Blutbaden, looks at legends that echo the motifs, violent crimes and mental illnesses that could be seen to be related to the tale and much more. Each chapter discusses real world related scenarios, personalities, legends and more, giving the idea that perhaps these tales aren't quite as fanciful as they first appear.

Each chapter also has "sidebars" (though they're often at the top of bottom of the page) of related trivia (titled Tasty Morsels) and definitions of less-common words (eg "nosegay"), a breakdown of what a German word used in the show means and more (these are titled Grimm Words). I'm a big fan of side bars and these aren't just for show. They definitely are designed to intrigue and keep the reader going back to the text (in other words, they do their job well).

I haven't read much of the book yet but it's only due to time. For me this will be a quick read (if I can get more than ten minutes in a row to concentrate!) and while readers looking for a light read will go more slowly, it should still easily keep their interest throughout. The reviews I've seen are in the very good to excellent range, which is great to see, especially as all the reviews I've read are by people who don't really read fairy tales or even had any idea there was a whole field of fairy tale scholarship.

So far, I'm impressed with the book (especially since I expected it to be more along the lines of fan writing and not really be "scholar-light") and am really glad to see it sitting with other pop culture studies such as those of Supernatural and True Blood. These shows have all inspired people to study myth, folklore and fairy tale in depth and I couldn't be happier to see that happening.

My one complaint is that the books focuses on the first season of Grimm and the show has referenced many, many lesser known tales since (and some popular ones too, but it's the lesser ones that are fascinating to me). But I wouldn't want it to be any bigger. It's already a little hefty and any larger would be daunting so instead of really complaining I'll just request that a second book is written and released so all the tales and folklore and legends are covered/revealed to the fans (and spawns more folklorists!).

Note: For easy reference two glossaries are included at the end: "Wesenology" and Grimm Terminology.

Here's the blurb:

NBC’s hit television series Grimm pits modern detective Nick Burkhardt of the Portland Police against a cast of terrifying villains—lifted directly from the pages of classic fairytales. In the world of the show, the classic stories are actually a document of real events, and Nick himself is descended from a long line of guardians, or Grimms, charged with defending humanity from the mythological creatures of the world. From The Big Bad Wolf to Sleeping Beauty, The Mythology of Grimm explores the history and folkloric traditions that come into play during Nick’s incredible battles and investigations—tapping into elements of mythology that have captured our imaginations for centuries.

When Fairy Tales Stray Beyond Their "Borders"...

This is a funny (as in a little skewed and strange) thing that people have latched onto: that a certain tale belongs in a certain cultural context only. As such, people get very territorial when it comes to certain tales. To me, it's means they're missing one of the best things about fairy tales - that they belong to everyone. Fairy tales show us our differences and our similarities across the world and I think it's one of the reasons they're so important for children to learn when they're young. People everywhere - in every place, culture and society - are just like you, but also unique.

As fairy tale people, you're very likely aware that there are, for example, versions of Cinderella in almost every culture in the world, meaning that the tale type is - by and large - the same, but the context and details are different. Cinderella doesn't "belong" to any ones place or peoples. only the versions of them do (and that could be debated as well, considering how those tales came to be).

There has been a lot (a LOT) of "gender-bending" illustration of Disney characters (and non-Disney fairy tale characters too, but less so) and recently I came across a "race-bending" set of illustrations by an illustration student who hosts a Tumblr titled Let There Be Doodles. While I like imagining what the stories would be like set in a different cultural context, it was the questions and responses that followed the posting of these illustrations that caught my attention.

And I was delighted to find SurLaLune being linked to as a resource for the many versions of different stories as well (Heidi - your work is so very, VERY important and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts. xx)

People really are concerned and curious and I'm grateful that this exchange, at least, was done with respect and courtesy! (I left all typos and phrasing intact to keep the original spirit of the exchange):

Anonymous asked: So I want to appologise before I ask if this sounds mean spirited, I'm trying really hard not to be. But WHY would you do race bent disney characters? Like, I get wanting more POCs and that's hella. I'm all for it. But fairy tales don't make since out of their cultural context(i.e. Meg as an Egyptian, Cinderella as a Geisha, even Jasmine as African instead of Middle Eastern). So why that change? Sorry again if this sounds mean, I'm just really confused here.

(( No, you’re fine, no worries! :)
Before anything else, I’d like to point something out. Fairy tales are constantly being taken out of their cultural context. Most of the fairy tales that we know now were taken out of their original cultural context and altered. Aladdin was originally set in China. The Frog Prince was Latin, and was altered over and over again in several countries. The stories have been and can be altered in many ways. *shrugs*

Anyway, I’m not necessarily trying to alter an entire story (although it would be fun) I’m just working with character design. I create racebent characters simply for fun and because I’d love to see more diversity in our media. :) ))

To the anon who said fairy tales don’t make sense outside their cultural context…

There are actually many variations of the Cinderella story. 

As well as Sleeping Beauty. 

The Little Mermaid is a story by Hans Christian Andersen, but there are a fewvariations on that theme as well (though not nearly as many as the previous two, but I’m sure there are more.) 

There’s like a bunch of them for Snow White. 

I’m not gonna touch Hercules (or, as he’s more properly called since the movie takes place in Greece, Heracles) or any of the Hans Christian Andersen based stories like The Snow Queen/Frozen (except, of course, for The Little Mermaid.)
Fairy tales don’t have to make sense. It’s all about the story, or the message contained within it (like with Aesop’s Fables.)

And, in case you're wondering, there were people that had a problem that it wasn't just white princesses that were getting "race bent", but that's actually the point. The tales belong to the world. The variations of the tales can crop up anywhere and the tales will still be "the tales".

I don't think I really need to add much more commentary to this. I'm just really glad the conversation is happening out in social media (and going viral as a result). It's another way people are learning that there are many, many tale variations all over the world and that we share more with each other globally than many people realize.

What are your thoughts on this?

'Grimm' Just Got Renewed for Season 4 (Rated WIN!)

I am so very, very happy with this news, and yes, it's official. NBC's Grimm has been going from strength to strength. The fan base is strong and growing (more fan art - yay!), the cast is solid, the banter has been awesome and the story lines have had some delicious layering, especially since they've taken the focus off trying to "retell" a whole fairy tale or legend in a single swing, er, episode. In fact, as of March 18, 2014 "“Grimm” is the #1 scripted series of the night on ABC, CBS, NBC and FOX in adults 18-49."(Source)

Due to a ridiculously long and ongoing bout of insomnia (lucky me!) I have been re-watching Grimm from the beginning in back-to-back episodes. Although I've enjoyed it from the start, I'm definitely enjoying it more now. The writing is better than I remember and the arc of female characters moving from victim to empowerment gets stronger episode by episode. While the initial promos were very "females are victims (and look pretty dead)" it's clear the writers immediately moved to depart from that mentality with the very first episode. While the lead, Nick, in particular, does take a while to find his feet, as soon as he "gets his Grimm on" and the Scooby-gang potential (ie ensemble efforts against the 'big bad' of which Nick is just the leader) starts building, things quickly get better and more complex. The more the writers took only a few key motifs from a tale and worked with those, the better those episodes got too, especially when they worked into the overall long term arcs building. It's the episodes that focus too heavily on completing a familiar tale in a recognizable form that tend to be the weakest.

That seems to be key, actually. Rather than trying to retell a whole fairy tale in a modern setting, Grimm works much better when the episodes only contain 'tale motifs' (or Aarne-Thompson tale-type touchstones), within an original and unique story, rather than whole familiar fairy tales. I thought The Little Mermaid themed episode did a great job of this. Despite it being clear what tale they were drawing from, it didn't stick to every story beat and make it frustratingly predictable. Instead it added a lot to the seasons themes and character development, rather than sticking out like a sore-thumb one-off episode. And has anyone noticed the Baba Yaga references in the B-story of Adelind trying to regain her witch powers? *happy dance* It brings to mind the premise of Seanan McGuire's Indexing, which does much of the same regarding the real world cases, even though the point of view in Indexing is from a very fairy-tale-savvy/immersed team...

Aside: I hope to write more on Indexing at another time as it really deserves it's own post - and a whole lot more fans. What Ms. McGuire has done with this is fantastic, and exactly the sort of thing fairy tale need to bring back the more obscure tales and variants to popular attention. For now: I recently read the (recently released) paper edition in a few sittings - overall the awesome is high, though it seemed to finish a little too hurriedly. I want more, much more, with more exploration, detail and more tale variants... aka, please let Ms. McGuire and her publishers know that we'd REALLY love to see "season 2" of her serial fairy tale! Also, this is begging to be made into a multimedia radio-like play... Seriously fun that includes nice and juicy TT [tale type] research and tidbits scattered throughout for avid fairy tale students.

But back to Grimm news.

I'm glad to see Grimm have continued with the opening quotes from texts and tales as well, though I would love to hear more from the creators and writers on how they choose what they do. (The first Grimm magazine issue had a wonderful double-page spread on those which I will try to remember to scan for you if I can't find an online version.) Those snippets, if you're paying attention and try to figure out their origin before watching the episode, make it even better and you never quite know when the text is referring to just that episode or to themes and key issues in one of the series arcs - or both.

Although some people's impression of Grimm is rather, well, grim, particularly due to the creatures, I find it very much has a fairy tale feel, albeit the darker version. I've been collecting images that reflect my impression of the show in a Pinterest board for a while, to try and show how varied it actually is, and how it has that all important fairy tale hope and "triumph against the odds" feel running through it as well. You can find that board HERE.

I can't believe season 3 is wrapping so soon. But yay season 4! Though you know they're going to have one of those cliff-hanger-y type endings again, don't you?

Oh, and by the way, did you know Grimm ALSO HAVE MULTIPLE WEB SERIES?! (the link takes you to one, but they're all on the official YouTube Grimm channel) *fistpump*
So they're only 7 or 8 minutes each, I don't care. More Grimm equals more happy. :)

Note for sensitive viewers: This is still a monster show and they've gotten particularly good with some of the scary stuff, (Aswang anybody? *shudder*) so do be prepared. I do detect a Buffy-air about it all - complete with some of that serious pathos of the darker and very powerful episodes contrasted with laugh out loud funny moments, or, alternatively, touching moments - but that's a good thing - real world scare with snarky repartee (or truly moving moments) equals win (and that shouldn't be surprising with David Greenwalt being one of the Producers). If you're sensitive to that kind of thing though, please take note. Some of the scenes may not be so easy to forget in the middle of the night. Viewer discretion is, indeed, advised.