Inspired by Magic: The Gathering and prompted by the Terribleminds Flash Fiction Challenge: One Small Story in Seven Acts Let them call her ‘heretic’ if they wished. She was a witch, no more or less. Thalia and the priesthood were never comfortable with her kind. Humanity, they professed, had no need for the tools of… Continue reading Flash Fiction: The Thraben Witch
Master of None
Remember when the Bard class was included with the basic ruleset for Dungeons & Dragons? Those were the days. When you wanted to be pretty good at just about everything without over-specializing in beating up bad guys or attacking the darkness with magic missile, you chose the Bard. The downside to that choice is why… Continue reading Master of None
IT CAME FROM NETFLIX! History of the World, Pt 1
[audio:http://www.blueinkalchemy.com/uploads/history_of_the_world.mp3] Satirists are more important to civilization than you might think. While critics may highlight, underscore or outright assault a work in a mostly straightforward manner, a satirist does so through humor or hyperbole. It’s no wonder that satirists tend to be more popular, even if some periods of history were less tolerant of them… Continue reading IT CAME FROM NETFLIX! History of the World, Pt 1
An Open Letter to C. Matthew, Re: The Departed
Dear Confused Matthew, With all due respect, sir, I disagree. I was under the impression I’d said all that was necessary about Martin Scorsese’s The Departed in my own review of the film. However, your recent embarkation upon an anti-Departed tirade has inspired me to go a little more in depth on the film. I… Continue reading An Open Letter to C. Matthew, Re: The Departed
An Aborted Dark Heresy Experiment
My original plan for what follows was to get people at conventions around a table at night for a little Dark Heresy. It’s been a while since I’ve been to a convention and I’ll probably be far too busy at PAX East to run a role-playing game. Still, I thought some of you might find… Continue reading An Aborted Dark Heresy Experiment
Delicious Humble Pie
Let it not be said that I am unwilling to eat humble pie. Last week I wrote a post about writing what you want, especially if something seems problematic or simply not very good to you. I wasn’t saying to stop writing because it’s hard, as we all from time to time must deal with… Continue reading Delicious Humble Pie
Flash Fiction Challenge: The Present Tense
Another dubious idea prompted by Terribleminds. I’m dreaming of home. I can see endless green and amber fields, feel the grain between my fingers. I hear the distant ringing of the bell bringing us in for dinner. My mother insists on being as old-fashioned as possible, while not skimping on things like transportation and communication.… Continue reading Flash Fiction Challenge: The Present Tense
IT CAME FROM NETFLIX! The Wolfman
{No audio this week on account of my own lycanthropic rampage.} There was a time when movie studios didn’t mind being associated with the unusual and the macabre. For years, Universal Studios seemed rather proud of its men becoming monsters. Bela Legosi inhabited the castle and cloak of Count Dracula, Boris Karloff took a couple… Continue reading IT CAME FROM NETFLIX! The Wolfman
Book Review: Double Dead
Ever wake up on the wrong side of the bed? It’s terrible. You’re bleary-eyed, groggy, sore from where your spouse has been elbowing you in the ribs all night to stop your snoring… and you’re starving. It’s that stomach-gnawing hunger you just can’t shake until you’ve devoured half the pantry. If that sounds familiar, you’ll… Continue reading Book Review: Double Dead
Fedora Felon
You are not, nor will you ever be, Don Draper. Stop it. Guys, listen. It’s time we talked. Before there’s any misunderstandings, I must confess: I love my fedora. I’m on my second one since discovering I can look half-decent in one. My first traveled to all sorts of places on my head, across oceans… Continue reading Fedora Felon
