Stickmaker

Flying?

Submitted by on

Blog About: 

Author: 

If you could fly - especially if you could fly fast - wouldn't you take advantage of that ability? Say, by flying someplace to have one of your favorite foods every few days, or stunting around the rock features (natural bridges and such) of the US West and other regions, as well as perching on the tops of buildings and bridge towers? What else?

What problems could come from that? Such as getting in trouble with airlines and military facilities?

Click Like or Love to appropriately show your appreciation for this post:

Allergies!

Submitted by on

Blog About: 

Author: 

I've had several medical professionals tell me this is the worst allergy season they've seen. The actually didn't have to tell me; I can feel it.

Also, for the first day or so after getting allergy shots (every two weeks) I feel very sluggish. I got my shots yesterday. Oog.

Click Like or Love to appropriately show your appreciation for this post:

Dura or Duro

Submitted by on

Blog About: 

Author: 

It occurred to me - years late - that the male street hero should be named Mano Duro rather than Mano Dura. However, my two years of high school Spanish are decades in the past. Can someone with more knowledge of Spanish let me know which is correct?

Click Like or Love to appropriately show your appreciation for this post:

Angel Questions

Submitted by on

Blog About: 

Author: 

I'm looking for questions people in the Angel universe would ask Aaron/Malak. (I already have "What do you wear under those robes?" :-)

I can't guarantee to use any suggested questions, or even to give answers to the questions I use. Don't worry if the questions are inane or serious; I can use both.

Click Like or Love to appropriately show your appreciation for this post:

Character Inspiration

Submitted by on

Blog About: 

Author: 

For those who have wondered about the inspiration for the Prince of Speed in my Masks stories, look here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IziCd4sXSR4

I am very happy to have a 16mm print of this. In an envelope Jittlov doodled all over. :-)

Click Like or Love to appropriately show your appreciation for this post:

Excerpt From _Angel of Peace_

Submitted by on

Blog About: 

Author: 

"You're writing a book?

"Many newspeople do. Most don't get published."

"I doubt there's much about me you don't already know."

"What about your time in the First World War?"

"That didn't last very long, and in most ways was unremarkable."

"You did fight in the trenches, though."

"For a short period."

"What do you remember about that? Does anything stand out?"

Click Like or Love to appropriately show your appreciation for this post:

Unoriginal Titles

Submitted by on

Blog About: 

Author: 

I don't read a lot of fiction these days. Neither do I always think things through. The Masks series was originally written in response to the first Incredibles movie. They were intended for the entertainment of myself and other members of the Transformation Stories Archives. If I had realized it would become a commercial product I'd have called it something besides Masks, which is too generic.

Likewise, I didn't realize there was already a series titled "Angel" on BCTS or I would have lumped together my "Angel of..." stories under another title.

Click Like or Love to appropriately show your appreciation for this post:

From the Next "Angel of..."

Submitted by on

Blog About: 

Author: 

"I was lying in a burned-out basement, with the full Moon in my eyes," said Aaron, quietly. "I was hoping my relief would arrive soon, so I could go get something to eat. Suddenly, a parachute flare lit up the entire scene."

Click Like or Love to appropriately show your appreciation for this post:

Golden Age Masks Excerpt

Submitted by on

Blog About: 

Author: 

An excerpt from The Modern Age, an unfinished novel set in the Thirties of the Masks universe:

"Wow," whispered Dutch, looking over the edge of the roof at the street far below. He glanced back at the Night Master, who was preparing to throw a grapple wrapped in rags across the gap between the buildings. "You've done this before?"

"Many times," the Night Master replied, as he sent the padded hook whistling through the air. It caught on a vent pipe projecting from the roof of the penthouse of the lower, neighboring building.

Click Like or Love to appropriately show your appreciation for this post:

Masks 28: Epilog

Submitted by on

Author: 

Audience Rating: 

Publication: 

Genre: 

TG Elements: 

Character Age: 

Permission: 

Epilog

The man was rather ironically young, actually much younger than I was expecting. We met at the small building I'd had constructed where the old and blocky office had stood. He seemed to take personal offense at the fact that I'd had the new, very small structure put up with my own money on my own property. Of course, like many archeologists, he seemed to take any deliberate change to the landscape as a personal offense.

Masks 28: Part 9

Submitted by on

Author: 

Audience Rating: 

Publication: 

Genre: 

TG Themes: 

TG Elements: 

Character Age: 

Permission: 

Masks XXVIII: Old School

by

Rodford Edmiston

Part Nine

Michelle walked past the bathroom, stopped, reversed and looked in through the open door. She saw her wife staring into the mirror over the sink.

"I didn't think you were the narcissistic type."

"My dad likes to joke that noses run in our family," said Vic, sadly. "Mine did look a lot like his, before; it's smaller, now, and a different shape."

"I think you have a cute nose," said Michelle.

Vic just sighed.

* * *

Masks 28: Part 6

Submitted by on

Author: 

Caution: 

Audience Rating: 

Publication: 

Genre: 

TG Themes: 

Character Age: 

Permission: 

Masks XXVIII: Old School

by

Rodford Edmiston

Part Six

The Monday morning briefing at the Detroit office of the Bureau of Special Resources was always interesting. This one was especially so. Only partly due to having two special guest speakers.

Masks 28: Part 4

Submitted by on

Author: 

Audience Rating: 

Publication: 

Genre: 

TG Elements: 

Character Age: 

Permission: 

Masks XXVIII: Old School

by

Rodford Edmiston

Part Four

Vic and her boss were meeting one of the archivists working to examine and conserve the Operators' lair and its contents. The three of them were all currently seated in Drake's small office.

"We finally heard from a family member of one of the Operators," said the archivist. "She's a great-granddaughter of Captain Sticky, and an Internet influencer. She uses the online name Hannah Anna Banana."

"Ow," said Vic, wincing. "It's not even that popular of a song."

Masks 28: Part 3

Submitted by on

Author: 

Audience Rating: 

Publication: 

Genre: 

TG Themes: 

Character Age: 

Permission: 

Masks XXVIII: Old School

by

Rodford Edmiston

Part Three

"Turkey Jerky?" said Cal, reaching over to hold out a bag to his office mate.

"Thanks," said Vic. She gave a huge sigh as she accepted some of the smoked meat.

"You seem down."

"It's just... there are so many things which are just... hanging. The 'You're Arrested' mask murders, the identity of whoever hired those guys to steal the balance blades, the mastermind behind the fake volcano and that radioactive android at the Super Combat islands..."

Masks 28: Old School

Submitted by on

Author: 

Audience Rating: 

Publication: 

Genre: 

TG Themes: 

TG Elements: 

Character Age: 

Permission: 

Masks XXVIII: Old School

by

Rodford Edmiston

Part One

Vic's new helmet was slightly bulkier than the previous one, but it was also actually lighter. Drake had called Vic to his office for the presentation. While her boss read aloud the note which came in the box, Vic examined her new headgear.

"Ugh," she said, peering it from various angles. "Looks like something a Star Wars Stormtrooper would wear."

In spite of this opinion she put it on. At least it fit well.

Dog and Butterfly

Submitted by on

Author: 

Caution: 

Audience Rating: 

Publication: 

Genre: 

Character Age: 

Permission: 

A little something to hold people while I complete the next Masks story. This is set in the same world as "The Master of Cuts" and "In the Hollow of the Devil's Hand."

Dog and Butterfly

by

Rodford Edmiston

She was dealing with another of the old man's challenges. She was to go covert, on her own, in strange territory, staying hidden for a full twenty-four hours. That meant avoiding all contact, leaving no trace. Which meant not feeding.

He'd left Calli on the outskirts of a New Orleans subdivision, less than two hours before dawn.

Wings, Again

Submitted by on

Blog About: 

Author: 

Another reason I like characters with bird wings is one of my favorite childhood books: The juvenile novel Black and Blue Magic by Zilpha Keatley Snyder. Wikipedia says it came out in 1967 and I must have first read it within a couple of years at most. I now have an ex-school library hardback book of the 1972 edition.

Click Like or Love to appropriately show your appreciation for this post:

Longer Version

Submitted by on

Blog About: 

Author: 

Can someone who read the longer version of _Unwanted Child_ in the anthology "Murder at the Shapeshifter's Ball" let me know what they thought of it?

I not only put more things I wanted in the longer version, I put some of the things from readers' comments about the shorter version.

Click Like or Love to appropriately show your appreciation for this post:

TFOS: Freddy on the Loose: Part 28

Submitted by on

Author: 

Audience Rating: 

Publication: 

Genre: 

TG Themes: 

TG Elements: 

Character Age: 

Permission: 

TFOS: Freddy On The Loose

by

Rodford Edmiston

Note: This story uses background and concepts from the _Teenagers From Outer Space_ role-playing game, Copyright and Trademark R. Talsorian Games, Inc. This particular installment of "Freddy on the Loose" also uses properties Copyright and Trademark by DreamWorks Animation and Universal Pictures. The original characters and story are Copyright 2024 Rodford Edmiston Smith.

Big Events

Masks 27: Tales Old and New, Part 8

Submitted by on

Author: 

Audience Rating: 

Publication: 

Genre: 

TG Themes: 

TG Elements: 

Character Age: 

Permission: 

Part Eight

Ike Kenniman was hosting a holographic conference among supers. Since many people were involved, teams had only their current leader - in most cases a chairperson - displayed. The participants were all established super teams - among them Tricorne and the Assembly - and a few individuals.

Masks 27: Tales Old and New, Part 7

Submitted by on

Author: 

Audience Rating: 

Publication: 

Genre: 

TG Themes: 

TG Elements: 

Character Age: 

Permission: 

Part Seven

Vic was back at the office - though still on restricted duty - the next day. She was almost fully healed; one of the benefits of regeneration. Her appetite was about back to normal as well.

Masks 27: Tales Old and New, Part 6

Submitted by on

Author: 

Audience Rating: 

Publication: 

Genre: 

TG Themes: 

TG Elements: 

Character Age: 

Permission: 

Part Six

"Be wary of any politician who supports a position by claiming it's a matter of 'common sense,'" said Drake, wryly.

He and Vic were in his office at the Detroit Federal Building. He had called her in without explanation, and opened with that after she was seated.

"Is that appropriate to anything in particular or just a general bit of shared wisdom?" said Vic.

Masks 27: Tales Old and New, Part 5

Submitted by on

Author: 

Audience Rating: 

Publication: 

Genre: 

TG Themes: 

TG Elements: 

Character Age: 

Permission: 

Part Five

This particular Friday was turning out to be a bad day for Vic. Though not as bad as the early morning had been for some of Detroit's female, late teen inhabitants. Vic arrived at work to find a note already on her desk to see her boss.

"Tell me about your late night call, yesterday," said Drake.

"I was in bed, sound asleep, when I got an emergency call. The night manager of a bar downtown called 911 to say that a mind-controlling super was having his way with young women, and since supers were suspected to be involved the cops called me.

Masks 27: Tales Old and New, Part 4

Submitted by on

Author: 

Audience Rating: 

Publication: 

Genre: 

TG Themes: 

TG Elements: 

Character Age: 

Permission: 

Part Four

At the next Monday's weekly briefing the main topic was the current dearth of known hero supers available in most of the US. The explanations were valid, if annoying.

"The earthquake in Morocco is occupying supers who operate internationally, and storms in North America are keeping most of the teams who focus on the US busy," said Special Agent in Charge Drake. "We can make requests of Bureau headquarters for help, but the fact is that unless we have a major emergency, we're on our own."

"So, no change from the usual," said Cal Pavolin, sourly.

Masks 27: Tales Old and New, Part 3

Submitted by on

Author: 

Audience Rating: 

Publication: 

Genre: 

TG Themes: 

TG Elements: 

Character Age: 

Permission: 

Part Three

One of the more interesting - because the responses of those affected were so variable - tasks for members of the Bureau was delivering powers testing results to someone. Policy stated that the results of tests given by Bureau personnel or someone certified by the Bureau, and were not to be sent through the mail if there was a Bureau of Special Resources office within a three hour drive of the person. Further away and the test results would be mailed. They were never given over the phone or by e-mail.

Masks 27: Tales Old and New, Part 2

Submitted by on

Author: 

Audience Rating: 

Publication: 

Genre: 

TG Themes: 

TG Elements: 

Character Age: 

Permission: 

Part Two

When Vic arrived in her boss' office a few days later, responding to a summons, she was surprised to find Lady Green already there. Vic had assumed this meeting would be in regard to the recent discovery of the Operators' lair, but that turned out not to be the case.

Masks 27: Tales Old and New, Part 1

Submitted by on

Author: 

Audience Rating: 

Publication: 

Genre: 

TG Themes: 

TG Elements: 

Character Age: 

Permission: 

Masks XXVII: Tales Old and New

by

Rodford Edmiston

Part One

The domestic bliss of the Peltior household was disturbed by a muffled exclamation from the kitchen.

"You all right in there?" asked Michelle, concerned, from their couch in the living room.

"I broke another garlic press," said Vic, sourly.

"It's all those fingertip pushups," said Michelle, laughing. "I've shown you how to smack the flat of a knife blade to crush garlic."

"Yeah, but the last time I tried that I... well, let's just say I used too much focus."

What, Again?!

Submitted by on

Blog About: 

Author: 

About forty minutes after I went to bed last night, the power went off again. This time just the once. I wasn't sound asleep, and the emergency light in the hall coming on woke me. I checked everything, then went back to bed. My calico was a bit upset, presumably due to the UPSes beeping, but was easily calmed. I managed to doze some, but didn't get soundly to sleep. About three hours later the power came back on. This time it was off long enough that the UPS keeping the video recorder alive ran down. I was wide awake, so I set the clock and reprogrammed it.

Click Like or Love to appropriately show your appreciation for this post:

It's a Conspiracy to Rob Me of Sleep

Submitted by on

Blog About: 

Author: 

So much for sleeping in this morning. I was awakened about a quarter after 7 (yes, AM) by a series of muffled bangs, and the Shark AI repeatedly telling me it was charging (there's a distinctive set of chimes). I looked at the alarm clock, and it was dead. Power was off, and after several attempts to come back on was staying off. For a large part of Frankfort. After waiting a while with no restoration, I walked to the end of my street and could see that the traffic signal at the intersection of US 60/US 421 was not only out, there was a city police van parked there with its blue lights on.

Click Like or Love to appropriately show your appreciation for this post:

Menace of the Mechanical Master -Masks 20- by Stickmaker on Kindle

Submitted by on

Author: 

Audience Rating: 

Organizational: 

Vic is in for a fight!

Masks20-cov-002_0.jpg
Menace of the Mechanical Master
Masks 20
by Stickmaker
Now on Kindle!

In a world with masterminds and mad inventors, sometimes the merely brilliant get overlooked. Is a gadgeteer less impressive because their work was for theme parks and entertainments, rather than to aid some grandiose criminal plan?

Busy Times

Submitted by on

Blog About: 

Author: 

I upgraded my iMac to Sonora about two weeks ago. I immediately had several problems, some of which turned out to not be fixable. I had to wipe the hard drive and reinstall the previous OS (Ventura) then restore my Apps and data from backup. First thing the iMac does after successfully booting is tell me I need to upgrade to Sonoma. Yeah, not gonna happen for a while.

Click Like or Love to appropriately show your appreciation for this post:

Masks 19 - Keeping the Peace - A Disturbance of the Peace on Kindle

Submitted by on

Author: 

Audience Rating: 

Organizational: 

The world turned upside down!? Famous superheroine accused of murder! Lawrence Hawthorne and his lovely, talented, and dangerous assistant/bodyguard, Sally, must use their skills, powers and experience to track down and stop the real murderers (and the people who hired them) before a mysterious doomsday weapon can be unleashed.

All this amid a backstory of alien invasions, political, corruption, and corporate wrongdoing at the highest levels.

This latest in Rodford Edmiston's intriguing Masks saga combines science fiction, superheroes, swords, noir detectives, cyber sleuthing, and transgender shapeshifting with intricate plotting and tense action!

Masks19-cov-004_0.jpg
Keeping the Peace
Masks 19 - A Disturbance in the Peace
By Rodford Edmiston
Buy on Kindle

Pages

Subscribe to Stickmaker