Flash Fiction: The Novice

Flash Fiction: The Novice — Blue Ink Alchemy

For the Terribleminds Flash Fiction Challenge, A Novice Revenges the Rhythm

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She tended to pace when she was bothered by a case. This was a new record, by a good five minutes. "You're going to wear a hole in the carpet." She didn't hear him, or wasn't inclined to respond. David looked back down at the files spread across his coffee table. Seeing Claire at his doorstep wasn't really a surprise, not when five young women were dead and a sixth missing. "Look, you heard the captain this morning, Claire. The FBI is coming in tomorrow. It won't be our case anymore. All we need to do is back them up." "Don't tell me that doesn't piss you off." David glanced at the bottle of Jack sitting on his kitchen counter. "It does, but what else can we do? We've been over every shred of evidence, and so have they. Until we put all of our heads together, we're not going to make any actual progress." "I don't believe that, and I don't think you do either." David rubbed his temples. "All we know is he kidnaps them from their parking lots or driveways outside their residences, he leaves no trace of blood or hair so he's cautious and catches them in such a way that any struggling is irrelevant, and seven days later we find the victim in their bedroom at home. No fingerprints, no follicles, no DNA. He dresses them in nightgowns and uses makeup to cover up any wounds that would be immediately visible..." "A novice revenges the rhythm." David sighed. "You know that doesn't mean anything, Claire. He left it with the first victim on common copy paper. Both our eggheads and the ones for the Feds have been over every word of that phrase. We're getting nowhere with this. We need to wait for..." Claire stopped pacing as if she'd been turned to stone mid-step. "Say that again." "We're getting nowhere." "No, before that." Her partner blinked. "What, that we've been over every word of that phrase?" "Yeah." She turned, walked around the coffee table, and sat down beside him on the couch. "Every word... not every letter." David scratched his head. Claire dove through the files, the photos of autopsies and the staged bedroom scenes, until she found a pad of blank paper and a Sharpie. She wrote out the phrase - A novice revenges the rhythm - at the top of the page. After a moment of staring at it, she began writing letters beneath it, crossing them out as she used them. "What are you doing?" "I think it might be an anagram." David frowned. "Why would he give us an anagram?" "I don't know, but I think he left it there for a reason." "Sure he did, to taunt us." "Dave, killers like this tend to be pretty smart people. They also lean towards arrogance bordering on narcissism. He wants us to know who he is so he can gloat about being so superior to us in intellect. He's given us a challenge he believes we'll never beat." David said nothing. Claire focused on the page, crossing out her failures and starting over, one attempt after another. Eventually, Dave got up and walked to the kitchen, pouring himself some Jack. He took a swallow, waited for the burning in his throat to subside, and poured another. "Dave! I need you to Google something for me." He coughed after his second swallow as his vocal chords recovered from the alcoholic bath they'd just taken. "What is it?" "Look up 'Vence', Vee Ee En See Ee, tell me if it means anything." Puzzled, Dave pulled out his phone and consulted Google. Claire refused to get a smart phone, said that if she couldn't ensure it was free of tracking devices, she didn't want it on her person. Funny, considering the department low-jacked all of their cars. But nobody ever expected Claire's eccentricities to make sense. As long as she caught murderers, the higher-ups were happy to let her be her slightly crazy self. "Wikipedia says it's a commune in Italy." "Any poets from there?" He scrolled down the page. "Yeah, D.H. Lawrence." Claire was on her feet and pacing again. "That sounds familiar. Run it through locations within the city." "Let me get my laptop. My phone is..." "Told you that you don't need it." "It is not spying on us, Claire." "I'm just saying." Rolling his eyes, Dave fetched his laptop. In moments he was looking through locations within the city limits and suburbs. "There's a Lawrence's Pub a few blocks from here." "Too public. Next." "DH Books, shut down five years ago, owner moved back to..." Claire raised an eyebrow. David met her gaze. "He was an immigrant. From Vence." "Give, then, a short Vence rhyme. That's what I found." For a moment, neither of them said anything. Without a word, they moved as one, gathering up coats and sidearms as they headed out the door. David drove, lights on and siren blaring, as Claire radioed in for backup. When they arrived at the old bookstore, the property's exterior was burned to a blackened, cracking facade. Broken glass in the windows reflected the lights from David's car and the SWAT van. The two detectives entered cautiously, pistols ready, flashlights piercing the dark. It was Claire that found the trap door. Quietly, they crept down the stairs, where they heard a soft male voice reading aloud. "I want her to touch me at last, ah, on the root and quick of my darkness and perish on me, as I have perished on her." The reading figure was bent over a bed where a young woman lay, bound and gagged. She was naked, and watched the hooded and robed reader with wide, fearful eyes. Claire raised her weapon. "'The Manifesto.'" The figure turned, wearing a mask of the dramatic face of comedy. All but his eyes were inscrutable behind it; eyes that burned with ambition, anticipation, madness. "Ah. Here you are. Now our final game can begin."

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Blue Ink Alchemy

This Week

This Week — Blue Ink Alchemy

Things have been pretty rough at the dayjob this week. And it's not even Q4 yet. The good news is I work with fantastic people on an adept, agile team, and everybody's dedicated to getting the job done right. I've learned to take Scotty's advice, and pad my projections so that, if I do actually get everything working on the first go, I make us look like miracle workers. I also may not have all of the answers, but I'm dedicated to finding them, and what I lack in deep knowledge of the programming craft I try to make up for in tenacity. I'm pretty stubborn under most circumstances, and when it comes to this stuff I refuse to give up. The bad news is little time is left after all that dogged determination for things like writing, or games, or sleep. Part of me wonders if I might be working too hard. I remind myself that it will be worth it in the long run, that the dayjob is supporting my family and allowing me future freedom to do those more enjoyable things, and not every week will be like this week. At least, I hope not. Q4 is a scary prospect at this point. But one day at a time, right?

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Blue Ink Alchemy

Incoming Extra Life

Incoming Extra Life — Blue Ink Alchemy

The time is quickly approaching. In less than a month, I will be stockpiling almonds, dried fruit, chocolate, tea, and a great deal of bottled water for a lengthy, arduous, and draining ordeal. It is my intention to stay in this very chair as much as possible, for at least 24 hours, all in the name of children's health in the city of Philadelphia. Thankfully, I'll be playing video games the whole time. Yes, Extra Life is coming soon! Last year I pulled it off successfully, playing Alpha Protocol and other games (if memory serves, things got weird after hour 16 or so) for 24 hours and raising $250 for the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. This year, I will be representing CHOP once again, and since I missed out on an opportunity to play Guild Wars 2 as part of a group, I'll be doing my own thing for the second year in a row. But which game to play? I've given serious consideration to a couple and narrowed my choices down somewhat. I'm not going to do any multiplayer games as waiting in queues is not playing. I also would like to have some sort of live, social component to the gameplay. At the very least liveblogging via Twitter, Facebook, and Tumblr, and possibly streaming with Twitch. But I can iron out those details in the weeks to come. First and foremost, here are my top picks for Extra Life 2012.

Wing Commander (and sequels?)

I have to wonder if this old favorite is as good as I remember it being. Space flight sims are few and far between these days, and Wing Commander still boasts a dynamic, branching storyline, interesting and well-rounded characters, and evolving combat that simulate experiences like those from Battlestar Galactica. I want to see if the game (and, time permitting, at least its first sequel) stand the test of time.

LA Noire

This has been on my "to-play" list for a very long time. I'm torn between it and the Assassin's Creed games I haven't played yet (Brotherhood & Revelations) but I think LA Noire wins due to the style of the period and the prospect of thinking my way through interrogation scenes. Not to mention the fun of people yelling at me when I let a suspect go or start smacking a witness around. It would tie in nicely to those detective novellas I'm writing. Sadly, LA Noire has no vampires in it. That I'm aware of, at least.

Magic the Gathering: Duels of the Planeswalkers 2013

I already started up the campaign for this game, but I do have the expansion, the rest of the main story, both revenge campaigns, Challenges, Planechase, and general deck management dickery to do. Of course if I run out of all of that stuff I can break my "no live games" rule and just play Magic Online to fill out the time.

Painkiller HD

If anything is liable to keep me awake for 24 hours straight, it's blasting legions of the damned with a gun that shoots shurikens and lightning.

FTL

If you're not aware of this little indy gem, you should check out these video looks at the game. It's a Rogue-like game, hardcore in its approach, with permadeath, random events, surprisingly intense combat, and interesting decision-making. Plus I may let people name the characters on new ships! Then cackle when fan favorites bite the dust. Remember, it's for the kids.

XCOM Enemy Unknown

I talked about this yesterday and I couldn't be more excited to play the full game. However, I'd hold off on touching it at all if this is the way I decide to go. Oh, I'll pre-order it regardless, but I won't play it until the event begins. So. Want to help me out? The poll you're seeing to your right includes the above games. If you like, you can pick one for me to play on October 20th! I'll make my decision and lay out a plan of attack next week, in addition to updating my Extra Life profile and giving you all the information you need to donate, tune in, and watch me slowly destroy myself in the name of video games and charity. It should be loads of fun!

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Blue Ink Alchemy

Incoming Extra Life

Incoming Extra Life — Blue Ink Alchemy

The time is quickly approaching. In less than a month, I will be stockpiling almonds, dried fruit, chocolate, tea, and a great deal of bottled water for a lengthy, arduous, and draining ordeal. It is my intention to stay in this very chair as much as possible, for at least 24 hours, all in the name of children's health in the city of Philadelphia. Thankfully, I'll be playing video games the whole time. Yes, Extra Life is coming soon! Last year I pulled it off successfully, playing Alpha Protocol and other games (if memory serves, things got weird after hour 16 or so) for 24 hours and raising $250 for the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. This year, I will be representing CHOP once again, and since I missed out on an opportunity to play Guild Wars 2 as part of a group, I'll be doing my own thing for the second year in a row. But which game to play? I've given serious consideration to a couple and narrowed my choices down somewhat. I'm not going to do any multiplayer games as waiting in queues is not playing. I also would like to have some sort of live, social component to the gameplay. At the very least liveblogging via Twitter, Facebook, and Tumblr, and possibly streaming with Twitch. But I can iron out those details in the weeks to come. First and foremost, here are my top picks for Extra Life 2012.

Wing Commander (and sequels?)

I have to wonder if this old favorite is as good as I remember it being. Space flight sims are few and far between these days, and Wing Commander still boasts a dynamic, branching storyline, interesting and well-rounded characters, and evolving combat that simulate experiences like those from Battlestar Galactica. I want to see if the game (and, time permitting, at least its first sequel) stand the test of time.

LA Noire

This has been on my "to-play" list for a very long time. I'm torn between it and the Assassin's Creed games I haven't played yet (Brotherhood & Revelations) but I think LA Noire wins due to the style of the period and the prospect of thinking my way through interrogation scenes. Not to mention the fun of people yelling at me when I let a suspect go or start smacking a witness around. It would tie in nicely to those detective novellas I'm writing. Sadly, LA Noire has no vampires in it. That I'm aware of, at least.

Magic the Gathering: Duels of the Planeswalkers 2013

I already started up the campaign for this game, but I do have the expansion, the rest of the main story, both revenge campaigns, Challenges, Planechase, and general deck management dickery to do. Of course if I run out of all of that stuff I can break my "no live games" rule and just play Magic Online to fill out the time.

Painkiller HD

If anything is liable to keep me awake for 24 hours straight, it's blasting legions of the damned with a gun that shoots shurikens and lightning.

FTL

If you're not aware of this little indy gem, you should check out these video looks at the game. It's a Rogue-like game, hardcore in its approach, with permadeath, random events, surprisingly intense combat, and interesting decision-making. Plus I may let people name the characters on new ships! Then cackle when fan favorites bite the dust. Remember, it's for the kids.

XCOM Enemy Unknown

I talked about this yesterday and I couldn't be more excited to play the full game. However, I'd hold off on touching it at all if this is the way I decide to go. Oh, I'll pre-order it regardless, but I won't play it until the event begins. So. Want to help me out? The poll you're seeing to your right includes the above games. If you like, you can pick one for me to play on October 20th! I'll make my decision and lay out a plan of attack next week, in addition to updating my Extra Life profile and giving you all the information you need to donate, tune in, and watch me slowly destroy myself in the name of video games and charity. It should be loads of fun!

---

Blue Ink Alchemy

Incoming Extra Life

Incoming Extra Life — Blue Ink Alchemy

The time is quickly approaching. In less than a month, I will be stockpiling almonds, dried fruit, chocolate, tea, and a great deal of bottled water for a lengthy, arduous, and draining ordeal. It is my intention to stay in this very chair as much as possible, for at least 24 hours, all in the name of children's health in the city of Philadelphia. Thankfully, I'll be playing video games the whole time. Yes, Extra Life is coming soon! Last year I pulled it off successfully, playing Alpha Protocol and other games (if memory serves, things got weird after hour 16 or so) for 24 hours and raising $250 for the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. This year, I will be representing CHOP once again, and since I missed out on an opportunity to play Guild Wars 2 as part of a group, I'll be doing my own thing for the second year in a row. But which game to play? I've given serious consideration to a couple and narrowed my choices down somewhat. I'm not going to do any multiplayer games as waiting in queues is not playing. I also would like to have some sort of live, social component to the gameplay. At the very least liveblogging via Twitter, Facebook, and Tumblr, and possibly streaming with Twitch. But I can iron out those details in the weeks to come. First and foremost, here are my top picks for Extra Life 2012.

Wing Commander (and sequels?)

I have to wonder if this old favorite is as good as I remember it being. Space flight sims are few and far between these days, and Wing Commander still boasts a dynamic, branching storyline, interesting and well-rounded characters, and evolving combat that simulate experiences like those from Battlestar Galactica. I want to see if the game (and, time permitting, at least its first sequel) stand the test of time.

LA Noire

This has been on my "to-play" list for a very long time. I'm torn between it and the Assassin's Creed games I haven't played yet (Brotherhood & Revelations) but I think LA Noire wins due to the style of the period and the prospect of thinking my way through interrogation scenes. Not to mention the fun of people yelling at me when I let a suspect go or start smacking a witness around. It would tie in nicely to those detective novellas I'm writing. Sadly, LA Noire has no vampires in it. That I'm aware of, at least.

Magic the Gathering: Duels of the Planeswalkers 2013

I already started up the campaign for this game, but I do have the expansion, the rest of the main story, both revenge campaigns, Challenges, Planechase, and general deck management dickery to do. Of course if I run out of all of that stuff I can break my "no live games" rule and just play Magic Online to fill out the time.

Painkiller HD

If anything is liable to keep me awake for 24 hours straight, it's blasting legions of the damned with a gun that shoots shurikens and lightning.

FTL

If you're not aware of this little indy gem, you should check out these video looks at the game. It's a Rogue-like game, hardcore in its approach, with permadeath, random events, surprisingly intense combat, and interesting decision-making. Plus I may let people name the characters on new ships! Then cackle when fan favorites bite the dust. Remember, it's for the kids.

XCOM Enemy Unknown

I talked about this yesterday and I couldn't be more excited to play the full game. However, I'd hold off on touching it at all if this is the way I decide to go. Oh, I'll pre-order it regardless, but I won't play it until the event begins. So. Want to help me out? The poll you're seeing to your right includes the above games. If you like, you can pick one for me to play on October 20th! I'll make my decision and lay out a plan of attack next week, in addition to updating my Extra Life profile and giving you all the information you need to donate, tune in, and watch me slowly destroy myself in the name of video games and charity. It should be loads of fun!

---

Blue Ink Alchemy

First Impressions: XCOM Enemy Unknown

First Impressions: XCOM Enemy Unknown — Blue Ink Alchemy

The road that brought the alien defense series X-Com back to us has been a winding one. Rumors of an update or remake were never far away, and at one point, a game with that title appeared but was something more along the lines of BioShock, with first-person shooter gameplay and heavy influences from Fallout, which did not endear the previous games' fans to the notion of a remake. However, after years of subsisting on the original UFO Defense, it appears that Firaxis games have finally gotten it right with XCOM Enemy Unknown. A playable demo is available on Steam, and after playing it through twice, I can say this is more than likely the game fans have been waiting for. The situation is the same as the original game: aliens are invading Earth, abducting or flat-out slaughtering human civilians unchecked. To stop them, a multinational council is formed to fund and oversee XCOM, an elite paramilitary force dedicated to preventing and investigating these attacks. With a handful of rookie soldiers, very little funding to begin with, and only a single base to protect the entire world, you as the Commander of XCOM start in a very unenviable position. Oh, and if you screw up, you may lose your funding, to say nothing of letting the world get conquered by malevolent extraterrestrials.

Old vs. new. At its heart, XCOM appears to be hewing as close to the original formula as possible: go from broad real-time base-building and research to turn-based tactical isometric combat. Technology has advanced, of course, so XCOM employs the Unreal engine for its rendering. I'm sure there will be purists who miss the stylized, cartoonish art of the original game, and while I admit that style gave the original a lot of character, the new models and animations make it clear this is an XCOM game, not just another futuristic shooter dressed up as an old favorite. The maps and character designs are colorful and varied, tossing out the grayish-brown aesthetic of certain other action games with guns. Instead of mucking about with time units, each soldier gets two actions, which can be used either for movement or for shooting. Some weapons, like the sniper rifle, require you to not move on your turn, while others allow you to shoot then move, or move before shooting. In addition to these basic aspects, each soldier now has a specific specialization, with assault troopers being able to "run and gun" while heavy weapons guys carry rocket launchers. The engine even breaks up the turn-by-turn movement with occasional dynamic zooms and pans, giving you a very "in the thick of it" feel for the action.
Mary the sniper lines up a shot. The demo doesn't show much of the new base mechanics, but instead of an overhead view, we see it from the side, with soldiers relaxing or training in the barracks while scientists consult their research in the lab. Characters now have distinct voices and personalities, and the international nature of XCOM is emphasized. The promise being made, or at least implied, is that research and fabrication between missions will remain important, as your soldiers still only begin with the most barebones of equipment. All that said, I think the interface is a bit dodgy in places. It was difficult, at times, to adjust the map properly to see where and how to move my soldiers into better firing positions. As neat as the dynamic events are during combat, once or twice the camera didn't seem to fit into place properly and I ended up looking at the barrel of the gun instead of at my soldier as they fired. Finally, and this is purely an aesthetic thing, I can do without the initial assault rifles of the squad being roughly the size of a Smart car. They're just ridiculously big. However, playing the demo has definitely brought back good memories and whet my whistle for this newest iteration of XCOM. If the promise of the base layout delivers, and combat within the game evolves as it did in the previous titles, this is a sure-fire winner. XCOM Enemy Unknown releases on October 9, and can be pre-ordered on Steam.

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Blue Ink Alchemy

Weekend Update

Weekend Update — Blue Ink Alchemy

This weekend was a rough one. I know it's my own fault for volunteering to work, and on unfamiliar technologies for a larger, high-profile client no less. I managed to complete the task, but I know more changes are coming today so I suspect pressure will still be on for me to perform. On top of that, I may be fighting off the apparent cold my wife has. No writing got accomplished over the weekend, so I'll try this week to make up for lost time. And I'm sure I can work some sleep into the schedule, somewhere, somehow. Hope you all have a good week.

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Blue Ink Alchemy

Writer Report: Bring On The Bad Guy

Writer Report: Bring On The Bad Guy — Blue Ink Alchemy

I'm a sucker for a good villain. By 'good' I don't just mean extravagant malevolence. Ming the Merciless is a fun character, but he doesn't have a lot of depth to him. Remember, villains are people too. They have backgrounds, motivations, allegiances, and secrets just like anybody else does. Leave that out of your story and you risk losing audience members to disbelief. It's one of the things I didn't get quite right in Cold Iron. The ultimate villain did not get a great deal of time. His motivations are somewhat shallow and his villainy is, for the most part, superficial. Being a mystery on one level, I did try to keep the identity of the villain somewhat ambiguous, but the trade-off meant I couldn't spend too much time expanding upon him. I don't think the story necessarily suffers because of this, but it is a criticism I agree with. Approaching Cold Streets, I knew a new villain would be appearing, and I am taking the time to draw him out as a character before he engages in truly villainous behavior. I think people need to understand his mindset and motivation in order for me to illustrate why he, and others like him, are dangerous. But I also want to ensure he's fleshed out as a person. He has specific reasons for doing what he does, and his own way of approaching his challenges, things he will and will not do to get what he wants, and so on. He's not solely motivated "for the evulz"... he's a person, and I need to convey that. I hope to get a bit further with the draft over the weekend, but I will have dayjob work to do so we'll have to see how things shake out.

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Blue Ink Alchemy

Do It Different

Do It Different — Blue Ink Alchemy

Breaking into any extant field can be a daunting prospect. The argument that there's nothing new under the sun can be made when discussing fiction, film, commentary, web series, criticism, journalism, comic books, you name it. You might look at the shelves at a bookstore, the offerings on Steam, the content on YouTube, or the blog of an eminent Internet personality, and believe there's no reason to follow through on your creative idea. The problem with this belief is that it is provably false. Tolkien and Lewis have already written about fantastical worlds, but that has not stopped Martin, Jordan, or Hickman & Weis from doing the same. Asimov, Dick, and Heinlein were pretty much pioneers of long-form science fiction, but if you look on those same bookstore shelves, you'll see names like Abnett, Stephenson, and Zahn. And as one of my favorite cybernetic characters once said, "The Net is vast and infinite." There's plenty of room to start up a new web show if you want to. The way to be successful with it, in my humble opinion, is to do it differently than others do. I don't mean completely change the format or your approach to the subject matter strictly to be different from what's already being done. That can quickly become gimmicky or trite, and you'll lose more audience than you'll gain. What I mean is, instead of copying a methodology or setting or theme wholesale, use it as a starting point and let your own idea grow out of it. The idea should continue to grow, as well, and become its own entity, rather than remaining completely tied to the original inspiration. I think that was part of the problem with IT CAME FROM NETFLIX! - I wasn't doing anything to grow or change the idea. I was, for the most part, going through the motions of trying to gain traction and an audience for a medium that, if I'm honest, I'm not sure I'm cut out for. I may be passionate about things like gaming and politics, but a lot of people are, and a lot of people are also not qualified to talk about them from the objective viewpoint of a professional journalist or critic. I think most people would agree that most if not all of my attempts at criticisms are amateur at best. Does this make them invalid? No. Does this mean I'll never criticize something again? Of course not. What I'm getting at is this: I don't do enough differently as a critic or journalist to justify asking people to pay me for it. From where I stand, my voice is not unique enough to stand out in the ever-growing universe of online critics, and while I could possibly cultivate it to make it stand out more, it would take away from my calling to write fiction, an area in which I do have unique ideas that are working and will get me paid. I simply need to focus on what I'm good at. I'm better at telling stories than I am writing objective journalistic breakdowns of what's wrong with this movie or that game or this aspect of our culture. I can do all of those things, sure, but it's never going to be more than amateur dabbling and a little running off at the mouth from within my little isolated bubble in an obscure blog perched on a corner of the Internet. And I think I'm okay with that. I do not want to prevent anyone else from going that route, though. So, if you do, if you really want to set up a platform and podium from which to get the word out on something you think is really wrong out there, by all means, have at it. Just find a way to do it different, do it better, do it right. Don't just imitate, innovate. And don't be afraid to pimp yourself. Remember, if you don't work, you don't eat.

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Blue Ink Alchemy

The Little Victories

The Little Victories — Blue Ink Alchemy

I have some advice. Celebrate the little victories. A good review of your work. A ray of sunshine. A victory in a game you did not expect. Getting the last bit of Nutella out of the jar with your finger. A purring cat. Seeing an adorable woodland creature not get hit by a car. Something extra in your paycheck. Lunch outdoors with friends. A pat on the shoulder from a trusted advisor. A drink on the house. An unexpected, unrequested hug and kiss from a loved one. Free food. What do you consider little victories? Leave a comment, and tell me.

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Blue Ink Alchemy

FNM: One More Time

FNM: One More Time — Blue Ink Alchemy

Return to Ravnica is right around the corner. And when it comes, I will be wearing the blue and red of Izzet with pride. I have at least one Standard deck planned, and the guild is looking strong in Limited formats as well. On top of that, I'm planning on dipping my toe into Legacy soon, and the deck I'm considering is entirely red. But that's a post for another time. Today we're talking about Friday Night Magic. I love FNM as a concept. Having a steady night for competition at a low cost provided you can assemble a deck is very appealing. And the Internet has made deck assembly even easier. Any deck being played by the pros can be found with a quick Google search or two, and if you have the disposable income, even the rarest of cards can be found for sale somewhere. Now, I will admit to a bit of emotional and cultural bias when it comes to this. It's one of those moments where I shake my walking stick at the young whipper-snappers taking up table space in my hobby. You see, I first played Magic back before there was an Internet, and all you really had to go on was sheer deckbuilding instinct, hard-won experience, and the occasional article in Scrye magazine. Does anybody else remember Scrye? Anyway, there really isn't anything wrong with copying a deck from an online pro-winning deck list, I just get a little peeved when I keep losing to the same online pro-winning deck list because everybody and their kid seems to be playing it. Like I said, nothing wrong with this. Play what works for you. I just prefer building my own decks. Of course, there's no way to test my deck ideas other than playing them. While I recently got back into Magic Online for the first time since some point during the Renaissance, I don't have anywhere near enough cards from the Innistrad block to replicate my deck. Speaking of which... It will still be a couple weeks before my full Izzet plan comes to fruition. I do have a somewhat viable deck I've been monkeying around with, and I think I need to revisit its most successful iteration. At the same time, there are some concepts from the latest version of it that I really like, but the way it was set up was simply too reactionary. Still, having responses planned is good, and going fully aggro didn't really work for me, either. The result is what the pros like to call "midrange." [mtg_deck title="WB Token Midrange"] // Creatures 4 Doomed Traveler 3 Hero of Bladehold 3 Stonehorn Dignitary 3 Blade Splicer 2 Bloodline Keeper 2 Captain of the Watch // Spells 4 Lingering Souls 3 Honor of the Pure 3 Go for the Throat 3 Oblivion Ring 1 Intangible Virtue // Planeswalkers 2 Sorin, Lord of Innistrad 2 Elspeth Tirel // Lands 11 Plains 7 Swamp 4 Isolated Chapel 2 Vault of the Archangel // Sideboard 3 Revoke Existence 3 Celestial Purge 3 War Priest of Thune 2 Day of Judgment 2 Grafdigger's Cage 2 Doom Blade [/mtg_deck] Cutting [mtg_card]Venser, the Sojourner[/mtg_card] hurts, but vigilant soldiers that slow down aggressive enemies while quick token generation holds off opposing creatures and makes it difficult for control decks to keep up may be a more viable path to victory. I really can't wait for Return to Ravnica. This deck need some time off, probably until Gatecrash shows up. Or I pull enough good cards to make a Junk Tokens deck...

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Blue Ink Alchemy

Flash Fiction: The Outermost Gate

Flash Fiction: The Outermost Gate — Blue Ink Alchemy

Participating in the Terribleminds Second Game of Aspects.

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One hundred and fifty years of spaceflight innovation, and it's still a pain in the ass to get a decent meal. Commander Ellington grumbled softly as he pulled himself towards the galley. He remembered times back home when just a whiff of his mother's home cooking would make his stomach growl like a hungry lion. "What's on the menu today, Slim?" The technical expert of the construction crew was actually named Vladimir Moroshkin, but being skinny as a beanpole, Ellington had taken to calling him 'Slim'. The physicist didn't seem to mind. "The same as before, Commander. Pre-cooked meats of a dubious nature and recycled water it's best not to contemplate too long." "What I wouldn't give for some decent chili." He sighed, popping a meal in the microheater. "How're things out there?" Slim looked out the porthole at the in-construction Pluto gate. "Main structure is 90% complete, components are in place, and capacitors are holding charges. Crews probably need another few days to get the toll systems and registration servers talking to the relays." Ellington nodded. "Once it's done we'll have gates in orbit around Earth, Mars, Venus, Europa, Titan... am I missing any?" "They just finished the Triton gate, sir." "That's gonna make booking flights confusing. Anyway, where do we go from here, d'you think?" "We'll probably have to break the light barrier properly to go further. Properly, I mean. Not with artificial wormholes." "Does it ever bother you, ripping holes in space the way we do, just to travel more quickly from one place to another?" "No, sir. The technology that powers the gates is completely-" Before Slim could finish his sentence, the station shook. Supplies went flying from the galley shelves. As warning klaxons started going off, Ellington propelled himself to the main console of the small station. Slim was right behind him. "Did something hit us?" Ellington asked as he scanned the instruments for hull breaches and other damage. "Nothing solid. Looks like it was a shock wave. Suit comms are down." "A shock wave from what, Slim?" Ellington looked up and got his answer. In the silent, dark tapestry outside, a violet fissure had appeared. It glowed, blotting out the stars behind it. As Ellington watched, tentacles colored a green so deep it was nearly black wormed out of the fissure and began to push it wide. He glanced at the gate, seeing the men scatter. Looking back, more tentacles appeared, and within the void past the tear in space, Ellington saw piss-colored eyes. Ancient eyes. Eyes full of hunger and hate. "Slim... tell me what I'm seeing." "The instruments are going haywire, sir. I need a moment." "Not sure you've got one." As Slim watched, the thing in the fissure lashed out at the gate, swatting men and women in space suits aside as they tried to return to the station. They were unarmed, and their only means of escape was the ion-powered rocket that could get them to Triton and the gate there could get them home. The journey would be short, as Pluto's orbit this year was closer to Neptune than it had been in decades, which was why the eggheads back home decided to move forward with building the gate. Not that it would matter if the horror pulling itself into reality could also travel through the gates. "Can you tell me anything about the fissure?" "Near as I can tell, it's putting off a frequency of radiation I've never seen before. Radio telescope was the first instrument to zero in on it." "Let's hear it." Reluctantly, Slim flipped the external speaker switch. The control cabin was immediately filled with screaming. If it had been one voice screaming, it would have just been disconcerting. Instead, Slim and Ellington heard a thousand voices, all crying out at once without words, deeply in pain and endlessly, endlessly angry. "Right. Time to get the hell out of here." Ellington turned and went down the central shaft of the station to where the shuttle was docked. He slid inside and did a quick check of its systems, making sure it hadn't been damaged. He caught glimpses of the creature out the windows, but tried to ignore it. He stopped, however, when he saw the gate's capacitors lighting up. He moved back to the shaft and kicked off of the deck, propelling himself back to the control cabin where he seized a handhold. "What the hell are you doing, Slim?" "If I can get the gate to generate a sympathetic counterpoint vibratory radiation pattern..." "English, Slim." "I think I can use the gate to close the fissure, sir." Ellington stared, then looked outside. The thing was even more massive than he'd thought, and it looked like it was still emerging from the fissure. It could easily reach the station with its tentacles, and Ellington feared one would collide with them any moment. He heard people in the upper reaches of the station, clamoring about, probably eager to leave. He didn't blame them. Slim twisted knobs, tapped in commands via keyboard, and finally pulled a lever. The gate sprang to life. Instead of the usual blue color, the capacitors glowed an angry red. Soon the entire gate was alive with that shade, and the radio telescope conveyed a sound that drowned out the screaming. It was a single, reptilian, very pissed-off roar. "Slim? What did you do?" "Exactly what I said! I don't..." From the gate emerged a head that could have belonged to some sort of dinosaur. It was topped with ridges of horns, its scales were the color of blood, and when it exhaled (wait, exhalation in space?) plumes of fire shot from its nostrils. Seeing the abomination in the fissure, it shot out of the gate, spreading leathery wings and reaching out with talons easily as long as Slim was tall. It grappled with the tentacled monstrosity and opened its mouth. Flames washed over the fissure. "Slim?" "Yes, sir?" "I have a craving for popcorn."

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Blue Ink Alchemy

Writer Report: Break On Through

Writer Report: Break On Through — Blue Ink Alchemy

Courtesy Floating Robes There is something you may not know about the writing process. The rules of writing have been discussed at length in various places around the Internet. But perhaps a semi-unwritten one is that you have to write as much as you can, as fast as you can, even when you don't want to. Writing is, after all, a job, and none of us necessarily want to work every hour of every day. But if you want to finish your shit, you have to work at it, even when the notion is less than appealing. That's what I did yesterday. I felt a little stuck in Cold Streets. I wasn't entirely sure how I was going to resolve a scene. But I sat down, picked an option, and ran with it. 2810 words later I stood up and stretched. The dam had broken, and words were flowing again. I feel back on track, because I made myself write when it wasn't appealing to me. That's what you have to do when you're a writer. I may do some groundwork this weekend for one of the other projects. I'm still trying to decide which one, though. A lot of the preliminary stuff for Godslayer is already done considering the previous drafts, but there will be a lot of changes to come in that. The other project, the untitled sci-fi thing, is very nascent, with only a couple of short stories to work off of for now, but I feel there's a great deal of potential and I'm going to want to explore it. Maybe just jot down some notes? We'll see. Either way I hope to continue to be productive over the weekend. I don't want to lose this momentum.

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Blue Ink Alchemy

Uphill Battles

Uphill Battles — Blue Ink Alchemy

My time management has been pretty borked this week. Things at the dayjob refuse to stay dead, I'm trying to get a moving date set up, and other minor things are messing with my schedule. I've been doing what I can to manage my distractions, but this week has seen me failing more than succeeding. This does happen, more often than I'd like to admit, and I know in the end I'm only hurting my own efforts. But it isn't the end of the world, and right now I'm doing my best to remind myself of that. Even if I continue to get bandied about by a short attention span, I can make next week better. Get out more. Do more exercise. Write blog posts in advance. That sort of thing. Meantime, be excellent to one another. I'll be over here, quietly doing my best to not freak out.

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Blue Ink Alchemy

Writing Weird Worlds

Writing Weird Worlds — Blue Ink Alchemy

I have an unabashed love for science fiction and fantasy. I grew up on Star Trek (the Next Generation, mostly), and C.S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia was possibly the first full book series I read start to finish. The ability of a writer to completely transport an audience, be it one reader or a million viewers, to a completely alien landscape populated with outlandish characters is one of the reasons I became a writer myself. And yet, for all of my source material and inspiration in these fields, I struggle to write science fiction and fantasy. My problem is, I believe, twofold. It deals with world-building and pacing. The world-building aspect is not one of building the worlds themselves, no; it's trying to build the world while also telling a story. The world, no matter how expansive or intricate its design, is merely set dressing. It's the backdrop against which the story takes place. And what is a story without characters? Even if there are good characters, though, the pacing problem tends to arise. There's a habit in some writing I've seen in these genres where the action or conversation will stop and description will take over. Tolkien and Martin spring to mind. They're both writers I deeply respect, but man, they can go on sometimes. While some of Tolkien's descriptions of landscapes lead to the breathtaking vistas we see in the Lord of the Rings films, and Martin's in-depth cataloging of grand Westros meals can be mouth-watering, it sacrifices time with characters or plot advancement for the sake of world-building. The thing to keep in mind, as far as I'm concerned, is that these characters who inhabit these worlds do so the same way we do ours. They coexist with wonders and strangeness the same way we do with things like airplanes and the Internet. Imagine if a writer broke up the action in a tense modern thriller or a detective yarn to describe the interior layout of a 747 in detail, or explained exactly how communication between one computer and another works. I personally don't think that story would get very far. While some description is inevitable, especially when it comes to these strange new worlds, I have come to understand that such descriptions should be used sparingly. A quick verbal sketch of something new and interesting may be required for context; I think the description should be made as concisely and quickly as possible. And I don't believe that in-depth descriptions should ever be used anywhere near the opening of a story. Consider the opening of Blade Runner. The scene in which Leon is tested could take place in any modern building. The only hint of sci-fi trappings is the device on the desk. It concerns itself first and foremost with character moments and building tension. Instead of showing off how awesome its effects are, the film paces itself, only revealing as much as it needs to in order to set scenes and move the story along. Jurassic Park is another fine example. It's around 40 minutes before we even see our first dinosaur in full, but the build-up is done so adroitly that we are just as invested in the characters as we are in the spectacle, if not moreso. It's something I'll be keeping in mind as I get myself together for my next large project. How do you feel about writing weird worlds? Would you like to see more description in such tales, or less? What good examples come to mind when discussing these stories?

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Blue Ink Alchemy

More Writer's Rules

More Writer's Rules — Blue Ink Alchemy

See this? This here is the bearded penmonkey who is, in my mind, the whiskey-soaked Yoda to my whiny Luke Skywalker, the cuss-heavy Stranger to my bumbling Jeffrey "The Dude" Lebowski, the shouty Elrond to my somewhat smelly Aragorn, Chuck Wendig. He's going to give you the secret to successful writing. Lean close. You'll want to get this down. And all over your face. [tube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RHGDX6CfnaQ[/tube] (Thanks for this, Chuck! Friends, go visit Chuck's site, buy his books, feed his kid. He deserves it.) Not so hard, is it? So now you have the secret to writing successfully, but I think it takes more than successful writing to be a successful writer. Yes, more rules. And yes, they're still simple.

Rule 1: Follow Wheaton's First Law

Don't be a dick. Period. It's fun to joke and whatnot, sure, but don't look to cross lines or get in people's faces for the sake of a laugh. There's boundaries people have, and if you stay on the good side of them, chances are they'll laugh along with the joke and not consider you a hate-spewing douchecanoe. And if you do cross the line, don't be a dick about it and act all offended. Apologize, find out what went wrong, ensure it won't happen again, even offer to make amends if you have to. I feel like I'm waxing overlong on what boils down to common human fucking decency, but it's the age of the Internet and reality shows, sometimes you gotta spell this shit out.

Rule 2: Be Honest

People are going to ask you stuff. They'll ask where your ideas come from, if you can read their stuff, what your opinion on X is, etc. Be honest with them. Don't blow smoke up the people who don't deserve it, and don't be nice to someone who's kicking a friend of yours while they're down. It's one thing to be honest, though, and another to be overly blunt. Telling someone the flaws in their work is not the same as telling them they suck and should just give up. Basically, be honest, provided you aren't violating Rule 1.

Rule 3: Do More Than Market

Getting your words sold is great. I don't have evidence to back this up, but I'm certain that tweeting and retweeting and sharing the same links and incentives and quick pitches sells more books than simple word of mouth. However (and this may just be me), I find that sort of thing really gets old after a while. If all you have to say day after day is how awesome your books are, I may lose interest in your books. I say, switch it up. Reach out to the community. Jump into fun conversations - or start one. Let people know you're a real human being, not just a marketing bot with your social media login information. Pretty simple stuff, and I'll be trying to stick to these as I write as much as I can, write as fast as I can, finish my shit, make my deadlines, and try really, really hard not to suck. What rules do you think successful writers should follow?

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Blue Ink Alchemy

More Writer's Rules

More Writer's Rules — Blue Ink Alchemy

See this? This here is the bearded penmonkey who is, in my mind, the whiskey-soaked Yoda to my whiny Luke Skywalker, the cuss-heavy Stranger to my bumbling Jeffrey "The Dude" Lebowski, the shouty Elrond to my somewhat smelly Aragorn, Chuck Wendig. He's going to give you the secret to successful writing. Lean close. You'll want to get this down. And all over your face. [tube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RHGDX6CfnaQ[/tube] (Thanks for this, Chuck! Friends, go visit Chuck's site, buy his books, feed his kid. He deserves it.) Not so hard, is it? So now you have the secret to writing successfully, but I think it takes more than successful writing to be a successful writer. Yes, more rules. And yes, they're still simple.

Rule 1: Follow Wheaton's First Law

Don't be a dick. Period. It's fun to joke and whatnot, sure, but don't look to cross lines or get in people's faces for the sake of a laugh. There's boundaries people have, and if you stay on the good side of them, chances are they'll laugh along with the joke and not consider you a hate-spewing douchecanoe. And if you do cross the line, don't be a dick about it and act all offended. Apologize, find out what went wrong, ensure it won't happen again, even offer to make amends if you have to. I feel like I'm waxing overlong on what boils down to common human fucking decency, but it's the age of the Internet and reality shows, sometimes you gotta spell this shit out.

Rule 2: Be Honest

People are going to ask you stuff. They'll ask where your ideas come from, if you can read their stuff, what your opinion on X is, etc. Be honest with them. Don't blow smoke up the people who don't deserve it, and don't be nice to someone who's kicking a friend of yours while they're down. It's one thing to be honest, though, and another to be overly blunt. Telling someone the flaws in their work is not the same as telling them they suck and should just give up. Basically, be honest, provided you aren't violating Rule 1.

Rule 3: Do More Than Market

Getting your words sold is great. I don't have evidence to back this up, but I'm certain that tweeting and retweeting and sharing the same links and incentives and quick pitches sells more books than simple word of mouth. However, and this may just be me, but I find that sort of thing really gets old after a while. If all you have to say day after day is how awesome your books are, I may lose interest in your books. I say, switch it up. Reach out to the community. Jump into fun conversations - or start one. Let people know you're a real human being, not just a marketing bot with your social media login information. Pretty simple stuff, and I'll be trying to stick to these as I write as much as I can, write as fast as I can, finish my shit, make my deadlines, and try really, really hard not to suck. What rules do you think successful writers should follow?

---

Blue Ink Alchemy

More Writer's Rules

More Writer's Rules — Blue Ink Alchemy

See this? This here is the bearded penmonkey who is the whiskey-soaked Yoda to my whiny Luke Skywalker, the cuss-heavy Stranger to my bumbling Jeffrey "The Dude" Lebowski, the shouty Elrond to my somewhat smelly Aragorn, Chuck Wendig. He's going to give you the secret to successful writing. Lean close. You'll want to get this down. And all over your face. [tube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RHGDX6CfnaQ[/tube] (Thanks for this, Chuck! Friends, go visit Chuck's site, buy his books, feed his kid. He deserves it.) Not so hard, is it? So now you have the secret to writing successfully, but I think it takes more than successful writing to be a successful writer. Yes, more rules. And yes, they're still simple.

Rule 1: Follow Wheaton's First Law

Don't be a dick. Period. It's fun to joke and whatnot, sure, but don't look to cross lines or get in people's faces for the sake of a laugh. There's boundaries people have, and if you stay on the good side of them, chances are they'll laugh along with the joke and not consider you a hate-spewing douchecanoe. And if you do cross the line, don't be a dick about it and act all offended. Apologize, find out what went wrong, ensure it won't happen again, even offer to make amends if you have to. I feel like I'm waxing overlong on what boils down to common human fucking decency, but it's the age of the Internet and reality shows, sometimes you gotta spell this shit out.

Rule 2: Be Honest

People are going to ask you stuff. They'll ask where your ideas come from, if you can read their stuff, what your opinion on X is, etc. Be honest with them. Don't blow smoke up the people who don't deserve it, and don't be nice to someone who's kicking a friend of yours while they're down. It's one thing to be honest, though, and another to be overly blunt. Telling someone the flaws in their work is not the same as telling them they suck and should just give up. Basically, be honest, provided you aren't violating Rule 1.

Rule 3: Do More Than Market

Getting your words sold is great. I don't have evidence to back this up, but I'm certain that tweeting and retweeting and sharing the same links and incentives and quick pitches sells more books than simple word of mouth. However, and this may just be me, but I find that sort of thing really gets old after a while. If all you have to say day after day is how awesome your books are, I may lose interest in your books. I say, switch it up. Reach out to the community. Jump into fun conversations - or start one. Let people know you're a real human being, not just a marketing bot with your social media login information. Pretty simple stuff, and I'll be trying to stick to these as I write as much as I can, write as fast as I can, finish my shit, make my deadlines, and try really, really hard not to suck. What rules do you think successful writers should follow?

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Blue Ink Alchemy

Flash Fiction: In The Pits

Flash Fiction: In The Pits — Blue Ink Alchemy

Courtesy the Victorian Store For the Terribleminds Flash Fiction Challenge, "A Game of Aspects."

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His were fitter's hands. They were meant for securing pipes, connecting cables, moving steam and electricity from one place to another. Hands meant for the labor the upper classes wanted nothing to do with. They relied on hands like his, his strength and his ability to endure punishment, but he never got invited to any of their fancy to-dos. He flexed his hands, bare and marked with scars and the evidence of calluses, the massive mitts rattling his chains. He could hear the crowd already. Chanting for blood, anticipating the confrontation, ready to see justice done. This was how it worked. Break the law badly enough, get sent to the Pits. He had a reputation, which is why he now was outside the largest of the Pits, the Grand Arena, where tickets were sold at triple digit prices per head, exclusive boxes rented out to the especially rich and powerful. And only the most unsavory or crazy of murderers and rapists fought to survive here. He wondered, as he stood and his guards removed his chains, if she was in the crowd now. Her cries for help sounded so sincere, as he rushed in to pull the man away from her. Before either of them knew what was happening, he had broken the man's arm and shattered his hipbone. Moments away from breaking the man's neck, she screamed again - "He's my husband!" The police weren't about to believe one of his kind would come to the defense of the landed gentry, and rather than listen to the truth, that her husband had meant her harm, they didn't hesitate to throw the well-meaning, refugee fitter into the Pits without a trial. Freed, for now, he walked to the entrance to the arena floor. He saw his opponent across the expanse of open ground, under the undulating tapestry of the crowd, waving their scarves, calling for blood. The other man was a serial rapist. For some sick reason, the Pit Masters had dressed him as befit his noble birth, with a filigree waistcoat embroidered with a gear motif, clean white spats, even a top hat with goggles on it, as if he was an aeronaut or something. Not that goggles on a top hat would help him in a flying machine. In fact, they were about as useless as they could be there. The Fitter, on the other hand, was dressed as per usual: leather trousers, heavy boots, a chain vest over his undershirt and suspenders, and hard metal bracers and greaves. The crowd liked seeing the dark tattoos under the skin of his arms that wound around his shoulders and up his neck, under the close-shorn dark hair. He waved away the helmet. The overdressed idiot across the floor didn't concern him. He stepped out into the Arena, where they cheered for him. He gave them a wave. When the other walked in, he spread his arms and turned, grinning like a fool, bowing to the nobles in their box. The fitter could see he carried something at his hip. Some kind of weapon. He frowned; he preferred sending these scumbags to their makers with his bare hands, but even the most callous of them didn't bring ranged weapons to a fight like this. The announcer called his name - "The Fitter" - whereas the newcomer was dubbed "Top Hat." It was, as always, a fight to the death. The crowd liked a good show, and a long one, for everything they paid. The Fitter knew how to amuse the mob, how to draw out the killing blow, how he would seem to revel in the bloodshed. But all he wanted was his freedom. All he wanted was to see his kin again. The fight began with a tone from the large brass bell at the edge of the Pit's upper reach. Top Hat drew his weapon, and the Fitter hesitated. Those capacitors... it can't be. That moment of recognition nearly cost him his life. Lightning snapped across the Pit floor, singeing the hair on the Fitter's right arm as he ducked to his left. The bolt left a black, angry mark on the wall leading up to the expensive, front-row seats. Top Hat frowned, took aim, and tried to fire again. Nothing happened. "Type 3 capacitors need 3 seconds to recharge," the Fitter said. Top Hat stared at the Fitter in shock. Grinning, the Fitter crossed the distance between them as quickly as he could move. His large right hand pushed the arm holding the gun away as his left came up hard, breaking Top Hat's jaw, sending his hat to the dirt-covered floor. He wrapped his thick, fitter's hand around Top Hat's wrist and twisted, bone snapping, the lightning pistol dropping from numb fingers. As Top Hat screamed, the Fitter reached down and pulled the goggles from the hat. He slid them down over the Fitter's face and broken jaw, twisting them in such a way that they tightened around the man's throat. The rapists's eyes bulged. The Fitter's teeth ground as he forced his opponent to his knees. He could feel his skin burning, knew without looking that the Atlantean ink under his skin was glowing the deep sea-foam green betraying the refined orichalcum trapped there. He didn't care. He grabbed the man's neck, crushing the goggles under his grip, and lifted Top Hat into the air with one hand. He slammed the body into the ground once, twice, and a third time, and then threw it into the nearest wall. He looked down at the lightning pistol as the crowd screamed, some running in panic from the stands. It was a weapon of his home, his kin, and it had wound up in this land-dweller's hands. Someone knew the truth. Someone knew of their power. He had to find them. Once he got out of the Pits. The guards approached. The Fitter flexed his hands, cracked his neck, and smiled at them. "One at a time, gentlemen? Or all at once?"

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Blue Ink Alchemy

Writer Report: Moving Forward

Writer Report: Moving Forward — Blue Ink Alchemy

Cold Streets is a slow burner. By that, I mean it's taking me a while to really get set on fire over it. I'm working on it, and I like what's happening so far, I just haven't carved out a great deal of time lately to put more words in sequence. I have a move coming up in the near future, and that's going to eat in to my writing time. I have books and clothes to donate, old geegaws to bequeath to others, and the current place needs some sprucing. My mind hasn't been idle, though. What was once going to be a multi-novel fantasy series will, I believe, get compressed into one epic volume. After reading some other stories and watching a couple old favorite films, it occurs to me that not everything needs to be a serial. Not ever story needs a sequel. So Asherian and his world of Acradea will appear in a single novel. And, based on the timbre and themes of the rewrite, and how much more of the story I will be including from the very beginning, it's getting yet another title change. For the time being, I'm calling it Godslayer. Somewhere between the novellas of Morgan & Seth's escapades and this fantasy epic, I want to work on a smaller novel, or perhaps novels, with a sci-fi bent. The arrival of the new version of Netrunner on my back step combined with classics like Blade Runner remind me that the future doesn't necessarily have to be chrome-plated and shiny, or at least if it is, it need not necessarily be that way for everybody. What I like about futures with an even slightly dystopian bent is that super-advanced technologies, be they androids so life-like they act and feel like humans or faster-than-light travel or interstellar colonization, feel matter-of-fact, an aspect of everyday life that you don't have to spend pages upon pages describing. And I've already written a couple of well-received short stories with this sort of bent, and I'm interested in seeing how I could expand the idea. Alien races, perhaps? Maybe a distant but superficially benevolent overlord whose dictates are at least partially responsible for the crapsack world our characters find themselves in? This bears further investigation. More on these ideas to come. Also to come, more reviews of Cold Iron as well as some other surprises! Stay tuned.

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Blue Ink Alchemy

Sympathy, Courtesy, and Taste

Sympathy, Courtesy, and Taste — Blue Ink Alchemy

There's a part of me that longs for convention floors. I just love being a part of an inclusive, open-minded crowd gathered in one place for the common enjoyment of a hobby or interest. I've been writer's conferences, anime conventions, and gaming expos, and they all give me this positive, uplifting charge that can last for weeks afterward. And yet, I know they can be dangerous places. I know people can violate the space of others. I know lines can and do get crossed. And I know that these communities, especially when it comes to gaming, are not as inclusive as I'd like them to be. To which I have to wonder, "Why the fuck not?" Creeps do exist, and I don't mean the sort of guys and girls who are enthusiastic and well-meaning but don't always say the right thing or aren't adept at handling meeting new people or maintaining/ending conversations. I mean the ones who think it's perfectly okay to berate people for being different, to undercut others so they can increase their own sense of superiority, or to introduce their genitals to any situation regardless of circumstances or permission of the other people involved. I'm not sure why these people are so unaware of the fact that this behavior is not okay. It's not okay on a basic level and it's also not okay as a means to get attention. So how do we approach the people we idolize? How do we behave when encountering others of our craft or hobby? What should aspiring con-goers keep in mind when entering the hall for the first time? Listen to the Rolling Stones, kids. "Have some sympathy, have some courtesy, and some taste." It's a good rule of thumb to keep in mind when entering the convention, firing up the console, or just walking through town. The people you encounter are people, nothing more or less, just like you. I doubt most people in this world are really dedicated to going out of their way to make your life miserable. Those that are probably have personal reasons for doing so, and that's a different kettle of fish entirely. When meeting people you haven't met before, keep in mind that it is impossible for you to know every circumstance of every aspect of their lives that lead up to them meeting you. If you appreciate their work, tell them so. Say how happy you are to meet them. If it feels like an honor to do so, say so. If approaching someone who's signing things, and you have something for them to sign, ask them politely to sign it. Ask them if they're having a good time. After that, if you've been standing in line, chances are others have been standing in line behind you, and you should probably move on. Otherwise, let the conversation flow from there; don't steer it constantly back to subjects centered on you so you can run off at the mouth. Good conversations don't work that way. I know, reading it dryly like this, these seem like common sense tips. But when meeting someone we know through work we thoroughly enjoy, it's entirely possible for rational thought to simply stop working. When I met my first Internet celebrity, I pretty much lost my face. Thankfully, I doubt he remembers me, and as I can't afford to go to the Escapist Expo this month, it'll probably be some time before I see him in person again. The next time I encountered one, things went much better. I followed the advice given above, and we had a great talk about Boston, movies, PAX, and various other things. It felt good, and I never got the impression that he was uncomfortable. Just think before you speak, people. It isn't that difficult. Treat others the way you'd like to be treated. It's very good to shake the hand of a stranger, introduce yourself, and get to know them and their way of life, but don't be overbearing when you do it. If you keep talking, you can't listen. And who wants to talk to someone who won't listen to them? Do these things, and not only will you not be a creep, you may find yourself overcoming that awkwardness. A little confidence goes a long way, and it'll show. Try a little sympathy, courtesy, and taste the next time you're in a situation with new people. You might be surprised.

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Blue Ink Alchemy

Why Izzet?

Why Izzet? — Blue Ink Alchemy

Ravnica is one of my favorite blocks in Magic: the Gathering's history. It provided a flavorful plane with lots of versatile deck ideas and all sorts of interesting guilds based on pairings of colors. So when Return to Ravnica was announced at PAX East, I pretty much lost my face. With the spoilers we've been seeing of the expansion, which hits next month, my glee is pretty justified. But while the Azorius guild is in my primary colors of white and blue, and a good deal of my cards from the previous block set in that plane appear to be from the sadistic playground of Rakdos, I've always considered myself Izzet at heart. Why? Izzet is the red and blue guild. Blue is a color of mind games and control, featuring counterspells, illusionary creatures, and using an opponent's cards against them, while red's fast-paced flavor leans towards direct damage, fast creatures, and big flashy finishes like dragons and laying an unstoppable smackdown with a single card. When combined in the Izzet guild, the result is the magical equivalent of super-science. Izzet mages experiment with electricity, flight, spell manipulation, and time shenanigans. Why? Because they can! Ravnica features a great deal of inter-guild politics and scheming, from Dimir spies lurking in the shadows to Golgari agents stealing undesirables for use in their experiments. Izzet certainly has its share of secrets, and if any of the guilds were to be working on some sort of doomsday device, it'd probably be them. However, it's hard to imagine them working from a truly malicious angle. Again, for Izzet, it's all about pushing the boundaries of Magic, trying new things no matter how dangerous, and letting the mind dictate one's limits. I like this very much because I've never been one to straight up copy deck lists from other players. I may get ideas from other lists, and I of course am curious about things like Maverick or The Rock, but I won't be throwing down cash to simply run a deck someone else is running, regardless of how much that deck wins. For me, a good portion of the fun in Magic is the theorycrafting. Rather than being confident that I'm going to win every match I play, I've gone into events wondering how well or how badly the deck will run in competition. As much as it sucks to lose, especially when most "top" players tend to run the same deck, i.e. whatever the best pro players are playing, the experimentation does have rewards in and of itself. You learn about your own playstyle, you figure out what works for you, and you decide what you don't want to do. I think that's where Izzet's appeal lies, for me. While no two-color combination necessarily locks a player into a particular style of deck, red and blue together can go heavily for control, lean entirely towards aggression, or rest anywhere in between. It lends itself towards the very experimentation that keeps me going back to my favorite local comic & gaming store every week. And it's run by a genius dragon. That's pretty much the cherry on it. If you play Magic, are you excited for Return to Ravnica? Have you chosen your guild? I'd love to hear about it!

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Blue Ink Alchemy

Remembering Michael

Remembering Michael — Blue Ink Alchemy

Another great voice of our time has gone silent. In this case, I mean the voice part literally. I could confidently look forward to any movie featuring Michael Clarke Duncan in the cast. Not only could he deliver Oscar-caliber performances, he could be counted on to be one of two things, if not both, in any film in which he worked. He would be a presence, and on most occasions, he'd clearly be having a great time. I know Daredevil is not at the top of anybody's list of Best Superhero Movies. But if you haven't seen it, you should, if just for Michael Clarke Duncan. Watch his introductory scene. Look at the way he wears that suit. The stance, the cane, the cigar, the presence. Ebert said, and I agree, that it makes you want to back up and cover your balls. And then he smiles, and you just know he's having a ball with this role. He was also one of the best things in Armageddon and The Scorpion King for similar reasons. Even when he doesn't once crack a smile, Sin City for example, he still left an indelible mark. And of course, no discussion of the man would be complete without at least a mention of The Green Mile. John Coffey was the gentle giant personified. The film would not have been so effective and moving with someone else in that role. Michael also did a great deal of voice work, from animated TV series to video games. He returned as Kingpin for the Spider-Man TV series and also made appearances on Chuck and Bones. This was a man who clearly loved what he did, and by all accounts, was a fun and gentle man to know and work with. He will be sorely missed.

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Blue Ink Alchemy

Flash Fiction: The South Ward

Flash Fiction: The South Ward — Blue Ink Alchemy

Courtesy istaevan For Terribleminds' Flash Fiction Challenge "Sci-Fi Fantasy Open Swim":

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Terrance Palmer wasn't a field agent. Most of his days were spent in the office, examining the profiles of perpetrators to assist the investigations of braver men than him. However, Agent Burrows had tapped him specifically to ride along to the mental hospital. With its wrought-iron fence and gate, long drive to the main building, and security measures including several checkpoints, Palmer felt it resembled a prison more than a place of healing. "What do we know about her?" Burrows asked the question as they waited at the second checkpoint in the building. "She is, or was, a professor of anthropology." Palmer kept her file and notes from one of her books under his arm. "Her main area of interest was religions and cults, and she wanted to prove that there really is no difference between the two." "Makes sense." The door buzzed and the two FBI agents were shown into the south ward. "How does she go from that to... what was it?" "Paranoid delusions." The doctor who met them supplied the answer and offered his hand. "I'm Doctor Ahmed. Thank you both for coming." "Has she made any more threats?" "No, Agent Burrows, she has not. She continues to say the world is in danger and she knows the how and why." Palmer looked into the common area as they were lead back towards the woman's room. One man watched them walk by, his left eye twitching in a disturbing fashion. Palmer tried to ignore it, and stay on task. Ahmed produced a ring of keys, unlocked the deadbolt, and opened the door. "Doctor Chamberlain? The men from the FBI are here." She had been facing the wall, sitting at an old desk, and turned to face her visitors. Palmer had seen photos of her before, but they hadn't captured how piercing her blue eyes were in person. Her long brown hair, normally braided or in a bun for her promotional photos, was only loosely tied back, and strands hung in her face. She stood and smoothed out her formless gray sweatsuit. "I apologize for my attire, gentlemen, but creature comforts like appropriate clothing are hard to come by in this gulag." Ahmed held up his hands. "Now, Doctor Chamberlain..." "You be quiet. Go drug up some of the others. You know, the actually crazy ones." Ahmed said nothing, but retreated from the room, leaving the door open. Burrows leaned against the doorframe and crossed his arms over his red tie and FBI badge. "You said there was going to be an attack." "Yes, I did." Chamberlain's eyes were fixed on Palmer. "You've read my book." He blinked. "How did you know?" "You have a haunted look about you. And I see a photocopied page of Worshipers of Stars in your folder, there." Palmer took the folder out from under his arm, and nodded. "Yeah, that's the one. Do you really think that ancient civilizations worshiped beings from beyond the stars?" "Is it any more fantastical than worshiping an old man in a nightshirt living in the sky?" "Let's stick to the facts." Burrows did not sound at all interested in the theological discussion. "The attack. How do you know about it? When and where will it happen?" Chamberlain blinked. "I know about it because I pay attention. You can't see them now, but the stars are right. It will happen soon." Burrows narrowed his eyes. "We were told you were making threats." "Not threats. Predictions." "Ugh. Come on, Palmer, we're wasting our time." "Wait a second." Palmer studied Chamberlain's face for a moment. "You're not crazy." Burrows' voice was incredulous. "What?" "I study crazy people. She isn't crazy." Palmer kept his eyes on the professor. "Did you mean to get incarcerated here?" Chamberlain's eyes went wide for a moment, and she nodded. "I knew it would be here. The layers between dimensions are thin where sanity is at its most tenuous. And the candidates are ideal. Pliable, weak in mind and body due to medication and sub-standard food..." "Wait." Burrows stepped forward. "Candidates for what?" A scream came out of the common area. Something grabbed Burrows by the ankle and yanked him out of the room. His badge and sidearm clattered to the ground. Palmer rushed into the common area, and stopped short at the sight of what was happening. The man who had watched them before now stood, his left arm replaced by some sort of rubbery, squid-like appendage that now had Burrows by the ankle. Blood and ichor seeped through his gray sweats and half of his face looked melted. His good eye, the human one, swung towards Palmer. "Help... me..." Palmer pulled his jacket open to grab his sidearm. At the same time, the man's right hand split open like a banana peel and another tentacle spilled out onto the floor. It whipped towards Palmer. He ducked to his right, raising his Sig and lining up the sights. He went to the range every week as a habit, but had never fired on another human being. But is it STILL a human being? The question hung in his mind. A gunshot went off behind Palmer. He glanced to see Chamberlain, with Burrows' gun, her grip practiced and her expression calm. Turning back to the... thing... Palmer followed suit. A few rounds later put their target out the window. Palmer holstered his sidearm and helped Burrows to his feet. "What is the meaning of this?" Ahmed was indignant, and terrified. Palmer turned to Professor Chamberlain and put out his hand. "The gun, please, Professor." "Diana." She put the gun in his hand. "My name's Diana." "I'm Terrence. People call me Terry." "It's nice to meet you, Terry. I think it's safe to leave now." "I demand to know...!" "Doctor Ahmed." Burrows rubbed his neck. "My partner and your inmate just opened fire on something terrifying. Give me the paperwork to release Doctor Chamberlain. The Bureau needs her." "Not just the Bureau," Diana said. "The world."

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Blue Ink Alchemy