need some female director to lock in and make a movie where a grotesquely ugly and disgusting and monstrous woman slasher killer butchers handsome men in humiliating and sexualized ways. and it CAN'T be because they are rapists or abusers or otherwise misogynistic okay, she has to do it because she's a fucked up pervert
What happens when someone with the means to do so decides to burn society to the ground?
I met Ian on Substack, where he was sharing rough draft chapters of his in-progress novel, COG (keep your eyes peeled for that, because it’s going to be GOOD). When Ian suggested swapping books (ADTR for Transference), I jumped at the chance (I’m always down for good sci-fi, and holy shit I wanted that…
In part three of Blood Opal Bloom, an extreme branch of a new Christian-based religion will be introduced on Tellus-617c, the celestial anomaly present for most of the book that appears to be a small, Earth-like planet. Here’s what I have so far.
Lambs of Abram
I chose Abram from the Bible specifically for the promises of land and progeny that God made to him. This relates to how the religious…
Red dots spread across the screen, like a nasty rash, marking the areas of the ship’s hull that had been breached. Philip leaned back and exhaled.“AIAH, run the diagnostic scan again.”A calm, synthesized voice filled the control room. “For the tenth time, Captain?”He crossed his arms. “You never know.”“Very well. Initiating diagnostic scan.” A brief moment passed before the ship’s AI assistant…
Knives and forks and spoons rattled in the drawers. She moved on to the next drawer in the kitchen, then the next. She had no idea what she was looking for or what she planned to do, but she was hoping for inspiration. Pull, clang, clatter, slam the drawer shut.
In the junk drawer, she found batteries, thumb tacks, rubber bands, random change, a lint roller—Fuck! I need something!—old appliance manuals, spare keys, extra toothbrushes. Nothing sparked an idea.
Under the sink: dish detergent, sponges, spray bottles. Next drawer: rolling pin, grater, cutting boards, metal skewer—This might work. Long and thin and most importantly, metal.
She took the skewer into the garage and looked around. Tools: a lathe, a saw, hammers, screwdrivers. Then she spotted it: the outlet. She looked down at the skewer then up at the outlet. This will work.
In went the skewer, BANG went the outlet, ZIP went the electricity through the water in her body. There it was—the pathway opened up again. She followed it and awoke in the same field as the last two times.
Tall grass stretched far and wide in front of her. At the end of the field was the tree line. She took two steps and felt the wet grass brush against her hands and hips and legs. Based on what she experienced during the last two visits, she only had about five extra seconds to get as far as she could—fifteen total. She set off at a sprint, counting between breaths.
The trees grew closer: five. She pumped her legs harder, dug her toes into the earth, and grit her teeth. Looming trees and the darkness in between: ten.
Almost there.
She felt the pull back to the other place.
I need to know what’s in those woods.
A shadow crossed in front of a tree trunk. She slid to a stop. Someone else? Fifteen.
WHOOSH. POP!
Air forced its way into her lungs. Her heart slammed against her ribcage. The cold garage floor stung her skin through her shirt. She lifted her hands and assessed her blackened fingertips. They would heal, but she’d still have to hide them.
He hadn’t believed her when she’d told him she knew a way out. He hadn’t believed that she could go and come back.
The shadow in the trees scratched the back of her mind. A chill coursed through her burnt veins. She had never seen any hints of other people in that field; there hadn’t even been the sounds of birds chirping or insects buzzing. Something had moved in the trees, though, and perhaps whatever it was had the answers she sought.
From the other side of the closed garage door, she heard the wheels of his car as he pulled into the driveway. She jumped up, ignoring the brittle feeling in her eyeballs, and ran inside, up the stairs and into the bathroom. She turned on the shower, heated all the way up, and stepped in. Water cascaded down her head and down her still-clothed body. Steam cured the dry feeling in her nose and mouth.
The Fable Leg
Once, there was a man named Jack. Jack’s fondest desire was to own a ranch, with cattle, horses, and gardens. However, Jack knew nothing of ranching and even less about gardening. He did not even own any land on which to build his ranch. All around him, he saw other people achieving success – other ranches, farms, bakeries, and clothiers flourished.
Maybe I will go and ask another…
The Game Leg
Beast Slayer
Objective: Shoot off the Beast’s legs and then take its head! OR defend the beast by demolishing your opponent! Load your shooter with metal BBs: the Beast Slayer’s BBs are engraved with words of power. Knock off a leg with a single shot and take another (skip your opponent). Once you’ve knocked off all the legs, blast the Beast’s head with power words until it…
I thought this week I’d take a little break from sharing a ton of links to write a little bit about what I’ve been working on this year.
Blood Opal Bloom (previously Eyes of Opal) is a sci-fi/cosmic horror/folk horror story spanning several generations of women from 1773 to 2057 and follows the main characters from a desert in California to a colony on a new world.
This story has been created…
Here’s a flash fiction story from the perspective of a minor character in my work in progress, titled “Blood Opal Bloom” (for now). Stephanie appears right before part three of the novel, where she meets Catrina, a descendant of Catriz (Brujas), when they are both detained and deported. This story will not appear in the finished work.
2014She had been crossing the street to get back to her…