December 25, 2017

So about what's happened lately...

[Posted by Ted H]

So, NaNoWriMo...Day 1.....aaaaaaaaaaand my mom goes into the ER and probably almost dies over the next few days. She's fine now, but it completely derailed any hope I had on concentrating on NaNoWriMo. So that plan was trashed almost right away. Since then I've also did the entire process of looking for other work and changing my day job. Long story short: Ive been busy...again...

Anyway, I pretty much threw in the towel for 2017. Looking towards 2018 though, I've got some plans. Lots of little stuff to get me going again, on top of (still) looking to pound out the ending of Pure Human. I'll delve into details next week.

...BTW: Merry Christmas...

October 29, 2017

2017 NaNoWriMo

[Posted by Ted H]

Yes...It's happening. I haven't found the time to finish Pure Human but here I am attempting the seemingly insane task of 50K words. I don't give myself much of a chance, but why not, right? Try anyway.

So...what will I attempt this year? More zombies? Another James Blake case?

I'll switch it up. I've such a hard on for apocalypse scenarios that I can't resist. I'm still deciding on details...but it will involve time travel.

See you next month!

October 2, 2017

The 2017 MLB Turtle-Wax Awards

Oh God, I'm back for the only update I ever make on time anymore!

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[The 2017 MLB Turtle-Wax Awards]

These are the awards you DON'T want to win.

The "Rays And Orioles Would Rather Play In This Division" Award
Awarded to the crappiest division in baseball
[Previous winners: 2009 AL Central, 2010 AL West, 2011 AL Central, 2012 AL Central, 2013 AL West, 2014 NL East, 2015 NL East, 2016 AL Central]

---The National League East: Braves, Marlins, Mets, Nationals, Phillies---

One division in all of baseball sported 3 teams with 90+ losses. The Nationals didn't so much as with this division by playing better, rather they won it by simply showing up. While every other division rocked multiple teams with wild card aspirations, the NL East threw out 4 teams that were nothing more than scrubs for the Nats to play.

-----------------

The "Steroid Accusation Rookie Of The Year" Award
Awarded to the slugger who is probably gonna get accused of steroids next, if not already
(I am NOT accusing the winner of steroids, just sayin...)
[Previous winners: 2009 Aaron Hill (TOR), 2010 Corey Hart (MIL), 2011 Jacoby Ellsbury (BOS), 2012 Edwin Encarnacion (TOR), 2013 Chris Davis (BAL), 2014 Victor Martinez (DET), 2015 Nolan Arenado (COL), 2016 Brian Dozier (MIN)]

---Justin Smoak of the Toronto Blue Jays---

2017 HR total: 38
Previous Career High: 20 in 2013.

"But he finally matured into a legit power threat" you say? No one suddenly doubles their power output like that....except Barry Bonds and David Ortiz...and we all know the reason for those two...


September 13, 2017

Dead Fat Lady

[Posted by Ted H]

So the fat lady who went on to inspire me to write "Fat Lady Rolling Down a Steep Hill" died recently. Now, unlike Romero's passing, no one cares about this death. But I figure it needs to be addressed.

The story the poem tells is partly true. Assuming she didn't make the story up, this woman did indeed fall down a hill in the rain and take a picture of Robert Frost's grave. I may have taken liberties with the earthquake and tree killing, but I have for sure seen the picture she took, which she used as a bookmark.

Fun facts, you guys!

....Pure Human's ending is coming...

July 23, 2017

George A. Romero (1940-2017)

[Posted by Ted H]

So George Romero died last week.
Contrary to what I've posted before, I'm a huge fan of his work, with the Dead Trilogy being the focal point of my respect and admiration. Hell, the reason I rag on his lesser 2 (I refuse to watch the other one) Dead movies was because of how awesome the first 3 were. I hated Land and Diary out of love. What we lose from Romero is another Dead movie (maybe it's for the best since he described it as "Fast and the Furious with zombies") as well as a previously cancelled zombie video game.
What I will never get over is how he was originally slated to write and direct the Resident Evil film. His script was rejected in favor of Paul Andersons...Now I actually got to read part of Romero's script, and I can't for the life of me see what was so wrong about it compared to what Anderson ended up with.

I was raised on movies like Romero's growing up. I still have an old beat up VHS of the '68 classic (though now I obviously rock a DVD) and I still remember when my parents came home one day with Dawn of the Dead as a surprise. Personally, I can't wait to raise kids of my own so I can raise them with Romero movies instead of Disney. My kids'll be more badass than yours.

The modern zombie lost its creator, folks, and the world will never be the same.
And now I'm really never gonna bother with Survival of the Dead...


....And if something happens to Sam Raimi at this point, I swear to God...

April 21, 2017

Pure Human - Born From Nightmares

[Posted by Ted H]

Yes, I am clearly a bad person....but let's focus on how I remembered to get some writing dont for once...

-----------------------------------------------------

[Pure Human - Born From Nightmares]

            John wasted little time arriving to Joey's house, but the rain refused to let up. Blake climbed out and took cover under a nearby tree while waiting for the girls to catch up. "Blake, get back in the car!" John yelled from out the window, straining to be heard through the rain. Blake ignored him and looked around. Despite being in the morning, the street lights were still needed to see through the darkness and rain.
            Two more cars arrived while Blake stepped into the rain to get to the cop car parked nearby that he spotted. "Hello?" he called to it as he approached, only to realize that it was empty. "Not very comforting," he mumbled to himself as suddenly it stopped raining on him and he saw Kimberly standing next to him with an umbrella. "Didn't your momma ever warn you about catching your death in rain like this?" she asked. They returned to the tree where Whitey and John were waiting.
            "You haven't gone in yet?" Whitey exclaimed.
            "Not leaving Bryant alone," Blake said.
            "What if those things are inside right now?"
            "They're either already gone or not here yet. Simultaneous arrivals are incredible unlikely."
            "Fine," Whitey said "Let's just go."
            "You're staying here."
            "Excuse me?"
            "Like I said, no way I'm leaving Bryant alone," Blake said matter-of-factly "And Kimberly stays out here on the off chance that those things haven't arrived yet. You're on babysitting duty."
            "The hell I am!" Whitey screamed.
            "Someone's gotta protect Kimberly," Blake stated as he started walking towards the house in the rain, John quickly trailing.
            "Please don't let those horrible monsters get me, miss holy lady," Kimberly said with a pout."
            "You're on his side?" Whitey asked.
            "I was never really on yours to begin with."
            Blake and John quickly made their way to the front door. "Locked," Blake said as he tried the handle. "That's a good sign, right?" John asked. Blake ignored him and headed for the back where he hoped that the broken window was still left open. Along the way they crossed over the tattered remains of a police officer; ripped to shreds and without a head. "That's disappointing," John said as Blake jumped over and turned for the back.
            Blake carefully climbed his way through the still exposed kitchen window and started running for the stairs. "Anin? Joey? Anybody?" he yelled out to no reply. The layout of the house was chaotic, but nothing was different from when they left before. There wasn't any sign of a recent struggle. John had just climbed in himself when Blake took off up the stairs.
            "Anyone?" Blake called as he made for the bedroom. Inside was the same bloody mess they left before, the only addition was Joey face down on the ground in the middle of the room. "Don't be dead. Don't be dead. Don't be dead," Blake repeated to himself as he ran over and checked Joey's body. The man groaned as Blake rolled him over and John caught up. "Is he ok?" John asked. "Comparatively," Blake said "I'm honestly surprised yet totally grateful."
            "What happened?" Joey asked as he sat up and rubbed the back of his head.
            "We were kind of hoping you would fill us in on that," Blake said.
            "Anin!" Joey screamed as he suddenly realized and tried to jump to his feet but fell back over. "She's not here," Blake said "At least nowhere obvious."
            "Oh my God," Joey said as he rubbed his head again.
            "Talk," Blake said "Quickly."
            "Those things," Joey said "Anin knew they were coming back. They were coming for her."
            "How would she know that?" John asked.     
            "No idea," Joey said with a shrug "But I looked in her eyes and she was convinced. She said they'd kill the cops and come for her next. I suggested we'd try to run or something, but she said it wouldn't be any good. I ran for the closet where I kept a bat and handed it to her. Then I turned around to look for the lockbox where I keep a pistol and the next thing I know, I'm on the ground with you over me."
            John picked up the discarded bat and looked to Joey. "Well," he said "I think we can all agree that arming her was a bad idea. But at least we know why you're still alive."
            "Why would she do that?" Joey asked as he stopped rubbing his head "I was trying to protect her."
            "I don't think she wanted to be protected," Blake said "She knew they wanted her alive. The big bad wants her alive."
            "But why?" Joey asked.
            "I dunno," Blake said "Let's find out."
            "How we gonna find her?" John asked.
            "She knew they were coming for her," Blake said "And if she had the time to knock Joey out to spare him, what else would she have the time for?"
            "Well," John said "My first guess would be to hide. But that's clearly too easy."
            "She also knew we'd come back and attempt to find her," Blake said as he looked about the bedroom until he found what he was looking for under a pillow "So she took the time to prep and charge these." Blake held up one of Anin's sleep stones, which gave off a faint glow.
            "Clever bitch," John said.
            "The closer we are," Blake said "The brighter these glow."
            "So what are we waiting for?" John asked as he grabbed some stones from Blake and made for the door. Blake followed suit, but when Joey tried following, Blake stopped him. "What do you think you're doing?" he asked.
            "I'm coming too," Joey stated.
            "Yeah, no," Blake responded "Best leave things to the professionals."
            "Anin's my girl. No way I'm staying on the sidelines if she's in danger."
            "How badly do you think she wants you involved?" Blake asked "She just got done blindsiding you before running off with something that claims it's human. To me, that pretty much says 'Don't get involved' in bright neon letters."
            "Blake," John said as he attempted to intervene, but Blake turned back to confront him. "He's too emotionally invested," Blake stated "He'll only get in the way."
            "Still..." John attempted.
            "Remember when I let you involve yourself to save your sister? All that resulted in was you almost dying."
            "You're really gonna play that card?" John asked plainly.
            "You almost died and you knew what you were doing. This guy thinks a baseball bat will help fend off monsters born from nightmares. I'd like to avoid any unnecessary deaths tonight if you don't mind!"
            "What would you have me do then?" Joey demanded, arms in the air.
            "Be the guaranteed survivor of this entire mess," Blake said.
            Joey glared at Blake a moment before his shoulders sagged and he backed off. "Just..." he started, but hesitated. Blake rolled his eyes, but decided to humor him an extra moment. "Just promise me you'll bring her back," Joey finally got out "Or at least try to." Blake shook his head and stormed off muttering "This idiot," as he left. "We'll do what we have to," John reassured Joey before following Blake.

March 12, 2017

Pure Human - To the Gas Station

[Posted by Ted H]

Finding time to finish....go figure...

[Pure Human - To the Gas Station]

            The rain continued to fall hard as the storms wind only intensified. Blake marveled at it as he stepped out the car while under the relative protection offered at the gas station pump overhead. John didn't need the gas, but he had mentioned to Blake that this would be where everyone from earlier would meet up. Blake spied a familiar face looking out at him from the station doors; One of the clerks who rudely denied him cigarettes before. Blake held up a pack and stuck his tongue out at them.
            "Mature," John said as he and Blake watched through the rain as two more cars drove in towards them. A flash of lightning briefly illuminated the women in their cars; Kimberly, who was afraid of the sudden lightning, and Whitey, who wore a stern expression as she drove by.
            "How nice of you to wake up and join us," Whitey mocked as she stepped out.
            "Don't you have someone else to annoy at this point?" Blake spat back.
            "What happened to you?" Kimberly asked as she ran over.
            "Our big bad is scared," Blake said "We need to figure out why and stop whatever he's trying."
            "Didn't you just get done earlier saying how we were in an optimistic situation?" John questioned. Blake sighed before continuing. "That was before he made a play at me," he responded "Apparently he has a different way to win that we weren't anticipating."
            "Seriously?" John asked.
            "Yeah," Blake said "He told me pretty much that my usefulness had ended, or something like that."
            "So you were assisting the enemy!" Whitey screamed loud enough to be heard by the gas station attendant through the storm. "Simmer down!" John yelled. "No, it makes sense," Whitey said "That's how you've been one step ahead of me this entire time!"
            "Then why did the ghost man attack him?" Kimberly asked. "Betrayed by your master," Whitey scoffed "Cry me a river."
            "Are you done?" Blake asked "Because I've been one step ahead because unlike you, I'm no amateur. This is my job." John stepped between them. "Calm down, both of you," he said "Blake, what usefulness were we providing him?"
            "Beats me," Blake said as he shrugged "All we've done since arriving is find his pets' crime scenes and kill one of them off."
            "Maybe they get stronger when there's fewer?" John asked "Like they all share the same power supply. One less using the power means more for everyone else?"
            "Nah," Blake said "Then why bother creating seven? One or two would suffice."
            "Maybe ghost guy knows how to be stronger to give his creations more juice!" Brittany said excitedly.
            "No. Guys," Blake started "He wants to amplify his influence, not strengthen its impact."
            "Amplify the what?" Kimberly asked.
            "Make it easier to...do his thing," John said.
            "He needs a better connection," Blake said "Right now he's stuck influencing people under a very specific situation. I guess he's trying to find an easier way to interact with people."
            "He would need a physical body for that," Whitey said.
            "Then why not just possess you instead of try to get you killed?" John asked.
            "And how would you be useful for a physical body?" Kimberly asked.
            Blake thought about it for a moment while a flash of lightning lit everything up nearby. His eyes then went wide as he looked to John. "We need to get to Anin, now!" he shouted. "What?" John asked. "Who?" Kimberly said. "They weren't trying to kill her last night," Blake said "They were going to abduct her!"
            "Holy shit," John said as he sprinted around to the drivers side. "What's going on?" Whitey yelled. "Just follow us, no time!" Blake yelled as he climbed into the car as John started the engine and peeled out back into the storm. "Ok, I know we just did a thing back there," John said as he drove "But I'm a little fuzzy on the details. What's going on with Anin?"
            "Why didn't those things do anything to her back at the house?" Blake asked.
            "Because they're insane?"
            "Vitaearnus needs to strengthen his influence. His goal is to corrupt more people into his monsters with less effort."
            "And how do we and Anin factor into that?"
            "We brought Anin here...and Anin has already exhibited an ability to delve into another person's mind."
            "I thought Anin can only passively observe or some shit, not actually do anything inside someone's brain?"
            "She can open the door, so to speak, which is the hard part."
            "Aw man," John said "This is our fault."
            "Nah," Blake said as he contemplated his shortening cigarette "He's been reaching out to her in her dreams for a while before she came to us. One way or another she'd have ended up here. At least this way we're in a position to help her."
            "But can we actually do anything?"
            "Just drive. Fast."

February 18, 2017

Pure Human - Doing a Thing

[Posted by Ted H]

Wow....There's a really good excuse....I'm just not gonna talk about it...

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[Pure Human - Doing a Thing]

            Blake needed a moment to understand where he was when he awoke. The world was zooming passed in with darkness, driving rain and bright lights. It took longer than it should have for Blake to realize that he was looking up at streetlights while riding in John's car. "Good morning, princess," John said as Blake rubbed his eyes and sat up from his slouched position. "How long was I out?" Blake asked. "Long enough to have to be carried out," John responded without looking over.
            "Any resistance from those things?" Blake asked as he turned his head to see there was someone in the back seat.
            "Nah," John said "They set fire to the building and made for the hills.
            "Whimps," Blake muttered as he looked to Bryant, handcuffed and holding his injured foot. "Why is he here?" John didn't look away from the road as he said "Would you prefer we leave him to his own devices?"
            "I'd prefer if we tossed him off a bridge," Blake said "You can follow him, too. I thought you said you had him detained?"
            "He was. I had to uncuff him and toss him in here after dragging your ass out."
            "Then how did the building conveniently catch fire?"
            "They did it," Bryant said in a low voice.
            "And they spared you?" Blake asked, skepticism heavy in his voice.
            "I guess they had better things to do."
            John turned away from the road long enough to exchange a look with Blake. Blake then looked back to Bryant and shook his head. "I can shenanigans," he said "Those things don't tend to spare many in their wake. Two people I can think of weren't killed on sight, and those things instead messed heavily with both of them. So you're going to sit there and tell me that they passed you without even a second thought?"
            "Are you honestly going to try and attribute rational thought or motives to those things?" Bryant asked. "Yes," Blake said without missing a beat "Because underneath all that monster and psychotic actions, they're ultimately human." Bryant gave Blake a stern look as the other man turned back around. "Where's your phone?" Blake asked John as he worked a cigarette into his mouth.
            "In my pocket," John said "Can whatever you need wait?"
            "Seriously?" Blake asked "Which pocket?"
            "Stay out of my pants."
            "Be mature. This is important."
            "What's so important that can't wait five God damn minutes?"
            "I just woke up from a Mister Anus attack, and you're wondering what the rush is? I need to call Matthew."
            "What did you call him?" Bryant asked from the back, being ignored.
            "If Matthew had an update," John said "I'm sure he'd have notified us by now."
            "Maybe hearing what just happened to me will narrow down his search," Blake mumbled as he flicked his lighter.
            "Probably not. I'm sure what Anus did back there isn't uncommon."
            "What are you both, twelve?" Bryant said. "Can you not talk right now?" Blake said as he turned around with a freshly lit cigarette and looked to Bryant.
            "I'm just saying," Bryant protested "There's a supernatural monstrosity out there, responsible for all the death and torment going around, that you're making fun of their name. You really think it wise to antagonize something like that?"
            "I do," Blake said as he blew smoke at Bryant "And besides, Anus isn't the true monstrosity behind the death and torment. That would be you." Bryant glared at Blake as he blew more smoke and turned back around. "What have I said about smoking in my car?" John asked, annoyed. "Shut up," Blake said "I was doing a thing."

January 29, 2017

2017

[Posted by Ted H]

Wow....hi.....so yeah, I've all but forgotten this site. Next week I'll be around...hopefully...

I've got plans for the year, including my return to NaNoWriMo, but 1st things first: Let's finish Pure Human...