Writer's Workshop: Ragnarok

Ok, I'm tagging the 'first day' prompt of Mama Kat's Writer's Workshop today. I'm going a little fictitous with this story. I've been reading alot of Norse Mythology lately and decided to write about a mortal witnessing the first day of Ragnarok (The Norse 'end of the world' scenario).

The First Day of Ragnarok.

Woken from my sleep by a eerie ghostly howl of a hound. I don't hear it so much as I feel it, it reverberates through every inch of my flesh making my bones ache in terrible foreboding. The house shakes with this baying, cabinets open on their own with plates shattering on the floor. Out the window, the trees look to cringe in their place, leaves shaking from their branches in fear. Almost like a quake, the earth shudders to the crescendo of the howl and then silence. Stillness reigns over all, nothing moves, no bird sings, no wind blows; uneasy expectation dominates all.

Suddenly, the tearing sound of leather, chain, and steel. The sounds of a thousand fetters rending apart. A triumphant roar rattles all of existence. A booming declaration of infernal intention, my blood feels like it's freezing in its veins. The windows shatter with a rush of wind, the walls creak from some unseen strain, a gale has descended upon us. Out into the day I push but the light seems to falter.

I don't understand this. It's the middle of August yet only twenty degrees outside. The sky roars like a lion, its breath a bone-chilling wind. And the Sun! Our glorious Life-Bringer fights for its own life! Shadows of fangs cut into the solar disc, the light is slowly dimming. Yet at the same time, the moon cracks apart! Chunks of Luna disappearing from the Heavens as if they're being devoured by a monstrous celestial maw. The luminous twins fall to their unseen assailants. Darkness engulfs everything.

Still I can see, random fires illuminate this informal night. On the horizon, something... horrifying. Great teeth, like a canine or lupine, thousands of feet high. A mouth that reaches from earth to sky, slavering over morsels of life, devouring everything in its path. Above the mouth and barely seen, those eyes, those burning eyes. Pinpoints of hateful fire, straining with madness and hunger.

There's no point in running, there's no place to run to. It's begun to snow?

Writer's Workshop: The Break

Ok, I'm tagging the 'break' prompt of Mama Kat's Writer's Workshop today. Mama Kat wrote about her collar bone fracture, I figured I would share mine. There's a bit of a fun story in it. :)

How did you break it?

Back in my younger days, I was really into the punk/thrash/metal scene. I loved hitting shows, jumping into the pit, and letting the steam out, so to speak. I was around 18 (half a lifetime ago!) at the time and went with a bunch of friends to a local concert. There weren't many people there, so it was a relatively open floor. The band was jamming out, and we were doing the usual - moshing. At some point I caught air and landed square on my upper back... that's when the fun began.

When I hit the ground, I hit hard. I heard this sickening wet crunch and the worst feeling (not pain) ran through my body. It was something akin to nausea and dread - I'll call it drasuea for now. I remember I got all clammy from it too, almost like I was in shock from that horrible sound. Oddly enough I wasn't hurting at all, well until my buddy Dave came up, put his hands under my shoulder and proceeded to lift me up. The ***PAIN***. The wrenching of the bones in my shoulder told me that I broke something. So I got a lift to the hospital.

Of course, hospitals are always fun. Do you note the sarcasm? Sitting in a waiting room for three hours. Kudos to my friends though, they hung out with me the whole time. Finally, I got x-rayed and got to see the break. My left clavicle broken clean in two... neat and nasty at the same time. The docs splinted and slung me, gave me a prescription for percoset (whooohooo!) and sent me on my way.

Over the next few weeks I healed pretty slowly. That damn splint was the biggest pain in the ass. It wrapped around both my shoulders, under the armpits and met in the center of my back in an 'X' - that's where it hooked. It was very difficult to work with one armed; I usually needed help to remove and put on the splint. Come to think of it, I'm not even sure if it was a splint, but that's what I'm calling it. Ok, so maybe it wasn't completely the splints problem that I healed slowly... I kept trying to play my guitar with a broken shoulder. Hey! I'm a man of music, dammit!

The percoset were very very fun. They only lasted about 2 weeks... and I don't remember those two weeks, but I know nothing hurt. Actually there was only one time where the pain floored me after the inital break - I got hit by a vertigo spell (I've suffered from vertigo for as long as I can remember) and fell shoulder first into a wall. I let out a scream something akin to a banshee's wail.

The only really good thing to come out of breaking my collar bone was the attention. A bunch of the girls I was friends with back then felt so bad that I had broken a bone. They would bring me cookies, help with the splint, make dinner, etc. for a good bit of time. Yeah, I milked it for all it was worth. :D

Heh, the collar bone never healed right. I have a triangular bump sticking a little bit out of my shoulder now. The halves of the bone actually healed one on top of the other. Makes my left arm weak unfortunately - can't put pressure on it. Go figure.

Three Methods To My Madness

I haven't written in a while. So here's something for Mama Kat's Writer's Workshop.

What are three things we would love to know about you!

1 - I freaking love art. Traditional, digital, oils, watercolor, 2D, 3D, photography, acting, music, etc. My main focus is ink and wash painting based upon Chinese and Japanese traditions. And my blog name is from the style - Ink and Stone also known as Sumi and Suzuri. I messed with oils years ago, used to paint scenes out of a magazine called Realm. It's a travel magazine that deals with Britain and has some of the most beautiful scenery photos I've ever scene. Excellent photographers there. Of course, there's music too... I've composed and produced electronic and traditional-based music through a few different genres. I did that more as a form of personal therapy than anything else. While I haven't composed anything in a long time, I still contemplate it. I can hear the midi-controller, stratocaster, samplers, and synthesizers all calling me. :) Acting? Well, ok, role-playing games really. It's a form of acting and provides a brief respite from the doldrums of reality. But true acting? No thank you - I'm not comfortable in front of crowds, I prefer not to be the center of attention.

2 - I think I found my philosophy in Taoism. Just kind of a 'go with the flow' mentality. Avoid conflict and don't look for conflict. Ignore the extreme highs and crushing lows, just be content with existence. Respect Nature and respect each other. Distance from those who only want trouble. Improve oneself. (I'm not a Taoist, just someone who's learning it.)

3 - I sing my ass off in my car when I'm alone driving where ever. Put on a good song, press that accelerator down and go! Considering I like aggressive music, sometimes I wind up hurting my throat. :) And if it's an instrumental - I'll still sing it, 'choraling' so-to-speak with the harmony of the song.

So there's three methods to my madness.