Empty Prose: About The Stories

A Birdwatcher's Guide to the Apocalypse

About every third thing I write seems to be about the end of the world in some way or another. I like this one because I tried to emulate the style of a little birdwatching guide I've had since I was a little kid.

The Clothes Eater

I wrote and illustrated this when I was 7. It was a project in an elementary school in Oakland, California. When I rediscovered it recently, I was surprised to see that even at this age I was putting stuff like the destruction of the human race in my stories.

Jimmy's Sign

This is one of two stories I was able to salvage from an unfinished project called "Paths". Paths was supposed to be a series of short stories about focusing on four characters, all of whom were homeless wanderers on a quest to understand the universe. This character, Diz, was just a suburban white kid who decided to bum around the state (on roller blades, being pulled by sled dogs). The purpose of this story was to prompt Diz to realize that wandering is who he is and not just something he's doing before college, and to give a bit of a glimpse in to what might happen to him down the line.

Weed World

I'd call this an alternate history. I have this theory that there was once a millennia-long war against poisoners that paved the way for modern society. This story is my exploration of what it might be like today if the poisoners had won.

Ghost Dogs

I was working on a game setting that takes place in Detroit where the players play "dances": amoral ghost-like things that form out of human memories in abandoned places. Dances are like parasites, and although they take advantage of and manipulate humans they also need to keep their hosts safe. The original concept for this story was some guy who knew something about dances but had a few things wrong.

Tom's Story

This is fiction I wrote for a game setting I've been working on off-and-on called Veterans of Interdimensional Wars. The game setting is an exploration of how war leaves scars on a society. The setting takes place after a really horrible war. Most members of society are trying to pretend that everything is fine, but many of the combat veterans can't make themselves believe this is true. As outcasts from the imaginary "everything is wonderful" world, they are the only ones who see and can protect people from the war's worst after-effects.

Maggot-Eye Joe

This is another story I salvaged from the Paths series of stories. It's more of a prequel, since the main character from this story is not the character who's philosiphical progress I wanted to follow in paths. Over the course of the stories, Joe was supposed to turn from a villain in to a hero, but without any of that regret and remorse that Joe would attribute to "weak minds." The character of Joe was originally inspired by the song "Cotton-Eye Joe."

Or, check out some of Brian's other projects:

Fates Worse Than Death
The RPG of suspense, horror and hope in 2080 on the streets of Manhattan.

Vajra Enterprises Main Page
See all the good stuff on this site.

Tibet the RPG
The RPG of magic, war and enlightenment on the roof of the world.