Author: Reggie

Day 16: Why Are We Getting Yet Another Indiana Jones Movie?

March 16, 2016 / Reggie

It was recently announced that we are getting Indiana Jones 5. And that Harrison Ford is returning to his titular role. My reaction probably closely aligns to this:

indiana jones pensive

Basically, I really don’t understand how it’s even possible for this film to exist. I mean, I understand why it now exists. Yet another in a long line of Hollywood “safe” sequels, yadda yadda yadda.

But there are so many questions as to where they could possibly go with this to provide a plausible story. Even the story from the ~~Crystal Skull~~ Total Bullshit was stretched to completely laughable measures.

Need I say more?

Even when ~~Crystal Skull~~ Total Bullshit was announced, I was one of the people who was extremely skeptical as to why we even needed this. The Last Crusade was the Return of the Jedi. Everything was wrapped up in a deeply satisfying bow. Indy reconciled with his badass dad. They badassly rode into the the sunset together. The Nazis would go on to lose World War II, thanks in part to the unsung heroics of Indy. All that was missing was the “THE END” at the end of the movie.

Everything was right in the world.

Then we got forced back into the life of Indy decades later. And the entire experience felt wrong. (And it wasn’t just because of the aliens.)

Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens made a similar move with great effect. (Which in retrospect actually might have spurred this God-awful decision.)

A lot of the reason for its success was due to the ability of JJ Abrams and the screenwriters to craft a story that managed to find a balance between the old and the new.

There was also an inherent advantage in that universe was built to be expanded upon due to the ensemble-style character universe. All of the characters and worlds they visit, no matter how minor, are interesting to see and have fleshed out personalities and mannerisms that make them more compelling.

Indiana Jones is not an ensemble piece. In this story, Indiana Jones is undeniably the driving character. Look at all of the supporting cast getting tied in some capacity to strict stereotypes. There’s a reason for that. It’s to quickly explain character and move the story of Indiana Jones along. The story’s links to the traditional adventure story focused around one compelling character was part of the charm of the series.

But, as Indy gets older and older, his action-based story will simply either get less and less plausible or less and less appealing.

So, unless the writers are allowed shift the focus away from Indy and reboot the series’ focus and tone completely, I can’t imagine this being story I’d want to see. And it probably doesn’t help that they’ve absolutely failed to find a believable successor already.

Sorry I’m not sorry.

#angryIndyfanstrikesback

Day 11: Dealing With Writing After a Hiatus

March 11, 2016 / Reggie

The key I’ve found for writing or posting after a long break is the ability to brush it off and make it not awkward. Of course, you want to address the reason for your hiatus.

For example, I haven’t posted as much as I would probably like, because I’ve been flooded with being busy due to the 8-week intensive program known as Startup Institute that has eaten up all my time and energy. [/shamlessplug?]

(I swear, this hasn’t been me.)

There is always the risk that your followers will read this as an excuse. And, barring getting stranded on an island full of Velociraptors or something equally catastrophous, it usually is. But, it’s really up to you to find the compelling reason why they were invested in you to begin with and channel that.

(And I know you all come for the gifs.)

Of course, the best you can hope for is that all will be forgiven and that everyone will move on. But, you can’t expect that everyone will be as patient and understanding as you might hope. You will probably get some hate. And you will definitely lose followers. That’s the bottom line.

But, let’s be honest. You should be writing for you (and the people who actually care) and not for them. Keeping a working schedule is always great. But, you should always write with the eternal mantra:

(Truth.)

#transformandrolloutmfers

Day 1: eSports Are Weird

March 1, 2016 / Reggie

As a self-proclaimed nerd, this is difficult to admit, but I’ve always, at least to some degree, been a follower of sports.

waitwhat

Yes, it’s true. I even know where it came from. Being raised in New England, regional pride in our local sports teams was always a thing, especially since they became good again lately.

(It’s okay, Tom Brady. Getting to the AFC Championship game is still considered good.)

Growing up a sports fan, it’s easy for me to buy into the drama and excitement of the thrill of competition. But, I always had difficulty rectifying my fandom of sports and my self-identity as a nerd.

About two years ago, I discovered a way to reconcile the two: the world of professional video gaming now commonly known as eSports. As a casual player of the free online video game, League of Legends, I was naturally drawn to professional play and found the same thrills as a fan of traditional sports.

(Yes, nerds get trophies too.)

I watched as Team SoloMid dramatically defeated Cloud9 in the North American finals in a hard-fought best-of-five series that went the distance. Cloud9 had previously dominated Team SoloMid in previous years, and I found this story echoing my experiences witnessing the Red Sox upset the Yankees in the playoffs of 2004.

Then I watched as those same two North American teams miraculously take a game off the extremely favored Korean teams Samsung White and Samsung Blue in the quarterfinals of that year’s World Championship. I’m not old enough to have seen Miracle of Ice personally, but I imagine there were shades of that experience in these games. Or at the very least Cool Runnings. I was instantly hooked.

I remember later telling friends that more people watched the League of Legends World Championship than the NBA Finals and they were probably thinking this on the inside:

lying

And I wouldn’t blame them. In a society that still hasn’t quite fully accepted nerd culture into the mainstream and still heavily stereotypes people who play video games, it is an unbelievable thought. Who the world would want to watch a bunch of skinny and awkward nerds play video games?

It’s a real thing. And it’s still here and actually growing even faster. ESPN now has a section for eSports. Retired NBA star Rick Fox owns a League of Legends team. Despite controversy over the actions of some new owners and the community’s fear of how the newfound investment will affect the competitive landscape, I can’t help but feel a sense of pride, both as a sports fan and a nerd, over the burgeoning eSports community as it steps more into the limelight.

TL;DR: I am a sports fan and a nerd. I shouldn’t exist, but somehow I cope with the help of eSports.

#selfreflectionrantover

Day 0: Writing With a Deadline And Writer’s Block

February 28, 2016 / Reggie

This might come as a shock, but writing with a deadline can really suck. The mind can sometimes be like this:

hahano

Creative inspiration can be a tough pill to forcefully shove down your gullet. I would imagine that even people who write giga-tons of copy every single day will occasionally run into this problem as well. There are lots of exercises people do to get over the hump that is commonly known as writer’s block.

Some examples that often come up are:

actually exercising like going for a jog

3pmSgx8

taking some time away to do something else like reading

readingalone

distracting yourself by eating a quick snack

yum

simply writing through it or getting literally anything on paper

pretendwriting

There is a running trend behind all these activities. Well, a couple actually.

But, first and foremost, it has to do with taking your mind off the deadline. Sometimes your mind just doesn’t like the feeling of squeezed in the proverbial vice that is forced creative output. In retaliation, it will shut down and absolutely refuse to do anything helpful. To get around this, sometimes you have to con your mind into thinking that it has all the freedom in the world and then, like magic, the juice of creativity will begin to flow once again.

(Obligatory.)

That being said, there is no tried and true sets of methods to do this. There is a pretty good chance that none of the previously aforementioned activities will help you specifically meet that deadline. At the risk of collective eyerolls, it boils down to you finding what works best for you. As you get to know yourself as a writer and take time to reflect on your writing habits, you tend to learn naturally what works best for you.

(Yeah, I said it.)

For example, when looking at myself, I know that, if I don’t just sit myself down and just start writing, I will get easily distracted. Wikipedia rabbit holing and endless YouTube playlists are my jam. So, unless I force myself to write, I simply won’t ever start. And, even if it is total garbage or something I’m not even supposed to be writing, it often sparks new thoughts and ideas that I didn’t have before.

But, I am not you. Unless this is me reading this. Then, yes, I am you. Or am I?

#existentalismcrisisincoming