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Pagan News Beagle: Airy Monday, October 26

What are the scariest monsters ever to debut in tabletop roleplaying games? Is The Nightmare Before Christmas a Halloween or Christmas movie? And did you know that Silent Hill was inspired by a real town? Airy Monday takes a spooky turn this week as we look at horror and other creepy fiction in preparation for Samhain and Halloween. All this and more for the Pagan News Beagle!

Tabletop RPGs are more commonly associated with fantasy than horror but the latter's influence hasn't been unseen or unheard by fans. Sci-fi and fantasy website io9 takes a look at some of the most disturbing monsters ever to grace tabletop gaming, from Ravenloft's vampire elder brain to Call of Cthulhu's Yibb-Tstll.

Henry Selick's stop-motion animation film The Nightmare Before Christmas has enchanted moviegoers ever since it debuted twenty-two years ago. But one question about the holiday-themed film has divided its fans for years: is it a Christmas movie or a Halloween movie? The Mary Sue reports director Selick's own opinion on the matter.

Alongside Resident Evil, Dead Space, and Amnesia, Silent Hill is often regarded as one of the defining brands in the survival horror genre of video games. But did you know that the eponymous town is, in fact, based off of a real place? Video game website Kotaku reports on the story behind the town and how a disaster in the area turned into the spooky inspiration for horror games.

When you think of Pokémon the first image to pop into your head is doubtless Pikachu, the adorable electric mouse that serves as the franchise's chief mascot. But not every pocket monster is as cute as Pikachu. Indeed, some can be quite disturbing, as Comics Alliance reveals in this article about some of the scariest ghost-type Pokémon.

Speaking of critters that are often more dangerous than imagined, sci-fi and fantasy publisher Tor has a list of reasons why you should be wary of "the fair folk" (aka fairies and other fey). Although they're often imagined as friendly and even benevolent, Sylvia Spruck Wrigley explains why folk lore doesn't really support the idea of fairies as your magical best friends.


Top image by Tilliebean

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Aryós Héngwis (or the more modest Héngwis for short) is a native of the Pontic-Caspian steppe, born some 5000 years ago, near the village of Dereivka. In his youth he stood out from the other snakes for his love of learning and culture, eventually coming into the service of the local reǵs before moving westward toward Europe. Most recently, Aryós Héngwis left his home to pursue a new life in America, where he has come under the employ of BBI Media as an internet watchdog (or watchsnake, if you will), ever poised to strike the unwary troll.

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