[01/01/2013]

Okay, time for a long-overdue rewrite. Introductions first. I'm Immatrael, or Aleph. I’m 21, I'm a writer (obviously) both of fanfiction and my own original stuff. I mostly do science fiction and fantasy, with an focus on simulationist writing, reconstructing settings to make sense, moral ambiguity in place of black and white “good and evil” and verisimilitude. My villains are not the type who tell you their grand plan instead of shooting you, and my protagonists are not granted the mercy of having no realistic consequences to their actions when they screw up. If that’s not the kind of story you’re interested in, the fiction here probably isn’t your thing.

Game Theory is my first major project, now complete. It is a Nanoha fanfic which makes several changes to Precia which radically alter the course of the story. Game theory is a branch of mathematics concerned with achieving the optimal outcome from a given set of starting conditions with minimal use of resources and maximum efficiency. Examples are things like the Prisoner's dilemma and cake cutting.

Now, the Precia Testarossa of canon is by any reckoning a fascinating character. She is indisputably a genius, and perhaps the single most formidable and powerful mage that we are shown in the entire series, equalling Hayate's rank on pure natural talent and skill, and only a rank below the Sankt Kaiser herself, the strongest mage in the recorded history of the ranking system. And yet she is just as unarguably broken, blinded by grief and pain over her daughter's death and dying of a wasting sickness. Is it any wonder that her choices and actions are not the most optimal, and in some cases actively detrimental to her ultimate goal? She is wounded to a measure that most people cannot conceive of, bleeding out spiritually and emotionally from gaping rents in her psyche hewn by her mourning and her loss. Broken on the cruel whims of fate (no, not that one), and yet still, astonishingly, capable of presenting a terrifying and serious threat in the pursuit of her chosen course. To imagine what she must have been like in her prime is enough to make you shiver.

And so I couldn't help but think... if she's so complex and many-tiered, held back only by the unfathomable pain and inner wounds that are the source of her irrational behaviour... what would it be like if she had retained more of herself? How would canon go with a Precia who was, while still horribly wounded by her daughter's death, still capable of mustering herself enough to ice over the loss and pain and grief and turn her mind to cool, clinical analysis of her situation, her assets and her goals? A Precia, in other words, who was no smarter or stronger or less obsessed than the one of canon... but who was merely better able to use what she had to pursue that obsession. In canon, she's a figure of tragedy, of pity and of painful empathy - a character I actually kind of like, even if her actions are deplorable. To try and write her as retaining some of her rationality and pragmatism without making her “nice” or “good”... it was not only a challenge, but also an interesting and slightly scary question as to what would come out.

As it turned out, when ES eventually prodded me into writing it, what came out of it was Game Theory.

I can confirm that Game Theory will have sequels. Power Games is currently in progress, and is a parallel to the A's season. The third will parallel StrikerS when it comes out, and its title is currently being re-debated. There will also be a few others, some written by EarthScorpion, though those are the only two direct parallels to the canon seasons. I've been asked several times, so I'll state here that Gamesverse worldbuilding is free to all for use if you happen to like how I've fleshed the setting out and want to steal bits. There's a (slowish) move to put it in a more readable format over on the wiki, and you can also find it on the various Spacebattles threads.

My other fics have now been started as well. Of The Stars is an attempt at a Sailor Moon reconstruction/rebuild, inspired almost entirely by shadowjack's IWIW of the series. There are a bunch of other contributing factors, but that's the one that made me want to write a Sailor Moon fic and show off all the cool bits of the series while putting my own spin on it. It will update as and when chapters get done, without a defined schedule like the Gamesverse series.

Blood is Thicker, meanwhile, is a fun little experiment in the Hellsing universe which is intentionally steering mostly clear of canon. It will eventually touch the canon characters, but it won't change the plot of the series proper - it's meant to be a "behind the scenes" thing unrelated to the main plot that could conceivably have happened. The characters are mostly OCs, as it's an exploration of vampire and monster lineages other than Alucard's, and it doesn't have any particular priority, so updates will be sporadic.

Should have updated this a long time ago, but hey! My stories now have fanart, commissioned from the excellent Shyft.

Of The Stars: Usagi, Sailor Moon, Sailor Mercury, Tuxedo Mask.

Game Theory: Cover

I’ve been asked a couple of times if I have any tips or writing advice for new or amateur writers. I’ve learnt a lot, writing Game Theory, and while I don’t claim to be anywhere near a pro, I can share what I’ve worked out. I got a lot of mileage out of begging tips from better authors when I was just starting, and we could do with more potential authors being shown the ropes. I still have a long way to go before I’ll be satisfied with myself, but… hey, so does everyone. You never stop learning, right? The various bits and pieces I've come up with are compiled here. Do keep in mind, though; nobody knows everything, least of all me. Take my advice with a grain of salt. And a dash of soy sauce, and maybe some salad on the side.

And for those interested in some vaguely philosophical ramblings on why I put some of the running themes into my story that I do, see here. I make no promises as to the quality, interest or comprehensibility, but some might find it interesting nonetheless.