Descent into the Otherworld – A Spotlight on the Silent Hill Fandom, #2 JaneTheNurse
Posted By: Whitney October 23rd, 2011 | 1:01 amHi guys! It’s time for another Descent into the Otherworld where I take a closer look at the Silent Hill fandom to highlight what makes makes others a fan and what the series mean to them
Meet JaneTheNurse a fellow fan over on the Silent Hill Community who’s a big fan of Silent Hill Homecoming and creator of the Silent Hill Babysitting Squad Saga !
Silent Hill Historical Society: First, when and how did you hear about the Silent Hill series? Would you consider yourself a longtime fan? What’s your favorite game?
Jane: I first became aware of the Silent Hill series by going to watch the movie with my first boyfriend in a theater. I was impressed by its interesting monsters and ideas, and only later did I find out that it was based on a video game series. To most fans, I would probably be considered less worthy of having an opinion of the series, since that was my first experience with it, but I came to have an appreciation for both the movie and the games. They were both wonderful in their own ways, albeit very dark. Because of this method of introduction to the series, I’ve grown very fond of the later games, particularly Homecoming. While I find all the games (excluding the mobile games) to be great, Homecoming just has a spot in my heart. I think it was the relationship Alex had with his parents that really struck a chord with me. His mother never seemed to care about him and his father was too harsh on him. It reminded me of my parents in certain ways.
SHHS: Has the series inspired you in anyway and if so how?
SHHS: Are you an avid video game player? If so what sort of games do you like? Do you have a favorite console?
SHHS: How you active are you in the fandom Do you draw pictures, write fanfic, post on forums or have a website? If so, do you have any work you would like to share and what forums do you frequent?
Jane: When I become a fan of a series, I generally go all-out. When I played Ocarina of Time all day, I’d draw my own comics based on Hyrule with original characters. When I started playing World of Warcraft, I drew comics, stand-alone pieces, and wrote fan fiction about my characters. The same thing happened with Silent Hill, but to an even further extent now that my horizons have broadened. I’ve drawn plenty of fan comics and other pieces, made a few animations, pieced together videos, and have been working ferociously on a Pyramid Head cosplay. I’ve had a lot of fun with the writing in particular. I’ve been able to let out my opinions and my own personal experiences through both of the fan stories I have going. The only problem with my own personal fandom is that I don’t feel like I can share opinions very well with other die-hard fans. As mentioned earlier, I was not introduced to Silent Hill by the games, but the movie. I’ve kept a very open mind about what a Silent Hill game or movie should be, which tends to divide me from other fans who take on more of a purist approach. (Just watch what happens when I say I like Homecoming more than 2) It makes me sad, really. So many fans seem to feel betrayed by Konami after witnessing the later installments after 4 (sometimes even after just 3), which basically turns every new game into a funeral for them. I feel sorry for them, but what can you do?
SHHS: You are working on a Pyramid Head cosplay? That is really awesome! How far a long are you and which Pyramid Head are you trying to recreate?
Jane: I’m nearly done working on it. It’s been kind of a cram at times to get certain things done before Halloween, on which date I plan on wearing it out for the first time, but well worth it. Up front, I need to give thanks to Nur_En_Tier for the ripped textures of Silent Hill 2 that helped me figure out the paint job for the helmet and spear. The rest of it, I need to give thanks also to the people of VisitSilentHill.com. Those reference images and written pointers were invaluable in tweaking what I could.
That being said, I’m working on a cosplay of Masahiro Ito’s original Pyramid Head design for Silent Hill 2. It’s not completely based on the game, though; there are certain parts of it that I decided simply weren’t up to par for realism due to the game’s original technical limitations, so I ended up turning to other sources for inspiration. For instance, the buckled straps that hang down from his neck bulge are, in the game, buckled with simple rectangular shapes. I chose instead to look at the official Pyramid Head statuette for guidance on those, opting for an open buckle look. The spear is another instance of this. I chose to design it after the spear shown in the graphic novelization of the game. Instead of a plain, conical look, it has what appears to be an almost bone tip to it and much more interesting base for the tip. The shape and implications excited me more than the game’s rather polygonal look, but I still referenced the game textures for finding out how to make the bloodied tip.
More work in progress shots are on her Deviant Art!
(SHHS: Check out the movable tongue!)
SHHS: It breaks my heart that you feel weird sharing your opinions in the fandom it’s a real shame. Personally, I don’t think it should matter how someone became interested in the series or what their favorite might be. The games are subjective afterall. Do you see this fan divide getting larger with the new releases even though Downpour supposedly going back to the Silent Hill roots?
SHHS: Speaking of a fan divide, have you seen Twin Perfect’s “The REAL Silent Hill Experience” documentary? It’s been a big buzz within the fandom since it’s debut last Halloween many are calling them true Silent Hill experts while there are other fans feel they just push their own theories as facts. I’m amazed at the time they took to put this sucker together even though they weren’t too kind on the newer titles and I’m just curious, as a fan who really likes Homecoming, did you enjoy their retrospective?
They seem to think that the control scheme is out to get them. For some reason, they can’t grasp the concept of dodging, blocking, and attacking at opportune times. I blame the fact that they’ve basically conditioned themselves to sit in one place and shoot, which is the main tactic of all the previous Silent Hill games. To me, they’re just exemplifying the idea that die-hard fans are nothing but people who are afraid of change.
All of the game’s symbolism, design, and style seemed to go right over their heads. The game was obviously meant to be a companion of sorts to the movie, which was an American take on the first game. Therefore, it’s an American-styled horror game. It seems to me that they simply don’t like the genre, nor do a lot of Silent Hill fans. They like Japanese horror. This is the main reason I don’t have high hopes for their view of Downpour.
Don’t get me wrong, though. I’m a fan of these guys. When they want to be funny, they’re hilarious. However when they act as though they’re experts, their ignorance shines through.
SHHS: So can you tell me more about your ongoing fanfics “Silent Hill Babysitting Squad Saga” and “Mother is God, Father is Guardian“? How did you come up with the ideas? I like the personalities you gave to each variation of Pyramid Head and the game nurses, I love that the Boogeyman version is the “emo” one of the group…
Josh, PH and Jane
The first Silent Hill fanfiction that I ever worked on was “Mother is God, Father is Guardian.” (or MiGFiG) It started out as a jokey sort of story, nothing too serious and without a very clear idea of where it was going. It started with a silly situation: Pyramid Head walks into my house and twists his ankle. I nurse him back to health and go back to Silent Hill with him so that he won’t murder me. A friend from college, Josh, also starred in it. Almost everything Josh says or does in the story is what he would actually say or do in those situations; I would give him the situation or a line of dialogue and ask how he would react. Eventually, however, he and I drifted apart, so his character was removed at his request. It’s an interesting read for me, mostly, since the more I write of it, the more I realize that I’ve sort of been leading myself with it. There are plots that I’ve thought up that I eventually realized related back to my own life and troubles. It’s started to become a rat’s nest of inner turmoil, which I think readers will really appreciate if they pick up on the leads.
While writing MiGFiG, though, I would end up with these long, horrid writing blocks. After the serious turn that MiGFiG took, I was determined to write something jokey, silly, and non-committal. I warned readers that it was just a side project and to not expect frequent updates, but it ended up becoming a big deal of its own. “Silent Hill Babysitting Squad Saga” (SHBS) has more reviews and favorites on FanFiction.net than MiGFiG. Comics and other artwork is also very fun to work on for this story.
Silent Hill Babysitting Squad
I personally really enjoy what’s going on with the characters, though. Red Pyramid Thing (Red for short) is a womanizer with a sharp tongue (pun intended), Bogeyman is the unloved pyramid who feels out of place, Valtiel is the serious one who’s just trying to do his job, etc etc. They’re more like actors than monsters, but I intentionally blur the line. For instance, the Silent Hill movie is stated to be shot on location in town rather than in the real world, but the real world somehow exists alongside the “game world” while Downpour is being shot over in Europe for some reason. It’s interesting how the monsters interact outside of Silent Hill. They end up getting startled by technology and thrown in jail.
The whole thing has a somewhat serious storyline, but I try to balance it out a lot harder than I tried with MiGFiG. Comedy actually takes a lot more balance than drama does. If you just let the story flow and take its own path, it becomes a reflection of self, and thus works well for drama. With comedy, you can’t just let it do whatever unless all the characters write for themselves. It has to have those serious times, but you have to forcibly rein it in, say “Okay that was depressing. Time for some LOLs,” and bring it back to a lighter note. (Or a darker note. Depends what kind of comedy you’re writing.)
So far, I’ve introduced Red Pyramid, Bogeyman, Valtiel, Alessa Gillespie (from Origins, specifically), Alex, Elle, Wheeler, Bubble-Head Nurse (SH2), Faceless Nurse (Origins), Arcade Nurse (Arcade), White Hunter (Silent Hill Zero comic book), James, Maria, and a second Red Pyramid (named Rusty to differentiate). I’ll soon be introducing Henry, Walter, and Frank Sunderland, too.
SHHS:What’s your thoughts on the upcoming HD collection?
SHHS:What about the movie? Are you a fan or did you find it a major disappointment? What about Revelation that should be out sometime next year?
SHHS: What do you think about the future of the series? We have Downpour near release and another game, Book of Memories, on the horizon.
SHHS:In your mind what makes someone a true Silent Hill fan?
I want to send a big thank you to JaneTheNurse for letting me share her story. Be sure to all check out her awesome art and fanfics 🙂
– Jane’s Website Silent Hill Directory -With her Silent Hill stories.
– Jane’s YouTube channel
– Jane’s deviantART galleries:
- Mini Hill comics
- General Silent Hill gallery (includes comics)
- Bogeyman sculpture (unfinished)
- Pyramid Head Cosplay progress shots
- Alex Shepherd and Nurse custom dolls
So Silent Hill fans, what’s your story? How has the series influenced or inspired you? I would sure love to hear from you. If you have a story to share please contact me at contact@shshatteredmemories.com