Geeksexual

Kind of like heterosexual, homosexual and metrosexual, geeksexual is a term that I like to use (actually I just made it up about ten minutes ago) to describe the sexual proclivities and orientations of that rapidly-expanding sub-culture of Geek.

Back up a second…where the hell did this come from? Well, if you have your finger on the pulse of geek culture, you have probably heard the recent rumblings about the misogynistic trolling over the relative hotness of “geek” girls and women (or chicks, as I like to call them). Basically, when a truly hot girl shows up at a convention like Comic Con, wearing a costume, the majority of hardcore geeks (once they wipe the drool from their chins) start ranting about how she isn’t really a geek-girl, but rather a hired model.

Unfortunately, there is some truth to this. As someone who went to the San Diego Comic Con for 10 years straight, I can assure you that many of them are hired models. However, not ALL of them are. There really are cute girls who dig on comics and RPGs and Anime, and who wear some pretty spiffy (and sexy) costumes. The problem is, Trolls see women in two categories at Cons: Real geek girls, the ones who may be pretty, but are varying degrees of less than perfect; and Hired Models, sent there to sell shit to hormonal geeks. And why do they think this way?

I think High School is the answer.

High school is where our opinions, likes and dislikes are sometimes formed, but always cemented. So, think about the people you went to high school with. Think about the five prettiest girls in your class. Not just the ones you had a crush on because of your particular tastes, but the ones who are classic expressions of “beautiful.” The hot chicks, the “mean girls,” the popular ones. Now, of those, how many of them do you think played D&D? Read comics? Played video games? Statistically speaking, probably less than 1%. The overwhelming majority of the “beautiful people” we all openly hated, but secretly envied, had no interest in anything traditionally “geek.” Certainly nothing that would be featured at Comic Con or Gen Con.

As a result, we are programmed to believe that beautiful people don’t like geek things. Now, flash forward 10 years. You have lived your life embracing your geek loves, and you are geek from your ragged hairdo, to your beat up running shoes and ill-fitting clothes. Suddenly, while at your local comic convention, you see what appears to be one of the beautiful girls from your graduating class dressed up as Rogue. What? She can’t be real. Because beautiful people don’t read comics. So, what else would she be doing here in that getup?

“But more people are playing video games than ever before!” you say? Very true. And I bet that the cheerleader at the local high school probably logs into her Xbox Live account and kicks ass on Modern Warfare 3 at least a few nights a week. Things have changed. More and more people from all walks of life, are embracing Geek. Because they are learning what we have always known: That Geek Culture is about playing and having fun.

Unfortunately, just like other cultural stereotypes, geek (and anti-geek) ones are perpetuated from one generation to the next. That 16-year old D&D player is trolling because he learned from his 41-year old D&D playing father that cheerleader-types don’t like our kind. That all they like is shopping, make-up, an making out with the quarterback.

If you think about it, the opposite is also true. That guy in the gym with the perfect hair? Yeah, he goes to Comic Con dressed as Batman every year. Why? Because he gets paid to flex in spandex? No. It’s because Batman inspired him as a scrawny kid to hit the gym and make something of himself. Same goes for the girl in the aerobics class who dresses as Princess Leia. She loves Star Wars more than anything, and it has inspired her to make something of herself beyond what she was as a kid.

So, what’s the answer? Well, there isn’t one. Not a fast and hard one, anyways. Geek girls need to continue to fight for their right to be geeky without prejudice, just like gays are fighting for their right to marry, and blacks and women had to fight to vote. It’s just a minor, sub-cultural revolution. But not every revolution has to change the world.

Pedigrees of Fantasy

I have a 1500 word essay on the decline of Rome in the 3rd century due next Tuesday, and I will be working on that later today. However, for now I would like to discuss something that crops up in the writer circles I like to run. Basically, how do you define fantasy?

The topic has been long-discussed and covered by all levels of writers of the genre. Many minds, much more learned and well-read than mine, have attempted to disseminate the various elements into definitive lists of Fantasy sub-genres. And yet, even when the most knowledgeable of us puts a very concise description out there, invariably, someone will disagree, or want to tweak their definitions, or even pose ideas that hadn't been thought of. So, in reality, there are no right/wrong answers to this quandary. Yet we all try to place our round pegs in our own round holes (ok, that sounds bad if you have a gutter brain), regardless of who agrees or disagrees.

Which leads me to my own definitions. I will admit that I am kind of a minimalist, and tend to define these sub-genres not by the themes they usually include, but rather by the physical conventions used. Things such as settings, races, magic, "monsters" and the like. In the end, I place everything into three categories; High Fantasy, Sword and Sorcery, and Urban Fantasy. These are broad categories, and there is sometimes overlap, but not much. In my mind, everything can be placed under one of these three umbrellas.

High Fantasy

High Fantasy, to me, is the mythological, sometimes pseudo-historical, setting, where humans are but one of many races that populate the world. These stories include elves, dwarves, orcs, goblins, fairies, sprites, dragons and so on. Magic is usually quite prevalent, and whether it's actual spells wielded by wizards, or items and beings that are powered and spawned by magic, arcane forces are an everyday occurrence. The world itself, for whatever reason, seems stuck in a perpetual "middles ages" time, where swords and armor are the norm, and the fires of industry have not yet been lit. Obviously the prototype for High Fantasy is Tolkien's Middle-Earth. And the close offspring of this are the various worlds created for Dungeons & Dragons and other fantasy role-playing games.

Sword & Sorcery

Sometimes referred to as "Low Fantasy", S&S for me is defined by the fact that Humans are the only "race" in the world, and that creatures of fantastic origins are rare, and usually at odds with humanity. Magic is dark and mysterious, and often evil by its very nature. Wielding arcane power usually requires rites and rituals and sacrifices, and the wielder is left somehow diminished, even if only temporary. The setting is usually a blend of Bronze Age and Dark Age technology, though some elements of the Middle Ages can also be included. Robert E. Howard's Hyborian Age is the prototypical S&S setting.

Urban Fantasy

In recent years, the rise of Urban Fantasy as a sub-genre dictates that it be given equal status. The idea of Urban Fantasy is usually that magic and the fantastic co-exists with modern man, in modern cities and suburbs. Generally, the fantastic is hidden from the general populace, though occasionally it is more common, and can even overlap with High Fantasy, as far as how everyday the fantastic is. I would also include in this sub-genre settings that are heavily Science Fiction, but with magical elements included, such as Steampunk. Urban Fantasy often also includes elements of horror, more so than High Fantasy, and at least as much as Sword & Sorcery.  In fact, most books in the Urban Fantasy sub-genre are usually considered Horror books.  Urban Fantasy doesn't seem to have a clear "patron" per se. It just sort of rose out of various other genres, and blended to create it's own niche.

You may notice, if you are well-versed in the topic, that I don't include such things as "epic" and "heroic" fantasy. That's because to me, these are not "genres" but rather methods of storytelling, related to the scope of story. Epic stories are all about saving the world, and ending with the world being changed dramatically (usually for the better). Heroic stories are more localized, and involve a smaller cast of characters. At the end of the story, the world itself has not been altered much, if at all, and any changes to the characters are usually temporary or minor. Both of these story-types can be set in a High Fantasy, Sword & Sorcery, or Urban Fantasy setting, interchangeably.

As stated, these are my definitions and interpretations, and your mileage may vary.

Special features

So, I had this idea, and I wondered if anyone had ever tried it, or thought about trying it. You know when you buy a DVD or Blu-Ray these days, there are invariably "special features" attached? Often this includes deleted scenes, which are usually pretty cool to see.

What if you could get the same thing for books and short stories?

Whenever I get into writing a story, I almost always have a scene or two that gets completely cut out because it didn't serve the story very well. Much like the deleted scenes of movies end up on the cutting room floor. So, I had an idea that maybe when I get around to building an actual author website for myself, I would include these "special features" on the pages for my individual stories.

Case in point, my current Sci Fi story involves a cybernetically enhanced soldier. I had written an entire scene wherein he learns to work with his nowfound abilities. But it didn't really move the plot along much, and it felt more like an infodump/aside. But, what if I posted that scene as a teaser? Maybe as some background and insight into the character? Then it would be available to readers who "want to know more" but wouldn't disrupt the flow of my story.

Another feature I thought would be cool is illustrations. Most stories, no matter the length or format, remain largely unillustrated (except comics and graphic novels, obviously). Leaving the reader to guess what the characters and locations look like. Now, this usually isn't much a of a problem, since any good writer will give adequate description through the course of his story. However, I like illustrations, especially character and equipment. They can convey to the reader exactly what was in the writer's mind, and sometimes it's kind of cool to look at them and think "So, THAT's what that looks like."

Related to this would be what I refer to as a "personnel file." Basically, it would be a brief, clinical description of a character's background, giving info like date and place of birth, what school they went to, previous occupations, etc. Basically everything you would imagine being in a person's file with an employer or government agency. These would be easy for a Sci Fi or Modern story, though they may not work so well for Fantasy. Again, these would just be little tidbits to fill out the details that may not be so integral to the story itself.

I usually do all of this stuff behind the scenes anyways, just to help me work out details of my characters and worlds, in order to keep them straight when I am writing. But do you think there would be interest on the part of a reader to see this stuff all polished up and presented for public consumption?

Vigilante films

On the drive in this morning, I suddenly had a random thought about vigilante films. I’ve seen quite a few, and I definitely have my favorites. I think vigilante films appeal to a large portion of the audience because they are escapist fantasy. I mean, who doesn’t think about taking the law into their own hands on occasion?

So, here’s a list of my favorite vigilante films.

Death Wish

No list of vigilante films would be complete without this one. This is the granddaddy of them all. Charles Bronson’s Paul Kersey is an everyman in every sense. A devoted family man, an architect; just a normal Joe. But he is pushed, and when the circumstances are just right, he instinctively pushes back. With a vengeance. I think the fact that he goes from the normal Joe to cold-blooded vigilante is what makes this film so great. It’s a slow transformation, and it is handled very realistically. Some of the sequels touched on this, but really, they were just action movies, without the dramatic nuances of the original.

The Punisher

The 2004 movie with Tom Jane is by far the best iteration of the character on screen. The Dolph Lundgren one was enjoyable as 80’s action schlock, and War Zone (2008) had some good elements, though it was a bit over the top and too much like the comic (I’ve always felt that there are some elements that work well in four-color, but don’t translate well to the screen). The 2004 film captured the essence of Frank Castle, and had a great cast of supporting characters, both good and evil. Jane is excellent as the brooding warrior with nothing to live for, and John Travolta is excellent as the millionaire who wants to be a kingpin, but deep down inside he’s a coward. The action, the score, and the cinematography, were all top-notch. And even though it’s based on a comic book, it never seems like a cartoon the way WZ did. I can watch this movie over and over again.

Boy Wonder

I found this one on NetFlix and decided to give a shot. And I am glad I did. This one is a twist on the genre in that the vigilante in question is a high school kid trying to solve the mystery of his mom’s murder from about nine years earlier. The cast is great, though full of unknowns that I had never seen or heard of. The story is compelling, and keeps you guessing right up to the end. There are some twists and turns that I didn’t expect, and the payoff is pretty grim. All said, I highly recommend this one to fans of the genre.

Four Brothers

I remember when I first heard about this one, a friend and I were in the beginnings of collaborating on a very similar project. When we heard about this movie, it completely took the wind out of our sails, and the idea was dropped. That being said, this film is awesome! The cast and characters are very real, and very relatable. The action is well-done, and the whole premise just grabs you by the balls and the heart at the same time. There were a lot of plot-twists that, had I been watching more closely, I might have seen coming. But they managed to surprise me, because the film moves along at such a fast clip, you don’t have time to stop and think things through. Much like the characters in the film. In the end, the payoff is very satisfying. I had heard that at one time the director, John Singleton, was attached to do a Luke Cage movie for Marvel. After seeing this film, I would have been 100% behind that.

Interestingly, even though they technically qualify as vigilante films by nature, comic book films (particularly the Batman movies) get a pass, as I see these as a separate genre. There are things in them that take them out of the psychological fantasy of a true vigilante movie, and into the realm of urban fantasy with the magic of super powers and techno-gadgets.

I’m sure there are others out there that I am forgetting, or that I haven’t seen. So, if you know of some good ones, let me know!