Anxiety

Consuming fire

Bitter ire

Eating away at me,

Turning me into ash.

Burning fire

All-consuming ire

Smiling has become strange.

It seems that I've really changed.

Everything I once knew,

Grew a crooked smile and ran away.

Damning fire

Strengthening ire

And all I can do is laugh.

It's not a nice sound.

But neither is,

Lasting fire.

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Dull Memory Room

I'm stuck dreaming,

In a dull room.

Not a sound comes in here,

Not a sound comes out.

The sun doesn't visit,

The moon can't rise.

Time passes,

But it's impossible to tell.

Shadows don't even hide.

All that is here is forgotten.

Be it emotions,

Or memories.

All that is here,

Can't hope to be remembered.

Left in this room,

Are things that used to be

Important.

But sadly none of it

Have hope of being remembered.

Along with me.

I'm just a memory,

Possibly old feelings.

While I wish I'd still be of use,

The fact that I'm here,

Means I'm useless.

Like an old fear.

Or a bad friend.

I'm better off forgotten.

Hallway Madness

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"I'm pretty sure I've seen this painting before," a young man wearing beaten-up blue tennis shoes, dark wash jeans, and a blue and gray graphic shirt say to himself. He feels like he's been walking down the same hallway for more than an hour. The hallway itself is unremarkable. Two alternating shades of striped blue decorated the walls and a single portrait. The floor is a light wood color that looks like it needs to be mopped. Looking at the portrait, Andy sees a woman in a vivid red dress with a sea of pale pink flowers surrounding her. Her smile is charming and her eyes trap all that look into them. Noticing that he has been looking at the painting for too long he begins to turn away from it.

Shaking his head Andy drags his eyes away from the painting and continues down the hall. Step after step he continues but it seems like he doesn't move forward. Andy can't tell how long he has been trapped in this hallway since there are no windows in this hall. But again he comes across the same portrait. This time, however, the woman isn't smiling. Her face is twisted into a sneer. It's as if she became angry at the fact that he stopped looking at her.

"What's with that face? I don't have time to be looking at you," he pauses, "Great, now I'm talking to the painting."

Rolling his eyes, Andy moves on again. Starting his walk again, he hears a whisper. Thinking it's all in his head, he continues.

"Look at me! Talking to a portrait and hearing voices that aren't there. I must have been trapped in this hallway longer than I thought," he said to himself.

"How dare that bastard not love me," the echoing voice hisses.

At that moment Andy stopped walking. Now he was sure that wasn't from his head. He slowly pivots his body to look behind him. There she stood. The woman who was just an image stands behind him. Her bright hair looks picture perfect and the beautiful red dress stands out from the stripped blue walls. The hallway isn't silent. There is a sound of liquid hitting the floor. Looking closer at the dress it seems that the red color is sliding off it. The red's movement reminds Andy of water sliding down a window. The difference is the strong smell of something metallic.

"Now you can't take your eyes off me!" her face flushes with rage.

Not bothering with answering the now alive painting, Andy twists around and starts a mad dash from her.

"Get back! Don't leave me! I need you, come back!" in her hysterics the woman in the red dress follows.

The metallic smell gets stronger and the clicking of heels on the wood floor motivates Andy to move faster. Seeing a window that wasn't there before Andy throws himself out of it since it was open.  He thanks, God that the hallway was on the first floor of the building. Hearing her footsteps still coming,  Andy quickly pushes the window so it shuts and hides behind a bush five feet away. Keeping quiet, he sees the woman approach the window. Something strange happens, she makes a distressed face and backs away from the window. She then goes back to what Andy guess is her portrait.

Breathing a sigh, Andy gets up and looks around. It seems to be late noon. He hears a clock chime three times.

"I guess that means it's three in the afternoon. That means I've been stuck in that hallway for about an hour and a half," he quietly discusses to himself.

"Andy where have you been! I've been looking all over for you in the art museum," Sam said.

"Trust me, if I told you, you'd think I'm crazy," says Andy.

"Well, whatever let's just go." Sam said, "Can you believe they're closing this place down forever since those weird murders keep happening around here?"

"I can definitely believe it Sam, but let's just get out," Andy says.

Walking away from the art museum in silence the two don't turn back. Andy, however, does think he now knows what caused those weird murders. Hopefully, now that this place will be closed that painting won't be going anywhere. The two make it out of the museum and get on the bus to go home.

Back inside the museum in the same hallway that Andy was trapped in, the woman in red makes her way back to her frame. She walks across the red that fell off her dress after chasing that boy who she was going to use. Stopping right in front of her frame she presses herself into the portrait.

"Damn, I was so close. Now I need even more red for my dress than before," Letting go of her frustration, she puts on a smile. "I guess I just have to seduce someone else to provide me with more red paint. After all, I'm going to be part of the auction this place is having on October thirty-first."

Her composure is restored, the woman in red waits for her next lover to get her so that her beautiful red dress can never fade. In the dark hallway, the woman in the portrait waits for her time to come. After all, just because one paint bucket manages to run away doesn't mean the next one will manage to do the same.

Pepsi and Cigarettes

I remember Grandpa Bobby always had to have his Pepsi.

Twelve pack upon twelve pack.

He somehow manages to drink them all.

He needed to cut back,

But I'm the same with Coca-cola.

Then again I don't drink as much.

Here he goes hitting his head again.

Grandpa Bobby loved to smoke cigarettes.

Forgetting both his daughter and granddaughters can't stand smoke.

Pack after pack he smokes away.

But the way he'd smile with a cigarette in his mouth,

I guess we just couldn't tell him to stop.

Now his heart is acting up.

Grandpa Bobby is a stubborn man.

He'll disconnect himself from his family and his daughter has to go find him.

She'll scold him until he agrees to not do it again.

It's funny seeing a parent get scolded by their child.

Just go and drink your Pepsi and smoke your cigarettes,

  Grandpa Bobby has been sick since early in his life.

Look at that, his daughter found his biological family.

He finally gets to be reunited with them.

It's time for a celebratory Pepsi and cigarette.

You just want a drink and a smoke Grandpa!

That same silly smile.

Fine, go ahead.

A grateful smile.

One day a police officer came by.

It has been confirmed that you had died. 

Grandpa Bobby you just found your mom and siblings.

Your daughter's heart can barely take it. 

We all knew you wouldn't have a long life,

But that doesn't mean anyone was ready.

Now that you're gone guess who has to clean up your stuff.

Your poor daughter doesn't even like Pepsi,

Nor does she smoke cigarettes.

But what has been left behind needs to be cleaned up.

You really do know how to break a woman's, heart.

That's why you were so loved.

But, honestly, what are we going to do with all this

Pepsi and cigarettes?

This is in memory of my Grandpa Bobby who passed away in September 2016. 

Shocked Heart

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I forgot that the heartbeats.

I've been robotic.

Thought is unneeded.

Emotions are useless.

But a sudden shock to the system,

Reminds me...

My heartbeats.

It was easy,

I've been busy,

Then the news came,

I am alive again.

Apart of me wishes I wasn't.

Knowing that someone I loved passed,

I wish,

I stayed robotic.

That news made me feel again.

I've become aware of my heart.

My system is shocked.

Dance Floor Hurricane

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Rushing waters

I can feel the beat,

My heat moves along with yours

Hoping we’ll drown in the rushing waves.

Light years away

Dancing bodies

Moving like the sea.

Crashing against one another,

Hot pressure moves the course of the dance floor,

Like a hurricane.

Then we drain away.

Dried up by the sun rays

Only the call of the next night will bring back this hurricane.

That seems light-years away.

Rushing waters

Dancing bodies

Hot pressure

Nightlife

Deep and Submerge

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It's weird being in this motionless situation. I'm not moving forward or backward. Nor am I raising above a height I haven't been. I also can't say that I am plummeting to my end. I am just here. Floating in an ocean of dark blue water-like existence. Even knowing that I can not bring myself to become depressed about it. Or maybe it is not my cycle of depression yet and it will be in a matter of...seconds, minutes, hours, possibly days? I can't recall when I started life like this. If I had a life before this that is. I can not say. Maybe this is all I have ever know. Not even the waning yellow and white light up above can tell me how long this life has been going on.

Not moving at all

Just being stationary

Caught

In a constant unmoving

Wave

Left without

Desire

Having no

Motivation

Just going to have to except

My situation

For I am

Submerged

In this deep

Ocean

The constant flow of my life is getting harder to break from. It is easy to stay like this. To move along as the waves of the water tell me to move. Whatever choice I may have had to escape has been lost for far too long. Maybe quietly sinking to the bottom wouldn't be so bad. But now I'm floating doesn't leave me much of a choice to move in any direction. So here I guess I'll stay. Deep in the big dark blue. 

Cold Rain on the Window

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Jessica looks longing outside from her second-story apartment window. She feels trapped in these rooms with dull walls and unpacked house items stuffed into ugly tan boxes.  Only half the kitchen, one-third of the bathroom, and her bed with the sheets and comforter are done. She should be happy with herself.  After all, this is officially the first day in her new apartment. But Jessica can't make herself feel excited with the heavy rain going on outside.

She thinks of her cousin Malcolm and how he always seems torn between loving the rain and being saddened by it. It's like that time he told her about his first kiss in high school, which made him come one step closer to understanding the depths of showing affection to those you like. However, two months later in another heavy rain, Malcolm was in a car crash. He ended up having a broken leg because of that incident. He was lucky that was all that happened.

With her thoughts going back to her as the subject, Jessica thinks about all the times rainy days ruined her good mood. The first thing that comes to mind is her ex-boyfriend Dominic breaking up with her. It was light rain at that time and he wanted to end their relationship at a local coffee shop. The next memory was the time Jessica got news of her friend Holly committing suicide. It was a harsh storm that day. The streets were flooded because of the rain. And finally, the last memory that comes to Jessica's mind is her grandma's funeral.

She was still in middle school when she attended her first funeral. That day didn't have heavy rain like the day Holly committed suicide, but the clouds were roaring. One look at the sky and you could see different colored lighting flashing across it. Some family members were afraid that at any moment the power would go out in the church. They were right. For fifteen minutes the church was in complete darkness. That didn't stop her family from continuing service but it made the mood of the whole ceremony more somber.

Thinking back to all these events made Jessica frustrated. How could something as natural as the rain make her feel this way? Why does she let it? But, going over these questions is too tiring right now. Her bed is set up and taking an afternoon nap will be nice. That is the best option after all the rain is still hitting heavily on the glass window.

She got up from sitting on the floor. Her legs had that sharp tingling feeling in them from sitting so long on the floor. Jessica made her way to the only bedroom in her apartment. The bold yellow bed set is a nice welcome to her poor mood. Even though she can still hear the harsh rain going on outside. It won't matter after a few minutes because she'll be fast asleep. Cold rain will not keep her from her nap. As she gets herself comfortable in her bed the noise going on outside starts to fade.

The sounds of rain hitting the earth became further away. The warmth of the apartment keeps her mind far away from her earlier depressing thoughts. Maybe in a few hours, the rain will have stopped, but for now, she sleeps. As she sleeps the rain continues to hit the glass of her apartment windows.  

Antagonist vs Villain; There is a Difference

So here is my other rant that I was going to do. The confusing thing about villains is that they are also antagonists but antagonists are not aways villains. I'll use Harry Potter as an example to better explain. (The reason for using Harry Potter is because I'm a fan.)

Draco Malfoy (Tom Felton) is an antagonist at the beginning of the books and films. He makes Harry's life harder than it needs to be, by being a pain in the neck. In the later books, Draco becomes a minor villain but that doesn't last every long because the real villain of the story is the one pulling his strings.

Tom Riddle/Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) is the big bad of the story. He antagonizes Harry in the beginning of the book series but shows off why he really is the villain of book four/movie four. He has a huge influence on Harry life.

The easiest way I can describe the difference between an antagonist and a villain is that an antagonist makes the protagonist have a bad day. A villain forces the protagonist to change who they are. Naturally, if that change in the protagonist is a good or bad thing is up to the author. But a change does happen.

Of course, I care about how the antagonist and villain are written in the story. They are elements that bring in conflict to the story. Because without conflict then what is the book even about outside of characters just sitting there watching paint dry. Which doesn't sound like a very good read if you think about it?

Well, that's all for my rants! Sorry to anyone who is waiting for my to start posting prompts or continuing We're Not Zombies!  but writer's block is the antagonist of writers so it can't be helped.

Let's Talk About Protagonists!

Okay, so I had this rant on my mind for some time and I finally decided that I will give in and talk about it. When I first started my blog I wrote about different elements that make up a story. However, I never stated the status of what characters are in a story. My mistake was that I kept repeating "main character" when I should have put protagonist.

If you don't know what a protagonist is here's your answer! They are the one the story is about. Everything that happens in the story is because of the protagonist. This can be a good or bad thing depending on what the end game of the story is going to be.

Because the story hinges on the protagonist they have to be someone you can remember. And it makes me so mad when the protagonist has twenty other characters from different books that are just like them. Although, I will admit that I'm fearful of writing just as plain and common character that you find in less than interesting stories. But on the plus side, you dear readers will tell me before that ever becomes a habit right? Right. My annoyance on such things is probably higher than it has any right to be, but hopefully, it will encourage me to perform better.

Back to my feelings about other authors protagonists. I also feel frustrated when a secondary character is better than the protagonist. And I don't mean better in that the secondary character has a stronger moral compass, but that they would have been a more interesting protagonist than the one I am reading about.

As you can see I'm  picky when it comes to characters that I have to follow throughout the story. Which I don't think is a bad thing because it's okay to want to enjoy the media you're experiencing. I do have two more rants that I wish to share with you. They will be up later and don't worry I will be uploading more stories to my blog and not just these rants.

So I have Writer's Block.

Hello my dear readers! I have a some semi-bad news. Right now I am suffering from writer's block. Which means that I'm going to have to pause on writing the 'We're Not Zombies!' series for a bit. Fear not, because I'm still going to update my blog with different posts still. With any luck focusing on subjects will cure my writer's block and we can go back to a large number of phobias plaguing small children.

That being said be sure to share this blog on different social medias and talk about it to the people you know. Bye!

Last Time Sky Gazing

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I lay back among the dried red mud and faded green grass. Other bodies are littering the Earth along with mine. Who they are I can't remember. But my body temperature is steadily lowering. I can't bring myself to care. I have become deaf in both my ears. How that happened I don't even remember. I do know it's true because I can only pinpoint what is happening around me through vibrations that come through the ground.

I have no idea how long that's going to last since I'm starting to lose my sense of touch. Too bad my nose still works pretty well. I can smell blood, dirt, and gun smoke which smells as lovely as it sounds. I can only move my mouth a few centimeters, so speaking is out of the question. While I'm thinking about it, my mouth tastes like bad breath and blood. I think I bit my cheek. At least I hope I did.

The only peaceful thing about the chaos going on around me is the sky. It's clear, blue, and vast. It cares not that I no longer have feelings in all four of my limbs. Or who will win this conflict? The sky is just hollow and soulless. It doesn't even shed a tear for those who have fallen beneath it. I can't say I blame it. Who would cry for those that fight a battle that they themselves don't even believe in?

The sky truly is beautiful and cruel. However, it is the only company I have since all those who are around me are a bit busy at the moment. So it's just the sky, my thoughts, and I. At least until my body freezes over. That doesn't seem to be too long from now, I can barely feel my face now. Not that it matters to the sky. It's still cloudless and blue just like it was hours ago. Or I think it was hours ago I can't tell.

I wish white clouds did litter the sky. Then I could look for pictures. Alas, that is not the case. The sky is just a boring blue and thinking is becoming too hard to do. I think it is the end of me. I think I've been a decent person my whole life. I would ask the sky but I doubt the sky will respond. For what it's worth today is a nice day to...  

Teal Shoes for a Plain Jane

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I got new shoes today. They're very different from what I'm used to. All of my shoes, except for these, are plain and dull. Which goes well with my clothing. My shirts are plain, they're just a solid color without any designs. Some are long-sleeved but most are cuffed, although I do own quarter length sleeve shirt. To go along with my basic shirts are different wash jeans. Some are dark wash others are a light wash, but none have holes in them.

It has never seemed like a big deal to get clothes that stand out. Then again I do seem generic with all my simple clothes. Even my undergarments are plain and nude. I don't own a pair of crazy socks either. Every last one of them is black and doesn't show over my dull shoes. The only good thing about that is, finding socks that match is a breeze.

For some reason, I decided that I want something that stands out. It was a Wednesday and I was hanging out with my friends at the mall when I saw these shoes. The bright teal is impossible to miss even among the other vivid color shoes. I couldn't help but buy them that same day. The only problem is that I have yet to put them on.

What will happen when I do? Will I want to leave the mold that I've created for myself? Can I change it? And if I do...who will I be? Maybe I should just throw away these shoes. They have become more trouble than what they're worth. But if I do, I'll most likely get in trouble for wasting money. I can hear my dad now;

"If you're just going to throw away the money you earn from doing chores, then just give me the money back!" her father's words echo in her ears.

What am I going to do? I don't have the confidence to wear these shoes out! Plus faking it till you make it, is only good when you got the guts to back it up. So I guess I'm stuck. I don't want to return these shoes. Because I'll end up looking at them every time I pass the store I bought them in and wish I'd owned them again. I probably wouldn't feel so bad if a genie was bound to them.

But alas, as pretty as these shoes are they're not magical.  For if they were, I would wish to stop being such a plain Jane. Because the moment my wish came true I would have the confidence to wear these teal shoes. I'd stroll out in them and reinvent myself into someone who's not afraid to stand out.

I'll stop being a character in the background and be someone others would notice. Not in a way that most other people want to be noticed. I don't care about popularity. I want to be looked at and not have to remind someone what my name is. I would wish to stop being plain Jane. Too bad genies don't exist.

So here I am stuck on what I should do. I don't yet have the courage to wear these shoes. However, the thought of getting rid of them is out of the question. Maybe, since it is a school break, I can try to get a bit of confidence. It might not be enough to wear these shoes but it's a start. Hopefully, once I do gain the confidence I need, the teal shoes will fit right in with who I am. But for now, I'll set them up as a goal to strive for.

The Woman in the Portrait

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Incased in a gold frame is a portrait of a beautiful woman. Smiling at all who gaze at her. Her dark eyes hold a secret that none of her viewers would wish to know.  Behind her is a sea of pale pink flowers that express the beauty of spring. Her vibrant hair is entangled in the pink flowers that surround her. Smooth skin is slightly darkened by the shadows of the viewer of the painting. But the most stunning part of the painting is the bright red dress she wears.

The layers of her skirts outshine the delicate beauty of the pale pink flowers. The bodice of the dress gives her the waistline that every woman envies. And the heart shape neckline teases the eyes with the top of her cleavage. The image can make those who believe in love at first sight fall for her.

And there is the problem. For such a stunning red dress can not fade. So to keep such a lovely red dress to stay red, blood is needed. The blood for whoever has fallen in love with the women in the painting. She pleads with her dark eyes for her admirer to give her their blood. It won't take much. Just a touch-up on the sleeves of the dress. The folds of her long skirts can use another coat of red.

She smiles so beautifully at the one who offers the red liquid that runs through their veins. Her eyes encourage the admirer to offer more; more than what they are willing to give because they wish to look upon her longer. So the admirer will get the red paint from someone else. That someone being a random child that has wandered too far from their parents. A young man with too much alcohol rushing through his system. Or maybe the young woman who forgot her jacket in another part of the building.

All of them can be used to keep the beautiful dress red. The lady in the painting knows this. She never speaks a word and yet her admirer keeps repainting her dress. Making sure that she will outshine all the other paintings. Any other woman contained in a frame can never be as beautiful as she for she entraps all that fall in love with her eyes. Hiding a secret that admirers will offer large amounts of red paint to learn.

But it is never enough, her vanity can not be satisfied. Maybe she will tell the admirer all the secrets she holds if they gave her all of their red paint? And when they do this final act of love...the woman in the portrait smiles, because now her red dress will not fade for a few more weeks. Once it does she will convince another admirer to fetch her more red paint.

The Human Radio

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In this town of nine living people, a young man lived in the radio station. He stays there listening, waiting for someone’s voice; for proof that others are alive. Even though he isn’t alone anymore he has to keep listening.

Static once consumed him before he found the woman and her son. But that wasn’t enough. He has to make sure that no one is alone like he was. He fears that if he doesn’t listen, then he’ll miss whoever is calling out for help. That person would continue to feel alone and be driven to madness. He won’t let that happen. It almost happened to him until that fateful day. He refuses to let it happen to another.

So the young man’s search goes on. The other eight live comfortable lives as he continues to listen to the radio waves. He waits in the station looking for whoever he can. Hope has been given to him, and his obsession with finding more survivors is ingrained into his very being. The other eight survivors still see him from time to time but all he is concerned about is his radio life.

I Finally Got A Facebook...

I have finally joined Facebook! Which is crazy to me because I've been to lazy to get on it before, but I was told that it would be better to hurry up and join if I want to keep growing my blog audience. My Facebook page is https://www.facebook.com/svnight  so go a head and check it out! Also don't forget to Google+ this blog and share it with others. I will most likely be adding other social media accounts and I'll bug you about following me on them too. But for now that's all. See ya!

Eternal Beauty

Diamonds and roses

Are eternally beautiful.

No matter what year it is, they are timeless.

Be they a gift or a promise

They hold their charm.

There is not a chance for them to leave me,

And I'll feel forever young.

Diamonds and roses

Can never leave me.

Unlike love, their worth is constant.

Being beautiful is their meaning.

Even if the rose's petals fall off,

And the diamond doesn't sparkle brightly,

Their beauty is still priceless.

Even damage to their dignity is forever intact.

Diamonds and roses

Will forever be beautiful.

I know that they cannot leave me.

So, when I wither and die,

My youth and beauty will be reflected in them,

So, I too will be eternally beautiful.

My spirit will forever have dignity.

Diamonds and roses

Eternal beauty is what a woman strives for.
For in this world it is only
Diamonds and roses that are eternally beautiful.

Radios Are Still Useful!

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After the apocalypse, only radio waves worked. Cell towers were torn down.  Life of any kind was scattered across the land. Any hope of finding another living person was left up to you. But only if you're able to find a radio. And radio is only good if someone talks through it.

That was the only way to know if anyone else was alive. So, in a lonely-looking radio station, a young man called out.  At first, no one answered. Days passed until someone finally answered his call. Having to work the different frequencies, he managed to lead that person to him. It was a woman and her son. The young man told her that most of the town was in good condition to live in.

She asked, “What about you?”

He smiles and says, “I have to work the radio and lead other people to somewhere safe. But if you remember that I’m here in this place, then I shall be fine.” He smiles and waves good-bye.

He must find more people who are alive and lead them to somewhere safe again.

The young man turns to a new frequency and he hears another man’s voice. 

“Hello, Hello! Someone, please answer me! Please tell me that I’m not going to die alone…”  a panicked young voice says. 

“I hear you.” 

“Thank God! How do I get to you?” 

“Don’t worry I have a map and can lead you to where I am, but only if you have a way for me to know where you are.” 

“I’m in a town full of ruins but I’m sure there is something here.” 

“That’s good but I need you to do one more thing.” 

“That is?” 

“See if you can find others. If you can’t, don’t worry about it. I’ll lead you to the place where I am. If you find others, bring them with you. The place I’m at is safe for all of us.” 

“Okay, I’ll look, promise you won’t go?” 

“I promise just remember to tune into this frequency.”  

“What type of place is it?”

“Well, the town has standing buildings, several different stores. A place that looks like an office building next to a rundown school, and across the street a library that God seemed to like since it’s still intact…” 

“What else?”

 “A mother and her son are in one of the houses that are still functioning.” 

“It sounds like a nice place to live…” 

“Did you find anyone else?” 

“Yeah, I found six more people and we’re coming your way.”

 “See you soon.” the young man said leading the next group of people to him.

Radio Lives

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The world had ended. All that was left is the broken remains of a corrupted civilization. Those who are still alive can only hope to reconnect with others by radio. A nameless man calls out to others through a radio station. Leading them to a place that's not paradise but somewhere that can be called home. And slowly they rebuild what was left of the world.

A Quick New Miniseries

So I'm breaking up We're Not Zombies and putting in another short miniseries to give me time to update the next chapter. This short story is one that I have already finish so it will be up shortly. Because I don't know how long We're Not Zombies is going to run, I'll be putting up other miniseries and writing prompts in order to break the series up. That's all for now any make sure you Google+ this blog and share it with anyone who you think will be interested in this blog. Bye!

The Sky That Day

Andy couldn’t think. The storm came out of nowhere. It was just a mild rainfall at first. There was nothing to worry about. He should have been okay. Stevie should have been safe playing in Uncle Joe’s shed. After Stevie was born Uncle Joe fixed his shed to become a playhouse for Stevie. It was a safe place; until the storm came. And just like that the shed and Stevie were broken. He was only six, too young to die yet. But when the ambulance got there, nothing could be done. Stevie died from shock. All that Uncle Joe could do is crumble from grief.

But Andy thinks about the sky. Early morning it was a hopeful blue. Clear of any clouds that would lead to the storm that happened later this day. Late morning was dreamy. For the clouds in the sky danced to form silly pictures. But it was the afternoon sky that made Andy feel uneasy. Dark clouds devoured the pretty blue sky, leaving only the hollow gray of the clouds behind.

A storm was in full force in a matter of seconds. But when it was finally over Stevie and the shed where broken. All that Andy wanted was for the sky to be that hopeful blue like it was this morning. For the evening sky is an empty, dark, and starless sky. That leaves him hopeless and will give him nightmares for weeks.

Why Do I Write?

For the connections it gives,

The emotion it stirs.

As hope rises and tears fall.

Laughter joins us and evil is defeated.

The oceans that keep us apart

Are easy for words to cross.

Heroes become more than something imagined in our minds.

The world can be changed by friendship and love.

The minds and hearts of readers can change.

With that change, actions done will be better for all.

The many will become one.

Thus the world will become a better place. 

A Great Hero is Destine to Suffer.

Here we are at the end of The Flaws You Expect with a Tragic Hero! Part one is Life's Full of Expectations and part two is The Worse Flaw is a Tragic Flaw! Naturally, you have read both and are now ready for me to get to the point. A tragic hero is a person of noble birth/potentially heroic qualities. They are fated by the Gods/other supernatural force to doom/destruction/or the very least great suffering. It's sad that if you're a tragic hero the minor punishment is great suffering.

But with that definition out of the way let’s talk about getting the hero of a tragic story to suffer. That suffering involves...character development. Now the hero of the story needs both good and bad qualities about them. This makes them feel more like a real person. The goal of the author is to have a simple and complex hero. The reader should be able to explain the main character in a few short sentences but have them be complex enough to drive the story. A tragic hero needs to be relatable while the main character in a teenage drama story does not. (Because who really relates to the teens in those books?)

A tragic hero has different effects on the author than they do for the reader. The obvious difference is the fact that the author is the "parent" of the book and the reader is taking the book on a "date".  An author puts a part of themselves in the story they write, so the main character is dear to them. So when the main character is a tragic hero, there is a stronger attachment because their child is suffering. That's why there are some characters that only the author can love. The reader can feel a wide range of emotions towards the tragic hero. But indifference is probably one the author doesn't want them to feel.

Before the story ends the tragic hero's biggest flaw has to trip them up. The reason for this is because a supernatural force (the author) makes sure the hero developed this flaw. The reader has to be able to figure out that this flaw is the reason why the tragic hero is going to suffer. My goal would be to make the reader see either a bit of themselves or those close to them in the tragic hero. And of course, watch as they suffer and the other characters that are around get dragged into the madness. Creating that connection with the reader is important.  After all, I do love drama, don't you?

But what does the reader want when it comes to the fall of the tragic hero? If I had to guess, that the story doesn't suck. No reader wants to be bored by the story and certainly not by the main character. This is why people are such picky book readers. (I should know because I'm picky with books.) As a reader, if you're going to be brought down by a book it should be because the story moved you; not because it was badly written. A book that does that for you is purely up to your taste in literature.

That's it for this post. It's a short one but any longer and I would be repeating things that I'd said in the first two posts of the miniseries. Be sure to Google+ and recommend this blog to anyone who would be interested in it. I update regularly and would like to hear what you have to say in the comments section because I do read all the comments. I hope that you liked this post. As for the next miniseries, they will be short stories. The next post on my blog will be a writing prompt. What that prompt is I have no idea, but whatever it is I’ll be sure to add the title to the Prompt page. 

Prompts and Miniseries Are Getting A Makeover!!!

Hello and welcome dear readers! If you are a returning reader to this blog thank you for coming back and if you're new I hope that you'll stick around. I want to change up two elements of my blog. As you can see from the title of this post those two elements are the prompts and miniseries. The writing prompts are now going to be poems and short stories that only take up a page or less. Miniseries are no longer going to be just me explaining different elements of writing. Instead, miniseries are also going to be short stories that take up more than one page.  But each post is still getting a silly title because I do love giving them funny titles. The reason for the makeover is because I want to make my blog better. So making it better is me writing more because you can't become an author if you don't write. With that part three of The Flaws, You Expect with a Tragic Hero will be up soon. Bye!

Endless Waiting

Unclear and unfocused thoughts,

Trapped in negative emotions.

I can't seem to chase away the bad thoughts.

All I can do is sit around.

I'm waiting for someone,

But I can't remember who.

I'm waiting so long...

I'm waiting for someone.

My fingers tremble from anxiety.
I can no longer feel my feet.
My very soul seems like it's frozen.
Chasing away any bad thoughts is not an option.

I'm waiting so long...
But I can't remember who.
I'm waiting for someone,
But do I even know who?
I'm waiting so long...

Courage is something I no longer have,
All I can do is look back.
But it's not like I can go back.
My face is starting to feel numb.
Anxiety is the only thing that I know.

I'm waiting for someone.
I'm waiting so long.
My feet are frozen.
Hands can do nothing but tremble.

My face is now numb.
My soul isn't warm.
I lost all my courage.

I'm waiting for...
I'm waiting...
I'm...

Stuck with an afterimage of myself.
It does nothing,
For I can't go back.
Someone will one day come.

But do I even know who?
I'm waiting for someone,
I'm waiting so long...
And yet no one comes.
But do I even know who?

Does it even matter now?
I've frozen over,
Waiting for someone who can't even come.
After all, I've given up on myself.
I'm waiting...

The Worse Flaw is a Tragic Flaw!

It's time to finally talk about tragic flaws! But if you have not already, please read The Flaws You Expect with a Tragic Hero and Life's Full of Expectations first before you read part two of this three-part miniseries. If you are a regular reader of this blog you know that I've been skipping out in explaining fully what a tragic flaw is. The reason is that I want to do an entire post on the subject. And here is my chance to finally do that. First thing first, what is a tragic flaw? A tragic flaw is a weakness of a character that leads to their downfall.  So now that we got that out of the way it's time for me to rant.

As I had stated in different posts that developing the characters of a story is important and an author should never do it halfheartedly. When the characters of a story are created they need flaws that fit with the type of person they are. These flaws also don't have to be traits that are viewed negatively either.  An example of a common negative trait would be cockiness. On the flip side kindness is a positive trait that can be worked into being a tragic flaw. How you go about this depends on the writer.  Common traits that lead to a character's downfall are:

• Revenge
• Lust for power
• Depression
• An unjust government
• Love
• Pride
• Greed
• A lust for war
• Trusting those who will cause you harm
• Going mad
• Not being able to figure out what you want in life
• Being a liar
• Being two-faced

Of course, the examples I just gave are just a few from the top of my head. A character can have a number of these traits that can be manipulated by the author. A tragic flaw is the one damning trait that leads to the characters' misfortune.

As I stated in Life's Full of Expectations traditional tragedies were about people of high status. Their downfall comes about through different elements that are unavoidable. The reason for their unavoidable ending is because of fate. Fate (the author) brings characters with different agendas and conflicting personalities to a setting where tensions are high. This brings out the worse in the characters and allows them to fight for whatever their cause is until there is only one left standing. The chaotic energy that is unleashed through the actions of the character makes the story memorable. And whoever is left is only a broken reflection of themselves with little to no hope of being fixed.

The people who manage to still be alive at the end of a tragedy are important. At least when they play a large role in the story. Their connection to that main character whether it was positive or negative matters. These characters are what is left when hell has finally left the stage. Those that are alive are the ones who have to fix the damage that was done. But more often in tragedies, the remaining characters are just meant to live with the trauma. The reader, in my opinion, must be able to feel how hollow the remaining characters are now. At least when they are written well.

The characters who died in the tragedy become the message that the author wants to tell the reader.  That message could be about how greed will lead to your downfall. Trusting everyone without thought can lead to serious conquests. Or that sometimes you just can't help being in the wrong place at the wrong time. When a character dies is also important along with when they die in the story. If a character dies at the beginning of the story it is usually to raise the tension of the characters. If characters are dying in the middle of the story that is the height of the conflict. Finally,  if there are character deaths near or at the end of the story it could mean that most of the major players of the story's conflict have lost their power and status.

The characters in a tragedy need to be engaging. Their goals, relationships, and eventual end have to keep the readers invested. It helps when the driving forces of the story are interesting. The reader should probably be able to tell what is the reason for the fall of a character. The ones that are the most important need to be active in the conflict of the story.  No one wants to see a duck sitting in the middle of a battlefield.

Characters need to be active. That doesn't mean they need to start a fistfight or anything but spreading lies and tricking others into doing their dirty work is being an active player in the story. The use of knowledge and social status can be useful tools for characters as well.

A tragedy's job is to be entertaining to the reader. A reader should want to view the story repeatedly and look at it from different angles and see elements of the story in a different light. Now does that mean the author has to continually think of different ways their story can be interpreted? No, that's something the reader does themself. That's why everyone can see and read the same movie or book and have different opinions about them. This is a good if not troublesome thing. Because negative elements of a book can lead to being read as positive. Which is something that you most likely don't want to happen with a tragedy.

Something that I think is important to note is that the characters' flaws are what makes them relatable. A characters' success is what makes them respectable. I wanted to state this because no one can honestly relate to someone who on paper is perfect. We all have problems that are and aren't worth a large amount of drama. Stories in a sense, comment on these problems. The problems in the world that an author takes issue with are retold in a controlled and structured story. Conversations that are not normally had at the table can be brought up and exposed. Things that are not a concern for one group of people can be shown to them. The issues of the world can be made to look different than themselves in reality. Our flaws can be simplified and put in a narrative that can lead to the characters' downfall.

Tragedies can teach us many things about ourselves and the world we live in. When they're written well that is. Giving characters tragic flaws helps with making the story believable because we can't see fate pull the strings that connect the characters. But we can see the results of what flaws do to the characters' relationships and livelihood. And with that, we end this conversation. Don't forget to Google+ this post and come back for the third and last part of this miniseries. Also, check out earlier posts on my blog and leave a comment because I do read all the comments that you post on this blog.

Life's Full of Expectations

Hello and welcome to part one of the three-part miniseries The Flaws You Expect with a Tragic Hero. Naturally, you read the introduction post for this miniseries so I don't have to backtrack and we can get to the meat of the conversation. We all have expectations of how the world works, like when you first fall in love, and of yourself. Unless that's just me; which I hope it's not. But what do expectations have to do with tragedy?

 There are elements in a tragedy that are expected. These are:

· The main character comes from a privileged background.

· They are successful in their field of expertise.

· Fate, to a point, has been good to them.

· They have a character flaw that leads towards their downfall.

· Fate continually has the main character fall farther from grace.

· It ends with the main characters' death.

My short examples come from a more traditional way of writing tragedies. Elements have changed of course since there are a number of ways to write a tragedy. These elements are so common that you come to expect them.

So, let’s dive deeper into the bullet points starting with the main character comes from a privileged background. In traditional tragedies, only those that fall from grace are worth the title of a tragic hero. That means everyone who is not rich cannot be a tragic figure. Bad things just naturally happen to everyday people. This changed when modern tragedies started shining a light on the terrible things that happen to everyday people. Tragic characters also tended to be males since they're the ones that hold the position of power. That does not mean that they're not any female characters in traditional tragedies, they're usually not the main character.

Next point is that the main character is successful in their field of expertise. In traditional tragedies, the main character may come from a military background. Or the main character can be a child of a rich merchant, a noble, or a king. Or the main character themselves holds this position. Because of their privileged background, the main character has access to a wealth of knowledge. What the character does with this knowledge leads them to their greatness.

Fate or destiny also has a role in tragedies.  Usually when all is going well for the main character fate is smiling brightly on them.  It is because of fate that the main character is fed with a golden spoon. Destiny made it so that the main character will be a legend on the battlefield. Fame and fortune are certain when fate is on their side. Because the heavens love the main character. The stars shine brighter because they were born. Too bad for that nasty flaw.

When the narrative of the story is supposed to be in favor of the main character it is because they have a character trait that is their saving grace. On the flip side, in a tragedy, the main character has a damning flaw which leads to their downfall. Now, to make a character realistic, a character needs flaws. If they don't have flaws then there is nothing with which they struggle with. A tragic flaw has to be able to be the downfall of the character and also something that can be identified by the readers. This flaw is something that the villain of the story usually possesses. But there's going to be an entire post talking about tragic flaws so this is going to have to be all you're getting for now.

Just as fate or destiny leads the main character to be born with riches or leads them to success, it also screws them over. Because fate also blessed the main character with their tragic flaw, so their downfall was always destined to happen. At least that's how it works out for the main character in tragedies. It is that feeling of betrayal from fate that gets at you. After all this character is great and stands on top and seeing their downfall is saddening.

Lastly is the main characters death. After their fall, it is only death that welcomes them with open arms. Well, not all tragedies end with the main character's death. But I can't think of one where someone didn't die. The death of the main character is supposed to make the readers feel something as well as learning something. What the reader learns depends on the author. But the death of the main character has to mean something to the story because you're killing them.

Now for a more modern tragic story, the main character doesn't have to come from a privileged background. They can be an everyday person. When the story comes from this angle the feeling of the story is about how cruel the world is to the main character or how it is rigged against the everyday person. The downfall isn't about the character falling from grace, but the emptiness that anyone can feel while living in a draining world.

The effects that both have are different for each person. A tragedy about an everyday person can make it harder for the reader to alienate themselves from the main character. On the other hand seeing a great person fall from grace is just as jarring but is more epic. But once you're at the top, the only way to fall down is with great dramatics. At least that's what I think because the ride down needs to be epic. But a normal main character has to have the dramatics that everyday life has to offer which makes their downfall sometimes hard to watch because that can very well be you or someone you know. The point, I think, of an everyday tragic character is that they could be you.

On that somber note, we end the first part of the three-part miniseries. Next up is The Worse Flaw is a Tragic Flaw! Be ready for it since that is the one I have been waiting to explain. Be sure to Google+ this post and follow up on the different posts that are up on my blog. Hope you come back again to have a good time with me and leave comments because I do read them.

Life as a Pirate

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The afternoon sun shines through a glassless window. A lightly dirty man wakes from the sunlight. Getting up from the cot he finds his clothes and takes a look at the woman he brought for the evening. He grins to himself seeing that he picked a good woman last night. Exciting out of the room the pirate makes his way to his favorite hell hole.

His walk towards the pub is relaxing. He picked pocket three drinks and flirts with a redhead who will be working this evening. Continuing down the dirt road he sees the ship Lost Faith. The ship is lovely against the blue sea and sky. He can't help but wonder what it would be like to be a part of her crew. He reaches the pub and orders a nice hot meal with a cool cup of water. Paying with the money he has stolen he makes his way to the beach.

Finding a shady spot the pirate takes a nap so he can be well-rested for this evening's pleasure. After all, that lovely redhead is working tonight. His eyelids slowly close and the hot afternoon air blankets him as he sleeps. 

The Flaws You Expect with a Tragic Hero

Back in 2015, I did a miniseries called A Drama with Comedy Ending in Tragedy. In the third part of the miniseries, I mentioned that I would come back to talk some more about the elements of tragedy. And this is the revisit to that topic. Now as I stated before in my previous mini-series, I'm coming from the viewpoint of a writer. That means I won't really be looking at the topics from there theater origins. The reasoning for this is because the mini-series do take more effort to produce than the writing prompts. (Which requires you to vote on.) This series will also be done in three parts.
They are:

• Life's Full of Expectations
• The Worse Flaw is a Tragic Flaw!
• A Great Hero is Destine to Suffer.

The conversation will contain how these elements that affect a tragic story: a rant about character development, and the emotions you want the reader to feel while reading the story. There's also going to be a brief history of a traditional tragic hero and a modern tragic hero. My personal feelings on how a hero should fall from grace. I also want to talk about how the ending of the story affects the author and the reader. Naturally, I don't want the conversation to get too dark because this blog isn't about heavy subjects but I have a strong feeling about the topic and it requires me to be serious. That doesn't mean we can't have fun with this little chat.

This is the end of the introduction to the next mini-series. Bye!

Trying Prompt Polls Again.

So if you are a new reader to my blog I would like to welcome you. When I first started this blog I had a different polls that the readers voted on so that I know want prompt you would like to read about. If you don't know what a prompt is look in the 2015 part of my blog archive for What are writing prompt? for an explanation. I stopped doing the polls because not all the votes where being counted which is annoying because some of the polls ended in a tie. So I'm bringing the polls back in the hope that it will work. Of course I expect for you to vote on the polls since polls are made to be voted on. To find the name of pervious prompts I've done, go to the tab name Prompts and there is a list of the different prompts. You can find all of them in the blog archive as well.

The prompts are:

1. Captain off Deck- Out at sea a ship and it's crew gets attack by a sea monster and the captain is nowhere to be found.
2. Life as a Pirate- Describe a perfect day for a pirate.
3. Create a list of thing that make me angry.- I believe that explains itself just fine.

Those are the three prompts. Since there's not any big holidays going on I hope to be able to do two prompts instead of just one this month. But I have to see how long it takes me to do this month's mini series. But that's something you need not worry about. I'm excited to start the polls again and I hope that all of you will take the time to vote for the one you like the most.

A New Year and Goals to Complete

It is the new year, which means everyone is going to set up goals that will possibly be forgotten about in a month or so. But that's okay we can still make a list of goals. Before we do that, I hope everyone had a good winter holiday. Mine was good, but I wish I was able to see more of my relatives during the holidays. Now with that out of the way, lets talk about new year resolutions.

1. I wish to continue this blog and improve it's quality.
2. To grow a bigger audience.
3. To keep busting out new topics to talk about with you, my dear readers.

So those are my three resolution for the blog. Please leave your new year resolution in the comment section because I do read the comments left by readers. This month is going to be interesting because I have a surprise for you! What it is you're going to have to wait and find out. But for now let's get back to the swing of things since we just got over the holiday madness.