Story 3 [5 of 5] "--Pation!"

The world materialized in front of them as a familiar place. This is often how otherworldly spaces present themselves; a quiet place turned loud and obnoxious and unknowingly scary. The world is not a quiet place in the land of the Black Lodge.

They appeared in the middle of a street at night. Cars passed by, both fast and slow. Light seemed to slow down just to gawk at the two that just popped into existence. But finally there were other beings!

Various characters appeared all at once (did they see a clown?) on the median where they stood. Frozen in place, they took in the sites and sounds.

They needed to be careful because of the sides, as lights stretched into infinity. Sounds materialized and disappeared in an instant; nothing felt connected to anything. It was all disjointed.

Stories, characters, cliches, herrings, even lemmings all played their role at once. But they wouldn't remember any of this, since these events still had not yet happened.

The two friends thought they should go mad since all of their senses overloaded. One of them even thought smoke was escaping from his ears! Such a cartoon cliche.

At the crescendo, everything stopped except the background. 

The background looked like this: 
(But the clown was still there. Smiling. Was that Tim Curry?!)

Story 3 [4 of 5] "Truth"

Can you feel it?

That uncertainty one feels when you push forward. Into the unknown.

The truth is out there, you just have to search for it. That pang when there's a lack of knowledge. When there's a search for IT. Whatever IT is.

But these two, trapped in another world and so far away from what they knew, were near the end of an Interlude. They were about to meet others.

Out there. Can you feel it? 
I see you quivering in antici... And where they landed looked like this:

Story 3 [3 of 5] "Crossing Streams"

They found themselves seated on some... were they on a boat?!
"Well, here we are," a deep, calm voice spoke behind them. They looked back at a tall wiry man with curly hair and a maroon top hat. He began a familiar chant that would haunt their dreams for the rest of their days.

But in eternity, "rest of their days" doesn't mean much. They had to suppliment "eternity" for different words and phrases.

The two felt like they had waited in line at a Disney land ride, and the boat finally moved forward. But the friends never felt any momentum, dispite the jolt forward (or was it backwards?) in direction.

There's no earthly way of knowing/ which direction we are going

There's no way of knowing where we're rowing/ or which way the river's flowing

Is it raining/ is it snowing/  is a hurricane a-blowing

Not a speck of light is showing/ so the danger must be growing

Are the fires of hell a-glowing?/ Is the grisly reaper mowing?

The danger MUST be growing/ for the rowers keep on rowing

And their certainly not showing/ any signs that they are slowing!

What madness awaited these two? A kolidoscope of color and sound exploded around them. Taunting them. Mocking them. This is what most people and writers call 'forshadowing.' This was a taste of what was to come. And they had a poet on board, doubling as a crazed guide. Joy.

After a time, they saw an emerald light. It grew and grew and grew into strange shapes. But most importantly, it was closer to them (or were they closer to the light?) and were going to...

The light looked like this:

Story 3 [2 of 5] "Interlude

They saw a structure somewhere in the edge been civilization and wilderness. Even without a sign present, they knew it was an entrance. Most would not be able to tell the difference between Entrance and Exit, but they knew. Somewhere in the depths of their minds they knew. And it was because they were exhausted.

Both were tired of these transitional narratives. The familiar crescendo of narrative form. It all felt so bland after so much walking and searching that ended in dead ends and nothing. Each place had a beginning with no real end.  What good were these mcguffins if they went to no place in particular.

Such is life. 

But this is a supernatural world! The two friends screamed in their heads. This was a challenge to the universe, whichever one they were in at the moment. Enough was enough. This brief eternity had to end and they would do anything to escape the purgatory.

"Fine," one said. "Let's go and begin yet another walkthrough. But something interesting will happen this time! We need interaction. Humans, gods, dwarves, elves, aliens, monsters, woodland creatures, someone! "

"We are gonna make it through this land if it kills me."

"Weird time for Mountain Goats"

And the two heroes stomped into action.

The entrance looked like this:

Story 3 [1 of 5] "Nature"

The two friends had walked, hiked, even stumbled through many different places here in the Land of the Black Lodge. It felt like days, even weeks. At the same time, the two felt like no time had elapsed at all. That becomes unnerving when that's the only feeling there is.

They continued to find more and more places to explore. Each location beautiful yet haunting every single time.

"But where are the people?" one of them finally asked. No places ever looked completely abandoned, no place looked like the people were ripped out. Could it have been a rapture or post-apacolypse? deja vu

"It just feels like the skeleton of a community is here, but without culture; without people..." mumbled the other.

They were deep in the line that straddles Civilization and Wilderness. On the horizon of Fear.

The edge of Panic.

Somewhere, yet nowhere

And yet it was beautiful.

It looked like this:

Story 2 [5/5]

"Destination: Cheese Dip"

The friends walked past the corner of Black and White & Chroma and into the white void yet again.

The closest comparison was jumping through hyperspace multiple times. They were never entirely sure where they would end up. Building after deconstructed building. Some alive, most not (that they were sure of). Each place disoriented them but they moved forward. 

Finally, they stood in front of their destination: Pancho's restaurant. The two friends walked in and...
It looked like this:

Story 2 [4/5]

"Journey Obscurous"

At the corner of Black and White & Chroma, they knew they were nearly there. Like Bill & Ted, they knew this bogus journey woke be at a close end. 

This closeness wasn't about space, more a conceptual one. The Land of the Black Lodge loves to warp concepts of space. There were no miles or feet (or even meters), and they continued to move forward. The thought made their minds swirl around and around, and up and down. 

This damn restaurant felt like it was at the end of the universe! And all for delicious cheese dip... The two friends trudged onward into obscure references.

Black and White St. & Chroma Ave. looks like this:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BgFYMJthRcLgofn6dz0L72EAVhHU2_DSXBEFyA0/?taken-by=josie.sweeney

Story 2 [3/5]

 "Hunger Brings You to Strange Places-Within-Places"

They entered a nameless town, where many buildings were gutted. One building smiled at them, drawing them closer. As if it were alive. As if it were conscious; with promises of the holy cheese dip. Beyond the gaping maw of the building (was it really a building?) was blank, and their curiosity got the better. 

They found a courtyard where the void used to be. How many buildings were they supposed to go through in order to find Pancho's? They continued to walk through the white void, just like the first one that brought thme here.

The two confused friends walked through once more and were greeted by a sign. "The Land of Malco?" one of them asked.
It all looked like this...

https://www.instagram.com/p/BgCvOVOBRdEPM1dW1HIdVWVtgr9CX5G0v9ChLY0/?taken-by=josie.sweeney

Story 2 [2/5]

The friends continued down the road fur some time. The first sign of civilization were the remnants of a house. A tree sprouted from the echoes of what once was. Or will be? They were surprised anyone lived in these parts. Then again, there didn't seem to be much civilzation here in the first plast. 

Why was this? How long ago had these people left? Who or what caused the destruction?
There was that useless word again, in a land where time doesn't bother. 

The remains of the house looked like this:

Story 2 [1/5]

Two friends walked through a strange land, one similar to our own. This is the Land of the Black Lodge. Time here works differently than the world we're all used to. Same with other things; light, distance, even other creatures. But there are a few universal truths, no matter which one you're in. One of them: Hunger

One said, "You know what I haven't had in forever? Pancho's!"

"Like the cheese dip? Those restaurants aren't open anymore, " said the other.

"At the very least, I want the cheese dip," said the first friend.
Shaking his head, he looked ahead down the road. They did not like what may lay ahead of them. The road looked like this:

I am Iron Man

Guess what? Iron Man, the Marvel Cinematic variety, is ten years old this May! Well, technicaly late April, but that was recently changed by Robert Downey JR. I think he gets a small say-so about that. 

A lot has happened in that amount of time. Back in 2008, the craziest thing we saw was a man with a glowing chest walk out of a cave in a metal suit. He did so to survive captors he had no intention of helping. Mad Money was still a thing, randomly included in there somwhere. And cellphones still had physical keyboards; at least Tony did before the Funvee was blown up. This is the beginning of the film, yes, but also of his story arche. Don'tcha just love traditional movie storytelling?

Stark's character arche begins when he is kidnapped. I'm writing this article before the Infinity War movie (or Avengers III) debuts. His story quite possibly ends with this film. He says in his first film that "I've been called many things. Nostalgic is not one of them." Well, during the third installment he gains an unhealthy dose of Post Tramatic Stress and goes down a slippery slope of protection and mentorship (like he ends up doing in Civil War and in Spiderman Homecoming). His need to change his company seems radical within the first film. But his insistance to be accountable for company secrets is pretty damn heroic once he starts saving people. It's a rocky beginning, but I'm glad it happened to this particular bratty billionaire philanthropist.

"Was that so hard? It was fun, right?" Tony to Pepper Potts after Arc-Reactor Heart Surgery.

There are several scenes devoted to Tony's mistakes and trial runs before a pretty good payoff: he gets to fly. Not that this was purposeful foreshadowing, but he even flies to the moon. He fails, but it's because of ice build up. Though Jarvis introduces calibrations that include other planets. At the time, I assumed it was another moment of dry humor. Don't worry, his second time to the moon was much better. But there's recently been speculation that he will travel into space, like in the comics.

"Mr. Stark, you've become part of a larger universe. You just don't know it yet."

--Nick Fury

Some of the other Marvel films, while they needed to pick up a much faster pace and build the world around Tony, don't have the touching moments that this first Iron Man film has. My case in point is Pepper Potts gifting Tony the stand with his old arch reactor, with a sign around it saying, "Proof that Tony Stark has a heart."

Ten years after the release of Iron Man, there is more at stake than weapons being sold to the wrong side in political wars. There's more to it than a specialized air missile hitting the wrong target. This new threat will hit everyone, and everywhere. And there's been enough buildup. We know so many great heros, villains, and secondary characters (I mean civilians). Now we have a Purple Titan coming to town in an impending, universal doomsday situation. And this may be Tony Stark's last hurrah.

Despite what he says in his first two hours of screen time, he is nostalgic. He cares quite a bit. Just didn't know that until shrapnal entered the situation,and his heart. He will save Spiderman, and enact some brave deed to help the rest of the Avengers from afar. Even the one he disagrees with. *cough Steve Rogers *cough* In Avengers: Age of Ultron, he had a vision that everyone had died by the hands of Thanos. Instead, he may perish on the planet Titan (that's a theory circulating around YouTube at the moment), or continue traveling in space for one reason or another. Either way, this two-part close to the Avengers films will be his official last hurrah as one of the main heros. 

Nick Fury states in the post credit scene that, "Mr. Stark, you've become part of a larger universe. You just don't know it yet." Well Nick, ten years in, he sure as hell knows it now. And hopefully he'll live long enough to explore more of this Marvel(ous) Universe.

Tony Stark. Genius. Billionaire. Robert Downey Jr. Firstish Avenger (Cap was really first, but Nick Fury spoke to Tony first; details, details). He shot for the moon. Almost ten years exactly, he'll go past that heavenly body and reach new ones. 

Avengers: Infinity War will crash into theatres like a moon on April 27, 2018 instead of May 4, 2018.

Story 1 [3/5] Light in the Middle of the Tunnel

Our two travelers explored the mill for what felt like hours. They went back for the exit, but instead were greeted by a tunnel. Instead of light being at the end, it was in fact everywhere; especially the end.
At the end, they saw a forest. They turned around and the tunnel was there no more. Before it disappeared, it looked like this:

Story 1 [5/5] Conclusion

They found there way into a clearing. Ever since the tunnel, time stood still. 
There was wind, yet every tree stood still. The sun was out, but somehow the light seemed inverted to be night. And there was a building in the middle of the woods. What they saw confused them. Construction. Or was it DEstruction? What's the difference when time stands still?

But they pursued exploration. They were drawn to this place. The building welcomed them to this new place. Curiosity got the better of them, even with the presence that lurked inside. They thought they could see the interior, which may have looked like this:

https://www.instagram.com/p/Be_7yhgFPB-j5F3kKIg-hAI9RObN3mnVdLzULA0/?taken-by=josie.sweeney

Story 1 [2/5] Railroads and Mills

They walked past the sign, along a railroad. Not two, just one. It lead to an abandoned grain mill. Just getting there to explore it was an adventure. That mess looked like this:

PLEASE NOTE: Currently I can't upload more than one photo at a time. If you come across another one of these posts without a photo, I'll provide the URL below.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Be4ApN3lgI8vMPe4IfpfYGQBqb5DPZ0j-aTXUs0/?taken-by=josie.sweeney

Story 1 [4/5] The Woods Aren't What They Seem...

The two friends didn't know what else to do except explore the woods, since their way there was gone. Or did it ever exist? And where were they? The river they found seemed like a normal river. But everything FELT different. So they bushwacked their way, until a clearing showed itself. This was the Black Lodge...
Before the conclusion, let me show you what the woods looked like:

https://www.instagram.com/p/Be9KAMkFuZCguOI0OIunZwiBbVueVT_ixSm9ek0/?taken-by=josie.sweeney

Prelude to Land of the Black Lodge

Welcome to my first words! 

I’m Josie Sweeney. I'm a Video Tech at LensRentals.com. Since there's a huge arsenal of photography and video gear at my disposal, I challenge myself to take better photos. Being a creature of habit, I tend to stick with Canon a lot. And there’s nothing wrong with Canon. But I’ve decided I needed to branch out.

There's this strange story I began about a while ago. There would be pictures that otherwise would be discarded from photo shoots or photo-ops. Some pictures would disappear and reappear after a long period of time. I would line up a series of photos and just let my brain start thinkin’. There is no direct story line with this. It all begins with the picture.

I needed a space where I could squarely place all of these tales. That's all the explanation you, dear reader, will get.

Enjoy!