Join Rediscovered Realms as we revisit a selection of our heroically mysterious and monstrous newsletters suitable for some late October inspiration.
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This Week’s Rediscovered Realms Theme Song:
This week, I created a more gothic power ballad theme (lyrics1). Let me know what you think!
Genre: Gothic Acoustic Folk Metal
“Truth You’ll Find”
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-2:53
“Thrilling” Sound:
Speaking of songs, I just bought a new speaker bar for my TV the other day and was testing it out. After an hour of something that should have taken 10 minutes, I cleaned up my Murphian-mess-ex-nihilo, and of course headed straight to the 80s music video channel.
What came up but Michael Jackson’s Thriller video. If you’re of an age similar to me, you’ll remember how exciting it was when that extended video was released. There was so much anticipation.
On December 2, 1983, we got to revel in an aurally kinetic and cinematic masterpiece alongside the documentary, Making Michael Jackson's Thriller. 1950s romance, dancing zombies, Michael “werecat” Jackson, and what a fun surprise, a narration by the deep voice of Vincent Price!
The "Thriller" music video premiered on MTV on December 2, 1983. In the video, Jackson and his girlfriend (played by Ola Ray) are confronted by zombies while walking home from a movie theater; Jackson becomes a zombie and performs a dance routine with a horde of the undead.
It was named the greatest video of all time by MTV in 1999, by VH1 in 2001, and by Time in 2011. In 2009, it became the first music video to be selected for the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress. The Library described it as "the most famous music video of all time"- Wikipedia
It got me to thinking back to how bad I (and a billion other kids) wanted that red jacket Michael wore!
“THRILLER” FUN FACT: In early August, after seeing his horror film An American Werewolf in London (1981), Jackson contacted the director John Landis.
At the time, commercial directors did not direct music videos, but Landis was intrigued. He wanted to make a theatrical short rather than a standard music video, and hoped to use Jackson's celebrity to return theatrical shorts to popularity.
Landis and Jackson conceived a short film shot on 35mm film with the production values of a feature film, with a budget of $900,000, much larger than any previous music video. - Wikipedia
So, all that to say, I forgot how fun that video was. Blasting it super loud with my new speaker bar was as an overwhelming command for me to let loose and dance. (You’ll never get me to admit it though 🧟♂️)
Enchanted Worlds & Weird Fantasy:
Escaping to alternate fantastic realms is a favorite pastime of most readers here. I’m resurfacing a couple past newsletters that speak to those worlds and hope you enjoy.
Hearing Vincent Price in “Thriller” reminded me of another newsletter edition I did last year about Time Life’s Enchanted World book series.
Watch 2 of Vincent’s commercials and escape to mysterious and unexpected places in:
Good “Weird Fantasy” worlds always smack a little bit of the mysteriously supernatural. Come visit this 1943 (or is it 1953?) artifact:
Monster Bestiary:
Sometimes - or like, all the time - fantasy monsters are REALLY fun and interesting (when they’re not trying to kill you or eat you). Here are 5 past Rediscovered Realms articles that may feed your inner beast.
Explore some the amazing art and backstory of this voyeuristically-inclined core D&D baddie!:
I’ve always been a huge fan of Ray Harryhausen and his Claymation creature masterpieces. Now, I don’t have time for stop-animation in my daily life, but still love me some posable monsters, so instead, I have these:
You love monsters. You love mysteries. So why in Mystara would you not check out:
Like a timeshare bait and switch, The Mimic is the classic D&D monster that poses as something spectacularly wonderful, but leads to many payments, er … pains. Find out more about this D&D original P.I.T.A here:
This was a recent newsletter, and you may have already read it, but it’s just soooo cool, and perfect for this week’s theme:
That’s enough of a retrospective - let’s get to the fantasy news!
You are not only brave, but a Generous Adventurer whose love of Discovery, Imagination & Fun transcends our mere mortal coils . . .
Gift-giving season is nearly upon us - Here’s a great resource for finding the perfect one for the Fantasy Fans in your life - Rediscovered Realms Amazon Storefront. You’ll find hundreds of curated fantasy merch items all sorted into lists that make it easy for you to become the Gift-Giving Hero you were destined to be.
(As an Amazon2Associate I earn from qualifying purchases)
Music, Reminisces, Recaps, News, and Cool Fantasy products . . . I guess that’s all we can fit this week, Monsterphilic Adventurer!
“Look back to learn how to look forward.” - Joe Girard
What was your favorite part of this newsletter? Did you like the song, “Truth You’ll Find"? Any news pique your interest? Make sure to comment and let me know.
Spread Adventure Awesomeness! Don’t just Stare - Share! If you know other Adventurers who would enjoy this newsletter, please share it with them directly or on social media.
“Truth You’ll Find” [Verse] Dusty tomes and ink-stained hands Forgotten spells in ancient lands Through shadowed woods and haunted halls Echoes of knights and dragon calls [Verse 2] Cloaked figures in the moon's cold light Unseen battles fought in the night Elven whispers Cryptic signs Treasures buried Lost in time [Chorus] Rediscovered Realms Awaken your soul Magic of the past Making you whole Warrior's heart and spellbound mind In ancient myths Truth you'll find [Verse 3] Candles flicker on stone-cold walls Ghostly waltzes in empty halls Sorcerers weave their mystic charms Old gods return with open arms [Verse 4] Runes of power carved in bones Forgotten heroes Nameless stones Distant echoes of a magic stream Awaken now The ancient dream [Chorus] Rediscovered Realms Awaken your soul Magic of the past Making you whole Warrior's heart and spellbound mind In ancient myths Truth you'll find
J.Q. Your November giveaway is positively nuts! So many things to love and nothing not to. Thank you for spreading some cheer in a relatively cheerless month!
J.Q. Your November giveaway is positively nuts! So many things to love and nothing not to. Thank you for spreading some cheer in a relatively cheerless month!
Awesome!!!