Another bit of storycraft commentary up at Noble Cobra Magazine. This time discussing some thoughts I had about heroic or righteous characters doing 'mean' or off-color things in fiction: pranks, unwanted jokes, nasty tricks, that sort of thing, and how it can be used for characterization purposes (and yes, more Fruits Basket, since that's on … Continue reading Commentary: When Good Characters do Bad Things
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A Christmas Eve Tale
A small Christmas present up on Noble Cobra Magazine: a quick story that came to me last night and which I whipped up on the spot. Pushing, shoving, shouting. So many people! Last minute shoppers, making their rush on Christmas Eve. The clutched their shirts, video games, expensive toys, and groceries as if they were … Continue reading A Christmas Eve Tale
Back on Catholic 365: Infant King
First article in a long time is up on Catholic365, just in time for Christmas: Among the strictures against monarchy presented by the American Revolutionaries was the absurdity that a king can come to the throne at any age, and that, as Mr. Hamilton put it in one of the Federalist Papers, “a helpless infant … Continue reading Back on Catholic 365: Infant King
50 More Quotes for AFI
It's hardly definitive, but I still like the AFI '100 Years, 100 Quotes' list, especially this excellent montage someone put together of it. It's a fun sort of quick summary of film history. That said, it was definitely missing a lot of lines I would have wanted to see included. So, I decided to take … Continue reading 50 More Quotes for AFI
Announcement: Cirsova 2024
I'm a bit behind on this, but an exciting announcement: my story Black Eyes - featuring the debut of a character I've had on the back-burner for a long time - will be featured in Cirsova Magazine of Thrilling Adventure and Daring Suspense next year; the winter edition ('Superior Griefs, Part 4). That means it … Continue reading Announcement: Cirsova 2024
“When You’re Overqualified for the Job”
I started laughing about halfway through this and couldn't stop: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-UYgORr5Qhg "Can anyone here play the drums? I mean, someone good!" Apparently (such is the grapevine of the internet), the gentleman inside the costume is named Nyango Star, and, as a matter of fact, doing...what he does here is precisely his specialty. I love niche … Continue reading “When You’re Overqualified for the Job”
‘Spy x Family’ at the Everyman
My latest piece for The Everyman went up today, where I get to talk a bit about Spy x Family: Following a devastating conflict some decades prior, a tense cold war persists between the nations of “Westalis” and “Ostania” (fictionalized versions of West and Easy Germany circa the 1960s). Ace Westalis spy ‘Twilight’ works tirelessly … Continue reading ‘Spy x Family’ at the Everyman
Friday Flotsam: Teaching, St. John Vianney, and Beavers
1. This week was training for my new teaching job. It looks like it'll either be an amazing experience or a catastrophic disaster. I guess we'll find out. 2. At the very least, I won't have to worry about what I should read for a while; it's pretty much all read books and discuss, and … Continue reading Friday Flotsam: Teaching, St. John Vianney, and Beavers
The Girl in the Corner
Another piece of short fiction is up at Noble Cobra Magazine. This one was a rather quick piece; almost Flash-Fiction, based on a central conceit that had been kicking around my head for a few weeks. So, consider it an experiment in rapid production, I suppose. Enjoy! Marcus saw her almost every day, though he … Continue reading The Girl in the Corner
Kaiju Appreciations: Zilla (Update)
Another Kaiju Appreciation update, this one for Zilla, the unfortunate kaiju from the Roland Emmerich / Dean Devlin film from 1998. Enjoy! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TfRVnLY1OoA&t=34s (Gotta give a CONTENT WARNING on this one: the song has a pretty heavy and crude F-Bomb near the middle) G-98 may be the textbook example of how not to make an … Continue reading Kaiju Appreciations: Zilla (Update)
Serpent's Den 