Another fiction post everyone. Same character as before.
I lay on the chaise in my long formal dress I wore to a few events in the late '20s. I have no shame in wearing classics again. I've been certain to keep my clothing classic so that I can look regal for decades rather than mere months. Also shopping for clothing at night was harder to do when I first started out as a kindred. It was easier to be practical, short of tricking a designer into your orchestra.
Above me I watch molecules bond to each other in a rhythm, reminding me of the Rites of Spring. I remember when modern dance was new and I saw a performance, but dance never truly entertained me. I preferred the symphony. I've kept the song in symphony, performed by the atoms that pair off. They light up above in a soft light. I am keen and comfortable.
The bonds lose their defining lines, and the lights begin to stay up, and are bright gold like incandescents. The chaise is sinking into grass, yellow blades dimmed by nightfall. I look down and the dress... is no longer there. I am clothed into something I can only describe to civilized individuals as a hand-sewn sack. In the old standards this was beauty. In the current standard it feels like a costume. I'm itchy.
I sit up. In front of me is a fire subsisting on nothing, lighting up the field as if it's mid afternoon. I back away before standing up. This is rare. This small remembrance comes twice a decade, not in a true pattern. I am no longer startled by it. I merely hate that I must waste my time with it.
In the corner of my eyes I sense the shadows that sometimes linger. I never truly catch them in my sight in front of me, so I do not try to catch them. They're short, slight dark figures that just stand and stare back at me. As I walk to the fire they follow me, still in the edges of my sight. If they're not going to leave, I'll keep them at that difference.
Just by walking to the fire, it shrinks rapidly, until it is the size of a dime when I'm only a couple feet away from it. I grin.
"Merely an exothermic process."
"Precisely," I hear Abel confirm. He doesn't show, he is only heard. "One that is hard to control, unfortunately, and can damage, but nothing unknown."
There is a part of me that wishes to touch it. I don't wish to be used to that fantasy. It won't be useful after my time in eclipse.
Suddenly the sky crashes around, pushing me on my back again. I find myself in the long black dress I began my eclipse in, the irises and roses surrounding me. the room is dimly lit. I realize I can blink at will and the image stays the same.
Leaning over me is Lady Quinn, the dips and raises on the side of her face highlighted by the lighting. She is dressed in a suit, but her hair is not pulled back. I lick my lips and raise my brow.
"I apologize, Lady Quinn. It is necessary."
I pull my shoulders back into the silk covered pillows I rest on. "Understood. Is it time?"
"This is... early, but brief."
"It is acceptable. We are up to date on events?"
"There is a report on changes that will be pertinent for this brief summit."
"That is understood." I pause. "We still serve at the pleasure of the Prince?"
She cocks her head to the side. "Of course."
In relief I close my eyes. "Then this will pass quickly."
August 8, 2014
July 21, 2014
Fiction: As Lady Quinn Rests...
Yes it has been quite some time since I paid attention to this blog. I'm trying to get back to my old writing habits, so while I try that please try to enjoy this fictional piece that is of on of my LARP characters. P.S. if you're still reading after 8 months of no updates, thank you, I really appreciate it.
"Well please, Miss Moreaux, please show us the savage dance that will bring your land the rain!"
A scene I have repeated multiple times. Partially for my amusement, partially to make it right. I smirk to Lady Tatar, in her blue dress and dripping jewels. Abel told me she only recently became a lady, and many believe she didn't deserve it.
This time around, I don't just stand there politely. Survival in this space is no longer an issue. I have survived. This time, I respond with a smirk and I approach her slowly, my low heels clicking and my stride steady. I put a hand on her hip and take her free arm up, and as her amazement manifests on her face I waltz with her in front of everyone at the gathering that night. Suddenly I hear a Strauss movement swell around us, and all of the people around us laugh in amazement.
This time the victory dance only lasts a moment before I become a fluid body floating down to the small lab I shared with Abel over a century ago, when we settled in the city. Before the fire.
He grins at me. "You have too much fun with this Lady S--"
Even in this deep rest I bring up a finger and raise my brow. "Excuse me, Baron Abel."
He nods as I land to the floor. "You are excused, Lady Quinn. Though I should apologize. I am glad you have found a way."
I try not to remind myself that I merely imagined that. The walls turn into enlarged, flat representations of some of my favorite compounds--lithium aluminium hydride, psilocybin, clove oil--which glow and give some needed light to the scene. I see Abel as I last saw him, in his jacket, slacks and boots before he ran into our haven and I could not run after him. I'm currently in the long dress and understated gold jewelry that I entered my rest in.
I look to the table to see words intermingle in the flasks and the tubes, bubbling in the beaked patiently waiting me to write down a result. But it's not time for me to, so I ignore it. "I am glad as well. Our work has helped me greatly."
"I'm glad I picked you well. Kindred don't like to admit that lineage is important sometimes, but I found it vital. If I hadn't picked you..."
"Abel, I'm not certain if you are my ego or not."
"Can I be?"
"I don't know, I'd ask Freud."
Suddenly a little rustling as the compounds shift slightly and change color--a light purple. It causes Abel to look ghostly. I feel a grin grow not only in my dream, but just softly as I rest.
"What could it be, Lady Quinn?"
"They've changed the flora around me. I'm assuming lilacs. That's a rarity."
I let Abel fade, and I float back onto a chaise in a silk sheath dress, my hair down. I lift my feet up and wait to see if it is Lord or Lady Quinn who will be reading me new poetry this evening. I feel lucky that I occasionally can even hear it.
Though part of me wishes they'd ghoul someone who was a francophone native. However, I'm not in a position to complain, so I lie. And I wait. And I enjoy.
"Well please, Miss Moreaux, please show us the savage dance that will bring your land the rain!"
A scene I have repeated multiple times. Partially for my amusement, partially to make it right. I smirk to Lady Tatar, in her blue dress and dripping jewels. Abel told me she only recently became a lady, and many believe she didn't deserve it.
This time around, I don't just stand there politely. Survival in this space is no longer an issue. I have survived. This time, I respond with a smirk and I approach her slowly, my low heels clicking and my stride steady. I put a hand on her hip and take her free arm up, and as her amazement manifests on her face I waltz with her in front of everyone at the gathering that night. Suddenly I hear a Strauss movement swell around us, and all of the people around us laugh in amazement.
This time the victory dance only lasts a moment before I become a fluid body floating down to the small lab I shared with Abel over a century ago, when we settled in the city. Before the fire.
He grins at me. "You have too much fun with this Lady S--"
Even in this deep rest I bring up a finger and raise my brow. "Excuse me, Baron Abel."
He nods as I land to the floor. "You are excused, Lady Quinn. Though I should apologize. I am glad you have found a way."
I try not to remind myself that I merely imagined that. The walls turn into enlarged, flat representations of some of my favorite compounds--lithium aluminium hydride, psilocybin, clove oil--which glow and give some needed light to the scene. I see Abel as I last saw him, in his jacket, slacks and boots before he ran into our haven and I could not run after him. I'm currently in the long dress and understated gold jewelry that I entered my rest in.
I look to the table to see words intermingle in the flasks and the tubes, bubbling in the beaked patiently waiting me to write down a result. But it's not time for me to, so I ignore it. "I am glad as well. Our work has helped me greatly."
"I'm glad I picked you well. Kindred don't like to admit that lineage is important sometimes, but I found it vital. If I hadn't picked you..."
"Abel, I'm not certain if you are my ego or not."
"Can I be?"
"I don't know, I'd ask Freud."
Suddenly a little rustling as the compounds shift slightly and change color--a light purple. It causes Abel to look ghostly. I feel a grin grow not only in my dream, but just softly as I rest.
"What could it be, Lady Quinn?"
"They've changed the flora around me. I'm assuming lilacs. That's a rarity."
I let Abel fade, and I float back onto a chaise in a silk sheath dress, my hair down. I lift my feet up and wait to see if it is Lord or Lady Quinn who will be reading me new poetry this evening. I feel lucky that I occasionally can even hear it.
Though part of me wishes they'd ghoul someone who was a francophone native. However, I'm not in a position to complain, so I lie. And I wait. And I enjoy.
October 14, 2013
Credentials, respect, and STEM fields diversity: How I relate to DNLee
I just read about what happened to DNLee, a blogger for Scientific American. Have you not heard what happened to her? Well you can read about it here on her blog. There's also a decent rundown of the incident on Buzzfeed. The short of it is that a gentleman for a not so well known science blog asked DNLee to write pro-bono for his website. She politely declined and the response attacked her profession, background and gender all in one horrible sentence: Are you an urban scientist or an urban whore?
Quick list of how ridiculous this response is:
1) It's super personal for someone who never met this person
2) It's racist and sexist in one fell swoop
3) It's certainly not professional
4) It ruins any chance of potentially changing a potential blogger's mind in the future
DNLee actually did a pretty good response about not only why she declined the proposal sent to her and how she felt about the response to her:
I am sure there are plenty of people who can relate to the feelings expressed in the video. The idea that one should feel "lucky" to share their expertise they've worked hard for and should just share their talents for free. It can happen because you're a minority, or a woman, or even because you're education is considered "below par" for your field despite many proven accomplishments. Or sometimes you just deal with someone who's being a complete jerk.
DNLee makes some good points. Don't settle because someone decides you should. Figure out what your baselines are for your work. Stick to them.
But she shares a struggle that happens all the time for people in many science fields, and again in minority groups. Although we may like to believe there is, in America there is not a lot of varied representation of people in STEM careers. Most of them are white, most of them are men, and there is a lot of overlap with those two groups. On top of that there is a lot of the public who will freak out if it turns out that it isn't the atypical person who's actually knowledgeable, let alone interested, in anything scientific or mathematical. Does anyone else remember when the internet exploded because it found out the person who runs the I Fucking Love Science page on Facebook is a woman? I do mean people freaked out. Was it the combo of her being a woman who didn't mind cursing on the internet who also really fucking loves science? I don't know but I remember being ashamed not only that people were reacting poorly to it, but that I was surprised a woman ran the site. What the hell was wrong with my head that I assumed that Facebook page was run by a man?
It's a societal thing, and it's a societal thing that is due to get in the way of a better future. We need to have people invest in science, be interested in every scientific field, to help make the future fantastic. We can't be discouraging anyone from the field. For every DNLee who knows her worth, there are a ton more people who've been wrongfully turned away from a field because someone thought they didn't "fit the profile".
Did I ever mention to you guys that ever since junior high, when a teach in eight grade told me I never needed math again, I sabotage myself in my math skill all through college? Those little things make a difference throughout life. I'm not going to make excuses, and I am glad there was a a professor at college that pointed out how ridiculous that whole premise was and did his best to smack me out of it. P.S., random shout out to Robert Rebelein, who despite his not very well updated website was possibly one of the best professors I had the pleasure of working with in my undergraduate career. He treated me like an adult before I realized that's how I should be treated. He let me know if I wanted to be an economist, I could be despite getting a C in my first economics class. I wish I had more people earlier in my life (outside my awesome parents) that told me I could do whatever the hell I wanted with hard work. That I could do math--it wasn't just a guy skill or "not relevant" to the rest of my life. You'd be surprised how those little influences change you.
Getting back to my point, if we just convince ourselves that only a small group of people are able to do science, let alone be respected in the field for it, we are doing future science a disservice. For those of you who do have STEM talents, take it from DNLee: people are lucky to have your expertise around, not you being lucky to share it. We need you around and you are valued. We don't care what you look like, where you came from, or even who you love. Just keep being awesome. We need your STEM goodness!
One last thing: Everyone should be encouraging the next generation to take up science fields. Not forcing, mind you. But nudging. It's really the only way we can secure a better, brighter future for ourselves.
Quick list of how ridiculous this response is:
1) It's super personal for someone who never met this person
2) It's racist and sexist in one fell swoop
3) It's certainly not professional
4) It ruins any chance of potentially changing a potential blogger's mind in the future
DNLee actually did a pretty good response about not only why she declined the proposal sent to her and how she felt about the response to her:
DNLee makes some good points. Don't settle because someone decides you should. Figure out what your baselines are for your work. Stick to them.
But she shares a struggle that happens all the time for people in many science fields, and again in minority groups. Although we may like to believe there is, in America there is not a lot of varied representation of people in STEM careers. Most of them are white, most of them are men, and there is a lot of overlap with those two groups. On top of that there is a lot of the public who will freak out if it turns out that it isn't the atypical person who's actually knowledgeable, let alone interested, in anything scientific or mathematical. Does anyone else remember when the internet exploded because it found out the person who runs the I Fucking Love Science page on Facebook is a woman? I do mean people freaked out. Was it the combo of her being a woman who didn't mind cursing on the internet who also really fucking loves science? I don't know but I remember being ashamed not only that people were reacting poorly to it, but that I was surprised a woman ran the site. What the hell was wrong with my head that I assumed that Facebook page was run by a man?
It's a societal thing, and it's a societal thing that is due to get in the way of a better future. We need to have people invest in science, be interested in every scientific field, to help make the future fantastic. We can't be discouraging anyone from the field. For every DNLee who knows her worth, there are a ton more people who've been wrongfully turned away from a field because someone thought they didn't "fit the profile".
Did I ever mention to you guys that ever since junior high, when a teach in eight grade told me I never needed math again, I sabotage myself in my math skill all through college? Those little things make a difference throughout life. I'm not going to make excuses, and I am glad there was a a professor at college that pointed out how ridiculous that whole premise was and did his best to smack me out of it. P.S., random shout out to Robert Rebelein, who despite his not very well updated website was possibly one of the best professors I had the pleasure of working with in my undergraduate career. He treated me like an adult before I realized that's how I should be treated. He let me know if I wanted to be an economist, I could be despite getting a C in my first economics class. I wish I had more people earlier in my life (outside my awesome parents) that told me I could do whatever the hell I wanted with hard work. That I could do math--it wasn't just a guy skill or "not relevant" to the rest of my life. You'd be surprised how those little influences change you.
Getting back to my point, if we just convince ourselves that only a small group of people are able to do science, let alone be respected in the field for it, we are doing future science a disservice. For those of you who do have STEM talents, take it from DNLee: people are lucky to have your expertise around, not you being lucky to share it. We need you around and you are valued. We don't care what you look like, where you came from, or even who you love. Just keep being awesome. We need your STEM goodness!
One last thing: Everyone should be encouraging the next generation to take up science fields. Not forcing, mind you. But nudging. It's really the only way we can secure a better, brighter future for ourselves.
October 8, 2013
In defense of Candy Crush and other casual game
Mystical makes fun of me all the time for playing Candy Crush. I'm not one of those people who pays to get to other levels or shares on Facebook in hopes of advancing, but it's definitely a fun puzzle game. I'm also a big fan of Bejeweled Blitz. Those rare gem bonuses are friggin' hilarious too.
Mystical is always suspect of those games. He finds them not to be "real games" and always teases me for playing them. But they are real fun. They're not anything where I feel like "OH MAN I GOT TO BEAT THIS!" But these games have legitimate appeal, despite being a bit of a Skinner Box.
1. Quick bursts of entertainment
A lot of people love to focus that people these days do not have the time, nor the attention spans, to do things that involve a lot of time. I don't know how true that is, the but trend in America is that quick enjoyment is always appreciated. So it's nice if you are looking to distract yourself while waiting for the doctor, riding the train, or on your lunch break.
2. Thinking without "gamer skill" required.
Everyone likes a puzzle, but with a lot of regular video games, it requires honing skills for years. There is a reason why I loathe platforming in a video game and Mystical doesn't mind it. He has about 15 years of practice on it than me. That with other skills means a lot of video games are building up on what I call "gamer logic", which requires being familiar with how an a-typical game sets up a scenario. With these games, you don't need that. Just pick it up and go and still exercise your brain.
3. "Free" until you're okay with paying.
Sure, it's not as easy to win the levels if you don't pay for more lives or special items. But you don't have to. You have access to over 300 levels of fun by just downloading. And if you do decide to pay money, you're less likely to regret it since you know exactly what you're getting into.
4. Play anytime, anywhere.
Pretty simple--with any mobile game you're going to have that advantage.
5. Well designed puzzles
This isn't like when sudoku got big and every portable device had a version of it available that repeated the same 10 puzzles. Over time the good games will require a little bit of skill, thought and even preparation. It's not simply mindless entertainment. There's strategy!
No, it's not a real video game. That's not my argument. But it's not a wimpy game or a dumb way to pass the time. That's all I ask people to recognize.
P.S. Anyone else stuck on level 181?
Mystical is always suspect of those games. He finds them not to be "real games" and always teases me for playing them. But they are real fun. They're not anything where I feel like "OH MAN I GOT TO BEAT THIS!" But these games have legitimate appeal, despite being a bit of a Skinner Box.
A lot of people love to focus that people these days do not have the time, nor the attention spans, to do things that involve a lot of time. I don't know how true that is, the but trend in America is that quick enjoyment is always appreciated. So it's nice if you are looking to distract yourself while waiting for the doctor, riding the train, or on your lunch break.
2. Thinking without "gamer skill" required.
Everyone likes a puzzle, but with a lot of regular video games, it requires honing skills for years. There is a reason why I loathe platforming in a video game and Mystical doesn't mind it. He has about 15 years of practice on it than me. That with other skills means a lot of video games are building up on what I call "gamer logic", which requires being familiar with how an a-typical game sets up a scenario. With these games, you don't need that. Just pick it up and go and still exercise your brain.
3. "Free" until you're okay with paying.
Sure, it's not as easy to win the levels if you don't pay for more lives or special items. But you don't have to. You have access to over 300 levels of fun by just downloading. And if you do decide to pay money, you're less likely to regret it since you know exactly what you're getting into.
4. Play anytime, anywhere.
Pretty simple--with any mobile game you're going to have that advantage.
5. Well designed puzzles
This isn't like when sudoku got big and every portable device had a version of it available that repeated the same 10 puzzles. Over time the good games will require a little bit of skill, thought and even preparation. It's not simply mindless entertainment. There's strategy!
No, it's not a real video game. That's not my argument. But it's not a wimpy game or a dumb way to pass the time. That's all I ask people to recognize.
P.S. Anyone else stuck on level 181?
October 1, 2013
Nerds in this day and age--an evolution thanks to media expansion.
I know that some of you were thinking I was such a friggin' liar for a post a week but that is still the goal. I even got a new chromebook to help me go back out and blog all the time.
I'm watching Criminal Minds randomly as I start to write this post and it definitely has me thinking. Penelope is the resident "nerd" character, and that has been a growing theme over time right now. Nerd culture in general is now a streamlined thing. Back in the day my mother used to take the train and the bus two hours across Chicago to get her Doctor Who books from England, not knowing what was in stock. She had to stay up at a strange time to watch the latest episode that America got. It was a big deal to her when she went to college that she met someone who went out of their way to knit the Tom Baker era scarf.
Nowadays, not only can you merely just google it and you can get the directions for a great scarf, but BBC America is carrying it and you can watch it on netflix or just rent the DVDs and people will talk about it at the work place (not as much as some other shows, but you're no longer the odd man out). This has grown for a lot of things. I noticed it in college when this professor in one my drama classes was relating to obviously not traditionally nerdy drama kids about how Battlestar Galactica was some of the best modern dramatic pieces out there. That's when I knew--geek culture is becoming mainstream.
It's not everything. Let's not lie to ourselves, it's not like the national pastime is going to become Warhammer. But considering all the movies that are getting redone, all the investment in TV show characters that have geeky habits, and all the mainstream focus on nerd events like comic-con, it's now... not so surprising to say you're a trekkie or that you spend a good amount of your time playing video games. And I can mention pretending to be a vampire on the weekends without people proceeding to ask if I'm in a cult and deciding not to interact with me.
However, I wonder if this really means that geeks are increasing in numbers. Are we? And what does that really mean if we are?
Well i think with the way media works these days, thanks to the impossible greatness of the internet, people are able to find out about things easier than they were before. By the time I was in high school, if you wanted an obscure anime, either you had to have a friend or be in the dubbing circles on the early days of internet forums, or you had to find a place to buy it online and potentially have to know japanese to enjoy it once you received it. And the price was friggin' high! The sad thing is this is when it was just becoming easy for anime exposure. Nowadays there are conventions all over the place, they carry manga in mainstream bookstores, you have Amazon the seller of EVERYTHING, and on top of that you can direct download some of the more popular animes on netflix. Isn't it great living in the future?
This extra exposure to things that others who were not genetically predispositioned to dress up as Beverly Crusher on Halloween two years in a row (that's me, by the way) means that people are no longer surprised by they hobbies that previously had either been hidden from the majority of the public or had been stigmatized by popular culture and individuals who didn't understand nor cared to do the research. I encourage young pen and paper gamers to watch the Tom Hanks classic Mazes and Monsters. This is how our hobby was portrayed. Can you believe that? As much as the internet has its down points, its ability to connect and teach has lessened the stereotypes. Now there are many more avenues for communication and learning, and acceptance is definitely increasing over time.
But another thing I see happening is that there is a lot more "casual nerding" going on. There are people who may be interested in one sci-fi series, but can't seem to dig the whole Asimov or LeGuin library. There are people who really like playing Mass Effect but then would never consider the rest of Bioware's franchises or even other games like mass effect. There are people like me who do like a really good Doctor Who episode, but don't hunker down to watch the entirety of the series or feel it even necessary to appreciate it. Possibly because the need of extreme interest is low thanks to media, we're getting more people who like geeky pursuits but don't love them the same way the smaller geek culture did before. If you don't have to an hour and a half bus ride to get that book you've been waiting for, it's probably easier to love the series and not be a die-hard.
And this is part of the reason I feel like writing this whole long rant today. Living in the future means we are more exposed to these great hobbies and genres that have now experienced more time in the limelight. It's fantastic. As much as I haven't read or seen Game of Thrones (I swear to god I'll read the books don't judge me) I'm happy that we have a fantasy series outside of Tolkien's world that is now part of popular culture. I'm elated that people are getting interested in the philosophical quandries that sci-fi explores in new stories. I have to stop myself from doing a joyful dance when I went into a Barnes and Noble and saw they were selling Settlers of Catan and Pandemic. It's almost as if we're in a miniature nerd renaissance.
But with that there are some drawbacks. Part of the reason I used to love sci-fi is that I found that it was the better composed art forms. Tighter, more thoughtful writing was prevalent. Things were thought through. But the more I look back, the more I realize that this was due to my mother's really good taste in art all around. There are really bad versions of any traditionally nerdy pursuit out there, and thanks to living in the future, that has also spread around. I am not going to pretend I know what all of them are, and in fact I'm not going to list any for fear of nerd rage. Feel free to leave it in the comments. But we all know what we're talking about. This is why we're always wary of any story with lizard men--it doesn't automatically mean it's bad, but it does mean there is a higher probability of crap in that story.
Now that these nerd loves are front and center, it means that there is a higher probability that the "normal consumer" of certain medias are going to be more highly exposed to the filth. Noticed how many comic book movies are receiving the sequel treatment that ruined many a franchise before. Old sci-fi movies are getting redone and forgetting why those stories were important in the first place. One example that I hate picking on but I'm going to anyway is Star Trek: Into Darkness. J.J. Abrahms makes great movies. They're exciting and riveting and you get sucked in the theater and you forget that you drank a bucket worth of lemonade and need to pee for the last hour of the film. He makes great films. I'm never going to argue that Into Darkness was a bad movie. But I will argue is that Into Darkness was bad Star Trek. We're talking about a series that was known for thoughtful questions of humanity that were answered in hour-long shows. Not every episode does that, but the pursuits of those questions are always present. Those questions were not fully defined or explored in Into Darkness. In fact, I would argue that Into Darkness has the opposite problem that the very first Star Trek movie had. Star Trek: The Motion Picture was a great question about the reach of humanity in space and its affects that was clouded with bad writing and editing. Star Trek: Into Darkness was a very well done movie that never touched anything that would make the audience think after they left the theater.
On top of the normal things that will affect any medium that becomes part of pop culture, you now also have nerds becoming more prevalent as characters in other stories, such as Penelope in Criminal Minds. Her portrayl is okay, although it does totally fall into the stereotypical problems that any hacker schematics do in any TV show or movie (no, hacking isn't just a bunch of fast code typing, it doesn't work quite like that). But let's take a look at The Big Bang Theory. I'm officially going to say this: fuck that show. What the internet did to help get away from stereotypes that associate with nerds, i.e. the whole loner persona who has trouble communicating with people and are so out of the loop they can use their personality to collect disability, The Big Bang Theory brought back in full force. There are geeky people of all different walks, and let me tell you I've been a loyal fan of Star Trek while still knowing how to dress fashionably and not be socially awkward. I could make a whole blog post about how we have to stop treating socially awkward like it's a subset of cute, but then I may have to do research into The New Girl and I'm not feeling that.
Finally, there is the in-fighting. I've posted about this before, where there is a subset of nerds judging other nerds about not being geeky enough. Female cosplayers do get the largest brunt of it but it happens all over the place. People who don't know all the lore judging people they believe know less of the lore for their beloved series. People who think that the influx of women in certain fields is entirely superficial. People who feel you have to prove yourself to them before you can join their games. SERIOUSLY GUYS! There should not be a test on whether or not you're a nerd! Why would we be so exclusive? Who benefits from that? Seriously, so many other groups have shot themselves in the foot from in-fighting, do we want to join those ranks because someone who wants to join your Star Trek marathons doesn't fluently speak Klingon? Are we seriously going to do this?
As you can see, there are so many benefits to this new nerd era we're living in right now, but also some set backs. Some of the things that I hope all of the geek-spheres take advantage of is the ability to expose more people to the love of their hobbies. For example, my friend David Zoltan, the man who introduced me to the LARP hobby I've loved, is now opening up Geek Bar Chicago thanks to the magic of kickstarter. I don't know how successful this could've been without the magic of living in the future. I think if we invest in spreading the word and accessibility, we can teach the masses why we've loved these hobbies all this time, and invite them into what we invested those long bus rides across town for. That will help get rid of the issues with misrepresentation and, potentially, with poor quality nerd productions. We just have to show everyone not only what we like, but why we like it.
As a side note, there's a part of me that likes bringing good sci-fi to the forefront. Star Trek is definitely a big part of the reason why NASA exists in the first place. So many genius people were inspired by it. Maybe we can get that again in hope that it wil inspire the next generation for us to a better future, where maybe NASA will no longer be considered non-essential. Because in the long run, those hopes that widened our eyes when we participated in all of these things are actually help make us into people who strive to problem-solve, discover and create in the future. That would be the best result of this mini renaissance, don't you think?
I'm watching Criminal Minds randomly as I start to write this post and it definitely has me thinking. Penelope is the resident "nerd" character, and that has been a growing theme over time right now. Nerd culture in general is now a streamlined thing. Back in the day my mother used to take the train and the bus two hours across Chicago to get her Doctor Who books from England, not knowing what was in stock. She had to stay up at a strange time to watch the latest episode that America got. It was a big deal to her when she went to college that she met someone who went out of their way to knit the Tom Baker era scarf.
Nowadays, not only can you merely just google it and you can get the directions for a great scarf, but BBC America is carrying it and you can watch it on netflix or just rent the DVDs and people will talk about it at the work place (not as much as some other shows, but you're no longer the odd man out). This has grown for a lot of things. I noticed it in college when this professor in one my drama classes was relating to obviously not traditionally nerdy drama kids about how Battlestar Galactica was some of the best modern dramatic pieces out there. That's when I knew--geek culture is becoming mainstream.
It's not everything. Let's not lie to ourselves, it's not like the national pastime is going to become Warhammer. But considering all the movies that are getting redone, all the investment in TV show characters that have geeky habits, and all the mainstream focus on nerd events like comic-con, it's now... not so surprising to say you're a trekkie or that you spend a good amount of your time playing video games. And I can mention pretending to be a vampire on the weekends without people proceeding to ask if I'm in a cult and deciding not to interact with me.
However, I wonder if this really means that geeks are increasing in numbers. Are we? And what does that really mean if we are?
Well i think with the way media works these days, thanks to the impossible greatness of the internet, people are able to find out about things easier than they were before. By the time I was in high school, if you wanted an obscure anime, either you had to have a friend or be in the dubbing circles on the early days of internet forums, or you had to find a place to buy it online and potentially have to know japanese to enjoy it once you received it. And the price was friggin' high! The sad thing is this is when it was just becoming easy for anime exposure. Nowadays there are conventions all over the place, they carry manga in mainstream bookstores, you have Amazon the seller of EVERYTHING, and on top of that you can direct download some of the more popular animes on netflix. Isn't it great living in the future?
This extra exposure to things that others who were not genetically predispositioned to dress up as Beverly Crusher on Halloween two years in a row (that's me, by the way) means that people are no longer surprised by they hobbies that previously had either been hidden from the majority of the public or had been stigmatized by popular culture and individuals who didn't understand nor cared to do the research. I encourage young pen and paper gamers to watch the Tom Hanks classic Mazes and Monsters. This is how our hobby was portrayed. Can you believe that? As much as the internet has its down points, its ability to connect and teach has lessened the stereotypes. Now there are many more avenues for communication and learning, and acceptance is definitely increasing over time.
But another thing I see happening is that there is a lot more "casual nerding" going on. There are people who may be interested in one sci-fi series, but can't seem to dig the whole Asimov or LeGuin library. There are people who really like playing Mass Effect but then would never consider the rest of Bioware's franchises or even other games like mass effect. There are people like me who do like a really good Doctor Who episode, but don't hunker down to watch the entirety of the series or feel it even necessary to appreciate it. Possibly because the need of extreme interest is low thanks to media, we're getting more people who like geeky pursuits but don't love them the same way the smaller geek culture did before. If you don't have to an hour and a half bus ride to get that book you've been waiting for, it's probably easier to love the series and not be a die-hard.
And this is part of the reason I feel like writing this whole long rant today. Living in the future means we are more exposed to these great hobbies and genres that have now experienced more time in the limelight. It's fantastic. As much as I haven't read or seen Game of Thrones (I swear to god I'll read the books don't judge me) I'm happy that we have a fantasy series outside of Tolkien's world that is now part of popular culture. I'm elated that people are getting interested in the philosophical quandries that sci-fi explores in new stories. I have to stop myself from doing a joyful dance when I went into a Barnes and Noble and saw they were selling Settlers of Catan and Pandemic. It's almost as if we're in a miniature nerd renaissance.
But with that there are some drawbacks. Part of the reason I used to love sci-fi is that I found that it was the better composed art forms. Tighter, more thoughtful writing was prevalent. Things were thought through. But the more I look back, the more I realize that this was due to my mother's really good taste in art all around. There are really bad versions of any traditionally nerdy pursuit out there, and thanks to living in the future, that has also spread around. I am not going to pretend I know what all of them are, and in fact I'm not going to list any for fear of nerd rage. Feel free to leave it in the comments. But we all know what we're talking about. This is why we're always wary of any story with lizard men--it doesn't automatically mean it's bad, but it does mean there is a higher probability of crap in that story.
Now that these nerd loves are front and center, it means that there is a higher probability that the "normal consumer" of certain medias are going to be more highly exposed to the filth. Noticed how many comic book movies are receiving the sequel treatment that ruined many a franchise before. Old sci-fi movies are getting redone and forgetting why those stories were important in the first place. One example that I hate picking on but I'm going to anyway is Star Trek: Into Darkness. J.J. Abrahms makes great movies. They're exciting and riveting and you get sucked in the theater and you forget that you drank a bucket worth of lemonade and need to pee for the last hour of the film. He makes great films. I'm never going to argue that Into Darkness was a bad movie. But I will argue is that Into Darkness was bad Star Trek. We're talking about a series that was known for thoughtful questions of humanity that were answered in hour-long shows. Not every episode does that, but the pursuits of those questions are always present. Those questions were not fully defined or explored in Into Darkness. In fact, I would argue that Into Darkness has the opposite problem that the very first Star Trek movie had. Star Trek: The Motion Picture was a great question about the reach of humanity in space and its affects that was clouded with bad writing and editing. Star Trek: Into Darkness was a very well done movie that never touched anything that would make the audience think after they left the theater.
On top of the normal things that will affect any medium that becomes part of pop culture, you now also have nerds becoming more prevalent as characters in other stories, such as Penelope in Criminal Minds. Her portrayl is okay, although it does totally fall into the stereotypical problems that any hacker schematics do in any TV show or movie (no, hacking isn't just a bunch of fast code typing, it doesn't work quite like that). But let's take a look at The Big Bang Theory. I'm officially going to say this: fuck that show. What the internet did to help get away from stereotypes that associate with nerds, i.e. the whole loner persona who has trouble communicating with people and are so out of the loop they can use their personality to collect disability, The Big Bang Theory brought back in full force. There are geeky people of all different walks, and let me tell you I've been a loyal fan of Star Trek while still knowing how to dress fashionably and not be socially awkward. I could make a whole blog post about how we have to stop treating socially awkward like it's a subset of cute, but then I may have to do research into The New Girl and I'm not feeling that.
Finally, there is the in-fighting. I've posted about this before, where there is a subset of nerds judging other nerds about not being geeky enough. Female cosplayers do get the largest brunt of it but it happens all over the place. People who don't know all the lore judging people they believe know less of the lore for their beloved series. People who think that the influx of women in certain fields is entirely superficial. People who feel you have to prove yourself to them before you can join their games. SERIOUSLY GUYS! There should not be a test on whether or not you're a nerd! Why would we be so exclusive? Who benefits from that? Seriously, so many other groups have shot themselves in the foot from in-fighting, do we want to join those ranks because someone who wants to join your Star Trek marathons doesn't fluently speak Klingon? Are we seriously going to do this?
As you can see, there are so many benefits to this new nerd era we're living in right now, but also some set backs. Some of the things that I hope all of the geek-spheres take advantage of is the ability to expose more people to the love of their hobbies. For example, my friend David Zoltan, the man who introduced me to the LARP hobby I've loved, is now opening up Geek Bar Chicago thanks to the magic of kickstarter. I don't know how successful this could've been without the magic of living in the future. I think if we invest in spreading the word and accessibility, we can teach the masses why we've loved these hobbies all this time, and invite them into what we invested those long bus rides across town for. That will help get rid of the issues with misrepresentation and, potentially, with poor quality nerd productions. We just have to show everyone not only what we like, but why we like it.
As a side note, there's a part of me that likes bringing good sci-fi to the forefront. Star Trek is definitely a big part of the reason why NASA exists in the first place. So many genius people were inspired by it. Maybe we can get that again in hope that it wil inspire the next generation for us to a better future, where maybe NASA will no longer be considered non-essential. Because in the long run, those hopes that widened our eyes when we participated in all of these things are actually help make us into people who strive to problem-solve, discover and create in the future. That would be the best result of this mini renaissance, don't you think?
September 5, 2013
It can be so easy...
To lose yourself in the middle of a very s#!$ty job.
I work in a business that involves a lot of energy during the day, so yes, it can be hard to write something once a week in the pursuit of becoming a legit writer. But if the expectations are reasonable, an entry a week shouldn't be so draining on top of you normal life, especially when you don't have any rug-rats to distract and a super supportive boyfriend.
But then you find yourself in this job that essentially stole your energy because of unreasonable expectations and pressures from above.
Long story short, next week Monday I am starting a new job, still leasing, and I am hoping I'll be able to continue with blogging soon so I can tell everyone my nerd-ventures. The plan is that I will work on posting one thoughtful entry once a week for your enjoyment.
It's going to take a while to get back to having a serious following but I look forward to working hard at it. See you all next week.
I work in a business that involves a lot of energy during the day, so yes, it can be hard to write something once a week in the pursuit of becoming a legit writer. But if the expectations are reasonable, an entry a week shouldn't be so draining on top of you normal life, especially when you don't have any rug-rats to distract and a super supportive boyfriend.
But then you find yourself in this job that essentially stole your energy because of unreasonable expectations and pressures from above.
Long story short, next week Monday I am starting a new job, still leasing, and I am hoping I'll be able to continue with blogging soon so I can tell everyone my nerd-ventures. The plan is that I will work on posting one thoughtful entry once a week for your enjoyment.
It's going to take a while to get back to having a serious following but I look forward to working hard at it. See you all next week.
April 1, 2013
The Walking Dead needs some new writers
Dear producers of The Walking Dead,
You have got to get a better writing staff.
You have got to get a better writing staff.
[For those of you reading this not a producer, FYI there are WALKING DEAD SEASON THREE SPOILERS AHEAD]
Season Two obviously dragged on, but the first half of season three was showing us that all bets were off and that there will be high paced action. It delivered a new dangerous setting, new characters, and even a new danger--other people.
I should've known that when the second black guy in a row dies only to be replaced by a new black character, things were only going to get worse. (And no, I definitely wasn't the only one who noticed that.)
I don't know what it is, but your minority and female character writing is hit or miss. Michonne is still awesome, Carol has grown incredibly, Maggie is a solid part of the front line. But what the hell did you think you could with Lori after you dragged on the love triangle through half that previous season like a roadkill stuck on the grill of a truck? Of course you had to kill her off. There was no redemption possible with a character as inconsistent as Lori.
And now you've gone and done the same thing to Andrea. She got hypnotized by Governor dick and only in the second to last episode in the season does she realize that this dude has serious issues. Oh my god, hasn't she figured out she's attracted to the crazies? Forget the tanks full of heads or the locked up zombie daughter or the farming and entertainment of keeping walkers in a town you promised to protect or lying to you about attacking your friends... but you find a make-shift torture chair that Milton decided to show you and now suddenly you want to leave? You couldn't trust the woman who saved your life multiple times when she told you that the place is shady? This could've been a more captivating story of friends with different survival structures, but instead you made Andrea a confused symbol of whatever the hell the writer wanted to exemplify for 10 minutes of the episode. I did not mourn her death because even in death, she needlessly hesitated over some bullshit!
My conclusion is not that you can't write female characters, you just don't know who to write conflicted characters well. Ever. Look at Rick's wavering in the second and third season, which is suppose to show how hard it is for him to be good. NO IT'S NOT! It's just when he thinks more than five seconds is when people die, but when he uses his conscious do things work out they way they should for his group. Well, at least this season, but let's not talk about how you tried to present Shane as crazy in season two when he was just angry and adaptive to his environment.
Did your writers not know what to do with all these new characters? Why introduce the holed-up inmates if you end up killing ALL of them? Why only have Tyreese for four episodes of the season? Why wait until right before the finale to have us empathize with the Governor's henchmen? Why develop Milton that late on as well? Gah! Too many whys that only distance me from the show and it's world, not make me any more interested.
This finale definitely left me as a fan on a down note. There was a lot of wasted potential, especially for those of us who actually read the goddamn comic. Below I'm going to list everything that disappointed me, partly as a fan and partly as a writer.
-Tyreese and Sasha were ridiculously under-utilized. We need their moral sanity to balance the crazy Rick bought to the table. Herschel is more spiritual, Tyreese is more practical. More of him and Sasha.
-Even with the Governor surprising everyone, he cannot gun down twenty people by himself! Especially when half of them have guns!
-It was way too late to introduce the Carl rebellion subplot. Should've done that episodes ago, even if it won't blow up until next season
-Am I really suppose to believe there were enough people who just decided to immigrate from Woodbury with the enemy they were told to avoid?
-HOLY CRAP YOU LEAD US TO BELIEVE SHIT WAS GOING DOWN AND WE ONLY GOT FIVE MINUTES OF ACTUAL CONFLICT?!?!?!?!
What a cop-out. And now that Rick has even more people to be responsible for, how the hell are we going to start next season? They're stuck in the jail with these children and old fogies to protect now? Rick is suddenly just letting any old person into the group? As much as Carl is on the path to being a murderous dick he has a point--you can't just trust people these days anymore. So we're going to let half a town of strangers in a compound that you can't secure? And now others are going to think you're going to have open arms to accept them? Word is going to fucking spread and you know it, you dumbasses.
I'm afraid next season, I may find myself not giving a shit. I'll probably still watch it because it's zombies, and if zombies are involved I'm interested. But I imagine instead of one in thousands, I'll be one in dozens. Until you get some writers who can do something inspiring with this setting. Because right now, you're story is begging for an actual story to tell.
Sincerely
d20 Sapphire
P.S. What would I write to save you? Nuh-uh, no freebies. Let's sign a contract and I'll give you some pointers. The only tip you're getting is that if you haven't read World War Z already, you should and be ashamed that it took you this long.
February 27, 2013
Indie Game Wednesdays--You Will Be Missed
For the last few months I was gaming with a great group of guys in Chicago which expanded my gaming knowledge. Now I have a promotion starting Friday and I don't know if my schedule will align with typical gaming on weeknights, since right now I don't live that close to the city. But I would like to thank the guys for introducing me to some great games, some of which include:
Apocalypse World: First game I played with them, and I knew I was in for a great time. The system is simple and flexible, and we were able to create RIDICULOUS characters that had fantastic interactions. I suggest this game to anyone who's interested in something a little of the standard path.
InSpectres: Only did a one shot, but having an rpg about managing a spy franchise is fun and new. Also, using confessionals as a saving grace in a pinch is a fantastic mechanic.
Final Girl: Playing multiple characters in a horror story to see who may have a chance to be the final survivor is something so much more exciting (and hilarious) to play than it sounds, and it already sounds awesome!
Everything is Dolphins: A college friend sent this to me (long story) and the group was very willing to try. Simple but easy to have a light-hearted fun time, because eff it, you're all dolphins!
And so many more I'm not thinking about right now but were super fun (guys if you read this please add if you like!).
So although I am sure I shall game with them again, thank you guys for introducing me to these fantastic games. I don't think I would have ever had a chance to try out any of the things we played without your help.
Apocalypse World: First game I played with them, and I knew I was in for a great time. The system is simple and flexible, and we were able to create RIDICULOUS characters that had fantastic interactions. I suggest this game to anyone who's interested in something a little of the standard path.
InSpectres: Only did a one shot, but having an rpg about managing a spy franchise is fun and new. Also, using confessionals as a saving grace in a pinch is a fantastic mechanic.
Final Girl: Playing multiple characters in a horror story to see who may have a chance to be the final survivor is something so much more exciting (and hilarious) to play than it sounds, and it already sounds awesome!
Everything is Dolphins: A college friend sent this to me (long story) and the group was very willing to try. Simple but easy to have a light-hearted fun time, because eff it, you're all dolphins!
And so many more I'm not thinking about right now but were super fun (guys if you read this please add if you like!).
So although I am sure I shall game with them again, thank you guys for introducing me to these fantastic games. I don't think I would have ever had a chance to try out any of the things we played without your help.
January 14, 2013
I've been cheating on this blog with backstory!
So the real reason I haven't written since November of last year (seriously? I can't believe I did that but that happened) is because I have been caught up in the excitement that my LARP group has for our next chronicle.
What's the next chronicle? Well our national LARP group, Mind's Eye Society, resets the setting (aka pseudo end of the world stuff) and begins anew so that characters and the cities don't stagnate into an old boys club, among many other reasons (rules resetting are also kind of a factor). Many of us take this opportunity to make new characters. I am continuing my writing and research that I originally did for this blog and making a character for next chronicle, which will start officially in June. Her name is Anahita McGregor.
I don't want to reveal too much about her out in the open right now, but I can give you a taste of her nuances in this soundtrack I made:
I am hoping to find time to sit down and write about the last couple of months nerd adventures. We have a lot of catching up to do.
What's the next chronicle? Well our national LARP group, Mind's Eye Society, resets the setting (aka pseudo end of the world stuff) and begins anew so that characters and the cities don't stagnate into an old boys club, among many other reasons (rules resetting are also kind of a factor). Many of us take this opportunity to make new characters. I am continuing my writing and research that I originally did for this blog and making a character for next chronicle, which will start officially in June. Her name is Anahita McGregor.
I don't want to reveal too much about her out in the open right now, but I can give you a taste of her nuances in this soundtrack I made:
November 17, 2012
NaNoWriMo update: Life is such a distraction
At first I was not writing in the blog because of the fact I was actually making a lot of headway with NaNoWriMo, and didn't want to suffer burn out.
And then out of nowhere, I did.
I think it was a combination of factors--I volunteered to do extra things for my LARP (will be posting about that soon), I had a whole weekend of friends when I usually work, and my schedule is now topsy-turvy with the holidays and scrambling to get ever last paid vacation day off. Yeah, those can sneak up on you, at least until you kids from what I see.
On top of that I have a lot of things I would like to write about here, and at a point I was feeling guilty since I should be working on my NaNoWriMo story. But I've decided that's a silly thing--I love the blog and I love my readers I have gathered the short time I've been doing it, so I can't abandon you!
Right now I'm right under 8,000 but I'm not going to give up. I want to finish this story and I also want to get to the goal, but the first is a little more important than the second. I will have a lot of time off around Thanksgiving, I'm hoping to catch up then, but we'll see.
I should be able to do this, anybody who went to college is able to write 50,000 words, right?
And then out of nowhere, I did.
I think it was a combination of factors--I volunteered to do extra things for my LARP (will be posting about that soon), I had a whole weekend of friends when I usually work, and my schedule is now topsy-turvy with the holidays and scrambling to get ever last paid vacation day off. Yeah, those can sneak up on you, at least until you kids from what I see.
On top of that I have a lot of things I would like to write about here, and at a point I was feeling guilty since I should be working on my NaNoWriMo story. But I've decided that's a silly thing--I love the blog and I love my readers I have gathered the short time I've been doing it, so I can't abandon you!
Right now I'm right under 8,000 but I'm not going to give up. I want to finish this story and I also want to get to the goal, but the first is a little more important than the second. I will have a lot of time off around Thanksgiving, I'm hoping to catch up then, but we'll see.
I should be able to do this, anybody who went to college is able to write 50,000 words, right?
October 31, 2012
Happy Halloween or NanoWriMo Eve!
Readers, I've been having a serious case of writer's block, but it is actually a good time to do it--I'm going to try National Novel Writing Month again.
I need to. Certain habits of mine have died down, and I think if I force myself to write more, they;ll come back, and I'll be a happier person and better writer for it.
Please feel free to read my twitter, @d20sapphire, as I update. I'm trying to do the 1667/day goal, or possibly more when I have more time. The thing is this will force me to make more time, and if I get into that habit, I'll finally be able to chuck out some of these stories that have been floating in my head for years, over a decade for some.
Wish me luck! And those of you joining me, all the luck to you as well!
P.S. no Halloween Costume, but tonight I'll be joining nerdy friends for a game of either Microscope, Final Girl or Zombie Cinema. I'll let you know how it goes!
I need to. Certain habits of mine have died down, and I think if I force myself to write more, they;ll come back, and I'll be a happier person and better writer for it.
Please feel free to read my twitter, @d20sapphire, as I update. I'm trying to do the 1667/day goal, or possibly more when I have more time. The thing is this will force me to make more time, and if I get into that habit, I'll finally be able to chuck out some of these stories that have been floating in my head for years, over a decade for some.
Wish me luck! And those of you joining me, all the luck to you as well!
P.S. no Halloween Costume, but tonight I'll be joining nerdy friends for a game of either Microscope, Final Girl or Zombie Cinema. I'll let you know how it goes!
October 17, 2012
Finally watched season 2 of The Walking Dead
In fact I finished the season a little over a week ago but I just didn't get a moment to sit down and compose my thoughts. I wanted to do it before Season 3 premiered. Oops!
Season two of The Walking Dead did not kick nearly as much ass as the first season did. In fact, a recent photoplasty from Cracked.com explains a good half of the problem.
I was so excited to see crazy situations that would push survivors to brink. I was excited to see who was going to bite the dust, and who was not. I was excited to see what fucked up situation would involve creativity and strength and endurance.
Less than half the season was about that.
The first two and the last two episodes had a lot of the same things I loved in the first season. Starting with the scene of people hiding under the cars, and ending with Rick announcing to everyone that this whole group was no longer a democracy, that was the kind of drama in an apocalyptic setting. But instead what we got was a lot of people yelling at each other. Or even worse, just nagging back and fourth.
SPOILERS AHEAD
I don't get how many times the writers thought they should talk about life questions: "opting out" of the harsh existence, continuing the human race despite this horrible setting, the treatment of those who have wronged and been wronged. But in this type of drama, you really only need to devote 30 minutes of conversation to it before you have to put some serious action in. You don't need 3 suicide moments, you don't need a love triangle that lasts almost the ENTIRE FUCKING SEASON and seems to be one sided. You can only have the character you hate be right so many times until the audience says "Hey you stupid characters! He's crazy but he's going to save you're life! Shut up this time!"
It seems like the writers were forced to think about character development and hit a brick wall. And another one. And then another one with a piano falling on their heads. Shane was a great example. He could've been there to show us that survival was harsh and cruel in this new zombie world, that you can be complexly conflicted with what you have to do to live and who you want to be. Instead, Shane was just vilified left and right. Every chance they had to redeem him got swept away by him being a huge asshole, and most of the time for no damn reason. We see the main characters make horrible survival choices, romantic endeavors prioritized in the story over other interesting lines, characters good points written poorly and bad points overemphasized. I still watched all of it because I loved the characters from the last season, but Angie's angst, Daryl's whining, and the disgraceful inconsistencies in Lori's every action in every episode had me pulling my hair out. And to top it off, the women were poorly written for this season, except Maggie, who wasn't great but just okay.
The setting being stuck on Herschel's farm also slowed everything down, which must have been intentional on the writer's part to use it as a place to station half the season as monologue central. And that was a huge contribution to it dragging. Notice how the episodes that were best for the season consistently mostly either off the farm or getting off the farm. The magic, idyllic famrhouse was not the best place to really progress the story or the characters, they stagnated. The zombie drama does best with the idea that NOWHERE is safe for even a significant amount of time. You must keep alert and keep struggling if you want to live. We lost that appeal early on.
The end of the last episode really did save it for me. We see Rick struggle over doing the right thing (and almost fuck up royally every single time) and never get any gratitude . It is about time for him to tell everyone to either put up or shut up. So I'm excited to see where season 3 takes us (and again, not waiting as long as I did for Season 2) but they better learn from their mistakes from season 2. If they don't, I will not be watching this next season through.
Season two of The Walking Dead did not kick nearly as much ass as the first season did. In fact, a recent photoplasty from Cracked.com explains a good half of the problem.
I was so excited to see crazy situations that would push survivors to brink. I was excited to see who was going to bite the dust, and who was not. I was excited to see what fucked up situation would involve creativity and strength and endurance.
Less than half the season was about that.
The first two and the last two episodes had a lot of the same things I loved in the first season. Starting with the scene of people hiding under the cars, and ending with Rick announcing to everyone that this whole group was no longer a democracy, that was the kind of drama in an apocalyptic setting. But instead what we got was a lot of people yelling at each other. Or even worse, just nagging back and fourth.
SPOILERS AHEAD
I don't get how many times the writers thought they should talk about life questions: "opting out" of the harsh existence, continuing the human race despite this horrible setting, the treatment of those who have wronged and been wronged. But in this type of drama, you really only need to devote 30 minutes of conversation to it before you have to put some serious action in. You don't need 3 suicide moments, you don't need a love triangle that lasts almost the ENTIRE FUCKING SEASON and seems to be one sided. You can only have the character you hate be right so many times until the audience says "Hey you stupid characters! He's crazy but he's going to save you're life! Shut up this time!"
The setting being stuck on Herschel's farm also slowed everything down, which must have been intentional on the writer's part to use it as a place to station half the season as monologue central. And that was a huge contribution to it dragging. Notice how the episodes that were best for the season consistently mostly either off the farm or getting off the farm. The magic, idyllic famrhouse was not the best place to really progress the story or the characters, they stagnated. The zombie drama does best with the idea that NOWHERE is safe for even a significant amount of time. You must keep alert and keep struggling if you want to live. We lost that appeal early on.
The end of the last episode really did save it for me. We see Rick struggle over doing the right thing (and almost fuck up royally every single time) and never get any gratitude . It is about time for him to tell everyone to either put up or shut up. So I'm excited to see where season 3 takes us (and again, not waiting as long as I did for Season 2) but they better learn from their mistakes from season 2. If they don't, I will not be watching this next season through.
October 8, 2012
Fantastic nerdy birthday haul!
I would've posted on Friday if it wasn't for me having a joint my birthday slash my mother's CPA party. Oh yeah, by the way my mother is a CPA! She passed every test!
Since Friday was the party I didn't get some of my awesome nerdy swag until later. It includes:
-A poster of The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Super-Heroes! comic, when they first fought Loki, God of Evil. I need to frame it.
-A couple of puny That's What She Said beer glasses. If you know me in person you know it's one of my favorite jokes to pull. Granted not every five seconds like a teenager.
-A bottle of Stark Raving Red, which looks like it has a picture of a mad steampunk scientist on it. I love me some red wine.
-A Twilight card from friends who were amused to annoy me.
-Dice from Mystic, because he knows that d20s are a girl's best friend.
A very decent nerdy hall this year.
October 3, 2012
Once Upon A Time: Something I should've written about months ago
Around the same time I was giving Grimm a chance was the same time that Once Upon a Time came out on the scene. I was more excited about Grimm just because of how one friend had described the premises of both shows. I was also afraid that it would be too close to Fable, the comic book series that I read a bit of when a friend lent it to me in college. By the way, what I read was also pretty good if you're into non-superhero based comic series.
But then you may remember when I decided not to go back to Grimm, and at that point a different friend was telling me about how amazing Once Upon a Time is. I went on hulu and I decided to catch up.
The first season is probably one of the best written dramas on television I have ever seen. I sincerely mean that, as someone who appreciates a lot of great shows from the past and present. Recently comedies have been getting a lot of the writing talent, with a few dramas surviving the test of time. Lost and a couple others have been able to survive, but very few have been able to. Oh my god, I don't remember if I ever told you about the time I tried to keep up with The Event, but that was painful. Very painful!
Once Upon a Time's first season revolves around the strange happenings in Storybrooke, which happen around the time Emma, our hero who is unaware of her fate, turns 28. Henry, her son she gave up for adoption ten years before, finds her and lures her back. He is convinced that the people of Storybrooke are fairy-tale characters that have been cursed to this little town, and that his adoptive mother, Regina, is the evil queen that sent them there. Emma writes this off as a child who's very attached to this book he just read.
But Henry is right. And as the child of Snow White and Prince Charming, Emma is the only way to break the curse.
Through season one you don't only see the fairy-tale characters coping with these new lives they don't realize they've been stuck in for the last 28 years, you see who they were before and the kinds of characters they were. And because ABC is able to play with the Disney universe, you see references to your favorite interpretations to the lore you grew up with. Each episode shows the background of a character and their present situation. I was so impressed that almost every episode had a twist that I did not see coming. You get totally invested in the characters you love and the characters you hate. Both are written with great depth and thought. Hearkening back to Grimm, there was not a "Hitler is a Werewolf" moment. The cast is also fantastic. They are definitely great at portraying their characters consistently through the show, which is vital. My personal favorite is Rumpelstiltskin as played by Robert Carlyle. He gets down the mischief concealing his power plays pretty well. All around it was a great package.
Here is my suggestion to you if you haven't done so already: watch all of Season One. Netflix has it now, and if you have hulu plus you may be able to get it there too. Watch it IN ORDER because the season is soooo well written that you have to watch it in order to appreciate the universe in it's entirety.
I just saw the first episode of season two, and it has taken the show into some dark places pretty fast. I am sure they've got an idea on how they want to do this, it's just not where I expected it to go. After you're caught up on season one, watch season two. Please feel free to let me know what you think of it. Seriously, shoot me an email about it! It's the kind of show that's great watching it on your own, but even better if you have someone to chat about.
But then you may remember when I decided not to go back to Grimm, and at that point a different friend was telling me about how amazing Once Upon a Time is. I went on hulu and I decided to catch up.
The first season is probably one of the best written dramas on television I have ever seen. I sincerely mean that, as someone who appreciates a lot of great shows from the past and present. Recently comedies have been getting a lot of the writing talent, with a few dramas surviving the test of time. Lost and a couple others have been able to survive, but very few have been able to. Oh my god, I don't remember if I ever told you about the time I tried to keep up with The Event, but that was painful. Very painful!
Once Upon a Time's first season revolves around the strange happenings in Storybrooke, which happen around the time Emma, our hero who is unaware of her fate, turns 28. Henry, her son she gave up for adoption ten years before, finds her and lures her back. He is convinced that the people of Storybrooke are fairy-tale characters that have been cursed to this little town, and that his adoptive mother, Regina, is the evil queen that sent them there. Emma writes this off as a child who's very attached to this book he just read.
But Henry is right. And as the child of Snow White and Prince Charming, Emma is the only way to break the curse.
Here is my suggestion to you if you haven't done so already: watch all of Season One. Netflix has it now, and if you have hulu plus you may be able to get it there too. Watch it IN ORDER because the season is soooo well written that you have to watch it in order to appreciate the universe in it's entirety.
I just saw the first episode of season two, and it has taken the show into some dark places pretty fast. I am sure they've got an idea on how they want to do this, it's just not where I expected it to go. After you're caught up on season one, watch season two. Please feel free to let me know what you think of it. Seriously, shoot me an email about it! It's the kind of show that's great watching it on your own, but even better if you have someone to chat about.
October 1, 2012
Guild Wars 2: Yes you should play it.
 |
| My asura had a tree climbing phase. |
Let me go over the basics.
After you know your character looks great, a quick introduction story gets you a easy to follow tutorial where you start already playing with people. From there you're dropped off at a starting place for your race and free reign to explore!
The tasks that you can pick to gain experience are scattered all throughout the map, indicated with gold hearts. As you get close it'll let you know what you can do to help with the task, which is usually one of several things. Yes you can get significant XP without having to kill everything in site, and you don't get punished severely if you do just want to kill everything you can. You also get rewarded for reviving other players and NPCs, and for crafting.
Oh man crafting. You can cook, sew, build, smith, and smelt a ton of items that you'll find around the Guild Wars 2 world. Cooking is popular for helping you level up fast, and jewelry is a craft people like to take to they can make some serious coin. I personally like being able to make my own armor. It's also super easy to pick up and learn how to make new things. You'll be given some basic recipes but soon you'll be able to discover a ton more. Not sure what to do with that new shimmering dust you got? See what ingredients you can mix with it! You can only practice two crafts at a time but if you leave one for a while and pick it back up, you'll start where you left off.
And if none of that convinced you, I will leave you with a video of all the different dances of Tyria. There is no shame in buying a video game merely to have your character dance. No shame I tell you!
September 28, 2012
Belated Birthday Wish for the future
Yesterday I celebrated turning 26 years of age. Woot! I did make a wish off my birthday cake that I did not share with anyone and refuse to until it comes true. But it's not the only wish I make.
The news that warp drives may actually be possible returned a hope in me that I didn't remember since I was a child. Space was a place that was magical and fun. You could float! You would discover new things! You may even meet aliens! Why wouldn't a child want to go? Many of us were taught to reach the stars. Why not reach literal stars?
As you get older you realize the reality of that dream. Space is cold. You need a lot of fuel. You need food. And you have to build an efficient shelter to sustain yourself. Space travel is hard work! How are you supposed to do it? They make it look so easy on Star Trek!
Now it can be easy like Star Trek.
So I wish out loud a long term wish, which is part of the reason I feel safe saying it. Because it's not a wish you can put a little hope out in the universe and pray to yourself it hooks on to something good. It's a wish that's going to take a lot of dedication, a lot of work from the right people.
I wish that my grandchildren will be able to comfortably live on Mars.
The news that warp drives may actually be possible returned a hope in me that I didn't remember since I was a child. Space was a place that was magical and fun. You could float! You would discover new things! You may even meet aliens! Why wouldn't a child want to go? Many of us were taught to reach the stars. Why not reach literal stars?
As you get older you realize the reality of that dream. Space is cold. You need a lot of fuel. You need food. And you have to build an efficient shelter to sustain yourself. Space travel is hard work! How are you supposed to do it? They make it look so easy on Star Trek!
Now it can be easy like Star Trek.
So I wish out loud a long term wish, which is part of the reason I feel safe saying it. Because it's not a wish you can put a little hope out in the universe and pray to yourself it hooks on to something good. It's a wish that's going to take a lot of dedication, a lot of work from the right people.
I wish that my grandchildren will be able to comfortably live on Mars.
September 26, 2012
The Art of Video Games: Why you should see it.
Part of the reason I haven't posted in what seems like forever (have you missed me?) is because I was getting ready for a trip to the D.C. area to see family there with Mystic. He met some family there for the first time and it went great! But we also wanted to go to D.C. to see The Art of Video Games, which is only at the American Art Museum until September 30th. And it was amazing.
Above is the screen you could see on your way in. A video which showed a bunch of the video games featured in the section. It was a small three room exhibit the power of it was immediate.
The artwork that helped with development was in the first room, with some great quotes from developers talking about it's artistic qualities. You see here we saw some great art from the first days of Starcraft. There was also some comparisons to the animation process.
After that you went into a room where five legendary games were available to play: Pacman, Super Mario Brothers, The Secret of Monkey Island, Myst, and Flower. You could only play a little bit of each, but it was still a great way to understand what those games were about and to get a taste as to what people saw in them.
Finally you were able to see the history of the games and their types from console to console. The genres were divided into adventure, action, target and tactics. Each console would show an example of each genre and how it changed and evolved as a visual and tactile storytelling device with artistic choices in development made all throughout the way.
I got really emotional seeing it. This is a hobby that is dear to my heart, that I play because of it's artistic merits and great narratives as well as for escapism. It has been too long compared with other children's toys. At this point, we took a step ahead in gaming to comparing it was a medium similar to books and film, or dare I say a combination of the two. It was touching to see a serious take on the art in the medium, and to see people happy to learn about it. I had to wipe away tears as I was reading serious takes on games I grew up with like Sim City and Star Fox, and finally seeing some of my current favorites being celebrated, including Mass Effect 2.
The Art of Video Games is only at the American Museum of Art until the 30th, but as you can see it could be coming somewhere closer to you in the next few years. See it. Experience it. As a gamer, it'll make your hobby proud. As a non-gamer, you can see why adults pursue these virtual stories.
August 22, 2012
Some Similar Villainy
Sitting in my car listening to whatever comes up on my iPod, I realized something:
One of my favorite villains from my childhood is extremely similar to one of my favorite villains of today.
One of my favorite villains from my childhood is extremely similar to one of my favorite villains of today.
Oogie Boogie from The Nightmare Before Christmas has a lot in common with Rumpelstiltskin from Once Upon A Time.
Let me list my thoughts:
-Both work toward selfish gains
-Both rarely ever take pity
-Both are obsessed with making deals, bargins and gambles
-Both prefer to hide away from normal society, and selectively interact with it to pursue their own goals (Oogie Boogie with his trick-or-treat crew, Rumpelstiltskin with magic)
-Both seem to take a darker, goldish/brown hue
-Both try their best to make sure the odds are entirely in their favor
If you know Rumpelstiltskin's back story from the show, you may know this wasn't always true, but a good chunk of it is when you first met him.
Now that I type it out it doesn't seem that significant, but it shows in my life I've always had a favor toward certain bad guys. I never could get the whole "I want all the power" or "I'm just merely evil" motives. It just made more sense you would have bad guys who just do stuff for their own gain, and be clever enough to get away with it. I think maybe it was easier to relate to--we've all known someone who likes to make sure they're dealt the best hand in life. And to be honest, who could blame them?
Will have to confirm my hypothesis by watching The Nightmare Before Christmas sometime soon. Halloween is almost around the corner...
August 17, 2012
"Fake Empire"--when LARP imitates art. P.S. don't f%@k with Chicago.
My character Ellen Peters was in kind of a slump for a while. She was serving a prince to Chicago who was kind of a dick and with the Invictus, who by definition in her head are all dicks.
Before one game, a friend of mine sent out music videos to friends that reminded her of their LARP characters. This one was mine: Fake Empire by The National.
It definitely hit Ellen's heart strings. She was the only member of the Carthian Movement who could keep any respect in the city, and even though she still aligned with them, she had to play nice with the big boys of the Invictus. Ellen made her own friends with even more monstrous people that she felt she could trust more, and laid low.
And then came the Prima Invicta from the East, trying to convince everyone to join their empire that continued to grow. They had met some resistance but nothing too serious. They came to the Prince of Chicago and offered him Vicerory of several states. He took it.
Chicago proceeded to say "What the hell?!" I won't go into the long story, but that character is no longer Prince. And Chicago has continued to tell the Prima Invicta that they can go choke.
Meanwhile, I think back to when my friend chose this song, and think about all those out East...
"We're wide awake in a fake empire" is what some of them must be thinking to themselves.
Before one game, a friend of mine sent out music videos to friends that reminded her of their LARP characters. This one was mine: Fake Empire by The National.
It definitely hit Ellen's heart strings. She was the only member of the Carthian Movement who could keep any respect in the city, and even though she still aligned with them, she had to play nice with the big boys of the Invictus. Ellen made her own friends with even more monstrous people that she felt she could trust more, and laid low.
And then came the Prima Invicta from the East, trying to convince everyone to join their empire that continued to grow. They had met some resistance but nothing too serious. They came to the Prince of Chicago and offered him Vicerory of several states. He took it.
Chicago proceeded to say "What the hell?!" I won't go into the long story, but that character is no longer Prince. And Chicago has continued to tell the Prima Invicta that they can go choke.
Meanwhile, I think back to when my friend chose this song, and think about all those out East...
"We're wide awake in a fake empire" is what some of them must be thinking to themselves.
August 8, 2012
Planning Enough
I am so afraid for DnD I do not plan enough.
Part of it is because I like to run my games with a plot line encased in a very open world. It's like Skyrim (which I've been playing a lot of these days), but I'm hoping a better received main plot line.
The problem with this is that you never know what your players will latch on to and want to pursue. It's not only the little tidbits you thought would be easy to have your players forget, it's also the players interpretation of the big things.
For example, the last two times I ran a game in my setting, I definitely had players who took the role of working for the King seriously. They had experience and honor and lineages that they wants to make sure came into play. They knew that they were the best of the best for a reason, and it was an honor to be serving the King.
These players feel they are not the best of the best. They have bad habits and not the most impressive histories. Two of them are from a friendly kingdom, and aren't entirely 100% sworn to the king (they already have one). One was busy trying to sell potent potables to the public as a druid. One is busy trying to impregnate every lady he can. And one is merely amazed that he has a warm bed and food provided to him as a courtesy. They know they are not the best of the best, and if anything it makes this same setting feel more desperate. This isn't a position of honor. This is proof that the Kingdom needs to be pitied.
With the same introduction and the same world, the feelings are entirely different. Imagine then the difference between the person who knows everything in the world as "God" so the speak, and the difference between the players who only know what I tell them.
Therefore, considering all the unknowns with the decisions made, you cannot plan enough.
Part of it is because I like to run my games with a plot line encased in a very open world. It's like Skyrim (which I've been playing a lot of these days), but I'm hoping a better received main plot line.
The problem with this is that you never know what your players will latch on to and want to pursue. It's not only the little tidbits you thought would be easy to have your players forget, it's also the players interpretation of the big things.
For example, the last two times I ran a game in my setting, I definitely had players who took the role of working for the King seriously. They had experience and honor and lineages that they wants to make sure came into play. They knew that they were the best of the best for a reason, and it was an honor to be serving the King.
These players feel they are not the best of the best. They have bad habits and not the most impressive histories. Two of them are from a friendly kingdom, and aren't entirely 100% sworn to the king (they already have one). One was busy trying to sell potent potables to the public as a druid. One is busy trying to impregnate every lady he can. And one is merely amazed that he has a warm bed and food provided to him as a courtesy. They know they are not the best of the best, and if anything it makes this same setting feel more desperate. This isn't a position of honor. This is proof that the Kingdom needs to be pitied.
With the same introduction and the same world, the feelings are entirely different. Imagine then the difference between the person who knows everything in the world as "God" so the speak, and the difference between the players who only know what I tell them.
Therefore, considering all the unknowns with the decisions made, you cannot plan enough.
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