Short Story - Great One

[Hawki]

http://us.battle.net/sc2/en/game/lor...es/great-one/1

New short story, focusing on the ultralisk.

I feel "hell, it's about time" is an appropriate phrase right now, but considering that terrans are the ones being massacred, maybe not...

[Visions of Khas]

Complimentary Blackstone update is up.

[Robear]

New short story, focusing on the ultralisk.

You mean, new short story, focusing on Collapsible Rocks? :P

But, yeah, I'm feeling pretty meh about this one. Neither the writing style nor the actual events were that engaging to me.

[Telenil]

Wait a minute, the scientists committed suicide because they were addicted to the feeling the ultralisk had when he killed someone? Holy crap.

Does this really happen in the universe where Raynor carried a naked Kerrigan towards the sunset?

[Turalyon]

Does this really happen in the universe where Raynor carried a naked Kerrigan towards the sunset?

If the question is a genuine one the answer is yes, it's par the norm for this sort of stuff to happen now.

If the question is a mocking one the answer is yes, it's par the norm for this sort of stuff to happen now.

Heh, the difference is in the inflection of the answer...

[Hawki]

Yes, because all stories in a universe have to follow that universe's aesthetic.

Writers doing something different? What is this madness?

[Telenil]

Yes, because all stories in a universe have to follow that universe's aesthetic.

Writers doing something different? What is this madness?

Not sure what you mean by that, but I am certainly surprised to see a concept darker than any Starcraft story since Speed of Darkness, just a month after the release of HotS where I saw Raynor sneaking behind Mengsk while wearing a marine armor that audibly grates whenever he moves.
There is a spectacular difference between the hollywoodish tone of HotS and the more adult stories, and there is no need to tell which I favour.

[Hawki]

Not sure what you mean by that

What I mean is that stories such as this short one...they don't really irritate me per se, but I'm left unimpressed by them. From a aesthetic sense, it's "gritty" - which means nothing in itself. Despite what so many people think, grit/grimdark does not necessarily equal "maturity" or "depth," and "grit" is par for the course in the setting (not grimdark though). From a plot sense, it's basically lifting concepts from sources that, from my reading, including Jurassic Park, The Happening, and The God Complex. From a setting sense, it's your typical terran vs. zerg, Dominion composed of jackasses, etc. There's nothing "adult" about it. It's just a story. Decently executed, but uninspired.

So, compare it to the ending of WoL for instance. From an aesthetic sense, it's "shiny," as in, the sunset. The aesthetic lends weight to the situation - Raynor carrying Kerrigan, triumph after long struggle on a physical and personal level. The aesthetic and situation are thus distinguished from normality, in that we haven't had an ending like this in the setting, which makes it more impactfull. From a plot sense, it's good, because it's resolving issues that are in both the game and had their origins establsihed beforehand. From a writing sense it's good because it's using its visual medium to its advantage, and fits in with the overall theme of "ghosts of the past."

So, on one hand, we have run-of-the-mill story that takes no chances, doesn't have any identifiable themes, and doesn't try to distinguish itself from the setting. On the other we have the culmination of a larger story that does distinguish itself and does so well. Guess which one I prefer?

[Telenil]

I've always cared about what the story says, rather than how it says it. I don't think I've ever read a story where people let themselves killed because they get psychic, feel their murderers' thrill and like it. I'm using 'adult' in the sense that it's not the sort of themes you would put in a work destined to a "younger" audience, unlike the vast majority of the content seen in WoL and HotS.

On the other hand, I've seen a good number of works wherethe hero's girlfriend is a vilain but gets miraculously rescued in the end. This ending is only "distinguished from normality" in the sense Starcraft didn't use these clichés before, but countless stories had done it - so I would argue that the WoL ending is in fact the most "normal" of all Blizzard games. Between Kerrigan feeling safe in the armored guy's arms and the sun setting, the scene was complete overkill.

That ending did distinguish itself from the rest of the setting, unarguably, but being different doesn't make it good. Other than it doesn't feel so different we've seen it a hundred times elsehwere, it took an arc that was already concluded in Brood War, changed the characters' mindset and ended it in an improbable way.

[Hawki]

I've always cared about what the story says, rather than how it says it.

It's kind of the opposite for me. I treat story and storytelling as effectively two different things. There's overlap of course, but the quality can differ for both.

I'm using 'adult' in the sense that it's not the sort of themes you would put in a work destined to a "younger" audience, unlike the vast majority of the content seen in WoL and HotS.

That's not really a theme though. In the story, you're more describing a motif. This is down to interpretation of course, but the theme of WoL is "ghosts of the past," theme of HotS is "vengeance" (and arguably identity, but the jury's still out on that one), the theme of the story is...um...don't inhale spores?

This ending is only "distinguished from normality" in the sense Starcraft didn't use these clichés before, but countless stories had done it - so I would argue that the WoL ending is in fact the most "normal" of all Blizzard games. Between Kerrigan feeling safe in the armored guy's arms and the sun setting, the scene was complete overkill - partly but not only because of these visual effects.

Fair enough, but the opposite can still apply. Consider the endings of every other terran campaign in the greater scheme of things:

Loomings: Efforts are for naught, Chau Sara is doomed regardless.
Rebel Yell: One form of tyranny replaced by another, irrelevant in the greater scheme of things
Insurrection: Everything was for nothing, Brontes falls, all the heroes die.
Retribution: Zerg get the Argus Stone, efforts were for nothing.
The Iron Fist: Efforts were for nothing, UED fleet destroyed, Kerrigan in control
Wings of Liberty: A victory, both on a personal and military level (HotS subverts the latter, but not the former)

So yes, you can argue WoL is cliched. But in the context of the series as a whole, even if you cut out Insurrection and Retribution, we've still got a case of the universe repeatedly beating terrans down. You can see the pattern above I take it, so what's the greater crime - for WoL to be "cliche" in the wider scope? Or for WoL to just do what every other storyline has done and give the player a hollow victory, repeating a series cliche?

(Haven't included Stellar Forces and HunCraft for numerous reasons. Probably academic anyway.)

Also, the relationship between Raynor and Kerrigan was solved in Brood War.

No, it wasn't. It entered a new phase, but nothing was solved. Kerrigan was still alive, Raynor had his third juror moment on Korhal, then entered a period where he couldn't do anything about it.

and decided that in fact it would end in an other, improbable way.

So, it defies norms then, with Kerrigan being saved rather than killed? If something goes against norm, then it's an anti-cliche.