C.P.D. Harris's Blog, page 51
April 12, 2015
The Hugo Awards: The Money Angle
I wanted to write something about the Hugo awards, but I don’t really know enough about them to contribute meaningfully to the discussion one way or another. I have never been to Worldcon, and as a self-published author who flies well below the radar I don’t expect to see any of my book up there anytime soon, nor do feel bad about that. I’m just here to write and entertain.
Personally I dislike both the extreme right, and extreme left getting involved in this debate. North American directional politics, fed by the twenty-four hours “news” channels and the pundit blogs, is capable of very little other than bringing rage and ruin to everything it touches right now. I hate to think that in the midst of the massive boom in genre fiction that this ugliness could turn people off, and possibly even stunt the growth of SF/F.
What interests me most about the whole debate is that none of the articles that I have read about the whole Kerfuffle, most��of which are very good, none cover the economic aspect of winning an award.
I would not buy a book simply because it was a Hugo award winner. However, if I was on the fence about a book and saw that it won an award, that would make me more likely to buy it. An��award is an indication of quality, at the very least.
Perhaps more importantly��winning (or even being short-listed) an award acts as additional exposure acts for both the work and the author. It will not push a niche intellectual work to bestseller status, to be sure, but I am confident that winning an award, especially a prestigious award, will expose a book to new readers and elevate sales in almost all cases.
Many authors are ego driven enough to value the award above the sales that it generates. Some writers, however, are far more motivated by sales figures and really don’t care how they get them. Attaching “Hugo” to their name and book will get those extra sales and so they have an economic motive, regardless of what ideology they might be espousing to justify their actions.
So while there is an ideological battle here, which is very sad, there is also the simple fact that by gaming the system the Sad Puppies have gained publicity and increased sales. The people who are outraged by their actions are not in their intended readership and I suspect that they, or their publishers, know it. The very nature of their very public campaign, and the amount of publicity it generates for their works, win or lose, demonstrates that at least some of them are motivated by sales as well as ideology.
Making money is not a bad thing, of course, but while winning an award increases sales, battles like this can damage how people view the award, which degrades the value of the endorsement that the award represents.
Unfortunately, it is a hard problem to fix. Every system can be gamed, and as George RR Martin brilliantly stated changing the rules to stop this behaviour only feeds into the narrative of a liberal conspiracy at the Hugos promoted by the Sad Puppies. Incidentally this will get like minded people to buy more of their books as well. Readers will often support writers they feel are being persecuted, as I found out when this happened. After I complained, readers picked up on the attack and sales increased.
Which means that there is also a possible economic motive behind��complaining about being��persecuted, which can get people on your side and sell more books… :(
P.S: I don’t like��identity politics, but people who form factions to promote their works based on not being part of a certain clique are only engaging in reactionary identity politics.
April 9, 2015
The Shadow Wolf Sagas: Red Fangs (2.4)
Tis Thursday, and time for another shadow wolf post. This is the second series, fourth post, following the adventures of Ragnar Grimfang, a Nordan Exile, Twiceborn, and all around swell guy as he navigates the dark streets of the city of Assassins.
Here is a link to the first series, Blade Breaker.
Here is a link to the first post of this series.
And this is a link to last week’s post, in case you missed it.
Beauchamps was true��to his word.
I returned to Cliffshadow as the sun sunk��into��the ocean east of Myrrhn, red and gold, all glory. It was already night in the slum. Cliffshadow got its name from the fact that the cliff walls��of the islands that it grew down from and in between blocked the sun for much of the day.
There was a marked difference here between night and day. The streets were quiet, save outside of a few taverns and brothels. There were very few lights in Cliffshadow, unlike the city above. As I strode over rickety wooden foot bridges, along the ancient boardwalk, and then on packed dirt and detritus I noted that my progress was tracked by the gangs whose territory I penetrated, mean faced youths and scarred older men. I nodded to a few tough old denizens as I passed, survivors out in front of their houses enjoying the night air.
I returned to where I met Beauchamps and the Pickpocket Yvandra where I found a dozen young men, dressed in proper leathers and wielding a better quality of weapon than I would have expected from Cliffshadow street toughs. Their leader, a big man, but still young, his hair dyed the same colour of dried blood that marked the rest of the gang, looked at me with a cocky mixture of contempt and curiosity. He had a good knife on his belt, a Myrrhnese stilletto, but his hands rested on a pair of iron shod clubs.
“You Ragnar?” he asked.
“Who wants to know?”
“Curran, leader of the Blood Hunters,”
“Are you Delilah’s brother?”
“I was,”
Curran smiled and I saw his teeth. Apparently he’d traded well on his sisters blood, and was now in the first stages of Vampirism. A low growl rose from my throat. Curran laughed. His boy fanned out to surround me.
“Why her?”
“She left me down here. Thought she was too good for me. I kept her alive, and what gratitude did she show me? Fuck the world above, I say.”
I shook my head. The only thing that kept me from going for��him then and there was Murith’s desire for more information on the blood trade, and the thought that there might be��other near vampires among his men, which would be very bad for me.
“I’ve heard of you Ragnar,” said Curran. “Is it true that you are ascended?”
“It is.”
“Here that boys? Ascended blood is real rare, I wager. The one who takes him ears a set of��fangs like mine.”
The thing about the Shadow Wolf clan is that we hear better and see better at night than most men. That goes double for me after crawling out of my own pyre. Thus, while the cut-throat gliding through the shadows behind me had every reason to think he would live up to his name he met with my fist instead. Or rather he met with the plate of metal over my fist, and crumpled in a heap. My eyes never left Curran’s.
“I am Ragnar Grimfang of the Shadow Wolves, I am twiceborn, called Bloodaxe and Nighteyes, I slew Torvul and Magni Red-sails,” I intoned, my voice carrying in the night. Sometimes a little��theatre can strike fear into ones opponents. I honestly hoped the other boys would run, my only care was for Curran. “I am here for my friend Delilah, who clawed her way out of this place with will and hard work, only to be betrayed, slaughtered, and sold by someone she trusted. Your guilt is written on your fangs Curran. I have come for you, and any who are foolish enough to get in my way.”
To punctuate my speech a low growl sounded from the dark behind me.
A few of the boys hesitated, then ran.
Curran looked at the rest of his crew. “We’ll round those cowards up later, they can fill out the next take. Now, get him!”
Seven gangers, eager and desperate, came forward. I did not draw my weapons.
April 5, 2015
Narrative Design in Open World Video Games
Video Games have always fascinated me as a medium, as well as one of my primary forms of entertainment. Before I tried my hand and writing fantasy novels, I was employed as a game designer. I worked on a few commercial titles, even attaining lead design on two projects, but I was never able to sink my teeth into a project that I found truly satisfying. The money was good, but I felt I was better served following my own course.
Now that��the��Unity 5, Unreal 4, and Source 2 engines (think of them as game making tool kits) are mostly free and easily accessible, I am becoming more interested in the space again. Part of the attraction of writing, for me, was that it is a medium where I don’t have to rely on too many other people. I feel that creative endeavors are best kept small, in most cases. Now it looks like more and more games are being made by smaller studios, which I find very exciting.
Regardless, I recently saw a job posting for “narrative design” at a large game studio that makes games that kind of interest me, in a city close to where I live. That posting came with an essay question which involved narrative in open world games. I love essays, and so the question stuck with me, even though the job posting seems to have disappeared (sorry V), here are a few thoughts that have been swimming around in my head as I was formulating how I would write this essay.
Open world games come in many flavours. Rockstar, Ubisoft, and Bethesda are the dominant AAA producers of Open World games in my mind, although there have been very string entries by other companies. Take��Grand Theft Auto, Skyrim, and Assassin’s Creed as examples. In these games the player directs most of the action, with the story acting as a framework more than the driving force behind the game.
Narrative in these games is difficult. The story��has to provide the player with a beginning to situate them and provide a compelling chronicle��to guide them into the experience, but the point of an open world is to allow the player to explore and create their own moments. The only game company that seems to be able to do it well, over multiple systems and game types is Bethesda. Their elder scrolls series established their reputation, but it was Fallout 3 that proved to me that they had mastered the form. I will use their games��as my primary example.
Personalization of Character
The ability to choose the appearance of the player avatar is a big deal. Part of telling your own tales is creating a character that look appropriate to the part you want them to play. Sometimes that manifests as the user making a character that looks like them (proxy), their favourite actor/star (director), or simply fits the concept that they are thinking about. Bethesda’s open world games always offer a lot of options for the player in creating and customizing characters.
The difficulty then becomes how to fit a very broad array of��characters and backgrounds into the story and also overloading the design. Some open world games strike a balance by creating a character that can be customized but always has the same background (Shepherd in the mass effect games).
Exceptions abound, of course, Red Dead Redemption had a strong open world but the story and the personality of the main character were fairly set. It was still a wonderful game.
Non-Linear Gameplay
Most stories are linear. If you read one of my books, i will follow the same path through the story every time you read it. Linear games are similar, following a fairly set path through the story and the game world. Open World games strive to be non linear, trying to avoid shoving the player down a particular path except at very key, brief moments.
The ideal is something like Daggerfall, where the player can do whatever they want, even ignoring the main story to the point where the titular city burns to the ground, becoming a haunted ruin as the main story progressed without player input. This kind of immersion and story is awesome, creating a world where the player engages with events as they progress throughout the game and gets the experience they want from it.
The problem here is that it is hard to create a sequel to that kind of game. Bethesda had to fiddle with continuity quite a bit to get fit Daggerfall’s six(?) possible endings into the story for their next elder scrolls game. ��I can’t imagine how that would work with franchise open world games these days.
Living World
Open world games require that the world have a fair bit more detail than other games. The world has to react to the player character, but ideally it also has to have a sense that it is progressing on its own when the player is not there. Shops have to open and close. NPCs have to move about and so on.
I still remember coming across battle between two sides of NPCs in one of the old Ultima Games. The idea that I could join one side or another, attack both, or even just move on and ignore them filled my young mind with exciting possibilities, of course. But what strikes me as most memorable about that moment was the feeling that these two groups were doing something that had nothing to do with me, and yet I could get involved. It made that little digital world feel very lively and it still thrills me to see groups of NPCs acting and reacting to one another. in an unscripted fashion, without my input.
A living world is one that reacts to what the player character does, but also one where the world can spontaneously create events for the player to react to. This last bit is worthy of a full post, so I’ll get to it later.
April 2, 2015
The Shadow Wolf Sagas: Red Fangs 2.3
Tis Thursday once more, Venice is sinking, and tis time to join Ragnar Grimfang, Twiceborn, exile, and righter of wrongs on the rough streets of Myrrhn.
This is my weekly serial, raw and unedited. The first story arc is collected here. The first post of the Red Fangs arc can be found here. Last week’s post can be found here.
I went in to the slums of Myrrhn dressed for war. In hindsight, twas not the best of ideas, but I was angry and wanted to make a statement. People who crawl out of Cliffshadow or West Junker and make something of themselves are special. That is doubly true of those who do so without exploiting their fellows, like Delilah.
I knew it was her brother. As sure��as the pack alpha knows which member of the herd they will cleave off from the rest; I knew that the brother was��my��man. Who else would Delilah risk herself for? She was too smart to fall for some handsome thug who would lure her into an alley and definitely wise enough to steer clear of assassins, thieves, and pimps.
The Cliffshadow Slum clung to sides of three of Myrrhn’s larger islands. It reminded me of the mold and fungi growing on the sides of old forest trees:��ugly and slime-ridden, but hardy and full of a vitality and vibrancy at odds with��its surroundings.
Dwellings of all shapes and sizes spilled out from the cliffs, a mad honeycomb of wooden shacks, slate hovels, and even shining houses built from discarded copper roofing tiles. There was no rhyme or reason to the place, save that every space that could fit a house would have at least two.
The narrow walkways��were crowded as I descended into Cliffshadow. Beggars, labourers, and ill-starred tradesmen mingled with would-be assassins and very real cutpurses. Dirty children, too young for the pickpocket gangs, played in the street, their joyous laughter at odds with my mood and the desperate eyes of some of those around them. As fate weaves, I suppose.
People parted before me. A fully armoured Nordan, obviously angry, is not someone that even the most mindless ganger��with a chip on his shoulder wants to pick a fight with, at least not a fair one. It suited me just fine.
But, Cliffshadow is ever shifting, and once the novelty of me wore off, I became a target of a different sort. Naturally they sent a girl. I suppose they have heard that Nordan men are loathe to strike a woman. Naturally they assume it is because we are chivalrous, rather than considering the fact that Nordan girls are as��dangerous as the men. Such people��could stand to meet Thyra, I think.
I caught the little pickpockets hand easily. Her makeshift��knife snapped against my armoured glove. She hissed and kicked and spat as I lifted her off the ground.
“RAPE!” she shouted. No one even gave her a second glance.
“Easy, I want to speak to your handler,” I said. “There’s gold in it for both of you.”
I held up the metal in question. The little urchin girl calmed down immediately, her eyes going round at the sight of the precious stuff. She wasn’t the only one. Thugs can’t recognize priceless kingsmail or mithril-steel weapons, but gold is the universal language in Myrrhn. I took a good look at one man who stared a little too long, growling a little for effect.
<>
“Yvandra, darling, I am going to scourge you bloody for this!” The girl’s handler was a lithe man with delicate hand and a heavily made up face. The scourge that he shook at her appeared to be a paintbrush. His little room was full of colorful canvasses.
“Relax, Beauchamps, the mark has a purse full of gold,” said the pickpocket girl. “He ain’t here to mess with you, he wants to talk.”
“I won’t sell,” said Beauchamps, indignant, hands on his hips. It took me a moment to catch his meaning.
“I am here for information,” I said. “I want to know where one of your former associates can be found. A boy��about your age, worked all over here. Had a sister that made it out.”
“You want me to turn on my own, Nordan?” said Beauchamps with a snarl and a toss of his chin. “Go sod yourself with your gold.”
Yvandra looked up, eyes wide, already looking for an exit. You learn to recognize signs of violence in places like this. Beauchamps crossed his arms. I had to admit I admired his bravery.
“The sister was my friend,” I said. “I caught her just like I caught this one here, before she made it out. This morning the watch called upon me to identify her body. Her throat was slit. Her body was hung upside down and drained of blood. You know what that means. Only, the thing is, Delilah didn’t struggle and so I want to see her brother.
I could see doubt cross his eyes.
“I can arrange a meeting,” Beauchamps��said eventually. “But I won’t take your money.”
“More gold for me!” said Yvandra, holding out her hand.
“I’ll let you keep the two pieces that you grabbed when I picked you up.” I retorted. “Those are Nordan half-dragons, you can spend them at the Dragonships without having to use a money changer.”
“Three,” said Yvandra.
“Nice,” I said, returning my attention to Beauchamps. “Tell him whatever you want. I don’t care if he thinks he has the odds in his favour.”
“Come back at dusk above,” said Beauchamps. I nodded and left.
<>
March 29, 2015
Thoughts on Setting: Industrial Age Creative Anachronism
Recently, I started playing Valkyria Chronicles on my laptop. The game, which I may review later, is a perfect example of fantasy moving from the feudal period, which was��characterized by an agricultural, land oriented society to an economy increasingly dominated by factories, mass production, and capital. Set in a made up Fantasy World, Valkyria Chronicles is clearly leaning on��World War II as both a point of familiarity for the player and as inspiration for the story. As the plot progresses, it becomes more and more fantastic.
I believe, that as the information age begins and societies move away from economies dominated by industry and cities, we seek to mythologize that past in our entertainment and fiction in the same way we once did with the feudal age and agriculture. It merits more thought than I can give it as to why this occurs and how it relates to other genre phenomena.
There are a host of other examples, in games and literature, of the industrial age becoming fodder for Fantasy Fiction. Steampunk would be the obvious example, an entire genre based around clockwork magic with strong urban and imperial age themes. Brian McLellan’s superb Flintlock Fantasy, promise of blood is another obvious example. But one could argue that Scott Lynch’s Gentleman Bastard series is post feudal, influenced more by Dickens then Mallory and Tolkien, or that much of the modern sensibility in other authors like Joe Abercrombie come from a grittier feel that can be attributed to industrial age themes as much as gritty realism.
(George R.R. Martin is certainly a notable exception here, but he very deliberately deconstructs modern notions, especially the rational hero, to take us back to a fully realized feudal setting, albeit without the pastoral sensibilities that often mark feudal fantasy.)
I can think of five main points of difference between Feudal and Industrial Age Fantasy
The Setting or The Kingdom��versus the City and The World: Feudal Fantasy, no matter how epic, usually focuses on a single Kingdom. Other lands are often visited or involved in the story, but we are generally not meant to care about what happens to them. There is a definite feeling of home in Feudal Fantasy, which is usually based around a rural area or a castle. We are meant to care about this place, which is often presented as awesome before the conflict begins. In Martin this is a clever metaphor for Childhood, similar to TH Whites Arthurian��series. Industrial age Fantasy is based around a more ambivalent setting. Cities are presented as wondrous, but also dirty and��full of a host of new problems. Industrial age fantasies are often more cosmopolitan as well, since the city is a meeting place for strangers from all over the world.
The Role of Technology or Swords versus Swords, Guns, and Machines: The gear used in Feudalistic Fantasy is pretty set. The Sword is the anachronistic weapon of choice for our protagonists. Interestingly Industrial Age Fantasy des not replace swords, shields, and plate armour with guns, cannon, and so on, but rather adds them to the mix. Technology takes on an interesting role in industrial fantasy, as both enemy and solution, and frequently gets blended with magic.
The Lower Class or The Street Urchin versus the Idealistic Farmboy: In Feudal Age Fantasy the protagonist is a noble, a scholar, or a humble farmboy. The lower class upbringing, the Farmboy is often shown as a kind of pure upbringing that gifts the hero with the strength and moral fibre needed to confront the world (superman and batman strike me as Feudal heroes moving into the city, one is the Feudal Farmboy and the other is the Feudal Noble). In the Industrial Age fantasies, the lower classes of the city suffer and are subject to positively Dickensian treatment at every turn. Interestingly this toughens them up and teaches them the harsh lessons needed to survive which leads right to my next point.
The��Resolution of Conflicts or Strength and Moral��Fibre��versus Reason and Cunning: Traditional Feudal heroes are physically fit, often superior in some way. Blood, noble or otherwise, often figures into their source of power. They overcome conflict through physical prowess and direct means more often than not. Other tests are met with strength of character which can best be described as moral fibre or purity of spirit, This can be subverted in more complex narratives, but usually by placing blood and role above moral purity. In Industrial age Fantasy the protagonist is usually the smart one, be that street smart or book smart. Reason become more of a heroic quality than moral fibre, which allows even sympathetic characters to be deeply flawed.
The Source of Conflicts or the Existential Scourge versus The Ideological Enemy and the Broken System: ��In Feudal Age Fantasy the wilderness and the lands beyond the borders of the kingdom or civilization are teeming with enemies. The Others in Martin’s works are a perfect example of this, as are Tolkien’s orcs, or any number of evil forces that threaten the existence of the kingdom, village, or shire. Industrial Age conflicts however are often characterized by enemies that are different only in nationality or creed, or sometimes even just other character who is very similar but just happens to be on the other side. In the Industrial age change systems and institutions can be the source of conflicts as old ways, such as the monarchy and slavery, are overthrown while Feudal Fantasy is often about the return of the kingdom to its pristine original form.
March 26, 2015
The Shadow Wolf Sagas: Red Fangs (2.2)
In a shining example of lifestyle synergy, I have been��watching the History Channel’s Vikings series before posting my Shadow Wolf serial these last couple of weeks.
Shadow Wolf is my weekly serial. The first series, Shadow Wold Sagas: Blade Breaker is collected here, and will be published later this year, when the wolftime comes.
The first post of Shadow Wolf Sagas: Red Fang, which is also last week’s post can be found here if you want a refresher.
<>
“She was hung upside down, her throat was slit, and she was drained of blood,” said Murith.
I sputtered a moment trying to come up with a suitable oath. It seemed so odd that lively little Delilah was lying dead at my feet, bloodless. “Gods… Why?”
Murith shrugged. Over a decade on the city watch had given her a hard exterior, but I knew that it was not lack of compassion but rather a kind of fatigue. Myrrhn, the City of Shadows, the City of Assassins, was not a kind place. I knew Murith’s answer, or the direction it would blow at least, before it left her mouth.
“To sell, of course,” said Murith. “Delilah was a nice, young, clean girl. Blood like hers��fetches a premium in the under-city markets. Vampires, Blood Mages, even alchemists buy it. We get a dozen of these a month, although this one is especially brazen. Usually the victims are the vulnerable; the poor, drunks, and newcomers mostly. You can make a lot of money off fresh blood, especially if the source is pure.”
I felt like hitting something. Just smashing the wall or my hand. It all seemed so pointless at that moment. I liked Delilah. She didn’t seem like the type who would become a victim, not now, but that had been��wishful thinking on my part. We always want to think that the brighter lights will burn longest.
I realized Murith was staring at me expectantly. I looked at her. She raised a brow.
“–so it had to be someone she knew, then,” I said.
“You’re learning, Nordan,” said Murith. It might seem inappropriate to a casual observer to jest at a moment of tragedy, but ��Murith and I had shared many such moments and we knew how to push the other along, to help get past the grey thoughts��that can follow loss. “This section of the watch has already reported and filed. ��We have no clue who killed her beyond conjecture and no idea where they did the deed. They won’t investigate beyond that. You knew Delilah…”
“Right,” I said. “I’ll start with her former associates.”
<>
I went home to get my gear. Prowling the streets of Myrrhn can be very dangerous, even during the day in some places. In Delilah’s former haunts, gangs shortened many lives. Of course if you are born into poverty and despair, what other choices do you have? The City could be cruel.
The Whore’s War was still underway. There was a massive Ogress standing guard at our door. I nodded to her and headed in. The Twins were holding council, so I crept around, nodding to another pair of heavily armed bodyguards as I went in search of my weapons.
I decided to wear my Kingsmail. The favoured armour of wealthy Karl’s in the north, Kingsmail consists of a masterfully crafted suit of chain whose rings were reinforced with a crosspiece, with additional protection in vital areas. My hammer and my axe found a place in my belt. I was wondering if I should wear a cloak when I saw Vipra��looking at me in the mirror.
“Going out Ragnar?”
“I am.”
“Don’t forget there is a price on your head. They want to hurt us, love.”
“I know. I wouldn’t do this unless I had to.”
Vipra smiled. She looked tired. The Whore’s War was two months old. “I’m afraid to ask.”
“Delilah was killed today. Bad business. The last person she was seen with was her brother.”
March 22, 2015
Thoughts on Setting: Fantasy in the Renaissance and Beyond, an Example.
This will be a quick post since WordPress has decided to saddle me with an unfamiliar interface and I have not figured out how to switch back to the classic interface. Updating for the sake of updating is not a good thing!
A few Sundays ago I wrote this post, about how fantasy is expanding into time periods other than the classical and the medieval. I promised an example, so here we go.
Let’s start with an important historical event. This is just a starting point, of course, but it does help to keep in mind the importance of the original event in order to address the��themes that excite you about that event.
Taking an easy example, lets go with the American Revolution as our base event.
Square bullets (why WordPress, why did you change my interface?)
We need a mature colony with a impressive population
We need a distant monarchy that places heavy demands on their rich, established colony, but does not give it enough respect. Remember the slogan of the Boston Tea Party was not “screw taxes!” it was no taxation without representation, meaning that the colonists wanted seats in parliament and saw it as a right since they were contributing greatly to the Empire.
We need allies.
The themes of the American Revolution that interest me are the movement away from the monarchy, the trend toward religious freedom, and the setting of the stage for the revolutions that followed in Europe.
The Colony, Wesfoundland
Westfoundland is an enormous landmass best known for its farms, timbre, and an abundance of natural resources.
The People of Westfoundland are a varied group, many of whom fled conflicts in the old world to settle here and live in peace.
The colonies have a mixed reputation with the natives, many of whom they have driven from their lands.
The Empire, Engildom
Engildom is an Empire than has grown rich off trade.
It is ruled by a Queen and a parliament.
Engildom is constantly engaged in conflicts all over the world to maintain its Empire. These conflicts are expensive and the burden of that cost often falls on rich colonies like Westfoundland.
The Allies
Engildom is allied with the rest of its colonies, a native people called the Wolf Clan, and various trade partners.
Westfoundland is allied with the smaller Bear Clan, and has support from enemies of Engildom like Valdaran,
That is a basic, functional structure for a��conflict that could drive a number of narratives.
Now lets add fantasy elements and mix them with our themes.
Moving away from the Monarchy
In history, the power of the nobility was tied to hereditary control of the land.
In our example we decide to mess with the feudal system a little bit. The nobility have all inherited ancient, powerful magical items that are tied to their bloodline. This is the source of their power, ownership and control of land is incidental in this system.
Religious Freedom
Lets avoid real world religions.
The orthodox religion implies that magic comes from the gods.
The new religion proclaims that magic comes from men.
Later Revolutions
What happens if Valdaran and Westfoundland have such close ties that the Westfoundlanders become embroiled in the Valdaran revolution, which would be the equivalent of Americans joining up with the French in the Napoleonic age.
So far, so good. But can we create a compelling narrative from this outline that will be of interest��to fantasy readers?
The example continues next Sunday!
March 19, 2015
The Shadow Wolf Sagas: Red Fangs ( 2.1)
Tis Thursday, and time for some Shadow Wolf.
I have decided that the X.Y stands for Volume/Post #, this is thus the first post of the second volume.
Here is the first Shadow Wolf Serial, Blade Breaker, collected in full
“Ready for another round, Nordan?” she asked, eyes sparkling.
“Always, love,” I answered. “Brighthall Mead this time methinks.”
I remember so little of that day, considering how important it turned out to be. There was a lull in the Whore’s War, which meant the Twins were winning. I think it was raining, but in Myrrhn it rains so often that it seems to spill over into all my��memories of the place, accurate or not. Just as well, though, since I think the city looks quite ugly in the full light of the sun.
Delilah, my server at the famed Inn of the Willing Wench, gifted me with another smile and glided away. I watched her go, weaving through the crowded common room with a nimble grace that none of the other servers, even the Elven girls, could match. It was a pleasure to watch her move, like an acrobat or a master swordswoman.
She returned to my table with a flagon of mead in each hand. Delilah was small, petite as they say in Loragons, and the glasses looked enormous in her hands. She held them as steady as a man twice her size though, and weaved through the crowd just as deftly with her burden.
“Two?” I said. “That’s thinking ahead, I suppose.”
Delilah lay put the flagons on the table in front of me. Of all the things I remember about that girl, other than grace and quick fingers, her��smile was the one that hurt. It was bright and beautiful… and sly. Where Delilah grew up, people rarely smiled openly or honestly, and she never quite perfected it.
As I watched that smile grew into a fiendish grin, and she took one of the flagons and moved��it across the table from me, claiming it as her own as she sat.
“I’m on break,” said Delilah. “I put the drink on your tab, old wolf. I know you don’t mind.”
I hoisted my flagon in salute and she followed suit.
“Do you remember how we met Ragnar?” she asked, meeting my eyes.
“You ask me that every time we drink together,” I said.
“I like hearing the story,” said Delilah. “It will be the beginning of my legend, I think. Go on.”
I laughed. “You picked an old man’s pocket, what sort of heroic deed is that?”
“I pilfered the sporin of a twiceborn!” said Delilah, making what I assume was her Ragnar face. “An exile from the north. A slayer of beasts and men, fearsome and deadly. I faced him without fear–“
“Stealing his coins?” I finished.
“Damn right,” said Delilah. “That gold was wasted on you, Northman. Only I didn’t count on you��being able to track me down.”
“You’re lucky I found you using the money to help your little gang,” I said.
Delilah smiled. “I’m lucky that you found me. After all, you brought me��here, and working in this place��is better than being on the streets as an older girl.”
We touched our glasses and played at cards for the rest of Delilah’s break. She was a deft cheat and won every hand. When her break was over she flashed me a smile as she wove through the crowd again. It was the last time I remember seeing her.
<>
All of this flashed through my mind as I knelt over a small body in a ruined cellar. Delilah had been missing for more than a week. I went out looking for her, but it was Sargent of the watch Murith Stouthand who found her first.
“Watchman Grigz found her this morning,” said Murith. “Dawn patrol. The body is fresh. When I saw the description I matched it to your girl. I’m sorry Ragnar.”
“Thank you Murith,” I said.
Memory is a tricky thing. As I stood there looking down at the broken body of a friend the images of her death seeped into those scenes. As she sat across me, raising a glass and thanking me for helping her, in a roundabout way of course, her throat was a crimson ruin. I shook it off.
“There’s more, Ragnar,” said Murith. “Notice how she does not have any blood in her.”
I focused on the details. There was a little blood on the jagged wound on Delilah’s ��throat, but remarkably little on the rest of her body.
“Loot at her ankles,” Murith continued.
I saw bruises there. I recognized shackle marks. A low growl escaped my throat.
“What is this Murith?” I asked. “What is happening here?”
March 15, 2015
The Dissenter, A Heroic Archetype for the Modern Age
Like many Canadians, I spent the weekend protesting C-51, in the real world and online. The act, which the conservative government calls the “anti-terror bill” gives an array of troubling powers to spy agencies. While I was standing outside in the rain and cold, I often wondered about how to turn this relatively banal (so far) situation into Fantasy Fiction.
What I came up with the idea of the dissenter as a hero. Now, this is not my idea, and I am sure than any reader of Fantasy can think of several heroes and villains who are primarily motivated by their disagreement with the system. I just think it is a timely archetype, especially since we are living��an time��of increasing inequality, which creates increasing dissatisfaction with the machinery of our society.��Everybody who is not in power, or served by society, has some gripe with the system. We all think that our particular brand of dissent is a special snowflake, but even the most diametrically opposed factions��often have gripes about the system, legitimate or not. This makes the dissenter a very figure that everyone can relate to on some level.
Some time ago I wrote a post about how a corrupt, or unthinking system can be the perfect villain in modern fantasy (link). Looking through my posts I can see that it is a bit of a running theme actually, including my review of��Django unchained (link 2, link 3, link 4, link 5). The gist of the idea is that the system is the monolithic, monstrous villain that Fantasy often tends towards, but put into a context that the modern reader can instantly relate to.
In the same way the person who stands up and demands that the system be fixed, or at least points out the flaws in a system, can make an interesting hero. Think about some of the great dissenter of past ages, and the interesting lives they led. Martin Luther was not an action hero, and yet his act of defiance sparked a massive sectarian shift that humbled the greatest power in his world.
Here are a few reasons why I think that the Dissenter is a mighty heroic archetype for Modern Fantasy, the counterpoint to the system as a villain.
Knowledge is a Weapon: Modern readers prefer a hero who is smart in some fashion, be it simple brilliance or grimdark streetwise. The primary armament of the dissenter is knowledge. The dissenter knows the flaws of the system that they hate. Often they are a victim of that system and have learned as much as they could about it in order to oppose it.
Challenging the Dragon: Systems are immense, complex, and can become truly monstrous over time. The same is true of corrupt institutions. Often, in real life, people find speaking out against these entities incredibly intimidating. ��Thus, the dissenter shows courage simply by confronting the problem.
A Grim Task: History is not kind to those who dissent. People in power, and those who benefit from corruption, have many options in quashing dissent. The sheer viciousness that those who benefit from a broken system will engage in to prevent that system from changing cannot be underestimated.
Reform or Revolution: The ultimate goal of any dissenter is either to reform the system, or topple it altogether. Both have their own merits as story points.
The dissenter can easily turn out to be a villain as well, going to extremes to attack the system that they oppose. An anti-capitalist who publishes papers and advocated non-violent protests against the excesses of wall street is a good kind of dissenter, while an anti-capitalist who blows up factories indiscriminately is most definitely villainous. Interestingly from the perspective of those who inhabit the system being challenged, these two are almost indistinguishable, which makes crackdowns the perfect starting point for a dissenting hero.
March 12, 2015
Shadow Wolf Sagas: Blade Breaker Post Mortem & Link Collection
Last week I finished my first Shadow Wolf Story. At the end of this post you can find a link to each and every post, in order, if you have not read the entire piece.
Here are a few of my thoughts on my second serial, which ended after a year of weekly episodes. I’m mostly collecting them for personal use later, but feel free to add your own comments/ask questions.
First Person: In my Domains of the Chosen series, I tend to hop from character to character. I do this to cover the entire scope of particularly important events, such as battles. Writing in First person is tricky for me, because I always feel compelled to show as much as possible. I think that learning the discipline of keeping to a narrow, limited viewpoint will be helpful. I also found it interesting trying to bring Ragnar to life by considering how he would view the world. In first person narratives the reader has a more intimate connection to the main character, almost as if they are sitting inside their head watching their thoughts pass by. But Ragnar isn’t a silly little man writing on a laptop at 2AM in Canada, he is Nordan Warrior who has lived, loved, died and been reborn. Much of his thoughts are alien to us, and it was interesting to drop little hints to this throughout the story.
Draft/Editing: My draft skills could use a lot of work still. The Shadow Wolf stuff goes up without editing, or much planning to be honest, because I am trying to raise my craft to the level where I can write a really first draft.
Pacing: While the Domains of the Chosen series is about politics, Blade Breaker is about a mystery unfolding into a larger plot. I am fairly pleased with the pacing, although it was hard to break up the scenes to fit into blog post sized chunks.
Old World/Old Problems: As I’ve said before the world I set the Shadow Wolf Sagas in is an old game world, which I use for my Fantachronica RPG. Some of those old idea need a little reworking before being recycled into stories. I should have��changed the name of The Devout, not because I care about offending anyone, but rather because the name is misleading in some ways. Most people would think of religion when I name a group the Devout, when they are actually fanatical followers of an ideology based on the rule of the strong.
In all I am pretty happy with Blade Breaker. In the fall I will be gathering the chapters, editing them, and publishing them (after I publish book 5 of the Domains series). Until then enjoy the archive of The Shadow Wolf Sagas: Blade Breaker
1.5 apparently this is a ghost post… hmmm, found it
