"Be yourself; everyone else is already taken."
--Oscar Wilde
So my last post(Wake Up Nerd Culture, You're A Sham) got some interesting comments from Kenny and Elfarmy but I think that either they totally missed the point or I did a terrible job communicating the point(possibly a bit of both). So let me clarify:
The point of the post was not that John Green is a terrible guy. I don't think he is. I think, with that quote he was trying to make "Nerds" feel better, because he's probably a nice guy. However in trying to do that, I believe, he fed into an us vs. them mentality that I think is pointless and silly.
The point of the post wasn't that being part of a group is bad. I don't believe it necessarily is. I think that if you change yourself to be part of that group and refuse to take part in anything outside the group, and identify yourself solely as being part of that group then being in that group is bad.
The point of the post was that I believe that there are a large number of people, several of whom are my friends, who have labelled themselves nerds and they then feel the need to like certain things and feel certain things and be a certain way. And that bothers me.
One might ask, oh how do you know that they are changing themselves to fit in? Because their tastes fit in perfectly with the majority of nerds, they love the same books, the same music, and the same tv shows. And no one fits in that well with any one group. People are complex and have varied tastes and interests(which incidentally is what John Green's Paper Towns is about).
I do consider the Nerd Movement to be a cult or if you'd rather a religion. And I don't want to sound angry or bitter or anything like that but it does annoy me when I see members of my generation basically lying about themselves so that they can find a group. If the group is demanding that then the group is morally reprehensible but if it's just the individual doing that because of some pyschobabble mumbo jumbo then it is the individual's fault, and they need to understand that they don't need to do that.
When I said that being uncool is the new cool what I meant to do was say that when nerds are all "We're uncool, but we're find with it, we read and write and that makes us so strange and outside the mainstream. We're freakin' underground. Heck yeah!" they're wrong because they're basically becoming mainstream. And people are jumping on the bandwagon of not jumping on the bandwagon. I think that the nerdfighteria(or whatever it is) has either caused this or fed it a lot.
As the quote at the top of the post says just be yourself. Being anyone else is just sort of pointless and you'll look back and wonder why you did that. Come out of the nerd closet, come out as an individual.
Saturday, May 7, 2011
Wake Up Nerd Culture, You're A Sham
(one quick note, this is in no way a response to Elfarmy's recent post, as I've been planning on writing this for days)
"I think when people talk about nerdiness what they're really talking about are smart people who are trying to think hard about the world. And I don't think that's an insult, I think that's a great thing."
---John Green
I have spoken very often to friends of mine(and nowhere near enough on this blog) about what I like to call "country club mentality". Country Club Mentality, as I define it, is when you decide that whatever religion or country or state or church or group you happen to be part of is the best because it's the best and only people who are part of whatever it is you are part of are great people. "God Bless The USA" "Only Christians Go To Heaven" "When people talk about nerdiness what they're really talking about are smart people who are trying to think hard about the world" Ectera Ectera
I have....problems with this mindset and, in fact, I view it as the cause of a great many of our society's problems. John Lydon(or Johnny Rotten as he used to be called) once said that "National Pride Leads To War And Hate, Nothing Else, Planet Earth All The Way"(you'll be seeing that quote again) and while I don't 100% agree with that I certainly agree with it to a point.
And now we come to the "Nerd Movement" and where I start alienating a great many of my readers. It has become cool to be uncool. People are changing who they are so as to appear that they refuse to change who they are. Not Fitting in has become the new fitting in. And I have had enough of it.
A large number of people of my generation have decided that they are nerds and, because they are nerds, they must like certain things. All these so called nerds love John Green, Youtube Based Musicians, and Joss Whedon. They all do, all of them. When every member of a group loves the same things you don't have a group of people who are outcasts you have a fraternity.
That John Green quote is one of the finest examples of CCM(Country Club Mindset) that I have ever read. All nerds like to think intelligently about the world and that's the defining characteristic of the group? Really? To me that is not only ludicrous but offensive. Jocks can be just as smart and think just as hard about the world as nerds. Geeks, Punk Rockers, Emos, they can all be smart and think about the world. And someone who has as much sway with as many people as John Green has should know better than to play into age old stereotypes. He should have known better.
In the day of yore everyone agreed that Kings and Queens had the right to rule because God gave them the right to rule. They ruled because they were supposed to rule. We use almost the exact same logic today. Nerds are the best, because they're the smartest. Why are they the smartest? Because they're nerds. Logicians call that a circular argument and is a logical fallacy. But that is the thought process that CCM is based on. We're the best because we're the freaking best. USA USA, Won't you be a nerdfighter like me?
I am a firm believer in being diverse. Just because I listen to Punk Rock doesn't mean that I can't listen to showtunes. I like punk and I like showtunes and if you have a problem with that, that's your problem. Just because I watch the occasionally reality show doesn't mean I can't enjoy Doctor Who or Parks and Recreation or The West Wing. Just because I love Inception doesn't mean I can't love Frost/Nixon or True Grit. I am a firm believer in being a cultural omnivore(a term taken from one Linda Holmes on NPRs Monkey See.) When you devote yourself entirely to one thing or one style or one genre you miss out on all this awesome stuff in different styles and genres. That's why the argument "Oh Reading is so awesome, way better than watching that stupid television" strikes me as being very uniformed. Books are a medium and television is a medium, to say that one is better than the other just because some things created in the other are garbage is silly. Have there been mind-numbingly stupid tv shows? Yes, but have you read some of the YA books being published today?
Every medium, every group, ever organization has merits and disadvantages, which is why being exclusively in one group or organization or medium is never a good idea. Openness creates diversity and diversity is where greatness comes from.
I don't see the point in being in a group in which EVERYONE thinks the same things. Walk up to almost any nerdfighter and ask them their opinion of "Once More With Feeling" and they will, almost to a man, rave about it till the cows come home. Where are the nay sayers? Where is the independent thought? It, to me, is the same as when Christians identify themselves first and foremost as Christians. They listen to Christian music, watch Kirk Cameron Movies, and read inspirational books they are closing themselves off to the world and Nerds are doing the exact same thing. And it makes me mad.
"I think when people talk about nerdiness what they're really talking about are smart people who are trying to think hard about the world. And I don't think that's an insult, I think that's a great thing."
---John Green
I have spoken very often to friends of mine(and nowhere near enough on this blog) about what I like to call "country club mentality". Country Club Mentality, as I define it, is when you decide that whatever religion or country or state or church or group you happen to be part of is the best because it's the best and only people who are part of whatever it is you are part of are great people. "God Bless The USA" "Only Christians Go To Heaven" "When people talk about nerdiness what they're really talking about are smart people who are trying to think hard about the world" Ectera Ectera
I have....problems with this mindset and, in fact, I view it as the cause of a great many of our society's problems. John Lydon(or Johnny Rotten as he used to be called) once said that "National Pride Leads To War And Hate, Nothing Else, Planet Earth All The Way"(you'll be seeing that quote again) and while I don't 100% agree with that I certainly agree with it to a point.
And now we come to the "Nerd Movement" and where I start alienating a great many of my readers. It has become cool to be uncool. People are changing who they are so as to appear that they refuse to change who they are. Not Fitting in has become the new fitting in. And I have had enough of it.
A large number of people of my generation have decided that they are nerds and, because they are nerds, they must like certain things. All these so called nerds love John Green, Youtube Based Musicians, and Joss Whedon. They all do, all of them. When every member of a group loves the same things you don't have a group of people who are outcasts you have a fraternity.
That John Green quote is one of the finest examples of CCM(Country Club Mindset) that I have ever read. All nerds like to think intelligently about the world and that's the defining characteristic of the group? Really? To me that is not only ludicrous but offensive. Jocks can be just as smart and think just as hard about the world as nerds. Geeks, Punk Rockers, Emos, they can all be smart and think about the world. And someone who has as much sway with as many people as John Green has should know better than to play into age old stereotypes. He should have known better.
In the day of yore everyone agreed that Kings and Queens had the right to rule because God gave them the right to rule. They ruled because they were supposed to rule. We use almost the exact same logic today. Nerds are the best, because they're the smartest. Why are they the smartest? Because they're nerds. Logicians call that a circular argument and is a logical fallacy. But that is the thought process that CCM is based on. We're the best because we're the freaking best. USA USA, Won't you be a nerdfighter like me?
I am a firm believer in being diverse. Just because I listen to Punk Rock doesn't mean that I can't listen to showtunes. I like punk and I like showtunes and if you have a problem with that, that's your problem. Just because I watch the occasionally reality show doesn't mean I can't enjoy Doctor Who or Parks and Recreation or The West Wing. Just because I love Inception doesn't mean I can't love Frost/Nixon or True Grit. I am a firm believer in being a cultural omnivore(a term taken from one Linda Holmes on NPRs Monkey See.) When you devote yourself entirely to one thing or one style or one genre you miss out on all this awesome stuff in different styles and genres. That's why the argument "Oh Reading is so awesome, way better than watching that stupid television" strikes me as being very uniformed. Books are a medium and television is a medium, to say that one is better than the other just because some things created in the other are garbage is silly. Have there been mind-numbingly stupid tv shows? Yes, but have you read some of the YA books being published today?
Every medium, every group, ever organization has merits and disadvantages, which is why being exclusively in one group or organization or medium is never a good idea. Openness creates diversity and diversity is where greatness comes from.
I don't see the point in being in a group in which EVERYONE thinks the same things. Walk up to almost any nerdfighter and ask them their opinion of "Once More With Feeling" and they will, almost to a man, rave about it till the cows come home. Where are the nay sayers? Where is the independent thought? It, to me, is the same as when Christians identify themselves first and foremost as Christians. They listen to Christian music, watch Kirk Cameron Movies, and read inspirational books they are closing themselves off to the world and Nerds are doing the exact same thing. And it makes me mad.
Sunday, April 17, 2011
In which I make all my nerd readers very mad
So in nerd culture there are certain people who are considered to be Geek Gods and beyond reproach. These include JK Rowling, John Green, and Joss Whedon. Mr. Whedon is a director and screenwriter who has created such tv shows as Firefly, Dollhouse, and Buffy The Vampire Slayer. And I have a bit of a problem with him, or at least the perception of him as being flawless and a genius.
Let me be clear, before I go on, that I do consider myself a Whedon fan. I do enjoy most of everything he's ever done. However, I find some problems with his work. I shall focus on primarily Buffy the Vampire Slayer, it being his longest running and best known work.
Buffy suffers from a key flaw: It is totally Monster of The Week. By that I mean, every episode has the main character facing up against a monster and that's what the episode is based around. I cannot recall an episode in which there is no monster. To me it gets a little monotonous. What I care about, why I watch the show, is the characters and their relationships. But often the relationships take a back seat to the giant(and often awesome) fight scenes. Which leads me into another problem I have: the fight scenes.
Now I love me a good fight scene, don't get me wrong, but here's the thing about Buffy....The title character is a vampire slayer. Crazy I know, but part of her slaying awesomeness is that she can ram a stick through a vampire's chest and kill it. So, the natural thing to do when you see a vampire and you can do that is to take out the stake right off and take that vamp down. But instead, every single time, she beats the dude up and then stakes him. This seems unnecessarily time consuming and strenuous and takes me out of the show.
One other problem I have, and this goes most to Whedon then any of the others, is some of the plot solutions are just flat out silly. For example: In the first three seasons Buffy has a vampire love interest named Angel(keep in mind that this is eight years before Twilight) and in the end of Season 3 he leaves to star in a spinoff series. Whedon(I assume him, being the showrunner) decided to bring in another vampire, the awesomely fantastic Spike. A great decision, one that made the show way better. But the way it was done was so.......I don't know, Bad. It was just bad. Spike had appeared before in the series as a villain but they wanted to make a semi-hero and thus needed a reason for him to stop randomly killing people. So, in the episode where he comes back, a secret government organization plants a chip in his brain that makes it impossible for him to hurt people. That is just simply lazy writing and, again, pulled me out of the show.
So that is my rant for the day.
Let me be clear, before I go on, that I do consider myself a Whedon fan. I do enjoy most of everything he's ever done. However, I find some problems with his work. I shall focus on primarily Buffy the Vampire Slayer, it being his longest running and best known work.
Buffy suffers from a key flaw: It is totally Monster of The Week. By that I mean, every episode has the main character facing up against a monster and that's what the episode is based around. I cannot recall an episode in which there is no monster. To me it gets a little monotonous. What I care about, why I watch the show, is the characters and their relationships. But often the relationships take a back seat to the giant(and often awesome) fight scenes. Which leads me into another problem I have: the fight scenes.
Now I love me a good fight scene, don't get me wrong, but here's the thing about Buffy....The title character is a vampire slayer. Crazy I know, but part of her slaying awesomeness is that she can ram a stick through a vampire's chest and kill it. So, the natural thing to do when you see a vampire and you can do that is to take out the stake right off and take that vamp down. But instead, every single time, she beats the dude up and then stakes him. This seems unnecessarily time consuming and strenuous and takes me out of the show.
One other problem I have, and this goes most to Whedon then any of the others, is some of the plot solutions are just flat out silly. For example: In the first three seasons Buffy has a vampire love interest named Angel(keep in mind that this is eight years before Twilight) and in the end of Season 3 he leaves to star in a spinoff series. Whedon(I assume him, being the showrunner) decided to bring in another vampire, the awesomely fantastic Spike. A great decision, one that made the show way better. But the way it was done was so.......I don't know, Bad. It was just bad. Spike had appeared before in the series as a villain but they wanted to make a semi-hero and thus needed a reason for him to stop randomly killing people. So, in the episode where he comes back, a secret government organization plants a chip in his brain that makes it impossible for him to hurt people. That is just simply lazy writing and, again, pulled me out of the show.
So that is my rant for the day.
Saturday, April 16, 2011
#In British Costume Dramas
So last week the fantastic book/comic reviewer Glenn Weldon posted a series of tweets that took off in a big way. They were called #During The Government Shutdown and they were all something like this:
The Tea Party seizes the Botanical Gardens; in the blood-soaked soil, worms grow fat as baby gherkins. #duringthegovernmentshutdown
clever funny stuff but I shall not be outdone, even by some as awesome as Glenn Weldon. So, in honour of the reboot of Upstairs Downstairs I have created #inbritishcostumedramas
Old Ladies take no nonsense, never marry, and spout witty and condescending lines #inbritishcostumedramas
Spunky, short, young, cute orphans become maids #inbritishcostumedramas
The Lord's driver and the Lady's younger sister bond over a shared belief if fascism #inbritishcostumedramas
Men rip off their shirts, get drunk on the remnants of cocktails, and then punch random dudes in the stomach #inbritishcostumedramas
People have far, far too much money #inbritishcostumedramas
Houses seem to be almost TARDIS like #inbritishcostumedramas
Servants in love kiss on their breaks and stare through the cracks under the bathroom door and speak softly to show their passion #inbritishcostumedramas
Rich people in love spend far too much time thinking and never actually act because they are too caught up in the conventions of the time #inbritishcostumedramas
Random Jewish Imigrants go to anti-Nazi protests and then have heart attacks #inbritishcostumedramas
Random Indian guys are AWESOME in every way #inbritishcostumedramas
We have lots of scenes with clinking silverwear #inbritishcostumedramas
People are always very concerned about politics #inbritishcostumedramas
The Tea Party seizes the Botanical Gardens; in the blood-soaked soil, worms grow fat as baby gherkins. #duringthegovernmentshutdown
clever funny stuff but I shall not be outdone, even by some as awesome as Glenn Weldon. So, in honour of the reboot of Upstairs Downstairs I have created #inbritishcostumedramas
Old Ladies take no nonsense, never marry, and spout witty and condescending lines #inbritishcostumedramas
Spunky, short, young, cute orphans become maids #inbritishcostumedramas
The Lord's driver and the Lady's younger sister bond over a shared belief if fascism #inbritishcostumedramas
Men rip off their shirts, get drunk on the remnants of cocktails, and then punch random dudes in the stomach #inbritishcostumedramas
People have far, far too much money #inbritishcostumedramas
Houses seem to be almost TARDIS like #inbritishcostumedramas
Servants in love kiss on their breaks and stare through the cracks under the bathroom door and speak softly to show their passion #inbritishcostumedramas
Rich people in love spend far too much time thinking and never actually act because they are too caught up in the conventions of the time #inbritishcostumedramas
Random Jewish Imigrants go to anti-Nazi protests and then have heart attacks #inbritishcostumedramas
Random Indian guys are AWESOME in every way #inbritishcostumedramas
We have lots of scenes with clinking silverwear #inbritishcostumedramas
People are always very concerned about politics #inbritishcostumedramas
Monday, April 11, 2011
Book Review: Boyfriends With Girlfriends by Alex Sanchez
Boyfriends with Girlfriends is Alex Sanchez's latest entry into the Genre of LGBT teen fiction. It is about a guy(who is gay) and his friend who is a girl(who is Bi) meeting up with another guy(who is bi) and his friend who is a girl(who is gay) and their romantic struggles.
If you love David Levithan but wish he was Less Poetic, More Preachy, Less Romantic, More Sex-Obsessed, More Obnoxious, and Less Original then Boyfriends With Girlfriends is the book for you. I'm not sure I can explain to you the extent to which I do not like this book but I think I might be able to show you.
I stopped reading about a fourth of the way into the book after a scene in which one of the main characters sleeps with another boy, because he can. That's the only reason, he wants to see what it'd be like. I'm not even sure that the other guy was gay, it was weird. Their being in 7th grade makes it even weirder, more uncomfortable, and mo
re gratuitous. Call me sheltered and naive but I don't think that many or really any 7th graders serf adult websites and sleep with each other in the middle of school.
Essentially, all of the book that I read can be summed up by saying "Bisexuality is real" that is the whole point. The author keeps pounding the point and pounding the point and it gets really annoying after a while.
There is this one part where the girl(the one who's bi) is talking about how she thinks she's straight but she has crushes on girls all the time, had a romantic dream about a girl, and whatever. But she still thinks she's straight. But then she meets this girl(the one who's gay) and she's never felt this way before and things with her boyfriend start breaking down and IT"S LOVE AND IT"S BI, WHICH, BY THE WAY, IS REAL AND GREAT AND FINE AND WONDERFUL, IT"S LOVE GOSH DARN IT!!!!!
There is also the problem of the narration, which says Exactly and Explicitly what each character is thinking and feeling, there is no nuance. I am not a huge fan of flowery writing but I do enjoy a clever turn of phrase or a poetic observation, this book is bare bones, bare bare bones. "Character X sees Character Y walking towards him, "He's really cute, especially his ears and his nose" thinks Character X." is about the level of this writing. Levithan is a master of the phrasing. His books make you feel things very deeply and he can just come out with observations in his writing that just describe your whole life in ten words. Sanchez either does not or can not do that and the book suffers because of it.
When one is writing a romantic novel one must appeal to the romanticism and sentiment inside the reader, Sanchez simply doesn't do that. I could never really care about his two male heroes because they were 1) Total Clichés and 2) Obnoxiously written. Their dialogue physically hurts me and I don't like them really at all.
If you are looking for a book about Bisexuality(Which is Real and Great and Fine and Romantic and Did I mention it's Real?) and Homosexuality I would recommend Boy Meets Boy by Levithan(who I seem to keep talking about) which is everything this book is not:charming, romantic, moving, and well written.
1/4 Stars
If you love David Levithan but wish he was Less Poetic, More Preachy, Less Romantic, More Sex-Obsessed, More Obnoxious, and Less Original then Boyfriends With Girlfriends is the book for you. I'm not sure I can explain to you the extent to which I do not like this book but I think I might be able to show you.
I stopped reading about a fourth of the way into the book after a scene in which one of the main characters sleeps with another boy, because he can. That's the only reason, he wants to see what it'd be like. I'm not even sure that the other guy was gay, it was weird. Their being in 7th grade makes it even weirder, more uncomfortable, and mo
re gratuitous. Call me sheltered and naive but I don't think that many or really any 7th graders serf adult websites and sleep with each other in the middle of school.
Essentially, all of the book that I read can be summed up by saying "Bisexuality is real" that is the whole point. The author keeps pounding the point and pounding the point and it gets really annoying after a while.
There is this one part where the girl(the one who's bi) is talking about how she thinks she's straight but she has crushes on girls all the time, had a romantic dream about a girl, and whatever. But she still thinks she's straight. But then she meets this girl(the one who's gay) and she's never felt this way before and things with her boyfriend start breaking down and IT"S LOVE AND IT"S BI, WHICH, BY THE WAY, IS REAL AND GREAT AND FINE AND WONDERFUL, IT"S LOVE GOSH DARN IT!!!!!
There is also the problem of the narration, which says Exactly and Explicitly what each character is thinking and feeling, there is no nuance. I am not a huge fan of flowery writing but I do enjoy a clever turn of phrase or a poetic observation, this book is bare bones, bare bare bones. "Character X sees Character Y walking towards him, "He's really cute, especially his ears and his nose" thinks Character X." is about the level of this writing. Levithan is a master of the phrasing. His books make you feel things very deeply and he can just come out with observations in his writing that just describe your whole life in ten words. Sanchez either does not or can not do that and the book suffers because of it.
When one is writing a romantic novel one must appeal to the romanticism and sentiment inside the reader, Sanchez simply doesn't do that. I could never really care about his two male heroes because they were 1) Total Clichés and 2) Obnoxiously written. Their dialogue physically hurts me and I don't like them really at all.
If you are looking for a book about Bisexuality(Which is Real and Great and Fine and Romantic and Did I mention it's Real?) and Homosexuality I would recommend Boy Meets Boy by Levithan(who I seem to keep talking about) which is everything this book is not:charming, romantic, moving, and well written.
1/4 Stars
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
In which I am very, very, very Geeky
So one of my all time favorite pieces of entertainment, Doctor Who, starts in a few weeks and numerous rumors and teasers have been circulating/released by the writers. So I decided to talk a bit about my thoughts on these teasers and the new trailer.
Spoilers ahead.
At the end of the last season the TARDIS(Time and Relative Dimension in Space, do keep up) was hijacked and blown up by a person with mysterious(and creepy as heck) voice who said "Silence Will Fall" Steven Moffat(the head writer, obviously, how could you ever think any different?) made the clever decision to not just end it there. He continued it on to the next season(the one which starts in a few weeks). All of us Whovians have been speculating for almost a year as to who the voice is.
Another question is, of course, who is River Song(I can't tell you who she is, because no one knows who she is! Geez!) Is she the Doctor's wife?(lame) Is she the Doctor's mother?(less lame but really, really creepy) Is she Amy Pond in another form(lesser lame) Is she the TARDIS(really really odd) Now the cast and writers, in a Q&A yesterday, basically said that the first three are untrue(I assume, they made fun of them and basically said that they were crazy. But who knows? We are in the middle of a massive BBC conspiracy. Trust No One).
Then, last week, it came out that the Neil Gaiman penned episode will be titled The Doctor's Wife. And its description is that a woman(who is not River Song, this has been confirmed) knocks on the TARDIS door. She has a new face but is not new to the Doctor at all. So this raises anticipation for the series to begin even higher.
And then, and then. A few days ago Moffat announced that in the first episode one of the leads will die. He said, "We're not lying, we're not cheating: one of those four people is going to die! When I came up with this heart-wrenching twist, I thought 'We'll kill off one of the leads in the season opener.' It lures you in."
Now we have been promised a death before(CURSE YOU RTD!!!) and were cheated(CURSE YOU RTD!!!) but I trust Moffat more than numerous family members and friends right now so I believe him.
But this raises an issue. In the trailer for the new series we see three of the leads(Amy, The Doctor, and Rory) in other episodes. So this leaves River Song but we've already seen how she dies(Timey Whimey stuff) and it's in a library.
I will now, because I am a nerd with too much time on my hands, dissect the trailer for the new series, second for second.
1: Doctor in Chains, with a beard. A female voice says "this is the doctor's..." The Doctor's what?! Tell me!!!
2. "Darkest Hour" Ohhhh Okay, that makes sense.
3. Shipyard in the future. The Doctor's standing next to a women, who isn't Amy or River song. Could this be his wife? the voice continues "He will rise higher..." Is the Doctor a drug addict? that would be an interesting twist.
4. "Than ever before and then fall" So he's climbing a ladder, okay Mr. Moffat where are you going with this?
5. Someone in the dark, in a cloak leading a horse drawn carriage while a gaslamp flickers. I HAVE IT!! Oh this is so awesome! Neil Gaiman's episode....is the long awaited sequel to his masterpiece Neverwhere! Oh My God It'll be so epic, so, so epic. Seriously, Matt Smith beating up angels? Best. Thing Ever! "So Far" The voice says, so it's a high ladder.
6. weird creepy eye. Very creepy eye. It looks pained. Why are you so sad, eye?
7. Weird Creepy Paper Mache doll thing. I don't like this thing, it scares me. Make it go away.
8. Astronaut raising his hand to reach out to us. Where are you going Astronaut man? Don't leave us!
9. "This is the day he finds out" the voice continues "who I am" we see river song kissing the doctor, full on the mouth. This might be why Moffat made fun of the Mother theory. The voice is revealed to be River Song.
10. The doctor is coming into focus and saying gibberish.
11. Still gibberish. It sounds like "Hey, bye, bye, gum" Where is the Gum going Doctor? Where is it going?!!
12. Space thingy.
13. TARDIS flies out of the space thingy, what an intriguing twist, well played sir, well played.
14. Doctor opens TARDIS doors dramatically. Matt Smith is seriously awesome, anyway...
15. "Okay" says Amy. What's okay, why wouldn't things be okay, WHAT IS GOING ON?!!!
16. Amy comes into focus, looking worried, "Where are we" she asks, trying to stay calm.
17. Doctor looks, astonished at the TARDIS console. Where are we Doctor, Where have you taken us?!!!
18. "Where We've never ever been" The Doctor replies, shocked. Bermuda! We've never been there, and I hear it's nice, Snow Cones on me!!
19. Moon Colony thingy. Looks like Bespin, why does it look like Bespin?
20. A gunshot rings out and the Doctor's cowboy hat flies off. All Right, Partner, This Means War.
21. Creepy people standing. Two of them have weird helmety things and spears. It's Aquaman and his minions!! Run IN FEAR!!!
22. The Doctor is wearing a space helment "look how" He says....What A cliffhanger!!! All those reviewers were right!!
23. "this stuff is" the doctor finishes looking like a happy schoolboy.
24. TARDIS console is blowing up. Doctor and Rory are blown backwards.
25. River Song is dancing...WITH A LASER!! She's in a tank top, spinning around, with a red lasery thing. What the heck is up with that?
26. Big Ship, a real ship, must be from the Pirate Episode(yes there is a Pirate episode, Yay!)
27. Quick shot of people screaming(must be the Silents from the First Episode, Somebody said they resemble with the famous painting The Scream) and then some dude with a beard looking worried. Must be from the Pirate Episode(there's some famous guy with a beard in that episode apparently)
28. Porcelain Dolls on the war path, this might get ugly.
29. Door flies open and we see, with creppy light behind it.....A DOLLHOUSE!!! OH MY HEAVENS IT"S A FREAKING DOLL HOUSE!!! THIS IS SO FREAKING EPIC!!!! OH MY GOD!!!!!!
30. Kid Looking Scared. A deep voice says "Fear Me" Okay mate, I will.
31. Doctor looking disdainful, the deep voice continues "I've killed hundreds of Time Lords" Okay mate, now I really fear you.
32. The Doctor still looks disdainful.
33. "Fear me" The Doctor replies, but....Your' Hair's so funny....
34. "I've Killed All of them" Okay now, I do fear you, despite the hair.
35. Doctor being blown off a ladder....This must be when he falls so far.
36. Blue light being shot at Amy and Rory.
37. Creepy doll thing(there seem to be a lot of those) this one is a ventrilquist's dummy, which are innately scary(no joke, and the monkey wind up things that clap cymbals are like the scariest things ever)
38. (the big one, the whole reason I'm doing this) Rory is in...THE 10TH DOCTOR'S TARDIS!!! Yes it is clearly the TARDIS used by David Tennant. And someone is regenerating. Why is Rory in the 10th Doctor's TARDIS? I have no idea....BUT I WANT TO FIND OUT!!!!
39. An eye being pressed to a whole and The Doctor dressed as a sad clown(which by the way ARE FREAKING TERRIFYING)
40. Pirate guy reaching out to touch a mermaid's bubble
41. Mermaid looks unhappy/cruel. Don't trust her, Pirate Guy!!!
42. Minotaur staring into the camera. I like Minotaurs.
43. Hot sandy place. Probably Utah.
44. Amy running, and she glances back behind her....what is she running from?!
45. We don't see because we cut to The Doctor pretending to be a Jedi with his sonic screwdriver.
46. Child's eye looking through a crack in the door.
47. Amy jumping up, she's swinging something....WHAT IS IT?
48. A gun! The Doctor yells no as Amy screams
49. And fires!!
50. "I've been running" The Doctor says, SPOILER!! There will be running in Doctor Who, shocker I know.
51. "My Whole Life" The Doctor continues.
52. Doctor looks shocked and worried. "Now it's time for me to stop." He finishes. No more running in Doctor Who? How can this be?
So there we are....thoughts?
I'll post later with mine. By later I mean a few days or so.
Spoilers ahead.
At the end of the last season the TARDIS(Time and Relative Dimension in Space, do keep up) was hijacked and blown up by a person with mysterious(and creepy as heck) voice who said "Silence Will Fall" Steven Moffat(the head writer, obviously, how could you ever think any different?) made the clever decision to not just end it there. He continued it on to the next season(the one which starts in a few weeks). All of us Whovians have been speculating for almost a year as to who the voice is.
Another question is, of course, who is River Song(I can't tell you who she is, because no one knows who she is! Geez!) Is she the Doctor's wife?(lame) Is she the Doctor's mother?(less lame but really, really creepy) Is she Amy Pond in another form(lesser lame) Is she the TARDIS(really really odd) Now the cast and writers, in a Q&A yesterday, basically said that the first three are untrue(I assume, they made fun of them and basically said that they were crazy. But who knows? We are in the middle of a massive BBC conspiracy. Trust No One).
Then, last week, it came out that the Neil Gaiman penned episode will be titled The Doctor's Wife. And its description is that a woman(who is not River Song, this has been confirmed) knocks on the TARDIS door. She has a new face but is not new to the Doctor at all. So this raises anticipation for the series to begin even higher.
And then, and then. A few days ago Moffat announced that in the first episode one of the leads will die. He said, "We're not lying, we're not cheating: one of those four people is going to die! When I came up with this heart-wrenching twist, I thought 'We'll kill off one of the leads in the season opener.' It lures you in."
Now we have been promised a death before(CURSE YOU RTD!!!) and were cheated(CURSE YOU RTD!!!) but I trust Moffat more than numerous family members and friends right now so I believe him.
But this raises an issue. In the trailer for the new series we see three of the leads(Amy, The Doctor, and Rory) in other episodes. So this leaves River Song but we've already seen how she dies(Timey Whimey stuff) and it's in a library.
I will now, because I am a nerd with too much time on my hands, dissect the trailer for the new series, second for second.
1: Doctor in Chains, with a beard. A female voice says "this is the doctor's..." The Doctor's what?! Tell me!!!
2. "Darkest Hour" Ohhhh Okay, that makes sense.
3. Shipyard in the future. The Doctor's standing next to a women, who isn't Amy or River song. Could this be his wife? the voice continues "He will rise higher..." Is the Doctor a drug addict? that would be an interesting twist.
4. "Than ever before and then fall" So he's climbing a ladder, okay Mr. Moffat where are you going with this?
5. Someone in the dark, in a cloak leading a horse drawn carriage while a gaslamp flickers. I HAVE IT!! Oh this is so awesome! Neil Gaiman's episode....is the long awaited sequel to his masterpiece Neverwhere! Oh My God It'll be so epic, so, so epic. Seriously, Matt Smith beating up angels? Best. Thing Ever! "So Far" The voice says, so it's a high ladder.
6. weird creepy eye. Very creepy eye. It looks pained. Why are you so sad, eye?
7. Weird Creepy Paper Mache doll thing. I don't like this thing, it scares me. Make it go away.
8. Astronaut raising his hand to reach out to us. Where are you going Astronaut man? Don't leave us!
9. "This is the day he finds out" the voice continues "who I am" we see river song kissing the doctor, full on the mouth. This might be why Moffat made fun of the Mother theory. The voice is revealed to be River Song.
10. The doctor is coming into focus and saying gibberish.
11. Still gibberish. It sounds like "Hey, bye, bye, gum" Where is the Gum going Doctor? Where is it going?!!
12. Space thingy.
13. TARDIS flies out of the space thingy, what an intriguing twist, well played sir, well played.
14. Doctor opens TARDIS doors dramatically. Matt Smith is seriously awesome, anyway...
15. "Okay" says Amy. What's okay, why wouldn't things be okay, WHAT IS GOING ON?!!!
16. Amy comes into focus, looking worried, "Where are we" she asks, trying to stay calm.
17. Doctor looks, astonished at the TARDIS console. Where are we Doctor, Where have you taken us?!!!
18. "Where We've never ever been" The Doctor replies, shocked. Bermuda! We've never been there, and I hear it's nice, Snow Cones on me!!
19. Moon Colony thingy. Looks like Bespin, why does it look like Bespin?
20. A gunshot rings out and the Doctor's cowboy hat flies off. All Right, Partner, This Means War.
21. Creepy people standing. Two of them have weird helmety things and spears. It's Aquaman and his minions!! Run IN FEAR!!!
22. The Doctor is wearing a space helment "look how" He says....What A cliffhanger!!! All those reviewers were right!!
23. "this stuff is" the doctor finishes looking like a happy schoolboy.
24. TARDIS console is blowing up. Doctor and Rory are blown backwards.
25. River Song is dancing...WITH A LASER!! She's in a tank top, spinning around, with a red lasery thing. What the heck is up with that?
26. Big Ship, a real ship, must be from the Pirate Episode(yes there is a Pirate episode, Yay!)
27. Quick shot of people screaming(must be the Silents from the First Episode, Somebody said they resemble with the famous painting The Scream) and then some dude with a beard looking worried. Must be from the Pirate Episode(there's some famous guy with a beard in that episode apparently)
28. Porcelain Dolls on the war path, this might get ugly.
29. Door flies open and we see, with creppy light behind it.....A DOLLHOUSE!!! OH MY HEAVENS IT"S A FREAKING DOLL HOUSE!!! THIS IS SO FREAKING EPIC!!!! OH MY GOD!!!!!!
30. Kid Looking Scared. A deep voice says "Fear Me" Okay mate, I will.
31. Doctor looking disdainful, the deep voice continues "I've killed hundreds of Time Lords" Okay mate, now I really fear you.
32. The Doctor still looks disdainful.
33. "Fear me" The Doctor replies, but....Your' Hair's so funny....
34. "I've Killed All of them" Okay now, I do fear you, despite the hair.
35. Doctor being blown off a ladder....This must be when he falls so far.
36. Blue light being shot at Amy and Rory.
37. Creepy doll thing(there seem to be a lot of those) this one is a ventrilquist's dummy, which are innately scary(no joke, and the monkey wind up things that clap cymbals are like the scariest things ever)
38. (the big one, the whole reason I'm doing this) Rory is in...THE 10TH DOCTOR'S TARDIS!!! Yes it is clearly the TARDIS used by David Tennant. And someone is regenerating. Why is Rory in the 10th Doctor's TARDIS? I have no idea....BUT I WANT TO FIND OUT!!!!
39. An eye being pressed to a whole and The Doctor dressed as a sad clown(which by the way ARE FREAKING TERRIFYING)
40. Pirate guy reaching out to touch a mermaid's bubble
41. Mermaid looks unhappy/cruel. Don't trust her, Pirate Guy!!!
42. Minotaur staring into the camera. I like Minotaurs.
43. Hot sandy place. Probably Utah.
44. Amy running, and she glances back behind her....what is she running from?!
45. We don't see because we cut to The Doctor pretending to be a Jedi with his sonic screwdriver.
46. Child's eye looking through a crack in the door.
47. Amy jumping up, she's swinging something....WHAT IS IT?
48. A gun! The Doctor yells no as Amy screams
49. And fires!!
50. "I've been running" The Doctor says, SPOILER!! There will be running in Doctor Who, shocker I know.
51. "My Whole Life" The Doctor continues.
52. Doctor looks shocked and worried. "Now it's time for me to stop." He finishes. No more running in Doctor Who? How can this be?
So there we are....thoughts?
I'll post later with mine. By later I mean a few days or so.
Saturday, March 26, 2011
The Greatest and The Best: A Tribute to Diana Wynn Jones
A book for children is first of all to enjoy, and after that it can be full of all the other things books can do for children — mostly, I believe, to encourage them to think for themselves.
---Diane Wynn Jones(1934-2011)
An author can become like a close friend or relative. Their prose can be their voice and their characters can be their children. It takes a certain type of author and a certain type of prose to accomplish this. But when it is accomplished it will stick with you for life.
Diana Wynn Jone is one of the greatest writers for children that has ever lived. She has penned fantasy adventures that make the mind race and she has created characters who I love as siblings. Her Crestomanci books are simply and plainly one of the greatest series of stories on the Planet Earth.
She wrote the first book in that series, Charmed Life, in 1977 and it was delightful. She has continued to add books to that series every few(or sometimes every 11) years or so. One might think that a series drawn out over such a length of time cannot continue with a high level of quality. However, the strongest book in the Crestomanci series was released in 2005 and was called Conrad's Fate. I cannot praise that book highly enough and if I have ever been right about anything, read that book.
Another one of Ms. Jones' biggest accomplishments is The Tough Guide To Fantasyland in which she lays out every fantasy cliche that she can think of and dissects it hilariously. If you ever watch, read, or especially write fantasy you must pick up a copy of this book.
When I sat down to write this I was thinking of calling her Princess Diana to reference the Ex-Princess of Wales but Ms. Jones was not a princess she was a queen.
Rest in Peace, Diana Wynne Jones. You shone like a star. The funniest, wisest, writer & the finest friend. I miss you.
---Neil Gaiman
---Diane Wynn Jones(1934-2011)
An author can become like a close friend or relative. Their prose can be their voice and their characters can be their children. It takes a certain type of author and a certain type of prose to accomplish this. But when it is accomplished it will stick with you for life.
Diana Wynn Jone is one of the greatest writers for children that has ever lived. She has penned fantasy adventures that make the mind race and she has created characters who I love as siblings. Her Crestomanci books are simply and plainly one of the greatest series of stories on the Planet Earth.
She wrote the first book in that series, Charmed Life, in 1977 and it was delightful. She has continued to add books to that series every few(or sometimes every 11) years or so. One might think that a series drawn out over such a length of time cannot continue with a high level of quality. However, the strongest book in the Crestomanci series was released in 2005 and was called Conrad's Fate. I cannot praise that book highly enough and if I have ever been right about anything, read that book.
Another one of Ms. Jones' biggest accomplishments is The Tough Guide To Fantasyland in which she lays out every fantasy cliche that she can think of and dissects it hilariously. If you ever watch, read, or especially write fantasy you must pick up a copy of this book.
When I sat down to write this I was thinking of calling her Princess Diana to reference the Ex-Princess of Wales but Ms. Jones was not a princess she was a queen.
Rest in Peace, Diana Wynne Jones. You shone like a star. The funniest, wisest, writer & the finest friend. I miss you.
---Neil Gaiman
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