Flash Fiction: The Departure

Flash Fiction: The Departure — Blue Ink Alchemy

My entry for the flash fiction challenge Inspiration from Inexplicable Photos:

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She'd gotten as far she could before her legs decided it was time for a break. Martina counted herself lucky as she sat in the middle of the airport, leaning against a post, not a meter from a packed bench. People hustled and bustled past her. She caught snippets of conversation. Something about a performance troupe? Anyway, she wasn't in terrible shape. Her heels, not well suited for her flight but kick-ass in look, had gotten her from his front door to here without too much stumbling. This was going to happen sooner or later, she thought as she lit up a cigarette (what were they going to do, arrest her? Nothing new there.) and studied those heels. Good shoes and top-shelf booze could only keep her ignorant to the truth for so long. If anybody were to ask, it wasn't the women on the side or the gambling or the elbow-rubbing with bad people she minded; in fact, some of those things were what had attracted her to him in the first place. No, it was the neglect. Being taken for granted. Putting unrealistic expectations on her and then flying into a rage when she fell short. Martina thought back to one of the first serious conversations they'd had, after a night on the town followed by lovemaking on the roof of her flat. "I'm not housewife material, you know. I don't do well when all the responsibilities of home are foisted upon me. To me, Dragomir, a relationship's a partnership. We do these things together, or not at all." She blew smoke. It didn't seem unreasonable, even after two years. But the truth was that he didn't think it unreasonable. The truth was far, far worse. She glanced around, but couldn't see any cameras other than airport's little black security domes all over the place. She fought the urge to show them her finger. Most days she worried about who might see her, who might realize who she was. Not today, though. There was too much bourbon and nicotine in her bloodstream to facilitate giving a shit. If her father knew she was here, in this state, he'd probably be furious. That made her smile. It was because he'd be even more enraged when she told him why. Her father had been tolerant of her relationship, cordial with Dragonmir during the one dinner they'd shared. Even then, she hadn't put two and two together. But looking back, she could see through his mask. The bastard had been far more interested in endearing himself to her father than just enjoying the meal or assuring her father that she was being looked after. She looked at her heels again. He was always dressing her up. Every week or so, another club or event would require his presence, and that meant she needed to be on his arm, smiling and looking gorgeous. He wanted to be seen with her, to make sure others saw her with him, to draw conclusions based on how close she was to him. It wasn't as if her father was that terribly important. He'd taken a banking career into politics relatively quickly, certainly, and the paparazzi often sought sordid details on how he, not quite 40, felt about his only daughter being seen out and about at all hours of the evening. She'd learned in her early teens to dodge their annoying cameras and incessant caterwauling, and Dragomir did not go so far as to push them in front of those cameras. But he still made sure important and dangerous men drew the conclusions he wanted. He still dressed her up and brought her along to deepen and thicken his clout. He still used her. Martina threw the cigarette away. Getting to her feet was not as smooth as she would have liked. She picked up her purse from where she'd left it, pinned between the small of her back and the pole. The cash in her purse would serve her quite well. Dragomir had never been terribly circumspect in hiding where he kept his safe, and the combination was his birthday. She walked towards the gates, musing to herself that he might be handsome and ambitious, but smart was not among his qualities. There was commotion behind her. She glanced over her shoulder, and caught sight of him. Dragomir. His shirt was wrinkled and he had a black eye. Three men were behind him, all large and broad-shouldered, no long hair, beady eyes. The last time she'd seen men like that, they'd been in the company of some well-to-do man with all of the personality and attractiveness of an oil slick. She wondered what exactly their business was with Dragomir. But, again, giving a shit was beyond her capacity. Some of the performers in the lounge area accosted Dragomir and his big friends. This suited her just fine. Martina didn't know any of them, but she was glad they were who they were, just trying to earn some coin by being amusing or entertaining. It let her get a few more steps ahead. She pulled her ticket and passport from her purse as she approached the security checkpoint. She glanced behind her again. At least one of the big guys was dipping a hand under his jacket. She picked up her pace to reach the checkpoint. There were only two people ahead of her, and both of them got their pockets empty before walking through the metal detector. Martina grinned. One advantage to wearing a dress with no pockets was never needing to check them for spare change. She breezed right through, picking up her purse on the other side of the conveyor. She turned fully, seeing Dragomir standing there, a crestfallen and hopeless look on his face. His three friends stared blankly, two of them already grabbing him by the arms. She smiled brightly and said good-bye with a single finger. Next stop? Somewhere nobody will know me, or my father. Somewhere I can start over.

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Blue Ink Alchemy

Writer Report: Ideas Unsolicited

Writer Report: Ideas Unsolicited — Blue Ink Alchemy

So Cold Streets is clipping along. I'm still waffling a bit on how to set up Godslayer, be it Lord of the Rings style multiple books or a large novel divided for the sake of narrative, like in Tigana. I have my eyes peeled for opportunities to write for contests or anthologies, and of course I'm quite curious as to what today's Flash Fiction challenge will be. But apparently, my brain is unsatisfied with these writing opportunities. I was in Barnes & Noble the other night, after taking the missus to Cracker Barrel for dinner. We were wandering around the stacks, after finding a couple novels of interest (Throne of the Crescent Moon and The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms) and a few other items. It was she who pointed out the shelves dominated by what was labeled "Teen Paranormal Romance", and we both noted how many of them looked like shameless, tawdry Twilight knock-offs. "Damn," said she, "you gotta get yourself some of that action." And immediately, my brain began giving me ideas. What if the girl's the vampire? Would that be too sexualized? Not if you write it right, obviously. But vampires are everywhere! It's got to be something else. Can't be zombies, either. Warm Bodies has that covered. Hey, what about mummies? Nah, doing that already. Werewolves! Tied into vampires now, thanks a fucking bunch Ms. Meyer... What about ghosts? Witches? Ancient pirate curses? Love-beams from space? Talking cats? I have to admit, I'm rather proud of myself that I didn't either take an awl to my temple or drink myself into oblivion just to shut the damn thing up. But as much as some might scoff at the fad of teen paranormal romance, there's nothing that says that it's any less a viable genre than any other speculative fiction. And if much of the output of the community there is dross and drivel, the opportunity exists to write something that isn't either of those things, that basically shows the others how it's done. Being the arrogant and narcissistic sod I am, this appeals to me. I want to work more on Cold Streets and get Godslayer nailed down outline-wise first before I add that to my plate, though. I know I should ABW, but I can only keep so many balls in the air at the same time. No matter what my brain might say.

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Blue Ink Alchemy

FNM: Walking After Midnight

FNM: Walking After Midnight — Blue Ink Alchemy

Art by D. Alexander Gregory The gates are open, and all ten guilds of Ravnica are available to players old and new in Magic: the Gathering's Standard format. This is one of the problems with the format, actually: every few months, the available cards change radically. Some previously robust deck solutions get the wind taken out of their sails, while previously unrealized options come to light. But in this rotation, something I didn't quite expect has happened. The field has opened up to allow some old favorites from a previous rotation to become viable. Last block, a card was introduced that I absolutely adore. It's not a planeswalker, a majorly powerful instant kill sorcery, or a creature with massive stats and fantastic keywords. No, my favorite card of the Innistrad block is the humble [mtg_card]Lingering Souls[/mtg_card]. It keeps emerging in my decks - Vengeance at Dawn back when Scars of Mirrodin was part of Standard, Spirit Squadron when that rotated out, a token deck in Modern - and there's good reason for that. It only costs three mana to cast, and having two flying creatures on the field at turn three is a powerful field position even if they're small. In addition, it has a flashback cost, meaning it can be cast again after its first use. And in an inversion of the usual setup of such spells, the flashback cost is lower than the regular cost. This means that in subsequent turns, the spell is even easier to cast, provided it's not removed from your graveyard. One thing I've discovered is that creatures cannot always be relied upon to secure a win. There are all sorts of ways to avoid dying to creature damage: big blockers, sweepers, gaining life, and so on. Some players find ways around this with direct damage, creatures resilient to being destroyed or capable of evading defenders, or some combination of spells to pull the rug out from under your opponent, such as in OMNIDOOR THRAGFIRE! and older decks that use dreaded "infinite combos". Like many tools in a competitive game, such combos are the sort of thing that feel blatantly unfair when you're on the recieving end of their shenanigans, but when you pull apart the mechanics, you can see the ingenuity involved and realize why some players may choose that route. Remember, neither I nor any other person has the right to tell other people how to play their games. Standard now does feature one of these combinations. Gatecrash introduced us to the [mtg_card]Vizkopa Guildmage[/mtg_card]. Her second ability states that whenever you gain life, each opponent loses that much life. This is useful when you include the new Extort keyword, but the last block's final expansion, Avacyn Restored, gave us the enchantment [mtg_card]Exquisite Blood[/mtg_card]. "Whenever an opponent loses life, you gain that much life." With both cards in play, and the Guildmage's ability active, all one has to do is gain one life, or deal one damage or steal one point for your opponent, and a positive feedback loop begins. This combo is not foolproof. While it's powered by an enchantment, which are very difficult to get rid of, the other major component is a creature. They're vulnerable, and if she hits the battlefield too soon, every turn is another turn that could see her getting blasted. Thus the ideal situation is to summon her, activate her ability, and set off the loop all on the same turn. This requires mana. Thankfully, there are ways to generate all of that energy even without green. The new creature [mtg_card]Crypt Ghast[/mtg_card] causes more black to come our Swamps, while alluring but deadly planeswalker [mtg_card]Liliana of the Dark Realms[/mtg_card] gets more of those Swamps for us to use. [mtg_deck title="Walking After Midnight"] // Creatures 4 Crypt Ghast 3 Vizkopa Guildmage // Sorceries 4 Lingering Souls // Instants 4 Tragic Slip 3 Beckon Apparition // Planeswalkers 2 Liliana of the Dark Realms 2 Sorin, Lord of Innistrad // Enchantments 4 Intangible Virtue 4 Blind Obedience 3 Oblivion Ring 2 Exquisite Blood // Lands 4 Godless Shrine 4 Isolated Chapel 8 Swamp 7 Plains 2 Vault of the Archangel // Sideboard 3 Sundering Growth 3 Ultimate Price 3 Nevermore 2 Rest in Peace 2 Chalice of Life 2 Midnight Haunting [/mtg_deck] The idea in Walking After Midnight is to have more than one win condition. One is our combo, and the other is an overwhelming force of tokens. The old, tried-and-true setup of Lingering Souls, [mtg_card]Intangible Virtue[/mtg_card], and [mtg_card]Sorin, Lord of Innistrad[/mtg_card] is the fuel for that potential army. To get either of these things going properly, we'll need mana (as mentioned before) and time. We get time by using the final portion of the deck: control. We exert control over aggressive creatures with [mtg_card]Tragic Slip[/mtg_card] and [mtg_card]Blind Obedience[/mtg_card], eliminate creatures or other permanent threats with [mtg_card]Oblivion Ring[/mtg_card], and [mtg_card]Beckon Apparition[/mtg_card] removes potential targets for reanimation or flashback. And the deck also uses the aforementioned Extort mechanic to equalize when necessary as well as setting off the combo win condition. The sideboard deals with more specific threats, and packs a way to set off our combo if the opponent has a way to resist damage or loss of life. It's not perfect, but it's resilient to sweeping spells, accelerates quickly, and if nothing else, should be fun to spring on people who don't expect it. How does the deck look to you? What would you change? How would you shut it down?

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Blue Ink Alchemy

Game Review: The Walking Dead

Game Review: The Walking Dead — Blue Ink Alchemy

Here, take this. It's my zombie card. I'm turning it in because as of this writing, I have never read the graphic novel The Walking Dead, nor have I tuned in for the television series. What I know of the series has been gathered from snippets of others' conversations, posts on Tumblr, and good old-fashioned deductive reasoning. I know it's a zombie cataclysm tale ('apocalypse' is an inappropriate word as it means 'revelation' and not 'disaster'), there are only a handful of survivors, they squabble among themselves because homo homini lupus, and one of the survivors on the TV series played Murphy McManus from The Boondock Saints. So I downloaded the episodic video game of the same name developed by Telltale Games with only the barest knowledge of what I was in for. Our story begins with Lee, a college professor, handcuffed in the back of a police car on the highway out of Atlanta. While the police scanner carries information regarding some sort of city-wide disturbance, the officer behind the wheel seems more interested in his own stories, and determining if Lee is, in fact, guilty of whatever he's accused of. The car hits someone walking across the highway, and in the resulting crash, the police officer is killed. Lee struggles out of the car and with his cuffs before the police officer reaches for him, but more due to an appetite for brains than as a plea for help. It is only the first of many challenges Lee will face, and considering some of the choices that lay ahead, it may well be one of the easiest. Once you get into the game, you will discover that you have stepped not into a shooter or even an RPG, but something far more reminiscent of games gone by. Playing this game reminded me of long nights of pixel-hunting in the likes of Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis, Day of the Tentacle, Grim Fandango, and Full Throttle. Telltale has done episodic adventure games in the past, but many of them have seemed to be more whimsical fare, at least in presentation. The Walking Dead is quite earnest in its subject matter, its writing, and its characterization. There are going to be some characters you downright hate in this game, but they're so well written and acted that even as you want to hit them, you can understand the motivations behind their unreasonableness for the most part. But by far, the standout character is Clementine. Normally, child characters are either irritating to the point of losing all sympathy or become a huge burden to the adult characters through either their own ill-conceived actions or exploitation by others. Clementine, however, is different. At eight years old, she manages to survive outside her parents' house and helps Lee when he arrives. She has a very solid sense of right and wrong, and some of Lee's choices involve whether or not to tell her the truth. She will remember if you lie to her, as well; The Walking Dead does a great job of keeping track of choices Lee makes, big or small. It feels very natural to have characters reference things that happened two or three episodes ago as you go about trying to stay alive and sane in the wake of unchecked horror. So the story is good and the characters top-notch; what about the gameplay? Well, that may be one of the biggest strikes against The Walking Dead. As a point-and-click adventure game, there isn't a whole lot of actual game to be had. While some items can be small or hard to see even as you move your mouse all over the screen, none of the puzzles are terribly complex. What combat there is exists in a very simplified form, and while the occasional timed sequence does liven things up, hammering the Q key to escape the grip of a zombie is about the most complex thing you'll do to fight the undead. Then again, there are plenty of games and mods out there if all you want to do is blow off zombie heads with a shotgun like you're in Army of Darkness or something.
"I said, we're closed!" There are two modes of gameplay, one which gives you hints and tips as you play regarding where to click on items and what results will come of the choices you make, and one that keeps the UI as minimal as possible to maximize your immersion. As much as I preferred the second mode, as it yanked me into the story in an incredibly absorbing way, the first is good for those who are unfamiliar with adventure games or terrible at puzzles. With the hints on, the story is not held up by your hunt for the right battery or candy bar. Turn them off, and the atmosphere and tension increase significantly. As much as the straightforward design of the game could be seen as something of a flaw, the power of the narrative and the humanity of the characters is what stands out, and the game has the good sense not to get in its own way. The cell-shaded art style harkens to the graphic novel, while the character's voices and the game's episodic nature gives the TV show vibe. It's the best of both worlds, and you get to put the boot into some zombies yourself rather than reading about or watching other people do it. I don't see how this isn't a win all around. Stuff I Liked: The way characters' prejudices and preconceptions come into play naturally, and are discussed with maturity. The natural flow of dialog. The environments that provide diversity and move the story along without feeling forced or out of place. Stuff I Didn't Like: Occasionally characters moved with stiffness or unnaturalness, and I'm not talking about the Walkers. A bit more puzzle variety might have been nice. I hope your Q key is in good shape. Stuff I Loved: Lee. Clementine. The subtle soundtrack. The way friendships were formed and tested. The very real handling of matters like food supplies, fuel, and human understanding in the face of the ongoing calamity. The moments that made me stop and think, or gasp in alarm, or well up. Bottom Line: The Walking Dead wants to tell you a story. It wants to bring you into this vision of our world and show you what can happen when people are thrown together due to something beyond their control. It seeks to use zombies the way they're most effective: not as target practice, but as a means to show humanity at its absolute worst and its undeniable best. It does all of these things extremely well, and you should definitely invite it into your home to do its thing.

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Blue Ink Alchemy

Objective Criticism

Objective Criticism — Blue Ink Alchemy

I don't consider myself a critic. I don't have the experience, the background, or the clout to saddle myself with that label. I've taken a stab at the life before, and as fun as it can be to put my thoughts together and then spew them out into a microphone, more often than not it got in the way of what I truly should have been doing. Part of that could have been time management issues, ones with which I continue to struggle, but I do have some inkling of what goes into the work of a successful critic. Simply put, a critic is someone who's paid for their opinion. I've discussed the nitty gritty of criticism several times, and I've taken in all sorts of critical analysis. I've read over the opinions of those who've carved out an entire career from criticism, and I've listened to the diatribes of those who have picked up a rather broad audience through one means or another. The most in-depth and compelling analyses I've seen come from those who remain objective throughout their writing, or at least encapsulate their more personal feelings and keep them from being a huge influence on the overall critique. What moves one person to tears, another might find laughable or contrived, yet if a story element is solid or a character's performance earnest and realistic, it can be agreed upon by both people that said element was objectively good. Objectivity, however, can be seen as cold or too intellectual. In recent years, critics who allow more subjective verbiage to move through their writings have become far more popular than mostly objective ones. The angrier they get, the more sarcastic and cutting their jibes, the more histrionic their behavior, the more hits they get and the more they get paid. While I do understand the logic behind this shift, and can appreciate how noble an effort it can be to bridge the gap between critic and entertainer, from time to time I catch a glimpse of something happening to some of these popular figures, and it worries me. The problem is that if the critic in question allows their histrionics or eccentric behavior to color their objectivity as a critic, their merit as a critic becomes questionable. Having a knee-jerk reaction to an announcement from the industry is one thing; allowing that reaction to color one's opinion of an entire entertainment enterprise from conception to execution over a production period of years is quite another. If you do this, I can't take your opinion seriously. You may continue to get entertainment value out of this sort of material, sure, but how much can you trust the opinion of someone on a game or movie if you know for a fact they dislike the game's developer, or have a particular hatred for the film's director? Some content creators have a certain track record, sure, but going into an entertainment experienced with a pre-conceived notion when your job is to be objective about said entertainment, in my opinion, ruins the merit of the criticism that will emerge. Now, I know it's impossible to completely divorce emotional responses from objective observations. Hence my use of the word 'encapsulation' earlier. This is what I would advise others looking to review or criticize to do: isolate your emotional responses, and let them supplement, rather than inform, your opinions on the work. Judge the work by its merits from an objective standpoint: the construction of the narrative, the execution of timing, the dimensionality of the characters, and so on. Then, add your personal touches where they fit. This will allow the actual criticism to shine through the trappings. Simply put, don't let the fact that others might read your work overwhelm the reason you're writing the work in the first place. Stick to the facts and what you can prove and stand by, rather than hanging all of your opinions on your own perceived popularity. Avoid the cult of personality, or worse, believing you have one. If you go for the obvious jokes and let your reactions prejudice your observations, you may get some hits for comedic value, but your overall work and reputation are likely to suffer. This can be corrected, in time, but first you have to admit that the problem exists at all, and not everybody's going to do that. Just a piece of advice from a fellow amateur.

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Blue Ink Alchemy

Flash Fiction: Three Haikus

Flash Fiction: Three Haikus — Blue Ink Alchemy

This week's challenge was a bit different. The task was, "tell a story in three haikus." I played with a couple ideas before settling on this one. Enjoy.

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My cat ate a gem. It belonged to a smuggler. Now we're in big trouble. The chase was merry, From Rome to Moscow to Prague - Bond would be jealous. "Don't touch my damn cat." Gunsmoke behind the tavern - Sorry 'bout the mess.

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Blue Ink Alchemy

Writer Report: Blog State

Writer Report: Blog State — Blue Ink Alchemy

While working on Cold Streets does take up most of my writing time, I do take notice of trends here on the blog. And it seems to me that my hits have diminished somewhat over the past week. I'm not sure why this is, but I'm going to keep at it. I have plenty of material, after all. Tomorrow I finally will make it to a Gatecrash event, and on Sunday is a double-header of films I'm interested in both watching and reviewing. I'm also going to formulate a review of PlanetSide 2, which is quickly becoming a favorite after-writing way to unwind, and finish reading a book or two. But the important thing when it comes to the blog, if you ask me, is that I keep writing it. Not necessarily because I want the attention (though I kind of do, it may help sell books and like all writers I'm a bit of a narcissist), but because writing every day doesn't just mean the novels. It means stuff like this, too. If I made more time for it, it could also mean articles or non-fiction or more gaming stuff than I already write. So far my attempts to put game rules down on paper has been somewhat helter-skelter, and I really need to find a way to playtest said rules once I hammer out the basics. But more on that as it develops. For now, just know that Blue Ink Alchemy isn't going anywhere, and if you're still reading after all this time or you're just stumbling upon me out of the blue, you have my heartfelt thanks.

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Blue Ink Alchemy