A list of Sci-Fi!

                I’ve been having difficulties with writing lately. I just can’t get my thoughts to coalesce, let alone get them on paper. With that in mind, today’s post will be another list! You all like the lists, right? In light of President Obama releasing his favourite science fiction movies, I will be doing something similar! If you’re going to copy someone, why not Obama (a sentiment sadly not shared by many)? A slight twist, I will be listing my favourite genre films and television series! I’m saying genre so I can list some fantasy and stuff instead of just science fiction.  As usual, this list will be in no particular order, and for a change the list will counting up from one! WHAT?! Okay, it’s not that exciting. I just—never mind, on with the list!

1. Star Trek: First Contact

The first of a “few” Star Trek entries that will be on this list; First Contact has long been my favourite Star Trek film. When I was younger I appreciated it for the action scenes and space combat, but as I aged I began to appreciate and understand the moral complexities that were at the heart of it. From Picard coming to accept and overcome his unrelenting hate of the Borg, to Data accepting that he didn’t need to become human to be perfect. The film is possibly the darkest Star Trek film, reaching Deep Space Nine levels of moral questions and ambiguity. And the acting! Patrick Stewart was in top form playing the emotionally haunted and damaged Jean-Luc, with Alfre Woodard playing the perfect foil and moral centre. Plus the film was the debut of the Enterprise-E, one of the most gorgeous ships in Star Trek history.

2. Children of Men

Alfonso Cuaron is an amazing filmmaker. His films are filled with beautiful visuals, and amazing talent. Children of Men is no exception. The film features a dystopian future where the youngest person on the planet is celebrating his 18^th birthday—in case that went over your heard, no one has been born for 18 years. The tension is tight, and the film does not let you go. If you’re looking for a smart sci-fi that makes you question basically everything, give this a watch. I honestly don’t want to go into the plot so I don’t ruin anything. Clive Owen shines in his role, and Michael Caine plays a cynical hippie, what more do you need?

3. Captain America: Winter Soldier:

I’m picking this Marvel movie over some others simply because its themes are the most relevant and plausible in today’s world. A shadowy government agency that is spying on everyone and recording their every move? An agency that is judging people’s future actions based off an algorithm? The lines between fiction and real-life got real blurry in this movie. When the real-life actions of the NSA, CIA, CSIS, C-SEC, and other agencies are being used as the inspiration for an illegal and immoral group, you know things have gotten bad. Plus that fight scene in the elevator. It was beautiful.

4. Guardians of the Galaxy:

Marvel’s beautiful space opera, and most blatant sci-fi film is easily one of my favourite movies of all time. I watched it five times in theatres. I never watch movies more than once in a theatre, but I couldn’t stop watching Guardians. The film had me, and most of the audience, in tears within the first couple minutes, and then a few other times throughout the film. I still tear up at “We are Groot”, and I can basically recite the film. The CGI is beautiful. The aliens look amazing. The action is phenomenal. Chris Pratt takes his shirt off. The bad guy is defeated by the power of friendship and a dance-off! Seriously, this is the greatest movie of all time. It’s the G-MOAT. I’m so gonna watch it this weekend now. Not only is the film outstanding, the soundtrack is out of this world (I had to. I had to say it.).

5. Orphan Black

Remember, I said films and TV shows! The first thing you need to know about Orphan Black is this: Tatiana Maslany is the most talented person to ever grace a television series. And that’s not just my opinion; it’s the opinion of everyone who knows anything about the industry. The series follows Sarah as she discovers she is part of a large conspiracy involving clones. Which she plays all of. There are episodes where she plays 6+ vastly different characters. Characters with different accents, mannerisms, ways of speaking, gaits, languages, EVERYTHING. Outside of Tatiana’s stellar acting is the story. The story is deep and complex, and leaves the watchers asking questions.

6. Battlestar Galactica (2004):

A lot of people were confused when, then, SciFi decided to reboot the gloriously goofy 70s sci-fi series. It was an odd choice. Sure, it had grown to have a large cult fanbase, but it didn’t seem like a good fit for a reboot. Well it was. During its four seasons it was consistently considered by critics to be the best written show on television. The series explored morality, ethics, robotics, genocide, warfare, PTSD, slave labour, and survival. The show was constantly asking its viewers how far the human race would go for survival—and the answer was usually something we didn’t want to admit. To this day, Battlestar Galactica stands out as an example of what a well executed television series can do. Even if the finale left a bad taste in some people’s mouths.

7. Firefly/Serenity:

I can’t have a list like this and not mention Firefly and Serenity, it’s just too shiny. Plus, one of my all time favourite quotes comes from it: “When you can't run, you crawl, and when you can't crawl - when you can't do that... You find someone to carry you.”

8. Star Trek Deep Space Nine:

“And if I had to do it all over again - I would. Garak was right about one thing: a guilty conscience is a small price to pay for the safety of the Alpha Quadrant.” DS9 did something that no other Trek had done: it went dark. It explored the grey areas of the human psyche, it explored the affects an occupation had on a people, and it explored racism in a way that was, at times, uncomfortably real. It wasn’t the shiny future of The Original Series or The Next Generation; it was a Star Trek that was real and grounded. It portrayed a humanity that had fixed everything on Earth by projecting all of the bad into space. It was groundbreaking for its time. The themes that it explored were ones that most shows wouldn’t begin to explore until a decade after DS9 was off the air. Its portrayals of PTSD are some of the best that have ever been put on film.

“What I want to know is, out of all the stories you told me which ones were true and which ones weren't?”

“My dear doctor...they're all true.”

“Even the lies?”

“Especially the lies.”

9. Arrow

Arrow kicked off the golden age of superhero television. Smallville was over and all but forgotten, and the crime procedural was king. The only genre shows were on cable. Then along came Arrow. Arrow proved that superheroes being superheroes could work and thrive on television. Not only that, Arrow sparked a whole universe of spin-offs: The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow, and Supergirl. Even NBC’s short-lived Constantine was brought into the fold with crossovers and mentions.

10. Star Trek (2009)

The introduction of the Kelvin Timeline revitalized the franchise, and brought Star Trek back into the public eye. The recasting of the iconic Original Series characters was pitch perfect, and helped ease a lot of worried fans. For many (me) seeing the Enterprise up on the big screen again was a religious experience. One that sent chills down my spine and stayed with me for weeks afterwards. The Kelvin timeline has had a couple missteps, but it has allowed Star Trek to come back to life in a huge way. 

Another thing on #NationalComingOutDay

                I’ve come to the realization that I, a writer, have never actually put to words my coming out. I’ve spoken about in videos, and I have mentioned my sexuality in other posts and articles, but I have never actually written down my coming out. Since it is #NationalComingOutDay, and my pumpkin spice latte is empty, I thought that today would be a good day to do so.

                I am asexual, and my journey towards that discovery was long. I won’t bore you with that journey as this is the story of my coming out, and not of my entire life. I discovered asexuality through tumblr, also known as the modern encyclopedia, and I immediately felt a connection to the term. I dismissed that connection at first and scoffed at the very idea! By the next day I was reading every article I could find on the subject. With each article I read, things made more sense. After a few days of research and reflection, I came out to myself as asexual.

                I didn’t rush out and tell a bunch of people right away. I wanted to understand things first. After a while, I did tell a few close friends just so that I didn’t have to process it all by myself. Around this time of slowly coming out, I began to look at my gender identity as well. Was I male? Was I something else? I never had the opportunity to explore my gender before, and now, with my research into sexualities, I was able to explore the idea of gender. I was learning so much about myself, now that I actually allowed myself to question things!

                I slowly began to tell more people, and soon I was tired of just telling people individually; it was too time consuming. So I did what anyone from my generation would do: I tweeted about it. And posted on Facebook and Instagram.

                Soon I was getting messages of love and support from the friends that didn’t already know. It felt so good. Of course there were people who didn’t understand, but no one was outright rude or mean. I got the expected “so ur a plant lol” from some people, and a few asked me if I thought about what would happen to my “social standing” now that I was out. One person even asked me if my friends were worried that other people would think they were like me.

                Over all, my coming out was smooth. Most of the questions were polite and genuinely curious. Most of the comments were positive and supportive! It could’ve gone a lot worse, and I was scared that it would. But it didn’t. I took my time. I did it in a place where I felt comfortable, and at a time when I felt I was ready.

#NationalComingOutDay

                Today is National Coming Out Day! Which can be a very exciting time for those who come out today! And for those of us who have already, it is a day to celebrate with others. I’ve written before about the amazing freedom that comes with coming out, and I’ve written about the perils as well.

                I didn’t come out on National Coming Out Day, I came out on my own terms and at my own time. I was planning on coming out as non-binary today, but I couldn’t keep that to myself any longer, so I did it at an earlier date. And that’s kinda what I want to talk about. Not me or my coming out, but coming out in general.

                Today could be the day you come out. Maybe the feeling of comradery and solidarity is what you needed to be able to come out. And that’s awesome! But, the main thing you need to be before coming out is ready. This can mean multiple things! It can mean that you know you’ll be safe, that you’re comfortable with telling people, and that you want to do it.

                Never come out because of a day on the calendar. Don’t do it to be part of the hashtag. Do it for yourself. Do it because you’re ready. And do it because you want to. Coming out is possibly the most personal thing you will do, and could even be the most important. So do not rush it. Don’t be pressured into it. Do it for yourself, on your time!

                And don’t come out as an ally. Today isn’t for that. I mean, sure, congrats on being a decent human being who supports equal rights, but don’t use today for that.  

Short thoughts on a deep subject

                Yesterday I wrote an article about my journey of self-discovery over the last two years. It is possibly the most revealing and intimate piece I have ever written. I won’t be sharing it on here until have it is published next month. I sent to several people whom I trust to have them go over it. Usually I edit all my articles myself, or just have my editor do it, but for this one I wanted some extra help. My friends read it, and gave positive reviews. None of them really questioned the content, except for one. I’m pretty sure the one that questioned it was the only one who knew that it was going to be published. Everyone else thought it was just an exercise in release.

                The one friend asked me if I was sure I wanted to put the article out there as it is incredibly personal and heavy. I said yes. She then asked me how I could do that as she didn’t believe she could ever put something like that in the public eye. My response was simple and clichéd: I said that if it helped one person, then it would be worth it.

                In the article I touch on some very heavy subject manner, issues that I have skirted around in this very blog! Recently a friend has been pushing me to be more open and vulnerable, and last week I took her advice and I began to open up more, and it was from this that the article was born.

                One of the other readers asked me if it was hard to write and then send. I said that I wouldn’t have been able to do either a week ago, but that today had been easy.

                Writing this article, to be published, has been daunting, scary, and incredibly freeing. The weights fell from my shoulders as I typed, and I felt better than I had in a long while. 

The Fabled One

In the event of my untimely (and unlikely) demise, please consider this note my last will and testament. I have lived a good life, and I wish my belongings, in their entirety, to be bequeathed to the sea. The sea has been the only one who has truly understood me all these long years. Yours in death, Beyonicus.
I carefully set the note in the centre of my rough hewn table, so that it could be easily found in the event of my death. I looked around my dwelling (I hesitate to call it my home as I had only been in it for a week), and smiled at my collection of antiquities and rarities. The massive (and valuable) collection was one of the main perks of my occupation. One of the downsides was the frequent possibility of death.
You win some, you lose some.
You see, for I, Beyonicus, was the fabled treasure/bounty (I diversified my brand at the start) hunter: Beyonicus the Bold. It was my noble duty to go out and find lost treasures, and “lost” people. To say I was good would be a cruel understatement.  To say I was the best that ever walked the gods green Earth would be accurate. There was a reason I was not called Beyonicus the Humble.
When one is as famous as I, subtlety is not something one needs, and both my armour and my arms represented that. Great swirls of gold emblazoned my breastplate, and the hilt of my brightly burnished sword was bedecked with jewels. On top of all that, my cloak was a deep violet, a colour usually reserved for royalty, and made of the finest silks. How fine? I bred the worms myself, and I fed them by hand. After a short time arranging my flowing, golden locks, I was ready to depart on my latest adventure: a quest to find the lost treasures of Dracon.
The treasures were said to be guarded by the most fearsome Orcish tribes in all the realms—a tribe so fearsome that the other Orcs had all but denied their very existence. The tribe is said to consist solely of male warriors in their twenties, and their language is almost unrecognizable as Orchish. The rumours also state that they are almost constantly drunk.
As I left my dwelling I was accosted by Benji, the town’s “greatest” warrior. I say “greatest” because his abilities are a truffle compared to my one. Truffle, like a pig finds them in the dirt. It was funny, I, Beyonicus the Bold, am also funny. He apparently bested some “Champions” from the neighbouring towns, or something.
“Hey, I heard you were leaving off on another quest. Thought you might be interested in team-up? The town’s two greatest warriors off on a badass road trip?” Honestly, even his voice was beneath my own.
“Listen, Benji is it?” My voice was melodic in its lie, of course I knew the fool’s name. “I’m really more of one person adventuring group. I just find that other people, I call them ordinaries, like yourself just get in my way. Ya feel?” Confident that I was finished with this inane conversation, I started down the road.
“They call you Beyonicus the Bold. They should’ve named you Beyonicus the Dolt. A real man would accept my help.” Benji said to my back.
I paused. No one had called me a man in years. Most people knew better. A million thoughts rang through my head at once. Part of my wanted to answer with my blade, but I just cleaned it, and getting all the blood out of the ornamentation was a hassle. I spoke instead, “I have fought my entire life to be known for the person that I am, and not as the person I look like. I have made my reputation large enough to shadow the doubts and the hate that comes my way,” I turned to him now, “I will not be called a man by a person like you. You, a person who came to me asking a favour. I will do nothing for you. You look at me, but you do not see me. You claim to know me, but you can’t even see the legend around me. I am Beyonicus the Bold, not because of the things I do, but because of who I am.” With that, I left.
 Dear reader, you may feel that the last conversation was a departure in tone from the rest, but it was not. Stories reflect life, and, like life, moods and tones change from moment to moment.
I left the village on horseback after I liberated my valiant steed Richard from the stables. As the wind whipped through my glorious locks, I put my encounter with Benji out of my mind. With a youth like mine, one soon grew used to sad, pathetic people such as him. I had three days of travel before me, and I wanted to make the best of it, so I began to sing. As you should expect, my singing voice was as magnificent as the rest of me.
In my youth, before I became the fabled treasure/bounty hunter, I was often invited to sing at local events. My voice would ring out, strong and true, and the maidens would weep openly while the men would pretend to have dust in their eyes. I hated that. Even in my youth I knew that those stereotypical actions were wrong. I suppose, even then, I knew who I truly was.
Due to my fame, I rarely had to pay for lodgings. Instead I would sing, and regale the audience with tales of my prowess! And in the mornings, before I left, I would give all the workers a gold mark in thanks for their kindness. I am not a charity. I pay my way.
The lost treasures of Dracon were located in a cave, as many lost treasures are. As I previously stated, the caves were guarded by a particularly nasty tribe of Orcs. What I did not mention was that the cave was located on an island in the middle of a lake. This lake was treacherous. The waves could grow to 20 feet in height, and the fish tasted bad. That doesn’t have to do with the waves, but it is a reason as to the badness of the lake!
Fortunately, the day I arrived the lake was calm and I didn’t have to worry about the waves. Long story short, I made it to the island with ease.
As darkness descended, I approached the Orc camp. Thankfully, I was fluent in all dialects of Orcish, so I was able to listen in to their chilling conversations:
Orc 1: Bruh, you see that sick flip I did earlier, bruh?
Orc 2: Dude, it was tight. Just like my main undur!
Orc 3: Sick.
Orc 1: Toss me the ale, my cup runneth dry, bruh!
Orc 3: Bro, I tell you about that boat I saw earlier? Looked like someone was comin’ here to mess with us!
Orc 2: They got another think comin’ if they think they can take us!
All: [grunting and hollering]
As I said, chilling.
I squared my shoulders, and made ready to fight. Drawing my sword, I stepped out into the light of the fire.
“I, Beyonicus the Bold, have come for the lost treasures of Dracon! Tremble and weep before me, for I am your undoing.” I had practiced that in front a mirror for hours before I left the village, and, I gotta say, it was worth it.
The Orcs looked at each other in confusion, “Who in the seven hells is she, bruh?” The first one asked.
The other two just shrugged and drew their weapons. I smiled sadly, and then attacked before they could.
The fight was short, for I, Beyonicus the Bold, am without equal. The Orcs lay dead at my feet as I sheathed my sword and made my way into the cave.
The cave was dark and full of terrors, but it was nothing that I could not handle. After casually dispatching a handle of skeletons, answering a sphinx’s riddle, and juggling a dozen small rodents to prove my worth, I was at the treasure.
Great heaps of gold. Towering stacks of gems. Bundles of magnificent armour. Silver swords by the armload. All that and more is what I expected to find.
Instead, there was only a mirror.
Upon the frame was inscribed, in great flowing script, the words: Inside Truth is Found Inner You.
Not only was there not actual treasure, the inscription on the mirror was gibberish.
I suppose not all quests end in spectacular fashion, but I, Beyonicus the Bold, am used to a certain standard.
Least I have a new mirror.