Re-branding Screaming Into the Void: Rec Round Up 1

"It's alive!!!"

I started Screaming into the Void because I was obsessively watching horror movies in 2022 and wanted nothing more than to be constantly talking about them.

But then something happened: the horror movies that came out in 2023 were just not getting my wheels turning. I didn’t see a single movie that year that warranted more than a 1-sentence review on Letterboxd.

Or it could be that my hyper-fixation on horror waned a bit, as my special interests are wont to do. Either way, my inspiration for this column dried up, but I’m finally ready to re-animate Screaming Into the Void into something new.

I intend for new editions of this column to be more broad, honing in on the only thing that’s been my consistent beat for as long as I’ve been writing: Entertainment & Lifestyle. Good ole’ E&L, baby.

So you can expect tidbits of what I’m reading, watching, thinking & feeling… Oh & writing. The amazing silver lining of my horror movie inspo drying up is that I kept up the ~daily writing practice.

Without any horrors to discuss, I had to make up my own. That’s turned into a book project that I’m currently working on the second draft of, which I may end up publishing serially on this platform once I feel I’m ready to give book birth. More on that later.

It’s the week of March 10, one week after my 29th birthday, and here’s what I’ve been up to lately:

Reading

Contains Manacled cover art illustrated by Avendell

I can’t believe it’s taken me this long to get into fan fiction, but the best thing I’ve read in a long time is the amazing-is-not-a-good-enough-word-for-it fan fiction Manacled by the talented, inspiring SenLinYu.

If you’re not familiar with fan fiction, the author creates an alternate universe involving characters and worlds from an existing work of fiction. Manacled imagines an alternate ending to Harry Potter in which Hermione Granger is the last surviving member of the Order of the Phoenix. She must contend with being a mistress slave to a certain powerful death eater, a la Handmaid’s Tale… Yeah.

It’s beautifully written, and the devices it uses to tell the story are truly masterful. It’s a dark fantasy romance, so relationships drive the story. But the ethical dilemma at the story’s core is what stuck with me more than anything. It asks, what would you do the save the ones you love, and has you really ponder that as the book progresses.

If my five-star review is not convincing enough for you, consider the fact that Manacled has been downloaded almost 16 million times on Archive of our Own (AO3). Its popularity is stirring up questions about fan fic legality and author ownership that I find really fascinating.

I think Fandom serves to separate the artist from the art. Yes, JK Rowling owns Harry Potter. But, there’s something, some force of love or passion, that belongs to the fans and can never be taken away. Once you put art into the world, it’s open for re-interpretation and re-imaging. It becomes its own malleable art piece which could transform into something separate from what the artist intended, which is comforting when the artist turns out to be much less magical than their creation.

Now SenLinYu is becoming a traditional author herself, having earned a much-deserved book deal where she’ll be re-imagining Manacled in a world of her own. And then maybe someone will make a fanfiction out of that. And on and on forever.

Because of this, Manacled will only be available to read/download through the end of the year. Run, don’t walk, people.

Because I can’t get enough, I’m currently reading another Dramione (Draco & Hermione) fic of hers, Let the Dark In, which is currently in production on AO3 and on its 34th chapter. I’m on chapter 17 and the obsession is real. I read it on my phone, curled up in bed with my green lamp on. It’s bliss.

At first, I felt bad over the “real” books on my nightstand I was putting off in favor of fan fiction. But I’ve come around. There’s something so inspiring about people who write not for a book deal or to become a famous author but because they have a story burning in their mind that they need to make exist. And so they do, mostly for themselves and for others in the fandom. Fan fiction forever!

TBR

It’s only my third Spring in Chicago, but I’ve noticed a pattern. In this late-stage Winter miserable grey-brown weather, I really crave escapism. It’s not enough to escape Chicago; I want to escape this Universe, so I find myself really gravitating to high fantasy or sci-fi stories. So my TBR (to be read) consists of the following:

A Court Of Wings and Ruin, aka ACOTAR 3, by Sarah J. Maas

I am a completionist, so the fact that I read ACOTAR 1 and 2 last Spring compels me to read the rest of the series (even though I find them to be a bit mediocre). It seems a rite of passage for whatever reason, and I’ve been convinced that I need to read them all before I fully decide they’re not worth the hype. I also can’t deny that Maas created a compelling world and characters that I want to be transported to. I mean, it literally takes place in the Spring Court when I can’t wait for Spring to fully arrive, so the timing is right.

Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros

I have a feeling this one is going to be worth the hype. It’s set in a Dragon Academy that’s sure to be full of YA-feeling fantastical whimsy that I can melt my brain into. Sign me up. If it’s good enough for Booktok, it’s good enough for my TBR. I was number 172 in line to get it from the library, so I went ahead and got a copy on ThriftBooks instead.

Watching: Shows

The best show on TV right now is by-far Feud: Truman Capote vs. The Swans.

The show is based on true events and surrounds the “Swans,” the OG real housewives who ruled high society in Old New York: Barbara "Babe" Paley (Naomi Watts), Nancy "Slim" Keith (Diane Lane) and C.Z. Guest (Chloë Sevigny) and Lee Radziwill (Calista Flockhart).

It’s told from the perspective of Breakfast at Tiffany’s writer, Truman Capote, who traded the Swans’ friendship for clout. Was this because he was desperate to repeat the success of his first big hit, In Cold Blood? Because he lowkey hated them and wanted them to suffer? Or because he had some major issues surrounding his own relationship with his mother? The show explores his motives, but what’s clear is that the mistake tortured Truman and the Swans.

I love explorations of high society’s dirty underbelly. And I find the strange way it weaves the story’s narrative to be so compelling. You pretty much get the full story in episode 1, and then the following episodes dive into the specific dirty details.

The finale came out this week on Hulu, so if you haven’t been keeping up, you can binge the whole thing!

Watching: Movies

I fell for Dune Mania like everyone else. I’m only human! Though I have to say, I may have enjoyed the amazing red carpet looks from Zendaya and Florence Pugh more than the movie itself.

That’s not a dig on the movie, I just really loved the press tour outfits.

But honestly, I think I need a rewatch in order to fully process. *Spoilers ahead.* My initial reaction, though, was that it paled in comparison to Dune: Part 1. I felt Paul’s ascension to messiah to be a tad rushed and the moral quandary he had kind of brushed over. The only indicator that anything was wrong about him taking over the universe was Chani’s unhappiness over the fact. Without the proper deep dive into the implications of it all, she came off as just his pissed-off girlfriend. Why they would end the movie, and potentially the entire series, if they don’t make a part 3, zoomed in on her angry face is beyond me.

However, the movie was still an incredible feat that deserves its flowers, particularly in terms of imagery. I love sci-fi adaptations that lean into the creativity of the source material and don’t try to package something for the masses that’s easily digestible. The bold choices, like making Austin Butler’s Feyd-Rautha bald for no apparent reason, really paid off.

In all, both movies give a feeling that I think can only be generated when passionate artists are involved in the making. It’s not a green-screen cash grab, and for that, I’m thrilled and grateful.

While I sat in the theater, I really asked myself, ‘Is this better than watching it at home on my 50-inch TV?’ My controversial opinion is that it is not. For me, at least. The benefits of watching it in my own home, being able to pause when I inevitably have to pee, using subtitles, getting comfy on the couch, and being able to stop whenever I want to give my inevitable commentary, outweigh seeing it on the big screen. Or maybe I was just sleepy; it is a 3-hour movie, after all.

The End!

That concludes what I’ve been consuming as of late! Do you agree or disagree with my lukewarm takes or have recommendations for me? Let me know in the comments. :)