The Story of Okal Rel

“Schiebe die Schuld wo sie gehört!”

Glenda’s magic spell is in German. I like to play with languages. In fact, all the spells in the Family Magic series use phrases from real languages. The spells only work when you don’t know the exact translation. So to protect your family from angry dishes, I better tell you this one. It means “put the blame where it belongs!”
What do you think it should look like when a dish disappears? Should it go sneakily? In a noisy puff of smoke? You can draw your version for the Cursed Dishes Art Contest. Or draw someone at home telling a dish to disappear. Are they angry? Excited? Serious? Mischievous?
Send your drawings to jcmlott@shaw.ca

“Truth. Truth is a nasty drug… Might seem like what you want, until you’ve swallowed it. By then it’s too late – you can’t unlearn it. Ignorance is a lot less painful.”

-DD Barant, Dying Bites (St Martin’s, 2009)

“If I don’t blow up ten things in the next five seconds, I’ll die!”

Most people who play a particular game will tell you there is a lot more to it than just ‘blowing things up’. It is people who stand and watch you play who might simplify and dismiss your fascination.

Here are a couple of old games that my parents showed me when I was a kid:

I got into Harry Potter and Sims games later. I never got into all the obstacle course type games online: running, swimming, jumping, and yes — triggering explosions when you jump onto things like treasure and traps!

What do your computer games look like? Do you think someone watching you for thirty seconds would say that you were just ‘blowing things up’?

You can draw your game on Charlotte’s computer screen for the Cursed Dishes Art Contest. Or draw what…