Thoughts in the Dark

Another rain experiment

2008-07-04T16:53:46Z

A little less "in your face" and more clear.

Hard Boiled rain

2008-07-04T05:28:40Z

Here's the before and after with the Sin City rain effect. Still testing this one and I have yet to apply it to a photo that I tool expressly for it. I actually prefer the "before" photo.

Cemetery Salvage- ETU

2008-07-04T00:10:11Z

Even though we're retaking these on the 12th, I found myself trying to salvage this one anyway.

Old School ETU

2008-07-03T23:16:02Z

More fun with ETU!

Prototype

2008-07-03T21:10:09Z

I've been toying with effects to turn photos into true Hard Boiled scenes. This was just a test, so nothing is as it will be in the final photos and this one will not appear in the book. Still, I pretty much have the effects. Now I just need to set up photo shoots to get the images we want. Long process, but well worth it.

Swimming in Noir

2008-07-02T22:32:18Z

I've spent the last few days writing down ideas for Noir photos for Hard Boiled and watching some of the great Film Noir movie classics. I'm really looking forward to these photo shoots. I love working with B&W and I'm lucky enough to live in an area with plenty of atmospheric locales. Of course, I've had to track down a '50's ashtray for a couple of shots and a classic car for a couple more. All those antique ashtrays my parents used to have... to bad my sister sold them all.

The Hard Boiled creation process is just amazing. It should be illegal to have this much fun.

Blood Omens

2008-06-27T23:04:05Z

Tomorrow is the first night of Season 2 of my Savage fantasy campaign. I had planned on waiting until next weekend since we'll be playing both Friday and Saturday night, but I got talked into starting early. I sat up last night going back over the plot points I had set up, the locales the PCs would be visiting and what kind of entities they would encounter. It was Epic before but now the PCs are going to learn the true meaning of the word!

I just finished burning a CD for the game. New music (but with familiar themes) for a new Season.

We'll see if Thor still smiles upon the PCs or if the encroaching Darkness has grown too strong.

Deviant Art

2008-06-24T05:41:34Z

I decided to put my Deviant Art page to use. I'll use it as a place to post tests and experiments for my various photo projects and to store my more interesting shots. http://deadgunslinger.deviantart.com/

Just keep in mind the cemetery shots and the B&W shots are tests/experiments. The cemetery shots are scheduled for a reshoot in July. I can't wait to get that one right...

Test shots

2008-06-22T23:44:41Z

I was bored today so I went out and took some test photos. That's what I love about digital... you can take as many photos as you want and never have to buy film.

Dark Knight tickets!!

2008-06-20T18:15:20Z

I just bought my ticket for the midnight showing of The Dark Knight at the IMAX in Indy on July 17th (technically, it's the 18th but who cares?) Man, I cannot wait for this one.

I saw the 5 Minute preview of the IMAX footage when I went to see I Am Legend and it blew me away. When the crooks go over the edge of the building, your stomach churns because it feels like you're actually going over the edge. Awesome!!

Triple Ace Games

2008-06-19T22:32:05Z

http://www.tripleacegames.com/Home.php

The Savage Worlds community just got even bigger! I can't wait to see what these guys come up with.

Damn Printer!

2008-06-16T22:54:28Z

A week ago, I noticed something odd: My printer was printing everything but MSWord documents with a green cast to them. I printed out a PDF adventure and it was nice and green. PDF contract- the text was green. Today I tried printing some of Saturdays photos... GREEN!!!

I'm at a loss as to why this is. I've changed nothing on the computer. I've cleaned the nozzles on the printer, made sure the cartridges were properly in place and done everything but kick it (don't tempt me). Still, I'm stuck with the jolly green. Now don't get me wrong- I love the Hulk as much as the next guy but this is a little extreme.

The Printing Gods have forsaken me!!

School Spirit

2008-06-15T18:45:35Z

Any Savage Worlds fans out there know what this photo is a nod to? We've got many more but there's got to be SOME suprises. :)

Mythyc photos

2008-06-15T09:41:19Z

It's almost 6am and I still haven't been to sleep. I've been working on the photos we took for the Mythyc calendar. Long story short, I'm quite pleased. Now I'm off to bed.

Oh, here's one of our Pulp shots.

Never let anyone tell you that the whole, "Indiana Jones swinging on a whip" thing doesn't work. I used that whip for that very thing during the photo shoot. Everyone stood there with a gaping mouth because it not only worked but it made the same sound you hear in the movies. :)

Project: Mythyc Man no more?

2008-06-13T18:11:50Z

I've been over on the GenCon forums and saw something rather unsettling. As of right now, there is no sign of there being a Gamer Olympics at GenCon '08. If there's no GO, then there's no purpose to the whole Project: Mythyc Man video idea. I had already filmed a couple of the segments and was all the more excited about it since we now have the official music for the video intros.

This could prove to be a most depressing event. I'll keep training and filming. Maybe I can find a use for the footage even if we can't use it for it's intended purpose.

Hulk Smash!

2008-06-13T16:55:48Z

I saw The Incredible Hulk at Midnight last night. This movie is awesome! I put it right up there with Iron Man. The cohesion that Marvel is creating with all of it's comic book movie properties is an awesome thing. Seeing S.H.I.E.L.D. insignias, the name of Nick Fury on a paper, Stark Industries weapons, the Super Soldier Project... and Tony Stark himself showing up at the end of the movie make you drool in anticipation for the next wave of Marvel movies and the Avengers movie that is being set up.

There were also numerous nods to the old Hulk TV show. I especially liked the inclusion of Bill Bixby and the "Jack McGee" character from the show.

This movie is a definate success. I enjoyed it so much that I somehow lost my cellphone in the theater. I had to drive all the way back and plead with the manager to look for it. She wasn't going to even look for it until I warned her not to make me angry... she wouldn't like me when I'm angry.

HULK SMASH!

Mythyc has music!

2008-06-11T15:42:03Z

Mythyc now has our music for the intro to all of our video series. James Semple did an awesome job and this theme really resonates with power and mystery... truly Mythyc. You can check out some of Jame's material at his website: www.jamessemple.com

Now I can start finishing up these game review videos and get them ready for posting.

Hard Boiled

2008-06-09T14:56:04Z

The official announcement has been made! I cannot wait to bring this to life!

June 9, 2008—Baltimore, MD: The Savage Worlds fans are about to get Hardboiled, courtesy of Arbor Productions!

Inspired by Film Noir and Neo Noir, Hardboiled is a new setting for Pinnacle Entertainment’s Savage Worlds that combines the mean streets with the things that go bump in the night.

The city is a maze of twisting streets and huge factories, seemingly with a life and mind of its own. Shadow drenched alleyways cry in muted screams. Drugs, murder, slavery, and prostitution are commonly traded commodities, more valuable than the lives of those peddling them. The things of nightmares work from the shadows for various crime cartels - striking out as only they can against a society with no place for them.

It is a city of back alley necromancers, two-bit detectives facing down zombies, hitmen who can slither under doors to reach their prey, and torch singers with hypnotic voices that drive men to kill. It’s every man for himself, where not even the woman you love can be trusted.

The beautiful dame who saunters into your office with a sob story? You know she’s trouble and probably has her own game, but the money is good and there’s that hint that there may be more than money in it for you. Before you know it, you’re framed for murdering this broad’s husband and you’ve got no one to look out for you but yourself. Do you lay down and take it or do you risk everything and do something about it?

“I’ve always had a certain fondness for the techniques used in Film Noir, even the more contemporary nods back to the style such as Sin City,” said Arbor Productions President Lee F. Szczepanik, Jr. “From the lighting and narrative styles, to the character archetypes such as the Femme Fatal, Private Eye, Gang Member looking to get out of the life but never able to, the criminal with a heart of gold, and the Police Officer fighting for what is right even while stuck neck deep in a corrupt Department. Add in a touch of urban horror, which I also love, and Savage Worlds is the perfect game for such stories. It’s built from the ground-up for hard action and good character development.”

Co-designed by Mike “Bloodshadows” Dukes, (author of: 5 Days Until Christmas, Heart-Shaped Box, and Lover's Quarrel), Hardboiled will provide full setting details, new rules, and a full plot-point campaign that takes the players out of their normal lives and into a struggle for the souls of every living being in the city. A struggle that, in the end, could cost them more than their humanity- whether they fight the good fight or not!

“There is no black or white when it comes to Film Noir, only various shades of gray. That, I believe, is what draws people to it and makes it so ripe for telling stories,” said Co-designer Mike Dukes. “Nothing is ever what it seems in Film Noir. Add horror to that and you have the ingredients for some powerful tales. The characters in Film Noir are cynical almost to a fault and everyone is looking for the “angle”. It’s a bleak world where protagonists try to scrape their way to a better existence either for themselves or for someone they care for, and the road is never easy. I’ve been a fan of Savage Worlds for years and I know it can handle just about anything you can throw at it. I had run a few Noir games with Savage Worlds before Lee came to me with the idea for Hardboiled, so I really think this is the perfect fit of system and setting.”

Although no release date has been announced for Hardboiled, which will be available in both PDF and hardcover, Arbor Productions will be supporting the new line with a series of follow-up plot-point campaign sourcebooks that will give players and gamemasters plenty of shadows to uncover . . . and personal demons to exorcise.

Rain!!

2008-06-07T16:06:55Z

Well, Mother Nature has decided to mess with me. We had a pretty strong thunderstorm here last night and it's still raining lightly outside. According to the interactive weather map, it's only supposed to get worse. So, we won't be doing the cemetery photo shoot today.

This will actually work to our benefit. I had an idea of using a fog machine to create a mist on the ground of the cemetery, so now I'll be able to get the fog machine. Also, because everyone has a little more free time next weekend, we'll be able to squeeze in more than just the cemetery photos. We should be able to cover the Pulp and Cthulhu photos as well.

So the current score:

Mother Nature: 1
Mythyc: 0

7 dead men

2008-06-06T22:26:43Z

I just finished the last of the tombstones for the photo shoot tomorrow. It turned into a learning process. I found an easier method of etching the letters on them that shows up a lot better on camera. So, the first two look cool as hell from a certain distance but the others are evident from far away.

I don't think I can realistically get all 7 in the shot and have them readable. But, two of them will be making a second appearance in the Deadlands photos so I can showcase them then.

That reminds me... gotta buy some hangin' rope.

Cemetery Days

2008-06-06T03:20:06Z

Well, I ran out of primer. So, I'll have to run out and buy some more tomorrow so I can add another coat to the tombstone I made today. Then I'll have to add names to the three that I bought. Our first Mythyc photoshoot is only a day away. Kind of hard to believe. This will be the hardest of all of them so this is the one we're starting with. Crazy? Maybe. I just wish we had a fog machine. A mist on the ground would be icing on the cake. Ah well. We'll have the fog machine for later shoots.

This is also the one shoot that'll have a number of Easter Eggs for fans. Plus, my gaming group will get to be a part of this one. Fun all around. :)

Now as long as it doesn't rain, everything should work out quite well.

Innocents pt2

2008-06-03T03:46:12Z

Jason slipped into the window of Grant's bedroom and gave the place a good look. He was supposed to be looking for clues but his eyes kept returning to Grant's video game collection. His fingers hovered over one game in particular for some time before finally grabbing it and stuffing it into the hidden pocket of his ninja uniform. He felt a pang of guilt for stealing from his friend but he shook the feeling off and began looking over the room and trying to find some sort of clue as to Grant's disappearance.

Grant had always been the "artist" of the group because his drawings were always way better than anyone else's. Jason found a number of drawings spread about the room. The drawings were all of the same thing- big, mean looking wolves. One drawing caught Jason's attention more than the rest. It was a drawing of a paw, no- a paw print. It looked almost real, like Grant had seen the print in the mud and taken the time to sit and draw it exactly. That was impossible though... the print took up the whole sheet of paper. Still, it seemed important so Jason rolled it up and shoved it into his gi top. Time to go. There was still a lot of commotion outside so he decided on just sneaking downstairs and out the front door.

Mrs. Hammond was crying, and crying loudly. The men in dark suits were on their cell phones and J.T. was certain he heard the words "containment" and "lab sample" mentioned. Mr. Hammond was holding his wife as she sobbed into his chest while the priest, Father Donally, gave them both a shoulder squeeze of reassurance. But the old priest's eyes weren't on the Hammonds or the men in dark suits or the police, they were on J.T. and Martini. The man just stared at them and J.T. was certain that he never blinked. Not once. When one of the men in dark suits stepped in front of J.T. (blocking the him from the old priest's stare), he was relieved. The man introduced himself as Agent Michaelson. He was with the FBI. J.T. couldn't help himself and started talking rapidly about Grant being missing and the dog, Sadie, being hurt by some animal and how something wasn't right. The Agent laid a reassuring hand on J.T.'s arm and told him everything was going to be okay. He then asked one of the police officers to take down the boy's information and then drive them home because this was no place for children.

An officer led J.T. and Martini through the back door of the house and toward the front door. Martini was scared and it showed. J.T. didn't blame him. If Jason was found inside the Hammond's house, they'd all be in big trouble. The officer led them outside and told the boys that he would give them a ride home. J.T. quickly stated that he left his bike in the bushes a couple of houses down and needed to get it. The officer let him run to get his bike and opened the door of his squad car for Martini to get in. Then the sound of the front door of the house closing caused the officer to turn and look. No one there. The officer glanced at Martini and asked him if he and J.T. came to the house alone. Martini managed to stammer out a "Yes" but the officer wasn't convinced. He told Martini to stay where he was as he walked up to the bushes in front of the house. He pulled his flashlight out and shined it into the dark shadows of the bushes. Suddenly a black form darted from the bushes and Jason raced past the officer, pulling out his secret weapon. The officer yelled for Jason to stop as he gave chase. Jason yelled for Martini to run as he rounded the back of the car and threw down a handful of his secret weapon: sharpened jacks. Jason had read about how ninja used caltrops to slow down their pursuers and decided jacks were perfect for such a thing. He heard the tinkling sound of the metal toys as they hit the ground followed by the sound of scraping metal and the thud of the officer hitting the ground. The jacks had stuck in the bottom of his shoes and caused his feet to slide out from underneath him. Jason smiled and raced home. J.T. was walking his bike from its hiding place when Jason came running down the street. Jason straight past him and yelled, "Cop down! Run!!" J.T. didn't question him and jumped on his bike. Martini was on his own.

A short time after they arrived at their homes, the police arrived. The boys were called from their rooms and made to explain why they were at the Hammond house and exactly what had happened. When it was over, despite whining protests, both boys were grounded and sent to their rooms. Of course, both boys had walkie-talkies and immediately filled one another in on what had happened. There was a knock on J.T.'s door. He turned the volume down on his walkie and hid it under his leg. His father came in, followed by another man that J.T. didn't recognize. His father introduced the man as Doctor Neal. Doctor Neal wanted to talk to J.T. about some things. J.T. was suspicious but said it was okay. He regretted it somewhat when his father left the room and closed the door.

Dr. Neal asked how J.T. was feeling, how he felt about Grant's disapearance. J.T. answered truthfully- he felt okay but he didn't understand why Grant would want to leave home because he had every video game there was. Dr. Neal asked if it made him angry that Grant had these things and he didn't. J.T. narrowed his eyes and answered in the negative. The doctor continued in this manner and then switched things around and asked if Grant had ever shared any secrets with him. "No." He never mentioned anything about a treasure? Like gold? J.T.'s eyes widened and then he laughed and asked if the doctor meant treasure, like pirate treasure. The doctor simply smiled and asked if Grant played with him and the other boys at their fort. "Yes." Did Grant ever go to the fort when none of the other boys were there? Maybe with older kids? J.T. started to shake his head but then stopped. Maybe Grant could have done that. The doctor then continued and asked if maybe Grant could have buried something at the fort without J.T. or the others knowing. Again J.T. started to shake his head but stopped. He asked the doctor if he thought Grant had buried something at the fort, something that might be a clue to where Grant was. Dr. Neal smiled and said not to worry about it. He told J.T. that everything would be okay, bid him goodnight and left.

J.T. pulled the walkie back out from under his leg, where he had been holding in the "talk" button so Jason could hear everything. He spoke into the walkie and asked if Jason had indeed heard it all. Jason had and wanted to check out the fort now. J.T. agreed that they had to check it out, in case Grant had buried something important there but he was also hesitant to do so. It seemed like Dr. Neal had led him, like he wanted J.T. to go to the fort. Jason's voice came out of the walkie and proclaimed that he was sneaking out and would meet J.T. at the fort. That settled it. J.T. put the walkie away, turned on his TV and put a DVD on. He then slipped out the window.

The boys met at the fort but only J.T. had thought to bring a flashlight. Jason was all but invisible among the trees because of his ninja uniform. J.T. smiled when he saw the bokken sticking out of the back of the uniform's top. Jason was always prepared.

They scoured the ground under and around the tree fort. About twenty feet from the fort, they found a spot where someone had obviously been digging. That's when they heard the dogs in the neighborhood. The dogs had been barking alot since Grant disappeared. No one knew why. But now, they weren't barking. They were whining. The boys heard twigs snapping and saw dogs from all over the neighborhood among the trees, crawling on their bellies and whining. J.T. and Jason both decided now was the time to run home and darted toward the tree line and their houses. That's when something big and hairy blocked out the moon and barred their path. It let out a bloodcurdling howl and stared at the boys with blood-red eyes. It was twice as tall as J.T.'s dad and twice as big around as Jason's mom. Huge claws extended from it's paw-like hands and silvery saliva dripped from it's enormous fangs. That was it. J.T. jumped on his bike and Jason jumped on the back pegs. They hauled balls out of the trees and down the mighty hill toward the quarry.

Jason took the flashlight from J.T. and tried his best to illuminate J.T.'s path. The beast was right behind them but didn't seem to be gaining. J.T. was still pedaling and switching gears, riding faster and faster, faster than he'd ever gone before. Jason risked a glance back behind them and saw the slavoring beast running on all fours and getting closer. The crevasse of the quarry and the ramp they had made was just ahead of them. Jason dropped the flashlight and reached into his secret pocket again. He cast a handful of his homemade caltrops behind them and then grabbed J.T. as tightly as possible. J.T. hit the ramp and then there was nothing but weightlessness and the sound of the air whistling past his ears. He saw the other side coming up... they were going to make it. Both boys heard the roar of the beast behind them as it attempted to follow them and both prayed that it would fail. J.T. saw the other side of the crevasse and knew immediately that that Jason's extra weight, small as he was, had doomed them. The front tire crashed into the quarry wall just inches below the lip of their target. J.T. was slammed forward and Jason's body crashed into him. They fell a dozen or more feet and then came to a jarring stop. They had landed on a tree that had grown out of the side of the quarry wall. Jason was hanging from a brittle branch that suddenly snapped and sent him plummetting to his death. Or, that's what would have happened if J.T. hadn't grabbed him by his ninja belt. J.T. heard the cracking thump and the whining roar of the beast as it hit the bottom of the quarry 100ft down. Apparently, Jason's caltrops had saved them. J.T.'s heart sank as he thought of his poor bicycle, no doubt broken into pieces down on the quarry floor. Aiding one another, the two boys climbed slowly upward. They both crested the top with their elbows and heads at the same time. Slavering jaws were waiting for them.

Both boys screamed as yet another beast stood before them. It snatched J.T. from his perch and threw him a good 15ft. It then grabbed Jason by his head and lifted him up as well. It held him there by his head and slowly opened it's foul-smelling maw. J.T. looked up dazedly and thought it looked like the thing was eating grapes. He shook off his daze and realized that it wasn't grapes it was about to eat, but Jason! J.T. pulled out his pocket knife and charged the thing. He leapt as high as he could and planted the blade in the thing's eye. It roared in pain and dropped Jason. Jason quickly pulled out his bokken and stuck it between the thing's legs. He yelled to J.T., "PUSH!!" J.T. used all of his 10yr old frame and planted his shoulder into the thing. It's mighty legs snapped Jason's bokken but the wooden sword had done the trick- the thing stumbled backwards and over the edge. They heard it roar in defiance and then heard a satisfying crack from the quarry floor. The boys looked to one another and then ran off screaming. A passerby in a truck picked them up and took the hysterical boys home.

The boys parents didn't believe anything about a "Monster" but took the boys to the hospital to get patched up. Both boy's parents said it was obviously a wild dog or an escaped animal from the zoo. Jason was taken to get stitches while J.T. and his dad sat in the waiting room with the the police. J.T. tried to explain that Dr. Neal had lured them there and he was probably the Monster but his pleas fell on def ears. He begged the police to check on the Doctor because he had stabbed the monster in the eye so the doctor must have a wounded eye. Dr. Neal then came down the hall and he was wearing sunglasses... at night. J.T. screamed to his father, the police, and anyone who would listen. Didn't they see? J.T.'s dad had had enough though. He grabbed J.T. by his arm and dragged him out of his chair and toward the door. J.T. had to show them. He grabbed a TIME magazine and threw it at Dr. Neal's head, hoping to knock the sunglasses off. J.T. was dragged around the corner before he could see if he hit the doctor but he heard a satisfying thud and the sound of sunglasses hitting the floor. They were almost out the Emergency Room doors but J.T. had to know. He tore free of his father's grasp and ran back around the corner. There was Dr. Neal, picking up his sunglasses from the floor. His right eye was red and puffy. J.T. yelled for the police officers to arrest Dr. Neal. He screamed that Dr. Neal had killed Grant. The officers stepped forward and asked Dr. Neal to explain his eye. The good doctor explained that he had been to the eye doctor and had his eyes dilated so he had to wear the sunglasses. The dilation had caused him to walk into the corner of one of his cabinets at home. He then explained that J.T.'s reaction was perfectly normal in light of recent events and placing the blame on the doctor, a stranger, was only logical. The police nodded their agreement and told Mr. Wilson that he could take the boy home.

The next day, authorities checked the area around the boy's fort and found the body of Grant Hammond buried there. It looked as though he had been mauled by an animal, much like the Hammond's dog. The FBI, with Dr. Neal's help, came to the conclusion that the boys had found their friend and, thinking they were doing the right thing, buried him where they thought he would be happiest. No charges were brought against the boys but after a psychological evaluation done by Dr. Neal, it was decided that therapy was needed for all the boys.

Two weeks later, the boys were informed that they would be going to a "Summer Wellness Camp" headed by Dr. Neal. The camp was on private grounds owned by Dr. Neal where a series of cabins surrounded a small lake. Since the boys had an irrational fear of "Wild Monsters", Dr. Neal thought it the best place for their therapy.

The boys tried to get out of it but their parents wouldn't budge. On the day they left for the camp, the strange old priest, Father Donally was there to see them off. He seemed strained as he greeted Dr. Neal but pleasant enough when he spoke with the parents. Just before leaving, Donally crouched before the boys and whispered this: "Have faith in God, my boys. I know what the thing is and I will not let it get you. I will save you."

With that, he got in his car and left. The boys looked fearfully at Dr. Neal and realized they were walking into the wolf's den....

WoD: Innocents

2008-06-02T15:31:42Z

I ran World of Darkness: Innocents this past weekend as a playtest for a review on Mythyc. Ordinarily, I'd have had four players but due to Real-Life obstacles, I had only two this time. That actually worked out well.

When I was making the pre-gens, I went back to my own childhood and made characters of the kids I knew back then. Well, except one. J.T. Wilson wasn't based on anyone that I grew up with. J.T. was a revamp of a character one of my players had in our Pinebox, TX horror games. We had drawn up this whole backstory of how he had been the daredevil kid on a bike but we never got to touch upon it in the Pinebox games, so I made J.T. as a 10yr old and let the player of the original character have at it.

So, we had J.T. Wilson- the daredevil kid with his Prized Possession mountain bike and Jason Glick- the ninja fanatic who wears his ninja uniform everywhere he goes (I actually knew a kid like this. He was a Brown Belt in Sho Rin Ryu by the 4th grade and you'd see him riding his bike down the street in his ninja uniform, complete with mask...).

The kids had a fort they had built out in the woods behind their houses. Where the woods ended, there was a mighty 80ft hill that led down to the edge of a rock quarry. The drop from that edge was 100ft straight down. At its most narrow point, this deadly drop was 15ft across. J.T. had sworn to himself that, one day, he would jump that crevasse. He and his friends had built up a mud ramp on their side of the crevasse, just for that jump. As we began the game, J.T. was staring across that crevasse and imagining the cheers when the day came that he would land his bike smoothly on the other side. Jason was leaping and rolling down the hill, swinging his bokken as he went.

This was the first time they had been allowed to come out to the fort in a couple of days. Their parents had not allowed them to go outdoors for those two days because Grant had disappeared. Grant Hammond was one of their friends and classmates. Grant had disappeared. Neither J.T. or Jason had thought much of it until the Amber Alert came on the TV. That was when they realized something was really wrong.

Both boys had been eavesdropping on their parents since the adults would always seem to hush-up and become quiet when the boys entered the room. Their eavesdropping had gained them little. Grant was just gone. His parents feared he had wandered off and gotten lost but the other adults had other beliefs. It was J.T.'s dad who had been the one to say what the other adults had obviously been thinking- Grant was a cute boy and there was a good chance he had been picked up by some sicko.

Back on the hill, J.T. was working himself up to jump the crevasse. He was upset over Grant's disappearance and just needed to do SOMETHING. Making the jump seemed the only logical thing to do. That's when their other friend, Jason Martin, came down the hill. Jason was concerned about Grant too. Adults were saying maybe Grant ran away but Grant had everything! He had every video game system and every game. Why would he want to run away from that? Jason Martin, "Martini" as his close friends called him, had an idea. He wanted J.T. and Jason to go with him to check out Grant's house.

J.T. immediately brought up the police and Grant's parents. Wouldn't they be there? Jason laughed and said they wouldn't see him. Martini explained that they would just have to stay hidden. It was agreed. They were heading to Grant's house. J.T. glanced back at the jump and felt a rush of relief.

Along the way, J.T. saw a bike in a yard and suggested that Martini take it to ride. Jason was riding the pegs on J.T.'s bike so Martini was having to run alongside them. Martini wouldn't do it so Jason jumped off and stealthfully walked the bike out of the yard, then jumped on it and started pedaling. Martini jumped on the pegs on J.T.'s bike and they were headed toward Grant's house again. Jason complained that his legs were too short for the bike and Martini should be riding it since he was so big. Martini just smiled and shook his head.

As they neared the Hammond house, the boys saw a couple of police cars, men in dark suits and the local priest, Father Donovan, were all at the house. They hid their bikes in some bushes and began sneaking through back yards. They finally climbed a tree and lowered dropped down on the other side of the Hammond's privacy fence. No one was in the back yard. J.T. and Martini ran for the swingset and the dog house. Jason ran for one of the back windows of the house to have a peek.

Jason saw Grant's parents, police, the priest and the men in dark suits all inside. He ducked down just in time as Grant's father turned to look out the window. Jason eye's the deck on the back of the house and then looked up at the upstairs window... the window to Grant's room. Jason started climbing.

J.T. and Martini made it over to the swingset and Martini pointed in horror at the doghouse. There was a bloody patch of fur just inside the entry of the dog house. J.T. called the dog's name softly, and heard a low whine in reply. Both boys looked inside and saw the dog, Sadie. Martini almost lost his lunch. The poor dog was covered in blood. Part of her snout was... well, it was gone. Something had torn it away. She was lying in a pool of blood inside the dog house. Both boys became frantic. Finally, J.T. decided they had to tell someone so he started yelling for help. The back door flew open and Mr. Hammond came running out. As J.T. rapidly explained that Sadie was badly hurt to all the quickly assembeled adults, Jason quietly made his way into Grant's bedroom window.

I'll finish the tale later. Gotta go workout!

Makin' Tombstones

2008-05-31T03:25:43Z

One of our photo shoots for the Mythyc calendar takes place in a cemetery. We'll be doing the shots at night and it's illegal in Indiana to be in a cemetery after dark. So, I've decided to make a cemetery. I've a friend with some land out in the country that will do nicely. I had a fake tombstone that I used for a live-action Cthulhu game a few years ago and I thought that would be a great way to go. So, I ordered 3 more.

Then I realized that I had three sheets of styrofoam and a styrofoam cutter that I have never used. I ran out to the local hobby store and bought some grey primer and some stencils. I finished the first tombstone today and it looks pretty awesome. I'd post photos but the whole cemetery shoot is a bit of an easter egg for Savage Worlds fans and showing the tombstone could give it away.

We should be able to shoot the cemetery scene in about a week. Everyone is really excited about this. I can't wait to get all the various photos done and see them as a Role-Player's calendar. Fun times!

Mythyc Calendar photos inching forward

2008-05-29T20:15:06Z

We're inching forward on the Mythyc calendar. I've been slowly getting the things we need for the costumes over the past month and two of the big ones arrived today via UPS. Still, we're behind schedule.

But, now that the two biggies have arrived, we can start picking up some steam. We're busily working on tombstones for a cemetary scene and I've scouted a spot at the canal in Indy that will work perfectly for another scene. Luckily, a number of the photos will be done in-studio so we can do many of those over a couple of days. It's these location shots that I'm desperate to get moving on. It's only now starting to look nice and green in the forested areas though and only now truly getting warm and staying that way.

So, look for a fearless cheerleader and a stoic white ninja in the Mythyc calendar at GenCon... and many, many more things!