Natalie Kent Interview

 We've been through a lot together.

Sometimes things get busy.

Just remember to take care of yourselves. 

Make sure you've consumed a lot of water. 

And relax.

You're back in front of the stage. The pink, yellow, and blue wallpaper is a bit more plain today. You do see a few paper bats taped to the walls to give it a more spooky feel. The center table has a cute little jack-o'lantern on top of it with a paw print carved into the front. The flickering candle inside makes the shadows around you dance. Aside the pumpkin, on both sides, are two iced drinks from a coffee shop chain shop that will not be specified. 

Scribbles as looking over at his guest for the day, seeming to be deep in conversation with them. He looks a little bit more frazzled than usual, but as you look at him longer you see it's all apart of his costume. In addition to the usual black slacks and white button-down, the cheetah is also wearing a black cape over his shoulders. He looks over at you, and his maw breaks out into a grin. You can see the fake blood painted around his muzzle, giving him a sinister look in the low light. 

"Velcome, everyvone!" Scribbles stands up and with a flick of his arm, the cape swirls up in the air behind them. "It is vonderful to see you all!" He lets out a not-so-menacing giggle, then stops so he can put a paw to his ear. "Hold up... Sorry." He listens to the words coming through the earpiece. "Oh." He looks back up towards you with an awkward grin. "I apologize for the interruption. I am being told I need to drop the accent. Some of our vampires are not too fond of my accent." He shrugs. "Oh well! At least I still look cool, right?"

"Anyway! Welcome back! It's so great to see that you keep coming back for these. Trust me! I love these just as much as you do! Possibly more, in fact." Scribbles sits back down in their chair. "It's Halloween! Or somewhere around that time! I don't know for sure, because this is not live! If you couldn't tell, I am dressed as a scary, classic-looking vampire!" They put their paws up and hissed, baring his natural fangs. "I didn't bother with the fake fangs. They always hurt my gums. Plus they look inaccurate."

He waved a paw at the other chair onstage. "So as you know, my guest is in the chair next to me, and I will introduce her to you all in just a minute. But I wanted to put a disclaimer here that I will be keeping around for any episode dealing with these projects. Heroes Collide is a series I have been working on for the purpose of fun and fanfiction. Every character made is an original creation of mine. However, some of the characters featured are written as descendants of popular characters from the DC Universe. And while there are many characters who are easily recognized from other projects of mine, these may not be the characters you remember. They could be alternate versions of them."

"Our guest today, though? She's one of a kind. She's the daughter of two of the strongest Teen Titans (based in the DC Universe,) whose life mission is to carry on the legacy of her parents and aunt. Strong, caring, brave, and heroic: I am very happy to introduce you to Natalie Kent!"

Natalie Kent smiles at you from the seat next to Scribbles. She's a human, or at least as far as you can tell. She's also in costume. She's wearing a green t-shirt and khaki pants, along with a pair black shoes that seem to be a bit too big for her. Her curly brunette hair is tied up behind her head, and her face is dotted with drawn-on facial hair. She sips her iced coffee and then puts it down on the table. She waves towards you. "Hey there! Or should I say... Like, hi!" She turns to look at Scribbles, "Jeremy is going to hate that costume."

Scribbles smiles an awkward toothy smile. "I am well aware, and actively dreading that conversation." They're grin widens though, as they look at Natalie's costume. "You already know how much I like yours though."

Natalie throws up a peace sign. "Like, I wore this for you dude! Scooby is a huge part of my childhood too." 

"Shall we get to the questions? I hope you don't mind that they are from me." Scribbles drums his paws against his lap. 

"Of course not! Bring it on!"

"All right! I love your enthusiasm!" Scribbles chuckles. "Okay, so the first question I have for you is going to be so on theme for the holiday. What is your favorite type of Halloween candy?"

"Oh darn!" Natalie chuckled and leaned back in her chair. "Am I allowed to say more than five?"

"Maybe just limit it to one? Because we might end up being here all day." 

"Especially with my sweet tooth." Natalie laughed, then picked up her iced coffee, swirling the drink inside around as she tapped the arm of the chair with her other hand. "Hmm. Well, I'd have to say Fruit Roll Ups? I always loved getting those in my candy hauls. The only thing I hated about them was that I always messed up those tongue tattoos they'd have on them. But they were always so tasty!"

"Wait! They didn't work on you either? I thought my tongue was just built different!" Scribbles looks a bit disappointed. "Frickin false advertising said they'd give me a cool ghost on my tongue."

"Trust me. It's apparently worse if you have the ability to destroy things with even the slightest reaction. Mom always had to make sure we were outside when we tried it each year so I wouldn't destroy our furniture on accident."

"Wow... The worst I ever did was stub my toe." Scribbles sighed.

"Well, the superhuman abilities are probably one of the biggest differences between us."

"True..." Scribbles chuckles. "So. Next question! If you had to give up all of your powers except for one, which one would you keep."

"You'd think with all of the powers I have, it'd be hard to choose. But as a superhero with all of these growing powers..." Natalie crosses her left leg over her right. "I'd keep the invulnerability. Not being able to be hurt or injured. Like, I know it is great to have the super strength and speed and the ability to use my x-ray vision are all useful. But none of them would mean anything without the invulnerability. I have my training to back me up in physical fights to make up for the missing abilities."

"Speaking of training, Heroes Collide sees you team joining paths with others you know from before the disasters of the crisis." Scribbles leans forward in his seat. "Care to tell us about what your thoughts were on seeing some of them again after five years in that capsule?"

Natalie nodded. "It was a harrowing experience waking up after all that time. Five years, and I wasn't able to feel any of it go by. Cason had filled me in on all of the happenings as far as the overall crisis and Manny's control. But... Coming out and not knowing where my friends were... Or the fate of my family. It hurt."

"The first person I remember seeing or hearing anything from was Jeremy..."

"And to clarify for our audience, Jeremy is?"

"Jeremy is a vampire who was trained as a vigilante by an ex-military soldier and another... more famous vigilante who's name I don't think I can mention for legal reasons?"

Scribbles looked up at the ceiling. "I think it's better to be safe than sorry." He chuckled and gave her a thumbs up. "But yes. Tell us about those feelings. Talking to him again after so long must have been weird."

"Yeah. I mean, my body didn't feel the change. It was just a really long nap for me. My body didn't suffer as many effects as his. Hearing his voice made me worried. He's got a very particular diet as a vampire that sometimes needs to be satisfied... The only thing is, whenever he feeds he feels awful afterwards. He hates that part of himself, and the first thing I hear him say is concerning him feeding? I felt bad."

"Did eventually seeing him again help you out?"

Natalie nodded, "Of course! He's one of my best friends. Seeing him alive and functioning again was okay, though he really needs to give the broody nature a rest. The bat really rubbed off on him too much."

"And your feelings on seeing your friends who showed up in the portal? Carrie? Colleen? Lenny? Vincent?" 

"Those last three were a bit hostile when I first saw them, but I can't blame them. We left them behind in a very tumultuous year. Things were happening left and right and I can't help but hate myself for leaving them. I mean, I'm glad they found a way. But we could have figured it out together. But instead, Carrie wore herself out training to travel through time, Lenny wants to murder Jeremy for putting them through this, and Vincent and Colleen are willing to help him do it! But like... I love them all. I can't imagine our Titans would be the same without those three. And Carrie... I am just glad she's okay."

"Is that all of your... You called them "Titans?" 

Natalie hung her head a bit. "We're missing quite a few. Manny is off doing God knows what with his new authority, Sam hasn't turned up. From what I last heard, the Isley twins probably died... And Rory..." Her expression hardens. "He died an honorable death, of course... Everyone else is gone." Natalie looks down at her hands, as they rest in her lap. 

Scribbles keeps quiet, letting her sit in silence for a few minutes. "Do you want to cut the interview short? It sounds like we've hit a rough spot."

Natalie wipes at her eyes and shakes her head. "No... I am sure you have more questions. Let's just do those, and I can be on my way.

"Well, I did have one more question left."

"Great." Natalie straightens in her seat, and gives them a small smile. "Fire away, dude."

Scribbles takes a deep breathe. "I actually wanted to talk to you about your new friendship with Cason."

"Oh! I love him! He's such a sweet guy!"

"You two seem to jive pretty well together. How have you guys gotten so close in such a short time?"

Natalie's smile grows, and starts to look a bit more convincing. "Oh, well you know how sometimes when you're in someone's company for a certain amount of time and you just get caught up in the conversation. That dog is a talker. We were talking in that cave for about three hours just catching up like we were old friends. I get the feeling he hasn't really had anyone to truly talk to in quite some time. Not to mention, he is really funny. We have an inside joke about how we are both bicycles!"

"Well, don't tell it yet. Save it for the stories, okay?" Scribbles grins.

Natalie laughs, "Oh sure! Just let me know when you actually get back to them!"

Scribbles jaw drops, "H-How dare you!? Dude! That is so rude!"

Natalie crosses her arms with a smirk tugging at her lips. "Rude doesn't mean wrong."

Scribbles clears his throat and turns away from her. "Wow. Thank you so much for those constructive comments and a wonderful interview, Nat." 

She waves a hand at him, and sticks her tongue out. 

Scribbles can't help but chuckle as he turns back to the audience. "Thank you so much for tuning into the character interview, everyone! We hope you enjoyed this one, and come back again for our next one!"

"Speaking of our next one, let's meet him! This is another DC OC Jeremy Phillipson is a fellow protagonist of Heroes Collide (LINK TO HIS FIRST STORY HERE) He was just a normal boy who was raised in Gotham by his single mother... until they were both ruthlessly kidnapped by the vampires of the city. They tore his mother to pieces, and infected him with immortality and an unquenchable thirst for blood. He was trained by several notable heroes but served as the protege and son for the heroine Batwoman. Read Heroes Collide in the link above, then submit any questions you have for him to the usual form! You can get to it by clicking here, or by clicking the link in the pinned tweet on my twitter!"

"Hope you have a wonderful day and a safe Halloween! Till next time, folks!

AJ Character Interview (Warning: Mentions of Abuse)

 It has been way too long. 

But we're back here again. 

It seems we both need to center ourselves. 

Remember to relax.

Calm your mind.

Let's return.

You're back in the small studio. The fairy lights blink at you amongst the familiar pink, yellow, and blue wallpaper. The armchairs are still right where they sat the last time you were here. Not much has changed since you were here last. The table in the center is occupied by two styrofoam cups, with blue straws sticking out of their lids. 

Scribbles is there, sitting comfortably in his chair like he usually is. This time, his eyes are closed and he appears to be taking a few deep and cleansing breaths. His eyes slowly open, and a grin spreads across his face. "Hey everyone! Welcome back!"

He rises from his chair and taps his cards against his paw. "We're running a little late with this character interview, which is okay. I have needed to take care of some things that have been going on. What matters right now, is that everything is okay." He smiles, reassuringly. "Everything will be okay. And nothing will keep this cat from bringing you answers!" 

You get a good view of what he is wearing today. For some reason, it looks like he had gone deep into his closet to retrieve his uniform from the last unnamed customer service job he had. He is wearing slacks, a polo advertising a specific fast food place, and a cap on his head. His feet were adorned with uncomfortable non-slip black shoes. 

"Why are you dressed like this for my interview, dude? I am confused." A voice pipes up from the other chair. 

Scribbles turns to the chair and pouts. "Shhhhh! You're not supposed to talk yet!" He turns back towards you. "Ignore that! I'll introduce him in just a second." He clears his throat. "Welcome back to my character interviews everyone! I am so glad to see you guys have come back for more! And it was so nice to hear how much some of you liked Maggie! It warmed my heart... and as soon as I said that to Maggie, she asked if she could taste it to make sure it was al dente. So I had her escorted from the studio..." He shivers a little and looks around, cautiously. 

"Luckily! My next guest does not want to consume my flesh. I introduced him last week as a candy-loving movie buff. Please welcome, the human poster boy of what customer service workers really want to do to aggravating customers, AJ!"

AJ leans forward in his chair, grabs his cup of soda, and takes a sip of his soda. "Please tell me that line wasn't the only reason you wore your uniform..." AJ's own outfit looks super comfortable. Black sweatpants, and a red pullover hoodie. His feet are fitted snugly into a pair of pitbull slippers. That being, slippers that look like cute little pitbulls. 

Scribbles sits back down in his chair, his teeth gritted into an irritated smile. "Shut up." He hisses at his guest before snatching his own cup for a sip. "So, AJ! How are you feeling about this?"

AJ leans back in his chair, still holding the cup. "I feel okay." The man looks up at the ceiling for a second. "I mean, you know what the world is like for me. I never really paid much attention to interviews. Been a bit busy."

"With the apocalypse?" Scribbles rests his paws on his lap.

"Yeah." AJ chuckles. "Thanks for that by the way."

Scribbles winks at him and clicks his tongue. "No problemo." He picks up the interview cards from the table and taps them against his knee. "Shall we begin? We have a few questions, all of them from one person." He turns to glare at a specific viewer. "I think someone needs to stop simping for my characters, Victoria!" He waves his hand a bit and starts to laugh. "I am kidding! I promise." Scribbles grins. "Tekky's the one who simps for my characters."

"Well, I am flattered by all the attention. Thank you very much!" AJ scoffs at Scribbles. 

Scribbles narrows his eyes at AJ. "Mhmm... First Question." He looks down at the cards. "Victoria asks, What is your favorite sandwich?"

AJ takes another sip of his soda, then puts the cup back on the table. "Hmm... Well, I usually use whatever I have available. I have grown very fond of Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwiches. Specifically the guava jelly. It's not easy to come by, so I have to use it very sparingly. So usually my diet consists of burgers from the theater. Since we don't get many customers at the movie theater, we have a freezer stocked with six or seven boxes frozen beef patties..."

Scribbles bites his lip. "Oh no... And how long have those boxes been there?"

"That's the thing!"AJ leaned forward again, making eye contact with Scribbles, "They keep sending us these boxes from other restaurants! I can't even begin to tell you which ones. I think they are from Seattle, but I don't handle the deliveries. Just inventory. They just come on the caravans."

"Are you sure that it's actually beef?" Scribbles' eyebrows raise. He looks genuinely curious for his own sake. 

"Dude. Yes. It's beef. The boxes are marked with the company logo." AJ narrows his eyes. "Why? Did you do something?"

Scribbles sits up straight. "No! I swear! I literally just learned about this myself. Go Seattle! I guess they're doing okay up there."

"You're a piece of work." 

"Yeah, I know..." Scribbles picks up the cards and reads the next question. "Victoria also wants to know Where is your favorite place to go on a sunny day?"

AJ scratched the back of his head. "I mean, on a sunny day? Usually, I am indoors. None of us feel safe in the direct sunlight. We're still not sure what caused the zombie outbreak, but as long as radiation is a possibility... We tend to stay in on bright, sunny days. I usually spend my time in my designated room in the public library. I have my cot and books. Or if I am feeling lucky, I'll go visit Mags at her cover house near the graveyard and we'll play board games and eat movie theater candy."

"So, you're more of an inside person?"

"For the most part." AJ shrugs. "It's easier to stay inside when you have an excuse not to be outside."

"Cool!" Scribbles moves on to the next question on the card and bites his lip. "Okay. So... Victoria also wants to know..." He glances up at AJ. 

AJ sighs and looks at the floor. "Go ahead. I knew it was coming eventually."

"Do you miss the world before?"

AJ turns in his chair, making direct eye contact with you. "I want to be very clear when I say this. While the world before was better off as far as my world goes, I do not miss it one bit. Things may have been more convenient, and less deadly... But I'd rather put in the work to keep the life I have now, than to go back to the way I was living before this all started..." He gasps for air, his voice growing hoarse towards the end of his last sentence. 

Scribbles sits in silence, giving AJ a few seconds to collect himself. "It's okay. Take a second. You do not have to elaborate on this topic if you do not want to..."

AJ takes a sip of his drink before clearing his throat. "I am fine. I just want to put my experiences into perspective for them..." He takes a soft breathe and sits up. "Okay... So, sometimes... When things get difficult for people, their true colors begin to show. You all know how it is." He squirmed a bit in his seat, trying to make himself comfortable. "Um... With the zombie infection spreading, my parents had died... I had to go seek shelter with my uncle in Atlanta. But when I got to Atlanta, my uncle apparently did not plan to immediately take me in. Long story short... One of my cousins, told my uncle something I didn't want to share with him... He screamed at me... He hit me... He locked me in a f***ing basement for a day... When he finally let me out of there and told me he was ready to deal with me..." AJ's breathing was audible from where you were sitting. 

"Okay, hold up a second." Scribbles waves his paws. "Listen, AJ. Take a second to calm down." He stood and walked over to AJ's chair, putting a paw on the boy's shoulder. "Go get yourself a bottle of water, okay. Do you want me to tell them the rest?"

AJ stood to his feet and nodded, "S-Sure. I'll just be a few seconds." He slowly walks off the set, leaving Scribbles alone.

"AJ is gonna take a second to relax offstage for a second. I want to make it clear, there are certain parts of this story that he doesn't want to say, and I am going to respect that." He went to sit back down in the chair. "For those of you who are worried, AJ didn't stay at his uncle's house for longer than the two days he mentioned. He was able to get out the front gate of the house and made it to Florida state lines." 

Scribbles crosses his legs as he settles into the chair. "In a sense -- and I believe AJ would agree -- the zombie attacks were the best thing that happened to him. After a day and a half of traveling on foot, AJ collapsed at the Florida state border... He was ready to give up... And then Maggie found him."

You can see AJ slowly making his way back to the set, holding a half-empty water bottle. "Scribbles? Mind if I pick it up here?"

"Only if you want to."

AJ gives Scribbles a small smile as he settles back into his armchair. "Well, it's my favorite part." 

"By all means, then" Scribbles gestures towards you. 

AJ grins. "The way I met Maggie was one of the funniest moments I had ever seen. I am laying there in Florida dirt and I feel this thing trip over me. I'm pretty weak at this point, so I am barely able to roll my head over to look at this girl."

"Maggie is just sprawled on the sand, cursing like a sailor. And I didn't even realize she was undead until she said she was. So she is able to get up and turns to me like "Watch where you're going!" and then I was like "You tripped over me!" And I just sat there for five minutes arguing with this zombie. I think she was going to try and eat me... But then she noticed the bruises and all the wear and tear my journey had given me."

Scribbles nods. "What happened when she saw it all?"

"She got really quiet. She clearly recognized the signs of abuse... She asked me what happened... And just like that, I broke down. I told her what happened. Everything. I couldn't stop myself. I just thought I was going to die and I wanted to go not having anything left unsaid... And for a second, I was just there crying and I feel her just wrap me in a hug." AJ sniffles a bit, and then laughs. "Her arm fell off mid-hug."

"And that's how you ended up in Jacksonville?"

"Yeah. After she reattached her arm, she brought me to her cover house until the bruises had healed and then brought me into the town. The leaders were very understanding and took me in immediately. Other cities I had tried to enter, wouldn't even think of letting me in straight from the outside... But there, they checked me over and made sure I was okay after letting me in." 

Scribbles nods "So to tie it back to Victoria's question..."

"No. I don't miss it. I like the way it is now. I don't think I'd change anything."

"Speaking of changing, AJ... I do believe Victoria has one more question for you. And I have to say, she may have asked just the right questions for this interview. Have you ever thought about becoming a zombie yourself?"

AJ puts his hand to his chin and scratches it. "Ooooh! Yeah. I do. I do it all the time. I think the only reason I'm not currently one, is because Maggie's a big ol' softie for me."

Scribbles grins, "So you're saying Maggie wouldn't bite you even if you asked her?"

AJ shook his head. "Nope. She's my protective older sister. Really old sister." He giggles. "My dead sister."

"Well, good! Because you're right! She's not the one who turns you!" Scribbles grins and turns back towards you. "Well, that is all the time we have!"

AJ jumps in his chair. "I'm sorry, what?"

"Don't worry about it, AJ!" Scribbles chuckles. "I hope you enjoyed this character interview! If you did, please consider sending me questions for future installments! You can also follow me on any of the social media accounts mentioned on my blog's sidebar!"

"Speaking of future installments, let's meet our next guest! Have you read Heroes Collide? Have you even heard of it yet? It's this super fun series I started in 2019, and while it has been on break for a while... Which someone should probably remedy soon. Not gonna call myself out here..."

Scribbles coughs into his arm and glares up at the sky. "Frick..." He took a deep breathe. "Anyways! Heroes Collide is a series I started as a fun little character exercise! It combines fan characters inspired by heroes from the DC Universe and pairs them up with several of my own beloved (At least by me) characters. It's a dystopian storyline with some choose your own adventure elements coming into play down the road!"

"And who better to bring in to interview, than the first person we meet in that story! Natalie! She's got super strength, super speed, and a whole cacophony of other abilities that she's used to fight crime. But how can those abilities help her in a universe where everything seems to be falling in on itself!"

"To learn more about Natalie, please go check out the series on Wattpad! You'll be introduced to Natalie, her friends, and several possibly familiar faces. There are twenty stories featuring zombies, gunfights, unrequited love, and a bunch of snark. So make sure to read Natalie's introduction (https://www.wattpad.com/797734928-heroes-collide-natalie), and the rest of the series! Then head over to the form and submit your questions for Natalie! Have a wonderful day, and I'll see you here next time! Bye!"

Maggie's Interview

You're back.

It's good to see you have returned.

It has been a while. 

Take a few minutes to take some deep breaths. 

Good. 

You're back in the small studio. The pink, yellow, and blue wallpaper has been decorated with strings of fairy lights that make the wall look festive and inviting. You see the armchairs as they were before with a small table in between, with a tray on top. On this tray are a steaming tea kettle and two ceramic cups. A fuzzy, spotted paw picks one of the cups and the paw's owner brings the cup towards them to hold above their lap.

Scribbles' warm inviting smile lights up when he realizes you are there. "Hello! Welcome back!" He takes a small sip of tea, then slowly returns the cup to rest on the table. "I hope you don't mind the tea. It's been a long week, and I am looking to chill a bit for this interview."

He's dressed similarly to the last interview. Clad in slacks, a white button-down shirt, and a vest. This vest is an interesting variation of checkered squares colored yellow, white, purple, and black. 

Scribbles stands up from his armchair. "As you can probably guess, it's time for another character interview! As you know, I have been accepting questions on social media and on the form, I put up. And I am excited to say, I got a few very enthusiastic responses!" He smiles and sits back down in the chair. "As expected, I have a very lovely guest with me today."

He smiles and picks up a stack of cards from the table beside him and glances down at them. "I introduced her last week as a simple zombie. But really, there is a lot more to her. Her interests include makeup, old movies, and actively avoiding turning her best friend into a zombie! It's Maggie!"

You look over at the other armchair and see what looks like just an ordinary girl. She has curly black hair, green eyes, and a beautifully painted face. She is dressed in a baggy green sweater, black sweatpants, and a pair of doggy slippers. She holds her teacup in her hands, though you do see them shaking a little. "Hey, Scribbles. Nice to be here." She glanced at the cheetah host with a big smile. "You look delicious."

Scribbles let out a nervous chuckle and scooted his armchair back a little. "Oh, you! I thought we discussed comments like that."

Maggie blinked. "Huh? Did I say something wrong?"

Scribbles nodded, "Yep! Called me delicious."

"Oops! I meant handsome. Sorry. It's been a while since I last ate." Maggie gently put her teacup back onto the table. 

"No worries! Absolutely no worries." Scribbles laughed, but his eyes darted towards you in mild terror. "Onto the questions! Right!" He collected himself and looked down at the question cards. "So Maggie! The way this goes is I have an assortment of questions here! Some are from our readers, and some are from me!"

"Yes. I am aware. Thank you."

"Okay!" Scribbles cleared his throat and put the cards back onto the table so he could retrieve his cup for another sip of tea. "Tell me about your relationship with the people in Jacksonville." 

Maggie leaned back in her chair. "Well, that's kind of difficult to say for me. I don't really interact with many people in the town. I mean, in the story, I only encounter six people and two of them... well... You know how that ended."

Scribbles nodded. "Yep. I wrote it." He turned to look towards you. "If you haven't checked out "Zombies Hate Theater Crashers!" yet, go read it! You'll learn more about Maggie, and our next guest!"

Maggie chuckled at the (debatably) shameless self-promotion and continued. "The only people I have really interacted with in town are my best friend, AJ, and one of the cities leaders, Catherine."

"Tell me a bit about your relationship with AJ."

"God... He's one of the greatest humans I know. He's genuine, kind, respectful. He is always able to take everything with such ease and patience. I've known him for about two years at this point, and he's been like a little brother. We take care of each other."

"You mention in the story that he isn't originally from the city. Can you tell us anything like that?"

Maggie bit her lip. "I am not sure how much I can really say on this because it is not really my story to tell." She looked at the wall behind them, staring at it absentmindedly. "The apocalypse gave him the strength to break free from a very abusive home. He's overcome so much to become who he is today... Stuff no one should have to put up with."

Scribbles nodded. "Let's move away from AJ and talk about Catherine. What makes her notable to you?"

Maggie's gaze trailed back towards Scribbles and she let herself smile, as she brushed some hair behind her ear. "Catherine is just a very sweet woman. Kindness is something that is so rare in humans after all of the crap they went through with the rising dead and everything that came with it. Even though I can easily pass as a human, I give off very intense and intimidating vibes. But that never stops her from starting conversations or cracking jokes."

"It's always nice to find people like that in life, isn't it?" Scribbles picked up the stack of question cards again. "So, before we go into the audience's questions, I have got to ask! How do you always look so..."

"Normal?" Maggie grinned. "AJ asks me all of the time. Even some of the zombies back home forget I'm not alive. My face is a miracle!"

"You must have an excellent skincare routine."

"Only for my mug." She giggled and pulled up one of her sleeves to show off her decaying arm. You can clearly see the bone peeking through the rotting flesh of her arm. Big chunks of it are missing. You quickly look away.

It seems Scribbles has a similar idea, and is holding the interview cards over his face. "I am not sure if that is okay to show, Maggie. Can you please put your sleeve down?"

Maggie rolled her eyes and let out a grunt. "That's so disrespectful." She pulled her sleeve back down and crossed her arms in front of her. "It's down."

Scribbles slowly lowered the cards, and peeked over them. "Sorry! Some of us have weak stomachs."

Maggie grinned, "Me too. You know... With the whole being dead thing."

Scribbles let himself relax in the chair again. "Ah! Beetlejuice! That actually reminds me of one our reader's questions!" He looks at the cards. "Cedric asks, What kind of music does Maggie listen to?"

"Maggie likes musicals!" She grinned and leaned forward in her armchair. "You'd be surprised how many of the zombies I know, were theatre kids when they were alive. My whole aesthetic as an undead creature is "They're Only Human" from the Death Note Musical. Other than that, I listen to a myriad of other genres. Usually any electronic abandoned at our graveyard is scoured for music. If I had to list off other singers I liked I'd have to include Against the Current, BTS, and Michelle Creber."

Scribbles blinked. "That is an odd assortment... So K-Pop, Alternative, and that one girl who was in MLP: Friendship is Magic?"

Maggie's eyes widened. "Dude! That's where she is from! I thought I recognized her voice!"

Scribbles cleared his throat. "Moving on! This next question is from my best friend..." His eyes narrowed as he looked at the card, then over toward the audience. "Shane." He bit his lip and tried to hold back a smile. "Shane's... question is actually more of a statement. I am not sure what it means. Shane says Wake up Maggie I think I've got something to say to you."

"Hello!" Maggie looks out towards the audience as if looking for the reader that asked her this question. "I know that song. And like... you know. If you want to say something, I am single and ready!"

"Shane has a boyfriend."

Maggie grumbled and lowered her eyebrows. "What a tease."

Scribbles chuckled, "He sure is something." He looked back at the cards. "Our next question is from Cyrus! Cyrus asks..." Scribbles inhaled sharply and looked away from the card. "Before I ask this, I need you to promise not to show the arm again please, Maggie."

Maggie grinned and rested her chin on her hand. "No promises, cheesecake."

Scribbles blinked, "I do not hate that nickname... Cyrus asks, How do you make your exposed bone so pearly white?"

"Oh that is easy." Maggie pretended she was about to pull up her sleeve. "I use baking soda. I'm dead so it really doesn't hurt at all. I just use an old toothbrush and mix the baking soda with water. It makes it look really nice."

"Don't!" Scribbles hissed. The fur on his head ruffled a bit when he did. He looked a little flustered as Maggie grinned back at him. "Um... Don't know where that came from. Our last audience question comes from my friend, Auro! Auro asks, What made you decide to become a zombie?"

Maggie smirked, "Ooooh! I like this question. There are two answers to this one, to be honest. The fun one is, human life sucks! You're a human... I assume. You have a job, you deal with abrasive and upsetting situations and people every day. I know this, not from personal experience with human life, but from what I see. Being a zombie? Sure, it takes a lot from you. Mostly ribs and flesh. Sure, you are still dead inside! But at least your outside matches now! Right?" Maggie giggled. "But in all seriousness, I don't think I made this choice. Though, who knows. I could have. Maybe I signed a contract before I died. This could all be the result of human Maggie's deal with the devil!"

"You are so devilishly delightful, Maggie!" Scribbles smiled at her and then turned to face the audience. "Thanks to everyone that sent in a question! I hope you all enjoyed this interview! Maggie, do you have anything you think I should plus here at the end?"

Maggie nodded, "Yes! Zombies Hate Theater Crashers is on Wattpad! Go read it! It's a fun adventure of what it's like when people talk in movie theaters."

"Thank you so much, Maggie! She is correct! And our next guest is also featured in that story! Maggie's best friend, AJ, is a human who works in a movie theatre. He loves movies in general, and has a lot of film knowledge, loves candy, and as Maggie said earlier, he has been through some tough stuff. So prepare yourself for the next interview by reading "Zombies Hate Theater Crashers!" and remember to send any interview questions for AJ to the form!"

"We'll see you next time!"

Character Interviews: A Whole New Chapter.

I want you to close your eyes. 

I want you to clear your mind. 

Use your imagination for this next post.

You ready?

Good.

Open your eyes. 

Before you sits a small set, backed against walls covered in pink, yellow, and blue striped wallpaper. In front of these walls are two red armchairs. In one of those armchairs, is a medium-sized cheetah you recognize. Their fur is brushed and they are uncharacteristically dressed like they're going to a red carpet showing of a movie based off of a book that still has yet to be written. Clad in slacks, a white button-down shirt, and a bedazzled vest, the cheetah stands from the chair on the right. 

"Hello!" Scribbles smiles warmly, like he's smiling directly at you. "Welcome back to character interviews!"

He slowly sits back down in his chair and taps the cards in one paw against the other. "It has been way too long since I have down one of these! And I figured since I had been planning to bring it back anyway, I'd give it a bit of an upgrade! We have a set, we have a new format, and most important..." Scribbles raises a paw to the air. "New characters to interview!"

You hear an obviously pre-recorded audience clap from behind you, which is confusing because... This is all in your head. Right?

"Now, let's refresh ourselves on the purpose of these interviews." Scribbles lifts one of his legs up and crosses it over the other. "I started these four or so years back so we could all get to know the characters I have created better. And it was a fun process! I would present a character to my readers, and my readers would send me questions in return! I would then conduct an interview of sorts with the character! Things were crazy, but it didn't matter to me. It was a fun practice and that is why I am bringing it back!"

"Things will be a bit different this time, though. I will still be interviewing characters, new ones and ones who have already been through this."

The cat let out a chuckle.  "Now why would I repeat interviews? Is this just a ploy to get more views and interaction? These are both fair questions. So yes. I am obviously starving for attention! Let's just get that out of the way. But some of these original interviews happened four or so years ago. These characters are in my head and all of them have grown more over time. Some of them have had big changes made to them. And their stories deserve to be told, even outside of the work they are featured in."

"One main thing that will change, is that I am not going to solely rely on you all to send in every single question I use. And the timeframe between the interviews will change as well. These changes go hand and hand almost. While I will be using any questions my readers have for these interviews, I will also be throwing in some of my own questions to spice things up. I want to reveal who my characters are outside of the story they are in." 

"With me today, I have my first ever guest for a character interview ever. She is here to help me demonstrate the new format." Scribbles snuck a peek from the cards. "She is one of the primary antagonists of one of my favorite works in progress, Penned to Kill: A Jackson Pacer Mystery. Readers of my blog will remember her as a thorn in young writer, Jackson Pacer's, side. Beauty queen, head cheerleader -- and again I add-- Antagonist..." Scribbles shoots a toothy grin towards the occupant of the other chair. "Shelby Keener!"

The seat across from where Scribbles is sitting is occupied by a teenage girl. She is 5'll, blonde, and sitting with perfect posture despite the sour grimace on her face. She is wearing a long-sleeved pink shirt and blue jeans. "Somehow, that intro was meaner than the one you gave last time." She looked away from Scribbles. "Let it be known, I did not want to do this!"

Scribbles giggled mischievously and looked down at the cards in his paws. "Wonderful to see you back here, Shelby. I thought it would be good to give you a proper interview whilst not being a jerk. Just because I hate you, doesn't mean my audience will too."

"Yeah... I do not trust this at all."

"Perfect!" Scribbles looks up from the cue cards. "I asked you this during the last interview when you weren't prepared. Here's your chance to form a better answer." Scribbles pauses, reaches for a glass of water on the table between the two chairs, takes a sip, then returns the glass to it's spot on the table. "Shelby. You are the head cheerleader at your high school. How much cheerleading experience do you have?"

Shelby clears her throat. "I have been put through rigorous training for a majority of my life, to be honest. Between that and pageantry, both are difficult, but the endurance it took to become a cheerleader was far harder for me. And I had been involved in the sport since I was seven."

Scribbles nodded, "Of course. Both fields must be insanely competitive. The pressure and stress that must put on someone..."

Shelby shifted in her seat a bit. "Let's just say it's hard staying on the top."

"I can understand that. And you really like staying on the top, don't you?" Scribbles narrows his eyes. 

Shelby coughs and looks away. 

"Moving on!" He flips to the next card. "Here's a fun one!" Scribbles turns to you, the viewer. "Here's an example of a question someone might send in!" He turned back to face Shelby. "If I were going to buy you a coffee for your birthday, what kind of coffee should I get?"

"Hmm... That is a good one."

"Came up with it myself!"

"Oh..." Shelby rested her head on her palm and bit her lip. "I'd have to go with a Trenta iced coffee with cream, four pumps of raspberry, and four pumps of white mocha. I also love putting a dash of cinnamon on the top."

Scribbles' face scrunched up in disgust. "I do not understand how you drink that."

"Shut up! It is my drink, dammit!" 

Scribbles turned back to look at you again. "Then the third type of question I might throw in for fun is one to poke into their brain a bit. For example..." He turned back to Shelby. "Final question for this interview... What is it about Jackson Pacer that upsets you so much?"

Shelby didn't say anything for about a minute. Scribbles looked at his watch, then at the wall while he waited for her to think of an answer.

"I hate you."

Scribbles shrugged, "Not surprised, with the plot I have planned for you."

"What was that?"

"Nothing!"

"Listen, Jackson Pacer is a... He's scary! He doesn't talk, he's pale like he's the Grim Reaper or some crazy *BEEP* like that! He doesn't leave his house except for school and when I do interact with him he's cold. He talks to me like I am an annoyance to him and, like, I kind of hate him. I just started being rude to him because he freaks me the *BEEP* out and I don't like the energy he gives off. Of course, my brother Mikey loves him. Can't get enough of the guy. It pisses me off that he's still a feature in my life."

Scribbles puts the cue cards down on the table beside them. "Truly an honest answer... Have you considered that you might just not like him?"

"I just said that."

Scribbles blinks. "Oh! Sorry."

Shelby crossed her arms. "This is why I didn't want to come."

Scribbles smiles. "Well! That wraps up this character interview! Thank you, Shelby, for coming despite my obvious dislike for you! If any of you readers want to learn more about Shelby Keener, I will be posting some links to chapters of Penned to Kill that you can find her featured in! Don't forget to answer the poll on the sidebar! Would you want to see Shelby Keener included when Heroes Collide possibly returns? Or do you think I should just finish the darn book first!"

"Next character interview will be in this same format so please, on the form I am going to be linking, make sure to leave your thoughts on things I can do to improve, along with questions for my next interview subject!"

"Zombies Hate Theater Crashers is the story of a zombie who just wants to watch a movie without it being spoiled. Too bad even the apocalypse has rude people. Maggie is just a simple zombie, but really she is so much more. Check out the full story over on my Wattpad! Then come back and submit any questions you might have for Maggie! 

Fear Street: 1978 (Review with Light Spoilers!)

This post is coming a bit later than I would like. I am posting this after coming back from Megaplex and mostly writing it before I leave! Why? Because I cannot allow myself to prioritize correctly! Wooohoo!'

Fear Street: 1978 is the second installment in the Fear Street Trilogy that was released on Netflix this summer. For those of you who kept up with my last post, you know I set out to review the first movie of this trilogy last week. And as I said in that review, this series only gets better as it keeps going along. This film is a high point of the series, particularly because of it's actors. Most people will probably recognize Ziggy's actress, Sadie Sink, as Max from Stranger Things. And she and the others did an amazing job with this movie.

There will be spoilers in this review. I will withhold as many as I can! ALSO! FEAR STREET IS NOT FOR CHILDREN! ALL THREE MOVIES INCLUDE DRUGS, SEX, GORE, MURDERS, AND TONS OF PROFANITY.

Rather than just follow the kids from the first film, this movie mainly focuses on the story of the Berman sisters, Ziggy and Cindy at Camp Nightwing in 1978. The story is told by a woman named C. Berman, a woman who was introduced in the first movie as someone who had encountered the witch, Sarah Fier. The survivors from the first film break into her tightly locked shelter desperate for any advice or knowledge of how to shake off the curse. So she relays what she remembers from her time at the camp.

Camp Nightwing is a camp where the two towns, Shadyside and Sunnyvale, can coexist and enjoy summer together. Ziggy is a camper at the camp, while her sister Cindy is a counselor. Ziggy isn't too cool with being at the camp, nor being around her sister. So this gets her in trouble from time to time, as she acts out. She is targeted relentlessly by campers from the Sunnyvale group. The sisters have animosity between them as Cindy seems to want to be above being a Shadysider, while Ziggy scorns her for what she sees as idiocy. Ziggy believes in the curse of Shadyside, while Cindy thinks if she lives a nice good life she can escape the misfortunes of their home town.

The concept this movie brings up a lot is the difference between the two towns. With the curse of Shadyside, there is the flipside of the successful Sunnyvale. People from Sunnyvale (with one exception, sort of) are portrayed in this series as snobbish and very entitled. Meanwhile Shadysiders are more resigned, renegades, or escapists. There is an obvious bias against anyone from Shadyside which comes up more prominently in this film than the first. There is also a symbolic element to this concept throughout the movie, one I almost didn't catch until the second go-through. (I cannot say though. SPOILERS.)

The movie expands the idea of Shadysiders' just snapping. We are introduced to the killer of this movie before he even snaps and becomes the Nightwing Killer. He is Cindy's kind and innocent boyfriend and fellow Shadyside councilor, Tommy. 

Vinnie! Stop! Spoilers! 

Believe it or not, this is not a spoiler either. The movie lets you know he is the killer and makes you watch as he slowly comes under the influence of the curse. Actor McCabe Slye shows great range as the nice boy Tommy in his slow descent into the devil's grasp. 

This movie also shines light on another killer's backstory from the first film. Ruby Lane, a young girl who took a razor to her friends, her boyfriend, and herself. The girl's mother is the camp nurse, a character we actually end up seeing in all three movies. (The acting in this series in amazing.) The troubled woman is only in a few minutes of this movie, but you see the pain of a mother who didn't understand why her child just snapped. She had gone looking for the truth and found it... Unfortunately in trying to prevent the curse from taking another victim, she gets knocked out of commission before any of the bloodshed starts.

There are two other standout characters in this film. The characters of Nick Goode and Alice.

Nick Goode appears in the first film as the Sherriff of Shadyside. I didn't mention him in the first film as he didn't really have a part in that in that film other than appearing in the opening scene and playing the roll of the police who don't buy the character's testimonies. In this film though, he is a lot more grounded and actually a super likeable character. He is a young camp counselor, introduced as a Sunnyvaler who is slated to take the roll of Sherriff after his father's death. He is mostly associated with Ziggy, and takes a liking to her after he saves her for getting burned by b*tch supreme, Sheila and is able to relate to her with Stephen King and other things. The chemistry the two have is amazing and it feels very genuine. He obviously was not my favorite with the existence of other better characters but he was decent nonetheless.

Speaking of better characters, we have Alice. Played by non-binary actor, Ryan Simpkins, this character is by far one of the best in the series. Alice has all of the workings to be a character thoughtlessly murdered in the beginning of a camp slasher. Drugs, Sex, Rock N' Roll, antagonistic towards the likeable good-girl, Cindy. But Alice is given extensive backstory that ties to the way Cindy is. Ryan Simpkins shows the best range here for Alice, going from silly, to angry, to terrified. Alice and Cindy's dynamic in the film is one of the most realistic parts of this film. Their relationship is a testament to the way Shadysiders handle being in a "cursed" town. Some, like Cindy, try to live life as good as they can  in hopes of escape. And some, like Alice resign themselves to the town and just try to live while they still can. Alice turns out to be a really quick thinker and is actually a main part of the reason the plot moves forward for them.

C. Berman. Yes. I can see your shocked expressions. I am well aware. I do want to talk about Gillian Jacobs' character in this movie. This is what I expect a survivor of a serial killer to look and act like. OCD and Paranoia. The idea of the safety of self over others; the resigning to people thinking you are crazy. This is very reminiscent of the Laurie Strode we got in the 2018 Halloween sequel. You only see a handful of her in this movie, but she demands attention with every second of her dialogue.

A final comment before I get to reviewing everything I hated and loved. This movie answers the question of what happens is Jason killed campers. The movie had Tommy killing counselors and campers alike, (Though with the campers, they were killed off-screen. I appreciate that the movie didn't want to go too dark with the carnage. It deepens the dagger into Shadyside's hopelessness. The curse can affect anyone.)

Downsides to this film? My gripes only really surround Nick. There's a budding relationship in this film between Ziggy and Nick and it's made VERY clear that Nick is a counselor and that Ziggy is a camper. I am not sure how the ages are in this film so that element is a bit awkward there? Nick is clearly at least a year older than Ziggy but it is weird. Also why are there no other adults at the camp ground. There is usually some higher up person that actually looks like they're old enough to be a head counselor. All these counselors in this movie looked rather young (except for the nurse) and they seemed to be in charge of the whole camp. 

Upsides? Other than those things, this movie was pretty good. This was a tried and true 80's slasher and you could tell. We got more lore into the curse and the backstory of Sarah Feir, and the beating heart of this mystery is coming into clear view. Alice, Cindy, and Ziggy make for great characters, each embodying a different aspect of final girl energy! Tommy was super likeable which made everything worse. The tension between the kids from both towns made you want to see every Sunnyvale kid burn, but the movie didn't want to give it to you. It knows what kind of movie it is, and it really delivers.

Overall! I give this movie a 9/10. Not much explanation needed here. It is very clear that I love this one. 

There is one more part of the trilogy, which I will cover later. Hope you guys have a good night!

Fear Street: 1994 (Review? Light Spoilers)

If you know me at all...

If you have had any type of conversation with me in the last year...

You already know what I am about to say.

Vinnie is a collection of small woodland creatures in wrapped in blue flannel.

NO! Well... yes? It's complicated. But that is not the point.

The point is, I L-O-V-E horror. Stories! Movies! Tv Shows! For normal readers of my blog or my stories, it's no surprise. I am a huge fan of the horror genre, particularly the slasher genre.  Normally my horror interest stems from mystery. There's a killer with a mask hunting down teenagers. Who is the masked killer? 

Horror is an exciting genre. The Ring, Alien, Scream. All great movies. And as the years have gone by, horror has grown so much. In the last five or so years there have been so many good horror movies and shows coming out (Not just slashers. I do love them all equally for the most part.) Movies and tv shows like Get Out, Freaky, Netflix's Haunting anthology series, American Horror Story (only certain seasons), and Supernatural (Again, certain seasons.) are among some of my favorite examples.

However, this summer introduced me to a series of horror movies that I thoroughly enjoyed. 

I am talking about the Fear Street trilogy on Netflix! The series was inspired by the more young adult-oriented novels written by R.L. Stine, and directed by Leigh Janiak. 

People may see the name R.L. Stine and think "OH! That is the man who wrote Goosebumps! These are probably going to be such cool movies!" Which would be correct! However, this is not Goosebumps. In fact, going into this review, I am going to put a big ol' warning on this one!

FEAR STREET IS NOT FOR CHILDREN! ALL THREE MOVIES INCLUDE DRUGS, SEX, GORE, MURDERS, AND TONS OF PROFANITY. Also, there is a light spoiler warning though I will try my darnedest not to reveal too much.

Fear Street is divided into three movies. Part One was called 1994, Part Two was called 1978, and Part Three was called 1666. Each movie covered a different story with an overarching story that I think connected them all wonderfully. I will try to cover each in a different post because... there is a lot to cover. 

1994 introduced us to Shadyside and Sunnyvale. Sunnyvale is a perfect city, while Shadyside... Shadyside is a city with a grim history of killing and bloodshed, reeling from the recent set of killings. It is amidst this that we meet our protagonists. Deena, a girl who is recovering from a breakup. Sam, the ex who moved to Sunnyvale and tried to get over Deena. Josh, Deena's little brother who's obsessed with the history of the town. Kate, the pretty girl looking to get out of town. Simon, a goof. A series of events including a rivalry between the town's youths, and a car crash lead the characters to encounter a series of ruthless killers from the town's past. 

This movie was a great way to start a horror series. It paid great homage to some great 90's horror, while giving its own spin to the classic tropes of those types of movies. It's a classic slasher mystery. But the mystery isn't of who the killer is, the mystery of this film is more How? Or why? It presents a problem. Long before their time, a witch named Sarah Fier cursed the town of Shadyside. Every so often, her curse claims a victim who snaps and kills a bunch of people. These killers range from a bagheaded camp counselor, to a 50's milkman, to even a puritan preacher. 

Now you're probably thinking, VINNIE! What the heck? That is a huge spoiler!

But it isn't. For this whole trilogy, the people holding the knife/razor/axe are shown to the audience. Sarah Fier's curse is the main story of the show. The main purpose of this first film is how to stop the killing.

Downsides to this first film? There weren't too many. In a movie that subverted the genre of horror, they still had the classic tropes of people going to investigate weird noises, couples going off to have emotional moments/hookups when they know that multiple killers are out for their blood, and a few weird scenes where characters are clearly thrown in for the sequels. However, these aren't awful things! I think they add to the movie. One of these particular scenes leads to some of the funniest dialogue in the movie. 

Upsides? This movie does a hell of a job kicking off the series. It sets up the rest of the trilogy rather nicely. The cast is amazing. The movie gives us a rare instance of LGBTQ+ representation in the cast and a movie where people of color aren't picked off one by one. If you are a fan of the gory movies, this one is probably the best out of the trilogy for that. The opening is SO well done! And I know I already commented on the cast, but each of the characters was great. Deena felt like an angry teenager who was still ready to do anything for Sam. Josh does a good job of conveying the lore of the curse while filling out the nerdy little brother role. Kate and Simon were really great characters and felt like real teenagers. (SIMON IS MY FAVORITE) And Sam... Well... You will have to watch the movie. 

In conclusion, this movie was a good start to the series! It established the story and gave us people to root for. I'd give it a solid 8/10. 

An 8/10? I thought you loved this movie!

That is true. But there are two other movies in this series. And trust me, it gets better from here. However, I currently don't have time to write it. Plus, I know some of you. Reading this on a screen can't be easy so why should I make you read an entire essay about three movies when I could easily split it into parts? 

Okay. BYE! 

Update

 The last two months have been super packed with things. Some good! And some bad. And some... Some of them make me wish there was a camera around that I could give an unamused glare. Point is! I am alive! YAY! It got rough; it is currently still a bit rough. But things are better now!

I have survived! The year is halfway (Over Halfway? I feel like this is more accurate.) And it has been awhile, but I am ready to see how many more goals I pulled off in these last few months! I have copied the list from the earlier goals post to see how well I have faired. 

• Write Resolutions!
• Graduate with my English BA
• Pass my two hardest classes
• Write more poetry  (I wrote many more!)
• Make steps towards vaccination. (Completely vaccinated since before)
• Do more editing (professional/personal/commissions) (I have done two more.)
• Read a book! (Maybe one of the cool flashy ones by your friends!)  (I have read two! The Dragon Tax by Ian Madison Keller, and The Melody of a Street Corner by Sean Rivercritic.
• Submit a story to Werewolves versus Suburbia (It wasn't accepted.)
• Have a new story come out in an anthology (Three are in the works! Hopefully, to be released soon!)
• Write PJ related short stories and related things
• Finish drafting Sunnydale
• Get a new job in the school system
• Complete any commissions I have queued up.
• Write more Heroes Collide
• Expand "Spirit of Christmas" to a pocket shot or novella (Making good progress on this one!
• Complete a very special rewrite!
• Love Me (I am serious about this)
• Exercise a bit more (I actually did this one!)
• Play a sport? (Try again.)
• Learn how to dance! (The sport one seems more realistic. You have two left feet!)
• Write more blog post(s) (Ummmm... Oops?)
• Write another zombie story. (You know the one.)
• Finish Zombies Hate Vegans
• Finish SIR REGINALD THE HETEROSEXUAL ROGUE
• Finish Justice Served Cold
• Do some work on Jackson Pacer: Penned to Kill
• Do some work on Calamity High
• Write a story for the Pirate Puppers Anthology
• Fanfiction??? (YES!)
• Make my way to Megaplex this year!

There aren't any NEW goals except for one! The convention one, of course! Hopefully I have a chance to complete some other goals soon! I do have a post or two planned for soon, but we'll cross that bridge when we get there! ;) Thanks for reading! Take care of yourselves. 

UPDATE ON MY GOALS!

 Been awhile since I have posted but there have been some updates on the goals list I posted earlier in the year and I am excited to cross them out. So here we go! 

• Write Resolutions!
• Graduate with my English BA
• Pass my two hardest classes
• Write more poetry  (I wrote many more!)
• Make steps towards vaccination. (Shot One: Complete!)
• Do more editing (professional/personal/commissions) (Have since edited a book I am extremely excited about!)
• Read a book! (Maybe one of the cool flashy ones by your friends!)  (I have read two! The Dragon Tax by Ian Madison Keller, and The Melody of a Street Corner by Sean Rivercritic.
• Submit a story to Werewolves versus Suburbia
• Have a new story come out in an anthology (Two are in the works! Hopefully, to be released soon!)
• Write PJ related short stories and related things
• Finish drafting Sunnydale
• Get a new job in the school system
• Complete any commissions I have queued up.
• Write more Heroes Collide
• Expand "Spirit of Christmas" to a pocket shot or novella
• Complete a very special rewrite!
• Love Me (I am serious about this)
• Exercise a bit more (This is not serious)
• Play a sport? (Try again.)
• Learn how to dance! (The sport one seems more realistic. You have two left feet!)
• Write more blog post(s)
• Write another zombie story. (You know the one.)
• Finish Zombies Hate Vegans
• Finish SIR REGINALD THE HETEROSEXUAL ROGUE
• Finish Justice Served Cold
• Do some work on Jackson Pacer: Penned to Kill
• Do some work on Calamity High
• Write a story for the Pirate Puppers Anthology
• Fanfiction???

I might have added a few things to this list! But I am excited to say I was able to cross off seven things this time! Any work towards improvement is still progress so this is a win! :D Hopefully I continue to do well!

ADHD and my writing

In times past, I have dropped the ball on writing for this blog more times than I can count. You guys already know this because I have apologized so often for this so many times, you'd think I was one of those problematic influencers. 

But I am not. I am just a simple chee... who at times forgets he has a blog that sometimes would like to feature more than one post a month.

Now just a warning before I start, I will be talking about my experience with ADHD. I want to make it clear that I do not see ADHD as a negative deterrent in my life, and I understand that not everyone has the same experience with it.  I am just writing this because I am acknowledging that I may not be as productive as I could because I am easily distracted.

What is ADHD? First off, according to psychiatry.org, ADHD (Attention Deficit/Hyperactive Disorder) is a common mental disorder mostly found in children, though it can also be found in adults. People with ADHD can tend to be people who have a hard time focusing, people who behave in a hyperactive, and people who act on impulse without thinking. These are just the main symptoms psychiatry.org mentions. It goes into more symptoms later on and I cannot share them all otherwise this post would turn into something that I did not intend for it to become. So click here if you want to learn more about ADHD and the symptoms. 

How do I know I have ADHD though? A valid question.

I was tested for it as a kid, and the doctor told my parents I needed to go on medicine for it so I could pay better attention in class. They don't really say much about it besides that. And I stopped taking the medicine after ten years because I ended up getting sick while taking it. As the years have gone by, I still recognize the same traits I have always had that I never knew were connected to ADHD. Forgetfulness, bad organization skills, easily distracted, issues with focus. These are all things I still struggle with today. 

And these symptoms of ADHD are things that people in my past have gotten angry with me about, and I am not talking about my teachers. I am talking about adults in my life, former friends, other people. I always talked way too much as a kid, or got really loud and excited when something good happened to me. I was also a very active kid, so I moved around a lot. I also had an issue with finding my place in conversations, which I am not 100% sure is a symptom of ADHD but it is something that people would yell at me over.

I guess people thought that negative reinforcement when I did something like the things in the above paragraph would help me or something? I don't know. I donh't know if they really ever helped me. 

I am pretty open about myself, so I am going to share a very personal story. My family is very religious, and I used to be that way too. I used to participate in a bible study with people who were five to six years older than me from the time I was maybe... 12 till about 20. Maybe more, maybe less. I am not too sure how the time worked out. And this group of guys liked to study the bible and talk about issues in their lives, and since it was a bible study the topics of sharing struggles with certain sins came up. And since I thought it was good to have people who could possibly help me become a better person in my own walk with God, I participated. But week after week, I'd find myself not being able to comment as much in conversations. Maybe it was my age they didn't take seriously or the fact that I sometimes had to talk over people because I was getting ignored... I don't know. Some of these guys didn't like that I would talk over them or get distracted when I wasn't being involved in the conversation, so some of them would decide to either ignore me more or immediately shut me down. My father was apart of this group too, same as me. Looking back, he was given a similar treatment, though not by much because he was a pastor, and the oldest person in the room... I am getting off topic somehow. I took the things that happened in that group seriously, even though my nature seemed like all I wanted to do was not pay attention and talk whenever I wanted. There are other things I could say here... I spent a good deal typing up some qualms I had here... But that is not the point of this post.

Things like this may have lessened some of my symptoms. For example, I do not talk much to people unless I am comfortable around them. I am a bit mellowed out and really don't get overly excited unless I feel comfortable showing excitement. I feel like the person I was as a kid has been drowned out and I am just a shell of the happy, outgoing, crazy, fun person I used to be. And now people tell me, "Oh, you're so different! You seem so depressed lately! What's wrong?"

... It's something I still don't know how to handle properly. Especially as a writer. I started this blog as a way to possibly share my stories with the world. And I have done that at points. I just post in segments of a year like maybe I will be consistent for like five months! Then work or school or a worldwide pandemic will come along and I'll get wrapped up in something else. 

I love to create stories and I want to be the best writer I can be. I have also been doing some editing recently and I am really glad that I have had the chance to grow as a writer and help people better their own writing at the same time. But there is always that nagging in my head that people may not respect me as a writer because I don't nearly post as much writing as my friends do. People won't take me seriously as a writer when all I did was write an adequate book three years ago and published two short stories in a completely different genre. And then I'll get in my head about the stuff I have published. Was that stuff even any good? Do my editors think I am a good writer? Do my writer friends judge me because I seem to care more about making personal connections and friendships more than I do about writing? I mean I do care about friendships. I think the people I am close to are great... 

This. This above was a tangent I wrote. I kept this in here because that is what goes on in my head, a small piece of how my mind will run away with the idea that I am not doing all I could be. 

Last year, I finished about five different short stories. And I started about six others. I am not proud of the fact that I am not done with those yet. I am also not proud with the other unfinished projects I still have, This blog post was a side-thought compare to those other things. 

But it is not bad to try and work with these little distractions and impulses. I am able to focus my energy when I feel like it is important. I have three published stories to my name. Two more short stories coming out later this year, maybe more! And also my stories on wattpad. And I am also not counting the finished stories I have no clue what do to do with yet. Whether I think they are good, is beyond the point. This post is not about my self-worth. I do not think I will ever have the courage to talk about the way I feel about myself. 

I am an easily distracted person, who will start new projects at the drop of the hat because I get so excited about the concept of a new idea or story... But I have the capability to focus and do something good with it. Those times my mind gets the better of me and wanders, I use that time to think about current ideas or new concepts I might like to cover in a story. Then I'll try and write it down the best I can. I always have my idea notebook around. I know I might never completely overcome my ADHD. And I may not need to. I just need to know how I can work with it or around it. I need to recognize the fact that there are times I can't control every action I make or how much I can focus on a certain thing... But I can try hard to do as much as I can. And the forgetfulness thing? Meh... I'll  think of something for that later. My goal is to be a good writer, and hopefully I can push through the difficulties that ADHD can present and make more stories for people to enjoy.. 

I hope that this hasn't been too weird of a post. I know that my experience isn't the only one, but maybe it could help someone else with different struggles. It's difficult to acknowledge this type of thing. But it's important to learn how to grow even if you have things that may hold you back. 

New Years Resolutions

 SO. Last year sure was something, wasn't it? 

A downward spiral of depression brought about by the scary world we live in and a serious virus that affected the very core of our day to day lives. Our world is still trying to recover as we do our best to pick up pieces of our lives and try to figure out what our new normal will be like.

I have admitted to my flaws in the past, and those meshed with the sense of impending doom and made way for a bunch of scary feelings of inadequacy to completely derail any possible good thing I had going for me. I kept having to freeze things I really wanted to work on because other areas of my life became too much for me to handle the usual way. Hence the empty promises for more blog posts. Though, I can't be sure if anyone still reads these. Who knows? Could be more negative feelings clouding my thinking. 

One thing I have learned this year is that scheduling does work. I was strong on my scheduled path for a few months and I felt so good about my productivity. However, with school taking over most of my thought process, I have only had time for my substitute teaching job, editing, and school. (Along with the weekly DND session with furries and the monthly game day! These are nice breaks from staring into the void.) It's really affected my mood at times.

There is a silver lining. Next semester features only one class, as someone is very close to graduating with a bachelor's degree. After April, hopefully, I will be able to take more time for creating things. With this, I am hoping for my mood to improve, and get rid of these feelings of inadequacy. 

New Years Resolutions are a thing people do every year to try and either get themselves to be better or possibly try something new. These do not always succeed. Every year we think, "Oh! I swear I will be better!" then the next year turns into the same thing. Oops! Oh well! "But this year will be different!" Yeah? And next week people will start to understand each other and there will finally be no problems. Yeah. Not going to happen that easily. It's a nice sentiment, but realistically, these resolutions are mostly just words. But the ideas behind resolutions aren't bad. People should strive towards goals of self-expression and betterment. I joke about wanting to love myself, but it's something I really hope I can learn to do one day.

The point of this is, I can make all of these wild resolutions (like what I am about to do) but I might not get through every single one. It will be discouraging. But, if I understand that some of these things will not get done, I will be able to strive for these goals individually instead of all together. My attitude towards my increasing creative workload needs to change if I am going to improve. 

Every time I accomplish something on the below list, I will try to come back and update it. Striking through my goals like I am cutting through it with a sharp blade. So without further ado, here are the goals I would like to strive towards completing this year. 

• Write Resolutions!
• Graduate with my English BA
• Pass my two hardest classes
• Write more poetry
• Have a new story come out in an anthology (Two are in the works! Hopefully, to be released soon!)
• Write a story for the Ocean Animals anthology (I do have an idea for this.)
• Write PJ related short stories and related things
• Finish drafting Sunnydale
• Get a new job in the school system
• Complete any commissions I have queued up.
• Do more editing (professional/personal/commissions)
• Write more Heroes Collide
• Expand "Spirit of Christmas" to a pocket shot or novella
• Complete a very special rewrite!
• Love Me (I am serious about this)
• Exercise a bit more (This is not serious)
• Play a sport? (Try again.)
• Learn how to dance! (The sport one seems more realistic. You have two left feet!)
• Write more blog post(s)
• Write another zombie story. (You know the one.)
• Finish Zombies Hate Vegans
• Finish SIR REGINALD THE HETEROSEXUAL 
• Finish Justice Served Cold
• Do some work on Jackson Pacer: Penned to Kill
• Read a book! (Maybe one of the cool flashy ones by your friends!) 
• Do some work on Calamity High

While this list looks big and daunting, it is not so bad. But only because I formed this list with the knowledge that I do not need to accomplish all of this during this year. (Especially exercise. I don't have the energy for that... Hmmm I wonder why that is!) Obviously, the most important ones, like editing, commissions, graduating will most likely be easily accomplished. And crossing each off this large list will be a huge boost to my self-esteem. And the ones I don't complete this year may be next year's successes. I shouldn't drive myself too hard, and be glad with what I can get done.

Thank you for reading if you did. This was hard to write. I don't like airing my insecurities out for everyone, but this is something that I felt would help me out in my productivity or improvement. 

Wish me luck!