Category: Other Works.

So I Did A Thing… And I May Keep It

So I Did A Thing… And I May Keep It

Howdy, everybody. Long time no see. Sorry nothing new has been posted in a week or so. I recently picked up some extra shifts at my job to get some extra spending cash, so I’ve been trying to just relax after work and not make my body break down again. After this final week or so, I’ll be putting on a new schedule to help make sure I keep writing and posting for you all. I know I say this so much already, but I really appreciate all of you guys being patient with me. And don’t worry, this lost time will not be for nothing.

For the last month or so, I’ve been thinking about how I can improve my stories and posts. I have worked on making various styles for different kinds of stories, themes, and plots, doing something quick and simple or going complex just for the hell of it. But the one thing that I just couldn’t get around was having more visual aids along with my works. I didn’t like the idea of constantly looking online for an image that could somehow convey the story or enhance it; I wanted to be as original as possible.

And for a long, long time, I had a semi-solution in mind, but I felt like it wouldn’t be as good as it could be. But now, after grinding at work for some extra cash, I can start putting that plan into action.

I’m gonna start making characters in The Sims 4 and taking screenshots.

I know this may sound dumb, but this was something I wanted to do for the longest time. I’ve always wanted towrite new stories and replicate old ones by using the character creation in The Sims 4, but because of the laptop I had, I felt the image quality wouldn’t be good enough–I had to run it with a mix of low and medium settings to make sure not to blow out my laptop. But with this new one, I can run it perfectly at max settings, hopefully getting the best image possible now. I’m sure there are mods out there to help enhance textures even further, but the default settings are enough for me. I’m still very new at doing something like this, so excuse me for not taking the best of shots.

I played around a bit today in the game to get a better feel of how the camera works and the different things I can do for certain angles and shots.

These first few shots here were just a testing phase. What I may do is read some of my older stories, change them up a bit, and then try to recreate them in The Sims 4 to give more visual appeal to them. I also may do some screenshots for a couple of projects I’ve currently had sitting on the back burner.

So, what do you think? You think doing this will help make my stories better? Let me know what you think, I’m always looking for peoples’ opinions and concerns! You can always email me, contact me on Twitter, or leave comments on posts!

Playing with the Dead

May the passed rest in peace. Thy has no right to disturb those from their eternal slumber. Restless souls will rise up and roam through the gates of purgatory and seek vengeance on who desecrated their resting place.  

One’s intentions may be pure and without malicious intent. However, that would make one look like a fool in the eyes of the dead. 

“Conjuring up spirits isn’t something we shouldn’t even be thinking about!”

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The Miracle of Machine

The advance in both technology and medical science has lead to the breakthrough and discoveries of the modern era. Diseases either have cures or have been completely wiped off of the face of the Earth. Advancement in technology has allowed more societies to develop at a rapid pace, allowing more of the global population to stay connected. Human lives have become much more easier, less stressful, and living in comfort is almost a birthright in the current norms. 

Advancements have even allowed humans to take the next step in the evolutionary process: the merge of man and machine. Although that new evolutionary step is still in the preliminary stages there isn’t a shortage of those who want to bear witness to the birth of what humans will eventually become. 

Although they still have the slender and smooth look like before they have a newfound weight to them, almost like somebody tied a small cube of lightweight metal around my ankles. When I push off the weight drags me down without effort, my feet creating small craters in the marble flooring.

“As expected.”

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Cups & Gravity

Look at him, that smug grin frozen on his face. His eyes have been glimmering at me for the last few minutes, a sign of something devious being planned in his mind. I can’t take my sight off of him, or else he may try to capture me; I can’t let that happen under any circumstances. I’ve been on a streak for the last few days of being able to achieve my goal and managing to escape unharmed.

However, with each passing day, it has become a bit more complicated and complex to complete my goal. Today, after he finished doing the dishes, he hand dried each cup and placed them in the cupboard. Luckily for me, he left one glass out, his prized whiskey glass the Madam gave him for their wedding anniversary. His has his name engraved on the glass along with the logo of his favorite brand of whiskey. That glass undoubtedly must have cost a fortune to make.

And today’s the day I decide to knock it off of the counter and watch if it it shatters or not. It’s my duty as the feline of this household to make sure that things aren’t breakable. However, every time I knock a cup off of a counter-top, my owner always seems to get angry with me. I don’t understand why.

Embarrassing Drinks

Let’s be honest: Nobody really wants to be called out in a bar for something stupid or embarrassing. Nobody wants to be called out for accidentally spilling their drink on themselves, or getting turned down by an attractive person for having bad breath. But there’s one thing that nobody should ever have to endure when at a booming, popular bar.

Nobody wants their parents to have a matching outfit and acting a fool of themselves. Sadly, for Elizabeth, that becomes a reality when her mother forced her to put on a certain shirt on their night out. The thing is, this was suppose to be Elizabeth’s night out, not a mother-daughter night.

“Do I really have to do this?”

Elizabeth couldn’t help but feel numerous pairs of eyes on her. And none of their gazes was part of her intentions, but because of her mother.

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Wine Shop of Horror

The daily life of a stock clerk may seem simple, but having to deal with obnoxious customers can easily wear down a person’s willingness to be the best employee.

In reality, one person won’t always know everything about what they sell, especially if it’s a rather large area that covers multiple regions and areas. In this example, one man doesn’t realize just what kind of person he’s dealing with.

Due to such, he ends up in a dire situation that easily could have been avoided.

“Are you trying to threaten me?”

“That wasn’t a threat. It was a warning.”

I tried to call out for help, but nobody ever arrived.

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Imaginary Platoon

War is a form of art, a violent and dangerous one. Its tool are the men and women on the front lines, looking like both a hero and invading enemy from the outside perspective. The paint, blood and limbs from the fallen.

It’s never a pretty sight to behold with one’s eyes. Some can experience traumatic moments in life if they managed to survive. However, there are those who only tell fables in order to seem like a hero.

Or because they’re probably not old enough to enlist in the army yet.

“Captain…”

“Damn it, Samson, you’re not gonna die on me! I won’t let you, that’s an order! If you disobey an order, I won’t hesitate to call the higher-ups!”

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Pay with Your Blood

Mythology and creatures tend to be told through storybooks and texts that claim to have proof and documentation of their existence. Multiple accounts claim they’ve witnessed a creature, but they all have different descriptions of it. Simply reading a text isn’t enough to prove their existence.

For one man, actually having the creature physically in front of them was all the proof he needed. However, seeing such a fragile creature made him too ambitious, wanting to claim the creature.

This mistake would lead to his demise.

Even with a bloody instrument used to cut through flesh and skin aimed at her the woman didn’t flinch; she continued to stay silent and unmoved.

“I just had to be threatening to you. Looks like you’ll be easier to control than I thought. Let’s see just how obedient you’ll be.”

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Awaiting Enemy

It’s always calm before the storm, silent before the approaching danger. The best way to deal with an arriving enemy is to find tranquility and patience.

Even if the enemy is annoying, a calm mind will always achieve victory.

Sightless, I patiently await for my enemy to approach. Preparing myself, I open the palm of my hand and let it rest on my lap.

My enemy is here…

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Human & Machine

“Don’t you think you have enough technology in your room? Your room looks like it’s out of some kind of techno future story.”

“What makes you think that?”

I look over to the nearest pile of metal and grab the first thing that I see spearing out of it. I can’t even tell what it is at first glance; it just looks like some kind of flat piece of cheap metal with a few wires dangling out from the bottom of it. I shake it around in my hand to see if it activates when shaken, but it doesn’t react, “Like this. What the hell is this? It looks like nothing but unnecessary trash.”

Jacob glances back at me for a moment before he focuses back at his computer monitor, “That’s not trash. That’s the scraps pile for my synchro.”

“All you do is talk about that ‘synchro’ surgery you got months ago,” I say as I kick electronics out of the way. His floors have been blocked by wiring for so long that I completely forgot that he had peach colored tiling. “Just because you’re part mechanical now, that doesn’t excuse you from having a messy room. You need to clear out some of this stuff, now!”

Jacob throws his head back and lets out a long, drawn out sigh. Ever since he got those new lung implants, every time he lets out a breath, a white vapor spews out. The sigh let out a thick cloud, barely making his face visible for a few seconds until it dissipated.

“If you’re going to use that new venting system you have, please do it by a window, okay? It could confuse the fire alarms and I don’t want that happening.”

“Alright, alright. I’ll try to keep it to a minimum.”

“Thank you.”

Pausing whatever he was doing at his computer desk, Jacob scoots back and gets up turning around to start clearing the piles around his room. His bare chest is exposed, metal plates and all. As he’s moving around, I start to lose focus, thinking that the sound of clanging metal is coming from him instead of the junk he’s piling to throw away.

“Hey, Jacob?”

“Yeah, Mom?”

“Your new implants… they don’t hurt, right?”

“No, not really. My chest feels a bit colder during the winter season because of all the metal in me, but that’s about it. Why?”

I slowly shake my head to reassure him, “It’s nothing. Just wanted to make sure you’re okay. What did the doctors call your implants again?”

“Synchros. They’re mechanical replacements for organs that run on the electric activity from my brain instead of needing blood. As long as my brain is fine, my metal lungs keep going. Pretty much makes me immune to lung cancer if I ever decided to start smoking.”

“Please don’t.”

 

— Daily Prompt: Synchronize

Burned Down to the Ground

Another crime to try and find an answer to, this one involving a house being burnt to the ground. The first assumption is that it was due to natural causes. However, if we left it at that, things could become worse if it turns out this was done intentionally.

That’s where I come in. I’m assigned to the most mysterious of crimes and incidents, trying to figure out what caused it, who did it, and why. Along side with my partner, I plunge head first into a crime scene to figure out the true motives.

But nothing could have prepared me for what we were about to find…

I sure as hell didn’t want to think about it either. But we had a job to do, so we didn’t have a choice to stop there.

“Rich, back up.”

“Why?”

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