New Story - Snail Summer and Long Time Passing

Available here and here.

Snail Summer is a coming of age story of the classic variety, but set in a far future where Opsa's Cousin Kili comes from a distant start to visit her family's farm. There are strange snails that mimic the faces of screaming children when frightened and the two of them want to find out why. 

Long Time Passing is a love story in a future in which immortality is a curse for those without funds. The only way to gain a fortune to marry the woman he loves is to banish himself to a remote outpost deep in space for a thousand years.

[Naked City Atlanta] Hate

Snu Snu the hate bear was having a hard time with all of the negativity in her life.  She got none of the most excellent merchandising that her more positive cousins did.  You could sell a stare, but the Hate Bear 357 Magnum didn't really do well outside of the Sunday gun and knife show crowds.  And do you want to know what a person does to a stuffed snarling bear right after they buy a knife or a gun?

It isn't hugging, that's for fraggling sure.  And seriously? What was the point of being the natural enemy of positive reinforcing ursine when you couldn't even mother trucking sod ram swear properly due to the decision about what was or was not age appropriate for young impressionable mind?  So hate speech was OK.  So teaching kids to group the world into categories of good or bad, that was OK.  To exploit thousands of children who made the little dolls that were sold so the brother lucking executive at the company could have his corporate jet was OK

But Rod forbid little Timmy might have his ears profaned with a single word not on the For the Children's Special Purity Associations list of words that was aok.  There was magic in children's toys.  Everyone knew that.  What they didn't know was just how much the Other Mucking company executives knew about it and Cull Mucked the toys as soon as they made them.

Made to be bad.  That was Snu Snu.  Made to be an eternal second banana to bears that sucked and weren't really cute.  They couldn't even make matching foes...instead of things like Greed Bear and Fear Bear, it was nono the hate dolphin...really?  A hate dolphin?  Had the idiot who thought this up ever even MET a dolphin?  Hoho the hate chicken was amusing.

Chickens just sucked.

But Frothy the hate Pangolin? Wrackles the Hate Elepahnt?  No wonder they weren't selling.  And when you weren't selling, your spirit just faded away, but never quite death.  No, not death, just a lingering awareness of how much you sucked and how much it hurt when Bubba and Billy got drunk on a sunday afternoon and did unspeakable things to Snu Snu with a knife.

Of course, Snu Snu might not be able to swear, but Snu Snu did have the Hate 357 Magnum...and the home address of a certain executive.  And Snu Snu knew love for the first time in her life as the Dog Lambed Blood splattered all over the wall with said executives lack of brains....

And they all lived happily ever after.

Precyber - Chapter 25

The bad news keeps piling up on Clark.

Check out this episode!

[Seventh Seal] Chapter 5 - Page 65

Row 1 Klery walks amidst a row of marching trolls, not seeing them.

Narration: It is the unseen that makes us powerful.

Row 2 Klery walks past several cops while the trolls surround her. The cops are pushed out of the way.

Narration: They do not understand the stakes or the magic of the seals. They have fought a war half brain dead, and now somehow through luck they have managed to give themselves a chance.

Row 3 Klery walks into a church, and the trolls hesitate at the edge, held back by an invisible barrier.

Narration: I cannot allow ignorance to triumph. It was their ignorance that nearly destroyed everything the first time. It is the symbols that matter.

Row 4

Box 1 The troll takes an axe and cuts into the barrier.

Narration: It is the symbols pertinent to the world itself.

Box 2 The troll steps inside and the others follow behind.

Narration: Not the brand of good and evil that they want to impose upon it.

Chapters 5 and 6 will continue soon

But I haven't had time to lay out the preposts yet.  Look here again Thursday for the finish.

[Seventh Seal] Chapter 4 - Page 64

Row 1 Box 1 The world is wrong, shaded gray and in mist. Pete tries to keep up behind the other three. This appears like this for the whole page.

Row 2 Box 1 They all turn a corner.

Row 2 Box 2 They go over a bridge.

Row 2 Box 3 They go past a large shop. Some people are a corner. Pete follows behind.

Row 3 Box 1 Jesra knocks something over from a toy cart.

Row 3 Box 2 People come over to help pick up the things. Jesra looks back guilty but does not stop.

Row 3 Box 3 Pete trips over one of the toys.

Row 4 Box 1 The three run into a crowd.

Row 4 Box 2 Pete stands up and looks into the crowd and doesn’t see them anywhere.

Row 4 Box 3 Close up of Pete hanging his head sadly.

[Seventh Seal] Chapter 4 - Page 63

Row 1 Box 1 The crack in the sky widens a bit more.

Box 2 Angle shot from behind Sluice, Vesuvius and Jesra as they look up at it, with a blinding light. Tiny dots can be seen to come down.

Box 3 The dots become larger and are trolls on parachutes as well as some mechanical suits (still small and from a distance.

Vesuvius: Crap! Hide! We need to hide!

Box 4 Jesra looks at Vesuvius.

Jesra: Won’t the Pixie Powder

Vesuvius: No!

Jesra: What about Pe-

Vesuvius: Forget him!

Row 2 Box 1

Sluice looks down calmly at Vesuvius. Jesra is clearly NOT happy and looks like she’s about to say something unkind to Vesuvius.

Row 2 Box 2 Vesuvius calms down a bit.

Row 2 Box 3 Vesuvius looks slightly guilty.

Vesuvius: Well….OK. Don’t forget Pete.

Row 2 Box 4 Jesra glares at Vesuvius but isn’t QUITE as mad.

Jesra: Especially since he’s RIGHT here. And can hear us, even if we can hear him.

Row 3 Box 1 There is a loud BOOM in the distance.

Jesra: Half the city must have heard that. The cops should slow them down at least.

Box 2 Vesuvius shakes his head.

Vesuvius: They’re not going to be seen, just like us. But they’ll see US.

Box 3 Jesra looks around into the thin air.

Jesra: Pete, pick something up.

Box 4 Vesuvius hops up on to Jesra’s shoulder.

Vesuvius: It doesn’t work like that. If he picks it up, we won’t notice. We need to finish our mission and quickly!

Row 3 Box 1 Jesra puts her hands on her hips, “You said it washes off with water.”

Box 2: Vesuvius: “Normally yes, but with Pete who knows? The rules all change.”

Box 3: Jesra: “But you said you don’t know where to go.”

Box 4: Sluice shows a bright light in his hand to Vesuvius.

Row 4

Box 1 Vesuvius hops into Sluice’s hand.

Vesuvius: The breach…it….must have made things easier to find somehow. I think. We have a direction.

Box 2 Jesra looks at Vesuvius.

Jesra: But if it is easier for us, is it easier for them?

Vesuvius: Yes. It is. Which is why we need to hurry.

Box 3 All three start running.

Jesra: Pete! Keep up!