The World Kind of Sucks, But I Want it to be Better

It's been a fucking rough year.

And I will make no apologies for my language, because it's absolutely true. It's been a fucking rough year. Between what's going on in the rest of the world, specifically the Middle East, the sort of militarized police-state that's starting in our own backyard (itself in response to the murder of an unarmed black teenager but with the police on the wrong side of the issue), the loss of a comedic legend to such tragic circumstances, and the biggest push back against feminism I've ever seen, I hope you'll indulge me some profanity.

The Thing About Tumblr

This is going to be an opinion piece! Mostly because I've realized that if this is going to be sustainable, it needs to branch out and talk about things I think about stuff. It's going to be long, too. So without further ado, here's my opinion on something I've thought a lot about.

Doctor Who?

It's been a while since I posted anything. That's mainly because I graduated, went to Italy, and started job searching.Not in Italy. I'm back home now. Job searching. So that's kind of time consuming. I'd like to get back into the swing of things though, and what better topic to start on than a nerdy thing I'm particularly passionate about: Doctor Who.

Doo Wee Ooo

For those of you who don't know, Doctor Who is a British sci-fi series that's been running for 50 nearly uninterrupted years. It's about an alien, The Doctor, who travels through time and space with his companions, landing on a planet and saving the day just in time. Neil Gaiman says it best, I think:

Doctor Who has never pretended to be hard science fiction … At best Doctor Who is a fairytale, with fairytale logic about this wonderful man in this big blue box who at the beginning of every story lands somewhere where there is a problem.

 And again:

No, look, there's a blue box. It's bigger on the inside than it is on the outside. It can go anywhere in time and space and sometimes even where it's meant to go. And when it turns up, there's a bloke in it called The Doctor and there will be stuff wrong and he will do his best to sort it out and he will probably succeed 'cause he's awesome. Now sit down, shut up, and watch 'Blink'.

It's been running for so long with the same canon because The Doctor has a nifty little ability to regenerate, which means that as he's dying his entire body will reconstruct itself into a new one. This allows for multiple people to play The Doctor while still keeping him as the same character.

As you can see, fashion is optional between regenerations.

I love this show for a lot of reasons. Which might sound weird to high school me, who thought this was the dumbest concept for a show ever. High school me was also kind of an asshole who didn't know anything about anything, so he didn't deserve and wasn't ready to watch Doctor Who.

For full disclosure, I'll admit I started watching Doctor Who after my first breakup. It was the start of summer after my sophomore year of college and I didn't really envy the thought of three uninterrupted months alone with myself and all the bad feelings that go with a breakup. So I started watching this strictly as a distraction. And I fell in love with it, completely by accident.

I started with the revised series, which premiered in 2005 with Christopher Eccleston as the Ninth Doctor, and as an aside I recommend people new to the series start there if they don't want to jump into the middle of something. I'd done some research into the show's past so I had a basis walking in, but that was about it. So I didn't really know what to expect from this odd British show about aliens with English accents.

And then I was addicted. I worked through six series right before the seventh premiered. I own a customizable sonic screwdriver. I ran/run a Tumblr blog that's an role play of The Doctor. I convinced my mother to buy me a bow tie because bow ties are cool, even if she didn't realize what I was doing when I asked. I could debate the merits of each Doctor, tell you why Martha deserved much better writing in her season, and argue why The Doctor is not someone you want to emulate but definitely someone you want to let affect you.

So the biggest question is, why?

All the happy endings?

It's because Doctor Who isn't a typical show by today's standards. It's not cynical or ironic. It doesn't rely on dark themes and depressing ideology to appeal to viewers who are used to Breaking Bad or Game of Thrones. That's not even an indictment against those shows, because they're clearly popular for a reason. All I'm saying is that Doctor Who is a genuinely hopeful and optimistic program about a protagonist who really believes the best of you. And I say 'you' because it is insanely personal if you're willing to watch it that way.

That gif perfectly describes what this show, and The Doctor himself, is all about. And at the time I started watching, it was what I needed to hear. I liked the idea of a hero who saves the world and does it not for the glory, or for the recognition, but because he's curious and wants to help. Everyone should want a hero like that. His weapon is a screwdriver, something primarily used to fix things. It's sentimental and saccharine and I love it.

This show is about hope. But it's also about inspiring you to be a better person, and realizing that you're already capable of amazing things. All of The Doctor's companions start out in various states of monotony. Then they meet The Doctor, and they realize that their potential is limitless.

I saw a lot of this happen while I was running that RP blog (I plan on starting it back up once the show comes back on air in August; I need new content to post new stuff). Fans of the show and the character message me, asking for genuine advice from The Doctor. I know they know it isn't technically real, but for that moment they want to believe in a character who loves them, and I am always happy to give them that.

It's why I'm not embarrassed of that blog. I've had people tell me that the things I post have brightened their day, stopped them from hurting themselves, or even stopping them from taking their own life. That's a huge weight this show carries, and it goes far beyond one little blog. This is a show meant to make people look at the world in a brighter light. This is a show that succeeds in doing that.

So that's a lot of nerding out, and a more genuine nerding out than I'm used to giving. But I stand by it, and I recommend that everyone should give Doctor Who a chance. It's not for everyone; I'll be the first to admit that. But if it's for you, then you'll find a show worth obsessing over and hopefully take something away from it.

Stay beautiful. Be cool. And always geek out.

Friends According to Avatar and Me

Let's talk about friends.

Not these Friends. Never these Friends.
Image from collider.com

I have a really good group of friends. We don't take many pictures together though, which is slightly problematic when I want to show off said friends. Anyway, their names are Paige, Alex, Kayse, and Ryan. Picture us as the Avatar Gang from Avatar: The Last Airbender. Same basic idea. In fact, I'm going to make this entire post Avatar-themed because I can.

And I will.
Image from Avatar Wiki

Paige, Alex, and I are graduating in less than a month. Alex is going to law school. Paige is going to the Netherlands for a year as an au pair. I'm hopefully getting a job in my hometown with the college there (fingers crossed). Kayse and Ryan graduate next year.

We're all in this place of dread. It's the end of an era. Everyone is worried about losing touch and not being friends anymore, but no one wants to address it. After Kayse and Ryan graduate and Paige returns, the four of us want to move into a loft in Chicago together while we work through our mid-twenties. But nothing is decided yet because everything can change in a day.

None of us are talking about it. The "G" word is forbidden in our friend circle even though its only a few weeks away. And that's fine, but it doesn't make the problem any less real. Or potentially world-shattering.

It's the same sort of threat that the Avatar Gang was facing with the Fire Lord.

Ozai is graduation. If it wasn't clear.
Image from gifsoup.com

That's some pants-shittingly scary stuff. And in the real-but-not-as-awesome-as-bending-existing world it translates into the fear of graduation, and the fear of what that means for our friend group.

But I want to grab that anxiety and prove why it isn't going to be a problem.

Grab it right by the douche goatee.
Image from masterbeifongtenzin.tumblr.com/

Some bonds are incredibly strong. You don't know which bonds will last when you enter college, because chances are that the friends you walk in with aren't going to be the same ones you walk out with (exception for me is Alex. We've been friends since Freshman year).

I know that I want these friendships to last. And I think that's the key difference. I like all of my friends, don't get me wrong. I'm even happy with most of my acquaintances. But we'll go our separate ways and lead happy lives without each other and that's fine because that's what should happen.

This is the first group of friends I've felt completely comfortable around. There's no tension between any of us, I don't have to hide the kind of person I am for fear of rejection even though I have a tendency to be overbearing (I'm working on it), and I genuinely love Alex, Paige, Kayse, and Ryan.

There was an episode of Avatar where the group contemplated life after the war, and if friendships can really be maintained down the road.

Image from eireplayr.tumblr.com

It's a show where the title character can be reincarnated, so the lifetime line isn't so far-fetched. Anyway, there's a moment of panic that they all get because of it, but in the end they agree that they'll remain friends even in the next life.

Which brings us to the sequel series, Legend of Korra. New Avatar (Korra), older versions of characters from the first series, and flashbacks to the adult versions of characters from the first series. And guess what?

Bam. Friendship.
Image from bananascoop.files.wordpress.com

Yep, they stayed friends. And even after Aang died (not a spoiler because there's a new Avatar in the new series), Korra interacts with Katara, Katara and Aang's children, and Toph's daughter, Lin. Friendships can last. Even beyond lifetimes.

So even though the future is scary, I'm hopeful that I'm not going to lose my friends. We're getting that loft in Chicago. We're dedicated to it. That's what keeps people together.

I'm willing to bet it's worth the effort.

Image from fanpop.com

As always, stay beautiful. Be cool. And always geek out.

A Few Words on Neil Gaiman

Okay, this is going to be more than a few words. Sue me.

Don't actually sue me, I'm broke as hell.

So this is Neil Gaiman:

From journal.neilgaiman.com

I want to be an author because of him. There have been a few other writers that have inspired me over the years, and I'll probably talk about them eventually, but it really started with this guy.

I first encountered him through my friend Garrett who, on a summer afternoon trip to the library in high school, handed me a copy of Seasons of Mist and told me I'd love it. It was the fourth volume in Gaiman's The Sandman comics, about a character named Dream who was the embodiment of all dreams and dreaming. It makes sense if you read it, I promise.

This is me and Garrett, if anyone was wondering:

Garrett and I have a lot in common in terms of novel interest, so I took his word for it. I read a bit of it, then realized I wanted to read all of it. I got the first three volumes and read them, then returned for the next ones and read them, and so on and so on. They didn't leave my hands until they were finished. I remember reading them in the basement during a particularly bad thunderstorm that week because I couldn't stop. To say I consumed them would be underselling it.

The first book of his I read was The Graveyard Book, which was good, and then I read American Gods, which was amazing. Since then I've read a lot of his works, and I haven't been disappointed by any of them.

Last year I got to see him speak in Pittsburgh, which was one of the greatest things I've ever been able to do (shout out to my Aunt Kathy for funding that trip). It was for An Evening of Stardust, where he talked about his book Stardust (duh). He was soft-spoken, very British, very funny, and very genuine. I admired him even more afterward.

I guess what inspires me the most about Gaiman is how he's able to tell a story that people didn't know they wanted to hear until they're hearing it. His work isn't low-brow, but it's not inaccessible to the masses. He's the kind of writer I want to be. I want to write new things, or old things in newer ways, and make a career out of telling stories. I owe this to my friend Garrett's suggestion nearly seven years ago, and to Neil Gaiman's influence.

Here's a quote from The Sandman that I think perfectly sums up what it is about Neil Gaiman I like.

Everybody has a secret world inside of them. All of the people of the world, I mean everybody. No matter how dull and boring they are on the outside, inside them they've all got unimaginable, magnificent, wonderful, stupid, amazing worlds. Not just one world. Hundreds of them. Thousands maybe.

I'll let this post end with Neil Gaiman reading a poem he wrote called "The Day the Saucers Came" because I really like it.

Stay cool. Be beautiful. And always geek out.

Me and Mass Effect

It's only fair that my first post on my geek life comes from the geek thing I'm currently doing.

And that geek thing is playing through the Mass Effect series again.

Image from bioware.com

This might be my favorite video game series (favorite stand-alone is reserved for another game). For those of you unfamiliar with it, the Mass Effect series centers around Commander Shepard, and his/her battle against a galaxy-ending threat.

Mass Effect featured a customizable protagonist, with fully-recorded dialogue for both male and female Shepard. You could change facial features, hair color and haircut (though there aren't really many options there), and race. So that's a level of player integration I really like and it immediately sucked me in when I started playing the first time.

It also had the option to have a relationship with other characters throughout the series. In the first game you were limited to two choices: a human woman for the male Shepard, a human man for the female Shepard, and an alien for both Shepards. This is the alien:

Not female. Seriously.
Image from masseffect.bioware.com/me2

Technically she's not female, because the kind of alien she is is non-gender specific. If you want to know more then here's a link to the wiki for the games. But yeah, she's anatomically female and the fact that both Shepards can pursue a relationship with her, but both Shepards can't romance the male squadmate, is a male-driven lesbian fantasy. Still, they inadvertently gave the option for an LGBT relationship which is a good thing even if that might not have been the original intention.

Anyway, the next games open up even more options for romance. My first time through the first game, I romanced Ashley, the female human. But in the second game I couldn't help but romance another character.

"I got better. I got you." - Tali'Zorah, breaking my heart.
Image from masseffect.bioware.com/me2

That's Tali, a Quarian. She was a squadmate in the first game, but not a romance option. I didn't actually intend to fall in love with her (clarification: I'll probably say that when I talk about fictional characters. It's not some creepy obsession and I'd still take a real relationship any day so no worries, but I'll be using language like that a lot when talking about characters). I was just trying to wait until the next game when Ashley would be a squadmate again.

But then I really loved Tali. She was sweet, badass, a little awkward, and cared about more than just herself. Plus she's a really cute drunk. I never regretted my choice to pursue a relationship with her.

And I think that was one of the biggest lessons that Mass Effect taught me: first relationships aren't your only relationships, and they won't be your best. You should be open to new experiences, new people, because you never know who you could fall in love with.

Probably not an alien with an Eastern European accent, but still.
Image from masseffect.bioware.com/me3

But it's not the only thing I learned from Mass Effect. During the games you can make Paragon or Renegade choices, which amount to whether your Shepard will be nice or a dick. I can never choose Renegade, which was more of a self-realization that I genuinely don't enjoy being a dick (see the Little Sisters in BioShock for further evidence).

The most important lesson, though, was that even if you do everything right, bad things can still happen. This is a series where the final mission in the second game is called a suicide run by every character. At some points you can manage to keep everyone alive if you completed the necessary steps, but at other points a character's death is unavoidable.

Life can work the same way. There are going to be times where, against everything you do, something goes wrong. And that's okay. It doesn't mean you're a bad person, or that you messed up. What matters is accepting the bad and looking to the good.

I'll leave it with my favorite song from the first game's soundtrack. It resurfaces in later games too, so I think it's the best choice.

Stay cool. Be beautiful. And always geek out.

Introduction Time!

It's my first blog post! Ever. Like, really ever. I've never blogged before, so get ready for this train wreck.

Introductions are probably in order, even though most of you reading this will already know who I am since I'll be shamelessly plugging myself on Facebook and/or Twitter as soon as this post goes up.

This is me:

Hi! I'm Mitch. Or Mitchell. Or that asshole who shouts when he talks because he doesn't know the difference between a stage voice and an indoor voice sometimes.

That picture is a few months old, but all that's changed is more facial hair and I like this one anyway since I look like a discount pirate, with a bumblebee instead of a parrot because parrots are overrated. His name is Bartelby.

So let's talk about what this blog is going to be. Confession time.

I'm a geek.

No, really?

It's actually a really big part of who I am. And a lot of who I am is influenced by that. Beyond my family and friends, my geekiness has always been a shaping factor in my life and I'm really proud of that.

So that's the reason this blog exists now. I'm going to talk about those geeky things, why I love them, and how they impacted me. And I'm going to do it all with unabashed enthusiasm because you should never be ashamed of liking what you like.

Unless you like kicking puppies or something. Be ashamed of that. And then turn yourself into the authorities because what kind of ass hat likes kicking puppies?

...That got dark for an introduction post. Shit. Back to the happy.

One of my happy puppies - never kicked

So thank you for reading! I'll hopefully be posting a few times a week, once a week if I'm busy or just don't have anything to talk about.

Stay cool. Be beautiful. And always geek out.