#switch out

I needed some practice drawing realism so I drew Nick (wearing math) and Vee from the Web Comic Switch Out! 

Captain’s log. Stardate 4539.7. A strange sickness has befallen myself and my crew. We were on a mission to settle a peace treaty on Nausicaa, when it overcame the ship. Dr. Crusher has determined that the virus feeds upon fear. I find this hard to believe since I have faith that I command one of the most lionhearted fleets in the universe… but it is no secret that we have had nothing but bad luck along the way. We have encountered perils that would instill fear into even the most courageous of hearts. My only hope relies with Lieutenant Commander Data...

Today was a nauseating day. 

My boss decided to give me a “promotion” today. He made some weird joke about promoting me from IT support to ME support… I didn’t get it. 

Anyways, he told me that he wanted me in his important meeting with a client, which meant that I was going to have to… “talk to people.”

Thinking of Alice I tried to put on a brave face, but the fear made my stomach turn and before I knew it, I felt my breakfast resurfacing. (I hope my boss realizes how foolish it was of him to tell me this whilst in a moving vehicle with leather seats.) 

Ugh. It still makes me sick thinking about it. 

We finally got to the meeting and I realized why he was so terrified. One look from “The Client” sent my stomach summersaulting. Now, I know what Captain Picard must have felt when facing the Borg Queen.  "I am the beginning, the end, the one who is many. I am the Borg.” 

Then again… in between one of my dry heaves, I met someone.  He was… nice. Normally people are so uncomfortable around me, but he came right up to me and shook my hand without hesitation. It was… strange but kinda cool. He asked if I wanted a gingerale… Ahem, but anyone who has experienced nausea before knows that the best thing for it is Mentha piperita (Peppermint).

Getting back to my day… Just like I sometimes wish I was Alice, I sometimes wish I was Lieutenant Commander Data, the android on Star Trek that doesn’t feel human emotions. He can never be held back by fear because he can never feel fear… besides that time with the emotion chip … 

"Space: the final frontier. These are the voyages of the starship Enterprise. Its five-year mission: to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no one has gone before." – Captain Jean Luc Picard

 Until we meet again… live long and prosper.

It's been 132 days since any sign of life... I've taken shelter inside an old abandoned factory and managed to stay hidden from the infected for now. I make food and supply runs at night when it is easier to hide. I’ve turned the basement boiler room into my living quarters. It's warm there…a stray cat has wandered in which I have named Chewbacca. Safe inside, I spend my free time mainly talking to her. She doesn’t say much but I know she is listening.

It can get pretty lonely though, and sometimes all I wanna do is rip the front doors off the factory, and step outside as if there is nothing to fear...

OK, scratch all that! Let's just get to the point.

My name is Switch. I work for a small consulting company in IT support…program apps…build websites…that kind of thing.  Anyway, my boss is pretty cool.  Sometimes we shoot zombies together on coffee breaks.  I guess he doesn’t really know much about me…not really.  But there’s something I want him to know…it’s kind of secret. 

My other friend is my mom…oh, and my cat too. (Yes, she is actually affectionately named Chewbacca). 

My mom thinks I need more interaction with “real people.”  I get a little defensive…Starbeam39 is a real person!  Prince_Omega3 is a real person!  I’m sure they are.  But I guess I know what mom means.  Most of my online gaming acquaintances have only seen my avatar.

I guess I do have a hard time opening up to humans. So, I thought starting a blog might help me to “interact” with others.  I guess it’s a start.

At least I’m still in my room at my computer…just me and Chewbacca.   Here, I feel safe and I can imagine I'm in the worlds of Resident Evil, Star Wars, Star Trek, etc., where adventure and perils are a part of everyday life. 

Danger is all around in Raccoon city, but then there is Alice. She is strong, confident, and fearless! She doesn't even flinch when she jumps off of a ten story building into a hoard of infected! I want to be like her. 

So here I am then, taking the first steps towards that factory door.