~ :: :: ~ Fortnightly Challenge #1 EDIT: See Nuile's comment here for further explanation/more information! When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one writer to stand in an effort to encourage those around him to stand up beside him, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the removal of themselves from their comfortable repose in their chairs and to rise to their feet. We hold these t
...Is back. Nuile and I realize that we have neglected this, and we also realized several problems there were with this writers' club. But we are ready to devote our time once again to this in order to hopefully stimulate writing on BZP, whether it be fanfiction or not. As such, we have decided to start smaller -- we realized that we expanded far too quickly, and as such for the moment the League of Authors shall consist of only bi-weekly challenges and a Review Pass. With this new change co
The Tower At the sound of his cries I was instantly brought awake. I tried to get out of bed quietly, but it was too late; she was already awake. “I’ll take care of him,” my wife said next to me from under her covers, beginning to rise. “No, no, I’ve got him. Go back to sleep,” I insisted. She relented, knowing better than to say anything else. Most couples fight about who has to get up to take care of the baby; we “fight” about who gets to get up and take care of the baby. Eve
Another 15-minute write-off; the theme: Music. Enjoy. Music The music resounded in my ears. The fluttering of the flutes, the whispering of violins like the winds; the pitch getting higher and higher to the point of near pain before suddenly ceasing, then whispering again. ..........It was beautiful. ..........The instruments played on ever furious, the intense melody still somehow soothing. When the last note played, the crowd erupted in applause, and I with them. I clapped loudly, eve
Few things that I've been meaning to blog about but never have: The Hunger Games ~ Been reading through the series; I'm a little more than a third through Mockingjay right now. I actually like them. While the writing isn't the best, and the present tense bugged me at first, but I've gotten used to it and now I really enjoy them. I'm quite excited to finish the series. Will blog about it more when I do, most likely. I haven't seen the movie yet, but I plan to soon. Speaking of movies ~ The D
Another 15-minute write-off between 5 5's and co. that was written about a week ago. Even though it's kinda dark, I really like this one, and hope to expand upon the idea with a larger story at some point. Until now, a vignette: Theme: Bridges Burning Bridges I was sick. Sick of myself, sick of whom I had become. ..........Death was a salient part of my life. I had gone places I wished I had never even heard of. Done things. Things that could only be described in a nightmare. And no
So yesterday I posted a vignette called The Forest, done for a little "write-off" between John (55555) and others. We've been doing them for the past four or five nights now, so I'll probably post more here, but here's the one that we just did. Also, just for a little background on these write-offs: someone chooses a theme (usually John -- in this case, the theme was "Flight"), and then everyone participating (tonight it was Rene [EW], John, Micah [Kakaru], Lord Oblivion, and a couple other peo
I've never been much of a fan of zombies. Never thought they were scary at all: slow, dumb, hands up in the air, etc. But then I started watching The Walking Dead a few weeks ago (and finished the first and second seasons). Gotta say, that definitely changes my opinion on zombies. The show isn't all that scary itself, but if it were real I would totally be freaking out. =P Still, the show is incredibly well done and very entertaining. I almost wish I hadn't started watching it so I wouldn't have
The Brass Verdict, by Michael Connelly ISBN: 9780316166294 Publisher: Little, Brown & Company Release Date: October 2008 Rating: 5/5 Synopsis: "Things are finally looking up for defense attorney Mickey Haller. After two years of wrong turns, Haller is back in the courtroom. When Hollywood lawyer Jerry Vincent is murdered, Haller inherits his biggest case yet: the defense of Walter Elliott, a prominent studio executive accused of murdering his wife and her lover. But as Haller prepares for th
Locked On, by Tom Clancy and Mark Greaney ISBN: 039915731X Publisher: Putnam Adult Release Date: December 13, 2011 Rating: 4/5 Synopsis: "Tom Clancy's All-Star lineup is back. Jack Ryan, his son, Jack Jr., John Clark Ding Chavez and the rest of the Campus team are facing their greatest challenge ever. Jack Ryan, Sr. has made a momentous choice. He's running for President of the United States again and thus giving up a peaceful retirement to help his country in its darkest hour. But he doesn't an
The Athena Project, by Brad Thor ISBN: 1439192952 Publisher: Atria Books Release Date: November 23, 2010 Rating: 5/5 Synopsis: "Tucked away in a remote corner of North Carolina’s Fort Bragg, behind rows of razor wire and heavily armed guards, lies the headquarters of the nation’s most elite counter-terrorism unit - the United States Army’s 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment Delta. Here, a brilliant new approach to combating terrorism has just been born. Its codename: The Athena Project.
Power Down, by Ben Coes ISBN:0312580746 Publisher: St. Martin's Press Release Date: September 2010 Rating: 4/5 Synopsis: "A major North American hydroelectric dam is blown up and the largest off-shore oil field in this hemisphere is destroyed in a brutal, coordinated terrorist attack. But there was one factor that the terrorists didn’t take into account when they struck the Capitana platform off the coast of Colombia—slaughtering much of the crew and blowing up the platform—and that was the Capi
Dead or Alive, by Tom Clancy ISBN: 0399157239 Release Date: December 2010 Rating: 4.5/5 Synopsis: "For years, Jack Ryan, Jr. and his colleagues at the Campus have waged an unofficial and highly effective campaign against hte terrorists who threaten western civilization. The most dangerous of these is the Emir. This sadistic killer has masterminded the most vicious attacks on the west and has eluded capture by the world's law enforcement agencies. Now the Campus is on his trail. Joined by their l
American Assassin, by Vince Flynn ISBN: 141659518X Publisher: Atria Books Release Date: October 12, 2010 Rating: 5/5 Synopsis: "This action-packed prequel sets the stage for the ten previous Mitch Rapp thrillers. American Assassin takes readers back to the event that changed the future operative's life, the 1988 Lockerbie Pan Am Flight 103 bombing that killed 270 people, including the woman he loved. This act of mass terror puts Rapp irrevocably on a death-defying path against evil extremist con
The Lincoln Lawyer, by Michael Connelly ISBN: 0316734934 Publisher: Little, Brown and Company Release Date: October 3, 2005 Rating: 5/5 Synopsis: "Mickey Haller has spent all his professional life afraid that he wouldn't recognize innocence if it stood right in front of him. But what he should have been on the watch for was evil.Haller is a Lincoln Lawyer, a criminal defense pro who operates out of the backseat of his Lincoln Town Car, to defend the clients at the bottom of the legal food chain.
Solus ~::~ I stood alone on the edge of a snowy mountain, a broadsword gripped tightly in my hand, surveying the aftermath of a war. ..........As I looked down the mountain, I realized that the snow was no longer a pure white, but rather a bright crimson, stained with blood. The blood of countless victims, whose bodies were strewn across the mountainside; some living, most dead, but all broken—if not in body then in spirit. ..........The bodies lay there, blood pouring out from open wou
Hope ~ :: ~ A human form floated down a large river, unmoving and seemingly lifeless. It drifted up onto the beige shore head first, skidding slightly before coming to a stop as the rough ground slowed its movement to a halt. The male body was bloody and bruised, and what was left of the bluish-gray clothes he once bore proudly were now tattered beyond recognition. The man laid there for hours, as still as if he were dead. Birds landed near the body, inspecting what may be their next me
I'm Still Standing ~ :: ~ You will die. ..........As a blast of shadow hit me squarely in the chest, throwing me against the wall of an Onu-Metru building, I could hear his malicious voice boom in my head. I slumped to the ground; tears swelling up in my eyes. I forced myself to look up at my attacker. I would not let him kill me. ..........With a scream, I stood up and rushed toward him. I know this may be my last battle, and if that is the case, at least I will go down a hero. As I ran
Ruthless The pub’s heavy wooden door swung inward on its creaky hinges. A chill wind gusted into the room, followed by two beings who stepped through the threshold; both salted with snowflakes that had fallen on them outside. ..........First was a man of average height, fit-looking, and dressed in black pants and a dark teal hooded jacket. His face was mostly obscured by the hood on his head, but the end of glasses peeked out from under the cowl. His shoulders were hunched, and his mouth twi
Another Day, Another Duty ~ :: ~ A darkly clad figure cautiously looked around a corner before treading into a dark alleyway of a deserted city. With his Assassin’s Blades extended on his wrists, he continued his journey by quickly moving from behind one steel trash bin or concrete doorway to another, carefully observing his surroundings before each move. ..........The night was dark, with only the nearly-full moon and stars giving any illumination besides the occasional half-broken, di
Tahu in the Rain ~ :: ~ The sky flashed bright white, revealing a scarlet-clad Toa. He crouched atop the wall of a crudely-built stone fortress, looking out onto the valley below. The rain poured down upon his body, feeling as if it was burning right through his armor. The hero looked up toward the sky, ignoring the rain drops falling into his eyes, piercing them like poison. It stung, but he endured, and watched the dark clouds moving gracefully across the sky, occasionally glimpsing t
Red is for Love ~ :: ~ Red is the color of my heart, That is full of Love for you. Red is the color of fire, The fire that burns in my heart. Red is the color of hatred, An emotion I feel so often. Hatred toward pain, And all that is evil. Red is the color of throats, Throats crying out in pain, Begging for a chance to Love - A chance to live. Red is for pain, Pain I feel when I can't be with you, When I can't feel your Love. Red is the color of Love, And everything corresponding
Water and Ice The peaceful air, The calm night, Dotted with stars, In the heavens above. The waves flow, So calm and smooth, They glisten, In the evening moon. The snow flutters, So graceful and free, It sparkles, In the ever-bright sun. The waves crash, So violent and fierce, But ebb, Against the cold, soft sand. The snow blizzards, So cold and sharp, It blows, In the freezing wind. The waves roll, So strong and quick They lap, Against your feet. The snow falls, So pure and white.
Requiescat in Pace ~ :: ~ Another day had come and gone. What is the point of my life? Is it to keep going to work day after day doing the same old thing? Never to get away from Po-Koro? ..........I had dreamed so many times of getting away from Po-Koro. Maybe to go exploring somewhere, or maybe to just visit the other villages. But more than that I longed to get away to Ga-Koro. To see her – the one I love. I know she shares my love. Even though she hasn't said it, I know she does. I c
Whispers ~ :: ~ Kaeru. ..........Kaeru, Kaeru. ..........Whispers. Whispers shouting from the darkness. Another voice came. This one distinctly in the form of telepathy. .........."Kaeru," Shakaz's deep, sinister voice rang in Kaeru's head, "report to my chamber. Now." ..........Kaeru had been looking over the blueprints for the fortress trying to figure out more defenses when he received the message; immediately stopping what he was doing, sitting up from his chair, and making his way
