Everything Old Is New Again

Everything Old Is New Again — Blue Ink Alchemy

I've been blogging for years. I'm not sure if you'd call what I've done or have been doing successful or not, when it comes to blogging and other areas of my life, but what I keep coming back to is the fact that old stories still have something to tell us. I have no problem, on a fundamental level, with something getting a reboot or a re-imagining, as long as the core of the story remains intact and the talented people telling the story are either plying close to that core or going in an entirely new direction with it. It's why I can't bring myself to full-on hate or even mildly dislike the new Star Trek films. The settings and characters I and many others grew up with are being taken in a new direction. The storytelling stumbles here and there, and I'm not quite convinced that that Abrams and his crew can, in fact, give us something entirely new out of these old and familiar trappings, but I am cautiously optimistic. In fact, if I were to put Into Darkness and Man of Steel side by side, I'd say that Abrams and company are doing more right by the Starfleet folks than the current bunch at the helm of the DC film universe are doing in terms of breathing new life into their given amphitheater. At least Into Darkness didn't rehash any of its narrative within the film and infused its characters with humanity and charm within the writing, rather than relying on the actors to do that stuff. The problem, as I see it, is that it is far too easy to stick to the old story points and simply apply modern thinking to them, rather than take a tale's themes or characters or message in a new direction. What really bothers me about the practice is how lazy it seems. If you want to use an old tale or property to tell a story, go for it; all that I would ask is that you do something new with it. Another example would be the difference between Immortals and the Clash of the Titans retread: while Immortals had a little trouble staying on-point with its storytelling, its visual imagination and portrayal of ancient Greece felt unique and striking, while the new Titans felt drab and lackluster on pretty much all fronts. I mean, sure, it was still fun to see Sam Worthington fight giant scorpions, and Liam Neeson was born to play gods, but the thrust of the story felt weak because there was nothing new about it. As scarce as new ideas tend to be, it's no wonder that older stories often come up for a rehash now and again. As I've said, I'm all about old stories getting told in new ways. The emphasis here is on 'new' - a good storyteller should try to do something that hasn't been done before, or mix things together that haven't been mixed. Any idiot with a keyboard can bash out a story about a superhero or vampires or old myths - the question is, what makes your story about a superhero or vampires or old myths stand out? What will make people want to read it? Why, at the end of the day, do you have to write it?

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Blue Ink Alchemy

Flash Fiction: The Great Hall

Flash Fiction: The Great Hall — Blue Ink Alchemy

With this week's Flash Fiction Challenge over at Terribleminds being less than 50 words long, I turned to The Brainstormer for a subject on which to write a longer piece. It gave me "Hero to Kin", "Viking", and "bard". Enjoy some last-minute scribbles!

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The fire danced and rose high in the hearth at the center of the hall. The king leaned back, bringing the mead to his mouth as he watched his sons and nephews carry on. Their wives and daughters mostly ducked out of the way of the flying insults and bits of carcass. It had been a hard season, and everybody needed to let off a little steam. The only thing missing was music. When the guard thumped the end of his spear on the floor three times, the king looked up to see if maybe that problem was solved. "My lord, a musician wishes to entertain your evening!" "Show them in, and let their music be judged." As the door was opened, the king could see the heads of the previous failures where he'd stuck them on the fence outside of the hall. The figure entering the hall now did not seem shaken by the sight. Indeed, under the furs and leathers, it was difficult to make out anything at all about the newcomer. The ruckus around the hall died down as attention was given to what would either be a worthy addition to the night's proceedings or another demonstration of the king's strength. Before the king could ask the bard their name, they were removing their gloves and cloak. As the cloak fell away, they pulled a stringed instrument from their back, and began to strum. The king was about to call for the bard to stop and indentify themselves, and then the tune reached his ears, and he found himself leaning back. The melody reminded him of a happier time, a simpler time, before all of the bloodshed and conquest, when his life was his first wife and his child, the little cottage on a simple plot of farm land. He took another long drink of mead. He was not certain where he knew this song from, but the bard played with adeptness and feeling that was moving some of the lords and ladies to tears. The king almost didn't notice one of his nephews approaching from the right. The bard, apparently, saw it first and stopped playing long enough to produce a dagger from behind their instrument. Just as the last chord of the song was played, the bard shoot to their feet and threw the dagger. The nephew had been drawing his sword, ready to strike the king. As the king turned and stood, his own hand reaching for the blade of his kingdom, the would-be assassin was choking on his own blood. The king turned back to the bard. In the commotion, the bard's hood had fallen back. Long red hair, the same color as the king's flowed down her shoulders. She looked at the king with flashing blue eyes. The king stepped back; they were the same eyes that looked at him when the old king's men had rode onto his land and taken everything from him, the same eyes of the wife who'd spirited their daughter away, before the old king had found her and used her. "Forgive me for being away so long, Father," said the bard. She pulled her cloak off entirely, and stood before them all in the clothes of wanderer, boots and trousers and vest of leather, more confident and beautiful than any other in the hall. "Now that you have heard my song, am I worthy to remain in your hall?"

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Blue Ink Alchemy

Writer Report: Supernatural Inspiration

Writer Report: Supernatural Inspiration — Blue Ink Alchemy

Cold Streets is closer than ever to the end of the first draft. I have a few changes I think I'll be making before test readers are contacted, so I guess they'll be seeing a second draft, or perhaps draft 1.5 - either way, I'm on the cusp of switching gears between writing and editing, which is an exciting and terrifying time in the life of any project. The bulk of my free time lately has been consumed with getting caught up on Supernatural. We're up the fifth season as of today. Serial storytelling is interesting to me, as the longer a series goes on, the more danger it is in of rattling on its rails, if not jumping off completely. Thus far, this show seems to keep its focus on its interesting and very human characters while raising the stakes for the protagonists. It would be very easy to make the show all about the threat or the creatures or the special effects, but for the moment, the emphasis is on the people we've been with along the way, which to me is a good sign for things to come. Some have said that later seasons do rattle along the rails, so we'll see how it goes. I'm hoping to get more done in Cold Streets over the weekend, considering it's a holiday and it's a good time to be writing. Then again, any time is a good time to be writing. Unless you're driving or something.

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Blue Ink Alchemy

How Independence Day Happened

How Independence Day Happened — Blue Ink Alchemy

Rather than do my usual thing of reposting my blog post from 4th of July last year, I'm going to share with you John Green's special on how this day, in which a bunch of colonial land-owners signed a document that basically flipped off their imperial homeland, became a national holiday. Next year I may do something entirely new! We shall see. [tube]iIoYdC1Gkq8[/tube]

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Blue Ink Alchemy

Movie Review: Hellboy - Blood & Iron

Movie Review: Hellboy - Blood & Iron — Blue Ink Alchemy

I'm not sure what it is about tales of the occult and the supernatural that fascinate me so deeply. It could be the notion that the things that go bump in the night are more than just settling houses and gusts of wind; that right in front of us, just out of sight and barely beyond our reach, is a world full of wonders, horrors, secrets, and history both enlightening and terrifying to behold. What's especially interesting are those who choose to, as some would say, "bump back". Characters like Abraham Van Helsing, the Ghostbusters, Sam & Dean Winchester, and a demon child raised by American soldiers and scientists in the 40s who goes by the name Hellboy. Mike Mignoal's creation has been in two feature films after many graphic novel appearances, and he's also been animated. Available on Netflix, Hellboy: Blood and Iron is one of those animated adventures. Hellboy was summoned by the Nazis to win World War 2. Instead, he was found by Professor Trevor Bruttenholm and raised normally, or as normal as a boy can be when he's red-skinned, bears a tail, and has a right hand that's made of stone. Bruttenholm and others gathered around the boy, and formed the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense, or BPRD. Today, the BPRD is a subsidiary of the government, and one of its government friends wants the BPRD to check out a supposedly haunted house. Despite the assignment apparently being a publicity stunt, Professor Bruttenholm convinces Hellboy and his friends Abe Sapien and Liz Sherman to accompany him to the house, saying nothing of his memories of a vampire hunt from his youth. The style of the characters and their surroundings are most definitely inspired by Mignola's dark graphic novels. Shadows are long, darkness is deep, and moments of horror are surprisingly chilling at times. That said, some of the animation feels a little choppy, even in comparison to some television series. The occasional dip in quality can strain the immersion of the audience, but it's never enough to fully break it. Some of this can be chalked up to stylistic choices, and the overall quality of the presentation doesn't suffer, but it's enough to warrant a mention. Those more interested in the art composition than the story or characters may find it hard to ignore.
Even vampires need a spa day. However, I think most people interested in Hellboy: Blood & Iron would not be checking it out for its artwork. The appeal of Hellboy tales, regardless of their venue, lies in the characters. Hellboy himself has a down-to-earth attitude and general sense of snarky self-awareness that makes him very endearing and defies his demonic appearance. Abe works as an intellectual foil to "Big Red"'s more straightforward "punch it until it behaves" mentality, Liz Sherman has a good relationship with the big guy, and for all of his strength and devil-may-care attitude, Hellboy pretty much dotes on Professor Broom. The fact that their film cast counterparts appear as voices is a huge help, as well: It's hard to imagine Hellboy at this point being portrayed by anybody but Ron Perlman. The other major pillar holding up this and many other tales of Hellboy is the storytelling. The tale is well-paced, operates several facets at once, and does not short-change any of its characters. Even minor roles are shaded to provide depth and nuance, the myths have a good feeling of authenticity, and the nature of the threat feels appropriate given the protagonists involved. I do want to avoid spoilers, but suffice it to say that whole the characters are the focus of the story, the story itself is still interesting enough to justify the film's running time.
They're here to help. Believe it or else. Stuff I Liked: I'm a sucker for myths of the old world, incarnations of old gods, and protagonists willing to punch both of them in the face. The diversity of the BPRD crew is appealing in and of itself. The multi-faceted nature of the threat is interesting, as wel. Stuff I Didn't Like: The artist kept adding what felt like an extra line to the noses of some characters. It was more an odd annoyance than anything else. Some of the animation felt a bit choppy. Stuff I Loved: A fantastic cast of interesting characters voiced by talented people with good chemistry. That should sell it in and of itself, if you ask me. Bottom Line: Hellboy: Blood & Iron is a story worthy of its predecessors. Its run time may be short, at just over an hour, but its packed with good character moments, a balanced mix of action and terror, and more than its share of humor. I would definitely recommend it.

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Blue Ink Alchemy

Characters vs. Icons

Characters vs. Icons — Blue Ink Alchemy

There's another Marvel movie due out before the end of the summer. I'm cautiously optimistic about The Wolverine. Many (some might say all) of Logan's most interesting stories come from his time in Japan, a time that has not happened in the films until now. I can understand why some might be trepidatious given the abyssmal misfire that was X-Men: Origins - Wolverine. But I keep coming back to Marvel's track record, and the overall good quality of their recent films, and the more I see of the new film, the more I think they're keeping with the mentality of better titles such as The Avengers and Iron Man 3. The key, I think, is the focus on characters, rather than events. I've said in the past that Marvel's heroes are characters, while DC's heroes are icons. Other examples of the difference exist, but this one comes to mind most easily. Icons are mythological creatures, as much as gorgons and pegasi and kraken are, fulfilling their roles in epic tales and illustrating ideals to whatever audience happens to be handy. The tradition of using such constructs as a vehicle to move a story from beginning to middle to end is ancient and, for the most part, respectable, even if it is a bit simplistic at times. It's entirely possible to make your tale with icons. I've watched the Justice League animated series in both of its incarnations, and they were enjoyable, for the most part. But even as I watched Batman being generally awesome, Superman act upstanding and unstoppable, and applauded the valiant efforts to characterize and flesh out so-called second stringers like Hawkgirl and Green Arrow, I was bothered in that I was never really surprised by any character turns or plot points. It always felt like the characters were reacting to the plots involved and moving forward at the pace of the storyline rather than taking much time to be their own people. While a good story can still be told in this way, I find a lot more investment, enjoyment, and fulfillment comes from a tale that studies its characters rather than its outline. Take the television show Supernatural. The original plan was to create a "monster of the week" series involving all sorts of creatures born from folklore, myth, legend, and nightmares. But the creators quickly realized they had a much better resource for storytelling in the characters of Sam and Dean Winchester. Between the natural chemistry and charisma of the leads, the depth of the issues in the characters' psyches and histories, and their connections to the world in which they operate, many more interesting developments have occurred over the course of eight seasons that might have been possible with the otherwise simplistic original intent of the series. Creatures like ghosts, vampires, and demons are, after all, iconic. Breaking them free of their iconic or stereotypical natures can be difficult. Even so, I doubt that the show would still be going if it focused on the iconic creatures and not the interesting, flawed, fascinating, hysterical, and very human characters at the center of it. Do you prefer characters, or icons? Can a story function well with both? What examples do you reach for of either? Or both?

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Blue Ink Alchemy

Flash Fiction: Fenris and the Pilot

Flash Fiction: Fenris and the Pilot — Blue Ink Alchemy

Art courtesy Valkyrie Power This week's Flash has a two-fold purpose: to meet the weekly challenge over at Terribleminds (Down the TV Tropes Rabbit Hole, my random trope was "Amusing Alien") and to provide some hot robot action for my friends at Geekadelphia.

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From the moment they got the distress signal, Jack knew the mission would be a tough one. While their ship was fast, and difficult to detect at range, they'd be detected once they made orbit, especially once he and Fenris began their drop. Still, it was better for everyone if he hit the atmosphere without engaging his engines, lest the seperate heat bloom catch the eye of SAD batteries on the ground. "Oh, I hate dead drops like this!" He looked down at Fenris, who clung to his leg. Fenris was about three feet long from snout to tail, a wolf in miniature size, though the shape-shifting alien had often taken other forms. He still wasn't sure why the creature tagged along with them. It was good to have a companion when he was sent into hot zones like this, but it wasn't the kind of thing he'd admit to the rest of the crew. "Just hold on. We're almost out of the kill zone." The radar system cleared moments later, and he got his bearings on the refugee convoy. He needed to make sure the armored infantry didn't wipe out the civilians before they reached their ships, and then, provided he survived, he'd have to take out the local SAD battery, or at least blind their sensors, in order to help them escape. It was a tall order, and he was just one guy. He was one guy in a super-advanced multi-theater fighting machine, but he was one guy nonetheless. The advantage of doing a dead drop into a fast approach was that he barely registered on ground-side sensors. And if he did, the interceptor mode of the Thundercracker had a very low profile. Most mech units had to be delivered in fat, heavy drop pods that were easy pickings for active SAD batteries, which is why the big militaries of the great powers liked to open hostilities with orbital bombardment. But the Aether Rogues were a more surgical, subtle bunch, at least to hear Captain Boros talk of it. "Here we go, Fenris. You ready?" "Most definitely, boss. Radio silence, right?" "Right. The Alliance and the Confederation are both on the lookout for us, so we don't want them to know we've been here." "Means the locals won't know who to thank, either." "We don't do this for the thanks, Fenris." "No, we do it for profit! Money! Cash prizes! At least a free meal! What's our prize for doing this charity work?" "A warm fuzzy feeling?" "I'm already warm and fuzzy. Why do you think I keep this form so much?" Jack veered the Thundercracker over the combat zone, ready to make his final approach. "You're the crew mascot. You don't get a say." "Well, I should! I provide a valuable service to the crew!" "Oh yeah? What's that?" "I boost morale and you know it." "That's questionable. Now, hang on." He make the sharp, bootlegger turn back towards the convoy, and saw the hulking pacification mechs of the Confederate occupation forces lumbering towards the trucks and transports. They were armed mostly with howitzers and close-quarter autocannons, as they were made more for urban civilian control than open warfare. Their size and slow movement gave Jack the advantage. He hoped it'd be enough to offset the general lack of armor inherent with his variable mech. He slammed down on the airbrakes and pulled the lever to trigger the transformation. The main thrusters pivoted downwards as armor plates slid into place, and the ramjet intakes rotated into position just above them. Weapons rearranged to a more forward position, to be mounted on shoulders or held in articulated armored hands, and the cockpit's nosecone flipped down to tuck under the cabin. The sensor cluster emerged from between the missile pod shoulders, and high-gain cameras snapped on behind red protective lenses. Suddenly, the pacification mechs found a combat mech of unknown design between them and the convoy. "How many of them are pissing themselves?" Fenris had clambered up onto Jack's shoulder to get a better view of the scene through the mech's HUD. "At least two. Let's spook the rest of them." He fired an arm-mounted particle beam at the nearest mech. His aim was good, and he burned a hole through its neck plate and severed the connection between its cockpit and main sensors. He heard the hissing of the heat sinks along his mech's arm. In space, heat was less of a problem, save for making yourself a bigger target at range, but planetside it could cripple you to go too hard on your weapons. Jack made himself wait at least three seconds before firing again. In those seconds, five of the howitzers facing him flashed. He dodged to the right, feeling trees collapsing under the mech as the roadway was blown to pieces. Even though his vision was obscured, he still had a lock on the mechs thanks to his previous view and his uplink to the Aethernaut. He triggered his missile pods and fired half of his payload. As the ground shook from multiple impacts, he carefully got the mech back on its feet. "Fenris, you okay?" "We seriously do not get paid enough for this, Jack." "You're the one who begged me to come along!" "I figured there'd be some lovely refugee daughters who like puppies!" "You're incorrigible." Jack reacquired his targets. To his dismay, none of them had gone down yet. He took the Thundercracker's main weapon in both hands, raised it to the mech's shoulder, and took aim. It slid open length-wise and the magnets crackled to life. Before any of the pacification mechs could respond, Jack fired. A ferrous slug the size of a domestic landskimmer launched from the railgun, broke the sound barrier twice, and was barely slowed by the mech in Jack's sights. It had torn a massive hole in the machine, just below the cockpit in the chest, and the big mech toppled. "Okay, Fenris. Which one is next?"

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Blue Ink Alchemy