M. L. Flood

M. L. Flood

Gothic lit author | Running on coffee and sarcasm | "In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit…" ~ J. R. R. Tolkien

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  • Articles
    4
  • Featured
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  • Ext. Comments
    48
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  • Topics
    8
  • Topics Taken
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Latest Articles

Latest Topics

5

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes: Analyzing the Pros and Cons of Prequels

Suzanne Collins’ newest book, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, a prequel to The Hunger Games trilogy, is set to release May 19th, 2020. This prompts the question: What benefits do prequels provide for a story? The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes supposedly takes place in Panem 64 years before the original trilogy. By backtracking, not only do audiences lose favorite and well known characters, but any world-building that existed needs to be restructured and changed. On the other hand, it does provide significant details to the history, as well as the opportunity to flesh out backstories. Collins isn’t the only author to do this; J. K. Rowling wrote the Harry Potter series, and then Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, going back 70 years in her timeline. So, analyze the potential benefits and possible drawbacks to prequels for beloved novel series.

  • I think this is a great topic for modern books and films, which have seemed to embrace the prequel. – Sean Gadus 4 years ago
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  • Good topic! I'm very into well-drawn characters, so I'd say it depends on how strong your characters are and how relatable their journeys are. I haven't read The Hunger Games yet, but for an example, I can tell you Newt Scamander is a great protagonist. Also, he's one of those rare characters who manages to be a cinnamon roll without being insufferable. – Stephanie M. 4 years ago
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  • Just read the Ballad of the Snake and The Songbird and I absolutely loved it. Tracing the history of the hunger games was intriguing and it was great delving into the experience of being part of the Capitol during and after the war! – Sean Gadus 4 years ago
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2

Analyze the Evolution of the DOOM Franchise

The release of Bethesda Softworks’ DOOM Eternal this year marks another milestone in what has become almost three decades of video game history for the franchise. For 27 years, the franchise has been a pioneer in FPS multiplayer games, and their fan base has witnessed an ongoing evolution of characters, graphics, and narratives. But this begs the question, why has a game that began as shareware endured with such longevity, outliving other games from the ’90s? So, analyze this evolution of the DOOM franchise, from the original DOOM (1993) to the recent 2020 release. Look specifically at the graphics, gameplay mechanics, lore, and storytelling. Question what exactly makes the franchise so popular, and what has maintained this popularity through the decades. Although the franchise includes films, comics, novels, and more, this article would seek to analyze the video games specifically.

  • Definitely a topic worth tackling, especially with the parameters you set (i.e. games only; focus on its presentation, mechanics, and how those influenced the medium; etc.). One way you could add more flair to the topic is by blending your analysis with the human elements that impacted the games' origins and development cycles. Masters of Doom's a great book you could check out to get an idea of the tone and narrative flow you could inject into your topic. – Michel Sabbagh 4 years ago
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5

Determining the Pitfalls to BioWare’s Anthem Conundrum

Anthem, the newest action RPG by BioWare and EA, was released in February this year to mixed reviews. After a massive hype and marketing campaign, gamers were on the edge of their seats in anticipation for the open-world adventure. But in the wake of the Fallout 76 backlash, this loot shooter type gameplay has also fallen flat. PC Gamer has called it “deeply flawed” and BGR said it’s “an Iron Man simulator”. But why is this so? This article would compare the pros and cons to the new open-world game including elements such as: game mechanics, graphics, story line, and dialog. It would compare Anthem to similar games such as Destiny 2 and Fallout 76. Finally, it would suggest ways that BioWare could improve on the game overall, including: an improved loot system, a broader map, a stronger story line, a more thoroughly developed history, and additional, varied missions.

    6

    Exploring the Morals behind Vigilante Archetypes

    The vigilante archetype in superhero movies push the boundaries of societal rules and morality. Last year, audiences were treated to the release of Marvel’s Venom, Deadpool 2, and DC’s Arrow season 7, and these all have strong vigilante archetypes. These characters regularly circumvent the rules to enforce their own type of laws in the name of justice. But does rectifying violence with more violence solve anything? Does bypassing the local law enforcement when they fail to protect the city make a hero? When an antihero blurs the line between good and evil, serving their own form of justice, where do audiences stop and say “this isn’t heroic anymore.”? Characters to analyze could include (from both Marvel and DC respectively): Venom, Batman, Green Arrow, The Punisher, Deadpool, Wolverine, etc. The article could explore: what makes an antihero, what makes a vigilante, and where heroics breech the boundary of evildoing.

    • This is a good topic. However, I would clarify differences between what is violent, what can be seen as martial arts, etc. – Yvonne T. 5 years ago
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    • Very good idea Yvonne T.! Writers could analyze the MPAA rating system (and other motion picture systems) and create a violence rating scale to differentiate what is and isn’t acceptable. Good determining factors could include: whether the violent act only maims or actually kills, whether it was a kick or punch verses a firearm or other weapon, and how much collateral damage was involved in the process. I agree, there is a definite difference between martial arts and other types of violence. However, martial arts did originate to damage opponents in combat, and that type of violence is still violence, although how it’s depicted on screen does matter. There are many scenes in Deadpool 1 and 2, as well as Venom, that could be analyzed concerning depictions of martial arts related violence, and these different levels could be evaluated as well. – M. L. Flood 5 years ago
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    • Does the audience stop and say, "this isn't heroic anymore?" Usually, it seems these characters evolve (some a little, others more). So do audiences change their feelings as a story develops? – Joseph Cernik 5 years ago
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    5

    Writing through History; how Writing has Impacted America

    Through the centuries, writing has been a powerful form of communication. Whether be it a political pamphlet, a provocative essay, or a news article, writing was an important way to translate individuals’ ideas and viewpoints. Analyze how writing has helped to empower and shape American history. Compare and contrast historical speeches and/or important, influential writers, authors, or essayists. Simply put, writing helped shape our country.

    • Love this topic, it would really be interesting to maybe also cover the change as to who people see as influential. Nowadays, many people look towards comedians and TV/Film writers as influential towards politics instead of journalists and politicians. – Austin Bender 8 years ago
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    • I think there are plenty of great examples to delve into where the written word ventures into sociopolitical territory. – MichelleAjodah 8 years ago
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    • Would it be better to focus on a specific part of American history i.e. American culture in evaluating this topic? – Ryan Errington 8 years ago
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    • I think this is an excellent topic and I do agree that whomever decides to take this one should concentrate on a particular period in time. While reading this topic suggestion, I immediately thought of the civil rights movement due to the amount of varying literature that was disseminated at the time. Some was bitter, and visceral, while other writings were beautiful and unifying. This is a very important topic...nice contribution, and one that I do hope to see as an article! – danielle577 8 years ago
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    • You might want to be careful with your title. America is actually misused by many Americans; it refers to the entirety of North and South America. You may want to alter your title to "How Writing has Impacted the United States" or something of the sort. I know it wouldn't bother Americans, but it might bother readers from elsewhere in the Americas. – Laura Jones 8 years ago
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    2

    Prosody; the Real Struggle for Poets

    Prosody has become almost a dying art in poetry, both on and off the age. With a rise in spoken-word, modern writing styles has kind of thrown the traditional rule-book out the window. But is proper meter and rhyme scheme a thing of Shakespearean past? Perhaps, by reviving the techniques behind the art form, we can reach a new level of creativity when it comes to poetry.

    • Also, the writer could definitely look into education courses, workshops, etc. to see how they teach the rules before the artist breaks them. – Jaye Freeland 8 years ago
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    • Recently I have started writing poetry as part of my doctorate of Education program where I am using poetic inquiry in an Autoetnograhical Arts Based Research framework. I am finding that, for the most part, the poems have a mind of their own...and while some are free form others take on rhythm and rhyme...with the result that the poem will generally seek unexpected paths... – bdecker 8 years ago
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    3

    Kindle vs Print; Spanning the Digital Divide

    How has the rising popularity in Kindle and ebooks hindered the print medium? Will physical hardcover and paperback books someday go into extinction? While Kindles appeal to the younger, hipper audience, paperbacks still seem to retain a sort of traditional class. Why? Even though they both have their arguable pros and cons, what will become of printed works in the near and long-term future?

    • The funny thing is, the content of this article would likely have been different less than a year ago. Kindle sales seemed to skyrocket for a while, but as I understand it, paperbacks are now on the rise again. From my own standpoint, I do better electronically so I wonder if the target age group has an effect on that. – mattdoylemedia 8 years ago
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    • This is such an interesting topic as it becomes increasingly relevant. A lot of people these days have e-readers and a lot of the time ebooks are cheaper. But there is diffidently a core community that love their books more than ebooks. I personally use both. – Hpfan28 8 years ago
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    • On the other end, the sudden rise in the e-reader brought attention to reading in general, so in a sense it helped the book world as a whole, including paperbacks. – LaRose 8 years ago
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    • I personally prefer printed books over an electronic source, but that's just me. My mom used to work for a book manufacturing company and she would often talk about how their business took a hit after the release of Kindles and Nooks. I have a Nook myself, but never use it. I feel like the people younger than me, who grew up with a lot of technology at their finger tips, enjoy eBooks more just because they are used to things like that. – diehlsam 8 years ago
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    • From your particular stance, I feel that ebooks will eventually dominate the publishing sector. Not necessarily because it is the way of the future, but that it is one solution that avoids the destruction of many trees. It is appearing in other parts of life: recycling to regulate waste, solar energy to eliminate detrimental emissions, so on, so forth. I guess: eventually people will just have to use an ear device or eyeglasses of some sort to tune into satellite transmissions as a form of reading material. – L:Freire 6 years ago
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    4

    Keeping Banned Books on our Reading Lists

    The words ‘banned book’ can tend to drive people away from good content. But there are many reasons why everyone should consider reading at least one book that has been challenged or banned. This article would explore the benefits of reading such books. What kinds of lessons do works such as "The Lorax" or "Go Ask Alice" have to teach us? Has some of the books on this list been falsely accused (for example the Oxford Dictionary)? In short, banned books still have a lot to offer us, and are vastly under-appreciated.

    • I feel that this can be very broad a topic without specifying location. Do you mean on reading lists in America? Or in Europe? Or Germany? Culture relevancy is a major reason why books are banned, and gaining an understanding of why books are banned in specific locations can help the author reach a more poignant conclusion. – Jemarc Axinto 8 years ago
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    • Agree with the above. Also, I think it's obvious that controversial literature still has 'a lot to offer us' - the discussion could perhaps to be orientated on how their banning has added to their value to make a more audacious link. – JekoJeko 8 years ago
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    • I agree with Jemarc that with such a broad topic it needs to be narrowed down some more or even give more details on multiple points to give a general feel of the article. – Kevin Mohammed 8 years ago
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    • I don't think this topic can been justice without squeezing the concept of freedom from it. Whether books are banned or not is a question of whether a society (or nation) operates under a framework of freedom which allows certain types of books to be labeled as banned. For instance, I would venture a guess that when most Americans think of banned books they associate imagery of the Nazis burning books or of communist nations destroying books deemed dissident (in which case the author too is hunted down and silenced.) However, there have been plenty of banned books in America too. Bukowski and Vonnegut for example, in the realm of fiction. And Howard Zinn in the realm of academic non-fiction. I think this topic could lead to an interesting and important conversation about how much banned books can tell us about the level of freedom which a society operates under. – mcutler1 8 years ago
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    • Definitely a great topic. I would suggest researching Banned Book Week and see if the BannedBooksWeek website has any resources that would be of service to you. There were some notes on your topic being a little too general. Maybe, if you'd like, you could narrow your banned book search by grade level (i.e. Elementary, Middle Grade, High School) or, you can break it down by canon or contemporary. Or both! – Jaye Freeland 8 years ago
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    • Amen! Actually, banning a book makes a lot of people more eager to read and explore it. – Stephanie M. 7 years ago
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    Latest Comments

    M. L. Flood

    This is a really well-written article! Your Name is one of my favorite films, and your analysis of both the supernatural elements and the philosophical points are fascinating. What a fantastic read!

    Your Name: Finding Love Across Possible Worlds?
    M. L. Flood

    As a huge fan of Atwood’s works, I am so happy to see an article like this. Your many valid points, the statistics used, and the comparison of victim blaming culture in The Handmaid’s Tale to current world events are quite inspired. Thank you for sharing this with us!

    A Life Measured: The Parasitic Nature Of Capitalist Dystopia
    M. L. Flood

    This is such an intriguing take on the show! I really enjoyed your thoughts on the morality of A.I. compared to Kant’s philosophy. This was a very thoroughly researched topic and you did a good job putting all of the information together. Thank you so much for sharing this with us!

    Person Of Interest: The Art of putting Kant’s Philosophy into a Computer
    M. L. Flood

    This is a very intriguing article. I enjoyed how you thoroughly analyzed each anime and manga. It’s interesting to see the different beliefs of death and the afterlife, and how each show reflects these different worldviews. Thank you for sharing this with us!

    Exploring The Theme of Death in Anime
    M. L. Flood

    This is a very well-written and thorough piece. I enjoyed your focus on female empowerment, and how you highlighted not only the feminist messages in GLOW, but also thoughts on the #MeToo movement and inclusion. Thank you for sharing this with us!

    GLOW: Actual Feminist Filmmaking in #MeToo Hollywood
    M. L. Flood

    This is such an interesting and thought-provoking piece. You’ve done a fantastic job of analyzing these films, and I’ve especially enjoyed your thoughts on the character arcs of the princesses of color and their dynamic in the Disney Princess universe. Thank you so much for sharing this with us!

    How Princesses of Color Have Improved the Disney Princess Narrative
    M. L. Flood

    This is very thorough and well-written! You have done a great job of analyzing the anime in relation to the manga; the contrasts are very interesting. I particularly enjoyed your focus on world-building and the use of sound. Thank you for sharing this with us!

    In Defense of the Deadman Wonderland Anime
    M. L. Flood

    This is so thorough and well constructed; it makes the timeline much easier to understand. The hard work you put into creating this article has really paid off! I’ve been a long-time MCU and X-Men fan, and this has helped me make connections in the timeline that I hadn’t previously made. Thank you for sharing this with us!

    The X-Men Timeline