Flash Fiction: Stella's Corner Hitching Post

Flash Fiction: Stella's Corner Hitching Post — Blue Ink Alchemy

This one was tough. For the Terribleminds Game of Aspects (Halloweenie Edition) the d10 of Destiny dictated: Southern Gothic Evil Awakens! Strip Club Stage Magic Hoo boy. Happy Halloween!

---

It was another hot, muggy night, but the wind was low, meaning the mugginess was not supplemented by the heavy, muddy water of the bayou. Still, it was the sort of weather that drove men from their sweltering places of work and the oppressive presence of disappointed wives to the red lights and cheap drinks at Stella's Corner Hitching Post, where the ladies wore a fine sheet of sweat for reasons other than the weather. Sugar fought down the urge to step out the back door and light up a cigarette. Quitting was proving more and more difficult, but her promise to her son was ever-present in her mind. Candy walking in and hanging up a light robe that smelled like Marlboros right next to Sugar's tiny makeup table and mirror didn't help matters. "I should not have worn these heels." Candy looked down at the clear, long stilettos currently strapped to her feet. "I'm going to trip and break something next time I go out there." "Child, you're a pro. You're going to be fine." Sugar tugged at her white string bikini, knowing the stage lights would bring out the extreme contrast between the scant garment and her skin. "You know the guys like you in heels like that. They make your butt look fantastic." "We're not all naturally endowed like Hecate out there." Sugar frowned, peeking around her mirror towards the stage. Hecate was dancing to something slow and sensual, grinding on her pole and shooting smoldering looks out at the audience. A newcomer, she was quickly rivaling Sugar as the most sought-after girl at Stella's. In addition to her looks, she was known for using things like slight of hand and the occasional pyrotechnics element in her routines. "Still not sure where Stella found her." "I'm not sure she did." Candy was changing into her black bikini, preparing for the insanely popular double-show she did with Sugar. "Word 'round the sewing circle is that Hecate sauntered into Stella's office and pretty much demanded a job." Sugar turned back to the curtain and the view beyond. While most eyes in the main room of Stella's were on Hecate's hips and other curves, Sugar found herself looking at Hecate's fingers. Each nail was painted a different color, almost all of them were earth tones, and the way she moved her fingers seemed to have little to do with beckoning men closer to the stage. It made Sugar extremely uneasy. The men started to shift in their seats, and not in the usual way of Stella's customers. They all leaned towards the stage, transfixed by Hecate's movements and gestures, and when the roving spotlights shifted away from them, pinpoints of red appeared in their eyes. Hecate began to laugh, spinning on the stage, raising her arms above her head. She finished her turn facing backstage, and her smile only brightened at the sight of Candy and Sugar. "Sisters! You really should join me." Candy, shaking, moved to obey, but Sugar put a hand on her shoulder. "What're you doing to them?" "Giving them a brand new show with more magic than usual. You know how men love a show." Sugar took a closer look at the audience. "They look hypnotized." "Darling, they're men. They get hypnotized when you take off your top." "But this... why are you doing this?" "The aggression of men's done more to hurt us and our world than anything else; it's time we used it for ourselves rather than let them do what they want." Candy blinked. "How does that make us better?" Hecate shook her head. "Precious child. These sorts of men claim to want freedom and equality, but do you feel equal when you need to be up here shaking your ass to feed yourself?" "There's nothing wrong about what we do. If you object so much to how men treat us, why come here in the first place?" "Sugar, my dear, you don't seem to understand. I'm not here to entertain. I'm here to right wrongs that have waited centuries to be righted. Words always fail so action must be taken. These men will act as I want them to act, and no words will be necessary to make things right." "And what you're doing is right? I don't see how. You want to make these people into puppets! That's just as wrong!" Hecate shook her head. "I'm sorry you feel that way, Sugar." She snapped her fingers. Men rose from the seats nearest to the stage and surged towards Sugar. She backed away towards the dressing room and the back door she knew was twenty paces behind her. Hecate moved in behind the half-dozen men she'd summoned to the stage, smiling as they reached for Sugar. "You see? Even under my influence, child, men are only after one thing." Rough hands took hold of Sugar as she fought back. She nailed one of them in the groin with the tip of her heel, another she bit on the hand, a third she scratched across the eyes. But more were coming, and it was getting more and more difficult to see Hecate, or Candy. There was a dull thud from somewhere in the crowd. One by one, the men collapsed, and finally Hecate swooned, falling on top of them all. Candy stood behind her, a bottle of champagne in her hands. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry, I didn't know what else to do." Sugar got to her feet. "It's okay. It's okay, Candy, you did the right thing." Candy nodded, though her hands still shook. "Well... what do we do now?" After getting more clothes on, Sugar and Candy found quite a bit of cash amongst the sleeping patrons of Stella's. They opened beers throughout the club, and left Hecate atop her pile of men. Sugar grabbed her cell phone as she and Candy walked out. "Stella, it's Sugar. Hecate tried to throw a private party at the Post. I thought you should know..."

---

Blue Ink Alchemy

Storm's Passage

Storm's Passage — Blue Ink Alchemy

We're okay. And if you're reading this, I hope you are, too. I don't want to downplay the impact of the storm at all. Millions are without power. People have died. The largest city in the Western world is oddly silent and seemingly empty. Yet, the storm is moving on. It does not linger and will not last forever. Human history has shown that we are a resilient species. We grow, change, adapt, and survive. This goes for the species in general as well as the individual. In the course of our brief lives, we weather all sorts of storms, and crises, and disasters, and loss. I hope that, as you read this, you and your loved ones continue to stay safe, your property remains relatively undamaged, and remember that even if you can't see it, the sun is still shining, and it will rise again strong and clear when the darkness has passed.

---

Blue Ink Alchemy

Hatches Battened Down

Hatches Battened Down — Blue Ink Alchemy

Sandy is currently pelting my area with rain. The wind is mild, as far as I can tell, and many places (like my office & the school Danielle attends) are shut down. But public works folks, soldiers, first responders, and people with less cool administrators are out there, in this weather, and I for one am praying for their safety. Between this and the upcoming move I have to pack for, this week is going to be interesting. Stay safe, everyone.

---

Blue Ink Alchemy

Hatches Battened Down

Hatches Battened Down — Blue Ink Alchemy

Sandy is currently pelting my area with rain. The wind is mild, as far as I can tell, and many places (like my office & the school Danielle attends) are shut down. But public works folks, soldiers, first responders, and people with less cool administrators are out there, in this weather, and I for one am praying for their safety. Between this and the upcoming move I have to pack for, this week is going to be interesting. Stay safe, everyone.

---

Blue Ink Alchemy

Writer Report: Forward Motion

Writer Report: Forward Motion — Blue Ink Alchemy

Preparations for the move are ramping up. Q4 is looming on the horizon at the dayjob. I have a dozen things to do between now and next weekend, and smack dab in the middle of all of that is jury duty. Compared to these things, progress on Cold Streets feels absolutely glacial. There is progress, however. Slowly but surely, I'm closing in on the heart of the story. Just as much as I want my villains to be more than flat stereotypes, the main crux of the story is about more than just a supernatural murder. I'm not quite at the point where I feel I can take the plot completely off the rails for the sake of building to a climax; rather, I want there to be motivations and background and conflicts that range beyond the superficial. What I don't want is for the readers coming back for more of what Cold Iron delivered to feel disappointed. That could be part of what's holding me back - that fear. Fear of letting people down. It's idiotic, of course; I should just write as much as I can as fast as I can so I finish my shit. Those are the rules, right? Right. Yet I make excuses related to distractions and fatigue and a bunch of other stuff. I really need to cram it when it comes to that. Sure, I may be better equipped to sequester myself after the move (seriously, the layout of the current place ensures about zero privacy) and help is on the way in various forms, but right now, I need to try and cut down what I can to focus on the words. While any forward motion is good motion, more of it would be fantastic.

---

Blue Ink Alchemy

Flash Fiction: John Doe's Journal

Flash Fiction: John Doe's Journal — Blue Ink Alchemy

Courtesy istaevan For Terribleminds' Flash Fiction Challenge Five Ingredients Make A Story:

---

"I don't have any idea where that storm came from." Mark brought down the newspaper he'd been holding over Janet and himself when the squall began. They're come back inside to get Janet's oversized golf umbrella, which she tended to take with her to scenes during inclement weather. More than one intern had spent a good deal of time holding it up as one or both of them bent over a fresh body. "Me neither." Janet shook out her long, red curls and turned towards the lockers. "Let me just get the..." Mark stepped into the morgue fully after her. "Umbrella? Is that the word you're missing?" Janet didn't answer him. She reached back and flipped on the lights. The examination tables, trays full of tools, bloody sinks waiting to be hosed that prompted the suggestion of drinks, and storage doors both opened and closed became illuminated under the harsh florescent bulbs. "Where's our John Doe?" Mark blinked, silently counting the corpses he could see. Then he counted them again. "Did Steve or Andrea come in here?" Shaking her head, Janet started checking the storage units. "Doubtful. They'd still be here scrubbing, I think. Besides, Steve went home early today. Something he ate." Mark ran a hand through his short dark hair, more as a habit of thought than in the pursuit of dampness. It was a habit he'd tried to break, considering how often his hands were covered in gore. He began pulling back sheets on the corpses on the slabs while Janet continued checking the doors. Minutes later, they looked at one another with the same expression. "This is impossible." "You're telling me." Mark put the sheet back over Mister Falkner's sweet old face. "Corpses don't just get up and walk out of the morgue." "Unless the zombie apocalypse has begun." "If that were the case, wouldn't more than one of our guests be ambulatory right now?" Janet couldn't stop smiling. "Maybe John Doe is Patient Zero. He's already on the loose, ready to spread his curse and craving human brain." She extended her arms, rolled her eyes back, and shambled towards Mark. "Braaaaains..." Mark laughed. "Have you been drinking already? Let's check the security footage before we call up the CDC and Norman Reedus." The terminal on their desk had no answers for them. Approximately three minutes after they'd left the room, the security cameras all registered pitch darkness. Even though they were designed to record even in low light conditions, neither mortician saw anything on the monitor. The other feeds throughout the building were normal. "I'll call up the security desk. We should check to see if we've been hacked." As Mark dialed the number, Janet looked over the desk towards the box of personal effects that had yet to be collected. She stood up and walked to the box, and after a moment's examination, reached inside for the notebook. It was old, bound in leather and singed along two of its edges. Inside many of the pages were burned. She suspected that someone had held it over a fire for an extended period of time, perhaps to persuade the John Doe to do something in order to save it. Mark hung up the phone. "IT is checking the server logs now." He paused, seeing Janet poring over the book. "What's in it?" "Some of it isn't even in English. I think it might be Latin." She turned the pages carefully. "Where did they find this guy?" "From what I understand he was a transient. Hung around the library and the surrounding area. A couple of college students found him on the steps." Janet nodded. She remembered examining the body: a pair of stab wounds to the chest had been the cause of death. More than likely, he'd been jumped and shanked by one of his fellow transients over food or territory. They'd found no possessions on him save for this notebook and a wooden cross on a string. Considering all of the inverted pentagrams and inscrutable runes throughout the notebook, she couldn't rule out the fact the two items were related. "Listen to this." She put her finger on her place in the notebook. "'Despite the supposed righteousness of man, especially those considered saved by the Gospel or some other means, evil continues to permeate the world. The descendants of the Nephilim either perpetuate or police that evil, struggling to maintain a balance between man's salvation and annihilation. This is their task, their curse, and their burden, the high price of their power and immortality.' That's crazy, right?" Mark shook his head. "Too much moonshine, or something." The lights went out. The monitor in front of Mark blinked out of existence. For a moment, neither mortician spoke. Mark slowly got to his feet, quite unsettled at how perfectly dark the windowless morgue had become. In front of Janet, a line of light appeared. It was as if it was being drawn with an invisible finger, sketching the outline of a doorway next to the desk. When it was complete, light poured from the opening in the middle of the air. Mark glanced around, and felt Janet take his hand. In the darkness, illuminated by the portal, they saw yellow eyes, dozens of pairs of them, staring at them in silence. A hand reached out of the doorway. It was dark-skinned, shot through with glowing blue veins, its fingernails sharpened into talons. It gently took hold of the notebook. Janet let go, and the hand retreated into the doorway. It winked out of existence, and a voice rang through the morgue. TELL NO LIVING SOUL. The lights snapped back on. They were alone in the morgue. Still holding his hand, Janet turned to Mark. "I think we should go drink now." Mark didn't take his eyes from where the portal had been, and the eyes that had watched them from behind and beyond it. He stepped back towards the door. "Good plan. I like this plan."

---

Blue Ink Alchemy

Flash Fiction: John Doe's Journal

Flash Fiction: John Doe's Journal — Blue Ink Alchemy

Courtesy istaevan For Terribleminds' Flash Fiction Challenge Five Ingredients Make A Story:

---

"I don't have any idea where that storm came from." Mark brought down the newspaper he'd been holding over Janet and himself when the squall began. They're come back inside to get Janet's oversized golf umbrella, which she tended to take with her to scenes during inclement weather. More than one intern had spent a good deal of time holding it up as one or both of them bent over a fresh body. "Me neither." Janet shook out her long, red curls and turned towards the lockers. "Let me just get the..." Mark stepped into the morgue fully after her. "Umbrella? Is that the word you're missing?" Janet didn't answer him. She reached back and flipped on the lights. The examination tables, trays full of tools, bloody sinks waiting to be hosed that prompted the suggestion of drinks, and storage doors both opened and closed became illuminated under the harsh florescent bulbs. "Where's our John Doe?" Mark blinked, silently counting the corpses he could see. Then he counted them again. "Did Steve or Andrea come in here?" Shaking her head, Janet started checking the storage units. "Doubtful. They'd still be here scrubbing, I think. Besides, Steve went home early today. Something he ate." Mark ran a hand through his short dark hair, more as a habit of thought than in the pursuit of dampness. It was a habit he'd tried to break, considering how often his hands were covered in gore. He began pulling back sheets on the corpses on the slabs while Janet continued checking the doors. Minutes later, they looked at one another with the same expression. "This is impossible." "You're telling me." Mark put the sheet back over Mister Falkner's sweet old face. "Corpses don't just get up and walk out of the morgue." "Unless the zombie apocalypse has begun." "If that were the case, wouldn't more than one of our guests be ambulatory right now?" Janet couldn't stop smiling. "Maybe John Doe is Patient Zero. He's already on the loose, ready to spread his curse and craving human brain." She extended her arms, rolled her eyes back, and shambled towards Mark. "Braaaaains..." Mark laughed. "Have you been drinking already? Let's check the security footage before we call up the CDC and Norman Reedus." The terminal on their desk had no answers for them. Approximately three minutes after they'd left the room, the security cameras all registered pitch darkness. Even though they were designed to record even in low light conditions, neither mortician saw anything on the monitor. The other feeds throughout the building were normal. "I'll call up the security desk. We should check to see if we've been hacked." As Mark dialed the number, Janet looked over the desk towards the box of personal effects that had yet to be collected. She stood up and walked to the box, and after a moment's examination, reached inside for the notebook. It was old, bound in leather and singed along two of its edges. Inside many of the pages were burned. She suspected that someone had held it over a fire for an extended period of time, perhaps to persuade the John Doe to do something in order to save it. Mark hung up the phone. "IT is checking the server logs now." He paused, seeing Janet poring over the book. "What's in it?" "Some of it isn't even in English. I think it might be Latin." She turned the pages carefully. "Where did they find this guy?" "From what I understand he was a transient. Hung around the library and the surrounding area. A couple of college students found him on the steps." Janet nodded. She remembered examining the body: a pair of stab wounds to the chest had been the cause of death. More than likely, he'd been jumped and shanked by one of his fellow transients over food or territory. They'd found no possessions on him save for this notebook and a wooden cross on a string. Considering all of the inverted pentagrams and inscrutable runes throughout the notebook, she couldn't rule out the fact the two items were related. "Listen to this." She put her finger on her place in the notebook. "'Despite the supposed righteousness of man, especially those considered saved by the Gospel or some other means, evil continues to permeate the world. The descendants of the Nephilim either perpetuate or police that evil, struggling to maintain a balance between man's salvation and annihilation. This is their task, their curse, and their burden, the high price of their power and immortality.' That's crazy, right?" Mark shook his head. "Too much moonshine, or something." The lights went out. The monitor in front of Mark blinked out of existence. For a moment, neither mortician spoke. Mark slowly got to his feet, quite unsettled at how perfectly dark the windowless morgue had become. In front of Janet, a line of light appeared. It was as if it was being drawn with an invisible finger, sketching the outline of a doorway next to the desk. When it was complete, light poured from the opening in the middle of the air. Mark glanced around, and felt Janet take his hand. In the darkness, illuminated by the portal, they saw yellow eyes, dozens of pairs of them, staring at them in silence. A hand reached out of the doorway. It was dark-skinned, shot through with glowing blue veins, its fingernails sharpened into talons. It gently took hold of the notebook. Janet let go, and the hand retreated into the doorway. It winked out of existence, and a voice rang through the morgue. TELL NO LIVING SOUL. The lights snapped back on. They were alone in the morgue. Still holding his hand, Janet turned to Mark. "I think we should go drink now." Mark didn't take his eyes from where the portal had been, and the eyes that had watched them from behind and beyond it. He stepped back towards the door. "Good plan. I like this plan."

---

Blue Ink Alchemy

Movies as Meta-Humor

Movies as Meta-Humor — Blue Ink Alchemy

I love mixing things up, in a literary sense. Fairy tales with superhero flavor? That's my jam. Greek myths in space? Been there, wrote it. Norse gods in the Wild West? Saddle up. But what I haven't quite gotten into yet is the meta-humor powering such novels as Pride & Prejudice & Zombies, and the movies that seem to be emerging from such things. Yes, they're humorous storytelling endeavors. But rather than being straight-up joke-fests, the joke is that the joke behaves like something that isn't remotely funny. There's nothing inherently wrong with absurdism or surrealist takes on the classics, and as I said, mixing things up can be both fun and interesting. However, I feel the mix should result in some tangible changes other than simply having additional elements tacked on. This is why the aforementioned PPZ never quite "clicked" for me: I got the gag, but the gag really only served itself, rather than fundamentally changing the story. Elizabeth was a pretty kickass slayer of the undead but that didn't seem to alter her relationship with Darcy in any meaningful way. On the other hand, consider Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. The fact that Abe sought revenge for the death of his mother isn't just an anecdote in his life. We learn that the real motivation behind the entire Civil War was to prevent the creation of a vampire nation, where slaves are used as food supply. It's just as much a gag as the aforementioned zombies, but the way it alters the inner nature of the character and informs his motivations throughout his life makes it more effective both as meta-humor and as a readable or watchable story. That said, it is entirely possibly to go too far in the other direction. As much as I like Jeremy Renner and Gemma Atherton, the upcoming Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters feels like the sort of fundamental change to characters aimed at increasing their broad appeal but likely to leave the characters bland and ultimately uninteresting. Van Helsing in a good example of this. There is so much just from the trailer of this new H&G that feels similar to that older, rather bland movie, and I'm not sure if it's going to work the way it seemed to for Abe. As with many things in writing, it's all about balance. You can't have the joke be too blatant and unrelated, and you can't make the narrative all about the somewhat amusing change in character motivations or genre. Go too far one way or the other and the endeavor just falls apart. Strike the right balance, though, and as much as we'll laugh at the concept, we'll also be interested enough to see the narrative through to the end.

---

Blue Ink Alchemy

Movies as Meta-Humor

Movies as Meta-Humor — Blue Ink Alchemy

I love mixing things up, in a literary sense. Fairy tales with superhero flavor? That's my jam. Greek myths in space? Been there, wrote it. Norse gods in the Wild West? Saddle up. But what I haven't quite gotten into yet is the meta-humor powering such novels as Pride & Prejudice & Zombies, and the movies that seem to be emerging from such things. Yes, they're humorous storytelling endeavors. But rather than being straight-up joke-fests, the joke is that the joke behaves like something that isn't remotely funny. There's nothing inherently wrong with absurdism or surrealist takes on the classics, and as I said, mixing things up can be both fun and interesting. However, I feel the mix should result in some tangible changes other than simply having additional elements tacked on. This is why the aforementioned PPZ never quite "clicked" for me: I got the gag, but the gag really only served itself, rather than fundamentally changing the story. Elizabeth was a pretty kickass slayer of the undead but that didn't seem to alter her relationship with Darcy in any meaningful way. On the other hand, consider Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. The fact that Abe sought revenge for the death of his mother isn't just an anecdote in his life. We learn that the real motivation behind the entire Civil War was to prevent the creation of a vampire nation, where slaves are used as food supply. It's just as much a gag as the aforementioned zombies, but the way it alters the inner nature of the character and informs his motivations throughout his life makes it more effective both as meta-humor and as a readable or watchable story. That said, it is entirely possibly to go too far in the other direction. As much as I like Jeremy Renner and Gemma Atherton, the upcoming Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters feels like the sort of fundamental change to characters aimed at increasing their broad appeal but likely to leave the characters bland and ultimately uninteresting. Van Helsing in a good example of this. There is so much just from the trailer of this new H&G that feels similar to that older, rather bland movie, and I'm not sure if it's going to work the way it seemed to for Abe. As with many things in writing, it's all about balance. You can't have the joke be too blatant and unrelated, and you can't make the narrative all about the somewhat amusing change in character motivations or genre. Go too far one way or the other and the endeavor just falls apart. Strike the right balance, though, and as much as we'll laugh at the concept, we'll also be interested enough to see the narrative through to the end.

---

Blue Ink Alchemy

The Legacy of Magic

The Legacy of Magic — Blue Ink Alchemy

Art by Greg Staples I've been playing Magic: the Gathering off and on since I was introduced to it in high school almost 20 years ago. Quite a few things have changed in the game since then, but nothing in the game has changed so dramatically that the old cards are strictly unplayable. In fact, there are some formats of Magic where incorporating older cards is encouraged. And rather than restrict myself to Standard and Limited for sanctioned play, I've decided to branch out into those formats. This decision is based mostly on the potential for building new and interesting decks. With the entire length and breadth of Magic to choose from, the possibilities are astounding. I mean, sure, not every deck is going to be viable - there's only so much one can do with, say, Lifelaces and banding creatures - but the potential is there. Unfortunately, to make the most of the format, some investments will have to be made, as many older cards are rather pricey. Dual lands, staples of the games early editions, are often priced at a hundred dollars or more per card. Thankfully, not every deck requires these powerful cards. Sometimes, when you find yourself on a budget, the simplest ideas are the best. [mtg_deck title="Legacy Monored Burn"] // Creatures 4 Goblin Guide 4 Keldon Marauders 2 Grim Lavamancer // Spells 4 Lightning Bolt 4 Rift Bolt 4 Fireblast 4 Lava Spike 4 Magma Jet 4 Price of Progress 4 Chain Lightning 2 Sulfuric Vortex // Lands 3 Arid Mesa 3 Scalding Tarn 14 Mountain // Sideboard 3 Smash to Smithereens 2 Vexing Shusher 2 Pyrostatic Pillar 2 Pyroblast 2 Anarchy 2 Tormod's Crypt 1 Ravenous Trap 1 Faerie Macabre [/mtg_deck] The deck is fairly straightforward: dishing out as much damage as possible in a short amount of time. However, 'straightforward' does not mean 'simple'. You can't simply cast all the spells in your hand as quickly as possible and be assured of a win. A key example of this is [mtg_card]Fireblast[/mtg_card]. Canny players wait until after other spells have been cast to play this powerful blow to the enemy's face with its sacrifice cost. And doing so puts more cards in the graveyard for [mtg_card]Grim Lavamancer[/mtg_card] to use. I've played the deck in one event so far, and it's not only fun to play but viable against other Legacy decks. Its potential caught me somewhat off-guard, considering I was up against decks like Countertop and Affinity. It's not perfect, though, as Maverick found ways to slow me down enough to secure a win. Hence the [mtg_card]Anarchy[/mtg_card] in the sideboard - that will take care of pesky Circles of Protection! In addition to Legacy, the format called Modern provides similar opportunities but with a narrower range of cards to choose from. I had to poke around a bit, but I found a deck list that feels right up my alley, and utilizes some of my favorite cards from both the current and the previous Standard rotation. [mtg_deck title="Modern Tokens"] // Creatures 4 Hero of Bladehold 4 Tidehollow Sculler // Spells 4 Intangible Virtue 4 Lingering Souls 4 Honor of the Pure 4 Path to Exile 4 Inquisition of Kozilek 3 Zealous Persecution 3 Spectral Procession 3 Midnight Haunting // Land 4 Godless Shrine 4 Isolated Chapel 4 Marsh Flats 1 Mutavault 6 Plains 1 Swamp 3 Windbrisk Heights // Sideboard 2 Disenchant 2 Kataki, War's Wage 2 Kor Firewalker 2 Linvala, Keeper of Silence 2 Slaughter Pact 1 Stony Silence 2 Surgical Extraction 2 Torpor Orb [/mtg_deck] Which am I more excited to play? Token decks are always fun to play, but the straightforwardness of the burn deck is also appealing. The deck is somewhat underestimated and isn't as flashy as decks with dual lands, [mtg_card]Force of Will[/mtg_card], [mtg_card]Tarmogoyf[/mtg_card], or [mtg_card]Jace, the Mind Sculptor[/mtg_card], but it has definitely proved itself and, I feel, will continue to do so. This doesn't mean I'm done with more casual formats, though. Especially if there's drinking involved...

---

Blue Ink Alchemy

The Legacy of Magic

The Legacy of Magic — Blue Ink Alchemy

Art by Greg Staples I've been playing Magic: the Gathering off and on since I was introduced to it in high school almost 20 years ago. Quite a few things have changed in the game since then, but nothing in the game has changed so dramatically that the old cards are strictly unplayable. In fact, there are some formats of Magic where incorporating older cards is encouraged. And rather than restrict myself to Standard and Limited for sanctioned play, I've decided to branch out into those formats. This decision is based mostly on the potential for building new and interesting decks. With the entire length and breadth of Magic to choose from, the possibilities are astounding. I mean, sure, not every deck is going to be viable - there's only so much one can do with, say, Lifelaces and banding creatures - but the potential is there. Unfortunately, to make the most of the format, some investments will have to be made, as many older cards are rather pricey. Dual lands, staples of the games early editions, are often priced at a hundred dollars or more per card. Thankfully, not every deck requires these powerful cards. Sometimes, when you find yourself on a budget, the simplest ideas are the best. [mtg_deck title="Legacy Monored Burn"] // Creatures 4 Goblin Guide 4 Keldon Marauders 2 Grim Lavamancer // Spells 4 Lightning Bolt 4 Rift Bolt 4 Fireblast 4 Lava Spike 4 Magma Jet 4 Price of Progress 4 Chain Lightning 2 Sulfuric Vortex // Lands 3 Arid Mesa 3 Scalding Tarn 14 Mountain // Sideboard 3 Smash to Smithereens 2 Vexing Shusher 2 Pyrostatic Pillar 2 Pyroblast 2 Anarchy 2 Tormod's Crypt 1 Ravenous Trap 1 Faerie Macabre [/mtg_deck] The deck is fairly straightforward: dishing out as much damage as possible in a short amount of time. However, 'straightforward' does not mean 'simple'. You can't simply cast all the spells in your hand as quickly as possible and be assured of a win. A key example of this is [mtg_card]Fireblast[/mtg_card]. Canny players wait until after other spells have been cast to play this powerful blow to the enemy's face with its sacrifice cost. And doing so puts more cards in the graveyard for [mtg_card]Grim Lavamancer[/mtg_card] to use. I've played the deck in one event so far, and it's not only fun to play but viable against other Legacy decks. Its potential caught me somewhat off-guard, considering I was up against decks like Countertop and Affinity. It's not perfect, though, as Maverick found ways to slow me down enough to secure a win. Hence the [mtg_card]Anarchy[/mtg_card] in the sideboard - that will take care of pesky Circles of Protection! In addition to Legacy, the format called Modern provides similar opportunities but with a narrower range of cards to choose from. I had to poke around a bit, but I found a deck list that feels right up my alley, and utilizes some of my favorite cards from both the current and the previous Standard rotation. [mtg_deck title="Modern Tokens"] // Creatures 4 Hero of Bladehold 4 Tidehollow Sculler // Spells 4 Intangible Virtue 4 Lingering Souls 4 Honor of the Pure 4 Path to Exile 4 Inquisition of Kozilek 3 Zealous Persecution 3 Spectral Procession 3 Midnight Haunting // Land 4 Godless Shrine 4 Isolated Chapel 4 Marsh Flats 1 Mutavault 6 Plains 1 Swamp 3 Windbrisk Heights // Sideboard 2 Disenchant 2 Kataki, War's Wage 2 Kor Firewalker 2 Linvala, Keeper of Silence 2 Slaughter Pact 1 Stony Silence 2 Surgical Extraction 2 Torpor Orb [/mtg_deck] Which am I more excited to play? Token decks are always fun to play, but the straightforwardness of the burn deck is also appealing. The deck is somewhat underestimated and isn't as flashy as decks with dual lands, [mtg_card]Force of Will[/mtg_card], [mtg_card]Tarmogoyf[/mtg], or [mtg_card]Jace, the Mind Sculptor[/mtg_card], but it has definitely proved itself and, I feel, will continue to do so. This doesn't mean I'm done with more casual formats, though. Especially if there's drinking involved...

---

Blue Ink Alchemy

Extra Life 2012 Aftermath

Extra Life 2012 Aftermath — Blue Ink Alchemy

THANK YOU to everyone who tuned in, tweeted, and donated!

Donations Raised: $162 Kitties Fragged: 413 Notable Kills: Dakhath nar Sihkag aka "Deathstroke" Khajja nar Ja'targk aka "The Machine", "The Fang" Bakhtosh nar Kiranka aka "Redclaw" Kur aka "Human-Killer" Fighters Wrecked: 85 I'm still recovering from the weekend, I think. Regular posts resume tomorrow. Fighter pilot needs tea badly.

---

Blue Ink Alchemy

Extra Life 2012 Aftermath

Extra Life 2012 Aftermath — Blue Ink Alchemy

THANK YOU to everyone who tuned in, tweeted, and donated!

Donations Raised: $150 Kitties Fragged: 413 Notable Kills: Dakhath nar Sihkag aka "Deathstroke" Khajja nar Ja'targk aka "The Machine", "The Fang" Bakhtosh nar Kiranka aka "Redclaw" Kur aka "Human-Killer" Fighters Wrecked: 85 I'm still recovering from the weekend, I think. Regular posts resume tomorrow. Fighter pilot needs tea badly.

---

Blue Ink Alchemy

Writer Report: Busy Busy Bee

Writer Report: Busy Busy Bee — Blue Ink Alchemy

Let's take a quick look at where things stand in various non-dayjob areas right now.

Cold Streets

I'm beginning to think my "end of 2012" prediction for this novella might have been too ambitious. That, or I simply need to make more time to write. I have the outline laid out and a decent handle on how things should proceed from point to point, I just need to sit down and make myself do it. It's all about discipline, and I need to do it more to myself even after long-ass frustrating commutes at the end of long-ass hectic days.

Untitled Fiasco playset

I've realized there's a great deal of storytelling potential in the collaborative role-playing game Fiasco and I have an idea or two for a playset of my own. I've been looking at a couple of the others (Alpha Complex, Saturday Night '78), just to make sure I'm not repeating too much that's been done before. Not aware of what Fiasco is? No problem, Wil Wheaton's gotcha covered.

Extra Life

Still no donations to this year's campaign. That sucks. I still feel I should go through with the marathon anyway, at least get it started, but it's disheartening to say the least. I'll do a post-mortem next week either way, try and figure out what, if anything, I've done or am doing wrong.

Magic: the Gathering

With everything else going on I've actually been playing a bit less Magic in the past week. In person, anyway. I'm inclined to throw together a cheap deck for the upcoming Gameday, as there's a whole pre-ordered box of Gatecrash on the line, but we'll see what happens. More important stuff needs to be addressed. Meantime, I went in for some of the pre-release events online, and the result has been the ability to self-sustain some drafting for the time being. It's good practice, if nothing else.

Boring Real-Life Stuff

My wife and I are moving! Yesterday I donated a ton of books to my local library, and I have bags upon bags of clothing, blankets, and towels set aside for the Salvation Army. There's a metric fuckton of crap in my basement I'm straight-up throwing away; much of it I haven't even looked at in the three years since I moved in here. The new digs are pretty and spacious, right across the street from a golf course of all things, and much closer to the dayjob. Between the balcony with a decent view of the outside world, plenty of room for a writing desk separate from major distractions, and the shorter commute, I'm hoping this will help me get into and maintain a writerly state of mind more often. I'll have to find a closer venue for Friday Night Magic, but them's the brakes.

---

Blue Ink Alchemy

Writer Report: Busy Busy Bee

Writer Report: Busy Busy Bee — Blue Ink Alchemy

Let's take a quick look at where things stand in various non-dayjob areas right now.

Cold Streets

I'm beginning to think my "end of 2012" prediction for this novella might have been too ambitious. That, or I simply need to make more time to write. I have the outline laid out and a decent handle on how things should proceed from point to point, I just need to sit down and make myself do it. It's all about discipline, and I need to do it more to myself even after long-ass frustrating commutes at the end of long-ass hectic days.

Untitled Fiasco playset

I've realized there's a great deal of storytelling potential in the collaborative role-playing game Fiasco and I have an idea or two for a playset of my own. I've been looking at a couple of the others (Alpha Complex, Saturday Night '78), just to make sure I'm not repeating too much that's been done before. Not aware of what Fiasco is? No problem, Wil Wheaton's gotcha covered.

Extra Life

Still no donations to this year's campaign. That sucks. I still feel I should go through with the marathon anyway, at least get it started, but it's disheartening to say the least. I'll do a post-mortem next week either way, try and figure out what, if anything, I've done or am doing wrong.

Magic: the Gathering

With everything else going on I've actually been playing a bit less Magic in the past week. In person, anyway. I'm inclined to throw together a cheap deck for the upcoming Gameday, as there's a whole pre-ordered box of Gatecrash on the line, but we'll see what happens. More important stuff needs to be addressed. Meantime, I went in for some of the pre-release events online, and the result has been the ability to self-sustain some drafting for the time being. It's good practice, if nothing else.

Boring Real-Life Stuff

My wife and I are moving! Yesterday I donated a ton of books to my local library, and I have bags upon bags of clothing, blankets, and towels set aside for the Salvation Army. There's a metric fuckton of crap in my basement I'm straight-up throwing away; much of it I haven't even looked at in the three years since I moved in here. The new digs are pretty and spacious, right across the street from a golf course of all things, and much closer to the dayjob. Between the balcony with a decent view of the outside world, plenty of room for a writing desk separate from major distractions, and the shorter commute, I'm hoping this will help me get into and maintain a writerly state of mind more often. I'll have to find a closer venue for Friday Night Magic, but them's the brakes.

---

Blue Ink Alchemy

Movie Review: The Cabin in the Woods

Movie Review: The Cabin in the Woods — Blue Ink Alchemy

This may be one of the most difficult reviews I've ever written. Not because the material is difficult or intentionally inscrutable (Antichrist) or highly subjective (Repo! The Genetic Opera) but because there are key aspects to The Cabin in the Woods that make me want to recommend it that I simply cannot tell you. I mean, I CAN... I'm physically and mentally capable of doing so. But I won't. This review will be spoiler free, even if it will be hard to write as a result. The Cabin in the Woods begins with about as stereotypical a premise for a slasher movie as you can get. Five college kids who superficially fit the broad archetypes of a thousand slasher movies before it head out for a weekend at the eponymous homestead and find sinister things in the cellar. The first of the movie's many twists (which was already spoiled in the trailers so I can talk about it without breaking my self-imposed moratorium) is that those items, and in fact the entire situation, is being controlled and manipulated from another location. From surveillance equipment to environmental controls, every aspect of the scenario is aimed towards the doom of these kids. And that's just the first ten minutes or so of the film. It's made apparent from the very beginning that this is not your average slasher flick. Outside of the outside influences manipulating the situation, our core cast is a bit more diverse and intelligent than you might expect. All five of our characters show measures of some depth or ingenuity, at least before they arrive at the cabin. Soon, though, all of them are falling into their roles, as prescribed by their archetypes, which is again a result of the controls being imposed upon them for inscrutable reasons. At least, inscrutable to them - we do discover the whys and wherefores of those in control, as the stakes continue to go up and the body count starts to rise.
Thor is unimpressed with your shenanigans. The Cabin in the Woods was written by Joss Whedon. While there are some who will attack him for an apparent lack of character voice or other issues related to his projects, what sets this particular screenplay of his apart is the balancing act he pulls. There's something fascinating about the harrowing experiences of the five young people in the cabin juxtaposed with the procedural, business-as-usual, even bland situations in the control rooms. And just when you think a pattern has been established, the pace changes and the situation escalates. This is definitely a credit to the writing, and to Drew Goddard's direction. In addition to the mix of the aforementioned elements is the surprising amount of humor in The Cabin in the Woods. Rather than relying on jump-out scares to keep the audience engaged, the trappings of the story abate any nail-biting and is either eliciting a laugh or provoking a question in our minds. Add to this mix a pretty decent and likable cast, a no-frills approach to design, and a third act that just explodes with potential and escalation, and you have a surprisingly good movie.
"I've got a 3 o'clock tee time, let's start butchering teenagers." Stuff I Liked: The way the students interact at first, and how their behavior changes. The entire setup. The pacing of the reveals. Stuff I Didn't Like: The nature of the film makes it very difficult to write about. I can see where some people may object to Whedon's writing. I wanted to know a little bit more about the controllers - how exactly does one apply for that job? Stuff I Loved: Fran Kranz's stoner. The atmosphere of the cabin and the minute details of the aspects controlled in it. All of the things I can't talk about. Bottom Line: I was surprised at how much I enjoyed The Cabin in the Woods. In my opinion it's a better deconstruction of the horror movie than Scream. It's fascinating, scary, funny, and a lot of fun. I highly recommend it.

---

Blue Ink Alchemy

My Friend, The Fedora

My Friend, The Fedora — Blue Ink Alchemy

Hats and I have had an interesting relationship so far in my life. Like many boys of suburbia I wore baseball caps more often than not growing up. It was likely when I was introduced to Indiana Jones that I became interested in wide-brimmed hats like the fedora and the akubra. This interest only grew in the wake of noir detective yarns and films like Casablanca. I've been known to wear something similar on occasion, though it tends to be a trilby more than anything else. The problem is, I've been growing more fashion conscious due to living with one of the most up-front and visceral critics in the known universe. While I try not to read too much into everything that's hurled in my direction for the sake of my sanity and self-esteem (no, playing Magic is NOT boring, it's the card-sorting and stuff that sucks the most), I do want to walk out the door knowing I don't look like a giant tool. And apparently, wearing a fedora-style hat in the wrong way is pretty douchey as far as fashion goes. I've talked about this before. And I'm leery of putting my hat on over just about anything that isn't a suit, now more than ever. Maybe I need to get myself a lighter trilby, to better compliment things like the picture above. But am I fighting an uphill battle? Have men's hats been entirely ruined by awkward teens trying pull of the Don Draper look and the various profile photos on OK Cupid? I know there are people who can and do pull it off, and not all of them are senior citizens. I'm just no longer certain I'm one of them.

---

Blue Ink Alchemy

On Net Decks and Feet in Mouths

On Net Decks and Feet in Mouths — Blue Ink Alchemy

Art by Wayne Reynolds Remember the old advice "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything?" Every once in a while I speak without thinking. It's been known to happen. My emotionality has been a problem many times in my past, and while I have a much better grip on things now, I still occasionally slip up and say what I'm feeling rather than thinking it through. Sometimes I think I'm being clever. Sometimes I just want to express myself. But when it happens, and I look back on what was said, I realize I was a bit of an ass. Case in point: I uttered the following words at my friendly local gaming store during the last rotation. "If you run a decklist from some top player on the Internet, nothing personal, but I hate you." For a bit of background on why this is the wrong way to approach competitive gameplay in general and Magic in particular, you should be familiar with Timmy, Johnny, and Spike. Here's an article on these guys and what they mean to the average Magic player. When you get down to it, not everybody is going to fall entirely into a single category or type, nor is it reasonable to assume other players will play the game you play it. When it comes to Magic, I'm a bit of a Johnny/Spike. That doesn't mean Timmy players are wrong, nor are those who go fully Spike and are just in it to win it. Neither I nor any other person has the right to tell other people how to play their games. Provided you're not being a jerk, cheating, or otherwise making the game deliberately unpleasant for other people, play the game however you want to play it. Some players just want big, splashy things to happen or to pull off an impossible combo. Others are interested in building their decks in new and interesting ways just to see how they play. And still others just want the glory of victory. All of these are fine, and none are invalid. For me or anybody else to say otherwise is just ludicrous. It's probably part of getting older. When I first started playing Magic almost twenty years ago, there was no Internet to speak of. Folks had to take what cards they had and build what they could. When Scrye magazine or The Duelist arrived with some decklists and advice, such articles could be cited by aspiring professionals and enthusiasts of the game. How are "net decks" any different? In hindsight and examination, I can tell you they really aren't. All that said, all I can do is apologize for speaking as I did and hope I didn't outright offend anyone in doing so. The only basis by which anybody can truly come down on how you play the game is if you're making everybody around you miserable while playing for reasons outside of normal frustrating from losing. Basically, as long as you're obeying Wheaton's First Law, you should be fine.

---

Blue Ink Alchemy

Flash Fiction: The House in Miller's Field

Flash Fiction: The House in Miller's Field — Blue Ink Alchemy

Inspired by this scary story in three sentences I wrote for Terribleminds.

---

"How long has this house been here?" Charlene shrugged. "'Bout as long as I can remember. I used to pass it when I went jogging in the mornings." Sam was making his way up the overgrowth path towards the house. It was burnt out but relatively intact, sitting in Miller's Field like a destitute hobo. The barn was also in need of some repair, but was somewhat intact. There'd been talk around town of tearing the house down and rebuilding, but nobody seemed willing to do that. Sam needed an Eagle Scout project, and doing what the adults were reluctant to do seemed like a good place to start. "I'm sure there's a reason nobody wants to touch this place." Charlene was repeating herself, she knew, but Sam could be terribly stubborn sometimes. "You don't think it's just less political than other stuff they want to do?" Sam picked his way forward carefully, avoiding the weeds and thistles that had burst through what had once been a paved driveway. She rolled her eyes. "Believe it or not, not everything is politics to adults. Pick up the pace, would you? This isn't how I want to spend my leave." He looked over his shoulder and smiled. "Okay. Sorry to drag you out here. Let's just have a quick look around and get out of here, so I can write up my proposal." He headed right for the charred front door, which hung on a single hinge. Charlene moved to follow, but her toe caught on something and she dropped. Cursing herself for not looking where she was going, she pushed herself up from the blackened soil to see the skeletal hand that had tripped her. Swallowing a mouthful of fear (you've seen bodies before, you're okay, you're okay), she gingerly turned fully to examine what lay half-buried in loose soil and persistent weeds. If she hadn't stepped off of the former driveway, she would have never seen it. But there it lay, the bones charred and the skull's mouth open in a silent, dirt-filled scream. "Sam? I think we should leave." Looking up, she couldn't see him. He's already picking around inside. She dug around in the dirt a bit, finding an old Zippo lighter, a ring of keys, and an half-burned, torn, and decaying notebook. Charlene flipped through it; most of it was inconsequential stuff, grocery lists and reminders. Towards the end, as the burns got worse and worse, she found the first evidence something was really wrong. They stay in the attic, just in the attic, we're not sure why. She turned back to see who 'they' might be, but there was nothing. She resumed reading forward. They took my son, my son is not my son, his eyes are dead, why would they do this to a child? Charlene's blood ran cold. She turned to the last page. I'm the only one left, I have to go, I have to leave, I know where the gas line leads out of the house, I'm going to finish this, for my wife, for my son, before they take me, before they take anyone else. That's when she heard Sam scream from inside the house. "Sam!" She dropped the journal and ran into the house. The interior was blackened from fire, the kitchen worst of all as it had been the center of an explosion. She found the stairs, taking them two at a time, feeling them about to give under her feet, deciding not to care. The attic door was a pull-down panel from the ceiling that revealed more stairs, she took those two at a time as well. The first thing we saw was Sam, backing away slowly from a corner, flashlight in hand. The attic was as burnt as the rest of the house, and little outside light came in through the slats in the walls and roof. His light was trained on the corner, and the figure crouching there. It looked like a boy half Sam's age, just over three feet tall, huddled there like it was frightened. It stared at Sam with milkly, colorless eyes, its skin ashen and covered in burns and black pustules. Charlene set her jaw. Is this the son of the dead man outside? "Sam, back towards me. Slowly. I'm here, it's going to be okay." "Okay." He took a step back towards the stairs. The creature in the corner growled and moved in response, shifting from a huddling position to a crouch. Charlene felt her body tense. "Soon as you're on the stairs, we're going to run. Okay?" "Okay." Charlene angled her body, prepared to either bolt down the stairs or jump up into the attic. Sam's left foot touched the top step on the drop-down panel. The creature hissed, and with a movement so fast Charlene would have missed it if she'd blinked, it leaped across the attic and pinned Sam to the floor. Charlene was in the attic in the next heartbeat. Instinct and training had her grabbing the thing by its left shoulder with her left hand, while her right went to its neck and under its chin. Its putrid hands were around Sam's neck, and he was choking, barely making out Charlene's name. Muscles built from hauling 50-pound packs across Iraq and Afghanistan worked in concert, and while the creature was no longer strictly human, it was still the body of a burnt little boy. She lifted it away from Sam, and then moved her left and right hands in different directions until something snapped like a brittle, dry twig. The blackened corpse went limp in her hands and she threw it away. Sam got up and put his arms around her, crying into her shoulder. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, sis." "It's okay, Sam. I'm here." Charlene held him close. She felt a pain in her right hand, looked past Sam's shoulder, and saw the angry red bite in her palm. "Everything's going to be all right."

---

Blue Ink Alchemy

Operation Extra Life

Operation Extra Life — Blue Ink Alchemy

*** THIS IS NOT A DRILL *** REPEAT *** THIS IS NOT A DRILL *** On 20th Oct. 2012, a very special mission will be undertaken. For the first time in almost two decades, veteran Terran Confederation pilot Josh Loomis will don his pressure suit and step into the cockpit of a fighter craft to do battle with the ruthless Kilrathi invasion forces, to protect humanity and raise money for the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. We are calling this operation Extra Life. Last year, Operation Extra Life raised more than 1.2 million dollars to save kids, but in 2012 our goals, just like the needs of the kids we serve, are much, much higher.You could say they are as high as the sky. And beyond it is where we will fly, lighting up interstellar space with laser fire and rocket exhaust. For 24 hours beginning at 1000 hours Eastern Standard time, the operation will play through the adventures of our intrepid pilots as chronicled in the Wing Commander series. The simulation will begin with the first iteration, and continue through each one as long as the operation goes on. The operation will be chronicled, live-Tweeted, and possibly even streamed. Updates on this to follow. The best part is that you can help. Donating online is safe and easy! To make an online donation please click the "Support This Participant" button on this page. Your donation is tax-deductible and ALL PROCEEDS go to help kids back home. Do your part! Tune in to the operation! Contribute if you can! YOUR PLANET NEEDS YOU! ***** END TRANSMISSION ***** Donation page

---

Blue Ink Alchemy

Movie Review: Prometheus

Movie Review: Prometheus — Blue Ink Alchemy

I liked the first two Alien movies, and would happily watch either one again given the chance. I'm also a fan of Ridley Scott's work in general, especially his Director's Cuts. Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender, Idris Elba, and Charlize Theron are some of my favorite actors working today. And science fiction is pet genre of mine, especially when it takes itself seriously and doesn't go straight for space opera or overdoes the camp of the pulp sci-fi of yesteryear. So why is my heart not jumping bloodily out of my chest with enthusiasm for Prometheus? The year is 2094. The Weyland Corporation has sponsored a pair of dedicated archaeologists, Elizabeth Shaw and Charlie Holloway, to follow the evidence they've found that mankind was visited by alien beings in our ancient past. The starship Prometheus was built to find these aliens and discover what, if any, connection they have to our origins. Following star maps extrapolated from cave paintings, Prometheus sets down on an inhospitable moon and almost immediately finds evidence of the archaeologists's fabled "Engineers". They also find something that threatens all life as we know it, to say nothing of the crew of the ship. Prometheus begins by introducing us to some very interesting themes, especially for a science fiction film involving starships and extra-terrestrials. The 'chariot of the gods' concept is becoming well-tread ground, from the Stargate series to recent things like Thor and Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull. Rather than just focusing on the aliens themselves, Prometheus sets its sights on the questions inherent with such visitations. Why did they visit us? What role did they play in our development? If they had a hand in creating us, why did they do so? From my standpoint, the focus of the narrative could have been maintained on these questions rather than pushing towards familiar Alien territory. Despite the breathtaking visuals, haunting score, and fantastic use of 3D (even in home theater settings), Prometheus suffers first and foremost from an identity crisis. It simply can't decide what it wants to be. A serious sci-fi film asking questions about faith, creationism, and the origins of life would be fascinating, the Alien franchise is desperate for a high-quality entry to redeem its dalliances with those wacky Predators, and Ridley Scott wouldn't mind starting a new film series. Prometheus tries to do all of these things, admirably so, but fails in hitting the mark with any of them. The questions it wants to ask fall by the wayside when body horrors begin cropping up, the answers we do get tend to beget more questions, and characters, for the most part, behave more for the sake of advancing the plot than they do from their own motivations and personalities. Consider David. Michael Fassbender is giving probably the strongest performance of the ensemble here, carefully channeling David Bowie into a soft-spoken android obsessed with Lawrence of Arabia. He doesn't seem to be interested in being more human, regarding those around him with a detached curiosity rather than any longing, and it soon becomes apparent the Prometheus is something of a personal laboratory for him. However, his motives for his experimentation are tenuous at best, his methods make little logical sense, and what reasoning we do get seems to come in the form of throw-away lines and vague conversations on the relationship between creator and created. It's cool that he has his own agenda, and he pulls of being a creepy facsimile of human life very well, but he, like much of Prometheus, is simply poorly explained. The biggest saving grace of the film is probably Elizabeth Shaw. Noomi Rapace is not just doing a send-up of Ripley. She's also playing one of the few characters who acts in a consistent nature, uses their head on more than one occasion, and has an interesting arc complete with tangible loss, crises of faith, and a staggering amount of determination and survival instinct. It's very difficult not to care about her after everything we see her going through, and like us, she's still looking for the answers to her, and our, questions. While Prometheus suffers from some pretty major problems, it's still the best thing to happen to the series Ridley Scott started back in 1979 since Aliens. Scott does great work behind the camera and in terms of production, the actors I mentioned are all great, and the presentation is great, at times downright stunning. The problems with the plot and character motivations can't be overlooked, though, so while it's hard to classify it as a strictly bad movie, it's also difficult to give an unqualified recommendation. Being a fan of this director, these actors, and this concept and its execution, I'd probably watch it again, as the parts I enjoyed outweighed those that left me perplexed or frustrated. Just be forewarned: I don't think Prometheus is for everybody.

---

Blue Ink Alchemy

Hyped Up or Hyped Out?

Hyped Up or Hyped Out? — Blue Ink Alchemy

Another featurette from Ridley Scott's upcoming sci-fi thriller Prometheus is available for viewing. As excited as I am for the film, and in light of my peculiar adoration of Michael Fassbender, the temptation is to jump all over it and begin salivating. However, I think I've reached the saturation point of hype. If I watch any more promotional material, my enthusiasm may begin to diminish. I am, in a sense, hyped out. A friend of mine is in a similar situation with The Avengers. I offered to link him the latest clip of a conversation between Bruce Banner and Natasha Romanov, but he politely declined. There's simply so much hype out there that maintaining a heightened level of enthusiasm gets exhausting after a while. I'm sure the film will be fun, but it's entirely possible that there's too much hype getting built up around it. As positive as "the buzz" may be for these films, there's that little part of me that warns me about something being over-hyped. More than once, especially in films and video games, a hot new title has been hyped all over the place only to ultimately disappoint its would-be fans once released. Only the most ignorant and wide-eyed optimists can ignore such cautionary tales and believe that whatever it is that's being hyped will be 110% awesome. Then again, despite not watching further promotional material, these films are still being discussed. So perhaps the hype has done its job already? It's difficult to say. There may not, in fact, be such a thing as too much hype. I'm not certain. I'm not in marketing. I always feel a bit odd shilling things I do, but I guess I need to get over that if I intend on selling my writing.

---

Blue Ink Alchemy

Death and Consequences

Death and Consequences — Blue Ink Alchemy

One of these soldiers is likely to die. There's just something about a game, or story, that doesn't pull its punches. I get a feeling for that something when I play FTL or the new XCOM. A ship exploding under my intrepid crew or a favorite soldier getting their face melted off by plasma fire carries a bit of an emotional wallop. I'm tempted to keep the autosave feature of XCOM turned off to heighten that feeling and maintain the game's edge. And that edge comes from choices having consequences, and those consequences sticking. When games present their players with choice, the experience is improved when those choices mean something later on. One of the strengths of the Mass Effect series was that who you spared and who you left to rot does come back in one way or another, even if it doesn't play too much into the overall story. While the consequences of those choices only really mattered in a minor sense, it felt like they mattered, at least to me. In the aforementioned games, the choices really do matter, and a wrong choice means death. It's not telegraphed or presented in story terms, either; they're the little incidental gaming choices we make, like having a soldier cover a civilian's retreat, or picking one class of weapon over another, or choosing the destination for your vessel. It is nearly impossible to predict which choices will lead to total victory and which will lead to bloody doom. That is what makes these games challenging and fun to play. Similarly, some of the best stories out there have characters who make choices that lead to either their deaths or the deaths of others. It happens to men and women in command all the time, sure, but others are simply doing what they feel is right or trying to protect someone or something they love. George RR Martin, Jim Butcher, and Chuck Wendig have all done this - a character we like makes a decision, does all they can to back that decision up, and it explodes in their face. Someone close to them gets hurt or killed, and their own life may come close to ending before the story's done. It's tragic, it's harrowing, and it's great storytelling. Make your character's choices matter. Make those deaths mean something.

---

Blue Ink Alchemy

Death and Consequences

Death and Consequences — Blue Ink Alchemy

One of these soldiers is likely to die. There's just something about a game, or story, that doesn't pull its punches. I get a feeling for that something when I play FTL or the new XCOM. A ship exploding under my intrepid crew or a favorite soldier getting their face melted off by plasma fire carries a bit of an emotional wallop. I'm tempted to keep the autosave feature of XCOM turned off to heighten that feeling and maintain the game's edge. And that edge comes from choices having consequences, and those consequences sticking. When games present their players with choice, the experience is improved when those choices mean something later on. One of the strengths of the Mass Effect series was that who you spared and who you left to rot does come back in one way or another, even if it doesn't play too much into the overall story. While the consequences of those choices only really mattered in a minor sense, it felt like they mattered, at least to me. In the aforementioned games, the choices really do matter, and a wrong choice means death. It's not telegraphed or presented in story terms, either; they're the little incidental gaming choices we make, like having a soldier cover a civilian's retreat, or picking one class of weapon over another, or choosing the destination for your vessel. It is nearly impossible to predict which choices will lead to total victory and which will lead to bloody doom. That is what makes these games challenging and fun to play. Similarly, some of the best stories out there have characters who make choices that lead to either their deaths or the deaths of others. It happens to men and women in command all the time, sure, but others are simply doing what they feel is right or trying to protect someone or something they love. George RR Martin, Jim Butcher, and Chuck Wendig have all done this - a character we like makes a decision, does all they can to back that decision up, and it explodes in their face. Someone close to them gets hurt or killed, and their own life may come close to ending before the story's done. It's tragic, it's harrowing, and it's great storytelling. Make your character's choices matter. Make those deaths mean something.

---

Blue Ink Alchemy

FNM: The New Standard

FNM: The New Standard — Blue Ink Alchemy

Geist of Saint Traft, Art by Igor Kieryluk The wait is over. The rotation has occurred. We have returned to Ravnica, and the plane-spanning cityscape has not disappointed. As much as things change, however, some thing do remain the same. A challenge whenever a set rotates out of Magic is adapting old decks to the new Standard. Some designs are more resilient than others. Some cards in and of themselves take the wind right out of certain decks, vis a vis [mtg_card]Birthing Pod[/mtg_card], while others like [mtg_card]Delver of Secrets[/mtg_card] lose the suppor they need to really shine ([mtg_card]Ponder[/mtg_card], etc). To be frank, I'm pretty happy to see both of those decks fall by the wayside or perhaps slip in to Modern, a format to which I must sadly send my trusty [mtg_card]Hero of Bladehold[/mtg_card] - more on that tomorrow. However, the token generation of my Scars/Innistrad Standard deck remains mostly intact. With the addition of the Populate mechanic used by the Selesnya Conclave, the possibility exists to generate even more creatures without warning. Examination of existing resources also indicated some potential that, until now, went unrealized. To that end, I built the following deck. [mtg_deck title="Spirit Squadron"] // Creatures 4 Doomed Traveler 4 Drogskol Captain 2 Geist of Saint Traft // Spells 4 Lingering Souls 4 Intangible Virtue 4 Rootborn Defenses 4 Favorable Winds 4 Eyes in the Skies 2 Cackling Counterpart 2 Detention Sphere // Planeswalkers 2 Sorin, Lord of Innistrad // Lands 5 Plains 4 Island 4 Glacial Fortress 4 Isolated Chapel 4 Hallowed Fountain 2 Vault of the Archangel 1 Swamp // Sideboard 4 Judge's Familiar 3 Cyclonic Rift 3 Azorius Charm 3 Sundering Growth 2 Grafdigger's Cage [/mtg_deck] The centerpiece of the deck is, of course, [mtg_card]Geist of Saint Traft[/mtg_card]. With every attack, his guardian angel appears. She has a tendency to disappear after combat, but Instant-speed Populate cards and [mtg_card]Cackling Counterpart[/mtg_card] can copy her, and the copy sticks around. Enhanced by [mtg_card]Intangible Virtue[/mtg_card] and [mtg_card]Favorable Winds[/mtg_card], she'll be a force to be reckoned with. The multiple Captains protect each other and any Spirit tokens I generate, as well as making them even more powerful. It's a heavily aggro-flavored deck, but preventative spells like [mtg_card]Rootborn Defenses[/mtg_card] and [mtg_card]Detention Sphere[/mtg_card] should help stave off sweeping responses or large defenders. As eager as I am to test this deck in a true FNM situation, my heart remains leaning towards Izzet. In the wake of the various pre-release and release events, I know I have a variety of mad science choices. As good as the cloning technology in the Spirit Squadron deck might be, I feel a strong Izzet deck will be a touch flashier in its climax. I've been playing around with a few designs, facilitating between control and aggressive burn, and I think what follows is the best one yet. [mtg_deck title="Izzet Controlled Burn"] // Creatures 4 Goblin Electromancer 3 Guttersnipe 3 Snapcaster Mage 2 Niv-Mizzet, Dracogenius // Sorceries 4 Pillar of Flame 2 Mizzium Mortars // Instants 4 Izzet Charm 4 Searing Spear 4 Dissipate 2 Think Twice // Planeswalkers 2 Tamiyo, the Moon Sage 2 Jace, Architect of Thought // Lands 7 Island 4 Sulfur Falls 4 Steam Vents 7 Mountain 2 Desolate Lighthouse // Sideboard 4 Demolish 4 Chandra's Fury 3 Counterflux 1 Mizzium Mortars 3 Thunderbolt [/mtg_deck] It's still a work in progress, and I'm torn between [mtg_card]Dissipate[/mtg_card] and [mtg_card]Syncopate[/mtg_card] as the main deck counterspell. The Electromancers reduce the cost of each, both include the Exile clause, and while Dissipate may be a touch costlier, it does not allow my opponent the chance to 'buy' their way out of the counter. I'll run with it for now and see how it works. If it looks promising, I may alternate between using this deck and Spirit Squadron in upcoming FNM events. Standard isn't the only format out there, though, and I'll address the formats I've been neglecting since my days in high school... next time.

---

Blue Ink Alchemy

FNM: The New Standard

FNM: The New Standard — Blue Ink Alchemy

Geist of Saint Traft, Art by Igor Kieryluk The wait is over. The rotation has occurred. We have returned to Ravnica, and the plane-spanning cityscape has not disappointed. As much as things change, however, some thing do remain the same. A challenge whenever a set rotates out of Magic is adapting old decks to the new Standard. Some designs are more resilient than others. Some cards in and of themselves take the wind right out of certain decks, vis a vis [mtg_card]Birthing Pod[/mtg_card], while others like [mtg_card]Delver of Secrets[/mtg_card] lose the suppor they need to really shine ([mtg_card]Ponder[/mtg_card], etc). To be frank, I'm pretty happy to see both of those decks fall by the wayside or perhaps slip in to Modern, a format to which I must sadly send my trusty [mtg_card]Hero of Bladehold[/mtg_card] - more on that tomorrow. However, the token generation of my Scars/Innistrad Standard deck remains mostly intact. With the addition of the Populate mechanic used by the Selesnya Conclave, the possibility exists to generate even more creatures without warning. Examination of existing resources also indicated some potential that, until now, went unrealized. To that end, I built the following deck. [mtg_deck title="Spirit Squadron"] // Creatures 4 Doomed Traveler 4 Drogskol Captain 2 Geist of Saint Traft // Spells 4 Lingering Souls 4 Intangible Virtue 4 Rootborn Defenses 3 Favorable Winds 3 Eyes in the Skies 2 Cackling Counterpart 2 Righteous Authority 2 Detention Sphere // Planeswalkers 2 Sorin, Lord of Innistrad // Lands 5 Plains 4 Island 4 Glacial Fortress 4 Isolated Chapel 4 Hallowed Fountain 2 Vault of the Archangel 1 Swamp // Sideboard 4 Judge's Familiar 3 Cyclonic Rift 3 Azorius Charm 3 Sundering Growth 2 Grafdigger's Cage [/mtg_deck] The centerpiece of the deck is, of course, [mtg_card]Geist of Saint Traft[/mtg_card]. With every attack, his guardian angel appears. She has a tendency to disappear after combat, but Instant-speed Populate cards and [mtg_card]Cackling Counterpart[/mtg_card] can copy her, and the copy sticks around. Enhanced by [mtg_card]Intangible Virtue[/mtg_card] and [mtg_card]Favorable Winds[/mtg_card], she'll be a force to be reckoned with. The multiple Captains protect each other and any Spirit tokens I generate, as well as making them even more powerful. It's a heavily aggro-flavored deck, but preventative spells like [mtg_card]Rootborn Defenses[/mtg_card] and [mtg_card]Detention Sphere[/mtg_card] should help stave off sweeping responses or large defenders. As eager as I am to test this deck in a true FNM situation, my heart remains leaning towards Izzet. In the wake of the various pre-release and release events, I know I have a variety of mad science choices. As good as the cloning technology in the Spirit Squadron deck might be, I feel a strong Izzet deck will be a touch flashier in its climax. I've been playing around with a few designs, facilitating between control and aggressive burn, and I think what follows is the best one yet. [mtg_deck title="Izzet Controlled Burn"] // Creatures 4 Goblin Electromancer 3 Guttersnipe 3 Snapcaster Mage 2 Niv-Mizzet, Dracogenius // Sorceries 4 Pillar of Flame 2 Mizzium Mortars // Instants 4 Izzet Charm 4 Searing Spear 4 Dissipate 2 Think Twice // Planeswalkers 2 Tamiyo, the Moon Sage 2 Jace, Architect of Thought // Lands 7 Island 4 Sulfur Falls 4 Steam Vents 7 Mountain 2 Desolate Lighthouse // Sideboard 4 Demolish 4 Chandra's Fury 3 Counterflux 1 Mizzium Mortars 3 Thunderbolt [/mtg_deck] It's still a work in progress, and I'm torn between [mtg_card]Dissipate[/mtg_card] and [mtg_card]Syncopate[/mtg_card] as the main deck counterspell. The Electromancers reduce the cost of each, both include the Exile clause, and while Dissipate may be a touch costlier, it does not allow my opponent the chance to 'buy' their way out of the counter. I'll run with it for now and see how it works. If it looks promising, I may alternate between using this deck and Spirit Squadron in upcoming FNM events. Standard isn't the only format out there, though, and I'll address the formats I've been neglecting since my days in high school... next time.

---

Blue Ink Alchemy

Flash Fiction: The Black Dreams Pageant

Flash Fiction: The Black Dreams Pageant — Blue Ink Alchemy

Spliced together the title from these options to bring you the following:

---

The Ringmaster grinned and bowed to the applauding audience. The Cherubs of the Trapeze were helped from the tent as the next act, Darius the Dragon-Tamer, made his way into the center ring. Balthazar watched from the side of the right-most ring, the top hat feeling more and more uncomfortable as the show went on. "You look like you're fit to burst." He smiled carefully, not showing the teeth behind his black lips. The leader of the burlesque act that happened in the largest side tent stood at his elbow, regarding him coolly with her bright orange eyes. "As much as I relish the anticipation, it does kill me some nights." He adjusted his cravat. "I also wonder if tonight's the night Darius gets his face bitten off for his trouble. You know how much Inferna hates to act like an animal." Camilla rolled her eyes. "If she tries to drag me into another one of her existential discussions on the philosophies of the superhuman, I'll rip my own throat out." "And ruin such a lovely neck? That seems excessive." Blood-red lips curled into a seductive smirk. "Balthazar, you do know how to make a lady feel appreciated." "Were a lady actually here, I'm sure she'd share your sentiment." He got a slight slap on the cheek, but her expression didn't change. "Cad. I have half a mind to show you one of your organs for such churlishness." He did smile, this time, with his back to the mortals in the stands. "You know how that will end." Her grin showed her fangs, and her tongue slid against one of them. "And you do have a show to do." "But what a show that would be." She slapped him again. "You are perverse. I shall leave you to your audience. Do try not to be too distracted, darling." With that, she turned and sauntered away, hips swaying beneath her elaborate skirts, the corset turning the silhouette of her torso to an hourglass Balthazar wanted to turn over and over again. He turned back to the center ring, forcing his bestial instinct back into its cage. Darius was cracking his whip at Inferna, who roared and snorted flame from her nostrils and, as the Ringmaster had requested, did her best to seem 'somewhat mechanical'. After all, what mortal would truly believe a dragon whose age outstripped empires was prancing around the ring for their amusement? Already he could feel it. The connection the audience had to the world outside the tent was growing more and more tenuous. The crashing of the band and the roars of the dragon drowned out their little electronic distractions. The sight of Darius' performance, scimitar in his left hand, whip of shining barbs in his right, coupled with Inferna's glorious crimson scales and burning golden eyes, kept them from looking even at one another. Soon the time would be ripe, and it would be Balthazar's turn to shine. The Ringmaster looked across the tent towards him. He kept largely to himself, never seeming to take one of Camilla's girls into his tent or indulging in Inferna's evening-long debates around the fire. Yet it was he who chose their destinations, oversaw the tents being put up and broken down, and ensured that every night they stayed in the shadow of a city, the seats were filled. Balthazar had never dared to ask from where he'd come or how he'd found all of them, for The Ringmaster would not hesitate to throw him out. It had happened to Imhotep, and the gap in the center ring left by his prestidigitation show remained vacant until Inferna and Darius arrived. For his part, Darius was delighting the crowd by getting Inferna on her hind legs, dancing a merry jig. She glanced to Balthazar, her chagrin plain in her eye. He touched his hat and bowed low. She knew it would all be worth it very soon. Darius shooed her from the ring moments later, and Darius took his bows before he was replaced by the Ringmaster. "And now, ladies and gentlemen, children of all ages, it is my deep delight to introduce you to the most understated but most vital of acts, that Spinner of Stories, the Delver of Dreams, Forger of Idle Fancies and Prince of Phantasms, our very own... Balthazar!" The crowd applauded. Balthazar stepped into the center ring and bowed, once, to each of the four cardinal directions. Already the power was surging through him. Anticipation bubbled in his mind like a fine broth. He glanced to the performer's entrance to see Camilla in the shadows, a bright fresh splash of red on her pale chin, smiling at him. "It is my honor to be before you tonight, to show you the highlight of our show!" He tugged on his white gloves, immaculate as the rest of his dark suit and brocaded waistcoat. "Surely these delights you are about to witness will visit your dreams and haunt your waking days for years to come." He snapped his fingers, and vapors filled the air of the tent. Phantasms, illusions, ghosts of delightful pasts and imagined futures all began to flit hither and yon within the tent. The humans sat transfixed. Balthazar smiled, showing his pointed and polished teeth, removing his top hat to reveal his inch-long dark horns. His tail uncoiled from around his waist, its wedge-like tip waving lazily in the sand of the ring. "It is almost a pity none of you will remember them." Another snap of his fingers, and from every nostril and mouth and eye socket and ear in the crowd, the essence of life itself drifted forth. It collected above Balthazar's head, then slid silently to the waiting performers. Each inhaled deeply, and each was filled with invigoration. One year of life from each human in the tent meant all of them would live on, ageless and energized, until at least their next stop. "The Black Dreams Pageant thanks you, ladies and gentlemen."

---

Blue Ink Alchemy

Writer Report: Back in the Saddle

Writer Report: Back in the Saddle — Blue Ink Alchemy

The last couple weeks have been brutal. Burning midnight oil. Working on the weekends. Generally busting my ass. And none of it while working on Cold Streets. It's been all about the dayjob. On one level, I don't mind so much. I've been there a year, and it remains a vital and worthwhile place to work. I have fantastic co-workers, a good and supportive boss, great pay and benefits, and work that's up my alley as a developer. I'm problem-solving every bit as much as I'm tweaking and doing back-and-forth with a project manager or a client. It's a pretty solid gig. On the other hand, I know I'm behind in meeting my writing goals. I wanted to finish Cold Streets by the end of this year, and to do that I now have to really kick into a higher gear. I think part of the reason I've been held up is a touch of reluctance towards approaching it, knowing that as the world within the story expands, the more supernatural elements will come into play, and I don't want them to overwhelm the tight pacing and balanced character dynamics I strove to maintain in Cold Iron. I just need to write through it, I think. Time is running out, and there's still a story to tell. The increase in supernatural aspects comes with a raising of the stakes. Our heroes need to meet and interact with the new villain, and peripheral players from the first story need to be fleshed out. None of it is going to write itself, and the only way to write is to write. So tonight & Sunday, writing is most assuredly happening. Saturday is a day off for Magic. Because Return to Ravnica is stupid amounts of fun.

---

Blue Ink Alchemy

Writer Report: Back in the Saddle

Writer Report: Back in the Saddle — Blue Ink Alchemy

The last couple weeks have been brutal. Burning midnight oil. Working on the weekends. Generally busting my ass. And none of it while working on Cold Streets. It's been all about the dayjob. On one level, I don't mind so much. I've been there a year, and it remains a vital and worthwhile place to work. I have fantastic co-workers, a good and supportive boss, great pay and benefits, and work that's up my alley as a developer. I'm problem-solving every bit as much as I'm tweaking and doing back-and-forth with a project manager or a client. It's a pretty solid gig. On the other hand, I know I'm behind in meeting my writing goals. I wanted to finish Cold Streets by the end of this year, and to do that I now have to really kick into a higher gear. I think part of the reason I've been held up is a touch of reluctance towards approaching it, knowing that as the world within the story expands, the more supernatural elements will come into play, and I don't want them to overwhelm the tight pacing and balanced character dynamics I strove to maintain in Cold Iron. I just need to write through it, I think. Time is running out, and there's still a story to tell. The increase in supernatural aspects comes with a raising of the stakes. Our heroes need to meet and interact with the new villain, and peripheral players from the first story need to be fleshed out. None of it is going to write itself, and the only way to write is to write. So tonight & Sunday, writing is most assuredly happening. Saturday is a day off for Magic. Because Return to Ravnica is stupid amounts of fun.

---

Blue Ink Alchemy

Returning to Ravnica

Returning to Ravnica — Blue Ink Alchemy

Hypersonic Dragon, Art by Dan Scott I must confess that, as much as I adore the setting and dynamics of Ravnica, I missed the block the first time around. I picked up Magic: the Gathering for the second time just as Time Spiral was debuting, after a long hiatus from the game stemming from the events leading to my breakdown. If I knew then what I know now... ah, but it's water under the bridge. The future is brighter than the past, and the future is the Return to Ravnica. I committed myself to representing Izzet all weekend long, and not just because their promotional card is a lovely alternate art foil of [mtg_card]Hypersonic Dragon[/mtg_card]. Which we could actually use, in deviance from the normal sealed rules. I was looking forward to what amounted to a Magic marathon, especially because the last couple work weeks have been so grueling. So it began at my friendly local gaming store, Cyborg One, with...

Friday Night, Midnight

After a long day of work and a less than stellar showing at Friday Night Magic, I prepared myself for the first pre-release event. Upon opening the box, I found my packs were leaning towards the new mechanic Izzet introduces in the set, Overload. Each card with Overload can be cast for that increased cost, which allows you to switch the word "target" on the card with the word "each". The highlights were [mtg_card]Mizzium Mortars[/mtg_card], [mtg_card]Cyclonic Rift[/mtg_card], and [mtg_card]Teleportal[/mtg_card]. Two [mtg_card]Goblin Electromancer[/mtg_card]s made those spells very inexpensive, even on Overload. The main card from the guild pack, however, was [mtg_card]Mercurial Chemister[/mtg_card], a somewhat beefy scientist that allowed me to draw cards with relative impunity. However, it was difficult to strike the right balance with the deck, and all of the big spells supporting rushes towards the win only ever broke even for me. Still, a record of 2-2 is nothing to sneeze at, and I did get a couple new prize packs.

Saturday Afternoon, Noon

With the guild box at this event, I found myself splashing into Azorius. Two of my big rare pulls, [mtg_card]Righteous Authority[/mtg_card] and [mtg_card]Detention Sphere[/mtg_card], seemed extremely helpful in maintaining control of the battleground. Considering my largest bomb was the intimidating [mtg_card]Utvara Hellkite[/mtg_card], I wanted to make certain I would see the turn in which the big guy hit the table. More often than not, however, I didn't need him. As good as his synergy was with the aforementioned Hypersonic Dragon, most of the work was done by a [mtg_card]Stealer of Secrets[/mtg_card], usually enchanted with [mtg_card]Pursuit of Flight[/mtg_card]. Multiple Detain effects (Detain shuts a creature down for a turn) and other removal made fliers even more difficult to stop. At one point, I had a Stealer with Pursuit, [mtg_card]Knightly Valor[/mtg_card], and Righteous Authority enchanting her. This sort of thing saw me placing second overall in the event, with a record of 3-0-1. I split my prizes between packs and store credit, and opened a [mtg_card]Blood Crypt[/mtg_card], [mtg_card]Vraska the Unseen[/mtg_card], and [mtg_card]Epic Experiment[/mtg_card] among others.

Sunday Afternoon, 2 p.m.

Sundays during these weekends are different. Cyborg One runs Two-Headed Giant events, and with this pre-release, each team got two guild boxes to start with. I paired up with Jay Treat, mastermind of Wizard's Familiar, to make the most of the event. He chose Selesnya while I continued to participate in these things FOR SCIENCE! He opened a [mtg_card]Grove of the Guardian[/mtg_card] to go with the one he had as a promotional foil, while I opened an [mtg_card]Armada Wurm[/mtg_card]. I also opened a second [mtg_card]Hypersonic Dragon[/mtg_card], and we began to formulate our plan. In essence, it fell to me to manage the early game, holding off aggression with [mtg_card]Frostburn Weird[/mtg_card]s and removal like [mtg_card]Street Spasm[/mtg_card] while he made preparations for his large token creatures. Once he had at least one out, he would Populate them as much as possible, generating additional tokens as part of several instant-speed spells, such as creating flying creatures with [mtg_card]Eyes in the Skies[/mtg_card] or making his creatures indestructible with [mtg_card]Rootborn Defenses[/mtg_card]. We felt prepared for just about anything. Our first game ended with a rules dispute, and while technically the win was ours, after all of the back and forth we offered our opponents a draw, rather than just cackling all the way to the winner's circle. After that, though, all of our wins were legitimate, though some were a bit narrow. At one point, I had a Hypersonic Dragon on the field, and he had two Bird tokens and a Guardian token. While the Guardian did not fly, there was a [mtg_card]Rogue's Passage[/mtg_card] available, which meant that, since our opponents had no way to block flying creatures, we could damage them with impunity. And with that mix of creatures, with every attack we were devastating their life total. We placed first in the event. It may be the biggest prize pool I've ever won in Magic. I couldn't have done it without such an exemplary partner.

Conclusion

With a very comfortable amount of store credit to my name, and after several good trades, I am now in a position to roar back into constructed Magic events. My Legacy deck is nearly complete, I have two Standard decks to finish, and I have a couple ideas for the Modern format. But that is a post for another time.

---

Blue Ink Alchemy