issue 12// vol 45 Chain email ghost saddened by lack of responses » Send to 10 people or you'll get a friend for life Isabelle Orr Entertainment Editor ordelia, the ghost of a little girl who died in a fire, visited Other Press offices for an exclusive press release last Friday. “I send my message out year after year,’ she rasped through the gaping hole in the lower half of her face that used to be her mouth. “And I expect at least some people to respond. I didn’t get a single bite this Halloween.” A victim of a warehouse fire in Ontario, the wizened, goblin-like figure shoots her best shot by sending a mass chain email every Halloween season. The email asks the receiver to forward the message to at least 10 friends, or Cordelia will appear in their bedroom and stare at them while they sleep. “Or, like, talk,” Cordelia explained, smoothing her once-white pinafore reminiscent of a child’s burial shroud. “Hang out. You know, normal stuff. I’m really into basketball. Hoping the 76ers go all the way this year.” What started as a simple email quickly morphed into Facebook posts, swipe-through memes, and text chains. “I was hoping that by diversifying from my original chain email, I could reach more people. It gets really lonely in the space between Hell and the mortal world. It’s like, I could chill by the Lake of Eternal Sorrow where I see all my loved ones drown on a loop or go to the Pits of Dread where all of my worst fears tear me apart in excruciating increments. But that gets so boring after a while. I'd love to sit down and talk to someone about how their boyfriend hasn't really been there for them. Maybe some fondue. I really miss being able to just connect.” Jerry Saunders, who received the text on October 30, promptly sent the message to as many people as he could. “There’s no way I’m risking a creepy little girl watching me sleep,” Saunders told press. “That’s weird on so many levels. Plus, she’s haunted and stuff. I mean, that’s scary too. But the whole little girl in the room thing? Nah, man. That’s not me.” Kristina Jenkins, who was presented the message through Instagram DMs, sent it to others for an entirely different reason. “Tt’s such a vintage Halloween joke,” she explained. “I remember getting this on my MySpace page! So classic. ] sent it to more than 10 people. I even sent it to my mom! She didn’t respond—maybe Cordelia got her!” The Other Press asked Cordelia if Jenkins’ mother sent the message on. “No,” Cordelia said mournfully, staring at reporters with glowing eyes that made everybody in the office momentarily ponder their own mortal fragility. “But Kristina’s mom sucks. I didn’t want to hang out with her. She sells weird essential oils and won't admit it’s a pyramid scheme. I'd rather go back to the Lake of Eternal Sorrow for the billionth time or hang out with Bloody Mary. At least Mary likes to drink.” humour // no. 17 Photo illustration by Lauren Kelly Cordelia stood with a sharp cracking sound, her scabbed body moving like a haunted marionette. “Well, looks like it’s back to the Cage of Rabid Dogs for me. I'll try again next year. I have a plan to specifically target people who have under 10 friends. That’s right, I’m talking about people who rock climb and won't shut up about it.” Cordelia would like to pass on the message to readers that if you don’t like and share this article on at least three social media platforms, she will show up at the end of your bed at midnight and ask to watch all of the Legally Blondes, including Legally Blonde: The Musical—The Search for Elle Woods. BC announces new electoral systems » Vote for your favourite today! Caroline Ho Assistant Editor Cz decide how to vote in the upcoming referendum on BC electoral reform? The province has just made things even simpler. BC’s Really Independent Group for Great Electoral Decisions (RIGGED) has added to the referendum three new potential electoral systems that they promise are “really, really fair, like really,” according to RIGGED chairperson Demi O’Crassy. “These proposed electoral systems are the result of a long series of studies and public consultations,” said O’Crassy at a press conference last Thursday. “After examining a combination of angry Twitter rants, low-effort Reddit memes, and Facebook polls about flavours of bubble tea, we feel that we have adequately and comprehensively gauged the political climate of BC. We conclude that our proposed voting systems are infallibly brilliant.” The first system announced is Ranked Projectile Scoring. In each electoral district, the names of all candidates will be arranged on a standard-sized dart board, with a different point value assigned to each spot. On election day, voters will stand a fixed distance away from the board and vote by throwing darts, scoring points for the candidates based on where the projectile lands. The candidate who receives the most points will become the district’s representative. “T know it doesn’t sound that fair,” said O’Crassy. “But trust me, we've got algorithms to figure this stuff out. Where candidates’ names are placed, how many darts you get—we have algorithms, I’m telling you. We have the best algorithms.” Another proposed system is Portional Consumption (colloquially known as “First-past-the-puke”). This system does away with electoral districts in favour of a province-wide process of elimination. All candidates who hope to gain a legislative seat will convene in Victoria fora week- long eating competition, broadcasted province-wide. Registered voters don’t vote for candidates directly, instead voting for the foods that every candidate must devour. Legislative hopefuls are kicked out of the running when they stop eating—one way or another. RIGGED vice president Paul E. Mint told reporters, “It’s such a logical system. It’s a politician’s job to make the public swallow as much garbage as possible. Ergo, it makes sense to turn the tables.” O’Crassy added, “Just please don’t literally turn the tables when they have food on them. We don't have the budget to clean that up.’ The final electoral system RIGGED unveiled is Rural-Urban Perquisition, a never-before-seen system specifically designed for BC’s eclectic geography of controversial bike lanes, increasing gentrification, and long swathes of highway that become inaccessible after a good snowfall. “Every candidate must participate in a month-long scavenger hunt across all of BC,” said Mint. “From the southernmost tip of Vancouver Island to the Northwest Territories border, prospective MLAs will embark on a series of kayak trips, rush- hour commutes, and caribou rides in search of elusive treasures to prove their merit.” RIGGED was unwilling to specify what candidates would be hunting for. However, O’Crassy hinted that the items on the list would include elusive rarities such as “non-hipster coffee houses” and “affordable housing.” At the end of each day, the electorate votes for which candidates to eliminate based on a set of completely arbitrary criteria. Legislature will be comprised of whoever completes the scavenger hunt without being knocked out by either the electorate or Mother Nature. Douglas College Political Science professor Dr. Elle Lector spoke to the Other Press to weigh in on the proposed new systems. “Personally, I’m in favour of Ranked Projectile Scoring. It’s the system that requires the least qualified candidates and the most effort from the voters themselves. After all, we want to make voting as needlessly complicated and exclusionary as possible. Only then can we be sure that the people really care,” said Lector. She conceded that RIGGED’s systems may seem a little unpalatable to ordinary British Columbians, but that people should still pick a favourite and stick to it with mindless, unwavering conviction. “Yes, these electoral systems are a bit silly,” said Lector. “But as dubious as they may seem, are they really any more ludicrous than first-past-the-post?”