Spock's Pickled Brain

For me one of the iconic characters of urban fantasy is Jim Butcher's Harry Dresden. Harry Blackstone Copperfield Dresden is the protagonist of the prolific urban fantasy series Dresden Files. As the only wizard listed in the Chicago phonebook, Dresden is constantly getting entangled with vampires, werewolves, faeries, trolls, and countless other supernatural beings. He is also the snarkiest SOB out there. Some favorite quotes? "Harry Dresden. Saving the world, one act of random destruction at a time." - Mean Streets "'I still can't believe,' Michael said, sotto voce, 'that you came to the Vampires' Masquerade Ball dressed as a vampire.'" - Grave Peril "In the name of the Pizza Lord. Charge!" - Summer Knight "In the action business, when you don't want to say you ran like a mouse, you call it 'taking cover.' It's more heroic." - Dead Beat "Murphy hung up and I said, to the s...

Alright folks, I know I already did a playlist for urban fantasy, but consider this a more targeted list, combining music used in the show, as well as music that I feel thematically fits with the series. I'm also on a Supernatural bender and I just started Season 4, so be thankful I'm not just crying into my computer. Instead, buckle up for some classic rock, folk, and the side of country that is not deeply embarrassing twanginess. 1. Foreplay (Boston) Played to great effect towards the end of season 2 (Sam gets abducted by the Yellow-Eyed Demon!), Foreplay is better known as the badass instrumental opening to Boston's Foreplay/Long Time combined track. 2. I-Feel-Like-I'm-Fixin'-to-Die Rag (Country Joe McDonald and the Fish) Sometimes know as the Vietnam Rag, I prefer the Woodstock live recording of this song where the traditional "FISH Cheer" is changed to the "FUCK Cheer." Which sounds insane if you don't know the song, but it...

Alright, the time has come for some Urban Fantasy cocktails! Chupacabra Takes a Vacation 2oz silver tequila .75oz mango habanero liqueur .75oz lime juice 3oz pineapple juice soda water chili lime salt for rim pineapple chunks for garnish Instructions Carefully wet the rim of the glass and dip into chili lime salt. Gently add all other ingredients to the glass except for the soda water. Add a handful of ice cubes and a few pineapple chunks to the drink and top with soda water. Add a pineapple chunk or two to the rim of the glass and enjoy! Imminent Doomsday After you've saved the world, you definitely need a stiff drink. And sometimes you need a stiff drink before you save the world too (we don't judge here). This particular drink got named after the apocalypse because between the dark cherries on the bottom and the white ice cubes on top of this red drink, it ends up looking like a bloody war scene between heaven and hell. It's a riff on a cl...

This could be venturing into a different genre, but to me urban fantasy is so diverse that you could break it into sub-categories. Different types of movies set in the modern time, like fairytales, vampires, werewolves, zombies, etc. Along with that is a populous sub-category I call "angels and demons" or modern-era fantasy films involving the angels and/or demons. Now some of these movies edge more into using these ideas to specifically praise and reinforce Christian teachings (there's a whole genre of Christian fiction), but the ones I think of in urban fantasy lean in another direction. These are the films that use these Judeo-Christian supernatural beings to explore good and evil, faith, the nature of existence, etc., but they don't hold one religion or way of existence above any other. In other words, the focus is on storytelling rather than religion. Anyway, here's a few favorites that fall into this weird category. 1. The Prophecy (1995) Did you ever wa...

So because I'm a big fan of the most sarcastic modern wizard in urban fantasy I've been working on a Harry Dresden costume build. I have all of the clothing already, but the real trick is getting the accessories right. One of Dresden's mainstays, whether in the books, graphic novels, or TV, is a shield bracelet that deflects bullets, redirects energy, and otherwise saves his bacon at least once a story. But how to make such a lovely thing when you have no background in metalworking? I chose to recreate the shield bracelet depicted in The Dresden Files rather than the typical charm bracelet. Why? Well first I actually like the design better. The leather cuff with overlapping round shields is reminiscent of something that felt workable in Merlin's time as well as the modern day. The silver charm bracelet looks kind of silly, like something you'd pick out from Pandora or some other mainstream jewelry store. It's less utilitarian as well, the charms would ge...

In fantasy and urban fantasy we often see mages, wizards, and all manner of magic-users casting protective wards or investing energy in amulets, talismans, and charmed objects. Either by description in novels or depicted on screen, you often see a brand burning over a doorway to prevent evil from entering, or a symbol glowing over the mantle to instill good fortune. It's such wonderful imagery that I wanted to find a way to recreate that idea with more mundane methods. One such way would be to use electronics, but I thought glow-in-the-dark paint might work even better, be simpler, and be low-maintenance. Here's how I transformed a simple wooden plaque into a charm of good luck, protection, etc. that glows with just a hint of magic. Materials -Wood plaque -Wood stain -Epoxy spray -Art N Glow paint Tools -Pencil -Sandpaper -Wood-burner -Large brush for stain -Small paintbrush for paint Inspirations  Angel wards in Supernatural Wards in The Magici...