Saturday, November 7, 2009

MY SUPA LIFE continues to bring the awesome!



Click here to visit the official site!

(Recommended Reads) “The Wink” by P.J. Kaiser

I saw the wink. It was just as the minister started speaking and all eyes were on him instead of on Marcus, the groom. The minister, Marcus and Jennifer – the bride – were in front, facing the attendees. I was sitting next to my husband and I twisted in my chair towards him, so I could glance behind me. A blonde girl who looked to be in her twenties seemed to be the recipient of the wink. She was gazing at Marcus and a smile tugged at the corners of her mouth.

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(Recommended Reads) "Bookends of a Life: II" by Linda

Only the steady thump-thump of the hissing machine, valves pressing and depressing against your will, remind me you are here.

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(Recommended Reads) "First Place" by Maria Protopapadaki-Smith

I have been preparing for this day for a year, but it feels like a lifetime. Ever since the prize for first place was announced, I knew I would have to not only enter the race, but also win it; all year I have been training for it, to the exclusion of almost all other activity. I whisper a prayer to the Great Lady of the Eastern Plains and look into my beast's eyes.

Click here to read the rest

And now a sing along for all you D&D players out there...

From Rpg.net Rant#21 The Last Straw Trilogy Part Three:ONCE MORE WITH FILKING

(To the tune of ‘Turn the Page’ by Bob Seger)

Of all the hobbies I've had
This holds its nerdy awe
Don't matter where my rulebooks are
Or if I sold them all
If my dice are all in the trash
I'll just end up buying some more
Cause my subconscious will wonder
No matter what I do
If he found eight stone golems in a room
What would a fighter do
And soon before I know it
Maps and minis will accrue

Say here I am in a game again
There I am behind the screen
Here I go checking the charts again
Here we go roll to save

But the players won't stay on the path
To the treasure load
Because everyone's chaotic neutral
When in a combat mode
And when they quote the rules back in your face
You just want to explode
Most times you can roll with it
Other times you freeze
But you can't always check your rulebook
When it’s stained with nacho cheese
Can that gnome really wear plate mail
And not blow out his knees?

Say here I am in a game again
There I am behind the screen
Here I go checking the charts again
Here we go roll to save

But when it all is going right
Your mind takes you away
To that world of might and magic
Where you always want to stay
And the players are all cheering
'cause they gained levels today
Later in the evening
As you lie awake in bed
With quotes from the DMG
All dancing through your head
You remember that last dragon
Should have been two instead

Now here I am in a game again
There I am behind the screen
Here I go checking the charts again
Here we go, roll to save

Here I am in a game again
There I am behind the screen
Here I go checking the charts again
Here we go, roll to save
Here we go, here we go…

(Recommended Reads) "November" by Kate Sherrod

November

The trees are naked in November sun,
Shed leaves are dry and clatter through the street;
Cool browns, dull greys, some golds but only one
Bright hue relieves the muted palette. Sweet,
The year is ending. Dormancy prevails.
Yet deep inside each thing is closely held
That which against all chills' attacking fails.
Not death but strength tones down the colors. Quelled,
Then, should be any talk of loss, ennui
Or sadness. Beauty sometimes takes on stark,
Surprising forms if one has eyes to see.
It's there throughout these days, e'en in the dark.
Take time today; go outside and admire
The bold tenacity that guards the fire.

click here to visit her poetry blog

MIGHTYGODKING shares some Lovecraftian dating tips via a single comic book panel!

LOVECRAFT IS MISSING gets awesomer and weirder!

Click here to read more

Happy Birthday to my Missus!





She's my whole damn world folks.

I hope you don't have any plans for December 5th!

Because my Dad will be starring in a Holiday Spectacular at Aversano's Restaurant and Bar!

He will perform the hits of NEIL DIAMOND, PAUL ANKA, TOM JONES and many more.

Dec. 5th
A Night of Fun, Dancing & Entertainment
Dinner & Show Package $60per person
(menu available AversanosRestaurant.com)
Tables Sold 2, 4 or more
Dinner Starts 7:30pm
Show Tickets $20per person
Show Time 9:00pm

1620 Rt. 22 (at 312 intersection), Towne Centre, Brewster • (845) 279-2233
AversanosRestaurant.com


Al Bruno spots his son eating from the buffet table with his hands...

Friday, November 6, 2009

5 Second Fiction Six Hundred and Twenty Four

He was a Retail Messiah, slashing the price of Indulgences and passing the savings on to your soul.

5 Second Fiction Six Hundred and Twenty Three

Each twin felt what the other experienced. Prom night was a disaster.

5 Second Fiction Six Hundred and Twenty Two

All the heroes of River City showed up for Doomsday Girl's funeral, some of the villains too but no one felt much like fighting.

5 Second Fiction Six Hundred and Twenty One

All the heroes of River City showed up for Doomsday Girl's funeral, some of the villains too but no one felt much like fighting.

5 Second Fiction Six Hundred and Twenty

The studies offered irrefutable evidence that not only were people getting dumber, their stupidity was becoming weaponized.

5 Second Fiction Six Hundred and Nineteen

Was someone stealing Audra's underwear because they were a pervert or was a pervert trying to make her stop wearing underwear?

(Recommended Reads) "The Monster Is Not in the Closet" ny Noveldoctor

He looked like Gollum. Not the Gollum from the movies. His skin wasn’t leathery or gray. He didn’t move like a monkey and his ears weren’t as big as saucers. And not the Gollum from the books. She hadn’t read them. She could have because she read well above her grade level, but she believed they were all about monsters and she didn’t like monsters. Not even heroic ones.

Click here to continue

5 Second Fiction Six Hundred and Eighteen

In all the stores it was beginning to look a lot like Christmas, unfortunately it was Arbor Day.

5 Second Fiction Six Hundred and Seventeen

Jason Magwier didn't know how the Cessna had found its way to the spirit world. He mused “An actual plane on the astral plane?”

5 Second Fiction Six Hundred and Sixteen

The details of how he had survived the multi car pile up were spotty, much like his underwear when it was over.

5 Second Fiction Six Hundred and Fifteen

Special Agent Mario Krump loved the smell of tear gas in the morning, because he was a mean son of a bitch.

(Recommended Reads) "Resting Comfortably" by Amy Taylor Leeds

Her first conscious thought was the pain. It was white-hot and swept through her in waves that caused her skin to prickle with endurance. The sweat didn’t break until the pain reached her toes, where it offered her a moment of relief, before returning to the back of her head and pulsing, in readiness for its next, nauseating journey.

click here to continue

5 Second Fiction Six Hundred and Fourteen

When superheroes need backup they contacted the woman known as the Consultant- sidekick for hire.

(Recommended Reads) "No One Goes Home" by J.M. Strother

Huturo huddled in the bush, trying to be as small and quiet as possible. He could hear them searching, Goma and William, slashing through the thicket with their machetes. Please, please, go the other way. Please. I don’t want to kill anyone. He cradled his AK-47, as long as he was tall, in trembling arms.

Click here to continue

5 Second Fiction Six Hundred and Thirteen

Nature Boy the Lord of the Jungle truly began his big city adventure when he found the mini bar in his hotel room.

5 Second Fiction Six Hundred and Twelve

The enraged ghosts of Elvis, Bobby Darrin and Frank Sinatra went on a rampage destroying one karaoke bar after another.

5 Second Fiction Six Hundred and Eleven

It was the worst hangover of Lorelei's life but she had been warned that tequila and Theosophy did not mix.

(Recommended Reads) "Monday" by Marisa Birns

It was one of the darkest times of her life. The heavy rains added an appropriate dirge to the wintry early morning sounds. While she waited for the bus, Homeless Reggie, towing a toy wagon filled with plastic bottles, came up to her singing and offered a new refrain: You’re like an angel, honey.

Click here to read the rest

5 Second Fiction Six Hundred and Ten

Somehow his journey down the road of vengeance led him to the off-ramp of horrific groin injuries.

5 Second Fiction Six Hundred and Nine

The Cheerleaders of the Wasteland escaped the mud by making a rope from their clothes. It was the greatest 5 Second Fiction ever.

5 Second Fiction Six Hundred and Eight

"What is a poem?" Zeth said, "A poem is a prayer in the darkness that cries out 'Remember Me' again and again."

THE LOCAL HEROES: Mask Of The Reddeath


Mask Of The Reddeath
by
Al Bruno III


Just an old man, dying and alone in a mansion that had once been so alive with voices and activity. Rob Raymond was content with that. After all he had lived an amazing life, full of adventure and excitement. He had always thought he would die young and in a blaze of glory like so many of his contemporaries, but he had outlived them all.


He spent most of his time in his study reading, listening to music and occasionally sleeping in his favorite chair. When he was hungry- and that was a rare thing now- he would shuffle down to the kitchen and open a can of anything and eat it uncooked. Once there had been servants to wait on him hand and foot but Rob had sent them away with generous severance packages and glowing recommendations.

On the last night of his life he wandered through the darkened study wearing his silk pajamas and thick purple bathrobe. He would pause before each of his mementos to smile or frown in remembrance;

…a black gauntlet festooned with wires and missing a finger.

…a framed newspaper page, the headline CRIME SPREE ENDS IN DEATH hovers above a grainy black and white photograph of two dark figures lurching off of a rooftop.

…the bronzed skull of a gorilla.

…a wall of medals.

…a green scarf with a drop of blood.

…a framed photograph, old friends around a round table, all but one of them is looking at the camera.

Rob paused at that photograph until finally he took it down and stared long and hard at the time lost faces. His friends, like his adversaries, were all gone now. His wife had passed away years ago and his son hadn't spoken to him in years. Rob’s adopted daughter tried to keep in touch but she was always traveling, always busy.

And that was just as well wasn’t it? Would he really have wanted to have them fussing over him at this stage and trying to make amends for long forgotten disagreements.

A loud crash from downstairs and the sounds of shuffling footsteps shook him from his thoughts. The manor’s intercom system crackled to life, “You could not wait for death but I found you, oh I found you.”

Goosebumps ran over Rob’s skin at the sound of that voice.

There was no time to get to any of the still functioning keepsakes from his old life but he always kept one thing he still kept close at hand. He pulled the cowl from the pocket of his bathrobe

It was silken and black and conformed perfectly to cover his face, when he wore it he could see in the dark and breathe in conditions that would kill a normal man. He still didn’t know where the fabric had come from or how it had been created.

With his features hidden he felt the old confidence return and the mundane agonies he had become so familiar with over the last six months seemed to fade away.

He was ShadoMask again.

“Are you hiding?” The voice said, “Be honest now. You were always a little scared of me weren’t you? You think you’re so special.”

The door of the room splintered and fell open and figures shambled in. ShadoMask charged not even paying attention to anything more than the position of his attackers. They were just shapes to him, obstacles. Weakened as he was every swing of his arm or sweep of the leg was pushed him closer to nausea and exhaustion. The room seemed to tilt sideways around him.

Chuckling echoed through the manor, “Do you like them? They’re hand picked. I went to so much trouble.”

ShadoMask began to realize that not matter how much force he put behind his punches and kicks his adversaries stayed silent, impossibly silent.

They weren’t even breathing.

Then he realized.

There was the American – fourteen years dead from a car crash but still dressed in red, white and blue. And the crime lord Dragonfist was an arm's length away, he had died in the electric chair almost a generation ago but here he was blind and stumbling. Merlin Man was waiting just outside the doorway, his gadget laden top hat was gone and his costume was in tatters. He reeked of the grave.

They all reeked of the grave, or worse.

“What have you done?” ShadoMask’s voice was a whisper, then a shout,  “Reddeath! What have you done?”

His old adversary purred at the sound of his name being spoken, “The black scrolls of Nephren-Ka old friend. I finally managed to liberate them, finally managed to have some real time alone with then. Oh such wonders, such wonders…”

The Reddeath had always been obsessed with the black scrolls of Nephren-Ka, he had committed atrocities in his pursuit of them and ShadoMask had stopped him every time.

But he was supposed to be dead. ShadoMask had seen the crimson cloaked menace fall from the gondola of an invisible zeppelin decades ago.

“Do you think this is what it’s like to have your life pass before your eyes?”

With a cry of rage ShadoMask pushed through the doorway into the hall to find it crowded with long lost friends and enemies. They closed in but he fought back sending them tumbling down the stairs in groups of three and four.

“I’m right on doorstep old friend,” the Reddeath said, “Can you reach me? Do you want to reach me?”

ShadoMask had to laugh, “Oh I’ll reach you all right.”

But there were so many shapes bearing down on him;

…the Silver Claw, his head drooping at an obscene angle his pirate suit hanging off his tattered frame. His own henchmen had turned on him after growing tired of his increasingly elaborate nautical themed crimes.

…the Brat, with his faux schoolboy outfit and his wizened expression. He had retired after a long prison sentence, even written a self-published memoir about his life of crime only to shoot himself when the scheme left him bankrupt.

…the teen wonder Arachni-kid, his features forever young, the track marks on his arms hidden by his gaudy costume. He had showed so much promise.

…Mr. Nice Guy’s smiley face costume was even more ludicrous in death, he had been a failure at fighting crime but a his child safety videos were still shown in schools all across the globe. A heart attack had claimed him as he answered fan mail, the rumor he had been found with a beatific grin.

… ShadoFace’s mask was made from a flawed facsimile of the fabric ShadoMask’s cowl had been made from. A chemical instability in had left his face burned and twisted. He had eventually died in a madhouse.

…Julie was last, still dressed in her funeral finery. The sight of her caused her husband to falter and she managed to claw his cowl from his face…

Rob was weeping as he knocked the walking corpse down the stairs, he could hear her bones shatter as they hit the landing. Reddeath was leaning in the doorway. Even in his blood-colored robes and skull mask he seemed sickly. “Oh,” he said. “Very good. Like the old times, the best times.”

Unlike the horror movie cliché none of the bodies Rob had fought his way past stirred, that part of the game was over. He charged his old adversary, his bathrobe fluttering around him.

Then the pain flared up, not the constant mundane ache of the cancer, but a bolt of cold fire that bloomed out of his chest and rand down one of his arms leaving it numb and useless. He cursed, vowing that it would not end like this. 
He forced himself to keep moving towards his enemy.

One step…

Two…

Three…

His legs failed him and he collapsed at the Reddeath’s feet. Rob couldn’t catch his breath and his vision was darkening. The Reddeath loomed over him and Rob managed to speak one last time and those final words surprised them both.

“Thank you.”

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

5 Second Fiction Six Hundred and Seven

It was an itsy bitsy teeny weeny yellow polka dot bikini that she shoplifted with relative ease.

5 Second Fiction Six Hundred and Six

She wouldn't shave her legs and he wouldn't shave his beard; the rasping noise of their lovemaking upset the cat.

5 Second Fiction Six Hundred and Five

Some superheroes could punch through time, Professor Mystical could pelt metaphysical concepts with loogies.

5 Second Fiction Six Hundred and Four

Morbidly obese Special Agent Mario Krump found it difficult to blend in at the Phish concert.

5 Second Fiction Six Hundred and Three

Lenny knew that in a country where competitive eating was treated like an actual sport anything was possible.

5 Second Fiction Six Hundred and Two

An online booking error resulted in Eric and his pals spending Spring Break in Amish country.

5 Second Fiction Six Hundred and One

Like most techs he performed his regular duties with a combination of skill, caffeine and quiet desperation.

5 Second Fiction Six Hundred

Doomsday Girl and Captain Hero laughed till they cried remembering all the good times they had shared. Then she died in his arms.

5 Second Fiction Five Hundred and Ninety Nine

It went without saying that Charles Goatse was open to all possibilites.

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

5 Second Fiction Five Hundred and Ninety Eight

Bob found that with the proper combination of vitamins and bran he was unable to leave the bathroom for hours.

5 Second Fiction Five Hundred and Ninety Seven

First the political commentators started weeping on air, then the weathermen started speaking on tongues.

5 Second Fiction Five Hundred and Ninety Six

Karl spent weeks trying to find a porn film that synched up with DARK SIDE OF THE MOON.

5 Second Fiction Five Hundred and Ninety Six

Doomsday Girl wouldn't have beaten the Obnoxiator quite so hard if he hadn't kept trying to put dollar bills in her costume.

5 Second Fiction Five Hundred and Ninety Five

A girl started working in the IT department but none of the guys there ever got past her firewall.

5 Second Fiction Five Hundred and Ninety Four

He had the looks of an Adonis, the mind of an Einstein and sadly the voice of a Muppet.

5 Second Fiction Five Hundred and Ninety Three

“Witchcraft,” Audra observed, “is like sex. Fully workable alone but much more effective in groups.”

5 Second Fiction Five Hundred and Ninety Two

Psychotic Kid justified his actions by insisting that he was “Defending freedom.”, the owners of the petting zoo still sued.

5 Second Fiction Five Hundred and Ninety One

It is a rare wargaming tournament that divides its players into shirts and skins, maybe that's just as well.

Monday, November 2, 2009

(Recommended Reads) "Just A Shadow Of A Man" by DarcKnyt

I don’t remember what he said awoke him. A sense of foreboding? That prickly sensation of someone being there? Stealthy footfalls on the carpet? I can’t recall.

click here to read the rest

(Recommended Reads) "Complusion" by Lily Mulholland

Tom stretched like a cat and thought he might start to purr any minute. A pleasurable shudder hummed through his body as he remembered last night. He rolled onto his side and brushed Caroline’s cheek with his lips. She’d called him five minutes after he’d walked her home from the restaurant and asked to see him again the next day. He cleared his afternoon meetings and they’d spent the afternoon and evening feasting upon each other and rediscovering the unbridled bliss that awaits two perfectly compatible lovers.

click here to continue

(Recommended Reads) "A Dash Of Evil" by Dana

Sylvia winced as she drew the sigil-covered obsidian knife across her palm. It was jagged and tore more than it cut. She squeezed her hand into a fist and dribbled several drops of blood into the chalice. When her elixir began to hiss, she put down the knife, then poured hydrogen peroxide over the cut and wrapped it in a handkerchief. It stung like a motherfucker but the knife was borrowed and who knows where a ceremonial blade may have been?


click here to read the rest

5 Second Fiction Five Hundred and Ninety

“If there is one thing people universally hate its dreams,” Magwier said, “other peoples' dreams that is.”

5 Second Fiction Five Hundred and Eighty Nine

Most superheroes stay in on Halloween night if not they ended up getting into fights with drunk strangers or going home with candy.

5 Second Fiction Five Hundred and Eighty Eight

While the oncologists were used to dealing with aggressive cancers they were not used to dealing with passive-aggressive ones.

5 Second Fiction Five Hundred and Eighty Seven

Technological advances and societal setbacks kept perfect pace until humanity was reduced to Neanderthals with BlackBerrys.

5 Second Fiction Five Hundred and Eighty Six

The line for Judgment Day will be arranged like the lines at Disneyland but most won't know which ride their on until its too late.

5 Second Fiction Five Hundred and Eighty Five

He had refused the extended warranty and now there was no way for Chaz to make his pleasuredroid stop pointing and laughing.

5 Second Fiction Five Hundred and Eighty Four

“Haunting is passe' so the world's ghosts while away eternity by having orgies, you're probably sitting in the middle of one now.”

5 Second Fiction Five Hundred and Eighty Three

Of all the Mad Gods that tore at the edges of reality and madness, Buttercup got the least respect.

Sunday, November 1, 2009

Drunk Ewoks wreak havoc on the Today show...

HALLOWEEN Ab3: Season Of The Shill


IN THIS TWILIGHT
tales of lost gods and fragile transformations





This collection of 13 stories transports you to a world where both dreams and monsters lurk in the shadows, where love and forgotten rituals fight for control of the human heart, and where the madness of eternity can be glimpsed in a single segmented eye.

This anthology collects some of the best stories from Al Bruno III's website and includes the novellas 'Chad's Oracles', 'Fully Vested' and 'The Mask Collector', available for the first time anywhere.

Support independent publishing: Buy this book on Lulu.




IN THE MIDNIGHT OF HIS HEART
a novel of horror and obsession



To all outward appearances John Sig is just an old man living a quietly in an empty old house. His one pleasure is when he heads down to the local diner and visits with his favorite waitress Angie. When Angie disappears, John sets out to find her. For an ordinary old man that might seem like a foolish idea but John Sig isn't human, he's a monster living in the shadow of a nightmare thirty -five years old.




In The Pit



This is the comic book I wrote, that sadly it never made it past the first issue. Too bad I had envisioned a fantastic tale of serial killers, Canadian pro wrestlers and exploding toilets. Still though I think you might enjoying reading the first issue, it is still available as a PDF file. There are also some preview pages at the sight below.

Order away and weep for what might have been.



Some of my best work is available from the fine folks at Eden Studios. My contribution to their game lines has been mainly in the area of fiction. The rules and setting information was written by other very capable folks like Richard Dakan, CJ Carella, Jack Emmert, George Vasilakos and M. Alexander Jurkat. Believe me, they did all the hard work. If you are a fan of role-playing games or a fan of zombie movies then the books below are going to be right up your alley.


ALL FLESH MUST BE EATEN main rulebook



Enter the dark world of survival horror. The Dead walk among us. This role-playing game allows you to play in a world infested by the walking dead. The main rulebook includes rules for character creation, combat and everything else you need to play in a world of survival horror. Also detailed are the multiple campaign settings so you can customize the type of "deadworld" you wish to explore.232 pages.Hardcover.Cover Art by Christopher Shy.

Click here for ordering information




ZOMBIE MASTER SCREEN


A must-have reference for All Flesh Must Be Eaten, the Zombie Master's Screen is filled with charts and tables. From fear to weapons to outcomes, every reference that a prepared Zombie Master needs is packed onto a four-panel screen. The flip side of the screen scares and delights the players with full-color zombie images.
The Screen is packed with a 48-page booklet, including a ready-to-run adventure introducing the Cast Member to the horrors of a zombie plague, and pregenerated characters with complete bios, statistics and resource information.
Cover Art by Christopher Shy and George Vasilakos.

Click here for ordering information




ENTER THE ZOMBIE


Written by Richard DakanThe first supplement to All Flesh Must Be Eaten opens whole new vistas for a walking dead campaign. This tome brings together the thrills of Hong Kong action films and the excitement of flesh-craving horror. The match of these two genres may not have seemed obvious at first, but the pleasures that arise from it are undeniable. After all, zombies and Hong Kong style action make a perfect fit. What better match is there for a relentless series of lightning kicks and a hurricane of bullets than a target that can’t die? The pulse-pounding danger just never stops. Besides, what martial arts master worth his salt doesn't ache for the ability to use his own intestines as a deadly whip? For the undead, no problem!Softcover.Cover Art by Christopher Shy.

Click here for ordering information




TERRA PRIMATE


Written by Al Bruno III, CJ Carella, David F. Chapman, Patrick SweenyBased on the original concept by George Vasilakos and Ross IsaacsEdited by M. Alexander Jurkat, David F. ChapmanCover art by Jeff ReitzInterior Art by Storn Cook, Thomas Denmark, Talon Dunning, DW Gross, Jon Hodgson, Chris Keefe, Jason Millet, Matt Morrow, James Powers, Gregory Price, George Vasilakos
From the creators of All Flesh Must Be Eaten, similar in style but this time . . . with apes! Terra Primate has no specific setting. The only constant is the concept of intelligent apes. Planet of the Apes is a movie about intelligent apes, but then again so is Congo. As long as the characters are interacting with intelligent apes -- or are intelligent apes themselves! -- the game could be set in the pulp era of adventure, on a post-apocalyptic Earth, on a faraway alien planet, or downtown on Main Street.
The main rulebook includes rules for character creation, combat and everything else you need to play in a world where man is the missing link! Also detailed are the multiple campaign settings so you can customize the type of "Apeworld" you wish to explore.

Click here for ordering information