Archive for the ‘Scary Stuff’ Category

Aasif is Published in Mobius Magazine!!!

Posted: September 1, 2012 in Progress Report, Scary Stuff, short story, Writing
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Oh, happy first day of Septhember! The Buckeyes are preparing to kick Miami of Ohio’s butt, the sun is shining, and a certain little short story got published! The web address for Mobius Magazine is down below. Once you get to the website, you’ll find my short story on the left under fiction. I hope you enjoy reading it.

This story was inspired by the Kony 2012 video that came out back in April, and you can definitely see the influence there. The story itself may have taken me a week to write, but I credit the fact that I had great inspiration behind it that it didn’t take longer.

Please feel free to tell me what you think of the story. Did you like it? Hate it? Was there a particular part that stuck with you? Did you think a certain character may have been a racist caricature of some ethnic group or another? Whatever your thoughts, please leave me a comment and let me know.

So, without further ado, here’s the address for Mobius Magazine. Hope you like what you read.

http://mobiusmagazine.com/

The Horrors of Rape: What Todd Akin Doesn’t Get

Posted: August 20, 2012 in Politics and Leadership, Reflections, Scary Stuff, Writing
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Rape.

This one word can send terror through a person’s system. In some ways it is worse than murder, for after the deed is done, the victim still suffers horribly from the experience, sometimes for life. 1 in 5 women on college campuses will be the victim of a sexual assault, and every year 32,o00 rape victims are impregnated by friends, boyfriends, husbands, acquaintances, stalkers, fathers, brothers, total strangers, coworkers, you name it. Rape is the perversion of sexual intercourse, turning something beautiful and great into a nightmare, a travesty of psychological anguish. Our culture is fascinated by it as we are repulsed by it, as can be seen by the enduring popularity of Law & Order: Special Vitctims Unit, and by the constant stories in the media of rapists and their victims.

Earlier this week, Representative Todd Akin, a Republican running for a Senate seat in Missouri, said that “legitimate rape” victims “rarely get pregnant”. Immediately, this caused a firestorm: Mitt Romney immediately distanced himself from Akin, saying that victims of rape should be able to get abortions; President Obama was quoted as saying “rape is rape” and that “men should not be making decisions about women’s health”; and across the nation, thousands of rape victims railed against Akin, questioning him and his definiton of rape.

Personally, I find Mr. Akin’s comments to be very upsetting. Although the number of adult male rape victims are still relatively low (yes, they do exist, and there may be more victims than reported due to fears that men will lose their “masculinity” if it becomes known they were raped), men should know that rape is a horrible thing, it cannot be classified as “legitimate” or “illegitimate”, and any type or rape can get a girl pregnant. As a politician, Mr. Akin should be doubly aware of this fact.

I’ve taken a Women and Gender Studies course, I’ve watched shows and read novels where women have been brutally raped, and in my novel Reborn City, my main character Zahara comes very close to being raped herself. Every time I think of rape, every time I read or watch a scene involving a rape, and the one time I wrote about Zahara’s near rape, I could almost feel the terror, the shock of being violated, the urge to end the pain and the constant fear that it could happen again. It is a powerful, mind-numbing force, and it cannot be taken lightly under any circumstances.

I hope Mr. Akin and others learn that rape is not something to be talked about like it can be classified or screened for authenticity, but an act that destroys lives as surely as murder destroys lives, and for women who become pregnant from rape, carrying that child to term can be an ordeal only imaginable, like a cancer that eventually morphs into a constant reminder of one person’s cruelty to another. To Mr. Akin, I feel sorry that you do not understand the tragedy of rape and hope you learn about it, because rape and the pregnancices that can result are very serious matters. And to women everywhere: if, God forbid, you should be raped, I hope Mr. Akin’s comments do not stop you from getting the help you need, and especially if you become pregnant because of your rape.

And if you are worried you are alone in the world because of what you went through, know this: you have at least one friend here with you. I may be hidden by the anonymous Internet, but I’m here for you across the blogosphere.

Snake Ch. 21

Posted: August 16, 2012 in Novel, Progress Report, Scary Stuff, Writing
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Oroboros, or the snake that eats its own tail, a symbol for immortality. Has no bearing on this story, but it’s still darn cool. And look, it spins!

You know how you’re not supposed to hitchhike or pick up hitchhikers because you might encounter a crazy person or a dangerous runaway convict doing so? You also know how in the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre they had a scene that illustrated very well why you shouldn’t pick up hitchhikers or hitchhike yourself?

I like to comapre this chapter to everything in the previous paragraph, except instead of hitchhikers it’s pulling over to help a motorist in distress. Roman Veretti, the latest member of the Camerlengo Mafia group to become the object of the Snake’s desire to kill, is on the road when he sees a guy on the side of the road. What happens next may make you consider never helping a motorist ever again (and if you knew what happened to the guy, you wouldn’t want to help any motorist even if it was your twin brother!).

Oh, I’m also considering adding a few scenes where the Camerlengo family has to deal with the instability caused by the Snake’s murders: other families are taking territory and killing members of the Camerlengos. But I guess that’s the fallout when a serial killer shows just how easily a formerly-invincible family becomes not-so-invincible. The only problem though is placement: where best do these chapters go if I add them? Probably after Roman Veretti meets his fate; that’s when the Snake shows just how hard he is to stop.

Well, I’ve rambled on long enough. Here’s Chapter 21 as promised; enjoy and please do not hesitate to tell me what you think.

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Roman Veretti was whistling as he turned off the main road and onto the scenic route to Connecticut. The sun was shining, the view was beautiful, the minivan was warm and toasty, the XM radio was playing some of Roman’s favorite jazz and big band songs, “A Gal in Kalamazoo” and “What a Wonderful World”, among others, and there were no other cars on this secret route Roman loved so much.

Best of all, taking the scenic route meant another hour until Roman got to Connecticut, a place Roman wouldn’t have even considered visiting if his wife hadn’t insisted they go and visit her parents that weekend. It wasn’t as if they were bad people—Roman thought that Lizzy’s father was a hilarious storyteller and philosopher—but the house smelled heavily of cleaning products, and Lizzy’s mother always found some way or another to suggest that Roman was a poor choice of husband for her daughter and that Lizzy could do better without actually coming out and saying it. In truth, Roman preferred making sure the prostitutes under his watch made enough money for him rather than spending an entire weekend smelling dish soap and hearing criticisms about his paycheck.

 Just wait till I get off pimp duty and get into a real position in the family. Roman thought, drumming his fingers along the steering wheel as he listened to the music. Mr. Camerlengo’s getting to be real fond of me, and I’m sure that once this whole serial killer thing blows over, I’ll be able to get a job with money enough to shut up that old bat.

Up ahead on the road Roman noticed a car pulled over, its hood up and the lights blinking. The driver was waving his arms in the air, trying to signal Roman as he approached. For a moment Roman considered driving on, but the possibility a few more minutes away from Lizzy’s mother excited him enough that he turned on his turn signal and pulled over to the side of the road next to the car. The driver of the car ran up to Roman as Roman turned off the engine and stepped out of the minivan.

“You saved me!” said the driver, a young man who looked unremarkable save for a pair of brilliant blue eyes. “I can’t tell what’s up with my car and my cell has no signal. Do you think you can help me?”

“Let me see the car.” said Roman. “My dad was a mechanic, so I used to help him out all the time.”

“Well, isn’t that a stroke of luck!” said the driver. “She’s right over there. I figured that son of a bitch was conning me when he sold me this piece of crap.”

“We’ll see about that.” said Roman, sidling on over to the open hood. Peeking in, he examined the engine. To Roman’s confusion, the engine looked brand-new, and nothing he could see indicated any maintenance issues or repair needs.

“I don’t see any problems with the engine.” said Roman, ducking his head out from under the hood. “What’d you say was wrong with it—?”

WHAM!

There was a bright flash of light and Roman felt a sharp pain in the side of his head. He staggered, his hand pressed to his temple, before he staggered and fell over. The last thing he saw was the driver putting on a strange-looking mask before Roman closed his eyes and the world fell away.

On With The Snake

Posted: August 14, 2012 in Scary Stuff, Writing
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Well, I’ve finally heard back from the forensic psychologist who’s been helping me with the profile for the Snake. You know what that means? It means I can continue on with writing Snake, and maybe even finish the darn thing by the end of the year!

Snake is a fun story to write, and the Snake himself is a piece of work, a really fun character to work with. Mentally diseased he is, but he certainly can win sympathy from an audience once they know what he’s doing and why he’s doing it. I’m not saying what he’s doing is good, though. Far from it, actually. Vigilante justice is a horrible kind of justice, but since this is fiction right and wrong can be blurred somewhat and even switched around for the enjoyment of the reader, so who cares?

Anyway, I’m pretty sure this upcoming chapter will have the seventy-seventh Microsoft Word page of Snake, meaning I can do a Lucky 7 excerpt. If so, I hope you enjoy reading it and maybe get a little chill. As my new tagline only makes it so clear, it’s my job to scare you.

A Plot Formed: Moving Forward On That Succubus Story

Posted: August 12, 2012 in ideas, Scary Stuff, short story, Writing
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Alright, remember on Thursday or Friday last week I said I was working on a story involving a succubus, I got about two pages in, and I had trouble figuring out where the story should go next? Well, I figured it out, thanks to an hour-long session of meditation and thought-clearing.  I now know how  best to go from here on out, so after I finish this blog post and take care of a few more things, I’ll get to work on the short story.

That reminds me, do any of you readers have any rituals or tricks you use when you’re stuck on a story and can’t figure out what exactly to do? Let me know; I’d love to hear them.

Conflicts Within and Without

Posted: August 10, 2012 in Scary Stuff, Writing
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Last night, after a ton of research and a basic idea of how I wanted to begin the story, I began writing the short story involving a succubus. I decided to call it Dodi Li, which means “My Beloved” in Hebrew and tell the story from the perspective of the succubus herself, who I’ve named Umuruk (sounds like a Biblical name, but remember that Japanese comic book I mentioned with the succubus character that started this whole thing? It’s her name backwards).

I managed to get two pages in, but then I realized something: there was a problem with the conflicts of the story. And I intentionally say “conflicts” instead of “conflict”, because I plan to have Umuruk deal with two conflicts instead of just one, an inner conflict and an outer conflict. The inner conflict is Umuruk struggling with herself; she wants to do something, but is conflicted it morally and spiritually. It’s the old “I want to take such-and-such action, but if I do, how will that effect me and my beliefs, or the beliefs of those close to me” problem, and I plan on giving Umuruk a hard time with it.

The outer conflict however, was the one with the problem; I had planned on the outer conflict being human in origin, but now I realize there are several different ways I could take this story. I could have Umuruk struggle with another spirit, with a human foe, with her duties as a succubus. It could go any number of ways and I’m still not sure which one would work best for the sort of story I have in mind. So now I have to focus on that and see which one would make the best story in my opinion.

You ever have problems such as this? If so, let me know.

Studying Succubi: A New Short Story

Posted: August 8, 2012 in ideas, Scary Stuff, short story, Writing
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I was reading a horror/romantic-comedy manga recently (yes, those combinations do happen in the world of Japanese comic books) and one of the characters, a succubus, had to face and accept a hard truth about her life, all the while preparing to fight a great evil (can’t a demon girl get a break?). The sub-story kind of touched me and I suddenly got the idea to write a story involving a succubus.

So for the whole day, I’ve kind of been doing research on succubi. I looked at the Wikipedia page, I read online testimony from people who said they’ve been visited by incubi and succubi, and I even watched a few videos on YouTube. Right now I’m watching a special on books that’d been excluded from the Christian bible because I heard part of the series focused on Lilith, who according to many traditions was the first succubus.

So far no plot has made its way into my twisted head, but if I don’t get one soon, I’ll come up with one based on whatever comes up from one of those random word generators. Hey, if it works for high school English teachers, why can’t I use it.

So if you have any info on succubi and other such spirits, feel free to let me know. Just don’t send me one if it’s a malevolent spirit! I’ve had too many experiences with bad spirits over the years, and I’m not looking for any more!

Why Dolls Freak Me Out

Posted: July 31, 2012 in Reflections, Scary Stuff
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Does anyone else feel this photo might give them nightmares? It’s perfect for this post.

Last post, I mentioned that I was working on a short story involving a doll, and as I’m into the whole scaring people silly thing, I thought I’d talk about why dolls might freak people out, specifically dummies and those old bisque and porcelain dolls. Frankly, those are the kinds I have trouble with; anything from traditional dolls of certain cultures to the Barbies and Bratz of today I’m fine with (I had enough of the latter in my house thanks to my younger sisters). It’s just dummies and bisque dolls creep me out, and I’m pretty sure I’m not alone in that.

I think it might have something to do with the eyes: most dolls that have eyes, their eyes are painted on or they’re made from plastic. Because those eyes are flat, 2D, and not very life-like at all, you become less afraid of those types of dolls. But the eyes of dummies and bisque dolls are made from glass or plastic made to resemble glass. This gives them such a life-like appearance, you can’t help but think the dolls are alive, watching you, taking in every single little thing you do. It’s unnerving to think that not only a toy is watching you, but taking in information that it can use against you. I bet that if those big-eyed dolls could change their expressions, they’d have  sly little grins on their faces, the type of grins that say, I know so muc about you and I’m going to hold it forever in me until I can use it to make you do what I want you to do. Creepy! The only time I’ve ever found it anything other than creepy was in the manga/anime Rozen Maiden, but then again manga and anime have that effect, don’t they?

Anyone else have any thoughts on this? If so, let me know.

Oh, guess what? Today I made the milestone of 3000 views on my blog! Awesome!

Snake Excerpt: The Snake In Action

Posted: July 22, 2012 in Novel, Progress Report, Scary Stuff, Writing
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Yeah, the Snake can be pretty vicious. Just like the basilisk, except without the whole eye thing. Still, very scary, isn’t it.

Ladies and gentlebloggers, I finally wrote a section of my novel-in-progress Snake with the Snake in it that I can post online without giving away too much of the character away. It only took sixteen chapters, but I finally wrote it. And I got to say, it came pretty easy to me; I didn’t have any writer’s block while working on it.

For a little context, here’s what’s going on right now: the Snake has followed his next target, loan shark Thomas Luiso, to the home of Luiso’s mistress. The Snake sneaks in and catches them in the middle of some fun (if you get my meaning). Luiso’s mistress faints from the shock, while Snake fights Luiso, who hasn’t realized he is dealing with the man who brutally murdered two other members of Luiso’s group.

Hope you like what you read, but just warning you, things are going to get violent. Also, I want to clarify something I said in the last post dedicated to the Snake: I said Part II was the longest part in Snake. Actually it’s Part III. Sorry about that.

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The Snake strode over to Luiso, who was just getting off the bed. Luiso looked at him and cursed in Italian. “You son of a bitch.” he growled. The Snake ignored him, reaching for Luiso’s neck.

Just then Luiso spun, kicking the Snake in the knee. The Snake stumbled backward, hitting his head against the wall. Luiso ran at him, swinging his fist. The Snake dodged, moving his head to the right to avoid Luiso’s fist, which went into the wall with a sickening crunch. Luiso pulled on his hand, but it looked stuck in the wall.

The Snake smiled from beneath his mask and grabbed Luiso’s meaty left nipple, giving it a hard twist. Luiso screamed in pain, grabbing the Snake’s arm weakly with the hand not stuck in the wall.

Letting go of the nipple, the Snake pulled back his fists and punched Luiso in the gut and face. Luiso groaned with each impact, looking more and more on the verge of fainting every time the Snake hit him. The Snake kept up the barrage, his excitement building. How much longer can you go? he thought. How much more can you struggle before I make you go through more pain?

Suddenly Luiso swung a fist at the side of the Snake’s head, hitting him right in the ear; the Snake fell over, holding his ear as if it were about to fall off. With a loud crunch, Luiso freed his other hand from the wall and turned to the Snake. “You are so morto, freak.” said Luiso. “Teach you to mess with me!”

The Snake saw Luiso take a step towards him and thought of an idea; as Luiso took another step forward, the Snake jumped and tackled Luiso’s large belly, sending the large man backwards and over. Luiso fell onto the ground with a loud thump, shaking the room as he hit the carpet. The Snake crawled onto Luiso’s chest, straightened himself up, and began punching Luiso’s face. Blood went flying as the Snake broke Luiso’s nose and knocked out a few teeth.

It was a while before the Snake realized that Luiso was knocked out. Standing up off the man’s expansive belly, the Snake looked at Luiso and wondered if he should steal a car and take him somewhere where they wouldn’t be disturbed or—

Then the Snake noticed there was a bathroom in the bedroom, one with a large bathtub and several fluffy white towels. An idea came to the Snake’s head, something he’d always wanted to try, and here was the perfect opportunity for it.

The Snake grabbed his gun from the vanity table and, hooking his arms underneath Luiso’s armpits, dragged Luiso into the bathroom.

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What happens in the bathroom that the Snake has been wanting to try? I’m not saying, except it will make you squirm. Hope you like what you read. If I can, I’ll post more excerpts. Until then, thanks for reading and have a nice day.

Snake Excerpt: The Profile

Posted: July 16, 2012 in Novel, Scary Stuff, Writing
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Cool snake photo I found online. You like it?

Hey all. Just thought I’d give you another excerpt from my novel-in-progress, Snake. This time around I thought I’d show you guys my criminal profiler, Special Agent Angela Murtz, giving her idea of who the serial killer might be. I’ve been working with a forensic psychologist, whose been a great help at not only coming up with the profile, but also looking at my killer with unclouded eyes (by that I mean he knows only what the police in the novel know, whereas I know everything, and that can be a bit of a problem).

Hope you like what you read, and I promise at some point I’ll do an excerpt featuring the killer himself. Oh, and guess what? This is officially my one-hundredth post! Woo-hoo! Big milestone, huh?

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Patton sighed. “What kind of freak are we dealing with here? He knows just about every trick in the book.”

“I think that might be because he’s ex-military.” said Murtz.

“Ex-military?” Gramer repeated; both Gramer and Patton fixed their attention on Murtz.

“Yes, but not American.” Murtz went on. “Most likely he’s a native Russian male, between the ages of thirty and forty-five, and has extensive experience with weapons, especially firearms. He’s been in country at least ten years, might be a taxi driver himself, and may or may not have ties to the Russian mob here.”

  “And he’s killing because…?” asked Patton.

“He thinks he’s better at delivering justice to criminals than the police.” Murtz explained. “And he’s doing it in such a way that both the police and the Camerlengos know about it. He craves attention, which is why he’s acting like Daredevil, a lone vigilante. If we were to send him a message through the media, he’d likely respond to it in the hopes we’d give him more press time.”

“Let’s hold off on sending this guy a love letter through the newspaper or television.” Gramer instructed. “Candace Berman’s already been on the news saying hter might be a mafia-hunting serial killer on the loose in New York, only she said that in more idealistic terms.”

“Sounds like something she’d do.” said Harnist.

“See if anyone matches Murtz’s profile here in New York.” commanded Patton. “Contact INS and see if they have any Russian ex-military in their system. And Murtz?”

 “Yes sir?”

 “What’s the likelihood this guy will kill again?” asked Patton.

 Murtz looked Patton straight in the eye and said, “Likely. Extremely likely.”

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