Tag Archives: nathan marchand

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Why We Love Caricatured Villains

“I’m sorry. I don’t remember any of it,” said the dastardly dictator M. Bison.

“You don’t remember?!” blurted the heroic Chun-Li, having just told him the story of how he killed her father.

“For you, the day Bison graced your village was the most important day of your life. But for me…it was Tuesday.”

As a friend once said, that is the perfect troll response.

In case you didn’t know, the 1994 Jean-Claude Van Damme Street Fighter is one of my favorite bad movies. Ming-Na Wen is well-cast as Chun-Li; it’s funny intentionally and unintentionally; and while his accent is way too thick, Van Damme at least fights well as Guile.

But the biggest reason I love this flick is Raul Julia’s M. Bison. It takes an exceptional actor to make a speech about the “Pax Bisonica” and do it with such conviction. He actually researched real dictators like Mussolini to give what could’ve been a one-dimensional, cartoonish Bond villain a bit more depth and sophistication. He also had the charisma to chew the scenery and make it entertaining. (It’s sad that he died shortly after the movie was released).

Have you ever noticed that audiences tend to love over-the-top villains more than over-the-top heroes? Emperor Palpatine from the Star Wars films. Jack Nicholson’s Joker in Batman. Dr. Doom in Roger Corman’s unreleased Fantastic Four movie. Heck, even my own Marcus the Morally-Dubious from Ninjas and Talking Trees. But if you try to google “over-the-top heroes,” you’ll be hard-pressed to find examples (though they do exist).

Why is this?

I believe it goes back to something that has been said by several famous Christian thinkers:

“The devil…that proud spirit…cannot endure to be mocked.”
-St. Thomas More

“The best way to drive out the devil, if he will not yield to texts of Scripture, is to jeer and flout him, for he cannot bear scorn.”
-Martin Luther

“Above all else, the devil cannot stand to be mocked.”
-C.S. Lewis

The last one is my favorite because it comes from The Screwtape Letters, an epistolary novel written by Lewis. It’s a satire where an elder demon, the titular Screwtape, writes letters to his nephew Wormwood on how to secure the damnation of the human he’s been assigned. It is laugh-out-loud funny at points. (My favorite part is where Screwtape gets so angry, he stops writing and his letter is completed by another demon, who says that Screwtape transformed into a giant insect in his rage).

While M. Bison and these other over-the-top villains are hardly the Prince of Darkness, they’re certainly caricatures of evil. Some aren’t necessarily meant to be taken seriously, but it’s clear that their actions are evil. These exaggerations make their evil more palpable, and when used as satire, they make the audience ponder the nature and meaning of evil. Lewis does this with Screwtape.

However, these characters are still absurd parodies. The audience can laugh at their grandiose plans, flamboyant gestures, and ridiculous fashion senses. This is because we can’t laugh at real-life evil. Paradoxically, as Screwtape illustrates, by laughing at the Devil, humanity robs him of some of his power. This, in turn, can be extended to these villains. Since, as Christian theology says, the Devil is the source of all evil, these villains are his “children,” his “little devils.” By laughing at them, the audience is laughing at the Devil. It’s yet another thing that illustrates my personal belief that deep within every human soul they remember Eden and the tragedy of losing it. God said in Genesis 3:15a, “…I will put enmity between you and the woman [Eve], and between your offspring and hers.” Buried though it may be under a sinful nature, this enmity toward the Devil is inside all of humanity. The love of caricatured villains is a manifestation of this, and since I believe one can’t believe in the existence of the Devil without believing in the existence of God, I could almost make the argument that the ironic love of Raul Julia’s M. Bison disproves atheism.

Who are your favorite over-the-top villains? How do they serve the same function as The Screwtape Letters? Or, how do you disagree with my notion?

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Moving to the Fortress of Solitude

Once again I’ve neglected my website. My apologies, True Believers. To make up for it, I’ll be giving you two blogs a week for at least two weeks on Thursdays and Saturdays.

Caprice?

Good.

Moving on….

Image taken from www.baruch.cuny.edu.

Speaking of moving (see what I did there?), I just made a major move. If you’ve been following my blog, you know I just started grad school. I’m studying for an M.A. in English with a writing concentration. Along with that, I moved. To Fort Wayne, Indiana, to be specific. It’s something I’ve wanted to do for a long time. Call me weird (most people do), but I like this city. I have a lot of connections here thanks to family, college, and growing up nearby. Unlike when I moved to Bluffton, Indiana, in 2007, I have a built-in support network. Plus, this city is the perfect size for me: not too big to overwhelm the rural/small town kid in me, and not too small that it lacks amenities.

It was tough the first two weeks of school. I was commuting or staying with friends while balancing classes, teaching (I’m a graduate teaching assistant), and a part-time job on the side. I survived, obviously.

Then came the move.

I spent all of Labor Day weekend moving into an apartment in a nice little community next door to the university. Unfortunately, I learned again that transitions are messy. Packing was laborious. My parents said they’d help me and not to rent a moving truck. We’d just caravan everything to Fort Wayne. Well, that didn’t work out as well as we’d hoped. It required several trips over the entire weekend. There was miscommunication over whether I needed to drive back every day to help move furniture and transport more boxes. There was even some drama over from who I would get some of my furniture (most of which were “hand-me-downs,” but I feel no shame). This ramped up tensions and led to some…spirited discussions, shall we say? But when it was all said and done, I managed to get 95% of my stuff here.

Moving will make you want to become a minimalist. I never realized how much stuff I own—or how I managed to cram most of it into one room—until I moved. My increased space-consciousness combined with a need for some extra spending cash has inspired me to start selling some things on eBay. (Check out my auctions here). I was inspired to do this by a podcast I listened to recently that interviewed a toy collector who said he would sell pieces he wasn’t in love with to make room for stuff he did love (and to earn what he called “toy karma,” i.e. good standings with other collectors who could help him get other items).

Unfortunately, I still haven’t unpacked or fully decorated my place yet. I want to make it my own.

The Fortress of Solitude. (Image taken from www.Screenrant.com).

Admittedly, while I believe God led to me this community (that’s a story in and of itself), I have a two-bedroom two-bathroom apartment all to myself, so it’s lonely oftentimes. I went on Facebook and asked my friends to suggest names for my apartment. I got many good ones—“Darf’s Lair” and “The Nate Cave” among my favorite runners-up—but I ended up going with “The Fortress of Solitude.” For those who don’t know, this is the name of Superman’s Antarctic “hideout.” It’s essentially the ultimate man-cave (“Superman-cave”?). While it sounds kinda depressing, I thought it fit because Superman usually goes to there alone to get away from things, and it’s full of awesomely cool stuff.

At some point soon, I hope to have an overdue housewarming party. But I want to finish unpacking and decorating first. It doesn’t feel…uniquely me yet. That will be remedied soon, though.

What was the biggest move you’ve made? How did it go? What advice would you offer someone as he settles into a new place?

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Narcissism’s Illusion

Today’s blog—the second for this week—is somewhat related to my previous one.

Recent events in my life prompted me to research gaslighting, which then led me to look into narcissism. I realize that I, for whatever reason, am a magnet for narcissists. In fact, the people who have hurt the most and worst have been narcissists. I could name at least six or seven people whose words and actions have scarred me, and while I’m only an amateur armchair psychologist, they certainly fit the bill.

I had a “friend” (I use that word loosely) in college who was a pretentious elitist. I’ll call him “H.” He thought he was smarter than some of his professors and usually didn’t hang out with his peers because he thought he was better than most of them. Heck, I’d go to him for advice about getting a girlfriend even though he thought the girls on campus weren’t good enough for him. It was condescending, in retrospect. Anyway, without getting into all the gory details, I saw who he really was when he stabbed in the back (not literally, of course, but I sometimes think it would’ve been easier if he had).

The massive laser cannon from the original Star Trek. (Image taken from Memory Alpha).

At one point I was talking with another friend about H having an ego the size of a mountain. My friend said H’s arrogance was a front, a mask. He compared it to a scene from a pair of episodes of the original Star Trek called “The Cage” and “The Menagerie.” These episodes feature one of the Enterprise’s earlier missions when the ship was under the command of Capt. Pike. Anyway, the crew visited a desolate planet, and Pike is kidnapped by big-headed telepathic aliens called Talosians and taken underground. They go down an elevator hidden behind a thick door. Spock and the away team try to blast through the door with their laser (not phaser) pistols, but despite the explosions and debris, the door remains intact. They later bring in a huge laser cannon, which makes even bigger explosions and more debris, but the door still looks untouched. It’s later revealed the Talosians create illusions with their telepathy, which they used to hide the fact that the door had been destroyed. My friend said H’s arrogance—his narcissism—was an illusion. Our criticisms only seemed to have no effect on him. The truth was he was a fragile, damaged person who wanted to present himself as invincible.

On one hand, thinking of it this way, I can pity people like H. They’re afraid to be vulnerable, to let people know their weaknesses, so they put on a front. On the other hand, their narcissism leads them to manipulate, use, and abuse others. They’re control freaks with superiority complexes. To them people are toys and/or tools to be discarded when they’re no longer of use. H told me he did what he did to me because he was bored. The father of one of my ex-girlfriends refused to believe any man was worthy of his daughter so he treated her like a “porcelain doll” (her words). More recently, a colleague forced me out of project so he could have complete control of it.

I recently heard Steven Crowder say in a podcast that it is weak people who will betray and bully others (generally speaking). It’s because they fear strength. I’ve concluded that narcissists fit this description. Their narcissism is an illusion they cast to hide their weakness. They’re obsessed with what others think of them, so they have to always be in control. When they’re confronted with their weakness, they deflect the criticism and project it onto others. I’ve had this happen too. Narcissists have accused me of their faults. I’ve questioned my moral integrity and my perceptions of my own conduct. Now, however, I’ve realized it was nothing but gaslighting.

I’ve learned that the only way to deal with narcissists is, if at all possible, to cut them out of your life. Leave them to their own devices. Eventually, their lives will keep shrinking until they suffocate in the entropy. Only then will they be capable of remorse.

Maybe.

Have you dealt with narcissists? How did you handle them? What did you have to do to keep them from gaslighting you or controlling you? Do you have any sympathy toward them?

Blog, News, Announcements

Blog Day has Moved!

Image courtesy of ThemeFuse.

You may have noticed I didn’t have a blog last week. That’s because I just started grad school, a new university job, and I’m about to move into a new apartment. In light of this, I’m moving my weekly “blog day” from Thursday (or Friday, if I’m late) to Saturday. 

So don’t fret, True Believers! I have a new blog in store for you this weekend!

Blog

My Life: The Reboot

My life is not unlike this film right now.

It’s been a crazy few weeks. I’ve had two book signings. My website was shut down to transfer it to a new host (thanks, Nick! [My apologies if his site is still being transferred]). Sadly, I did lose the short blog I wrote at Gen-Con, but all it said was that I was at the convention, wouldn’t be writing a blog, and that you all should come see me at my table.

As for other changes, I gave one day job a letter of resignation. I start grad school at a local university next week, as well as working as a graduate teaching assistant and writing center consultant for said university. I’m moving to be closer to the school. And these are just the changes I can talk about right now.

It’s…overwhelming at times.

My pastor told me Sunday that this isn’t so much starting a new chapter as it is opening a new volume. I said it might be more apt to call it a “reboot.” And why not? Reboots are all the rage in Hollywood right now. Most of them suck (I’m looking at you, Ghostbusters 2016), but then you have that handful that are amazing (like Batman Begins). Perhaps it’s more of a “soft reboot” like the 2009 Star Trek: it’s starting fresh, but it wouldn’t have happened if not for the events of the previous movies/series. I’m embarking on a new adventure where most everything is different, but there were many things in my life that led to this point.

But with change comes grief.

A coworker (at a business named Reboot, ironically), who also works as a pro-bono pastor, told me that grief is more about change than it is loss. Even positive change requires losing something, whether that be singleness for marriage or freedom for parenthood, among other things. I’m going to miss where I was because it was comfortable and predictable. I was used to it. It was safe. But where’s the adventure in safety?

A lot of things, both good and bad, related to my past have fallen away. I had to get a new car six months ago after an accident. My writing mentor retired in disgrace. That’s a few I can name. I still have plenty of constants (my friends, my family), but everything is changing.

Perhaps it’s appropriate then that Eric Anderson and I are working on a sequel to 42: Discovering Faith Through Fandom, and its central theme is how God changes things. I’ll be writing from experience.

What are some big changes you’ve navigated? How did you go about it? What did you have to “grieve” in the process?

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My Thoughts on the Dr. Dennis Hensley Scandal

Ironically, this image is courtesy of the meme website www.1funny.com.

(This will be the only time I discuss this subject in a public forum).

“It’s my estimation that every man ever got a statue made of ’em was one kinda sombitch or another.”
-Capt. Malcolm Reynolds

This line from the Firefly episode “Jaynestown” has been repeating in my head for over a week. It speaks to the hard truth that one should never meet his heroes because they’re not perfect or above reproach.

That’s harder to do when you already know your hero.

Last month, Dr. Dennis E. Hensley, founder of my alma mater, Taylor University’s, professional writing program and one of the most influential people in my life, retired suddenly. His current students were shocked. The theory was that he did so because of several deaths in his family and his wife’s stage four cancer. The students planned to send him some well wishes.

Then the truth came out.

He left because a former student came forward saying she had been sexually assaulted by Dr. Hensley in 2004 (which was during my time at the university’s Fort Wayne campus). This opened a floodgate of accusations spanning decades.

I avoided most of the uproar for a while because this was reported just before G-Fest XXV, and I didn’t want my weekend tainted. Once that was over, I inundated myself with articles.

There’s a lot I could say about this; a lot I’ve wanted to say. For the sake of this blog, I will focus only on how this revelation has affected me.

If Nick Hayden was the Obi-Wan Kenobi to my Luke Skywalker, Dr. Hensley was our Master Yoda.

One of my schoolmates and fellow Dr. Hensley students wrote on Facebook that this whole thing felt like someone had died. Indeed, those early stages of grief hit me hard. I didn’t want to believe it. I even tried to tell people not to jump to any conclusions and remember that these were only accusations. (Ironically, this was a journalism rule I learned from Dr. Hensley). This brought me under fire, albeit briefly, which was why I wrote what I did last week.

From denial I quickly moved to the anger stage, but it was anger without a target. I didn’t know if I should be angry at Dr. Hensley, his accuser(s), or the MeToo movement. That’s why I’ve waited as long as I have to say anything. Anger rarely, if ever, leads to sound reasoning, and in this outrage-addicted internet culture, it can be dangerous. Regardless, I was angry because something had been taken from me—the Dr. Hensley I thought I knew.

The man who reassured 18-year-old intimidated prospective student me that I had the talent to be in his writing program.

The man who teased me for having an e-mail at a now defunct website called www.Godzillafans.com. 

The man who found every typo I wrote in my papers and everything I did right.

The man who plastered “EYE OF THE TIGER!” on every “A” I got.

The man who told me how to conduct myself as a professional writer and what to expect in the industry.

The man who got me my first byline.

The man who put me on student newspaper staff as soon as I walked onto campus.

The man whose teaching style I so admired I wanted to emulate it as a teacher myself.

The man we described as a “teddy bear with sharp teeth” because he wasn’t afraid to tell you what you did wrong but he’d do everything he could to help you succeed.

The man who had an entire bulletin board—the “Brag Board”—dedicated to showing off his students’ publications and achievements.

All of these and many more—and now I have to reconcile them with these accusations.

Ironically, like the woman who first came forward, I, too, once confided something personal to Dr. Hensley. I won’t go into details, but something happened where I distrusted most everyone at the school, including my friends. It was my senior year, and I knew it might affect me academically, so I told him what happened. He was understanding and encouraging. He gave me a week to breathe and then sent a letter to my mailbox saying it was time to buck up and finish strong. I took it to heart.

In the time between his sudden retirement and the reporting of these accusations, I sent Dr. Hensley an e-mail saying I’d heard he left Taylor and that I was praying for him and his wife. I also mentioned that I would soon be starting grad school and working as a graduate teaching assistant and a writing tutor. He replied saying he knew I could do it.

If that is the last communication I ever have with “Doc,” that’s how I want to remember him.

But that’s the statue—and those always come crumbling down.

(I recommend reading James Watkins’ blog on this matter. He’s given the best assessment of it that I’ve read).

Blog, News, Appearances, Announcements

My Upcoming Appearances for Summer 2018

I may not have a new book out this year (yet), but I am making appearances at several events in the tristate area this summer. This will give you several opportunities to meet me, buy a book, and get it autographed. I’ll be participating in other events at these shows, as well, so you can see me outside the vendor hall and hang out.

So, in chronological order:

G-Fest XXV
When: July 13-15, 2018
Where: The Crowne Plaza Chicago O’Hare in Rosemont, Illinois
Website: http://www.g-fan.com/html/gfest_xxv/gfest_xxv.php

This is the annual gathering of the kaiju nerds. I attended last year with my Kaijuvision Radio co-host, Brian Scherschel, to promote our upcoming podcast. (Although, I did get myself on a kaiju writing panel). Now that KVR is up and running, we’re returning. This time we’re on several panels throughout the weekend—including a live KVR episode recording entitled “Godzilla and the Japanese National Spirit.” I’ll also be on two kaiju writing panels and one for the recent film Pacific Rim: Uprising. I won’t be in the vendor hall, but I’ll have copies of Destroyer and The Worlds of Nathan Marchand available for purchase and signing.

Gen-Con 2018
When: August 2-5, 2018
Where: The Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis, Indiana
Website: http://www.gencon.com/

“The best four days in gaming” returns for another huge year. It’s become a staple of my summer and the biggest event I attend all year. I’ll be in Authors Avenue in the vendor hall with all my Gen-Con writer friends. I’ll be selling and signing my own books as well as the newest volume of Missing Pieces, which features a new short story by yours truly. I might slip away to a few events throughout the day, and I’ll be attending events in the evening for sure, so we can hang out, if you want.

FYI: It seems the time was changed since this poster was created. The event’s pages now say 10am-4pm.

True Believers Fest 2018
When: August 11, 2018, 10am-4pm
Where: Marquis Comics in Kentwood, Michigan
Website: https://www.facebook.com/events/2144061572493810/

This is a small one-day event I was invited to vend at thanks to my partner in crime and Nerd Chapel founder, Eric Anderson. It’s a free family event. I’ve never been to this comic shop before, but I’m always in the market for finding cool new nerdy hangouts. It’s appropriate that I’m vending at this event since I, like Stan “The Man” Lee, like referring to my fans as “True Believers.”

I’ll see you…out there! Be there or be square!

Blog

Loving the Work You Do

(I missed a week. Gotta break that habit).

Eric Liddell in the film Chariots of Fire (which I still haven’t seen…).

“If you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life. That’s a lie! If you love what you do, you’ll work hard everyday.”

This was spoken by Chris Spalding, the co-owner of the ballroom dance studio I attend on a regular basis. It was part of the toast he gave during the fifth anniversary party for the studio. I loved it because it was challenging and encouraging. It’s not something one typically hears.

We all want to work a job we love. Spending hours of our day doing something we hate is soul-crushing. It’s a consequence of the Fall in Eden (Gen. 3:17-19), so we want to stave it off as much as possible. Unfortunately, millennials in particular have a reputation for chasing unattainable “dream jobs” or thinking they’re entitled to an easy life (and then crumbling under the slightest pressure when they don’t get it). Whether this reputation is deserved or not, there are many people who refuse to accept the reality of toil.

That’s why I love what Mr. Spalding said. It’s a mindset that lives within the tension: Love what you do but work hard at it. The curse hasn’t been lifted. We still have to make a living by the sweat of our brows. That is an inescapable reality until Christ returns to “make all things new.” But when we are doing what God created us to, we can find joy in the midst of that toil. Joy that will compel us to work even harder. We’ll dream bigger, take more risks, and strive to become better. Work becomes more than a means to make money.

This, I believe, is an example of God’s grace to humanity. He didn’t abandon us in our sin. He instilled desires and talents within us, and those can lead us to the purpose He gave us. I’m reminded of what Eric Liddell said in the film Chariots of Fire (which I still haven’t seen), “I believe God made me for a purpose, but He also made me fast. And when I run I feel His pleasure.” That’s the feeling every human being, whether they’ll admit it or not, longs to find. It’s God’s foothold in this fallen world, His way of keeping claim on His creation. And, I daresay, a means of reaching out to humanity.

People aren’t good at living within tension, but the wise will tell you that there are many paradoxes in life. They can’t all be solved. The quicker that’s accepted, the easier life becomes.

Do you love what you do? Work hard at it!

Do you hate what you do? Make a change! You’ll do yourself and the world a favor.

How do you live this out? What do you do to live in this tension between toil and joy?

Blog

The Religiosity of Fandom

Image courtesy of IMDB.

I plan to see Solo: A Star Wars Story, if not this weekend, then next week.

It’s a safe bet to say that about fifty-percent of those reading this have now stopped and branded me a traitor. Because that’s how large contingents of the Star Wars fandom works now.

In case you didn’t know, there’s been a movement to boycott the new Star Wars spin-off film about a young Han Solo. It stems from various remarks on political and social issues from Kathleen Kennedy, the new president of Lucasfilm, and what was perceived as SJW elements in Star Wars: The Last Jedi (which I’ve written about before). Adding fuel to the fire was the revelation that Han’s friend Lando Calrissian is pansexual in this film (though as far I know the only indication of this is he flirts with a droid with female features. That could honestly just be Lando being Lando).

In a tremendous display of groupthink, a huge portion of the Star Wars fandom moved as a unit to avoid Solo, which they think will eventually derail the Disney era of the franchise. One fan even went so far as to say, “Money is the only language Disney understands.”

This blog isn’t about whether their objections are accurate or not. I’m reserving that for after I see the movie. However, I am going to take the Star Wars fandom to task, despite counting myself among them. You’ve been warned.

Ever since the release of the “Special Editions” in 1997, the Star Wars fandom has become more and more fractured and difficult to please. Remember the whole “Han Shot First” meme? (I admit I was annoyed too, but I digress). They were irate that the three films they thought were already perfect were “meddled” with by George Lucas. Things were only aggravated when the Prequel Trilogy was released. The Phantom Menace was especially hated. George Lucas went from being a creative genius who could do no wrong to the most despised man in the geek community. (Personally, I think the truth is somewhere in the middle, as seen in this excellent video series). When Disney purchased Lucasfilm in 2012 and announced new movies, it was greeted with enthusiasm because fans had lost trust in Lucas. But over the last three years, especially with The Last Jedi, the sentiment has shifted to lamenting the loss of Lucas.

No other fandom, I would argue, is this fickle, demanding, and indecisive. When non-nerds/non-geeks think of the negative stereotypes associated with the nerd/geek community, I guarantee it’s based largely on the conduct of so-called “hardcore” Star Wars fans. It’s sad because it not only mars the reputation of other fans like myself, and it gives the whole nerd/geek subculture a bad name.

This is one way this fandom borders on being a religion. Think about it. Star Wars fans have sacred texts (i.e. the Original Trilogy), but they only accept certain versions of these texts (the uncut versions of the trilogy) as “canonical.” The Special Editions are rejected despite being made by the author of the sacred texts. The prequels are heresy to many (although younger fans accept them), and now the Disney era films are being labeled blasphemy. When Disney officially declared the Expanded Universe non-canonical, many fans reacted like Christian fundamentalists backlashing against atheists attacking the Bible. Never mind the fact that the canonicity, as far as I know, of these materials was never set in stone by Lucas. No, fans complained that the stories they had invested themselves in for decades had somehow been robbed of meaning. Just like now, there was a movement within the fandom to spoil The Force Awakens on the Internet to prevent people from seeing it so as to make the franchise fail and have the Expanded Universe reinstated. Guess what? It failed. To nobody’s surprise, I’m sure.

Anyone who has disagreed with these movements has been declared a “filthy casual” amongst many other horrible names. They’ve even been shunned from the fandom. In other words, excommunicated.

Is it any wonder, then, that there’s been a measurable number of people across the world who’ve listed “Jedi” as their religion in censuses? There’s even an actual religion called “Jediism,” complete with a creed, 16 teachings, and 21 maxims. Some might say they’ve taken their fandom too far.

I’m not opposed to being passionate about what you enjoy. I’m not against debating the merits of media within the franchises you love (my gosh, I co-host a podcast that does that!) Have I zealously argued against certain creative decisions and chosen to no longer follow certain series because of them? Yes, on at least two occasions. But when it gets to this point, where you’re filling the internet with click bait articles and videos full of often unsubstantiated and shallow hatred, you’ve crossed into the Dark Side of the Force.

Let’s go back to when being a Star Wars fan was fun. Before the dark times. Before the insanity.

Here’s a quick video that perfectly summarizes all of this:

What do you think? Are these fans right? Why or why not? Have fandoms gone too far? Why or why not?