I knew that in making online videos, I always wanted to create a series. Yet when I joined Tiktok, I knew the whole thing was to follow popular trending sounds. Naturally, I really wanted to film my own interpretations of some of these trends. But then I had a thought… what if I do both? What if I do my own takes on various trending sounds & music, and let those videos (as well as the “gaps” in between) tell a story?
So I did that, and now it’s time to share it with you. It doesn’t have a name, it’s just a series of unfolding events that happen to connect. Let’s get started!
One Morning…
I wake up to something very unexpected that shakes me to my core. What is it? Who is it? Where is it from? How did it get here? There’s no time to explain!
And yes, that audio is from a Simpsons moment that spoofs the famous horse head scene from The Godfather. Somehow, I feel like it’s more terrifying here. Anyway, let’s see what happens next!
Reacting
Clearly, something isn’t right and I’m trying to figure out what it is. This calls for a moment to just pause and let it all sink in as you think of the next step.
It Begins…
And now… the next turning point. As if waking up to a green little monster wasn’t enough, now I find myself in either a sick world where people can cause mayhem with no consequences, or I’m in the plot of a bad movie. Which is it? Are those two actually the same thing? Am I making a joke that The Purge could’ve been better? We’re not telling!
Also, the “ending” was originally going to go longer, but then I realized it’d be more dramatic & suspenseful to have the door open before I could even lock it.
Break-In
So now we see the guys who have busted into the apartment. And it turns out… they’re pretty weird! But where did I go? Did they kill me? Did I go into hiding? The mystery is starting to begin. Or beginning to start? Who knows?!?
So then I started thinking of something mundane for a Red vs Blue-inspired dialogue exchange. I thought it’d be amusing to just see the two lounging around and arguing so I could retain some levity. Once that thought crossed my mind, I knew it was a better idea. I had fun improvising different reactions to the gas mask guy biting into the apple (how does he even do that?).
Meanwhile…
What happened to me? Turns out, nothing was found. Not even a body. A local news report cites me as a missing person, so something isn’t right. Where could I be? The mystery continues to deepen. Or deepens to continue? Wait, that last one made no sense.
And yes, longtime readers here might recognize the photo of me since I’ve actually used it in a featured image (albeit blurred for aesthetic purposes).
No Escape!
What’s this? As the two burglars ransack my bedroom, one of them finds something and is distracted. Then they’re trapped, and something starts to attack them one by one! Whatever it is, it’s powerful. Maybe even hungry for blood.
Originally this was going to be another skit similar to the previous one of them lounging around and arguing, even addressing or hinting at what may have happened to me, but then I found this sound and thought it was perfect for something a bit more tense. Because of its extreme brevity, though, I realized that some shots I initially wanted wouldn’t fit. I actually took this as a good exercise to ask myself, “What shots are important to get this whole idea across, and which can I get rid of?” Timing was crucial. And for the last part where the guy is pulled offscreen, I filmed myself sliding and “acting in reverse,” and then reversed the footage. I feel like it works!
What Remains?
Not much of their bodies remain, as we see the aftermath of this sudden attack/murder. Something has taken not only the lives of the two burglars, but also their flesh. But why did this thing do it? Was it hungry? Or was it protecting something? The questions just keep on coming!
Revealed At Last!
We finally see the culprit! And it is… the green little dragon that scared the willies outta’ me that morning. Some probably saw it coming, but how could this little guy be so strong? Pffffft! Wait, actually that’s a good question. But looks can be deceiving in this strange little narrative.
Investigating
After making mince meat out of the two weirdos, lizard brain sniffs something and then sees something that may or may not (plot twist, doesn’t really) explain a thing! But it does keep ya guessing! And it plants the seed for something…
The Ritual is about to Commence
With the discovery of my hat, and a couple other things he has found, it seems that the little dragon is about to perform some kind of ritual. How does he know what to do? And why is it that chakra & mandala-themed coasters just so happen to be there ready to be used for such a crazy thing?
You know, I never thought about that last one until now. But everything is open to interpretation.
The Ritual Begins!
And now… it gets stranger. The dragon activates the Tibetan meditation bowl to kick things off. And with the strange placement of the coasters (to any longtime readers, this may seem like an oddly-familiar shape), something seems to happen as the stone emits some energies that literally shake things up. But what exactly is happening? Is he using the hat as a means to resurrect me? I mean, it sure seems like that. But something doesn’t match up…
Also, this was a really fun way to search for and try out various effects in Tiktok. So that definitely played a big part as I thought about the kind of energies this stone emits.
Now What?
In a strange and somewhat circular way, a familiar situation is reversed as our visitor checks to see who is at the door. But in the end, he seems a bit… crushed! HA! See what we did there? Ahahah… oh you.
Celebration!
With my return, it only makes sense to have my canine companion greet me before we dance to some music. But what’s this? Our dragon visitor seems to want in! What is going on?!? Who cares, just dance!
Also, I wasn’t sure what to do at first with the dragon, but when I thought, “What if he joins in the dance?” I realized it might look oddly amusing. And I’m glad I did it, ’cause he does look pretty funny waving around. It definitely adds to this strange cartoon-like element after all the craziness that happened prior to this.
Epilogue
So after all that, it seems things are fine as we kick back and take things in. It seems our new companion was doing something to help bring me back. OR WAS HE?!??
I mean, of course he was! Why else would we be hanging out after a strange night?
The End… But Not Quite?
So overall, this wraps up the introductory narrative and somewhat ties up some loose ends of the crazy night… but plenty of questions remain. Do the questions really matter? Once again, we’re not telling! Hahahah… hahah! Ahah… yeah it’s fun being cryptic. I chose early on to leave unseen details and events vague so that I could either revisit them later on to build on the world further, or simply to let the audience theorize and come up with their own story reasonings for the things in-between.
Anyway, I had fun doing this series. I even made a video thanking viewers for watching ’em, and returned to random ideas for videos after this series before doing a whole new narrative with me, Buddy, and the dog Jonah.
I’ll do another blog post like this to cover that narrative sometime soon, but in the meantime, thank you all for watching & reading! Follow the Tiktok page, follow the blog, and follow your nose like Toucan Sam to grab yourself some Fruit Loops. We’ll be back after this commercial message.
Stay tuned! And may the force live long and prosper with you.
Kasey Lewis - Actor, Writer, Creator 