Walker McKnight

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You are here: Home / Archives for fantasy

How to Escape a Nuclear Detonation

February 1, 2017 By Walker McKnight 2 Comments

nuclear detonation, bicycle

My focus on this blog has primarily been fantasy and sci-fi silliness, so it’s hard to give real advice and have it be taken seriously. But I promise the following is real. That's not to say it's an entirely serious post. I don’t think nukes are about to rain from the sky or that you should start underground bunker drills. However… during a different min-career I pursued (long ago), I sat through many briefings and hearings on the subject. A bit of advice from a RAND group stuck with me, and I thought I’d share—mostly because the physical and social science aspects were so … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Coffee and Chaos Theory, Skills I Wish I Had Tagged With: apocalypse, bicycles, fantasy, nuclear weapons, sci-fi, Walker McKnight, Walking Dead

Stoicism and Ancient Life

January 18, 2017 By Walker McKnight Leave a Comment

These guys could use a little Stoicism

I love imagining the brutality of life in the Middle Ages. Not in a vicarious enjoyment way (I’d never survive), but in a “how did civilization even exist?” way. Disease, malnourishment, tainted food, dysentery, lack of cohesive government, frequent invasions, lawlessness, and the general stabbiness of the population all added up to one rough ride. And yet people lived, pushed forward, and advanced society. Some were even happy (I’m guessing). Last year, a storm pushed over a big tree in Collooney, Ireland (has there ever been a more Irish name than Collooney?). Attached to the roots was … [Read more...]

Filed Under: History Remix Tagged With: Battle of the Bastards, fantasy, Game of Thrones, Hannibal, Marcus Aurelius, Middle Ages, Punic Wars, Stoicism, Walker McKnight

Keep Your Eyes, I’m Doing Just Fine

November 16, 2016 By Walker McKnight 7 Comments

cat's eyes

I don’t need them. I don’t even want them. Don’t tell me they changed your life. I don’t care. Don’t say I used to think just like you, but now I can’t imagine why. You aren’t like me. Keep your eyes. I’m doing just fine. The city is gorgeous tonight. The sunset blazes against the city skyline, setting fire to the trees, the clouds, the mirrored windows—it’s magic. This is all I ever need to see. I'm late to my destination, but I pause in the street just to admire the view. I’m not saying my own eyes are perfect—I have 20/20 vision, but only when corrected with contacts. And … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Fiction & SciFi, Short Stories Tagged With: artificial eyes, chimera, eyes, fantasy, science fiction, scifi, Walker McKnight

It’s Hard to Build a Monster

October 10, 2016 By Walker McKnight 1 Comment

Attack of the Puppet People

It’s October, and there are monsters in the streets. Seeing so many of our traditional (favorite) creatures all at once has me thinking about hard it is to make a new monster. I’ve tried. It’s tricky. As a fan who enjoys the fantasy/supernatural/horror side of life, I’ve often wondered about the cultural domination of what I call the Big Six: 1) Vampires 2) Werewolves 3) Zombies 4) Ghosts & the Dead 5) Possession/Demons/Devil/anything that comes out of “Hell” 6) Witches I know these aren’t the only monsters out there, not by a long shot. We have everything from our … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Fiction & SciFi, Geek Love Tagged With: fantasy, Halloween, horror, monster, science fiction, vampire, Walker McKnight, werewolf, zombies

Sleepy Hollow and the Joys of Headlessness

October 6, 2016 By Walker McKnight 4 Comments

a headless man jumps

From the listless repose of the place, and the peculiar character of its inhabitants … this sequestered glen has long been known by name of Sleepy Hollow ... A drowsy, dreamy influence seems to hang over the land, and to pervade the very atmosphere. — Washington Irving, "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" October is here, that most wonderful of months. It's the most romantic time of the year. The wind in the trees, the early dark, the restless dead. A chill enters the air. The last harvests are upon us; we must offer a portion of our crops to the Aos Sí, as the barrier between worlds is now … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Brain Whimsy, Geek Love Tagged With: fantasy, Halloween, horror, October, scary, supernatural, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, Walker McKnight, Washington Irving

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Walker McKnight writes about worlds of the now, tomorrow, and Other while plotting future crime with his asthmatic house panther, Bullet.
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Recent Posts

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