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Canon and Code: A Newbie's Guide
Topic: Canon and Code: A Newbie's Guide
: Fixer
Posts: 209
Joined: 04 Dec 2006
Date Posted:
Wed Sep 09, 2009 8:18 am
Canon and Code: A Newbie's Guide
I've noticed, over time, that due to a handful of problems with adjusting the Shadowrun game mechanics into a MUD setting, newbies are frequently confused or puzzled by certain things in the MUD that either don't work as canon, or are available for NERP purposes, but don't function in code.
As such, I'd like to start this thread to allow older players, and newer players learning as they go through the process, to offer notes regarding differences between canon and code, particularly as far as cyber and bioware available in chargen are concerned, so as to help others making new characters.
I'll start with a couple of examples that have come up on the newbie channel multiple times in the past week.
Firstly, in code, here, there is no difference between a Smartlink and a Smartlink-2. In canon, Smartlink-2 offers a TN bonus of -2 in addition to regular benefits for called shots. Because called shots are not implemented in code, this difference is a nonfactor.
Secondly, with the exception of the hand-based cyberweapons, none of the other, more exotic, cyberweapons are implemented in code. Particularly, this refers to the Oral weapons.
Additionally, you can basically count on /most/ of the cosmetic biowares being NERP, meaning Non-essential Roleplay, or defunct in code. Additionally, any spells not listed in the motd are NERP, and several spells that exist in canon are not available, even as NERP.
Several adept abilities are also defunct, but I'm sure somebody else can generate a better list, in that regard, than I can. The only one that comes to mind for me is Linguistics.
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: Fixer
Posts: 242
Joined: 16 Apr 2005
Date Posted:
Wed Sep 09, 2009 1:20 pm
Davan and Daedalus had long discussed what to put into a similar article some of what we had put together follows. I am of the opinion that the mud strays from canon largely as a matter of coders not having gotten around to implementing various things yet and not so much an inherent incompatibility between canon and the mud environment.
to clarify any comments about cyberware bioware and adept powers that are not implemented. if it has a helpfile it is in. I have not confirmed eyecover function.
canon only addresses coming back from the dead in the form of summoning ancestor spirits which are presumably very old deaths and zombies raised by a houngan to serve him. in the case of the zombie personage is lost though skills are sometimes maintained. neither is an acceptable solution to wanting to play your character after the unforunate toast has occured. the mud follows all the rules of canon for damage (including stat loss) up to the point where the character reaches physical overflow equal to body attribute at that point the character is disconnected and reconnected teleported back to docwagon having left his gear where he died (newbies keep gear) and with his health seriously damaged. hardcore is an optional mode within the mud in which death is permanent
on page 248 of the core book there is the hand of god rule which allows effective resurrection at time of death, when seeing the light and tunnel, if the character burns all karma and karma pool and both were previously greater than 0. this may be done once and cannot be implemented without first implementing karma pool (note one of this article's authors used this rule in a gmed event within the mud but this was a gm/player decision not mud code.)
karma pool
the mud code does not include karma pool at any point. reasons for this are given as "players tend to get really high total karma earned and would karma pool would make them deific" or the more practical codewise issue of slow gameplay when every roll could potentially be overturned by the player and when does the pool refresh without a gm watching the game and saying ok pools refresh.
Docwagon retrieval
docwagon retrieval times average somewhat longer than canon having a test once a mud hour rather than the several minute response time of canon. additionally rather than an ambulance arriving and clearing a path to take you the mud simply sends a message that you were recovered with no possibility for interaction between vicious attacker and the paramedic saving the prey. additionally docwagon modulators may not be manually activated in mud nor called like a telephone.
enchanting, talismongering, gun b/r and vehicle design are all not implemented. note canon recomends not giving players access to the tools to actually make a vehicle themselves.
several metamagic techniques are not implemented. I have personally used reflecting, cleansing, masking.
flight is not implemented, for room matching purposes it is not expected to be implemented anytime soon.
riggers captain's chair mode is not implemented. for rigger information overload reasons, solutions are still being considered.
is good to me.
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: Neophyte
Posts: 25
Joined: 10 May 2008
Date Posted:
Thu Sep 10, 2009 1:10 am
Preface: This post is not meant to be a bug report, a demonstration of the limitations of code, or a spread of misinformation. My last post in this thread did have some amount of inaccuracy and as such it was removed. I've taken the time to research and correct this information as necessary including references to the source books where I could. I cannot guarantee that all the information below is 100% correct, and I do not intend to state it as fact. The purpose of this post is to highlight differences between canon and code, and to foster discussion on the subject. There are a lot more differences than what has been indicated by other posters above and what's been presented by myself below. I may make another post at a later time outlining more of those differences. That's all, carry on.
This is a pretty good post outlining all the NERP 'wares:
Here is a detailed list of adept abilities, what they do, and if they function in code:
Information on whether spells are coded or not can be found by typing MOTD into your MUD client.
As for decker utilities, check out the HELP UTILITIES help file. If it's not listed there (Aside from a suite or anything built into a cyberdeck part), it's NERP.
This article shows which parts of a cyberdeck are NERP:
-- Note that FUPS ports are not required to install a hitcher jack, though they should be. This is indicated on p. 59 of Matrix 3. Icon Chips are also NERP, you can customize your icon/persona without one installed. If a cyberterminal does not have a functioning icon chip in canon, the MPCP defaults to a rating 1 standard UMS icon for its persona. This is described on p. 57 of Matrix 3.
Boosted reflexes, the cyberware, function differently than canon in that they can be uninstalled. The treatment is permanent, in canon, as described on p. 300 of the SR3 Core book.
There are no ill effects to Wired Reflexes in code, so not much motivation for a reflex trigger until one gets into RP situations. The effects of wired reflexes are described on p. 301 and p. 93 of the SR3 Core book. Furthermore, on p.301, a reflex trigger must be installed simultaneously with wired reflexes, as a package, if one wants a reflex trigger. This is not the case in code.
Flare compensation has no coded effect as far as I know.
Biostress affects nothing more than the rate at which you heal, in code. It's much more nasty in canon. The effects of Biosystem Overstress can be found on p. 62 of Man & Machine.
Invisibility, Improved Invisibility, Stealth and Silence spells do not have resistance checks coded. All indirect illusion spells are resisted by intelligence as described on p. 195 of SR3 core. Spell resistance tests are described on p. 183 of SR3 Core.
Drugs such as Bliss, Cram, and Novacoke have no minimum length of effect in code. These drugs have a minimum length of one hour's effect as described on p. 122 of Man & Machine. This should equate to a minimum of two minutes real time in code, but characters with high BOD may find them lasting less than that.
Healthy glow is coded correctly, but its effects are nothing more than an echo to those it is casted on, as far as I know.
A mindlink spell in canon requires caster and target to remain within force * caster's magic rating meters. This is not a limitation in code. The range of detection spells is described on p. 192 of SR3 core, and the requirement for those who are mindlinked to stay within range of the sense is reiterated on p. 193 of SR3 Core.
Any weapon foci coded in the game are NERP, as are expendable foci.
There is a lot on the astral plane that seems to be coded incorrectly. Your physical stats do not end up being determined by your mental stats (pp. 172-173 SR3 Core). To further explain my experience, I use increase cybered attribute for INT, WIL, QUI, and STR, as well as increase attribute for BOD. This is a human character with all natural unboosted stats at 6. On the astral, all my stats are 6's except for WIL and INT, which match my meatbod's attributes identically. While the mental attributes are correctly translated to the astral, your Astral Strength should equal Charisma, your Astral Quickness should equal Intelligence, and your Astral Body should equal Willpower. This throws off your combat pool as the wrong QUI stat is used to determine it. it should also be noted, that on the pages referenced earlier in this paragraph, is is stated quite clearly that modifications to your mental attributes from spells, cyberware and other sources do affect the abilities of your astral form. Which is fine as far as the mental attributes are concerned, but this should translate over to your astral's physical attributes.
Initiative is calculated incorrectly on the astral, as all astrals are supposed to receive a +20 bonus to initiative while astrally projecting, as described on p. 173 of SR3 Core. Also described on that page and p. 174 of core is that Astral Reaction is supposed to equal Intelligence, which it does not in code. (My Astral Reaction is 8, which seems to include my cerebral booster, but not my increase cybered attribute spell. For comparison, my Astral Intelligence as stated on my score sheet is 11 with the spell up.)
Spell pool on the astral plane suffers an incorrect calculation due to power foci. The additional magic received from an activated power focus will be reflected as natural magic on the astral plane's score sheet. The calculation is correct as far as it takes that magic rating, willpower, and intelligence into the calculation. The additional dice equal to the rating of activated power foci are NOT added to your spell pool. I am having difficulty determining what is proper with regards to power foci on the astral plane in regards to canon. In code it obviously adds to your magic, but does not provide additional dice. If anyone can chime in here with a reference to canon, please feel free.
Also, any foci you look at that someone or yourself is wearing will be flagged with a (Gaes) flag incorrectly. Geasa are described on p. 30 of MitS. It is also worth noting that a limitied version of the Talisman Geas is the only one implemented in code. In code, losing the focus which your magic is locked into will not prevent you from using magic completely, only the associated point of magic which was locked into it. While you have a geas, this point of magic will not be natural magic any longer until it is shed. (I apologize in advance if the information on how this works in code is incorrect, it's been quite a while since I experimented with foci addiction and geasa and I am going from memory.)
When attacking a projecting character's meat body in code, the meat body will fight back, well enough to win if it's able. This obviously isn't canon. I haven't tested it, but one might assume a jacked in decker or rigger might respond the same way. I bugged this when discovered and I am not sure if it has since been resolved.
In canon, hermetic libraries can be found in digital formats. This is not available on the MUD. Information on this can be found on p.167 of SR3 Core.
Elementals sustain spells differently than in canon. In code, they'll simply use one service to sustain a spell until the spell is released, or the subject of the spell dies or logs off. The rules for elemental spell sustaining, which provide two options, one for short term sustaining and one for long term sustaining, can be found on p. 187 of SR3 Core.
The costs and methods of initiation are purposely different than canon. Initiation is covered in great detail starting on p. 57 of MitS.
Elementals and spirits should always stay within a distance of its master equal to the total of its summoners WIL, CHA, and Magic, times ten, in meters. Spirits and elementals will follow to stay within this radius unless they are ordered to do otherwise as a remote service, placed on "stand by", or are forced out of the radius with consequences. In code, this is not always the case due to follow code. This is described under 'Binding Elementals' on pp. 186-187 of SR3 Core.
Skills which are NERP include Throwing Weapons, Projectiles, Grenade Launchers, Talismongering, Centering, Enchanting, Elf Etiquette, Tribal Etiquette, Media Etiquette, and Oral Strike.
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: Fixer
Posts: 209
Joined: 04 Dec 2006
Date Posted:
Thu Sep 10, 2009 1:41 am
Urthor's guide as far as adept powers goes is damn near perfect:
Invisibility/Improved Invisibility:
As far as spells go, as Alba stated earlier, Invisibility and Improved Invisibility do not allow for Perception tests, as they do in canon. Also, there's a house rule that most questors and immortals use that slightly adjust the canon rules to limit the number of successes counted for invisibility spells to the force at which the spell is cast. Canonically, this rule applies to /most/ similar spells, but is not explicitly stated for invisibility, so it's generally taken to be assumed. What this basically means, is that for code, all that is necessary is force 1 for invisibility spells, but on the other hand, in dice, a force 1 invisibility spell is very, very close to useless.
Increased Reflexes +1/2/3:
The increased reflexes spells show no benefit when cast at a higher force, besides allowing for greater resistance to being dispelled. This may very well be, and probably is, canon, but I thought it should be noted.
The mindlink spell, in canon, limits the ability's functionality to a distance of force x magic from the target, in code, however, the range is limitless, making it unnecessary to have higher than force 1, aside from avoiding having it dispelled.
Clout/Flamethrower/Acidstream/Lightning Bolt:
There has been some debate, and it remains unclear, as to whether or not elemental manipulation spells use half of the target's impact armor to resist, as it is in canon. However, as far as I'm aware, nobody's determined anything either way, so it's down to Che, somebody with access to the code, or somebody with greater experience than I to solve that question.
I've heard rumors of a bug that occurs when armor ratings exceed 20. To the best of my knowledge this is unsubstantiated, but worth getting a clarification from Che on. Also, some of the military grade armors have the armor rating provided for the hardened versions of those armors, which is 1/1 less, despite, to the best of my knowledge, hardened armor itself not being implemented.
To the best of my knowledge, none of the laser-type weapons use half-impact armor, in code, as they do in canon.
STK Nemesis:
In canon, gyrojet pistols, like the nemesis, use half impact armor for soak. In code, however, there are two coded ammunitions available. Plus rounds, which, as far as I can tell, are just APDS, and regular. Neither use half impact, to the best of my knowledge. It seems as though regular uses ballistic, and plus uses half ballistic, basically the same as other ranged weapons.
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: Fixer
Posts: 242
Joined: 16 Apr 2005
Date Posted:
Wed Mar 27, 2013 11:25 pm
Shamanic Lodges
: Been several years since I checked this but they were capped at double magic rating in force last I checked. canon has no such limitation.
: vehicles which have mounts in canon do not come from the store with them in code. their stats have not been modified to account for this (load is as listed in canon not as canon+mount weight).
is good to me.
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: Neophyte
Posts: 8
Joined: 12 Nov 2013
Date Posted:
Thu Mar 12, 2015 8:14 pm
I've been meaning to post this for awhile, and I do not guarantee this is perfectly accurate nor will REMAIN perfectly accurate. Feel free to correct me.
Enemy mobs and NPCs suffer all penalties that you, as a player do, in code. The sole exception is astralvision(TM). Seeing invisible seems to be a default characteristic to mobs that does not apply penalties to them if they are capable of it.
Combat in-MUD functions canonically with variety of range, darkness, cover modifiers along with taking in stealth and surprise rounds normally into account. Your enemies are affected by them as well. The primary difference is you cannot get more then one round, limited to one per combatant per round, with the person winning initiative going first. Your cpool never seems to deplete, as well, allowing you to retain full bonuses the entire time.
They stack with smartlinks. The range brackets are much shorter (1+ rooms for starters) due to simple MUD-space limitations. Not the case in canon.
The TN penalties go higher the larger the difference between yourself and the room is. No, this doesn't exist in canon, although individual GMs may make that judgement call.
Counterstrike, Sidestep, & canon:
The wording on these is vague. In canon it's generally taken that Sidestep is "extra" dice that depletes normally, and counterstrike is filler for your combat pool that allows you to save dice through a combat round. In code you can roll over your maximum skill with it. Again canon, not so much. Judgement calls by GMs will vary.
Mob Stats:
Mobs can be programmed with any stats or abilities. Even if they should technically be impossible. This is generally done for appropriate reasons.
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922: Fight Club
|Fight Club
Title text: I'm not saying it's all bad, but that movie has not aged as well as my teenage self in 2000 was confident it would.
Fight Club is a movie starring Brad Pitt and Edward Norton that was released in 1999. It included this oft-quoted and parodied line: "The first rule about Fight Club is do not talk about Fight Club.".
The movie certainly does have a message about society and consumerism. But a lot of fans of the film only saw a movie with lots of fighting and mischief. Probably, a lot of people who saw the movie when they were younger, and enjoyed those aspects of it, would be disappointed were they to re-watch it with a better understanding of what the movie's actually trying to say.
The line "This conversation is over" also appears to be a reference to the same line in the movie, in the scene where the Narrator (Edward Norton) is arguing with Marla Singer (Helena Bonham Carter) while Tyler (Brad Pitt) tells the Narrator what to say from the bottom of the basement stairs.
- Friend: But Fight Club isn't really about fighting. It's about the way society—
- Person: Nope, don't wanna hear it.
- Friend: But it says consumers are—
- Person: This conversation is over.
- The first rule of talking to me about movies is do NOT talk about Fight Club.
add a comment! ⋅ add a topic (use sparingly)! ⋅ refresh comments!
I never really liked the movie either so... Davidy²²[talk] 09:25, 9 March 2013 (UTC)
Really? Is something like that really common? I was a teen when I saw that movie and I did understand what it was about. And I'm not trying to show off; honestly, I don't think there is any merit on that. Wasn't the movie pretty obvious about it's anti-consumerism ideas? :/ 184.108.40.206 23:05, 16 July 2013 (UTC)
No; it's about a dialectical opposition between the Narrator's two attempted paths to happiness: Conforming to what society says he should do to be happy, and smashing them all. (Norton and Pitt, respectively) It's the Slave and Master mentality from Nietzsche. A naive viewing of the movie (i.e. what almost every teenager sees, hence the mouseover text) is that, because the Conformist model is so clearly unhappy, the movie is glorifying Pitt's smashy-smashy ethos. Except that's completely self-destructive and unsatisfying, as well: an all-consuming hatred of consumerism is its own cosumerism-pathology. It's at the end of the movie that the dialectic resolves. Norton destroys both the confirmist and smashy-smashy selves, and starts on a path to true happiness. You see this as he leaves with Marla--he is leaving with her because he wants to be in a relationship with her because he and she will enjoy it. He is NOT doing it to ape how he's supposed to act, and he's not doing it as some sort of BDSM humiliation thing. He has become the Ubermensch--he is able to chart his own path to happiness, enjoying the fruits of material society if he would enjoy them, without being enslaved to them or enslaved by hatred of them. 220.127.116.11 15:32, 31 December 2013 (UTC)
- tldr 126.96.36.199 06:53, 21 January 2014 (UTC)
- Don't conform to non-conformism.22.214.171.124 13:46, 28 March 2018 (UTC)
He has become the Ubermensch--he is able to walk out the door with a bullet in the head, fired at close range by a raving lunatic that gets the girl?
I used Google News BEFORE it was clickbait (talk) 17:27, 23 January 2015 (UTC)

subset: commoncrawl


text:
So I've been on my political shit this semester and I'm telling you everyone should hop on. I was at work today, doing my usual surf of generic "semi-department" stores, like urban outfitters, and I got bored because everything looks the same (except for this sequined skirt I've been hunting for a few months) so I decided to google urban and see what crazy shit I can conjour up about the multi-million dollar company. I was utterly suprised, it turns out that husband-wife CEO duo of the company are ultra conservativde republicans and use a generous portion
of their funds in supporting Republican candidates. The kicker is that certain shirts, such as the "obama for yo mama" and the "hilary is my homegirl" shirts are pro-democrat, but the purchase of these shirts help to support REBUPLICAN campaigns! Wtf? Its a conspiracy I tell you! The store aims to target college students, into the new age thrifty, bohemian looks-who are mainly liberals-but yet they use our dollars to fund conservative one sided bullshit! Why don't they make clothes that cater to young republicans like polos and pearl necklaces, instead of fooling their demographic that the owners are rasta living, bohemian-esque, weed smokers, who make clothes to cater to people like them. At this rate, the owner of Abercrombie and Fitch is probably a Green Party member!
To find out more about corporate scum, urban, and CEOs who use poor children in India to make their clothes or are potentially funding the Darfur genocide go to www.corporatescum.com or google that shit!


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In a recent blog post, Meredith Farkas, author of Social Software in Libraries, points out that students doing research often do not take the time to reflect on their experience doing research — what did they learn from it, what can be done better next time, etc.
Because this reflection is not usually written into the curriculum, students don't learn enough from their mistakes or even the good things they did. Having a research log helps students become better researchers in the future and, most importantly, helps them to develop a "system" that works for them.
Farkas goes on to share her system for doing research, including her favorite software tools:
- Collect items of interest using Delicious and Instapaper.
- Use mindmapping to brainstorm everything that might be of interest related to the selected topic
- Turn the mindmap into a research question and an outline for the paper. Farkas uses pencil and paper, but for those who prefer there are a variety of mindmapping tools available as well.
- Conduct the research, saving all interesting articles as PDFs in Dropbox. If a PDF of an item is not available, it can be printed to PDF using your computer's built-in software or a tool such as PDF Creator.
- Update the outline based on new information gathered.
- Read and mark-up the PDFs using iAnnotate on her iPad, and save to Dropbox.
- Import the relevant PDFs into a Mendeley (citation management tool similar to Zotero) library, checking that the resulting citations are accurate.
- Write the literature review with marked-up content from the PDFs and other sources, and the rest of the paper.
Readers are encouraged to read Farkas' blog posting in full as her writing is reliably thoughtful, thorough and encouraging.
What system do you use for doing research? Do you reflect on what you learn each time you conduct research? What important lessons have you learned? Tell us about it!


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BrainBerries / sport
Reality is pretty boring, peeps. That's why filmmakers exaggerate. They embellish. They have to create imaginary tension. Such was the case with the recently released biographical film Bohemian Rhapsody about Queen. Here is a look at nine ways in which the movie did not reflect reality.
Here is a list of 11 fashion trends for Fall/Winter 2018-19 that you better latch onto before everybody starts pointing and laughing at you for being hopelessly stuck in 2017-2018 fashions.
Christmas is coming again. You know what this means? It's time to buy gifts for your friends and family. You already know what to get Mom and Dad. Your grandpas and grandmas. Siblings. Aunts and uncles. But what about your best friend? Goodness. You've forgotten to get her a gift, haven't you? Fortunately, we've got…
Thanks to that Big Boom of action flicks we got to witness the birth of such incredible actors as Bruce Willis, Sylvester Stallone, Jackie Chan, and countless more. Today we'd like to revisit some of those old-school action stars and see what they're up to these days.
Mandarin Duck, real name Aniko Kolesnikova, is an artist that has one goal in life: make clay great again!
Everyone knows about such common crops as potatoes, beans, rice, etc. But do you know anything about the beneficial properties of mallow or a physalis of all things? These are the cultures that you probably haven't even heard of. Here are 12 unusual edible crops that you may want to try.
World economics is a weird thing. Well, actually it's kind of like regular people economics but on a much larger scale and with much larger numbers. And just like people, countries can be either rich or poor.
Only last week the world's fastest bullet train began testing in Japan. Named the Shinkansen ALFA-X the train is said to be capable of 400 kilometers per hour, a whopping 249mph! Expected to begin production in 2030 it will become the world's fastest train carrying its passengers at a steady speed of 360kph, or 224mph.
We've seen a lot of great movies in recent history, and it seems like some years hit one blockbuster after the other. It seems like a silly thing to assume that there was a period in time or a certain year when movies were just objectively better, but thankfully box office statistics and the Oscars can give us a pretty decent idea of how heavy the competition was to be the movie of the year.
For sure you've heard about Chernobyl and you have almost definitely seen the brilliant TV Show on HBO. But how much do you really know about the Chernobyl exclusion zone?
We all know space is exciting. However there's still an entire part of our own planet that have not been thoroughly explored or explained. And that, dear reader, is the ocean!


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Witches of Salem are relieved after a major break in this spring's raccoon mutilation case, hoping that the arrest of two residents will clear the reputation of the Wiccan and psychic communities.
Witches of Salem are relieved after a major break in this spring's raccoon mutilation case, hoping that the arrest of two residents will clear the reputation of the Wiccan and psychic communities.
An eyewitness' account prompted the arrest Tuesday afternoon of Sharon Graham, 46, and Frederick Purtz, 22, both of 98 Bridge St., on charges of destruction of property, littering and intimidation of a witness. Graham has worked as a psychic in Salem, and reportedly considered herself a witch at one point.
Additional charges against Graham may follow, police said, as she reportedly had animal parts from protected species in her apartment during an early questioning. Police said the items, including a wolf pelt, owl wings and birds' feet, were seized while authorities determine whether they are legal to possess or belong to protected species.
Richard Watson, of 100 Bridge St., was once a friend of Graham and Purtz and was present during the night of May 9 when the defendants allegedly used mutilated raccoon remains to vandalize two downtown shops, Angelica of the Angels on Central Street and The Goddess' Treasure Chest on Essex Street.
"My conscience was killing me," after witnessing the acts, Watson told the Gazette. He said he kept silent because Graham threatened to slit his throat while he slept, but ultimately came forward to police. "Ever since I went to the police I've been relieved."
Still, Watson said he secured a restraining order against Graham on Wednesday.
"I'm glad they found who did it," said Barbara Szafranski, who owns Angelica of the Angels. "And I have to commend the police department for sticking to it and finding out who did it."
Watson says he returned home to his apartment on May 27 to find Graham, Purtz and several other people gathered in his kitchen. At the time, Graham was staying with him and living in one of his rooms, he said.
Watson said he saw Graham and Purtz take two trash bags out of his refrigerator. "They said to me, 'C'mon Rick, we're going take a ride,'" he said. Watson maintains that he didn't know what was in the bags, or what the plan was, until the incident occurred.
A male friend of Graham drove the group — including Graham, Purtz and Watson and another male — to the area of the two shops, the witness said, where he and one of the other males were instructed to act as lookouts.
Watson said he watched as Purtz left bloody raccoon remains at The Goddess' Treasure Chest, while Graham did the same at Angelica of the Angels.
Police confirmed that there were several people in the car and said Graham smeared the raccoon's head and intestines at Angelica's, while Purtz left the carcass at The Goddess' Treasure Chest.
Sources said the raccoon was already dead when the two defendants found it in a wooded area, possibly in the Salem Willows. The defendants allegedly considered other locations before settling on the two shops that were affected.
"There was also talk of where to go. The two targets were not the only ones considered," said Lt. Conrad Prosniewski. "They chose Angelica's and the Goddess' Treasure Chest. One (defendant) went to one (shop), one went to the other. They came back, laughed and went home."
The intimidation charge stemmed from Graham's alleged comments to Watson. Police said the defendants effectively littered by leaving the animal remains, and caused malicious damage by covering the two shops' doors with blood and animal remains that required the fire department to clean up and caused some concern about health risks.
"There is no law to differentiate (littering) animal remains," said Prosniewski. "It's much more despicable, but the law doesn't differentiate."
The defendants were arraigned Wednesday. Purtz has been released on $500 bail, while Graham remained in custody as of Wednesday evening, held on $1,000 bail. Police obtained warrants Tuesday and searched Graham's and Purtz's apartment in Bridge Street, prompting the call to environmental police.
The investigation has been handled by Detective John Doyle, said Prosniewski, and the witness' admissions "broke [the case] wide open."Infighting, cults and true witchery
If there's one thing local witches agree with, it's that the acts done at Angelica's and The Goddess' Treasure Chest don't represent the witch community.
"It is not part of witch culture," said Szafranski, the owner of Angelica's, where psychic readings are given and spiritual classes are offered.
Watson said the crime has given witches, and specifically Salem witches, a bad reputation — one that traveled broadly after the story about the raccoon and related conflict in the witch community was picked up by national media.
"No witch of Salem practices anything like that," said Watson. "We love animals, we love nature."
Christian Day, a local witch who operates the Psychic Fair every October, believes Graham has stopped identifying herself as a witch. "There are many descriptions of witches you can find out there, but they all have respect for the creatures … of this earth," he said.
Day had employed Graham as a psychic reader during the 2006 Psychic Fair, but said he fired her in April after a dispute and growing concern about her attitude and behavior. At the time he hired her, he said, she passed a criminal background check.
Some people in the city blamed him for the crimes, Day said, and he is eager to have his name cleared. He believes the incident was intentionally pinned on him by those angry or resentful of his success with the Psychic Fair.
"I want an apology," Day said, from those who suggested he was the guilty party.
Day said the incident was bad for witches, and also bad for business.
"I love Salem. This is my home," he said. "I want Salem to be seen as a great place to go, not a place where raccoons are [mutilated]."
Business is, perhaps, the root cause of the crimes. The incident occurred amid a heated and extended debate over city ordinances for the licensing of psychics. Szafranski and Sylvia Martinez, the owner of the Goddess' Treasure Chest, both spoke in favor of stricter regulations for license. It's a stance Szafranski says caused retaliation.
"It had everything to do with the licensing," Szafranski said. "It was before the city made a decision [on a new ordinance]."
In the end, Szafranski said, the city ordinance failed by allowing more people to qualify for psychic licenses, and for not eliminating Day's Psychic Fair, which she says takes business away from year-round shops."Do I feel the city let us down? I think so," she said.
But at the time the raccoon remains were left, the ordinance hadn't been settled and Szafranski says her opinions made her a target She believes Graham and Purtz were acting under the instruction of another person who was essentially running the show.
"It is a cult group of people who wanted to do some sort of ritual against us, " she said. "Who provoked it, that I can't say … It would be the person who ran the cult, and that person should be punished as much as the person who did it."
Police, too, believe the licensing debate sparked the incident, and they believe the raccoon mutilation was an errant act, not reflective of the witches.
"I think that's what started this whole infighting," said Prosniewki. "[The witch community] completely separated themselves from whoever was heinous enough do this."
- Salem (Mass.) Gazette


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Words: Jacqueline Louie // Images: Calgary Herald Archive
Calgary's Inner-city architecture is all about diversity.
"That's what makes our inner city an interesting place to live, because there's a lot of variety — everything from highrise penthouses to multi-million dollar homes in places like Mount Royal or Elbow Park, to boutique space in places like Hotel Le Germain, to very contemporary chic," says Richard White, managing director of 3D visualization at Riddell Kurczaba Architecture. "I think that's what makes it great, because different styles appeal to different people and different price ranges.
"We have a good mix of architecture — everything from the contemporary, like Hotel Le Germain that's very quirky, to much more traditional — something like the Princeton, with brick and sandstone," says White, who thinks the city will see a broader range of architectural styles in future, "which is healthy, because that diversity of styles will create more visual interest."
It's been a couple of decades since developers began building condominiums in Calgary, and they're now much more sophisticated about what the local market wants.
"The past decade was all about mega condo developments — such as Keynote, Sasso/Nuera/Vetro, Arriva, Waterfront, Princeton, Five West, La Caille or Stella/Nova/Luna. The next decade will be more about boutique niche condo developments like Drake," he says.
What White expects to see is more mid-rise condominium developments going up in the inner city — smaller buildings that won't have the same dramatic impact on the city skyline as highrises, but will instead add density. "It's much more of a niche market, with infilling of smaller lots, rather than entire blocks."
Condominium units are also smaller, White says, noting in the past, developers typically built units a minimum of 600 to 800 square feet. In comparison, it is not uncommon today to find units that are only 450 to 650 square feet. "But they're highly efficient.
"And, the nice thing about small units is they encourage people to go out. All of a sudden, the inner city becomes their living room. The place is alive with activity because people want to get out of their apartments," he says.
The most striking thing that happened in the last 20 years in terms of residential architecture in Calgary, has been the discovery of the established neighbourhoods and the amount of redevelopment that is occurring within them, says John Brown, associate dean of research in the University of Calgary's Faculty of Environmental Design and founder of the international Slow Home Movement.
"I think it bodes very well for the future of the city, because what we're doing is reinvesting in existing communities."
Inner-city redevelopment is picking up in Calgary as more people are choosing to live downtown or in established communities that ring the downtown, in redesigned, renovated or even new homes.
"They are desirable, and it's possible to live well in those places," Brown says. "It's important not to abandon those neighbourhoods, but to reinvest in them."
The benefits are many, he adds, including shorter commutes, plenty of amenities nearby, neighbourhood regeneration and a substantially smaller environmental footprint. By choosing to live in the inner city, they are making a cultural and social investment in Calgary's well-being.
Attitudes toward atypical housing types have changed considerably in the past few decades, says Brown. In the 1980s, he notes, nobody wanted to buy an infill — that type of housing was relegated to rentals. Now, however, some of the most expensive houses in the city include infills and attached homes.
"The stigma of the narrow-lot urban house has disappeared," he says. "That's a relatively recent phenomenon, and it's a big deal. It means people can have the financial security of knowing they can invest in those types of properties, or build something, and the market will appreciate that and they will get their money back when the time comes to sell." //


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VEGREVILLE, Alta. – RCMP confirm they have taken a wounded male suspect into custody after one Mountie was shot and grazed and another was run over with a stolen vehicle on a rural Alberta property near Vegreville.
Chief Supt. Randy McInnis says the suspect was arrested during an overnight standoff at a rural location between Vegreville and the community of Tofield (TOH'-field), east of Edmonton.
McInnis says the suspect was injured during a firefight Monday evening as officers were trying to locate a person who had allegedly threatened to go to a farmhouse with a handgun to kill someone.
The suspect's condition is not known.
McInnis says the couple who resided at the house were taken into custody and all three will be interviewed to determine what charges they'll face.
He also says the Mountie who was shot in the upper arm has been released from hospital, while the second injured officer is still undergoing treatment.


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Everyone in life needs a mentor. The path in which they come in and out of our lives is a journey that can be short or long. Scotty Bowman was with the Red Wings since 1993 and he has always been in the shadows to help every coach after him if they needed some guidance. Every year until this year when he decided to leave for Chicago. His Son, Stan that is an Assistant GM, is documented for having cancer, so he went to be with his family and to help grow the franchise that has a long suffering tradition.
With the training wheels off it seems like the Red Wings have lost their drive and lack the urgency to get things done and they are NOT acting like the team that had won the Cup last year. Some say that it is the well documented Cup Hangover that most Cup winning teams suffer. Which I do agree could partly true but I also think the Bowman factor could be another factor that is not well documented. They also are not acting like a TEAM. Where did the TEAM go? That is a mystery that we are waiting to find out.
When you have a well established coach that has been with the team in some for since 1993. Some of the members of the team were coached by him, and Coach Mike Babcock, used to have talks with him everyday or almost everyday and then he is gone. You lack the person from the other side that sees the ice and how you document things differently then from someone that is inside the organization.
I think these slow starts might be a combination of two things. Todd McLellan leaving and Scotty Bowman not being in the shadow. When the training wheels get taken off and you have to go solo that has to have some kind of trickle down effect on the team that has been used to him being in the shadows for so long.
What do you do when your mentor decides that it is time to take a different path? Do you have the confidence to pull things out or do you change your way of thinking? These things can be applied to life and NOT just the Red Wings.
|Over the Boards by Jamie Favreau
|Red Wings, Hockey, Life


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William Cook – writer
Posts Tagged Colleen Wanglund
Posted by Dark Fiction Author in Uncategorized on June 23, 2013
Blood Related – The Novel
Just want a copy of the book? Click on the pics below for direct links to Amazon and the publisher.
|Clink on the image to buy the Kindle version
|Clink on the image to buy the Print Version
Introduction to Blood Related – The Kindle Book Review Nominee for Thrillers (Semifinalist)
Sooooo, I decided to make the leap and relaunch Blood Related with BBSB, who have also offered to publish the sequel when it's finished (Blood Trail – on track for an August wrap). I didn't expect to make a lot of money from my book in the short term and feel that is a pretty unrealistic expectation for any debut Indie author, but I have big plans for the complete saga and feel that positioning the work with BBSB will best serve this purpose. That is, not to make money but to grow as a series with an increased focus on the Horror of it all (and hopefully make a few dollars on the way).
Nicholas Grabowsky has been an unflinching ally since I approached him over a year ago about Blood Related – the timing wasn't right then, but the stars have aligned so to speak and i'm very happy to be on board (post August 1, 2012) with Captain Grabowsky at the helm. Amongst many other things, Nicholas is the author of Halloween IV and The Everborn, and has a long pedigree of involvement in the Indie and Pro Horror markets. As a result of his tireless work within the Horror industry he has attracted an impressive stable of authors to BBSB. Black Hamster TV is another wing of BBSB's diverse media presence online and real world: you may have heard of 'Francy & Friends Radio', Hacker's Source, or Shot in the Dark Comics, all affiliates of BBSB.
|Click on the banner to buy discounted copies of Blood Related in all versions direct from the publisher (recommended) – you can even buy a Blood Related t-shirt if you're a fan! While you're there make sure to check out the other BBSB authors – some great writers there and heaps of cool things to look at too. Support Indie Horror!
Blood Related – Synopsis
For over two decades, Detective Ray Truman has been searching for the killer or killers who have terrorized Portvale. Headless corpses, their bodies mutilated and posed, have been turning up all over the industrial district near the docks. The remains of young female prostitutes have been the killer's victims of choice, but now other districts are reporting the gruesome discovery of decapitated bodies. It seems the killer has expanded his territory as more 'nice girls' feel the wrath of his terrible rage.
Meet the Cunninghams . . .
A family bound by evil and the blood they have spilled. The large lodging-house they live in and operate on Artaud Avenue reeks of death and the sins that remain trapped beneath the floorboards.
Meet Caleb Cunningham . . .
Caleb is a disturbed young man whose violent father is a suspected serial killer and mother, an insane alcoholic. After his Father's suicide, Cunningham's disturbing fantasy-life becomes reality, as he begins his killing spree in earnest. His identical twin brother Charlie is to be released from an asylum and all hell is about to break loose, when the brothers combine their psychopathic talents.Eventually stepping out from the shadows of his murderous forebears, Caleb puts in motion his own diabolical plan to reveal himself and his 'art' to the world. He's a true aesthete, an artist of death. His various 'installations' have not received the status he feels they deserve, so Caleb is expanding his 'canvas.'
Meet Ray Truman . . .
A tragic cop whose personal demons won't let him rest. Overworked and underpaid, Truman is tenacious as a pit-bull. He won't rest 'til he's brought to justice Portvale's infamous serial killer. His battle with his own demons gives him the strength to chase the shadows and to cut corners when necessary, as he embarks on the hunt of his life.His search leads him to the Cunningham's house of horrors. What he finds there will ultimately lead him to regret ever meeting Caleb Cunningham and the deviant family that spawned him. The hunter becomes the hunted as Truman digs deeper into the abyss that is the horrifying mind of the most dangerous psychopath he has ever met.
This horrifically disturbing tale of a family tree of evil will embed itself in the mind of the reader, long after the last page has been turned.
Horror Fiction Review
THE HORROR FICTION REVIEW: NOVEMBER, 2012 Reviews: NOVEMBER, 2012 REVIEWS
Book Trailer
Here is the new Book Trailer for Blood Related. Very cool – thanks to Cyrus from CyrusFiction Productions for creating this.
What other authors say about Blood Related
Publisher Details
Come and visit the Blood Related page at my publisher's website: Black Bed Sheet Books.
While you're there be sure to check out all the other titles. Hell! You can even buy a cool t-shirt with Blood Related emblazoned across the chest.
I met Charlie Cunningham while working as a court appointed psychiatrist, testifying to the defendant's state of mind at a sentence review hearing. He was imprisoned for the homicide of a dispensary store-owner and was a prime suspect in the killings of at least two other people in the Portvale area. Cunningham was held as an inmate at a sanitarium after recently assaulting a group of fellow prisoners at Breakhouse Penitentiary. His behavior had deteriorated during his stay at the prison and had resulted in a severe psychotic breakdown, culminating with the assaults, hence the reason behind his transfer and my testimony. Dr Frederic Rimbaud, chief psychiatrist at Saint Michael Hospital for the Criminally Insane, passed on Charlie's case notes to me with a warning that I should "take another case as this one [Cunningham] isn't worth defending!"
At the time, Charlie had not gained notoriety as a suspected serial killer. However, his psychiatric assessments, coupled with his criminal background, confirmed his capacity for committing multiple murders. After numerous interviews, I concluded that he was a high-risk violent serial offender of the disorganized type, with full-blown antisocial personality disorder. It was my opinion that Charlie Cunningham was one of the most dangerous Antisocial Personality types I had encountered in all my twenty years of forensic psychiatry. That was, before I met his twin brother Caleb.
I first encountered Caleb while visiting his brother Charlie at the asylum. It was a typical 'non-contact' visiting room for maximum-security inmates, or 'patients' as the staff liked to call them. Bulletproof windows separated visitors from the prisoners in the small concrete booths. The unmistakable bright orange jumpsuits of the prisoners, contrasted sharply with the gloomy concrete and steel environment. A plain wooden seat was provided for the visitor and an intercom on the wall allowed communication. A thick reinforced glass window ran the length of the visiting room wall and separated the area from the waiting room, where the visitors patiently sat while waiting their turn to see family and friends on the other side.
As I gathered my things and said goodbye to Charlie, I saw Caleb enter the visiting room. I knew it was Caleb as I was immediately struck by his likeness to his twin brother, to the point that I thought it was Charlie for a moment. He was tall although not as muscular as Charlie, but his shaved head and cold dark eyes combined with his chiseled facial features, mirrored his brother's image. It was as if Charlie had materialized from one side of the room to the other and I found myself involuntarily glancing back at the bulletproof window, to make sure Charlie was still sitting there. I hesitated for a brief moment as I contemplated speaking with Caleb before leaving, thinking he may be of some use in providing details regarding his brother's background and current psychological state.
Caleb looked at me as he waited for the guard to show him to the seat in front of Charlie's booth. His dark eyes bore deep into mine, his gaze unflinching as if he had read my mind and was daring me to approach him. Slightly unnerved, I decided I had all the information I needed and approached the exit once more, forcing myself to think about my next appointment as I left the gray walls of the asylum.
Charlie's sentence-review hearing was eventually held with no change to the maximum sentence he had received. My testimony allowed no leniency for Charlie and once the sentence was passed, I thought it would be the last I would see of the Cunninghams. Over the next few months I worked on a number of high-profile cases, which resulted in more public exposure for my small clinic, to the point where I had to employ staff to help deal with a burgeoning client-list. Despite my hectic schedule I could not forget about the Cunningham case, the disturbing content and graphic details of my interviews with Charlie lingered in my consciousness. I found myself reviewing my case notes after-hours, fascinated and revolted by the litany of violence I had recorded. A growing sense of unease had me wondering if I had been privy to information best passed on to the appropriate authorities.
Reviewing the court documents, including notes from previous psychiatric assessments, witness statements and police records, I had pieced together a picture of a horrific family upbringing for the twin brothers. I used my professional experience and training to corroborate Charlie's scattered retelling of his past. I remembered that he betrayed little emotion apart from when he relayed his family experiences – especially the abuse he suffered at the hands of his violent father and over-domineering mother. He had remained silent about his brother Caleb and it was in this omission that I realized my professional interest had been piqued.
Who was Caleb? Was Charlie afraid of his own sibling? Realizing the futility of my curiosity, I watched as the clock on the wall registered midnight's approach. Sitting alone at my desk, overworked and tired, I decided I needed a holiday. And that, I thought, would be the last time I would have to think about Charlie Cunningham and his twisted kin as I booked myself an online holiday package.
A month later, I had returned from vacation and settled in to the backlog of work that awaited me. It was shaping up to be one of my busiest years what with an expansive client list and various projects that threatened to push my workload to breaking point. The Cunningham case was the farthest thing from my mind when Caleb himself approached me in my downtown office one bleak winter's morning. When he first entered my office, I did not recognize him as a good year had passed since I had last seen him and his brother. His eyes however, remained unchanged and the memory of him and Charlie came flooding back to me, as I hesitantly ushered him into the office. Those dark eyes belied a malevolence that instantly made me think of Charles Manson's psychotic gaze. Once again, Caleb had rattled me with his presence but my curiosity, tempered with my professional training, outweighed the uneasy feeling that enveloped me as he made himself comfortable in one of the chairs in front of my desk.
After advising Caleb that I was no longer working as a defense witness and that I hadn't spoken to Charlie since his trial, I told him that I now had a private practice and worked primarily as a consultant to local and federal law enforcement authorities. Caleb explained that he knew all about my practice and involvement with a number of high profile cases. He had read my books on Abnormal Psychology and Forensic Pathology and stated that was why he wanted to talk to me. He felt I might be able to offer him some insight into his own psychological state of mind. I explained that I was very busy but somehow, he managed to convince me that what he had to say would be worth my while. I don't usually work pro-bono but I found myself making an exception as I offered my services to Caleb.
I had unanswered questions about the Cunninghams and a professional interest in the genetic transition of psychosis, which was evident in my analysis of Charlie all those years ago. Despite agreeing to talk with Caleb, I had a nagging sense of unease as it occurred to me that he had obviously been following my career with some interest for a long time. Misgivings aside, my professional curiosity got the better of me and after a brief exchange of formalities, we began to talk.
Over the course of our meetings, it became apparent that Caleb had an agenda and after reassurance that I would keep what he told me confidential, he began to talk. It was obvious he had never talked to anyone with such apparent honesty. At times, it seemed he could not help himself, as the floodgates of his past opened, as he retold the horrors of his family life. During our first session, he unleashed a torrent of recantations of violent experiences. What had started out as an in-depth look into his and Charlie's childhood, suddenly switched to a gruesome confessional.
After convincing him of my adherence to a strict confidentiality code, we delved deeper into his back-catalog of violence. I became fascinated with the nature of his psychology and found him to be a psychiatric anomaly, beyond definitive analysis or diagnosis. Aspects of his personality would point to a symptom or criteria for a particular type of disorder, only to morph and combine to produce a unique psychological characteristic, near impossible to pigeonhole.
As the weekly sessions progressed, a picture began to emerge of a dichotomous personality: a severe dissociative identity disorder similar to the stereotypical 'multiple-personality' type but unique, in that Caleb was fully in control of all aspects of his behavior and thought processes. In this respect, he was nothing like his psychotic brother who displayed all the classic hallmark symptoms of a disorganized antisocial personality coupled with violent behavioral problems. Despite his ability to control his behavior, I was left in no doubt as to the psychopathological nature of Caleb Cunningham.
I had long held the conviction that the concept of 'evil' was an almost meaningless abstract term, coined for those things beyond human comprehension. With Caleb, the word 'evil' became synonymous with my assessment of his character. In fact, I felt quite disturbed as much by his words, as by his presence. After attending regular sessions for three months, he finally disappeared. It was with mixed regret and relief that I closed my considerable case file on Caleb.
Despite our intensive sessions, I realized I was still miles away from fully understanding his twisted psyche and at a loss to understand why he had actually told me all that he had. He had put me in the uncomfortable position of providing me with information that was potentially incriminating and revealing. I felt much like I imagined a priest to feel, after hearing a confession too inhumanly terrible to keep secret.
As most people know, 'doctor-patient confidentiality' is a mainstay of psychiatric practice, but after the end of my sessions with Caleb Cunningham, I had sufficient cause to betray this ethical basis. I would later receive correspondence from Caleb, which in turn prompted me to investigate his claims further. The manuscript that I put before you is as factual an account as possible, of the Cunningham family's reign of terror, and of the twisted psychology of a very dangerous human being.
With the passage of time and the confirmation of his crimes, Caleb Cunningham has proved to be an enigma amongst modern serial killers. A psychopath who alters his Modus Operandi (M.O.) at will and can adapt his pattern behavior to suit. He is essentially, an intelligent predator that refuses to conform to any of the rules applied to his notorious predecessors. In one of my interviews with him, Caleb brazenly admitted that he had "murdered over one hundred men and women". Antisocial Personality Disorder types are notorious liars but something about his tone, combined with his family history, made me take him seriously. He was the prime suspect in two separate national serial killing investigations and is currently on Interpol's Top 10 Most Wanted List as a fugitive. Apart from early convictions for petty larceny and burglary offences and a brief term of imprisonment, Caleb has managed to evade conviction for any of the serious crimes he is suspected of.
What you are about to read is an account of the diabolical workings of a dangerous, psychopathic killer. Most of the text in this narrative is transcribed verbatim from taped accounts of Caleb's and his brother's experiences. More obscure aspects of their twisted lives have had to be pieced together from Caleb's recollections, alongside the Portvale Serial Killer Task Force lead investigator Ray Truman's copious notes and associated media reports. Gathered from Truman's own police journals and case files, I have pieced together his story as accurately as possible thanks to his helpful colleagues at the Portvale Police Precinct.
Like any true story, there is an element of the 'perceived truth' used in the retelling of the tale. This arises from the personal accounts and biases of those who write and interpret the evidence laid out before them. I too interpret the facts to the best of my abilities but realize that integrity is sometimes not enough to reveal absolute truth. Hence, my apologies for any factual discrepancies that may come to light in the future as this story reaches its end, as presently it has no such ending.
Finally, at the risk of professional suicide, I have an admission to make. I betrayed my client's trust as my conscience overwhelmed my code of practice with the weight of the horrific detail of Caleb Cunningham's darkest confidences. After gaining official police verification of details of unsolved homicides in the Portvale region, compared with the transcribed information Caleb provided, it is my belief that Caleb Cunningham is quite possibly the most dangerous man alive.
For he is still alive – somewhere out there, surviving on his Machiavellian intelligence while he channels his seething rage and lust for death. My last communique from him; one of the countless cryptic letters I received, is included with this publication of his journal entries and case notes. His letters display his ability to communicate both his intellect and his capacity for unspeakable evil in the same breath, much like his 'art' – the aesthetic rendering of his many victims.
I hope that the publication of these personal writings and case notes will illuminate one of the most elusive, bizarre and enigmatic killers of this century and the family that spawned him. After informing him of my decision to share with the federal authorities information I had gathered from our conversations, he gave me his 'permission' to tell his story to the world. The implicit threat of his return to Portvale engendered fear in the wake of my decision. I have no doubt that he will read this and that my life will be in imminent danger because of this publication.
The corroboration of the federal authorities, that what he told me was pure fact, leave me with the hope that this account will turn over new stones perhaps otherwise best left unturned. I have sufficient doubt in the truth of his account, in that his 'estimate' of the victims he murdered is a lesser percentage of the true and actual total.
I read the papers and have access to the online law-enforcement log-files, both nationally and internationally, of unsolved homicides. I see his signature everywhere. It is in the names of the victims, their age and the ferocity of the crimes. They are his calling cards to me – his 'art' is alive and lives forever. This is his story.
Dr. Mary Brunswick, PHD
Charlie has big plans for me. He's thinking crazy thoughts and talking crazy talk. He keeps telling me about his recurring visions and his 'mission,' apparently he has occasion to talk to God. During one of these conversations, God granted him absolution in hell, free from the tyranny of everyday pain and suffering, if Charlie did his bidding. This particular vision also revealed that God and Satan were the same, as was heaven and hell. For Charlie, he saw this as a sign that he would be sitting at Satan's side on a throne made of human bones, once he was mortally dead.
He would be a god.
I could tell he was delusional.
He was gone.
I knew this because there was no God.
God was dead and so was Charlie.
I hear Charlie's voice now, clear as a bell. My consciousness clears and my surroundings come into sharp focus. I see his face clearly in my mind. I shake my head, trying to rid myself of his image. I wrap my bleeding fist in a towel and step gingerly over the broken shards of mirror littering the wet tiles on the bathroom floor. I make my way to the kitchen and search the cupboards, for some tape or band-aids, to stem the flow of blood from the lacerations across my throbbing knuckles.
"God," Charlie whispers to me, "has given me life – to do my deeds upon this earth before he takes me to the next level."
"Another life," he continues, "will not allow me the freedom of choice you have with your future Caleb. Some things we cannot change. Some lives are not led by natural laws, but by unnatural processes – events."
"My life, your life . . ." Charlie says, "is a road map to hell."
I remember the last time I looked in his eyes when he was alive. He was crazy then and the voice in my head shakes with equal insanity, as an image of him floats before my eyes. His face appears gaunt, skeletal. The vision ebbs in and out of focus as I start to tremble with a mixture of naked coldness and fear. I remember him as if he is with me now and he is, in his own twisted way. My mind reels with tangents and the bending of physical laws.
He used to seem very confused to me.
He now seems very logical to me.
He still seems very dangerous to me.
He is my twin brother and he has returned home.
I see him in my own eyes.
I feel that he is now part of me.
Blood related.
The missing piece of the jigsaw puzzle has been found. It is a moment of realization that we are two parts of the same equation; standing there alone in a stranger's house, nude as a newborn, thoughts swirling through my adrenaline-charged brain.
I realize that with the puzzle complete – the revealed image is far more bloody than romanticized, like two halves of something that shouldn't be together. More like a vision of apocalyptic proportions. Despite my realization, I feel like shit more than ever.
Back in the bathroom I look once again at my reflection in the broken shards of mirror on the floor – just before I smash myself in the face with my fist. I hear Charlie gasp as I do. The sum of our union is chaos. Death. Destruction. Violence. And loneliness.
We are hollow men.
Empty men.
The walking dead.
We are one.
With some ammonia-saturated cleaning spray, I spray the droplets of blood on the remains of the cabinet mirror, vainly attempting to clean my presence from the room. I look at the floor covered in bloody footprints, my bloody footprints. I look at the woman in the bathtub, her glazed lifeless eyes staring vacantly at me. Her bruised neck set at a strange angle. One bare arm dangles over the side of the porcelain tub, her alabaster fingers delicately lay palm up on the floor, in a glistening pool of dark blood. A bare breast exposed, floats whitely like an island of chalk amongst the maroon waters in the tub. At this point, I give up any attempts to conceal my indiscretions.
I look through the doorway at the clock on the mantle in the living room. It's time to go and I've come ill prepared, this was after all a 'crime of opportunity' as they sometimes are. I complete my task and take my trophy from the body, arranging the remains in my careful way. I remove my clothes from my backpack and replace them with the head wrapped in a plastic bag. I wipe the remaining smears of congealing blood from my body, careful not to get the viscous liquid on anything else as I shed my unease and dress hurriedly in the hallway. All the while, my gaze is fixated on the broken work in the bathroom. She appears to move as her limbs stiffen a fraction with the onset of rigor-mortis.
My heart starts beating again and I think of Lucille as I make my way to the gas hob in the kitchen. I check that all the windows are shut tight, light a candle in the living room and in the hallway, and turn all the gas rings to high. In my head, Charlie remains quiet as I gently close and lock the back door, before making my way across the yard and over the fence at the rear of the property.
I walk slowly down the poorly lit alley that runs behind the North-Shore Boulevard. It takes approximately six minutes of pacing my steps in the dark night, counting the seconds as I go, until I hear a muffled thump behind me as the house explodes in a ball of flame. Charlie starts to laugh, a frightening maniacal noise, which sounds like someone hacking at a tree-trunk with an axe.
It only takes a brief minute to realize that the crazed laughter is not Charlie's, but my own.
Amazon Reviews
"Blood Related" is a fascinating journey through the mind and life of a third-generation serial killer. He is both a victim and a victimizer. He is deeply damaged and mentally ill. He embraces and is turned on by his murderous lifestyle. He finds fulfillment in it and sees it as an expression of who he is. But he also knows it's wrong and dreams of "one day becoming a better person".
Graphic, tortuous, nauseating violence. Definitely not for the weak of stomach. If you can handle this though, you must read this book.
This book goes way beyond slash-em-up horror. We are witnesses to the life of a serial killer, Errol Cunningham, through his child's eyes, those of Caleb Cunningham. We learn of the unimaginable horrors that Caleb saw and learned from as a child. He was a witness to, and object of brutal abuse and it contributed to his evolution into the monster he became. He shows some capacity and desire to love at one point, but the pursuit of what he views as his art will not allow that bond.
He is pursued by a policeman who inherited a passion for apprehending a Cunningham murderer from his father, who pursued earlier generations of this murderous family. Caleb is highly intelligent and clever. He learned how to get away with his crimes from his father and fellow inmates and used those skills to formulate his own methods.
We see Caleb transform. We see it through his own eyes as well as through the eyes of outsiders. Cook includes viewpoints of policeman Ray Truman, the media and psychologists. This variety of perspectives provides new insights and information on Caleb Cunningham's psychoses and torturous acts. It is cruel and black and heartbreaking all at once. He is a deranged, twisted killer, but he is also a victim of a brutal childhood, and he has a desire to love and be loved and to live a normal life buried inside himself.
There were times when a change in perspective occurred and I became confused about who was speaking. There were also spots with grammatical issues or incorrect word choice. From a plot perspective, the editing was outstanding. The plot was tight. Grammar and word choice edits could have been better on occasion.
The weaknesses are easily and greatly outweighed by the strengths of this book. If you can't tell, I love "Blood Related". It is complex, fascinating and entertaining. You know the writing is good when part of you feels sorry for the serial killer. I can't wait to see what happens next. I will watch eagerly for the release of the sequel.
4.0 out of 5 stars A terrifying journey into the mind of a killer, December 9, 2012
Bloody and brutal, torturous and tantalizing, this is the relating of a tale in unrelated pieces skillfully pieced together and vividly rendered with an artist's brush. The use of various eye-witness accounts, news reports and correspondence give a terrifying portrait of a family of murderers and their gruesome work. Specifically, it centers on twin brothers Charlie and Caleb Cunningham and their murderous exploits. There is an intriguing contrast between the two: Charlie is brutal, while Caleb is cunning. As time goes on and the body count rises, it begins to take its toll on the minds of these two men. The mundane becomes surreal, until is difficult to discern what is real and what is a product of the character's twisted and damaged psyche. Despite the graphic description of the individual acts, a sense of their inhuman nature prevents the reader from becoming numb to their graphic depiction. Time itself becomes irrelevant as the accounts are presented out of sequence but with special emphasis on that moment in the killer's career and its effect on all that transpires. This story puts you into the mind a killer: a journey into the depths of depravity; it is less a motorcycle hurtling into the night, than a large truck, with irresistible momentum behind it plowing through all preconceived notions and standards of sensibility. If murder is in the blood, then it is a harbinger of something truly horrific.
I read it again. That's a first for me, but William Cook's Blood Related is the best example of horror I've read in years. If you seek an intelligent terrifying read look no further. Highly recommended.
John Paul Allen
Author of Gifted Trust, Dark Blessings, Monkey Love, Weeping Mary and House Guest
BLOOD RELATED by William Cook.
To say this story is captivating and gripping would be an understatement. As a true crime writer of over sixty serial killers, I've read a lot of jaw-dropping information while doing research about real killers. The Serial Killers depicted in this book are the most ruthless, vicious and horrifying killers you could imagine. I was aghast.
This is a well-written, heart-stopping, and shocking story. Thank God it is fiction. Highly recommended that you read this book with the lights on.
4.0 out of 5 stars Dark and Disturbing, November 1, 2012
By William Cook
(2012 Black Bed Sheet Books; Tp 323 pgs; Kindle Edition 554 KB)
Caleb and Charlie Cunningham are twin brothers who each inherited a serial killer pathology. Their father was a suspected serial killer and their mother was insane, a drunk, and possibly an accomplice. After Charlie goes to prison and their father commits suicide, the full truth of the Cunningham's legacy begins to present itself and Caleb's turns his bloody fantasies into reality.
BLOOD RELATED is told primarily from the point of view of Caleb in the form of journal entries given to a forensic psychiatrist who handled Charlie's case. There are also news stories and police reports to support Caleb's claims about his family. The story is graphic and the brothers are violent and relentless, although at times I found myself wanting to like Caleb. The characters are well-developed and tremendously disturbed. William Cook has written a frightening story that poses the question "is it nature or nurture that determines the birth of a serial killer?" The only issue I had with the book was that at times I was confused as to the time line of events. Other than that, I highly recommend BLOOD RELATED, unless you are a bit on the squeamish side. I would definitely categorize the book as extreme horror.
A novel that will drop you straight into the minds of truly demented people, a family of killers; in particular the eyes of the narrative: Caleb Cunningham. The insight into an ugly world is expertly crafted; the descriptions of violence are wonderfully realized. The use of clippings and letters reinforce the hideous ambiance of realism. Written with tight prose that packs a nasty bite, Blood Related is a ghastly, unnerving experience that will delight your inner gore hound. Now, excuse me whilst I shower to wash off the blood.
Nurture or nature? Anyone involved in such a debate would probably have a hard time pinning an answer to this question when concerning the Cunningham twins Charlie and Caleb. Brought up by abusive parents, one of whom is a savage serial killer that often encouraged his children to take part in his horrible crimes; one could easily argue that the two were nurtured into the monsters they eventually become. At the same time it's hard to say nature didn't play a part because how else could one explain the generational bloodlust the Cunningham family displays, bloodlust that seems to have begun with Charlie and Caleb's grandfather? Whatever the cause, the result is a pair of psychotic serial killers who show no empathy for their fellow human beings; serial killers who actually view themselves as separated and on a higher plane of existence than mankind and thus entitled to do whatever they wish to them.
As noted above, it begins early on for the twins, usually with over the top physical punishments that would easily knock any sense of goodness from within the mind of a growing child. After that came the introduction to murder as their father brought female victims back to the basement and allowed his children to watch and sometimes take part in the torture and eventual slaying of the captive or captives. However, the act of murder was not limited to the basement or even the house. Lacking any control on his impulses, their father will also sometimes commit murder while the family is out and about, a situation that then calls for disposable of evidence and the cleaning up of the crime scene. Such moments are a `hands on' learning experience for Caleb and Charlie, one that will prove invaluable later in life as each matures into individual serial killers. Of course this isn't to say suspicion isn't leveled on the father. The local police — and one man in particular — are pretty sure the father is responsible for the crimes, ones that eventually become attributed to a killer known as the Dockside Ripper. Being able to nail him down as the Dockside Ripper, however, isn't easy, which in turn allows the body count, and the education of two budding serial killers, to grow.
Of the twins, Caleb seems the most level headed, which in turn makes him the scarier of the two when it comes to the two serial killers. That said, Caleb does have some impulse control issues just like his father, which sometimes causes close calls with the police. At one point it also puts him in conflict with his brother due to the slaying of a young woman that Charlie wanted to keep alive, his desire to cause chaos and the eventual breakdown of civilization leading to a different type of torture and murder than what Caleb usually takes part it. The question is will the two be able to work together to the end that Charlie wants, while also allowing for Caleb's desires to be realized, or will the two come into such conflict that they destroy each other. Also, will the detective obsessed with their family and the savagery it displays be able to put an end to their reign of terror, or will he just become another victim?
Mostly told from the point of view of Caleb, but also occasionally from some of the other individuals within the story, Blood Related by William Cook is a wonderfully twisted tale of two serial killers who have no redeeming value whatsoever, yet are somehow fun to read about. In fact, not only are they fun to read about, but at times you find yourself actually rooting for them, which can be very unsettling. Equally unsettling is the disgust one starts to feel toward the father and Charlie, yet not toward Caleb despite his being just as ruthless as the other two. Adding to the story and its authentic feel were the newspaper accounts, books segments, and clinical observations layered throughout the story, all of which had the feel of being real documents one would find in such media forms. Having seen and used these types of documents in the real world when studying such subjects in school, I can honestly say the author nailed it when penning his own, and had I read them as part of a case-study I would have assumed them to be genuine. I also would have been horrified to know that two such killers had done the things they did for as long as they did, and that a family had had produced three generations of serial killers.
Needless to say, I found Blood Related to be an excellent read, one by an author who hopefully will be releasing more works in the near future. Until then readers will have to keep their bloodlust sated with the tale of Caleb Cunningham and his twin brother Charlie. I promise, if this type of story is your thing you will not be disappointed.
This book takes you on a very disturbing thrill ride through the mind of one killer and the life of him and his murderous family. Killing is in the blood and mind of the entire Cunningham family. When you read this book it is so well written that you forget that it is fiction, but then as you read you find out that you are so glad that it is. The heinous acts that this family inflicted on so many innocent people, and their lack of emotion not only towards society but for each other is so sad and horrific at the same time. Each page leaves you wanting more.
I don't know what deep corner of his mind that author William Cook had find to write this book, but I am so glad he did.
If you love reading about serial killers to the mentally disturbed you will have to read this book.
I read "Blood Related" in just a couple of days. This is a taut, graphic story of a serial killer family (hence the title). Cook does a wonderful job creating characters that are believable and quite frightening. His scenes are written to shock, which they manage to do quite nicely. The psychological make up of these characters, as well as the detailed history, will take you into the heart and soul of the serial killer's playground. cook delivers the goods that will make you want to lock your doors and windows.
Carl Hose, author of "Blood Legacy" and "Dead Rising."
The main character is Caleb. He and brother Charlie have been abused by both father Errol and mother Vera. They've been raised in an environment of murder, death, and torture. Throughout the story we identify with Caleb: his actions (mostly despicable), his feelings about his family relations, and a seemingly growing insanity fueled by drugs and alcohol. What remains is a story you can follow with Caleb's entries and excerpts from newspapers and crime books. Blood Related is an awesome and ambitious project in the ways and means of the psychopathic mind. A lot of us are looking for answers as why people kill the others around them and do the inhumane. Blood Related may help you in your quest, though the answers aren't easy ones. This book is one that should Never be overlooked.
Other Reviews
"I remember looking at Charlie and noticing he was visibly erect as he stood there staring, trembling with excitement and fear.
The sick fuck.I would never stoop to be so obvious.How tactless!My curiosity got the better of me and I made the mistake of asking Pa why they had to die and, just before he knocked me unconscious, he said that they were a 'present for a pig.' Later on, I would find out for myself exactly who Ray Truman was and what he was capable of."
There were times when a change in perspective occurred and I became confused about who was speaking. There were also spots with grammatical issues or incorrect word choice. From a plot perspective, the editing was outstanding. The plot was tight. Grammar and word choice edits could have been better on occasion.
Black Bed Sheet Books, 2012
Friday, June 22, 2012
Blood Related By William Cook
Posted by Marilou George at 12:14 PM
Written by William Cook
2011, 427 pages, Fiction
Released on February 20th, 2012
When talking about research for a book, most people would think first about non-fiction. However, solid research that gives a writer profound knowledge of his subject matter usually means the difference between mediocre character development and unique, multilayered characters. In William Cook's Blood Related, the amount of hours the author spent researching serial killers shine through in a way that gives the writing the ring of truth.
Blood Related is a few stories wrapped into one. Also, there are newspaper articles, personal letters, journal entries, interviews and notes from a psychologist that come together to tell the story of the Cunningham family. Although the novel can only be considered epic in terms of time, it concentrates on the actions of the last two Cunninghams, Charlie and Caleb, a pair of sociopathic twins who follow in their father's footsteps and become serial killers. The antagonistic figure is Detective Ray Truman, who's been searching for the killer, or killers, who have terrorized the small town of Portvale for as long as he has been on the force and, just like the twins, is doing exactly what his father did before him. As the brothers take over the night, the town starts to fill with headless, heavily mutilated corpses stuck in unnatural poses, with their innards deposited nearby. Throughout their mad, violent acts, the readers begin to learn the past of a family bound by evil and the blood they have spilled. The tension builds toward a climactic end where Truman and Caleb become entangled in a dangerous game in which it's not clear who's the hunter and who's being hunted.
Cook obviously read a lot about psychopathic killers with sociopathic tendencies. The narrative is filled to the brim with gore: trained killer dogs, a collection of severed heads, point-blank gunshots, self-inflicted wounds and a lot of killing. However, the violence and blood always come in a very nonchalant way because the narrator doesn't feel anything for his victims. It's only when Truman of Dr. Mary Brunswick, the court appointed psychologist, are talking about the murders that they become a terrible thing.
While some people might find the killings and beheadings, or the head-sex that follows, disturbing, the most unsettling parts of the tale are those that involve the twins' childhood and the relationship they had with their parents. The cold, distant, abusive, warped experiences of serial killers like Ed Gein are all here, filtered through Cook's vision and implanted into the Cunninghams, which makes the book a must-read for fans of serial killer literature.
For a book that comes in at 427 pages, Blood Related felt like a much shorter read. In a way, the newspaper articles and segments that are supposed to be chapters pulled from other books give the reader a break from the bleak, psychologically twisted and emotionally gritty portions of the narrative.
If you like dark stories, spend a dollar and get Blood Related today.
Good Reads Reviews
wow… where to start..
A simple story of a serial killing family…. but is it nature? nurture (or lack thereof)? or something else?
Set out with letters to a Court appointed Psychological Dr, newspaper articles and the fracturing mind of a serial killer this book is intense with capital letters.
You are made to feel like you are in the mind of Caleb as his Psyche fractures and encourages him to torture and kill….
You are allowed insights into why this happening, of the terrible childhood he had and then you glimpse the potential for another route…. his confusion about his lack of emotion yet the excitement of the hunt and kill is chilling to read.
I felt like I was witnessing these kills first hand and was getting very sick, so powerful was the writing.
I got a bit mixed up occasionally on who was narrating and the authors lack of understanding how SSRIs work really made me huff (but thats purely personal!) is why I "only" gave a 4star.
I feel absolutely wrung out after reading this, but feel strangely glad I did too…..
Blood Related is a book that will chill you to the core! A disturbing portrayal of the Cunningham family submerged in generations of violence, abuse, death and torture that will haunt you even after the last page is read. A revenge filled portrayal of the Truman family whose generations of law enforcement officers is determined to bring justice to the victims of the Cunningham's viciousness no matter the cost.Caleb and Charlie Cunningham were raised in a home fraught with abuse delivered by their parents Errol and Vera. We relive the story through the mind of Caleb, his disturbing family history, his twin brother Charlie's insane actions and his own appalling exploits.Ray Truman comes from a family of law enforcement officers who have spent decades trying to bring the Cunningham's to justice for the horrific crimes they have committed. Ray will stop at nothing to continue this vendetta in any manner he sees fit.The character portrayals in this book are both stunning and unnerving. Enhancing the authenticity of this book are media accounts, book excerpts and clinical observations reflected throughout the story contributing to the feel of genuine techniques used in real investigations.The haunting view into the mind of a psychopath is portrayed in such a profound and memorable way that was very tangible and chilling.Blood Related is an excellent yet unnerving read that I recommend reading with the lights on!
Other Blood Related Links:
Voted #5 Best Horror Books of 2012 by examiner.com
If you haven't been living under a rock for the last few years you will know how big Facebook is and, yes, you can find the Blood Related FB fan page here.
Official website here.
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