Write, Love, Live

It is June 12th, 2018. It is George H. W. Bush’s 94th birthday. He is the Senior Member of the Board--the Board of Living Former Presidents. Barack Obama, George W. Bush, and Bill Clinton are in attendance for his birthday party. “Dad, you gotta make the call,” George W. implores.

“We can’t afford to wait until August, Big George,” Bill agrees.

“Michelle can handle the Indiana Stratagem,” Barack assures him. “We need him with us.” He inclines his head, distracted by a stray audio feed. The biocybernetics and his body were still adapting to each other.

George looks to his son. “Laura and Hillary are in position?”

George W. nods.

George sighs, defeated. “He is not going to be pleased. He’ll probably give me one of his peanut farming parables as chastisement.” He lifts his left hand to his ear and initiates the call.

“Hey, happy birthday, Big George! I meant to call later today after going over the latest simulations. How’s the party?”

Okay, so, what the fuck is Elder Syndrome, and why am I labeling it like some kind of mental disorder? Well, because it comes damn close to one, that’s why. Let me provide you with my current working definition below.

Elder Syndrome: The mindset of an experienced player in a LARP, wherein they fail to see how their behavior mimics that of an Elder of the Camarilla (Vampire: the Masquerade reference) in regards to how they treat the less tenured members of their club, both in and out of character. This syndrome is characterized by three key Behaviors, listed below.

Behavior #1: They do not trust new players with sensitive information

Behavior #2: They do not trust new players with positions of power

Behavior #3: They act like including new players is some sort of sacrifice

Their base rationale will be that they can’t be sure the new players will even be around next month to resolve the plot/PvP or hold their position. They fear a lack of return on their investment. If you have ever played Vampire: the Masquerade, you can probably see the parallels with Camarilla Elders here. The two main results of a venue with too much Elder Syndrome are: 1) The game is kept stable but STALE, and 2) New players see no point in returning if they aren’t going to be included, so they quit.

Most players with Elder Syndrome consider themselves benevolent. They see themselves as the keepers of their game, guardians of its longevity, protectors against the unstable whims of the Neonates who would disrupt its continuity. In their minds, new players just need some time to learn how to play “right”. They are happy to teach, so long as there is no backlash to the Traditions. Of course, there are malevolent Elder players as well, but that is an inevitability of any club.

Okay, so the thing is, I find the notion of soul mates very moving...but also very limiting. Like, it makes me feel very special to think that I have a single perfect match, but I also realize that just cannot be true on a planet of several billion people and counting.

So, I think as a literary device, that Soul Mate concepts are great for love stories, sailing your ships, and allowing for vicarious gratification. I feel no ire towards them, I just don’t find the concept appealing. I wouldn’t read a novel about the concept (unless the concept existed within a world I found interesting and was an incidental feature that I would be prepared to accept for the sake of the overall story. Let’s be reasonable here), but I see the merit.

I prefer to avoid the concept of soul mates in my writing, because I am a big proponent of the infinity of the heart and love. I know, that somehow sounds even more sappy, doesn’t it? But it’s true. You don’t just love 1 of your grandparents, your children, or your friends (friendship is love, it’s nbd guys). Now, you’re likely to have a favorite, that is human nature, but you do love all of them, barring significant actions on their part to cause otherwise. So why the soul mate notion?

Finally finished this super-old story! I will caution that it is mainly a self-exploration work that I originally started to work out some thoughts and emotions on various things. Never hurts to check stuff out though!

So, I have always ID-ed more with the black-haired kids in Homestuck, you know? Like, John and Jake love pretty much all cinema, and I would watch any vampire movie at least once and I still love some pretty bad flicks. Jade’s ferocity and randomness super resonate with me, and I am an excellent guesser, so there’s the precognition...Jane not so much but we’re 3 for 4 here.

The white haired kids...I don’t see myself in them, really. So why then is it so much easier for me to write for them? What is the deal here? Like, I go back and look at my writing from different perspectives, and my Dirk and Dave are SO much better (in my opinion) than my John/Jake/Jade (I haven’t written for those not named). Where does this come from? Am I attempting to shrink them as I write them, whereas I already feel I understand the J-crowd?

And on that note, why do I write from the male perspective so much more readily than any other? I am pretty low-maintenance when it comes to gender. I am down with “she/her” or “they/them,” and while I don’t cover my anatomy and it is quite clear I am anatomically female, a stray “he/him” doesn’t bother me. In fact, I find it quite novel and exciting! But on the whole, I don’t really think about it. My priorities while shopping are: 1)Is it comfortable? 2) Is it blue? 3) Is it cheap? I don’t even wear makeup 99% of the time.