Mikes (Patreon)

If I was a New Wave adventure I would be very concerned with form. Over the time I've been noodling with this city idea I've gone back and forth between extremes of control and conceit but in the end we're settling down on an intuitive understanding of how cities are. It's just an A-Z, everyone knows how that works. It's hard to let go of the fear of not explaining how things work "this is a book, read the words one after another in order" but I think we're better the more we take our hands off the tiller and respect each other and the wind. 

I've been reading a lot of Michael Cisco and Michael Moorcok lately (Mike Genres) and if they were reviewed by your average adventure reviewer I can only imagine the result. There's no consistency! No logical progress! Things just happen! The end is ambiguous and anti-climactic! Where is the heroes journey? And so on. Moorcock was criticised relentlessly for his New Wave nonsense by critics demanding their character arcs and laser gun adventures. I return again to the idea that reading inside your genre is bad for you, it encourages us to iterate while rewarding financial success. Where the only variable is money the only people who succeed are those with marketing friends. Drop that nonsense and be cool like Mike.

The two Mikes are opposite sides of respectable. Cisco is a professor while Moorcock is a writer, one operates from freedom and one from relentless work. Both are allowed to do what they want and don't fall into the trap of playing to the gallery. 

This city adventure will be large even if I keep it brief. A Where's Wally adventure, and box of knickknacks.