#this is hyperbole i have read plenty that have him act like a normal person and not like

[lightningflvsh]

why are these like the only two options for tim’s characterisation in batfam fanfics

[prinanalogicality]

New Year’s Kiss

Hello all! I am indeed alive! I know I haven’t written much of anything as of late, that is because I am on break from university due to the holiday season. Like the cotton-headed ninnymuggins that I am, I forgot my laptop back in my apartment, in which I live on campus and that is over three hours away. May my laptop rip. But hey, while I am home I convinced my mother to let me use her laptop, so since I didn’t write wholesome holiday content, I am here to produce wholesome New Years content. Enjoy!

AO3 link here.

Summary: Virgil doesn’t understand what is so important about a New Year’s kiss. Logan shares his confusion, so he proposes an idea so they can both figure out what the fuss is all about. Or, the one where Logan uses science as an excuse to kiss Virgil, and maybe Virgil does too.

Pairing: Analogical. Logan Sanders / Virgil Sanders. Strap yourselves in laddies and prepare for some fluff.

"There is nothing quite as magical as a New Year’s kiss. Well, of course a New Year’s kiss with me is the pinnacle of magic, it is downright bewitching, but that is besides the point. For the commoners of the world, sharing a moment of love and passion with one another to welcome the new year with open arms and positive memories is simply fabulous. I could not imagine a better way to move forward in life than sharing a smooch with someone important enough in your life to be your chosen liplocking companion. Ah, just imagining dipping back a lovely dancing partner to sweep him off of his feet and kiss the breath from his lungs - it really butters my eggroll.”

Virgil raises an unimpressed eyebrow in Roman’s direction, feeling completely blase over the other side’s argument in favor of a New Year’s kiss. He should have known that coming to ask the romantic trait for reasoning behind the craze of a New Year’s kiss would just be the same explanation he gives for everything involving romance, which is that everything is magical and loving and like fireworks taking place in one’s circulatory system.

“Okay, how about you try explaining the concept to me without a bunch of overused and hyperbolic phrases.” He deadpans, pulling the sleeves of his hoodie further over his hands. His fingers take to fiddling with the frayed ends of said sleeves, tugging on the loosened threads subconsciously. Patton has noticed Virgil’s actions and has taken to fixing up the boy’s sleeves with a sewing kit, but with how often Virgil fidgets Patton’s efforts are for naught.

Roman returns Virgil’s blank stare with an indignant one, one hand coming up to rest upon his chest as he huffs. “What do you mean hyperbolic phrases? I am not overstating one single thing! You have come to me for an answer, an answer that I have already given to you, Han Woe-lo. What makes a New Year’s kiss so special compared to any other simple peck is that it is a sign that one wishes for their year to start with their partner. Through the marvelous act of affection with another, people are able to come together and welcome someone into a new chapter of their lives, and in light of the holiday, the new chapter is a new year. It is mighty romantic.”

With a roll of his eyes and his shoulders, Virgil rises from his spot on the stairs landing. “Look, yeah, you may be right. It may be a more fantastical experience than normal kisses, I guess. But still, I am not at all convinced. I would probably be more convinced if you didn’t describe every romantic encounter that way, but hey, sometimes the physical embodiment of creativity can even run short on descriptive vocabulary.” Turning away before Roman can see the slight smile playing on his lips, all due to Virgil’s teasing of the prince, he makes his way up the staircase at an unhurried pace.

“Excuse me, how dare you insult my creative ability. I know plenty of descriptive words, just you- ugh. If I cared enough about what you think then I would totally argue that I have loads of vocabulary words at the ready, but hah, joke’s on you, Tracy Turn-brat. I don’t care, and I especially don’t care that you do not understand the power behind a New Year’s kiss. Good day to you, sir. Good day!”

Virgil almost wishes that he had been facing Roman just to see how red-faced and heated the male had gotten, but he supposes listening to Roman’s voice rise several pitches throughout his little outburst is enough.

Within Thomas’s mindscape, there is a replica of Thomas’s apartment. Considering it is where the male sees as home, that is the home of the sides. Though each facet of his personality has their own corner of his mind, also referred to as their room, there is a place where each side can go without being affected by the functions of one another. Typically, they exist in the common area of the mind so that they can spend time with one another if they so choose. They are also able to influence Thomas from the common area, which makes existence easier so they do not have to actually interact with Thomas’s conscious mind to do their jobs.

Though Thomas lives in a one bedroom apartment, the sides exist in a mindscape, so things are able to appear differently than they really are. When opening the door to what would normally be Thomas’s bedroom, the room within the mindscape is actually Virgil’s. It does not affect the others in any way if they enter, and it looks like a normal bedroom, bed and dressers and all. A normal closet is Patton’s room, a study is Logan’s room, and a different closet is Roman’s room. That is the good thing about living in a mindscape, nothing about their home has to abide by true physics. They can change the structure of their home at any moment, if they so choose.

Reaching the top of the stairs, Virgil purses his lips in thought. Patton is likely to give a mushy answer much like Roman’s, if he gives an answer at all. Sometimes Virgil wonders if Patton simply acts naive or if he truly is that innocent, but he isn’t invested enough to figure the truth out. Patton is fine the way he is, whether he is more knowledgeable than he lets on or he is not. So, Patton is out of the question for Virgil to go to.

That leaves Logan.

Virgil supposes that Logan is a good choice. The male’s response will undoubtedly be entirely objective and will probably cover the psychological effects of human affection that he will manage to correlate to the excitement of new experiences, but it will be an answer. An answer that Virgil expects, but at least Virgil genuinely enjoys the company of the left brain-centric facet.

Logan’s droning can increase the heaviness of Virgil’s eyelids and lead him to hibernation, that is true, but that doesn’t stop Virgil from wanting to actively be around him. Sometimes, when he and Logan are on opposite sides regarding a topic, he even offers his own opinions, backed up by logical reasoning. The fire that blazes behind Logan’s eyes despite his cool and collected demeanor makes Virgil’s own fire flicker to life within his chest, a feeling that the male has come to associate exclusively with Logan. Roman frustrates the bejeebies out of Virgil, there is no denying that, but no one else can garner Virgil’s full, undivided attention quite like Logan can. Virgil oftentimes finds himself disinterested or distracted by his own mind in most situations, but conversations with Logan are always higher level and require thought and attention, something that Virgil finds himself giving to the logical trait easily these days.

Taking a few steps to the left so that he stands in front of Logan’s door, Virgil takes a brief moment to hesitate before knocking, the sound just barely muffled by his sleeves making contact with the door. Almost immediately, he second guesses his decision. What would Logan think of his question? There is a chance that he will find it unimportant and turn him to Roman’s direction, but Virgil has already been there. Should he change his question to something Logan would find more suitable, such as what stars are visible in the sky this time of year? That is sure to pique Logan’s interest, the male loves astronomy. Maybe that’s what Virgil should ask, but then again, he does sincerely want his own question to be answered. Virgil really hates how his mind is his own devil’s advocate.

It takes Logan only a few moments to answer the door. It is afternoon, so Virgil knows that there is no way the logical side was asleep. Most likely he was sat at his desk, reading up on some new theory or grading the tests that he gives to his classes. Virgil finds it quite endearing, really, how Logan has his very own world that he has crafted, one where he does things that he enjoys. If one is to open his closet, they would enter a school building, where Logan goes to tend to and teach students in a variety of grades, depending on his mood. It is amazing, really. Roman has done the same thing, building his kingdom, and even Patton has his own world, one where he is a father that lives in the suburbs. Virgil doesn’t have a false reality for himself, he has always been too nervous in order to do so. He does not want to create some Silent Hill or Resident Evil situation.

“Virgil.” Logan’s voice immediately garners Virgil’s attention, in which Logan raises an eyebrow at him. “Do what do I owe this visit? You do not come by my quarters often. In fact, it is a rare occurrence.”

Shrugging off Logan’s mild surprise, Virgil crosses his arms loosely over his chest, thumbs pressing against the fabric of his sleeves and pressing it against the side of his index fingers. “I just- uh. I had a question, so, yeah.”

The glasses clad male nods and steps back, gesturing his arm in a welcoming manner. “I see. Well, I suppose I could take time to answer whatever is on your mind.”

Virgil steps into the bedroom, breathing out a quiet sigh. He makes a beeline for the foot of the bed, where he plops down. Logan is right, Virgil does not come to visit him in his room often, but whenever he does Virgil sits in the same exact spot. Logan has long since stopped complaining about Virgil ruining his pristinely made bed. “Okay. So, uh. My question is- ugh. I just have to use the band-aid technique, let’s go.” Raising his arms to cover his eyes, the question is blurted from Virgil’s lips rapidly. “What is so special about a New Year’s kiss?”

Logan’s demeanor does not change in the slightest. Taking his place at his desk chair, he spins it around so that he is facing Virgil, pausing to take a moment for thought. “Hm. Though I am surprised that you would come to me with such a question, there is an answer. I would have expected you to go to someone like Roman, but I imagine you have already been there and you were exasperated by his skipping record player-esque reply.”

One side of Virgil’s lips creeps upward at that. “Pfft, yeah. I got the ‘it’s magical, love is so grand’ spiel and a couple new insults to add to the books. In fact,” Virgil waves his hands around for a brief moment, a notebook and pen appearing in his hands. He jots down Roman’s remarks and waves the items away with a snort. “There we go.”

Logan’s eyebrows drawl up in that way when he finds out he is right, the muscles in his jaw flexing just so as he tilts his chin up. His expressions are subtle, but Virgil can read him like a book. He is obviously pleased knowing both Virgil and Roman so well.

“Well. It is a phenomenon that I do not quite understand, but I can aim to remedy your thoughts. People crave acts such as kisses because they serve a purpose in connection. Oftentimes in the beginnings of relationships, lip to lip contact serves as a segway towards more intimate circumstances, whether those are sexual encounters or otherwise. Not only that, but due to the closeness involved, people oftentimes find themselves becoming more familiar with the mannerisms of their partner. Pheromones play a large role in attraction, and when in close quarters with another people are better able to sense and potentially crave subjection to such pheromones. Kisses serve as a form of reality because it builds trust and intimacy among participants. They become the metaphorical building blocks for relationships.”

Virgil nods. He knew all of this. Well, maybe not with all of the fancy jargon, but he knew the basic gist of what Logan is saying. That doesn’t keep him from listening in, though, particularly intrigued by Logan’s remark of the phenomena not making sense to him. So Logan and Virgil are both on the same page, wondering what is so special about a New Year’s kiss. Huh.

“So, the psychology behind a kiss coupled with the effect of excitement in a human must be what comes together to form the New Year’s kiss craze. When excited, the amygdala is triggered and chemicals such as dopamine are released, stimulating the frontal lobe of the brain. The prospect of a new year can bring about excitement, so people take it upon themselves to kiss another to increase their serotonin levels. I also do not quite grasp the great thing about a New Year’s kiss. Considering the fact that I have never experienced one myself, or a normal kiss for that matter, I cannot give a definitive answer for you. That would require experimentation and monitoring of the vitals.”

Blinking his eyes a few times, Virgil shifts in his seat. “Looks like we’ll both be living in the dark for the rest of our lives, huh?” He chuckles in a humorless manner, fingers again playing with his frayed sleeves. This time, a thread comes loose and he finds himself wrapping it around the tips of his fingers, watching as the skin changes colors.

“We do not have to.” Logan’s words come out a tad slower than before, and Virgil lifts his gaze to settle it upon the other. “As I said, it would require experimentation in order to discover the physiological result of what eludes us. In only a few hours the clock will be striking midnight, signifying the coming of the new year. I am willing, if you are, to participate in the experiment. In short, you and I will be kissing at midnight and gauge whether or not it appears to be out of the norm or not. Does that sound acceptable to you?”

Virgil simply stares at him for several long moments, and for once, he is glad that he has pale foundation on. It serves to cover the immense heat surging to his cheeks, though he is almost positive that Logan can still see it, though his expression does not read anything different. His expression is completely collected, lips pursed as he awaits Virgil’s response.

“I suppose I could ask Patton for his assistance. I find it hard to believe that he would turn down a chance at intimacy among the members of our group-”

“No, no. Don’t ask dad. I’ll do it. I mean, you can go to dad if you would prefer him, but I’ll do it with you. The experiment, I’ll do the experiment. For science, right?” Virgil’s fingernails scratch lightly over the back of his neck, the area becoming suddenly itchy as his anxiety kicks in slightly.

Logan breaks the eye contact that they had been holding, and Virgil watches as his jaw flexes, corners of his lips twitching minutely. “Excellent. Patton will want all of us within the living room of the mindscape for when the time draws near. I will resume my grading so that I may be finished and my mind shall be clear as our experiment approaches.”

“Good idea, I guess.” Virgil shrugs, hoping to come off nonchalant, standing up. He pats the bed to iron out the creases he had made before backing up towards the door. “So, that’s it? Because if that’s it I’m going to get in some sleep before Patton tries to keep all of us up for the next decade.”

The look he receives is one that he is unfamiliar with, from Logan or otherwise. It looks like a normal blank stare from Logan, but Virgil is too good at reading him to be fooled. The look is tender, more than tender than normal, and Virgil shifts from foot to foot and looks away before he can allow any butterflies to find their way to his tummy.

“All right. I shall see you at, say, eleven pm? Is that acceptable? That is the time Patton asked us all to meet for his celebration, I believe.”

“Yeah, that’s what he said. That sounds chill to me, so- I’ll see you at eleven.” With a small bow, Virgil turns and exits Logan’s bedroom, gently closing the bedroom door behind himself. As soon as the door is shut, he breathes out a heavy sigh, his eyebrows furrowing. Did he seriously just agree to kiss Logan? And he is completely okay with it? Honestly, Virgil finds the fact that he is okay with it more confusing than Logan bringing up the experiment to begin with.

For once in his life, Virgil doesn’t want to think. He doesn’t want to key into his thoughts that are running a mile a minute, asking why Logan wants to do this experiment and why Virgil is even excited to partake in it. He steps away from the door in favor of going towards his own, wanting to hole himself up and lie down to rest. Maybe, if he can do that, he will wake up and this will all have been some weird dream where Logan definitely did not suggest that they kiss.

Flopping onto his bed, Virgil glares at the ceiling.

He hates the disappointment that wells in his chest at the idea of this all being a dream.

“Virgil! Oh golly am I excited to see you. We are all going to have the best time ever, I just know it. 2018 is going to have so many fantastic things and the fact that I get to start it off with all of you is so- so-”

“Sublime? Remarkable? Superlative? Outstanding?” Logan supplies a few ideas, though his thoughts are drowned out by Patton’s outburst.

“Great! It is just diddly darn great, guys. Super nice.”

Logan sighs exasperatedly before turning his attention towards Virgil, who sits upon the left side of the sofa. Roman has settled against the right side, where he has his phone out and he is taking selfies of himself making a variety of facial expressions. With only a moment’s pause, Logan joins the two on the sofa, sitting closer to Virgil’s side so that they may engage in conversation.

Virgil notices that Logan does not mention the experiment once. Normally, when Logan sets his heart on a new experiment, he is a bit more energetic and he is always ready to discuss the specifics. This time, however, he engages in small talk with the other which makes Virgil feel suspicious, but he is not worried enough to actually ask about it. He also knows that Logan dislikes small talk. When engaging in small talk, Logan prefers to get straight to the point and highlight the specifics of what catches his interest. However, in this instance, they talk about mundane things such as the weather, the hot chocolate that Patton made everyone, and how grateful they are that Thomas is not drinking alcohol this year.

“The time is drawing near. Are you all excited?” Roman grins out at the group, his phone now face down on the table, per Patton’s request. He only knows the time because of the clock on the television, where they have a news station on that shows a countdown. It is currently 11:57, only a few minutes from when the ball is supposed to drop and signify the beginning of a new year.

“Heck yeah I am! Thomas is going to absolutely thrive this year, I just know it. He’s gonna win so many more awards and he is gonna make such good videos, ah. I’m just so excited!” Patton is the only one who answers verbally, and Roman does not seem bothered by the lack of response from the other two traits, instead turning his attention to the fatherly trait.

“Are you prepared to engage in the experiment?” Logan finally brings up the idea of what he and Virgil had discussed previously, and Virgil simply shrugs his shoulders, gaze looking anywhere but directly at Logan.

“I mean, yeah, I guess. I said that I would do it, right? I’m not going to back out.” He presses his lips in a thin line and peers at Logan through his bangs, watching as the male’s calculating gaze meets his own. Logan is definitely trying to read him, to gauge how he is feeling, and Virgil feels a small bit of his resolve crumble, his nerves showing in the way his teeth make an appearance just to nibble at his lower lip. He tears his gaze away quickly, fixating it on his sleeves that are worse than before. He might have to ask Patton to fix them this time around, because the threads are coming out in small chunks now.

A hand wraps around his wrist and Virgil’s shoulders jump at the small bit of contact, lips parting and eyebrows twitching. “You really should find an alternative for yourself. I know that you have stated that you do not understand fidget spinners and cubes due to their immense popularity and that you have an affinity for coming off as unique, if not obscure, but I do believe that having such items would be beneficial. If not for your sake, for the sake of your clothing items.”

Before Logan had grasped his wrist and spoke, Virgil did not notice how close he had gotten. Throughout the hour that they have been speaking to one another, Logan has gotten much closer, close enough that Virgil’s knee is pressing against Logan’s thigh. At some point, Virgil had turned to properly face the male, his back now against the armrest and legs criss-crossed. He should feel cornered like this, being backed up to the corner of the sofa. But strangely enough, he doesn’t, and he doesn’t even take his hand from Logan’s grip.

Looking up, Virgil’s eyes meet with Logan’s, and wow. Their bodies are close, but their faces are even closer. Virgil has awful posture, and with how he is slumping forward towards Logan he is much closer. Logan typically maintains excellent posture, but this time he is actually leaning in close to Virgil, eyes filled with raw intensity. The look makes Virgil’s heart race, but not in a way that makes him want to run. It is quite the opposite, really. He is not used to seeing such pure emotion on Logan’s face. It looks good, and yeah, they all technically have the same face, but Virgil knows that each side has their own mannerisms that distinguish them from one another. They all use their facial muscles differently, they all give people different looks. And though Logan has never looked like this before, the look is somehow so Logan to Virgil that it doesn’t bother him or scare him in the slightest. He knows Logan. He enjoys being around Logan more than anyone or anything else.

“One more minute!” Patton’s excited squeal is nothing to Virgil as he feels Logan’s hand shifting from his wrist to instead gently rest in his hand. Unfurling his fingers, Virgil swallows thickly and feels Logan’s fingertips drifting across his palm before his other hand joins in, grasping Virgil’s other hand. Bringing them in, both of Logan’s hands cup Virgil’s, thumbs rubbing small circles into Virgil’s skin, no doubt an attempt to calm his nerves. The action is small, but in this moment it means the world to Virgil, knowing that he must look like a deer in the headlights. It is embarrassing, really, knowing what an open book he must be right now compared to how collected Logan is.

“Are you positive that you wish to go through with the experiment?” Logan’s words are soft, and he is so close that Virgil smells the hot chocolate on the other’s breath.

“I don’t think I have ever been so sure of something in my life.” Virgil’s eyes flicker from Logan’s eyes to his lips and back, and Virgil swallows thickly, teeth digging into his lower lip. Almost immediately, he can see Logan’s eyes honing in on the action and one of Logan’s hands reach up to caress Virgil’s chin, thumb gently pressing beneath the male’s lip to free it from between his teeth.

“You shouldn’t bite your lips like that. It can result in oral fixation, bleeding, and chapping of the lips.”

Even in a moment like this Logan finds time to harp on Virgil. Instead of rolling his eyes and pulling away, though, Virgil snorts and uses his now free hand to tentatively rest upon Logan’s thigh. “Trust me, my lips are just fine. Whether or not they’re chapped should be the least of your worries.”

Roman’s and Patton’s voices blend together as they merrily begin the countdown, cheer obvious in their tones.

“Five!”

“The least of my worries? Then what should be at the top?” Logan asks, a hint of amusement creeping into his typically cool voice.

“Four!”

“I can’t help but to notice that you didn’t even bring anything to monitor our vitals with, making this a flawed experiment.” Virgil grins.

“Three!”

“Well, you see, the lack of equipment was purposeful on my part. Do you know why?”

“Two!”

“I’d say it’s because you just wanted an excuse to kiss me.”

“One!”

“I’d say you are right.”

“Happy new year!”

It takes only a few mere moments for the two to close the gap between them, eyes closing as lips press together. It was slightly clumsy, considering they bumped noses, but neither seem to care as their lips make contact. It isn’t exceptionally long or grand, but it is just enough for the two of them. Logan is the first to pull away, and he even smirks at the way Virgil subconsciously follows him to continue the kiss.

Realizing what he had done, he leans back, face and neck undoubtedly flushing. However, Virgil cannot find it in himself to be embarrassed when he opens his eyes and is met with the sight of Logan practically glowing. The male isn’t full blown grinning, he isn’t yelling out his happiness, but Virgil can see it in the crinkles beside his eyes, the tender look he is receiving, the way Logan’s lips are stretched in a small sign of happiness.

“You know, your experiment is super flawed.” Virgil speaks in a teasing manner, his expression mirroring Logan’s.

“How so?”

“I mean. Obviously you didn’t monitor our vitals and all that jargon, but you know.” He hums, reaching up to brush his fingertips along Logan’s jawline. “Even I know that for an experiment to be done right, several trials have to be done. Not only that, but it isn’t like either of us have any past experiences to compare this to.”

“What are you proposing?”

“Looks like we need to repeat the experiment again, particularly on days that aren’t New Year’s. That way we know the difference, to see what is so special about a New Year’s kiss.”

Logan’s smile widens minutely. “What an astute suggestion. I most definitely agree.”

[thedailychalkboard]

Simply Genius

Yesterday, as I was swiping through the myriad texts, articles, ads, social rants and political tirades stuffing my overflowing social pit stop on the information highway I happened to pull up one of those “Can you find the difference” memes. You know, the two seemingly identical side by side graphics with the attached dare to find as many inconsistencies between the two as you can, sort of like an adult version of “Where’s Waldo” with a twist. What caught my eye was the header that stated, “Only a Genius Can Find the Difference”. I like a challenge.

First let me state that I’ve never considered myself to be anywhere near genius status. In fact I’m sure that many of my acquaintances and colleagues would say I don’t dwell anywhere near the same universe, let alone ball park, when it comes to such things. But whenever I see one of these pseudo-intellectual challenges it triggers some primal Pavlovian switch in my brain and I begin to mentally drool. It’s sad really. Kind of like the guy that gets caught staring at things he’s not supposed to but just can’t resist. This got me to thinking.

What is genius really? Is it some magical means of besting the confines of mundane thought and transcending to a higher plane of intellectual existence?  Or is it just gas? What I mean by this is, is it simply the inflation of the average ability to recognize and solve problems and questions that fill humanity’s collective consciousness, the results of which are then inflated with the heated air of emotional marketing hyperbole? Or is there truly an unseen ethereal power at work here? As I contemplated this I realized I needed to tap into a higher source to guide me on this religious journey of discovery, so I pulled up Wikipedia.

According to the latest sources at my technological disposal the definition of genius is this; “exceptional intellectual or creative power or other natural ability; A person who is exceptionally intelligent or creative, either generally or in some particular respect.” Synonyms for genius really run the gamut. Everything from wisdom, intellect, erudition and mastermind to ingenious, very clever and Brainiac are used to describe genius. All of these terms are accepted as indications that a person may be a genius. This is all fine and dandy, but who really is a genius, how does genius happen, why, and where does that leave the rest of us average droolers?

Average is a relative term. I’ve got plenty of relations and relatives that I would consider a few crayons short of filling the average box but then don’t all of us? In my creative extrapolation I even wonder at times if Einstein’s theory of relativity was actually just a mathematical way of telling us that we all have a bigger hole to fill in the universe and that we are all truly unified, and it’s actually not theory at all, but genuine fact. Each of us just need expand our horizons to fill that hole and accept that we all have a purpose after all, regardless of the color of our inherited and genetic crayons. I’ve always enjoyed coloring outside the lines. Normal convention can be pretty boring at times, even to the point of becoming unbecoming, unaccepting and unwarranted.

As I researched more about this genius phenomena one thing that struck me is the reoccurring similarity in how so many people upon whose heads society has placed the coveted crown of genius did and do not consider them self to be worthy of being called such. It appears that the genius mind doesn’t view itself as smarter or above average at all. However, there is something that they all do share in common to a person; they don’t simply think. They act with focus and purpose on their thoughts. In other words they make things happen.

I was fortunate to realize and accept this difference years ago. Genius has nothing to do with superior brain function and everything to do with thinking and coloring outside the proverbial average box. The Genius in our world is the person who dares to not simply think differently but to act differently upon their thoughts. The average person while thinking the exact same thoughts as a genius does fails to act upon those thoughts, instead putting them aside, waiting for or expecting someone else to discover and act upon them. The true genius' of the world are the doers not just the thinkers. Each of us carries a spark of genius within our heart, mind and soul. Most of us just fail to fan those embers into a hot flame of action and let it burn brightly enough to be seen.

Sadly, not all genius is good. Some genius is just downright evil. History is full of examples where the inspiration and inventiveness of the genius mind has lead to negative consequences and the destruction of people, places and things. Being smart, intelligent and acting with focus and determination upon one’s thoughts does not mean that all genius is good, desirable or acceptable. The best genius’ of the world share some common traits. They are the movers, the shakers, the disrupters and the change agents. They are not anarchists, haters, close minded or prejudice in thought or action. They have open minds, open hearts, open ears, talk less, listen more and share only what they truly believe will make the world a better, more accepting, understandable and tolerant place to live. True genius is what makes life better for all, not just the privileged few.

As I looked over the two, side by side, images that got this whole genius discourse of mine started, it was obvious to me that there were more similarities than dissimilarities in them. Sure, I found the differences easily, and I’m no genius, but the differences did not diminish either one of the images. They just happened to be uniquely different in their own special way and I’m okay with that. As I contemplate my life I now realize that I’ve always been one to color outside the lines. I’m still one to do this and I wonder if the header on this little visual exercise would have been better if it had read, “Only a Genius Can Find the Similarities”

#michaelddavis

©2017 Michael D. Davis All Rights Reserved.

Michael D. Davis is a communicator by vocation, a mentor by avocation and a social media maven by choice. His work can be found on popular channels on the web and on his blog at http://thedailychalkboard.tumblr.com/   Michael welcomes your comments and invites you to join him. Just Google #michaelddavis or #thedailychalkboard to find him and request to connect.

[ireneisdacoolest]

Blog Post #4: Social Mirrors

Chosen person: Lorenzo Lagamon

How I think they see me

In hindsight, Enzo and I are relatively new friends. We met because of the Ateneo Debate Society (ADS), an organization that only accepted me midway through the 1st semester. Although we had met by that time, we only really started talking in November, when the topic of crushes was brought about. I think those contexts, debate and crushes, really reflect in how Enzo thinks of me.

I think Enzo thinks I’m happy. Although I have been upset and express my sadness to him, I normally show a very enthusiastic disposition to the ADS. By extension, he sees that side of me as well.

However, in my lamenting about my crush he sees a hopeless romantic. Someone who loves very quickly and very hard.

I’d like to believe that he sees me as someone who is loving and caring, not only to my crush of course, but to my friends. I feel like I sacrifice and listen to my friends, and I give them kind acts of service. So in summary, a good friend.

I hope he sees me as a shoulder to lean on or the go-to person when talking about his day, because that’s definitely how I see him!

I also think he would see me as his best friend in the ADS, as in the short time we’ve known each other, we’ve been through a lot. Through numerous debate tournaments, training and meals out, we’ve become a lot closer. I think he thinks of me this way, because that’s how I think of him.

The more I write, the more I realize that my relationship with Enzo is one of reciprocity. I would like to believe that the way he views me is the way I view him.

And honestly if that’s the case, I should not be afraid of what he has to say.

What Enzo actually thinks of me

Irene asked me to write about her. I accepted without flinching, of course; but the immediate question I had to ask was not what is this for? Or why? But rather: well, where do I begin? After much introspection, I begin with the first time I met her. She knows this story too well, saying it again might intoxicate her. I met her in PSDC 2017. PSDC or Philippine Schools Debate Championship is an annual and national high school tournament organized by the Ateneo Debate Society. She was from Miriam College and I? A lowly and quiet school from Northern Mindanao. We were already in the knockout rounds of said competition when Irene — well, knocked me out. I remembered her face. In my head back then, she was a fierce woman with an undying fighting spirit tamed in a small stature. I feared her but at the same time I was angry at her. But by the blessings of the mysterious mechanisms of this universe, two different people from two very distant places now find themselves friends in the Ateneo. I always believed I would know her only as the girl who knocked me out of a tournament — but as a student of the Social Sciences, I should know better and remember that people are more than your first impressions. Over the course of our Freshman year in Ateneo, I’ve come to know Irene not just as a strong and powerful lady — but one who is too human as well. I have seen her cry because of love and the absence thereof. I have seen her laugh at the perfect moment and in the face of adversity. I have seen her dress up really well on many days. I have seen her wear shorts and a shirt too big on most. I have seen the rigour and the brilliance that make up the flames of her fierceness. I have seen the child and the longing that comprise her incessant: I want kiss (but only from a specific person, of course — whose name shall be forever redacted). Irene is brave but she is human. She is loving and thoughtful but she is human. She can sing really well — but she is human. Why do I have to make this caveat? Because oftentimes, plenty around her forget that in all her talents and amidst her commanding presence — Irene is still human too. She is brave, she is a fortress — but every once in a while, she allows herself to fall like Jericho. She is loving and thoughtful, she is patient — but sometimes she will fight you with aggression if you step out of line. She can sing really well, and she plays instruments too — but sometimes she goes off-key and her chords are played at the wrong tempo. I make these important caveats not out of spite but as a reminder that we oft neglect the humanity in heroes. They are heroes but they are human (and yet they are heroes still). I write of Irene’s strengths and I write of her imperfections not because I hate her, quite the opposite: but because truly loving someone means you see them for the human that that they are. Watch her walk the sacred halls of Schmitt, brave the torrential crowd at SecWalk, or eat her homemade vegetarian meal at Gonzaga Up, or wait for someone (a specific someone) in Matteo Ricci. Listen to her light up as she tells you how her day has been, taste the joy she pours on her poetry, and see her tears dry as she picks herself up. I sometimes catch myself writing in hyperbole or with one too many metaphors. I am in perpetual search for adverbs and synonyms. Today, I do not end that search. I could not find a prettier word to replace: very strong. She is very strong? Well, she is; but I do not want to end with that. Perhaps the closest approximate right now is: she is Irene — the toughest, most loving, most caring soul that knocked me out.

Reflection

I know Enzo to be a poetic person. So, I expected a level of flair from his write-up. What I didn’t expect is a full PDF with a header and all. Admittedly, the way we wrote our respective texts is very different, and the word choice is contrasting as well. While I expected words like, hopeless romantic, or good friend, he chose the word ‘strong’ as his motif.

Enzo even went back further than I did. It’s true that we interacted for the first time in a high school debate tournament a few years before college started, and I understand why that’s his first impression of me.

He gives no mention of me being a generally happy person.

I’m unsure if this means he doesn’t think I’m a happy person or if it’s a detail he simply chose to omit. Now that I think about it, perhaps I have ranted too many times to him for me to be seen as a definitively happy individual.

He does however, imply my hopeless romantic nature. He’s not very direct, and uses inside jokes to refer to my woes of my crush.

And, almost with relief as I read it, he does agree that I am loving and caring. For vain reasons, I’m glad this is the case. I quite honestly try very hard to make sure people think this way of me. That’s not to say it’s disingenuous, but it’s definitely crafted.

I think after comparing both of our outputs, only the words used differ but the essence stays rather the same. I’m glad this is the case because it means I know Enzo well enough, and he knows me too.

[digiscreen]

Okay, so in today’s blog I want to address my love and passion and that is, video games. Shocker there, isn’t it? But Josh, what in particular do you want to talk about? Video games are a huge, ever changing and evolving medium, and there’s so much you can possibly cover, how will you ever choose? Well today, I want to approach games from a more textual point of view. We’re going to look at them as if we were looking at them as a film, and in particular, we’re going to look at Naughty Dog’s 2013 release The Last of Us. I am sure that many of you have no doubt heard about this game, and how it has been hailed as an ‘outright masterpiece.’  If you haven’t, don’t worry. I am intentionally leaving things vague for the time being. Just know that it is a story driven game, set in a post-apocalyptic world where zombies roam. Though plenty of narrative heavy games have come before hand, including the Uncharted series, also created and published by Naughty Dog, The Last of Us is a game that truly broke out of the gaming “bubble” and into the cultural zeitgeist. Now there could be several reasons for this; in the years leading up to its release, zombie/post apocalyptic film and television had flooded the market (the superhero boom that is still present today was just beginning to take off) (pardon the pun), with shows like AMC’s The Walking Dead garnering a large amount of attention. It could also be due to the fact that discussions about gaming had started to change and be reshaped. The time of its release (in terms of where consoles were) is also something I personally feel factors into its huge success. Microsoft and Sony were preparing to move into their next generation of consoles (with the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 respectively) and so the The Last of Us was a swan song of sorts for the PlayStation 3. But I digress.

Let’s address the claim then, that “given video games are non-linear, does this mean we cannot study them using traditional textual lenses?” Well let’s first establish what traditional textual lenses actually mean in this context. What we’re thinking of here, is the ways in which we would normally analyse film. We’d look at shot composition, mis-en-scene, sound, lighting, camera movements; all the technical aspects that go into what is on the screen in front of you. These are all physical, malleable objects that are based in reality. Jean Douchet posits that filmmakers deserve to be called “great precisely because of their near obsessive focus on capturing reality and respecting it.” They know what is in the real world and what can be accomplished. But what about animation then? David Bordwell notes that the “classical model has adapted itself to different media and technologies, adjusting to the introduction of sound as well as to other technical innovations.” The whole discussion on what film is becomes very blurred when you combine those two mindsets, and that argument only gets more muddled when you bring in something like remediation. This idea that cinema takes old outdated forms and repurposes it when it creates new technologies. However, despite this mess I’ve laid out before you, and despite cinema having evolved so much, we can still break it down to it’s bare form.

Looking at the 1st Academy Awards, the categories Best Director, Best Picture, Best Cinematography and Best Story were present, just like they are today. The core elements are all still there. (Wow that was a much longer break down of that concept than I meant it to be) Thankfully non-linear is a bit easier to define. A film/tv show is linear as you as an audience member are passive in the watching of it. That is to say, you have no control over where it is heading, the story and events have all been shot and edited, and you are just experiencing them. Video games give you control, and despite games (generally) having an established story and path they want you to follow, you are by no means obliged to follow that. We won’t delve into it much further than that, or we end up in some weird reality where by my definition, Candy Crush is a linear story because I know when I play that game I have no control over anything happening in it. Anyway, point is, textual lenses=physical things we can look at in the frame or within the frame of a movie, non-linear= multiple ways of progressing (or not) through a story.

Now, the more traditional elements are not lost in The Last of Us at all. Watch the credits for the game below (fear not, you don’t need to watch them all, just the beginning):

As you can see, the game has two listed a directors, Game Director Bruce Straley, and Creative Director Neil Druckman, who is also the writer. You have visual effects artist Eben Cook, Editor Ryan M James, Composer Gustavo Santaolalla, like any credits scene at the end of a film, the list goes on and on. Now of course this isn’t the strongest argument to say that we can look at games through the same textual lenses as film because they have credits, by that logic if I added a list of names to anything they could be classified as “film;” but I do raise the credits first because I’d hazard a guess that if you’re reading this you hadn’t realised that video games could have directors, or composers, or editors.

So let’s watch the opening of The Last of Us. Remember how I told you not to worry earlier and I left the description of the game vague, now’s the time to fix that. Now just a quick note that there is violence in this clip, as well as horror themes. Nothing too intense, but worth mentioning.

Now this probably hyperbole, but I feel that there are little to no other mediums that establish so much about everything you are about to experience in 15 minutes as well as Naughty Dog has done here. The clock ticking immediately creates a sense of unease, and one of the first things we hear Joel see is “I can’t lose this job.” We know he’s down his luck. The relationship between him and Sarah is established as a loving, playful one, as shown when Sarah gifts her father a nice watch, and his response is to pretend it’s broken, and their subsequent casual discussion of selling drugs. This nicely juxtaposes when Sarah is wandering the house alone looking for Joel. Cold, muted colours now fill the pallet, and bits and pieces begin to frame the world we’re entering (the newspaper report on spiking admittance to hospitals, the news report in the background). When we see Jimmy break through the glass the camera places us behind Joel, with out eye line at his back, really conveying the vulnerability and fear Sarah is now experiencing. As the scene progresses the camera stays linked to Sarah as we control her and begin to experience the world as it descends into chaos. The fear she experiences, as well as the emotional bond between Joel wanting to protect her at all costs, is really conveyed through this introduction to the game. It sets up the protagonist Joel, and gives the player a clear understanding of what he has been through to make him the man he is when the actual game commences some 15 years later. All these emotions, the world building, they’re entirely based of cinema conventions and tropes. A small American suburban town is the originating point of a virus; chaos slowly descending as the military desperately try to contain the outbreak. A father doing everything he can to protect his child. It’s all classical Hollywood, but the story it ultimately tells is one of relationships and family, and it achieves this through perfect uses of camera movement and placement, a well written script, a score that encapsulates the emotional resonances, and fantastic acting from the cast. Markku Eskelinen excellently points out that “outside academic theory people are usually excellent at making distinctions between narrative, drama, and games” and The Last of Us is an excellent example of why those sorts of theories need to be re-worked and re-examined. HOWEVER, with all this being said, the question isn’t about whether we can or cannot apply traditional textual lenses to video games, but is actually whether we should. Eskelinen’s full quote finishes saying “If I throw a ball at you I don’t expect you to drop it and wait until it starts telling stories.” Video Games are a medium of their own, and they will always try borrow from other mediums in doing so. They, like cinema, are constantly remediating themselves, only they have a much larger pool they can remediate from. 2018’s God of War is one single take for the whole thing, and has received praise for how cinematic it is (citation needed) and would be very easy to analyze, much like The Last of Us under a traditional lens, but throw something like Epic Games’ Fortnite, one of the biggest games right now which is being enjoyed by millions of people, in the mix, and there is no chance you can study it under traditional means. In the same way that you wouldn’t study a book on its cinematography, you shouldn’t be assessing a video game under that same guise.  

References: Moriarty, Colin. 2013. "The Last Of Us Review". IGN. https://au.ign.com/articles/2013/06/05/the-last-of-us-review.

Elsaesser., Thomas. 2016. Film History As Media Archaeology: Tracking Digital Cinema. The Netherlands: Amsterdam University Press.

Bolter, Jay David, and Richard Grusin. 2000. Remediation. Cambridge, Mass: MIT Press.

"The 1St Academy Awards | 1929". 2018. Oscars.Org | Academy Of Motion Picture Arts And Sciences. https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1929.

Eskelinen, Markku. 2001. "The Gaming Situation". Game Studies 1 (1). http://gamestudies.org/1801.

Druckman, Neil, and Bruce Straley. 2013. The Last Of Us. Video. Naughty Dog.

[jhpaulsen]

Delving Deeper into Netflix’s 13 Reasons Why

The first three paragraphs are a relatively spoiler-free review, but be warned, there are many, many spoilers later on in this post. 

13 Reasons Why is Netflix’s latest must-binge series. It’s based on a book with the same name, optioned (a while ago) by executive producer Selena Gomez. She was originally slated to play the role of Hannah Baker, a high school junior who commits suicide – but not before recording 13 tapes, one for each reason why she took her own life. Hannah was eventually played by newcomer (and Australian, though you would never know it) Katherine Langford, and she was terrific. This is not hyperbole -- she absolutely crushed it.

In fact, the entire ensemble was well-cast and gave strong performances, with the usual caveat that some of the actors looked a bit too old to be in high school. I’d like to give a shout out to Dylan Minnette, who played Clay Jensen, the main protagonist, with just the right amount of awkwardness and determination necessary to pull off such a complicated role in a series that jumps around frequently in time.

A unique premise is only as good as its execution, and the series fared pretty well in this area. There are some plotting issues, but they are fairly minor, and become an afterthought since the directing, editing and writing are so strong.

**SPOILERS BELOW**

I spent last Thursday watching the final five episodes. In this age of binge-worthy television, I couldn’t imagine having to wait three months for this series to reach its conclusion if it were shown on a weekly basis. I jumped on the freight train in first episode and by the end of the first tape I knew I was going to try to complete the series within a week. I think it actually took three days.

I’ve heard complaints that the series should have been shorter, maybe 10 episodes, and while I agree that there are tapes that dragged a bit and/or could have been combined, I never finished an episode thinking, “Well, that was a waste of time.”

I normally wouldn’t write a post to discuss a show that I liked, I’d just tweet out my recommendation and move on with my life. But I feel compelled to write about a couple of the show’s plot points that haven’t necessarily received the coverage that I think they deserve based on the reviews I’ve read and heard. (I read a few finale recaps and listened to an hour podcast – Talking TV With Ryan and Ryan – which is a spoiler-heavy recap with a plenty of discussion about the pitfalls of a second season.)

Hannah Baker Equals Frustration!

Langford did a terrific job portraying Hannah, but that didn’t stop her from being a frustrating character to watch. Two examples jump out: 

1. How Hannah treated Zach Dempsey

In Zach’s tape, we learn that he returned after Marcus mistreated Hannah at the diner. He knew Marcus acted like an asshole, so he returned to stay with Hannah to support her. It was a stand up move, but the next day he squanders that goodwill by mentioning her “great ass” before saying that there’s so much more that he likes about her. I’m paraphrasing, but that was the gist. Zach’s comments were poorly phrased, but the sentiment was positive, wasn’t it?

Hannah didn’t see it that way. As soon as she heard “great ass,” she was seeing red and she let Zach have it in front of the whole cafeteria. I thought she was too hard on him given the nature of his crime and the capital that he had earned at the diner the night before.

Zach is not the sharpest tool in the shed, and Hannah should have realized that his heart was in the right place. She could have explained her point of view in a much better manner to avoid alienating a person who was just reaching out in his own clunky way to say that he liked her. 

2. Going to Bryce’s house

In tape #12, Hannah explains how she ended up going to a party at the house of a known rapist.

After she loses $743 of her parents’ money, she goes down this dark path��

It seems like no matter what I did I kept letting people down. I started thinking how everyone’s lives would be better without me. And what does that feel like? It feels like nothing. Like a deep, endless, always blank nothing. And for those of you who will now be looking for signs everywhere, what does it really look like? Here’s the scary thing – it looks like nothing.

It wasn’t a short walk. I walked forever that night, through my old neighborhood where the houses were nicer than the one I lived in now. All the way up to the hill, where the rich people lived. Where you (Bryce) live. And from blocks away, I heard it. The music, the murmur of voices. The siren call of a party. You’d think I’d know better than to follow that call after Jessica’s party, but my feet followed it. My mind and heart were still in the big, blank nothing.

She ends up in the hot tub in her underwear, remains in the hot tub as the two other couples run off to the house, and the rest is history.

WHY WOULD YOU GO TO A PARTY AT THE HOUSE OF A KNOWN RAPIST?

I realize, for story-telling purposes, that there had to be something to push Hannah over the edge, to the point where she would seriously consider committing suicide. But for an otherwise intelligent, street-smart girl to wander into a party at Bryce’s house and stay, alone, until the end – it was a bridge too far.

(For those who may accuse me of victim-blaming, I’m really not trying to blame Hannah for what happened at the party. She should be able to get in the hot tub at the party and leave when she wanted to. Bryce is a narcissist, a probable sociopath, and an all-around disgusting excuse for a human being who should be locked up for a couple of decades...at least. I just think it was an extremely out-of-character decision for Hannah, given the information she had.)

Mr. Porter, Worst Guidance Counselor Ever? 

I’ve heard a few people complain about how Mr. Porter handled his session with Hannah. Some said he didn’t want to hear about the assault, others went so far as to call him the worst guidance counselor ever.

Here are a couple of key parts of their interaction:

Hannah: I need it to stop.

Porter: You need what to stop?

Hannah: (crying) I need everything to stop. People…life…

Porter: Life? (gives her tissue)

Cut to Porter/Clay conversation, cut back

Porter: Hannah, what did you mean when you said you needed life to stop? Because that seems like a very serious thing to say.

Hannah: I know. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean that, I guess.

At this point, Porter should not have let Hannah leave without bringing in a suicide counselor of some sort. She could be in crisis, and even though she said she didn’t mean it like that, it’s better to be safe than sorry. Instead, they go on to talk about the “best ass” list, and what happened at the party (with Bryce) a week ago.

I don’t agree with the assessment that Porter did not want to hear what Hannah had to say about what happened to her at Bryce’s house. He ignored his phone twice, stuck it in the drawer and hung up the phone when it rang. He pressed her multiple times about the identity of her assailant. Hannah even got up to leave in the middle of the session, and Porter convinced her to stay.

Porter: Did he force himself on you?

Hannah: I think so.

Porter: You think so, but you’re not sure. Did you tell him to stop?

Hannah: No.

Porter: Did you tell him no?

Hannah: No.

Porter: Maybe you consented and then changed your mind.

Hannah gets annoyed at this point, and won’t give Porter the name of her assailant unless he can promise that he’s going to go to jail. He says that can’t make that promise, so they’re at an impasse. He says that if she won’t pursue charges or tell him who raped her, then she has one choice: to move on.

Initially, I thought he did a decent-to-good job given the information he had, but I watched it again with my wife, who is an assistant principal at a high school, to get her take. She was less positive about his interaction with Hannah. She said that he asked most of the right questions, but that he didn’t give Hannah space to talk. Instead, it was like he was going down a checklist.

To “move on” is a logical piece of advice, but Hannah didn’t necessarily need logic at that point. Porter got off track by focusing on what happened at the party instead of Hannah’s earlier statement that she needed “life to stop.”

Hannah acts as if she’s accepted the fact that she needs to move on, but viewers know that at this point she has decided to commit suicide. She gets up to leave quickly, and Porter once again tries to get her to stay. But his phone rings (for the fourth time) and it sounds as if it’s his supervisor since he says “Yes, sir.” during the call.

Keep in mind, Hannah is standing just outside his door waiting to see if he’ll come after her. When he doesn’t, she wanders down the hall, talking into her microphone.

Porter failed Hannah by not immediately arranging for suicide counseling. Instead, he got off track with the discussion about the party and when that conversation ended, so did the session. Keep in mind that Hannah was recording the whole thing. Was she really looking for help or was she just looking for an end to her story?

A Second Season?

I’ve heard rumblings about a second season, which is a terrible idea. This series worked in large part because of Langford’s performance and the time-jumping story structure, which relied on Hannah’s tapes. I don’t see how Langford has a continued presence on the show, or how they carry the show’s unique structure into a second season.

They may try to turn Alex’s gunshot wound (suicide attempt?) into Hannah Baker, Part II. Miles Heizer was one of the best parts of the ensemble, so if a second season lost both Langford and Heizer, they’d be hard-pressed to carry the story forward.

Sometimes it’s okay for there to be 13 episodes of a great series and then that’s it.

One final note: The series soundtrack and musical cues were pretty great, so if you’re interested in hearing more, there’s this playlist on Spotify.