So… this is a weird one. For those of you not familiar with Nightcore, they’re a group that takes certain songs and sort of… Animizes them. For lack of a better term. By that, I mean they speed up the temp and singing, and sometimes add a little techno background. Sometimes it sounds like Alvin and the Chipmunks singing, other times…
It’s actually better than the original.
When to listen: Start the song, close your eyes. Now picture a final battle. It’s a dark night, storm clouds overhead with thunder and lightning. Rain is pouring down on the dark plains. Our hero raises his sword to just below his eye. He fearlessly stares down his shadowy opponent who is barely outlined against the darkness.
Yeah, this is a final battle song.
Readers,
Do you have a question about writing, publishing, my stories, etc? Please feel free to post a comment or email me.
jimthewritingwizard@gmail.com
I’ll use those comments to select my next blog post.
I have been writing for several years, have 4 published works, experience with publishing and independent work, so I can hopefully be of assistance.
Please note, I only do one of these a day and will do my best to respond to everyone, but it may take some time.
Did you recently kill off a character? Do you regret it? Do you want to get that character back but are too good to simply resurrect the character?
Well we’ve got a lesser known, yet equally cheap gimmick for you; take the character from another reality! At the low cost of your writing credibility, you can have you character back without any consequences, retconning, or necromancy what so ever!
Ugh… okay… Like I said above, it’s a lesser known work-around for death, but still a pretty bad one. I think I first saw it in the mid-late 90s early TV show: Hercules. At one point late in the series, we see Iolaus, the lovable sidekick get killed off… and almost instantly brought back as a meager character with a different personality. I’m not sure where they went with this, because I lost interest in the show, but I can’t imagine the gimmick stuck.
As I’ve stated before, we’ve seen this type of thing for a very long time. When a character dies in Marvel or DC comics, mass eye-rolling ensues. Why? Because its seen as a gimmick now. It has no heart, no impact, nothing. Everyone knows that more than likely that character won’t be dead for more than a year or two, AT MOST.
This lackluster story-writing is probably one of the main reasons that comic sales are dropping, second only to the complete over-saturation of identity politics in Marvel and DC comics. (Arguably more so Marvel, but when the Green Arrow calls himself a Social Justice Warrior… ugh!)
Anyway, I’ve started seeing this in traditional writing, specifically in the fantasy realm. Fellow writers, if you take nothing else away from my blog, let it be this piece of advice;
Don’t cater to your writers, but please respect them!
Write what you want to write. Make sure that what you right is something that YOU enjoy first and foremost. If you don’t like what you’re writing, it will reflect in your writing, and your readers are going to pick up on it. At the same time however, if you kill off a character, PLEASE don’t find a way to bring them back just because it was a likable character. If your writing is strong enough, a story can survive a beloved main character dying off (Star Wars anyone?).
We’re not fragile little snowflakes. We don’t need to be treated as such. Will we be upset when a character dies? Did I shed a tear when Asajj Ventress was killed off in Dark Disciple? SHUT UP!
But we get over it and often see it as a bold choice that only served to enhance the story as time went on.
Anyway, that’s just my thoughts on the subject. Let a character stay dead, this cop out isn’t a cop out at all. It’s bad… really bad!
Readers,
Do you have a question about writing, publishing, my stories, etc? Please feel free to post a comment or email me.
jimthewritingwizard@gmail.com
I’ll use those comments to select my next blog post.
I have been writing for several years, have 4 published works, experience with publishing and independent work, so I can hopefully be of assistance.
Please note, I only do one of these a day and will do my best to respond to everyone, but it may take some time.
So we all know how most people feel about the special remastered editions of Star Wars that are sadly now the ‘official’ editions. The theatrical versions that we all know and love have been relegated to the bonus features on ONE release of the DVDs due to Lucas trying to erase them from history.
Most of the fans will tell you that Episode 4 ‘A New Hope’ (which I will be referring to as Star Wars from now on as it was the original title, ‘A New Hope’ being added later), was the biggest casualty of the re-edits. I’ll admit that it took a beating; bad CGI effects replacing practical ones at the Battle of Yavin, all of which are easy to spot… Not to mention the scene that has literally driven every Star Wars fan insane for over a decade:
Yes, Han’s infamous murder scene. Fans have long since gone to war with each other over who shot first and which version is the one that is ‘canon.’
Yeah a significant amount of damage was done, but did it really make the first Star Wars the main casualty?
Hell No!
Maybe I’m biased because Return of the Jedi was my favorite of the original trilogy, but I think it suffered a lot worse… how? Well for starters, the two iconic songs were removed and replaced…
The first, known as Lapti Nek…
… was replaced with a 4th-wall-breaking popish song and a mess of bad CGI…
The second song, while much more well-known… I have to admit is kind of an ear moth. Once you listen to it, you’ll spend a decade trying to get it out of your head. From the original, Yub Nub:
It was then replaced with this far more mellow tune composed by John Williams:
I have to admit… I really like that little scene they added in with the planets of the Republic celebrating their Freedom and rising up against the Empire. Minus the appearance of gungans, this was actually pretty well done. This change actually has me very torn. While it’s certainly not something I’d expect to hear at a victory celebration, it’s actually a pleasant musical number. So… I dunno this change has its pluses and minuses… too bad what happens next destroys not only the scene, but the entire movie for me!
For starters, those robes look like they don’t even fit Christiansen. Secondly… WHY!? What was the effing purpose in doing this!? Replacing Sebastian Shaw with Hayden Christiansen doesn’t work. He looks incredibly out of place!
Really Jim? This ruined the entire movie for you? A little melodramatic aren’t we?
Let me explain… Darth Vader was an evil man. He murdered children and was responsible for he slaughter of the Jedi. He helped the Emperor rule with an iron fist and was responsible for God-Only knows how many atrocities over the years.
In short, there is NO WAY he was walking away from this. Even after returning to Anakin Skywalker, most of the galaxy would not see a difference and he would likely face charges of war crimes. Even if you can get past this, letting him walk away unscathed is just bad story telling. In short, it was not going to happen.
The writers of Star Wars gave Anakin Skywalker the best possible ending that he could hope for. Look closely at his face…
This is not the look of joy. This is the look of a man who, while happy to see them, is seeing both of his children for the first time, knowing that his choices have cost him whatever time he could have had with his family. It is a bittersweet, heartfelt, and very powerful moment that is the best that Vader could have realistically hoped for. Indeed Anakin Skywalker was saved, but every victory has its cost. It was a bold move and it worked incredibly well. This was the ending Star Wars needed, it was the one it deserved and it was the one that brought everything together. It wasn’t the happiest of endings, how could it be? But it was the RIGHT ending.
Almost all of that was lost when Shaw was replaced…
Dude, you’re not even looking in the right God damn direction! Who directed this guy!? This isn’t bittersweet… this is more the look of a guy who’s thinking ‘Okay I’m dead now… Once I get out of here, I am so going to find Padme and get my freaky ghost on…’
Okay okay, in all seriousness his performance here is as bland as the rest of his role as Anakin. Don’t get me wrong, he’s a decent actor who can chew apart a scene when called upon to do so… but in Star Wars… yeah his direction was pretty bad.
I know the scene was 28 seconds long, but to me they were the most important 28 seconds in the movie and they were RUINED! This really messed up Return of the Jedi for me and if you can’t understand why… then I’d advise you to go back and watch both the original and remastered. It makes a huge difference.
Wait a minute Jim, you said that it could have been saved!!!
I lied.
… … … Sigh… okay yes, it could have been saved. It Lucas absolutely had to replace Shaw with Christiansen, there is a way he could have done it that… while it would not have been as powerful, it would have warmed a lot of peoples’ hearts, mine included…
That’s right, if you were going this route, it would have been good to show that maybe Anakin found Padme’ in the force and the two were able to reconcile in whatever afterlife there is. Plus she’s given so little mention in the original trilogy that it would be nice to knit this in.
But Jim, she’s not a Jedi! She can’t be a force ghost!
One, that’s never really established in the movies. Two, she gave birth to two of the strongest force-sensitive children in existence. Perhaps one could make the argument that she inherited some of their sensitivity? I don’t know, its a spitball, but it could be retconned.
Anyway, just my opinion on how this could have been done so much better… if it had to be done at all. Let me know what you think!
Readers,
Do you have a question about writing, publishing, my stories, etc? Please feel free to post a comment or email me.
jimthewritingwizard@gmail.com
I’ll use those comments to select my next blog post.
I have been writing for several years, have 4 published works, experience with publishing and independent work, so I can hopefully be of assistance.
Please note, I only do one of these a day and will do my best to respond to everyone, but it may take some time.
This may sound silly, but I was wondering if you’ve ever had a hard time killing off a character in your stories? I’m at the point where I’m about to kill one off and I admit that every time I try to write the words, I freeze up. I just spent so much time writing this character and I really like them, but it was always the plan to kill him off. I basically took everything I love about my boyfriend and put it into this character along with some of plot devices and personality quirks. Maybe I’m being a bit of a drama queen, but I’m just having a hard time with it.
Thanks,
Mandi.
Hi Mandi,
I don’t think you’re being a drama queen at all… maybe slightly melodramatic, but to be honest, it kind of comes with the playing field of being a writer. Yes I have had trouble killing off a character. Its always something that I have a hard time with.
You spend a lot of time creating this character, all your characters. They’re like your children in many respects. You develop a connection with them. So of course its going to be difficult to kill one off.
I would say that your cardinal sin was using your boyfriend as the template. As someone who’s made this mistake, I can tell you that it makes things a hundred times harder. Know for the future and don’t base characters on loved ones. It doesn’t usually work out to well.
Honestly… there’s no rule saying that you HAVE TO do it. Your story, your rules. As long as you can keep the character alive without violating the rules you set up, you should be fine.
That said… I would try your hardest to detach yourself from the situation and still kill him off. Nothing is more powerful than when you kill off a character that you clearly cared about. When you put your heart and soul into something, it shows. Your audience will see that and feel the same way about the character that you do. This will make it much more powerful when they die.
So it’s up to you. In the end, only you can determine the fate of your characters. If you’d like me to take a look at the story so far and give you my two cents on how to do this, I’d be happy to. Shoot me an email.
Readers,
Do you have a question about writing, publishing, my stories, etc? Please feel free to post a comment or email me.
jimthewritingwizard@gmail.com
I’ll use those comments to select my next blog post.
I have been writing for several years, have 4 published works, experience with publishing and independent work, so I can hopefully be of assistance.
Please note, I only do one of these a day and will do my best to respond to everyone, but it may take some time.
Christ… I can’t believe I’m tackling this one. Metal is such a subjective term and it’s hard to specifically define it. There are also several sub genres of Metal… some more insane than others.
So let’s think about this for a moment… what is the makeup of a metal band? A self-proclaimed Metal Purist friend of mine says that the basic metal band is 2 guitarists, a singer, a bassist, and a set of drums.
Thus he considers bands like Five Finger Death Punch:
Or Killswitch Engage:
To be the quintessential makeup of Metal bands…
Bullshit. While they definitely fall under the metal category, I don’t believe that this is the basic standard for metal bands.
So what is?
Well it all started in the late 60s and 70s. Deep Purple is considered by many to be the first metal band with Black Sabbath and Led Zepplin following close behind. Those bands are/were made up the following way:
Led Zepplin:
Lead Guitar
Drums
Bass
Vocalist
Deep Purple: Lead Guitar
Bass
Vocalist
Drummer
Keyboarder
Black Sabbath: Guitar
Bass
Drums
Vocalist
Now are these bands considered Metal? Eh… by people who have been with the genre that long, perhaps. Honestly, given the sound of their early work, I think the term proto-metal is more appropriate.
Proto-Metal had a few more names join in the 1970s, including Iron Butterfly, Steppinwolf (Yeah you heard me right), Blue Cheer, and the Stooges. Notice why I’m careful to label these as proto-metal. Alice Cooper would also be added to this mix, however despite starting in 1963, he really didn’t become part of what’s known as metal for many years and did not gain significant enough attention until the 70s.
It was around this time in the 1970s that punk rock began to explode into popular culture and soon became a huge phenomenon. Motorhead was really the first band to bridge the gap and metal… essentially piggybacked off of Punk Rock’s popularity to pull it into the mainstream. This is when metal was truly born. Bands like Iron Maiden and Saxon became household names with other bands such as the scorpions quickly followed.
Suddenly, Metal was in the mainstream and a new genre known as ‘glam metal’ and ‘hair metal’ came to center stage. This is where bands like Quiet Riot, Motley Crew, Guns n Roses, W.A.S.P. and others joined the mix. Even Van Halen is considered by some to be part of this genre. This was also the era of the British Heavy Metal invasion with bands like Judas Priest entering the fray. Yeah the 80s were a good time to be alive if you were in to that kind of music… but all good things have to end…
The 90s…
Anyone who was caught growing up between the 80s and the 90s knows the massive paradigm shift in music styles. It was swift, vicious… and it was NOT pretty.
Ugh… turn it off… turn it off… I SAID TURN IT THE (CENSORED) OFF!!!
Yeah thus begin the boy band wars of the 90s. It was a time when alternate and… arguably perverse styles of R&B, Dance, and techno got mixed together in what most people generally refer to as ‘Pop Music.’ It wasn’t a new phenomenon per se as it owed its roots to the 1970s, but it wasn’t anywhere near as huge or… intrusive at that point.
This is when metal went nuts. I mean went completely insane!
Suddenly Heavy Metal, Glam Metal, and Hair Metal broke up into SEVERAL subgenres…
Power Metal
Speed Metal
Pop Metal
Nu Metal
Rap Metal (Yes that’s a thing)
Avante Garde Metal
Black Metal
War Metal
Epic Metal
Victory Metal
Pirate Metal
Viking Metal
Rhythmic Metal
Symphonic Metal
Melodic Metal
Blackgaze
and perhaps the most recognizable version… at least to people outside of the genre, Death Metal:
So with all of these genres… what does this mean?
Well it means that while this is metal:
So is this…
This…
This…
This…
And yes, even this…
So what about this???
Um… I’ll leave that open to interpretation… Acapella Metal? Who knows…
But Jim, you still haven’t answered the big question, what is the basic metal band?
It’s a subjective term honestly. I do not share my friend’s view… why? Because that’s not the layout of the Heavy Metal bands, nor of the 80s bands and honestly the 70s and 80s are where metal really evolved into what we know and love. So with that in mind, the ideal metal band is as follows:
Standard:
Vocalist
Lead Guitar
Rhythem Guitar
Bass
Keyboard/Keytar
Drums
Honestly, it’s a convoluted mess!!! Just don’t let anyone tell you that only death metal is true metal and you’ll be fine.
So how do you identify a metal band then???
… … I dunno.
WHAT!?!?
I don’t know! Honestly, does it really matter? Listen to what you like. If you really need to know though, I’d consult the Encyclopedia Metallum. It’s the best resource I know of…
Let me know what you think in the comments.
Readers,
Do you have a question about writing, publishing, my stories, etc? Please feel free to post a comment or email me.
jimthewritingwizard@gmail.com
I’ll use those comments to select my next blog post.
I have been writing for several years, have 4 published works, experience with publishing and independent work, so I can hopefully be of assistance.
Please note, I only do one of these a day and will do my best to respond to everyone, but it may take some time.
I still haven’t decided on a name for this daily installment.
Anyway, working title. Today’s submission:
Oh yeah, the God himself… the man who corrupted a whole generation and continues to make waves today. Alice Cooper himself.
When to listen to this one: Villain creation. Not kidding, I’ve build many a bad guy while listening to this song. Highly recommend it.
Also, who here considers his music Metal??? I’ve heard arguments on both sides and frankly, I do consider him metal… 80s Metal, but metal none-the-less.
Readers,
Do you have a question about writing, publishing, my stories, etc? Please feel free to post a comment or email me.
jimthewritingwizard@gmail.com
I’ll use those comments to select my next blog post.
I have been writing for several years, have 4 published works, experience with publishing and independent work, so I can hopefully be of assistance.
Please note, I only do one of these a day and will do my best to respond to everyone, but it may take some time.
… I could probably do this for a good year with what I currently have on there… So I think I will. Plus the bands I like produce new content every year, meaning that I will NEVER run out!
Ahem.
Angel with A Shotgun. Do I really need to say anything else? Yes, listen to the Nightcore Version:
Yes, that is a more awesome version of Alvin and the Chipmunks.
Okay seriously now. This is a hero realization song. This is what I play when the hero first accepts his/her sword and raises it against the enemy.
Readers,
Do you have a question about writing, publishing, my stories, etc? Please feel free to post a comment or email me.
jimthewritingwizard@gmail.com
I’ll use those comments to select my next blog post.
I have been writing for several years, have 4 published works, experience with publishing and independent work, so I can hopefully be of assistance.
Please note, I only do one of these a day and will do my best to respond to everyone, but it may take some time.
Can you give some advices about how to get traffic towards your blog? How do you get so many followers on this app?
By the way, your posts are really good😊!
–Simmone
Hi Simmone,
Great question. The best way to think about WordPress, or any other blogging page is to think about it as a community. The more you put in, the more you’ll get out of it. So the best advice I’d give is to explore the other blog posts, especially others that tag and categorize their posts the same way you do. Read, like, comment, reblog, and offer advice when and where possible. I’ll be honest, my blog only had about 500 readers before I started offering writing tips and advice.
Secondly, I’d network as much as you can. Got a Facebook page? No?? MAKE ONE. Got a twitter page? No??? MAKE ONE!!! Got a Pinterest account? NO??? Oh man! Make accounts on these pages and link them to your blog. You don’t even have to use most of them. WordPress will post all of this for you. This will gain you greater exposure.
Really though that’s all there is to it. If you build it and expose it, people will come to it. If they like what you have to say they will come and visit your blog. YOU need to give them a reason to.
Anyway, hope this helps. Readers, do you have any advice for Simmone? How do you get more readers?
Readers,
Do you have a question about writing, publishing, my stories, etc? Please feel free to post a comment or email me.
jimthewritingwizard@gmail.com
I’ll use those comments to select my next blog post.
I have been writing for several years, have 4 published works, experience with publishing and independent work, so I can hopefully be of assistance.
Please note, I only do one of these a day and will do my best to respond to everyone, but it may take some time.
Okay, this one is a big one. It wasn’t my gateway or anything like that, but it was my introduction to Dragonforce… and my playlist was NEVER the same:
When to listen:
For me, it’s usually right at the beginning of the final conflict or climax of my story. It’s a strong, powerful, song that really gets the blood pumping. Songs like this are my coffee in the morning (I don’t drink Coffee).
Readers,
Do you have a question about writing, publishing, my stories, etc? Please feel free to post a comment or email me.
jimthewritingwizard@gmail.com
I’ll use those comments to select my next blog post.
I have been writing for several years, have 4 published works, experience with publishing and independent work, so I can hopefully be of assistance.
Please note, I only do one of these a day and will do my best to respond to everyone, but it may take some time.
2,000 followers… I… Honestly I am speechless. I didn’t think my blog would ever get that popular. I think it’s party time. Never thought I’d do this, but… take it Pinkie Pie:
Okay in all seriousness (Sorta), I really want to tip my hat to all of my readers, fans, and advice seekers. I do this for all of you as I really don’t make much (if any) money off of my writing and/or tend to break even in the amount that I actually put into my books.
You guys are awesome. I mean that from the bottom of my heart.
As a special treat for everyone… I’m going to do something I never do with books that I plan to publish…
Ladies and Gents… the rough draft to Chapter 1 of The Path to Hell, Book 2 of the Vengeance Doctrine.
(Cover still in the works)
I
“Hello, can someone help me, please?”
Lucy ran across the Boylston Street in downtown Boston, trying to find something, anything that could help her. She’d woken up on a back alley a few blocks away. Clad only in tattered clothing, she was desperate to find some comfort. She was freezing and had no idea what had happened to her.
Not helping matters was how cold out it was. The sting of frigid air in the early February morning was a rude awakening to Lucy. Her wet blonde hair was matted to her head. The cold air made it freeze, causing a stiff feeling on her head. She had found herself covered in a thin sheet of snow. I need to get out of here… I need to get somewhere safe… s…so cold…
The temperature was completely frigid. Any flesh out in these elements could easily freeze within minutes. Lucy didn’t have time to think. She stumbled forward, crossing through the Boston Commons, but it was early in the morning and no one was around. She could barely feel her bare feet as they touched on the pavement. Even so, she did everything she could to avoid the large banks of freshly fallen snow.
Lucy’s breath was like a continuous cloud in front of her as her breathing became more and more rapid. On the other side of the road, she saw cars going by and made her way to Tremont Street. The pain in her feet went from dull to excruciating. She knew that she didn’t have long.
Lucy stepped off of the sidewalk and attempted to wave down passing cars, “Help… please someone, help?”
God, please let someone stop…
But no one did. One car even honked to let her know that she was too close. Lucy yelped and pulled her hand back. No one was going to help her. She didn’t even see a police car nearby. Her only chance would be to get across the street and hopefully make it to one of the buildings nearby.
Having few options, she waited until all of the cars had gone by and ran across the street. She was so determined that she had not noticed a large Ford pickup turn onto the road. The truck came to a screetching hault in front of her and honked. The man opened his window and yelled, “Hey, are you fucking crazy? You trying to get yourself killed.”
The man eyed her tattered clothing and his expression softened, “Are you all right? Hey miss, do you need help?”
Lucy didn’t respond. The cold was begining to take over and she was desperate to get warm. The man called after her while pulling out his cell phone, “Hey miss!”
She made it across the street and ripped open a door to the closest building. No matter what happened, she needed to get out of the cold. She could barely feel anything and soon the cold would take her if she didn’t.
**
Michelle Ramirez was not having a good week. In fact, it was one of the worst. She’d just started a new job as a secretary. She’d worked for the company for several years and thought that joining the front end was the right career path, but it turned out to be a dredge job that was nothing like what she thought.
She pushed the glasses tighter on her nose as her eyes focused on the screen. Yet another progress report needed to be filed and she had been rewarded the dubious task of putting it in. Another suit upstairs needed to cover his ass. Lucky me…
Her desk in a small reception area that was completely deserted as the morning rush had not yet begun. The entire room looked fairly fancy with antique dark wood linings on off-white walls, and a mahogany secretary’s stand to welcome people in.
Michelle had to admire her surroundings, but that was pretty much the only perk of her new position. She sat back, questionning her lot in life, her decisions, and everything that had led her to where she now was. Oh well… seems I’m doomed to this kind of shit for the rest of my days. What I wouldn’t give to shake things up a little.
At that moment, the door burst open and a woman stumbled though. Michelle jumped to her feet, startled by what she saw. This woman’s clothes were badly torn to the point where they barely covered her. The blue shirt that she wore was ripped at the stomach, and her pants had been ripped at the waste. They ony stayed up because the fabric hugged her hips so well. What had happened to this poor woman?
Michelle rushed out from behind her desk and approached the woman, “Ma’am, are you all right? What happened to you?”
The woman panted, “Please… please… help me…”
That was all the poor woman had a chance to say. Michelle reached out her hand, “Ma’am what…”
Before Michelle could finish her sentence, the woman fell forward and closed her eyes. She collapsed on the ground. He body shook like she was being jolted by electricity and her breathing was heavily labored.
Michelle’s heart raced as she went into action, “What happened to you?”
Michelle had taken a first aid certification course back in college. She’d never had to use it before and let her certification lapse, but she still knew what to do in these situations. She quickly grabbed her jacket off of the back of her chair and spread it over the woman to try to warm her and stop the shaking. She quickly checked the woman’s pulse. Her heart is racing. She’s running out of time. Gotta get her help.
Michelle pulled her cellphone out and quickly called for help. As the phone rang, she gently brushed a few strands of blonde hair away from the girl’s mouth, “Be careful what you wish for, huh? Poor thing…”
Lucy woke up in a small bed with an IV in her arm. Her skin was warm and per the beeps on the monitor next to her, plus the sensation in her chest indicated that her heart was beating normally. I’m alive… for now. I have to get out of here!
She gasped as she looked around. This was clearly a hospital room. She was surrounded by equipment that was making beeping noises. Her clothing had been removed and replaced with a blue gown that tied in the back.
The room looked very clean, almost to the point of sterility. It wasn’t what she was expecting, but then again, she really didn’t know what to expect, “What… what happened.”
“How are you feeling?”
Lucy flinched as she realized that she wasn’t alone in the room. She turned to see a young brown haired woman in white and blue scrubs was smiling at her, “I’m Lisa, the nurse on duty and I’ll be looking after you for today. Can you tell me your name?”
“Where am I?” Was all Lucy could say.
“You’re at Massachusetts General Hospital. You gave quite a few people a scare when you ran into one of the buildings along Tremont Street. Can you tell me your name?”
“How did I get here?”
“You were delerious and suffering from hypothermia when you were brought in. It also seems like you haven’t had anything to eat in a while. We were able to bring your body temperature up and give you some nutrients intraveniously. Do you live around here?”
“I don’t know.” Lucy replied.
The look of concern flashed over Lisa’s face, but she quickly hid it as her warm smile returned, “That’s okay, you’re probably still a little hazy. Can you tell me your name?”
“It’s… Lucy. Lucy Apollyon.”
“That’s great, thank you.” The nurse replied, relieved. “Now do you know your date of birth?”
Lucy thought for a moment, but couldn’t remember it. That was a complete blank in her memory. No matter how hard she tried, it never came to her, “Why do you want to know all this?”
Lisa frowned, “Well you weren’t carrying any ID. We don’t know who you are and have no way to identify you. We really need that information in order to properly treat you.”
“I don’t remember… and I don’t think you’re going to find anyone to call.”
“Okay, no problem. Why don’t you rest a little while longer? Maybe it will come back to you. Are you comfortable, do you need anything?”
“No… I…” A sudden chill in the air made Lucy shudder. Could it have been from the hypothermia? No way, the hospital blankets were nice and warm, and the temperature in the room was too high for that. Perhaps it was a draft. No, the window was on the other side of the room and again the heat would have prevented it from ever really getting to her.
A sudden and ominious feeling came over her. Something wasn’t right. She couldn’t reconcile how she knew, but she was certain that something had gone horribly wrong. She shouldn’t be there. She was supposed to be somwhere else. The problem was that she didn’t even know where.
Lucy sat and turned to stand, “I need to get out of here.”
Lisa moved quickly to attempt to restrain her, “Whoa, that’s not a good idea. You need to rest!”
“No, I can’t stay here. It’s not safe!”
“Lucy, please!”
Lucy broke free and ripped the IV out of her arm. It hurt, but she couldn’t be worried about that right now. She needed to get out of there.
Lucy lurched out into the hallway before Lisa could react and looked around. She only had a second to figure out where she wanted to go. She saw the elevator at the other end of the hall and commenced running towards it.
Lucy ran as fast as she could. She had to get out of the hospital quickly. It was the only chance she had to save herself.
Her hopes were dashed when the elevator made a ringing sound and three men dressed in police uniforms got off. She was surprised how quickly they responded. Were they even there for her or had it been an unfortunately coincidence? It didn’t matter. Her luck had nearly run out.
She turned back before the police spotted her and saw Lisa, as well as a few orderlies, run up behind her. Not wanting to get caught, she quickly turned and ran down a small corridor to her right that led to another group of beds.
An older man with white hair, dressed all in black with a white collar appeared in front of her. She recognized that outfit, “Father, father, please help me!”
Father Darren had been providing religious counseling services to patients who wanted it for years and today was no different. He went from room to room at the hospital, offering prayer and communion to patients who had requested it. It was fullfilling, albiet very depressing work. Often he was called on to provide last rites, or trying to help calm a stressed out patient.
He had just finished offering communion to a patient who had spent the last few days in traction after a serious car accident downtown. He checked his watch as he placed the small brass case containing the host back in his pocket. 11am… should be lunch time soon.
The tapping of bare feet on the tiled floor, coupled with heavy breathing drew his attention. He quickly turned to see a young woman running towards him with a group of nurses and orderlies in hot persuit. One of them called after her, “Lucy, please stop! We’re just trying to help you!”
Lucy dropped to her knees as she reached the priest and grabbed his hand, “Father, sanctuary, please help me! Give me sanctuary, please!”
The startled priest looked down at her, “What’s wrong, what happened?”
Before she could respond, two orderlies grabbed her by the arms and picked her up. The old priest’s brow furrowed as he confronted them, “What’s going on here?”
Lisa stepped between them, “I’m sorry, father. This woman is delirious.”
“Please, help me!” Lucy screamed over Lisa.
Lisa turned back to her, “We’re going to, but you need to come back and lay down.”
“No, it’s not safe! You’re all in danger, please!”
The hospital staff was about to drag Lucy off when the priest raised his hand, “Stop!”
The orderlies froze in place and looked at Father Darren as he stepped forward and brought his face to level with hers, “You have my attention, what do you want to say?”
Lucy was about to speak when she saw the large golden crucifix around the priest’s neck. Her eyes widened and she drew in a deep, labored, breath. Father Darren looked on in horror as black lines began to appear on Lucy’s forehead. She looked like she was in excruciating pain, but she didn’t cry out. Her eyes closed and her face creased as she endured the transformation on her forehead. The lines darkened and converged, forming a star.
Lisa placed a hand over her mouth and stepped back as more and more details began to appear. Father Darren took a fearful step back as a pentagram appeared in a circle on her forehead, and the malicious face of a goat appeared inside of it. Father Darren touched her skin just above the mark with his , “Signum autem diabolo…”
His expression became stern as he looked deep into Lucy’s eyes, “Who are you?”
Her eyes rolled over black, “Ego sum unus qui est infra.”
The priest nodded, “Then I am the one who speaks for our lord, God.”Lucy shook her head, “So you think.”
A loud hissing noise flew from her lips as her head fell forward. The orderlies were able to get a good grip on her as her limbs had fallen limp. The priest breathed a sigh of relief that the first confrontation with… whatever that was, had ended. He suspected that this would not be the last one. The room felt lighter now. Whatever it was, it was gone for the moment.
Lisa stood next to the priest as an unconscious Lucy was carefully carried back to the room, “I’m sorry about that Father…”
“Darren.” The priest replied.
“Father Darrin. Can you tell me who she is or what’s going on with her?”
“We don’t know, Father. She says her name is Lucy, but we don’t know much else. After what I just saw… maybe you should stick around, though.”
Father Darrin shook his head, “I don’t think I’m the right person to help with this. Excuse me, I think I’m going to need to make a phone call.”
Lisa’s eyes narrowed, “Oh… of course, Father. What should I do if she wakes up.”
Father Darrin shrugged, “If she’s normal, treat her normally.”
“And if she’s… whatever that was?”
Father Darrin looked her over before responding, “Do you believe in God, Lisa?”
She nodded, “Catholic, sir. Born and raised.”
Father Darrin looked slightly relieved, “Don’t ask it any questions. Try not to even engage with it. Do whatever you have to in order to keep that young woman safe, but otherwise don’t give it any information to use against you.”
“Did you call her an ‘it,’ Father?”
“There’s nothing else to call it right now. Whatever that was, it wasn’t of this world.”
(Just remember that this is a REALLY rough draft. I haven’t spell-checked it or anything and will probably be subject to change before I’m done.)
Readers,
Do you have a question about writing, publishing, my stories, etc? Please feel free to post a comment or email me.
jimthewritingwizard@gmail.com
I’ll use those comments to select my next blog post.
I have been writing for several years, have 4 published works, experience with publishing and independent work, so I can hopefully be of assistance.
Please note, I only do one of these a day and will do my best to respond to everyone, but it may take some time.
So after the enthusiasm over Amaranthe’s last song, I decided to go with another one. This is my favorite song off of their most recent album…
When I listen to this song:
Um… so there’s no real specific part. This is pretty much something I listen to when I’m just stuck at any random place and the music I typically listen to doesn’t cut it. It’s an extremely lively song that, for Metal, is almost dance-able.
Readers,
Do you have a question about writing, publishing, my stories, etc? Please feel free to post a comment or email me.
jimthewritingwizard@gmail.com
I’ll use those comments to select my next blog post.
I have been writing for several years, have 4 published works, experience with publishing and independent work, so I can hopefully be of assistance.
Please note, I only do one of these a day and will do my best to respond to everyone, but it may take some time.
It’s a tough question to answer. Certainly in this day and age they are not considered ‘high-art’ but when programming backgrounds and beautiful scenery, its hard not to consider them as such.
Let’s consider Skyrim for a moment… someone (me) goes through hours upon hours coding, re-texturing, and updating the graphical properties of the game, using some mods he downloaded and some that he created on his own to create scenery that is on par if not superior to new releases. Could the imagery he comes up with be considered art?
Let me give you a few examples to look at:
Given the extreme detail and the amount of hard work that goes into such things, no two modded Skyrims are exactly the same. Could imagery like this not be considered art?
I think it can, and eventually video game designers will soon be considered the artists that they deserve to be, but I’ll open it up to the floor.
Readers, would you consider this art?
Readers,
Do you have a question about writing, publishing, my stories, etc? Please feel free to post a comment or email me.
jimthewritingwizard@gmail.com
I’ll use those comments to select my next blog post.
I have been writing for several years, have 4 published works, experience with publishing and independent work, so I can hopefully be of assistance.
Please note, I only do one of these a day and will do my best to respond to everyone, but it may take some time.
(Cover still in the works)
James Harringtons Creative Work 