Serial Serial CULTURE
1 PRWOLF/QUEERLIT/THESCIENCEOFSUPERHEROES KNIVESOUT/THESPLINTERENSEMBLE DECEMBER2022 ISSUETEN ExploringthelivesandartofyoungpeopleinHalton
Meettheteam
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3 4COVERART 6PRWOLFINTERVIEW 12AUTUMNPOEMBYJULIAN 13QUEERLIT 14THESPLINTERSENSEMBLE 16SCORESFROMTHESCREEN 18ELIART&POETRY 20HYC 21ABILLIONTIMESILOVEYOU 22THESCIENCEOFSUPERHEROES 24ONLYPRIDEWILLDO 26GETINVOLVED EditorialAdvisoryTeam EditorialTeamFacilitator-MegDeMar Designer-GregOldfield TheStudioProjectManager-LouiseNulty
4 COVERART Name: CathHughes Age:22 Whereareyoubased? WidnesbutI travelaroundWalesHowlonghave youbeencreatingart?Since2019 Howdidyoufirstgetintoit?Igot intoitthroughmyGrandad.He usedtotakemeondaysoutand whenhetookphotosIwatched. Hewasaprofessional photographer. Whattrainingdoyouhave? Iam selftaughtmostlyhoweverIhave doneshortcoursesinStHelens collegeandI’mnowcurrently studyingitinLiverpoolcollege doinglevel3.Iamhopingto progressontouniversity. Whatmedia/softwaredoyouuse? IuseAdobeLightroomandAdobe PhotoshopWhatistheinspiration forthesepieces?Ihavealways lovedbeingaroundnatureand wildlifeandwantedtocaptureits beautytoletpeopleenjoyit throughmywork.Iwantto encouragepeopletoexplore,get outmoreandjusthavefun,enjoy ourbeautifulsceneryandanimals. Whataretheaimsforyourart? Justforpeopletoenjoymywork andpotentiallymakeacareerout ofit. Wherecanpeoplefindyouon SocialMedia? Icurrentlyhavean InstagramandFacebookpage.I wouldlovetoexpandandcreatea websitetogetmorepeopleand potentialclients. IG:_cgh_photos_ CATHHUGHES
Ihavealwayslovedbeing aroundnatureandwildlife andwantedtocaptureitsbeauty
6 Recently,IsatdownwithPR Wolf;afursuiterfromthe UnitedKingdomandIgottoask himaseriesofquestionsabout hisinterestincosplayinginthe FurryFandomandwhyhe enjoysit.EnjoytheInterview!
PRWOLFANINTERVIEW WITH Owen:Couldyouintroduce yourselfandtellalittlebitabout yourself,PR? PRWolf:IfIwastovery quicklyexplainwhoIam;I amaperson,I’mPRWolfas thecharacterIportrayas. Idressupasarabbit-wolf characterforfuninmyfree time.Ibrieflyspentawhile doingregularYouTube videosaboutthesortof FurryCommunityduringthe endof2017,early2018; sincethen,I’vemadeless YouTubevideosdueto gettingareal-lifejob, IstillpartakeintheFurry Communityasawholeand occasionallyproduceonline videosthatpeopleseemto enjoy,andImakeFurry
byOwenJohnson
Owen:Howdidyouinterestedin fursuiting?
PRWolf:Ihadnever initially,obviouslyI knownaboutfursuiting becauseIseenFurriesand I’veseenpeopledoingit before,andIalwayshadan interestinFurries, anthropomorphicanimals, andshowslikeMongrels, DisneymovieslikeRobin Hood,Zootopia,andTheLion King.Iwasalwaysinto Furries,butIwouldalways seethepeopleinfursuits andIdidn’tthinkitwas somethingthatIwasgonna do,andIdidn’tthinkit wassomethingthatwould interestmeandIwas actuallyaFurryforyears beforeactuallyowninga fursuit.So,whathappened wasafriendofmineata conventioncalledLatimer, he’dactuallyletmeusehis headandpawsasapartial suitandIrememberputting itonanditwassofunand Iwenttohavealookin thisbigmirrorandIcould
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Owen:Haveyoueverbeento ComicConsbefore? PRWolf:No,I’venever actuallybeentoaComicCon oranykindofconvention otherthanI’vebeento severalFurryConventions, Ihavealsobeentoavideo gameexhibition,theone calledESLFinalforCS:GO orsomethinglikethatin London.Itwassortofa Conventionbutmoreofa gamingeventforE-Sports. However,I’veneverbeento aComicConbefore,I’ve alwayswantedto,itlooks likesomethingthatcanbe quitefun.It’sjustbecause I’veneverreallyfoundthe timetogoandyou’dhaveto bookticketsinadvanceand
Owen:Doyougofrequentlyor wheneveryouneedto?
PRWolf:Yeah,theFurry ConventionsI’vebeento,so you’vegotconslikeConFuzzled whichhappensonceeveryyear andthat’supinBirmingham,I’ve beentothateveryyearthatit’s beenonsince2018,andI’vewent tothe2019and2022ConFuzzled events,butthe2020and2021 eventswerecancelleddueto Covid.Also,there’snotjust conventions,therearealso FurMeetsthatyoucanfindin NottinghamandtheLondonone whichIgotoveryoccasionally. Theyaremoreregularlyheldand thosearenormallyheldonevery month,andIdon’tgotoevery singleone.ButI’llgoahandful maybe6or7timesayear.
Butmysuithasgoodventilation, andtheeyeshavegoodvisibility. Theonethingthatisunusualis thatifitlookslikeifI’mlookingat youstraightonrightnow,butwhat I’mdoingisnotlookingatyou,but Ican’tlookforwardsduetothe fursuitheadbeinginfrontofme, soIkindofhavetolooksideways formetoseewhat’sgoingonat thecamera,asitlookslikeI’m lookingstraightaheadatyou.
Owen:Inadditiontothe fursuitng,doyouknowwhat materialisusedfortheeyesfor theinsidenetting?
Owen:Whenyou’refursuiting, doyoueverfindanydifficulties withitlikeforexample;doyou evergetwarminitorhad problemsseeingthroughit?
PRWolf:So,forme,it’snottoo bad,butitvariesfromcostumeto costumeforsomepeoplethey havealotofdifficultieswiththe heatandifyou’vegotafullsuit whereyou’vegotthebodypartas well,that’salotmorefur,it’salot warmerandhotterandespecially ifit’sgotallthepaddingaswell. Forme,it’snormallyok,Imeanit getshotlikenothingtoobad.Idid fursuitnotthatlongagoin Summerthisyearwhenwehad thatheatwave,andthe temperaturewasaroundthirtysomethingdegrees,anditwas extremelyhot,andIcouldonlydo itfor30minutes.
PRWolf:Ididn’tpersonallybuild mysuit,itwasbuiltbysomebody elsebuttheeyesthey’remadeof akindofmesh,soit’salmostlike cardorfabric,thickfabricwith loadsofholesinit.IfIzoominon thecamerayoucanseetheholes inmyfursuithead’seyes.And eventhoughitlookslikeyou couldn’tseethrough,butifyou evertryholdaT-Shirtoverthe fursuiteye,youkindofsee throughit,it’sthesamedeal.
PRWolf(Continued):IBasically,if IusethisbottleofAlcohol-free beerasanexample;Ican’tseeit rightnowbutnowIcan,ifIputit infrontoftheeyeduetonotbeing abletoseestraightonduetothe headbeingintheway.
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Owen:Whilstyourfursuitingat MeetUps,haveyoueverhad peopleevercomeuptoyouand messwiththefursuitheadand trytodamageit?
PRWolf:I’vebeenprettyluckyin thesensethatnobodyhasever reallydonethattome,oratleast I’mnotawareofit.But,Imean peoplewillhavetobeverycareful andrespectwhenthey’rearound fursuitersbecausewecannotsee verywellandunabletohearquite good;ifyouwalkuptousand grabortouchus,weprobably won’tknowthatyou’recoming andit’llgiveusafrightandnotbe veryniceandnoonewantstobe grabbedwhilstbeingincostume andyoucandamagefursuits quitealotifyougrabthemorpull onthemorscratchthemand thesetypeofthings.Andmyears areverydelicateaswell,but they’restrongenoughbutif someonelikepatsmyhead extremelyhard,thenmyearswill snap.ButI’mluckythathasn’t happenedtomepersonally,but youdohavetobecarefulbecause itDOEShappentosomepeople andit’snotgreatwhenthat happens.
Owen:Iknowconventionsare
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backupandrunningand duringissue8ofSerialCulture andweweretalkingaboutour experiencesofComicCons, butIwantedtoaskwhat experienceyou’vehadwithFur Meetsoverthelast5years? PRWolf:I’veneverreallyhada badexperience,I’veneverreally gonetoanythingwhereI’ve thought“Oh,that’sterribleandI wouldnevergothereagain”I’ve alwayshadagoodexperience withallofthemeetupsand variousconventionsthatI’vebeen to,whichisgood!It’salwaysan opportunitywhereyou’llmeetnew people,andpeoplethatyou’llonly seeonceayear.Ihavefriends wholiveallaroundtheworldin differentcountriesandindifferent partsofEnglandandtheUKasa whole. Owen:Howmuchdidyoursuit costtobuytogetmadefor you? PRWolf:Igotverylucky.Mysuit wasmadebyafriendataprice wasverycheapforthequalitythat itwas,somysuitcostme£750 whichisobviouslyalotofmoney andIunderstandthat’salotbut forafursuitofthequalitywhichit is,that’sareallygooddealand becauseonaverageforahigh qualityfursuitthesedaysyou’re lookingatleast£1000really. MoneywellspentandI’mreally happywithit!
Owen:Haveyoubeenfursuiting asadifferentcharacterbefore PR,orishetheonlyoneyou’ve cosplayedas?
PRWolf:PRistheonlycharacter thatI’veeverpersonallyhadas myself,likeIdidwhenIveryfirst foundoutaboutfurriesIdidhavea coupleofdifferentideasfor characters,butIcouldneverfind anythatwouldactuallystickthatI actuallyliked.So,Istruggleda longtimetopickadesignand characterthatIcouldagreewith untilIeventuallygotsettledonwith PRasacharacter.
Owen:Whatwasthefirstshow/ movieyoueverseenthatmade youbecomeinterestedin anthropomorphicanimals?
PRWolf:Itwould’vebeenyears agowhenIwasakid.It’dbehard tothinkabouttheveryfirstone becausetherewerealotoflittle thatwouldblendintoeachother becauseyou’reakidandyou watchlotsofdifferentmovies,like IusedtowatchTheLionKingand Iusedtowatchmovieslike Disney’sRobinHood,andother movieslikeWatershipDown,etc…
charactersdoesn’thavetobelike achildthing.Likeitwaslikeyou couldhaveanimalcharactersthat couldtalkbutthey’relikeswearing andmakingadultjokes.Mongrels waslike;“Ohhey!Youlike watchinganthropomorphic animals,that’scool!”Itkindof showedmethatitwaslikeadults canbeintothis.Butthat’sprobably theanswertothat
Owen:Whenyoustarted watchingMongrels,howdidthat impactyouontheFurry Fandom?
PRWolf:Itwasoneofthose showswhichkindofmademe realisethatthewholebeing anthropomorphicanimalsasmain
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11 Owen:Doyouhaveanyplansinthefuturetoswitchupthingsalittle forfursuitingorareyougonnabestickingwithPRfortheremainder ofyourfursuitinginterests? PRWolf:IthinkthatI’mgonnacontinuetodoitandIwillprobablywill alwaysbePRbecauseIhavesuchagoodconnectionwiththecharacter. IhavebeenabletoexpressmyselfandbecomecomfortableinwhoIam andhavefuninawaythatIdidn’texpectthatI’deverbeentodo.Iwas quiteashypersonbutbeingthischaracterwhilstmeetingfriendsand otherpeoplewhileexploring,it'snotonlyletmebecomeamoreconfident personthankstofursuitngandPRasthecharacterandIdon’tseemyself instoppinginanyway. Soonaftertheinterview,myselfandPRWolfbidfarewellaftera nearly2-hourinterviewonZoom.ButIhadthepleasurein interviewinghim. YoucanfindPRonTwitterunderthename@ThePRWolf
Autumn
Sweetautumn’slightflickeredintomyeyesfromthewoodsswayingleaves, Shewereencapsulatedbeauty. Orangeandyellowslikepassion,eveningsflowingwind. Nosightmorebeautiful,NosightImissmoreinthiscoldmonthofJanuary.
IwanderthroughthesewoodsfromtimetotimewishingthereturntoitsbetterstateReminiscingmydesiderium. AutumnisoverandWinterisunderway. TheairchangedonDecember21standI’llneverbreathethesameagain.
Tangiblelovefellallaroundme, GlimmeringblissIstillrecallItsgriponme,infatuating,neverdidIrealiseyourbeautyuntilthedayyouleftme. StrandingmeinEngland'smost-depressivegloom.
HappyNewYear,thebesthasjustleftyou. Thestrengthtobarethislonginfernoinexchangefor90daysoflove, WeswayfromourtreesinlateOctober-flickeringlightintotheeyesofpassersbyLandingelegantlyonthenewlycoldpath,troddenbyawinterboot.
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JulianCowley
Written bythe
the classic philosophicalnovel‘The Picture ofDorian Gray’ follows the storyofa narcissistic young man who sells his soulto ensure that he willstaybeautiful- while his portrait begins to age and wear. Dorian indulges in manysins and even extreme acts ofviolence, studying the efect that it willhave on the painting. The book is implicitlyqueerwith manycritics calling it homoerotic in nature. However, an ‘uncensored’edition is also available, containing more graphic and explicitlyqueerscenes.
ByOskar
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My Rating Age Rating 15+ 5STARS
famouslyhomosexualOscarWilde,
OscarWilde PictureOfDorianGray by The The by PictureOfDorianGray OscarWilde
Splinters Ensemble
Originallyformedin2016to performatWembleyArenaas guestsofBrentMusicService,the SplintersEnsembleisan ‘alternative’windandpercussion groupforgiftedandtalented youngmusiciansacrossHalton andWarrington,fundedbythe AccentMusicEducationHub.Our playersrangefromages11-19, withaunifyingpositiveattitude andloveformusic-makingthat drivesthemforward,allowing themtothriveinafunandpositive atmosphere,inadditiontobeing partofsomeamazingevents!
'Splinters'havetwodistinctidentities... TheSplintersEnsemblespecialisesincontemporarymusic.Thisoffersa lessconventionalapproachtomusic-making,focusingondifferent performancestylesanduniqueprojects,allwithbespokemusic composedbyaward-winningcomposersPaulMcGheeandLucy Pankhurst.Pastprojectsincludeamemorised,choreographedroutineat WembleyArena(withanextendedversionperformedattheMusicfor YouthFestivalthefollowingyear),GrimmTales2018(aballet,premiered attheBrindleyTheatre),theHebdenBridgeArtsFestivalanda performancebeneaththeMuseumoftheMoonintheParrHall, Warrington.
Tobalancethis,thebandalsoperformastheSplintersStreetBand,with uniquecoversofpopandrocksongsfromthe1970stopresentday.Full offunandinfectiouslyupbeat,thebandareregularlyinvitedtoperformat localfestivalsandevents.Mostrecently,theywereinvitedtoperformat theHalliwellJonesStadiumtowelcomethePapuaNewGuineaRugby LeagueteamtotheUKforthe2022WorldCup.
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InAugust2019Splintersembarkedontheir firsttour,wheretheyperformedinseveral iconicvenuesinBelgium,suchasthe ClothHallinGhentandthefamous bandstandinOstend.
Thebandcontinuedtothriveevenduring lockdown,withweeklyonlinerehearsals andregularrecordingsforsociallydistancedvideos,whichwerereleasedon theirYouTubechannel.Theywerealsoa hugepartoftheAccentEnsembles2020 and2021ChristmasAdventCalendarswhenin-personconcertswerenot possible,theplayersandmusicstaff workedincrediblyhardtocreateaseriesof videos(socialdistancedin2020,‘live' performancesin2021)whichwere releasedinDecemberduringthelead-up toChristmas.
Nowthatweareabletoperformtogetherin concertsagain,thebandhavean increasinglybusyconcertschedule.They arealsocurrentlyworkingtowardsseveral projectsthisacademicyear,including performingandrecordingmusiccocomposedwithmembersofthegroup.
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'KnivesOut' SoundtrackAnalysis
Theoriginalmotionpicture soundtrackfortheepicwhodunnit 'KnivesOut'crossesboundaries betweenthegenresofclassical andjazz.BythecomposerNathan Johnson(knownforhisinnovative andunorthodoxapproachestohis �lmscores),thesoundtrack perfectlycapturesthebreakdown ofadysfunctionalfamilyasthey begintorealisewhathappenedto theirbelovedHarlanThrombey. Arguablyoneofthemostpowerful piecesofthesoundtrackis'Knives Out!(StringQuartetinGMinor)'.A stringquartetconsistsoftwo violinists,aviolist,andacellist (contrarytopopularbeliefthatit hasadoublebassist).Thisisa traditionalensemblethatmany 18thcenturycomposersused,but in'KnivesOut'itisusedinlessofa
traditionalway.Thereisheavyuse ofaccentedandstaccatonotesfor impact,andthereisasinister qualitytothemusic(emphasised bytheminortonality).The repetitive'stabs'ofshortnotescan evenbecomparedtothemusic fromthefamousshowerscenein 'Psycho'.Whetherthiswas intentionalornotIcannotsay, howeveritisde�nitelya�tting parallel.I�rmlybelievethatthisis afantasticopeningpieceasitsets theatmosphereupfortherestof the�lm.
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Finally,'TheThrombeyFamilyTheme'isplayedbothnearthebeginningof the�lm,andattheend.However,itisnotentirelythesamethesecond timethrough.The�rstversionisapianosolo-soundingsophisticatedand relaxed.Then,thesecondversionaddsdrums.Thissubtlebutimportant differencechangesthefeelentirely,asitaddsarandomandjazzyelement thatreflectsthedysfunctionalfamilyanddrawsthe�lmtoasatisfying conclusion.
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MyTop3FromTheSoundtrack: 1)KnivesOut!(StringQuartetinGMinor) 2)TheThrombeyFamilyTheme 3)Blanc'sTale,Pt.II
Whereisit?
Thatfeelingofdread. TheoneIfeeleverymorning. AsIwakeup.
Itwasn’tthere. Whichthrewme. Butonmywayout. Thelackofdreadletmethink.
It’sbeautiful. Themorning. Thewaytherisingsundancesacross everythingittouches. Thebirdssingmeasweetsong. Andarealisationhitsme.
Imade it. Iamokay.
ELI ART & POETRY
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WHYSHOULDYOUJOIN HALTONYOUTHCABINET? Being part of the cabinet means you get to work with local leaders to create change and have further opportunities to attend events regionallyandnationally. The next issue we would like to focus on is povertyandhavehadmeetingswiththelocal OurlastfocuswasonimprovingMentalHealth with the Better Letter campaign. We held a health and wellbeing event, pen pal scheme, mental health trail, and health and wellbeing consultations WemeetthesecondandfourthTuesdayofthe month5:30–7:30pmsocomeandjoinus! OnthesecondTuesdaywemeetat TheStudioWidnes OnthefourthTuesdaywemeetatThe OldPoliceStationRuncorn Opentoages11-18 SCANTHEQR CODETOSIGNUP @HaltonYC 20
23 Weaskedsomeoftheguests,whatsuperpowerthey wouldmostliketopossess. Herearetheresults: Theoverallwinner:Invisibility. Wehadgreatfun,thanksfor invitingustobeapartofit! INVISIBILTY FLIGHTTELEKINESIS SPEEDREGENERATION FIRE ICE TALKINGTOANIMALSWEBSLINGINGSTRENGTHMINDREADING
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26 WELOOKFORWARDTOSEEING WHATMAGICYOUCREATE. GET INVOLVED!
SerialCultureisaplaceforyourstoriesandyourart! Wecanfeatureyoursketches,painting,photography,graphic designs;whateveryourartformis,wewanttoseeit!Share withusyourpoems,shortstoriesorarticles. BeentoaGIG,PLAY,SHOW,EXHIBITION,EVENT? Sendusyourreview. Needsomeassistance? Wecaninterviewyouaboutyourlifeexperiences. Wecanfeatureorganisationsthathavesupportedyouasa youngperson. Wecanshineaspotlightonyourcharitableandcommunity activitiessuchasraisingfundsandcollectingforfoodbanks. WhateveryourCultureiswecangiveyouaplatform. serialculturezine@gmail.com AwordfromtheeditorMegDeMar
27 SerialCultureZine OriginStory! SerialCulturezinehasbeencreatedtoprovideapla�ormforthe youngpeopleofHaltonaged11-25tosharetheirartwork,cultural ac�vityandlifestyleloves. ThroughHaltonBoroughCouncil’syouthprovisionprogramme,young peoplerespondedtooursurveyandcalloutforcontributors.Asmall teamhasdevelopedthezinefromscratchwithalargercommunityof youngcontributors.Theeditorialteamchangesandgrowsasthezine reachesmorepeople,wewelcomethosewhowanttostayforthe wholeprojectorjustaddanar�cleeverynowandthenoraoneoff. Ifyouwanttoaddyourculturalvoiceandartworkcontact serialculturezine@gmail.com Theviewsexpressedarethoseofthecontributors. LOOSEhasbeencrea�ngopportuni�esforthepeopleofHaltonto perform,record,shareanddevelopcrea�velysince1997.In2010 LOOSEopenedTheStudioinLaceyStreet,Widnes.Thiscommunity venueishometoavarietyoffundedcommunityandyouthfocused artandculturebasedprojects.Itisalsohometopartner organisa�ons,communitygroupsandcollegecourses.Tofindout whatwecurrentlyoffer,orsuggestaprojectoreventyourselfvisit: www.thestudiowidnes.org.uk
COVERARTCATHHUGHES
