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Post by oldawg on Jan 31, 2015 17:53:00 GMT -6
Thank you for writing this.
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Post by urbonangel on Jul 11, 2015 14:13:44 GMT -6
I loved it! Thanks for sharing!
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Post by steve on Jul 12, 2015 19:21:26 GMT -6
Hi everyone and thank for all of the positive comments.
I have to confess that I have slipped a bit in my writing. I had intended to debut a new story quite a while back but Real Life(TM) keeps interfering (I tried turning one of my other PA ideas into a pen-and-paper RPG... That didn't turn out too good. I created an abstract strategy board game... Or two, depending on how you look at the time line. I devoted some time to develop a plot outline for a proposed fan-made real-time strategy computer game... Guess how well that turned out? I also assisted someone else in running a podcast for awhile which was a new experience for me but it ultimately didn't turn out to be as wonderful as expected. I attempted to be a beta tester for a small computer game developer and never heard from them again after testing one of their early builds so I guess that I wasn't as good as a beta tester as I needed to be. I don't want to "humble-brag" but the list, as they say, goes on and on and on... And that doesn't include layoff threats and other non-Internet or game-related events...).
It's annoying, it's frustrating but it's not excusable. The sad reality is that I have a lot of it written and I want to provide a full year of daily entries before I debut it because I know that my life is going to be like this from now until, for all that I know, the end of reality.
On the plus side, I do watch this board regularly and I am very impressed by the resiliency of this board. I've joined so many message boards that fold not even a year after they were created that I am impressed when one of them doesn't but actually thrives. Wow.
And to make a perfectly honest comment about "Bunker Mentality"... Yeah, since I've written it, I've had a few thoughts on how a sequel would pan out. Not that I'm going to write one anytime soon. I'd prefer for people to use their imagination for that. What good is imagination if you never have the chance to use it?
Again, thanks for all of the positive comments.
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Post by rush176 on Apr 9, 2016 8:57:33 GMT -6
Thanks for the story. I know you finished it quite a while ago but it still caught my imagination. very well done.
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Post by gipsy on Jun 13, 2017 8:33:38 GMT -6
Thanks for the story
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Post by steve on Jun 16, 2017 18:58:04 GMT -6
Hi guys. I know that I haven't been active on this board in a while. I'd like to thank everyone for the likes and the followings and all of that.
Real Life(tm) is just extremely hectic. Combine that with a whole lot of other stuff that I won't get to (some sad, some not-so-sad, some just old age crap) and my writing time has been very limited.
I've been meaning to release a mostly-complete post-apocalyptic story as compensation for the lack of contributions. I don't have the will to complete it at the moment; It sort of sits on my computer, mocking me.
Part of the reason for the lack of contributions is that I'm not that into post-apocalyptic settings anymore. I just can't find a really good angle that satisfies all of my current needs. The closest that I can come to is the weird-future / far-future genre (I'm not even talking "space opera" future but "What would we really be like in the year 3000" type of future).
I can not stress enough how much I really appreciate this board; There have been many boards that I have joined over the years that have folded (many quite unceremoniously) and to be a member of a message board that hasn't folded (or gone quiet) after a few years is rather uncommon for someone such as myself.
Keep up the good work and I'll see if I can't muster up enough juice to complete that mostly-complete PA story.
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Post by texican on Jul 16, 2019 20:47:44 GMT -6
Then, yesterday, this was found on our answering machine:
"Hi, my name is Mr. Zekopor. Please call me back at 1-888-555-6782. That's 1-888-555-6782. I you hope back call soon."
I don't know what is going to happen now. I guess I've stalled enough. Oola is beside me and I've got the phone receiver in my hand. I suppose it's time to dial that number and find out.
Steve,
Thank you for Bunker Mentality....
I occasionally go to the end of the listed stories and read one which I can do without all of the times between chapters.
Enjoyed Bunker Mentality.... It was fun reading....
Now you could always dial 1-888-555-6782 and continue the story out in the universe...
Texican....
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Post by arkansascob on Jul 24, 2019 8:22:49 GMT -6
Wow Thanks Steve for an awesome story. It was different and fun. I enjoyed it from the first chapter to the last.
COB
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Post by steve on Aug 27, 2019 17:48:23 GMT -6
Hi guys. It's been (another) long time since I've been on this board. There are many factors to my absence. I suppose that the most self-inflicted one is that my desire to continue to write "traditional" PA fiction has diminished over the years. What I consider PA and what a lot of other people consider PA are fairly different; That's not bad in either direction but it also makes it challenging to find a story that can satisfy both of those definitions. The other self-inflicted factor is that my spare time has drastically reduced over the years. I can't believe that I once had the spare time to sit and write out all of those parts 'on-the-fly'. Sure, I had a mental map of where I wanted to go and I used my mind to write and re-write a lot of stuff before I started typing but I still had to type it out and proof it and hit the 'send' button... Every day. I feel bad not contributing more to this site. I've seen a lot of message boards die (or merely continue to exist but, for all intents and purposes, die) and I'm always glad that I contributed to a board that has since continued to thrive. That indicates that there's a strong community and a lot of good content. Whenever I read comments to a story that I've written, it does make me revisit that genre and wonder if I still have any viable story lines to expand upon. Something that I have been meaning to do is to finish an old project started (now quite) a while ago; It's so old that, at this point, one of it's bleeding edge concepts isn't so bleeding edge anymore. It's PA "enough" to qualify as "PA" and it was a neat concept. I've since used the template for other stories with varying degrees of success. Thanks again for all of the comments. I hope that you've enjoyed the other stories here as well and... Well, you never know. P.S. I've since had a few ideas for how Bunker Mentality could continue. But, for now, I'll let others imagine how that telephone call transpired... If it ever happened at all.
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Post by texican on Aug 31, 2019 16:43:28 GMT -6
P.S. I've since had a few ideas for how Bunker Mentality could continue. But, for now, I'll let others imagine how that telephone call transpired... If it ever happened at all. Steve, Had a girlfriend years and years ago that made such promises, but but waited and waited and the long awaited outcome was worth the wait.... Texican....
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Post by steve on Dec 25, 2019 7:57:12 GMT -6
Hi guys. Merry Christmas to everyone.
Everyone loves "Alternate History": Hitler slips on a banana peel in 1931 and never rises to power; Lee Harvey Oswald (or the phone company, or the mafia, or...) misses on that fateful day; Someone comes to their senses and the Space Shuttle Challenger doesn't launch in the freezing cold; You get the drift.
Well, let's explore a somewhat less serious scenario: What would've happened if there was a sequel to "Bunker Mentality"? What would that world might have looked like?
No, we're not going walk through that door and stay in that universe, as tempting as it may be, but suppose you were given a chance to get a glimpse at that possible future... Just a peek... Just a glimmer...
Not too long ago, a series of very frustrating Real Life(tm) events occurred that made me perturbed enough to stress myself out (hint: They haven't exactly gone away but some of them have abated somewhat). And, when I stress out, I write (even if some of that writing isn't top-notch on further review). And what did I write? Hint: What's the name of this thread?
Now, I didn't write an entire sequel... But I did write at least a few pages... Enough to establish some of the plot.
I'm not claiming that this is "the sequel" but let's call it an alternate future where one possible version of "the sequel" occurred.
How would fans want to view this glimpse? All at once? By chapter? Here on this message board, downloadable in PDF form, both, neither?
Let know me. Thanks.
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Post by papaof2 on Dec 25, 2019 10:33:35 GMT -6
Here on the message board, probably best by chapter to build the suspense further, since you've started with a teaser ;-)
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Post by 9idrr on Dec 25, 2019 22:12:50 GMT -6
Steve- we shall be grateful for whatever form you choose. Glad we still have a board goin' to which you feel like returnin'.
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Post by texican on Dec 26, 2019 23:08:46 GMT -6
steve,
Be assured that if you write it, it will be greedily devoured by the Moar Hounds....
Texican....
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Post by steve on Jan 25, 2020 6:38:05 GMT -6
NOTE: I've delayed releasing this for too long. It's by no means complete (Remember when I wrote about that?) and there's too much of it to be released all at once. Therefore, I'll just release it in a few chunks "as is" (spelling mistakes, awkward grammar, etc.). Again... DON'T EXPECT A FULL STORY! This is just what happened for a few days quite some time ago when I got stressed out and needed to write in order to calm myself down from Real Life(tm) events. But... You never know... Life gets more stressful as one gets older... Never say Never...
/////////////////////////
I dialed the telephone number, then put the phone on speaker so that Oola could hear the impending conversation.
A computerized three-tone sequence was played.
“We're sorry,” a recorded female voice explained, “But the number that you have dialed: One. Eight. Eight. Five. Eight. Five. Five. One. Seven. One. Three. Is not in service. Please hang up and try again later. This is a recording.”
The recording played a few more times before I hung up the phone.
“Well that was a cruel trick,” I snapped, not caring how cross I sounded.
“Not a trick,” Oola realized, “A puzzle... A code!”
Oola paused before exclaiming loudly, “That's a code!”
I looked at her for a moment, not knowing whether to call her crazy or...
I thought about it, dialing the number back and putting the message on speaker again.
1-8-8-5-8-5-5-1-7-1-3.
It wasn't the number that we had dialed. I had made sure of it.
1-885-855-1713 may have been a legitimate telephone number but anyone who had used the United States telephone service knew that it was an odd telephone number. Anyone who had known the Zekopors knew that they used to re-arrange the word order of their sentences.
Why not re-arrange the sequence of a telephone number?
1-8-8-5-8-5-5-1-7-1-3.
Knowing how the Zekopors re-arranged the word order in their sentences, I re-wrote the telephone number:
1-888-555-7131.
What were they trying to prove with this puzzle?
Looking at Oola, I commented while dialing the new number, “Here we go again.”
The phone rang a few times... And then promptly hung up. I listened to the dial tone for a moment.
I was more angry than curious. I had lived a full life far removed from the Zekopors; I had been alive longer since my experience with them than I had since before I had ever met them.
“Maybe we got the number confused,” Oola suggested, “Maybe...”
There was a knock at the door. Loud. Sharp. But not threatening. Not a pounding knock. Not a fast series of knocks.
I looked at Oola who looked back at me.
“Stay here,” I told her, getting up to answer the door.
What the heck was I going to do? I was a member of the AARP, not the MMA and I had the “Grandpa Girth” to prove it.
I got to the door just as I heard another series of knocks.
“Who is it?” I cautiously asked aloud.
“My name is Mr. Zekopor,” the voice returned, “Would you kindly open the door?”
“What do you want?” Oola asked, following me to the door. So much for my advice holding weight.
“To talk,” the voice replied, “And nothing else.”
What were we going to do? Call the police?
'Yes, officer, I was abducted by aliens... No, wait... Let me start over, I was part of an experiment and Earth was destroyed but not destroyed and all of what you see was recreated... Well, let me try to explain it this way to you...'
A part of me was nervous, bordering on hyperventilation. I could clearly see the discomfort and concern in Oola's eyes.
I released the deadbolt and opened the door.
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Post by steve on Feb 9, 2020 12:54:11 GMT -6
PART 0002
He was short but not a midget. He was young but not a teenager or even a young adult.
Dressed in a suit and tie with black business casual shoes, he strode in with an air of supreme confidence.
'Shoe salesman,' for some reason, was the first thing that came to mind.
“How wonderful to meet the two of you at last,” Mr. Zekopor exclaimed, shaking both of our hands quickly and vigorously before we had even offered them.
I don't even remember closing the front door.
“Oola,” he stated, patting my wife on the shoulder, “How ravishing you've turned out to be. A natural human form suits you so well.”
He turned his attention to me.
“And you,” he grinned, “A man who needs no introduction to any part of the galaxy and beyond. It is a true honor to meet you face-to-face.”
Before either of us could get in a word, he turned to look at our home, taking in a huge breath while smiling.
“What a lovely abode!” He stated with an enthusiasm that almost reeked of parody until I realized that, up until a few decades ago, the global routines of Earth was just a misconstrued hypothesis to his kind, strung together by mismatched pieces of contradicting evidence.
“Would you care to sit?” Oola asked, gesturing to a nearby sofa.
His smile never waned.
“Furniture!” He exclaimed, wandering to his seat as though he had never stepped foot inside of a living room in his entire life. He sat with a practiced precision as though he had studied the routine but had never before performed it until now.
I was at a loss for words, sitting in my easy chair while Oola remained standing.
“Would you care for a drink?” Oola asked.
He turned to face Oola, the smile still radiant.
“Liquids!” He noted, “Why, thank you! And what choices would you make available?”
“Perhaps,” I suggested, “You should start with water?”
He turned to me, the smile never wavering.
“So abundant on Earth!” He remarked, turning to Oola, “Yes, please! Thank you.”
Oola turned and walked away, causing Mr. Zekopor to turn back to myself.
“You called our residence...” I began to explain but Mr. Zekopor cut me off, his voice still radiating energy.
“You look old!” He confided to me, “That is so wonderful! You have aged so much. It really looks quite nice. The both of you. The aging.”
Thanks? I guess?
“How are the Zekopors?” I asked suddenly, perhaps more sharply than I had intended, “I presume you are one.”
Oola returned with a glass of water. I noticed that she had chosen a plastic cup without ice cubes. I could only imagine why.
“Thank you!” Mr. Zekopor exclaimed, a bit more muted than before, as though trying to sound sincere, taking the glass of water slowly from Oola.
We watched as Mr. Zekopor placed his nose over the glass, smelling the water for a moment before exhaling as though he was judging a fine glass of wine. He proceeded to drink the entire glass of water in one continuous sip, exhaling but keeping the glass firmly in his grasp afterward.
“That was delicious,” Mr. Zekopor remarked, “Thank you.”
“You're welcome,” Oola replied, finally sitting down.
“Could you tell us,” I asked, “Could you tell us why you are here? Why you have contacted us?”
Mr. Zekopor turned to me and his smile finally faded a slight bit.
“I would enjoy to inform the both of you of a wondrous event that will affect the both of you,” Mr. Zekopor said, looking at us both.
There was a pregnant pause. Oola and I looked at him, expecting an answer. Just as I was about to ask him, he continued.
“You are being retired!” He exclaimed loudly, a look of absolute excitement on his face, no less than if he had just won the lottery, “The both of you! Together!”
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Post by dallanta on Jul 10, 2020 19:54:05 GMT -6
Just finished this and it was great mostly. I say mostly because I can relate a bit to it. On november 2nd of 2010, I was injured in Afghanistan. As an old man and a contractor I should have been safe enough but crap happens. Evidently I died a couple of times, from what I was told, and they did not expect me to make it. I came out of a coma a month later in Houston, Tx. It took a while but I had all kinds of nightmares and very vivid dreams while in the coma. After I came out of it they had a hard time convincing me that I was no longer dreaming.
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Post by cutter on Jul 12, 2020 10:57:52 GMT -6
Steve, you can't just leave us hanging off THAT cliff!
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Post by steve on Jul 13, 2020 11:51:19 GMT -6
Admittedly, I lost track. Here are two segments as compensation. Enjoy.
PART XXXX
“Retired?” Oola repeated, “We're already retired...”
“From Earth! Here!” Mr. Zekopor stated with enthusiasm, making a hissing sound that almost sounded like an attempt at giggling.
“Now!” Mr. Zekopor exclaimed.
I saw Oola visibly shaken at Mr. Zekopor's statements, standing up sharply and taking a step back from the man. Seeing my wife's reaction, any semblance of politeness dropped from my voice and most of it vanished from my face.
“Mr. Zekopor,” I stated, “You will have to be clearer with us. We appreciate your company but you're being vague. What do mean by 'retire'?”
Suddenly, a loud, sharp tone perforated the entire house. It lasted for a moment, causing both Oola and myself to instinctively cover our ears, wincing at the pain.
“This is pointless,” a booming voice stated... A familiar booming voice.
PART XXXX
I thought that I would die before I saw the floating, translucent face of a Zekopor ever again.
I was wrong.
Only after a moment did I realize that “Mr. Zekopor” seemed frozen in place; Still clutching his drink. Still seated on the sofa. Still smiling insufferably. Silent.
I looked over at Oola. Her jaw was agape. Silent. Arms to her side. For a moment, I thought that she was going to faint.
“I must apologize; We're still working out the issues with our prototypes,” the floating head stated.
“Prototypes?” I asked.
“Yes, interacting with humans is very challenging. So many social cues to be interpreted; So many interpretations that are valid or invalid based upon conflicting sets of cues,” the floating head explained with an air of annoyance.
“What...?” Oola asked, stammering before asking more coherently, “Retirement? From Earth?”
“Yes,” the floating head stated, “You're being retired. Permanently. Now.”
“Why?” I asked.
“Because,” the floating head revealed, “You're going to be murdered soon.”
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Post by steve on Jul 13, 2020 11:55:58 GMT -6
Just finished this and it was great mostly. I say mostly because I can relate a bit to it. On november 2nd of 2010, I was injured in Afghanistan. As an old man and a contractor I should have been safe enough but crap happens. Evidently I died a couple of times, from what I was told, and they did not expect me to make it. I came out of a coma a month later in Houston, Tx. It took a while but I had all kinds of nightmares and very vivid dreams while in the coma. After I came out of it they had a hard time convincing me that I was no longer dreaming. I'm glad that you mostly enjoyed the story. I definitely enjoyed writing it. Although I'm not as much into post-apocalyptic stories as I once was, I still attempt to find such a story that would interest me enough to write it down.
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Post by steve on Jul 13, 2020 11:57:56 GMT -6
Steve, you can't just leave us hanging off THAT cliff! You're right.. I'll leave you hanging off THIS cliff instead... (But not for as long as the last time...)
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Post by arkansascob on Jul 13, 2020 13:30:34 GMT -6
Well hanging off this cliff is a tad bit more relaxing than hanging off that other one. Either way though I can still hear an echo as I scream MOAR.
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Post by cutter on Jul 15, 2020 8:51:54 GMT -6
This was the first story I ever read here
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Post by griz375 on Jul 21, 2020 12:43:49 GMT -6
Admittedly, I lost track. Here are two segments as compensation. Enjoy. PART XXXX “Because,” the floating head revealed, “You're going to be murdered soon.” So this isn't my normal PAW fare BUT it has wit, humour and is quite well written. I can honestly say I enjoyed reading it; so much so I'm going to follow the links you posted and see what those deliver.Too bad for the readers here that Life got in the way of you creating more but, that's the way of it. Your personal environment can change in a multitude of ways and directions which almost always dictates a change in course for you. You did gift us with a pretty entertaining piece and, as I said, I'm goint to follow your links and see what sort of rabbit hole they lead me into. Thanks for this, stay healthy and above all else, enjoy. G.
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