Creep it real (oct 2017 issue)

Are you ready for what comes in the Night?

Creep it Real Page 3............. Letter from the October 2017 Editor www.macmediamagazine.com Page 4............. Out of the Dark 004c McLaughlin College, York University Page 6............. Black Face for Toronto, ON M3J 1P3 Halloween Ain’t Lit 416-736-2100 ext. 60555 Page 7............. Halloween as the Everyday Performance Executives Page 8............. Bad but on a Budget Page 9............ Autumn’s Book List Editor in Chief.......... Vanessa Butera Page 11............. Be Aware Web Manager.......... Vacant Page 13............ I ain’t got no treats but I got me some tips Editors Page 14............ Some Spooky Things to Do This Halloween Opinions Editor....... Amanda Malandrino Page 15............. Top 5 Decorations News Editor............ Abdeali Saherwala for Throwing a Halloween Party Features Editor..... Noor Almutaa Page 16............ The Dancing Stranger Humour Editor........ Alec Pichelli Page 20........... In Defense of the PSL Page 21........... Poetry Round-Up Arts Editor............. Doris Pozo Page 22........... What to Expect at a Haloween Party Staff Writer........... Ugne Rakauskaite Page 23........... Halloween Scavenger Hunt Copy Editors............. Azinwi Saningong Page 24........... Halloween Word Search .............. Alyssa Offenheim

Art and Design Designer................. Sam Noto

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Macmedia is the official student monthly of Mclaughlin College but does not speak on behalf ot Mclaughlin College- unless specspecified by the Big Kahauna upstairs (in which case there’ll be a note). The opinions expressed herein are also not necessarily held by Macmedia or its staff (unless they’re really smart and dastardly written) but are a reflection of the current social outlook.

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source: WeHeartIt

Letter from the editor Its that time of year again, where the children scour the streets for candy, and adults go for LCBO runs for their annual Halloween parties. Personally, I love this edgy and chilling season. I enjoy taking advantage of the sweater weather, the movies, music, books, and festive parties!

We’re coming out of the dark just in time for October! Head over to page 4 to get to know the talented people behind MacMedia. We don’t bite, I promise...

In this issue, we’ve got a personal look at the expectations and realities of Halloween, plus safety tips no matter how you celebrate the season. Our editors get in touch with their creepy and creative side, with a fictional story on an actual creepy house, not too far from here (Maple, ON!). Meanwhile, the cultural appropriation of costumes has us playing devil’s advocate. We’ve also got a round up of poetry, plus a rundown of the top books to truly embrace the season of “everything pumpkin”. Sounds pretty sweet!

So this Halloween, remember to be safe, let loose, have fun, and most importantly “creep it real” (okay I’ll stop now) Vanessa Butera Editor-in-Chief

Please send all submissions and inquiries to macmedia.eic@gmail.com

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Out of the Dark Meet the editors behind the magazine!

Doris Pozo Arts Editor

Vanessa Butera Editor-in-Chief “English major, music lover, and poetess. Writing is my meditation.”

“Final year studying Philosophy and Professional Writing. Forever learning.

Galactic member from the family of Light - aka Light Worker, system buster.”

“I enjoy reading, writing critical essays, and telling jokes. I’m an English major and also a feminist so hide your husbands. Just remember: nobody writes better than an angry female!”

Noor Almutta Features Editor “Hi! My name is Nour. I like the way it’s smells after it rains and concentrated spices at the bottom of the chips bag.”

“Sociology major, book lover, deeply in love with people who make me laugh till my cheeks hurt- zeezus on da streets!”

Abdeali Saherwala News Editor

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“Still loves Iced Tea, and long walks on the beach. Now a solid 8/10”

Amanda Malandrino Opinions Editor

Azinwi Saningong Copy Editor

“Even though, I am majoring in Environmental Studies, my passion has always been writing. MacMedia gives me the perfect platform to improve my writing skills and to convey amazing messages to a large group of people.

Alec Pichelli Humour Editor

“Sometimes I shock myself with the smart stuff I say and do. Then, there are times when I try to get out of the car with my seat belt on”

Alyssa Offenheim Copy Editor “Reader and cat-lover. Espresso connoisseur and Game of Thrones nerd. Third year public policy major, and thoroughly interested in changing the world.”

Ugne Rakauskaite Staff Writer 5

Black Face for halloween aint lit Abdeali Saherwala, News Editor

Top 5 Decorations for throwing a house party Noor Almutaa, Features Editor

Halloween is just around the corner, which means it about time to bring out the spookiest decorations you’ve got. There are two types of Halloween parties – the kind where you aim for the jump scare and the other kind where you generally create a creepy vibe. Dressing up your space should be the ultimate goal! Unlike Christmas, Halloween tends to have a more dramatic effect. Rather than Christmas lights strung around your tree, this time it’s toilet paper or fake webs hanging off your branches.

Living on a budget? Save Pintrest for later, we’ve got you! Here are some top five decorations you can make with things you can find at home, for throwing a successful Halloween Party!

Set the Scene Put your festivities hat on because it’s time to decorate all spaces in your house where your guests are going to gather. First, set the light! Make sure the lights are adjusted the way you want them to be to give off the vibe of gore and blood – keep the decorations based on the age group that is attending.

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Serve a Halloween Themed Bar / Decorate Your Alcohol Throwing a party in your dorm? Set out your desk or kitchen table to be your bar for the evening.

What you’ll need is: Cotton or spider webbing that fills the table, alcohol of your choice, food colouring and syringes. With the alcohol of your choice, fill a bowl with the beverage mixed with your choice of food colouring (preferably black or red). Mix it well and fill up the syringes with the beverage.

When finished, place the syringes in the bowl, and place a sign that says “free shots”. With remaining bottles, download and print labels that are titled potion or magic and customize them to your pref-

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erences. Using a glue stick, glue the labels to your bottles. Finally, add your taste into the cart! Flesh it up and add gore and red paint. There you go!

You got yourself a potion cart themed bar filled with magic spells and free shots.

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Festive Front Door In the long-standing tradition of Halloween, the entrance to a creepy home is always the first impression. Spook it up with your taste by adding faux hanging bats, swapping your doormats, adding bloody fingerprints (make it even gorier by adding oatmeal to it), spider-webs and finally faux hanging bats. Want to do the absolute most for your guest? Add smoke to your entrance with white lights to spook up the vibe.

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Decorate Your Walls Of course every party needs the basic ‘Happy Halloween’ sign plastered all over the walls and chairs, but that doesn’t mean you can’t spook it up a bit with spider webs and bones! Have an old mirror you don’t use? Put a few red handprints here and there and add a few faux spiders.

4. Light it up Have old jars at home that you don’t use? Add a few candles inside to set the mood of you party. Really set the scene and vibe of your party by turning off the lights and lighting it up with a few paper lanterns or jar lanterns. Decorate your jars with drawings of your preference.

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Munch It up Get your gore on with your munchies! Mini hot dogs can represent fingers, all you have to do is customize it. In this category food coloring is your best friend, anything is possible with lots of ketchup or red food coloring – customizing your munches to your preference can add a lot of touch to your party.

Halloween is around the corner and everyone is wondering what scary, freaky or even sexy costume they will be wearing. Most us will dress up in the usual regalia of ghosts, goblins and slutty maids for this bizarre night. But some of us will decide to push the envelope a bit too far with cultural appropriation.

According to the literary geniuses at Oxford Dictionary, cultural appropriation is “the unacknowledged or inappropriate adoption of the customs, practices, ideas, etc. of one people or society by members of another and typically more dominant people or society”. In layman terms, it is reproducing any aspect of a culture that one does not belong to. Copying off of another culture can be deemed offensive by the existing members of that cultural, racial or religious group.

Nicki Minaj, recently called out designers for cultural appropriation during New York Fashion Week, stating that “Designers get really big and really rich off of our culture, and then you don’t see a mother***** that look anything like us in the front row half the time”. She is right. Major models and designers, one particular example being Kendall Jenner, have been accused multiple times for cultural appropriation by wearing or designing controversial apparel during fashion week.

Basically, what I am trying to tell you all: DO NOT copy someone else’s culture, when you know that you do not belong to that culture, race or religion. Do not black face as a costume. Do not dress up in sexy or tight hijabs, burkas, or in any other Muslim associated garments. Do not dress up as an indigenous person by wearing headdresses or beaded clothing. Do not dress up in saris or wear tilak, if you are not Hindu. Do not wear crosses, priest costumes

and the most popular of them all, sexy nun costumes during Halloween- even if you are a Christian- DON’T. This is all cultural appropriation and it is simply offensive.

Traditionally and historically, Halloween has been a time when one can dress up as a scary character. So, imagine if an indigenous person was to see his/her culture being appropriated during Halloween- seeing their traditional garments used as costumes and articles of entertainment.

How would he or she feel to see that their rich and diverse culture is being represented in a cheap, and to quite real, disrespectful manner. A cultural and/or religious garment should never be worn as a costume. This is before we even get into the history of colonization, when colonists oppressed, suppressed and repressed these same groups.

So now that you know what cultural appropriation is, let’s not make that mistake this year or ever again. Don’t be that person! If you’re stuck for a costume, I personally suggest going with the traditional Halloween costumes such as ghosts, goblins, witches, wizards (Harry Potter comes to mind). You can even dress up into your favorite fictional/fantasy movie characters such as Harry Potter, Beorn, Legolas, Albus Dumbledore, Superman, Spiderman, Batman, or Joker! And with new movies and TV shows coming out, the options are endless!

source: WeHeartIt

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Bad But on a Budget Noor Almutaa, Features Editor

source: WeHeartIt

Amanda Malandrino, Opinions Editor York U —We’re coming up on Halloween soon, the most terrifying time of the year — for students. This is the constant debate over what we should and shouldn’t wear when we go out. It’s the one day of the year where we can dress the way we want without the fear of judgment. We are given permission to hypersexualize our bodies and just use the excuse that “it’s just a costume”. But is the costume just a way to reveal our true identity? Think about how sexy, mysterious, and confident you felt the last time you dressed up for Halloween. Just by dressing up and performing as something that you’re not holds so many meanings intertwined with desire and fantasy. Why can’t we dress however we want whenever we want? Seriously, let’s just do it. Dress however you want and enjoy being weird, sassy, and promiscuous while you’re young!

For some people, showing more body or dressing more chilling is something that they feel they can only do on that one day of the year. The longer that there is emphasis on Halloween being the only time for real self-expression, the more people are going to feel like they need to conceal their identities every other day of the year. We need to ask ourselves: what makes a costume more promiscuous or innocent?

For instance, dressing up as Snow White versus a playboy bunny represents two juxtaposing women that can be difficult for some to understand. Or dressing up as Scream versus an angel. In many ways, this reveals that our culture is full of stereotypes and is quick to label someone if they stray from societal norms. We need to break away from these norms and feel confident enough in ourselves to dress however we want, whenever we want. Every day of the year should be a time that we can toy with our identities without the fear of judgment or alienation. We are so confined to our gender and what we think it means to be a man or a woman that we lose ourselves trying to please everyone else. Be safe this Halloween and remember to be yourself no matter what day it is.

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October 31st is coming, get ready to be nominated Best Costume! Are you sick of spending so much money on costumes every year? Do you want to be bad but you’re stuck on a budget? I’m here to help you with creative and amazing costumes!

Every year 2 out of 5 girls dress as the basic Halloween costume traditions; bunnies, cats, dogs, or a cop. 2 out of 5 guys dress as marines, cops or gym teachers. This year I’m going to spice it up for you.

Here is a list of creative costumes we have for you: 1.

Rosie the Riveter  bring out the feminist in you 2.

Fortune teller  have fun walking around telling fortunes of your partners and friends 3.

Mime  don’t want to associate yourself with anyone? Give yourself a break and express through actions 4.

Red Riding hood  big bad wolf has to watch out this year 5.

Power Puff Girls  grab your three buddies and turn yourselves into Blossom, Bubbles and Buttercup 6.

A circus performer  transform yourself into a chic performer 7.

Velma and Shaggy  have a partner you want to share your Halloween with? Velma and Shaggy from Scooby Doo is the way to go 8.

Audrey Hepburn  be the chic and elegant classic character from Breakfast at Tiffany’s 9.

Tooth Fairy and the Tooth  Halloween is filled with sugary candies, why not put the irony in it?

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Wednesday Addams  keeping Halloween grim is the way to go With all these ideas you can customize it to your own liking and get creative with it.

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by Paula Hawkins- In the last days before her death, Nel called her sister. Jules didn’t pick up the phone, ignoring her plea for help. Now Nel is dead. They say she jumped. And Jules has been dragged back to the one place she hoped she had escaped for good, to care for the teenage girl her sister left behind. But Jules is afraid. So afraid. Of her long-buried memories, of the old Mill House, of knowing that Nel would never have jumped. And most of all she’s afraid of the water, and the place they call the Drowning Pool

-Ugne Rakauskaite It’s the beginning of the school year, with Fall and Halloween just around the corner. It’s the start of countless hours spent doing school readings, assignments and studying for upcoming tests and pop quizzes.

Now I know reading for fun might not be your top priority, with all the studying you’re doing and staying up late just to finish an assignment you have due the next day!

For some of you, reading something outside of your class’ reading list might be thought of as a waste of time, but for others, reading might be something that allows you to escape your daily routines, just for a little while, and forget all the stress and anxiety that university may throw your way.

For those of you ththat enjoy reading for fun (and for others who might be willing to give reading a try), I put together a Fall reading list, of 5 books that I have previously read myself and have thoroughly enjoyed. These books are sure to get you into the Fall and Halloween spirit!

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by Ruth Ware- When 15 year old Isa Wilde is sent to coastal boarding school, Salten, she quickly befriends Kate, Thea, and Fatima. The girls participate in a game, called “The Lying Game,” which isolates their classmates and causes local townies to hate them. There are 5 rules to the game: tell a lie, stick to your story,don’t get caught,never lie to each other,know when to stop lying. After a horrible event occurs occu leading to the expulsion of the liars, the game ends but the girls never stop lying. They make a pact to never share what really happened, and keep the secret buried for 17 years.

by Ruth Ware- Lo Blacklock, a journalist who writes for a travel magazine, has just been given the assignment of a lifetime: a week on a luxury cruise with only a handful of cabins. At first, Lo’s stay is nothing but pleasant: the cabins are plush, the dinner parties are sparkling, and the guests are elegant. But as the week wears on, frigid winds whip the deck, gray skies fall, and Lo witnesses what she

can only describe as a nightmare: a woman being thrown overboard. The problem? All passengers remain accounted for—and so, the ship sails on as if nothing has happened, despite Lo’s desperate attempts to convey that something (or someone) has gone terribly, terribly wrong…

by Stephen King- To the children, the town was their whole world. To the adults, knowing better, Derry, Maine was just their home town: familiar, well-ordered for the most part. A good place to live. It was the children who saw - and felt - what made Derry so horribly different. In the storm drains, in the sewers, IT lurked, taking on the shape of every nightmare, each one's deepest dread.

Sometimes IT reached up, seizing, tearing, killing . . . The adults, knowing better, knew nothing. Time passed and the children grew up, moved away. The horror of IT was deep-buried, wrapped in forgetfulness. Until they were called back, once more to confront IT as IT stirred and coiled in the sullen depths of their memories, reaching up again to make ma their past nightmares a terrible present reality

by Shari Lapena- Karen and Tom Krupp are happy—they’ve got a lovely home in upstate New York, they’re practically newlyweds, and they have no kids to interrupt their comfortable life together. But one day, Tom returns home to find Karen has vanished—her car’s gone and it seems she left in a rush. She even left her purse—complete with phone and ID—behind. There's a knock on the door—the police are there to take Tom to the hospital where his wife has been admitted. She had a car accident, and lost control as she sped through the worst part of town. The accident has left Karen with a concussion and a few scrapes. Still, she’s mostly okay—except that she can’t remember what she was doing or where she was when she crashed. The cops think her memory loss is highly convenient, and they suspect she was up to no good. Karen returns home with Tom, determined to heal and move on with her life. Then she realizes something’s been moved. Something’s not quite right. Someone’s been in her house. And the police won't stop asking questions. Because in this house, everyone’s a stranger. Everyone has something they’d rather keep hidden. Something they might even kill to keep quiet.

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Be Aware Doris Pozo, Arts Editor This story is about demonic nature, inspired by a haunted house near Kirby Road.

A dimensional hole has opened on Kirby Road, Maple, ON. Rumour has it that if you drive down Kirby, your car might stop and fall off of the road and die just like Selina. Rumour also has it that if you park your car in the drive way of this dimensional hole, also known as the infamous Hell House, your car will disappear by a raging KKK leader who killed his entire family including his daughter’s boyfriend. The youngest daughter of that family, about 8 years old, watches those who come by from atop of a tree and torments any car that comes near the house.

What is a dimensional hole? I shall explain - the horrifying energy of death on Kirby Road has attracted nonphysical parasites to latch onto the dead souls. Non-physical entities are not bound by time and space. They live and move through the fabric of universal consciousness - which is thought.

Thought has the power to move through the cosmos at will. Beings who are not limited to a physical body are aware of this power and they travel with thought and intent alone.

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The vastness and multitude of the universe is far beyond our human comprehension. Non-physical entities do exist - entities that latch off of human souls, like parasites. Some call them demons, or ghosts, or figures of our own imagination. Whatever you wish to call it, these entities exist.

The petrified souls who died at Kirby Road attracted demons from strange elements of the universe - creating the dimensional hole for demons to travel through to begin their feast. They traveled like dark “light” to devour the freshly killed human souls. Like Selina – the 15 year old girl who got hit by a car and died on Kirby. Just down the street from her death is a house allegedly known as The Hell House.

The house has such a horrific name because a father killed his entire family of 7 because his daughter was dating a black man. The Hell House was apparently a meeting place for the dark organization known as the KKK. The father was the leader of the meeting place and the KKK at the time.

Dear reader, I’ve talked about how the dead souls attract demons by fear and torment. If this Hell House is really true, then the father always had entity attachments leaching off of his soul.

For it is the devil’s will to destroy and kill. Those who are alive can also have demons leaching on to their souls – feeding off of anger, jealousy, envy, arrogance, selfishness, sadness, fear and anything that harms you. The demons love to feast on your own destruction and on the destruction of others.

The demonic entities have been a part of the Hell House for a long time because the dark organization brings nothing but destruction and death.

The car crash and death of Selina was just adding to the strong supernatural possession that the “Hell House” already has.

For they are stuck on Earth re-living the moment again and again and again, hoping to wake up.

The devil does not want you to wake up, kind reader! There are parasites that will latch on to your soul until you have completely forgotten the light within you.

Be wary of any thoughts or feelings that harm your sense of balance in life, for there may be an entity attachment feeding off of your fears in the waking world as you read this. When it comes for your time to die, your demons will be waiting for you.

It is likely that all those dead souls do not know they are dead. They are being possessed by a demon parasites. These lost souls do not know there are cosmos to explore and a Heaven to delight in.

Source: WeHeartIt

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source: We Heart It

I ain’t got no Candy, but I got me some Tips Abdeali Saherwala, News Editor As Halloween creeps in closer and closer, we are warming up our party faces, getting our costumes and ready for that disturbing-interesting night. As candy is being given out, make sure to keep an eye out for yourself and for others. These are some of the safety tips I want to bless trick-treaters with for Halloween: • Make sure that you go trick-or-treating with a phone that has full battery.

• Never trick-or-treat alone! Safety first, and well, the more the merrier!

• Always have reflective pieces of tape on your costume to make sure that cars can see you in the dark.

• Never carry large wads of cash! This night is perfect for robbers or pickpockets who are dressed in Halloween costumes, to grab your wallets.

• Do not become a tourist or an adventurer and wander into neighborhoods you are not familiar with!

Other ‘hoods might have better treats, but if you get lost, then you get screwed.

For students who will be turning up this Halloween, I got some safety tips for you all as well: • If you are going to a party, go with a group of friends that you trust to have your back.

• If you are travelling by car, make sure that one person in your group does not get wasted (aka designated driver), so you all can return to your homes safely without getting arrested or getting hurt.

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•

If you are drinking, make sure you know your limit because for most of you, you’ll have class on Wednesday. Even if you are attending parties during the weekend, this rule still applies.

• If you are going to get freaky with a ghost, goblin, witch or other fictional creatures, make sure you are using a condom.

• If someone is pressuring you, you have the RIGHT to object and refuse- NO means NO in every language.

• At any point, if you feel threatened in anyway, call the police and shut that sh*t down. Let’s get something clear: just because it is Halloween or the weekend, that does not mean that the RULES of CONSENT do not apply. They always apply. In EVERY situation.

• If you are going to have a quiet dinner or chill, like me, with friends or family during that ghastly night, you can always stay in the holiday mood by telling scary stories to each other over sugary treats.

• If you are also lazy like me and do not want to tricktreat, then go to Walmart and get boxes of candy with your friends.

Whatever your plan is for Halloween, make sure that you are safe and secure. Because truly, scary things can in fact happen to you during that night if you are not careful.

So, beware my pretties, for Halloween can be filled with fiction. But without vigilance, it can become a true nightmare!!!!

Source: WeHeartIt

Some Spooky Things to do this Halloween Alec Pichelli, Humour Editor So October is here, which means Halloween is on its way. Of course, many of you are curious of how to spend it, whether it be dressing up with friends, going to a party, trick-ortreating or going to a haunted house.

be your first step to eating nice again. Get the scissors and makeup ready (or do what I did and buy your costume off eBay)!

3. Trick or Treating/Hand out Candy

Regardless of how you decide to, you probably want to go somewhere or do something that fits the mould of the festivities. With this in mind, here’s a list of a couple of places you can go this Halloween for a scary night!

This is a no-brainer. If you’re wearing a costume, this is basically an invitation to receive as much free candy as your pillow case can handle. The long standing tradition of trick or treating still holds to this day, so take advantage! Find a local neighbourhood and go door to door, and receive the goodness! If you so happen to be past the years of trick or treating, help spread the love and pass out candy to trick or treaters instead. Either way, there’s lots of candy to be bought!

1. Halloween Haunt at Canada’s Wonderland This was by far one of the scariest events I’ve ever been to in my life, hands down. I’m typically not very good with jump scares and gore, and was this place packed with it. Canada’s Wonderland undergoes a transformation from beloved amusement park to a collection of some of the most horrifying mazes and haunted houses I’ve ever had the displeasure of entering. I had to cling to the back of my friends for the majority of the night. Most colleges on campus sell tickets to Halloween Haunt, so don’t miss out!

2. Shopsy’s Halloween Costume Contest Everyone loves to dress up for Halloween, but why not have a little incentive to put more effort into you costume?

Shopsy’s at York holds an annual costume contest in which the best dressed gets a prize (last year’s prize was $500). For all you students waiting for that OSAP to come in, this might

4. Scary Movies Typically in the month of October, most television channels will start showing scary movies, ranging from classic thrillers like “The Exorcist” and “Chucky” to modern adaptations of “It” and “Final Destination”. Whatever your taste is, you’re sure to catch some of these through the month. Personally, I can’t stomach any scary movie of any type, but friends will still try to watch some with me in the spirit of Halloween.

Whenever I give in, I just end up leaving the room anyway.

Know your limit folks.

There are plenty of more exciting things to be done around Toronto this Halloween! Have a happy Halloween!

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The Dancing Stranger Ugne Rakauskaite, Staff Writer

It was almost 3 o’clock on a Tuesday night. Or I guess you could say it was more like early Wednesday morning.

I couldn’t sleep all night. All those piercing sounds coming from the police sirens and the ambulance cars kept me up. I had no idea what happened, but they were ringing for hours. I went out to the balcony to look around and see if I could pinpoint the area from where all the racket was coming from. The air was warm and still, with a little soft breeze brushing against my skin every now and then. It was the typical weather we always have here in sunny California.

I could see the red and blue lights flashing at a close distance. So, I decided to go see what’s happening. I couldn’t fall asleep either way. I began walking towards my bedroom, trying really hard not to make a sound on the squeaky floors. I didn’t want to wake my roommate. I tiptoed down the narrow hallway towards my room, when I accidentally stepped on a squeaky floorboard and woke her up for a few lazy seconds.

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After all the commotion I had created, I finally managed to get to my room. I decided that I wanted to look decent if I went out in public to talk to the officers, so I grabbed a hairbrush and began to brush out my frizzy brown hair.

When I fixed my hair and washed all the drool off of my face from the one hour that I actually did fall asleep, I went to my closet to pick out something other than my pajamas to wear. I threw on my black jeans, a black t-shirt, and a pair of my most comfortable sneakers. After a few minutes of wandering the house for my phone and keys, I was out the door.

We lived on the fourth floor of a fifteen floor building. I could have taken the stairs since I wasn’t far off the main floor, but since it was late and I was a bit lazy, considering it was 3:00am, I decided to take the elevator. Once I landed on my desired floor, I got out of the elevator and headed for the main doors.

“Hey Joseph,” I saw the doorman standing by the door, staring at the ceiling.

He didn’t answer. Although, he rarely did, even when he wasn’t blankly staring at the ceiling. Joseph is a strange old man. I’ve known him since Eadelyn and I moved into the building four years ago.

I don’t think he really likes us, or anyone for that matter.

As I exited the building, I began walking towards the trail that I always visited when I was in a mood. It wasn’t far from the noisy house, so I decided that I would walk along the trail for a few minutes to clear my head, and then I would head to the house. As I walked, I noticed the streets were very quiet. A little too quiet, considering the fact that we live central California, where tourists are buzzing like flies day and night. I decided to ignore it; maybe everyone just decided to give me some peace and quiet for once. I kept walking for about five more minutes, until I reached the trail. It was beautiful there. During

the day, you could hear birds making beautiful music, and see the wonderful flowers that grew all around. After dark, it was calm and relaxing, as if you were in a dream. I kept walking through the trail as I normally did. I looked to the sky and smelled the magnificently scented fuchsia flowers.

After a few minutes spent in my wonderland, an ominous feeling came over me, as if someone was watching me. I turned around, looked to each side, but there was nobody there. I began to panic. Even though I couldn’t see anyone, I could feel a presence.

Watching me, reading my thoughts. I began to quicken my pace. I wanted to get to a more crowded place. I didn’t feel safe there any longer. Not on my own. As I scurried down the trail, I began to get goosebumps and chills all over my body. I didn’t know what was wrong with me. There was no one following me, yet I was petrified. I just couldn’t shake the unpleasant feeling.

(Continues on next page)

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kept getting closer and closer, and the

I began to run. I turned the air around me kept getting thinner and corner and there it was. The air was thinner. thin and I could feel a slight breeze

“W-w-what the hell do you fanning my hair. I started sweating. want?” I finally managed to whisper.

But in an instant I realized that I wasn’t He didn’t answer. He just kept sweating, I was crying. In front of me, I getting closer. Dancing and smiling saw a shadow, a figure of a man with his way towards his new victim. I was his back facing me. He was dressed in terrified. I guess I’ll never know what black, and was swaying side to side, as happened at the noisy house. I finally if he was dancing to soundless music. I managed to move my legs. I began began to walk back towards the trail, to run as fast as I could back to my but I managed to worsen the situation apartment, while quickly running out of by walking into a fence and creating breath. just the slightest noise. I didn’t think he I hadn’t gotten far, but when I turned would notice, but just as I looked up, around he was no longer there. He had his eyes met mine. They were dark. It disappeared. I stopped running. I began felt as if I was staring into someone’s to walk to try and catch my breath, cloudy and miserable soul. I wanted to when I heard a faint hum coming from scream and yell and run away. Instead across the street. It was the same man, I just stood there, motionless. As if I lost watching me and tracing my steps. He complete control over my body. And had been following me the whole time. I then it happened. He began slowly hadn’t even noticed. I looked at his face moving across the sidewalk. His hands and he still had that same huge grin on were swaying graciously in the air, as his his face, except this time it looked even feet were gently gliding across the rough more vicious. I started running again. sidewalk. What made it even worse was And he began chasing after me. that he had a huge grin on his face. He 18

I managed to get to my building, before he could catch up to me. I went inside, yet I didn’t feel relieved.

For the next few days I didn’t leave the apartment. Every time I went down to the lobby, I took a glance at the front doors, hoping I wouldn’t see him. I was wrong. He was there watching me, waiting for me to come out so that he could attack his prey. But I was smarter than him. He was there every day for the first five days. On the sixth day he was gone, and I never saw him again. ******

“Adelene, honey, you keep repeating the same story. We keep telling you that it never happened. Do you remember what we told you last time?” said the old nurse, who was sitting across from me on the edge of what looked like a hospital bed.

“What do you mean? I just got here! I’ve never seen you in my life!” I screamed.

“We know this is hard. Do you want us to tell you the real story, again?”

“What are you talking about?” I screamed, while noticing that my hands were tied to my chair.

“You know the house you keep talking about? The “noisy” house. It was yours.

You set it on fire, honey. It was an accident. No one blames you for it. Just try to get some rest okay?” the old lady said while handing me some strange looking pills.

“NO! I want to go home. Where’s Eadelyn? Eadelyn!”

“Shhhh. There is no Eadelyn. You made that up. It isn’t real. Just take your medicine and try to sleep.”

I took the pills. I wanted so badly for her to stop talking. I didn’t know what they were for, but they were kicking in fast. I saw a tall shadow of a man by the door, but it was getting harder and harder to keep my eyes open. So I closed them.

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In Defense of the PSL

Poetry Round-Up Vanessa Butera, Editor-in-Chief

Vanessa Butera Editor-In-Chief source: WeHeartIt Source: WeHeartIt

This is the very first poem I wrote for Macmedia, as a contributor, for November 2014. While Satire was never my thing, I’d like to think my poetry has improved since then.

It is that time of year again Where the pumpkins pop out And everything turns orange The air cools down, a dash of spice Is added to just about everything In spirit of the season Coffee shops everywhere Come out with pumpkin spice lattes And just about everyone is so annoyed They can see clouds of their huffs and puffs In the cold air As a fan of the ever famous PSL I wait all year for this treat To become available However, during the rest of the year I have to hear the rest of the world Profess their love for pizza Or claim that BACON is the reason They can’t go vegetarian Or use words such as “beautiful” or “food porn” 20

To describe mouth-watering photos Of dripping mac and cheese So are the ones in scarves and sweaters Who swoon over the fluffy whip topping Any different from any of you?

Because during the rest of the year I love all the same foods you do The Pumpkin Spice Latte fan base Typically described as “basic” Actually consists of people just like you Teenagers and university student who need Something to get them through a late night study session So while you can enjoy pizza and bacon All year round Please let me, and those who stand with me Enjoy our PSL in peace!

This has been a public service announcement From me, Vanessa Butera

Alien I’m a collection of particles To cells, skin to dust Thoughts to energy But I am alien in the social gaze I can’t remember a time When I didn’t feel Like I was being watched Our bodies are the boarders That restrict our fluidity Then everyone around us Puts us in boxes Rimmed with mirrors For isolation at its purest Expression is identity on acid And most of the time We are looking through beer goggles Stumbling to contain ourselves I can not feel my hands But I need a thicker skin I tailor my words With every nip of my waist Am I really myself Without the thoughts of everyone else?

Poison Like Sugar They take a piece of me For what I swallow whole I don’t let my lips go dry They sink their teeth Into me like pinpricks On the skin and bones That dwell on my hips Shame for the frail and the fat Do I blur your vision By taking up space?

All that is decadent Eventually goes rotten Their words are a forbidden fruit That hang on the vine Where insecurity ripens With every sweet taste on my tongue I am tempted to give into the guilt That poison like sugar But I will let those thoughts go hungry

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-Noor Almutaa Halloween is a long-standing tradition brought to you by witches, carved pumpkins and TP-ed houses. The party tradition every year is either a spooky vibe, jump-scary or who wore it best usually one of the biggest and wildest party nights in the semester. Turning fright into fun can sometimes go wrong and unfortunately, every Halloween there are always the same cliché parties’ situations taking place either in a dorm or a frat house.

Halloween parties are all fun and games but the following things will happen (emphasis on will). To dress up or not to dress up, that is the question. Since one of the basic traditions for Halloween is to dress up, there will always be that one person who does the absolute most to be a character but no one can figure out what they are. Also, don’t forget the ones who makes no effort whatsoever or the ones who come in an offensive costume. Don’t be alarmed when you see a few people coming in with no clothes, sometimes people use Halloween as an excuse to wear nothing at all. Whether it’s a pretty little liars fan or a Game of Thrones fanatic, people will come in dressed in their favourite main characters except maybe four other people will be dress the same and it won’t be so creative anymore. Pinterest really comes in handy when you want to throw a party and make a keg look like a witches brew but in most Halloween parties you will see a failed attempt to create Pinterest inspired cocktail projects. The witches brew tastes well now but won’t taste as appealing when it comes back out the morning after. Are you looking to make new friends? Well you have come to the right place! Everyone loves a good laugh especially right before midterm season, come in the most unexpected costumes and well of course everyone is drunk and best friends! Despite all the attempted failed projects and the never ending costume malfunctions, Halloween parties is the perfect excuse to get drunk (before midterm season), dress up into your favourite character and make new drunk best friends in the bathroom of a frat house.

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Source: http://onemamasdailySource: Pinterest drama.com 24

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