I’m so ashamed. It’s been around for more than 30 years and, until two days ago, I never watched My Neighbor Totoro. I know, I should be horsewhipped, but I can honestly say it was worth the wait. I needed it after the week I had, and it helped me in more ways than you can imagine. I never laughed so hard in all my life.
You see, I lost my sister this week. She was my older sister, Trina, and to be honest, we didn’t have a lot in common. We fought more than we agreed on things, but still, she was my sister and I loved her. It’s been a difficult start to the new year, but watching My Neighbor Totoro helped.
Satsuki reminded me of my sister, a strong older sister always looking out for her sibling. Strong, fierce, and domineering . . . That was my sister. Losing her hit me harder than I thought it would. It made me realize my own mortality and that it can happen to any of us. It’s how Satsuki felt when she thought she lost Mei, and how Mei felt when she was worried about her mother in the hospital. And who was there to help? Totoro!
That giant forest spirit, a lovable bundle of fur with a smile that can erase any pain, saved those girls. And you know what? He saved me too. He helped me get through my grief and focus on what we had, not the “coulda, shoulda, woulda” that bewitches us all when death occurs. Totoro made me forget all the sadness when I watched him and the other spirits do their dance over the acorn tree seedlings, or when he smiled and bounced after hearing the water drip on the umbrella. It was so hilarious.
I loved every moment of this movie and it was what I needed to bring me back to 2022 and focus on the year ahead. I can’t look back, can’t live with regrets or grieve forever. Life goes on, and thanks to Totoro, I know that.
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Mark Piggott is an independent author of the Forever Avalon fantasy book series and other fantasy/steampunk novels and short stories. Forever Avalon is available for purchase as a paperback/ebook at Amazon and as an audiobook from Audible and iTunes. The Dark Tides: Book 2 of the Forever Avalon Series is available for purchase as a paperback/ebook from iUniverse Publishing and at Amazon, and other booksellers. The Outlander War, Book Three of the Forever Avalon series is available for purchase as a paperback/ebook from Austin Macauley Publishing, and at Amazon and other booksellers. His latest fantasy novel, The Last Magus: A Clockwork Heart is available through Lulu and other booksellers.
Get ready for the steampunk historical fiction, Corsair and the Sky Pirates, coming soon from Revolutionary Press; and The River of Souls novella, coming soon from Curious Corvid Publishing. The Prometheus Engine: Book 4 of the Forever Avalon Series and The Last Magus: Dragonfire and Steel are future installments of my current fantasy book series, coming soon.
Steampunk is defined as “a genre of science fiction that has a historical setting and typically features steam-powered machinery rather than advanced technology.” To me, it’s modern technology with a Victorian twist. This genre has been on the rise with its push in video games with the award winning Bioshock or The Order franchise, TV series like Steampunkd, and in books, starting with the Godfather of Steampunk, Jules Verne, to authors like Cherie Priest and Michael Moorcock.
One of the best representations of Steampunk in film is the Japanese animated film, Steamboy. Though most of the Steampunk technology in the film was represented by weapons, it is still a wonderful tribute to the genre. Steamboy tells the story of Ray Steam, a British boy in 1863 England, and how the invention of a “steamball” pitted Robert Stephenson, the first master of the steam engine, against Ray’s father, Edward, and his “Steam Castle” at the London Exposition. It’s style, look and feel could make any Steampunk aficionado jump for joy. Another great example of Steampunk is the Japanese TV series, Fullmetal Alchemist. It combines the style and look of Steampunk with alchemy and magic.
“Yet some men say in many parts of England that King Arthur is not dead, but had by the will of our Lord Jesu into another place. And men say that he shall come again, and he shall win the the Holy Cross.”~Sir Thomas Mallory, Le Morte d’Arthur
I first learned about the legend of King Arthur as a boy. Like any child of the 60’s and 70’s, it was taught to me through the magic of Disney. The Sword in the Stone (1967) is an animated classic, telling the story of Arthur and Merlin with a witch named Mim thrown in for good measure. It is a fun movie that taught this classic tale to kids like me. 
Most recently, you can find the enigmatic King Arthur, Mordred, Lancelot, and Merlin as “heroic spirits” in the Fate anime series. Arthur and Mordred are gender-swapped as powerful women, both of the “Saber-class” of heroic spirits. Although it was weird at first, they actually kept the legend intact through this twist. The conflict between these two is better explained in this anime than in any other story I’ve read or watched. It’s an amazing conflict that brings out the vulnerabilities in these characters.
But what happens when Avalon is forced back into the modern world of today? You’ll have to read 
Mark Piggott | Fantasy & Steampunk Author 