Mike L. Pen

This is where I piddle around, mostly about science fiction and fantasy stuff, lately almost exclusively 'Doctor Who' because I've been a fan for decades and 'New Who' keeps getting better and better.

[mikelpen]

Vindicaaaaaaation!!!!

[mikelpen]

I mean, holy hell. TWO thoroughly botched finales in a row, RTD’s absolute WORST instincts on full display, doubling DOWN on concepts that are so ill-conceived he might as well be making ANTI-Doctor Who at this point.

And it’s DOUBLY frustrating because he obviously has the chops to deliver good DW, despite him never really being the right fit for my tastes. The last two seasons have delivered some definite bangers, but my goodness, talk about someone who would be better just writing standalone episodes instead of showrunning.

A lot of RTD fans owe Moffat SUCH as apology.

[mikelpen]

Vindicaaaaaaation!!!!

[mikelpen]

I’m less active on here than even Twitter or Bluesky, but if any of my old mutuals (I still think fondly of you all, as crazy as that sounds) want to see my ugly mug or hear me overly ramble about nerd shit, I’ve got some TikToks under my belt. It’s hopefully a safe space even for disagreements, but not for bigots or phobes.

TikTok - Make Your Day

[mikelpen]

Millie describing the Ruby/Doctor relationship as a pair of gossipy, cliquey school girls is not doing much to alleviate my qualms about RTD’s return. Definitely triggering Rose/Ten flashbacks, which is… urgh. Hoping I’m wrong. I’ve enjoyed ‘The Star Beast’ and ‘Wild Blue Yonder’ well enough, so hopefully the trend will continue.

[crystal-mouse]

Ok but can we please talk about how groundbreaking it is for THE 60th anniversary episode to be SO trans positive- like yes, it was a little heavy-handed in places in the way that cis writers write trans dialogue and think about gender, but in considering how the climate is *especially* in the uk rn, for Doctor Who to go, no actually- trans rights, acceptance and love/support?? To normalise trans people as normal people and that a trans woman is INTEGRAL and FOREFRONT to the narrative and saves the day on prime time television on the longest running drama AND highly awaited episode?? It's massive.

[larasramblings]

Yeah I mean... I understand having criticisms of how it was handled, and it's perhaps a bit clunky in places at the end of the day, but I find it very difficult to argue that it is anything but an Inherent Good to bring back a hugely recognisable television character, played by a hugely recognisable actress, in an episode that builds so heavily off of a story that represented the probable peak of Doctor Who's cultural relevance, and have her vocally support her heretofore unseen trans child without that ever being questioned or made to seem like a choice in need of justification.

Like no, Donna Noble saying trans rights is not going to make the entire House of Commons spontaneously vaporise in a cloud of musty transphobia - I wish it would, but we do not live in a just world - but dammit it's a start, right?

To horrifically understate it, the state of trans rights in the United Kingdom is grim and terrifying, and if there's even one trans person who watches The Star Beast and finds some comfort in knowing that there's a piece of pop culture in which their right to exist and to have a happy life is never questioned or undermined, then... well, it's not that other conversations are automatically invalid, but certainly I find it hard to argue that that isn't the most important thing by a mile.

(Also, I just know that Gareth Roberts is simply fucking seething somewhere rn, the miserable little transphobe, and I couldn't be any happier.)

[mikelpen]

Any variation of “after Moffat and Chibnall completely ignored the RTD era, having RTD back is like the return of Christ” stands as one of the most ignorant, nonsensical things ever said about Doctor Who.

I’m happy for some of you that your fave is back, but that doesn’t mean such idiotic trash needs to be pouring from your nostalgia poisoned brains.

[mikelpen]

Some observations about creating D&D characters with my middle-school students:

The racial ability modifiers are actually kind of weird? These should be based on character class, not race.

I found myself redefining INT and WIS a bit, because the current definition of INT implies that intelligence is innate. So instead of saying that INT is “how smart you are” or “how easily you learn,” we gave it a more blanket description of “how much knowledge you’ve learned.” We basically settled on defining INT and WIS super simply as “book smarts” and “street smarts.”

Middle school kids seem to really love Half-Orcs, Half-Elves, Elves, Dragonborn, and Tieflings. The only exception is the kid who wanted to play a Gnome Paladin.

No characters classes were picked other than Fighter, Ranger, and Rogue, with the exception that the kid who wanted to play a Gnome Paladin decided to change to Wizard. Bummer, because I really wanted to see a Gnome Paladin.

They all HATED the idea of being a Cleric.

They LOVE coming up with names and imagining what their characters look like.

[theconfessionsofawhovian]

The War Doctor was wholly unnecessary and felt a bit like it was just Moffat showing off the fact he could get John Hurt on board. 8 should’ve been the one fighting in the Time War; it would give McGann more screen time to establish to casual fans that the 8 we see in 2013 is a very, very different and very damaged man compared to the 8 we were introduced to in 1996.

Submit your own confessions

[mikelpen]

Wholly unnecessary is a little harsh. It made for some good exploration of what makes the Doctor the Doctor, so it worked extremely well on a thematic level. And what the hell, John Hurt as the Doctor, so whatever.

[nyctosaurid]

people’s response to live action disney remakes being “live action is bad” or “remakes are bad” or “these stories are too good to be remade”… all bad takes

[lmtyl]

1. Don’t fix it if it ain’t broke

2. Some stories work better in one medium than another

[nyctosaurid]

I’m saying that the tendency people have to loosely blame the medium (live action) or the existence of adaptions (… most films) instead of the way these movies are being adapted is, in my opinion, very bad, hollow criticism.

and no, i don’t think the majority of things necessarily work better inherently in one medium, it’s about the way a director/writer/etc uses a medium. 

[mikelpen]

Exactly. The joy of a quality adaptation can be in seeing how a story that seems so firmly locked into one medium can be interpreted to take advantage of another.

As for “don’t fix it if it ain’t broke,” well, there’s plenty of room for varied takes on the same excellent source material. Three of my favorite things of all time? Tolkien’s LotR, Jackson’s LotR films, and the BBC Radio 4 adaptation of LotR.

[lierdumoa]

To my friends on the spectrum, let me explain to you an unspoken social rule that possibly nobody has ever explained to you before

If a neurotypical asks you, “What game are you playing?” they’re not asking you to describe the game.

They’re asking you if they can play too.

If a neurotypical asks you, “What are you watching?” they’re not asking you to explain the plot of the movie/tv show to them.

They’re asking if they can watch it with you.

.

When neurotypicals ask you “What are you doing?” 

What you think they’re asking: “Please explain to me what you are doing.” 

What they’re actually asking:  “Can I join you?”

Now here’s the really fucked up part. If you start explaining to them what you’re doing? They will interpret that as a rejection. 

What you think you’re saying: [the answer to their question]

What they think you’re saying: This is an elite and exclusive activity for a level 5 friend and you are a level 1 acquaintance. You are not qualified to join me because you don’t know all this stuff. Go away.

.

This is why neurotypicals think you’re being cold and antisocial.

IT’S ALL A HORRIBLE MISCOMMUNICATION.

[futureevilscientist]

When they ask “Do you have plans for the weekend?”, they’re actually asking you if you want to hang out

It took me weeks/months to realise that

[mikelpen]

If this is true, it’s completely news to me. I frequently ask people “what are you doing, playing, watching,” and I’ve never intended it as anything other than sincere curiosity and a means of making small talk. So... it never crossed my mind that anyone else would be asking these questions for any other reason.

[theconfessionsofawhovian]

If I was to become a writer for the show, and write a multi-Doctor story, I would have the First Doctor appear again (regardless of whether its Bradley or a new actor playing the role), and have him be written more rounded and accurate, to make up for the disgraceful writing in Twice Upon A Time. The way the character was written by a certain S. Moffat was a huge insult to William Hartnell and the show. I know it was one episode, but it was still an affecting one for me. 

Submit your own confessions

[mikelpen]

‘Doctor Who’ is so varied and weird and mercurial that it can easily handle both Watsonian and Doylist approaches. Is One portrayed accurately in TUaT? Not entirely, no. His sexism is more vocal, overt, and derogatory than the way his sexism was portrayed in ‘Classic Who.’ The Watsonian approach fails here, because One’s characterization lacks consistency; it’s not “realistically” consistent with what we’ve seen portrayed “in universe.”

Is his portrayal in TUaT an effective lens through which to compare/contrast the inherent sexism of British television in the 60s to more progressive and inclusive contemporary television? Well, your mileage may vary, but I’d say yes. It highlights some of the inherent social mores of what was more acceptable “back then,” and what is no longer acceptable now.

It’s not a matter of “insulting” Hartnell, or of the writing being “disrespectful.” It’s simply a matter of taking a pure Watsonian approach (internal consistency, adherence to “canon,” EVERYTHING has to make sense), or allowing for a more Doylist approach (the “canon” is secondary to the story/message/theme we want to convey).

I more than understand why many fans don’t like One’s portrayal in TUaT. I just think it would behoove some to simply recognize that his portrayal is a perfectly legitimate creative choice (especially considering the nature of ‘Doctor Who’), and not just a vindictive, personal attack on Hartnell and fans.

[cleftfairy]

not to be a bitch but it shouldn’t take someone literally telling you to not call people with facial d*formities ugly for you to think twice about it. people on this website really have never considered the possibility that we ACTUALLY exist and arent just a tiny minority of a minority

[cleftfairy]

actually reblog this listen to me when i say ive spent my whole life being told im ugly by doctors and adults lmfao. im sick of always being talked over or ignored about this- listen to actual disabled people when they tell you to shut the fuck up and consider the impact of what you say

[cleftfairy]

kind of a banger of a post but i know ppl are reblogging this and not actually internalizing it. just treat people w/ respect & maybe consider the impact of your words on OTHER people when you say them. like consider you’re making fun of someone you hate for valid reasons and you call one of their features ugly. think about why you’re saying that and who it might effect. criticize things that are actually important instead of throwing people like me under the bus 

[vintagegeekculture]

Fun fact: The head writer on the Ron Perlman Beauty and the Beast show was a guy by the name of George R.R. Martin.

[mikelpen]

How did I never know this? This show was my obsession when it first aired.

[ratliker1917]

"somehow, palpatine has returned" feels like the kind of plot you'd see in a NES era sequel game where the story is two sentences long rather than being in one of the biggest movie franchises ever owned by the largest media conglomerate in the world

[mikelpen]

It honestly didn’t bother me in the least. ‘The Rise of Skywalker’ has its issues, but “how did Palpatine come back,” “who knows, probably some kind of Sith magic and cloning” strikes me as being typical b-grade sci-fi serial nonsense, which has always been a major influence on Star Wars since the beginning.

Complaining about it “not being explored/explained well enough,” or “being silly,” is really no different than complaining about inconsistencies with the Force, the construction of yet another vulnerable Death Star, how unrealistic it is that Ewoks defeated Storm Troopers, that lightsabers are impossible...

It’s fantastical mythology; it only matters that Evil HAS returned, not HOW it returned.

[beanplague-moved]

not to get on my soapbox but i get so tired of this genuine fear that white people seem to have re: writing people of color.

“i want to write characters of color but i’m afraid!!” of what? getting it wrong? that’s literally all of storytelling, is throwing shit at the wall and seeing what sticks. fact checking it and seeing what you got wrong. getting people to look it over and see what needs to be adjusted and added in and left out, but you’re so afraid of being unintentionally racist that you’ll create an entire cast of lily white OCs just because you might make a mistake? seriously?

and i think the more insidious part of this is when people don’t seem to be afraid that they’d do something racist, but instead perpetuate this narrative that they can’t write people of color because they don’t Know That Experience, as if being nonwhite is so phenomenally abnormal that no white person could begin to contextualize it. if your story isn’t explicitly About Race, why does it matter? i know it isn’t as simple as “write a character and make them a person of color,” but actually, yes it is. it absolutely is that simple when a story doesn’t deal heavily with racial issues.

write with empathy, and let someone close to you review it if you find yourself so afraid that you’ll accidentally write something offensive, but please, if you take anything out of this uncharacteristically long tumblr post, don’t make me look at Obligatorily White Protagonist #4467 because you’re afraid that you can’t draw 3c hair.

[theconfessionsofawhovian]

I really hated how they backtracked on Clara’s death by letting her have her own TARDIS and go off with Me. Her ending in Face the Raven was beautiful and not keeping her dead ruined what would otherwise have been a perfect end for her.

Submit your own confessions

[mikelpen]

This take is completely backwards. They didn’t backtrack on Clara’s death. Clara’s death, the Doctor saving her from her death, and the fallout of that, was the entire point of the story.

Keeping Clara dead would have literally been backtracking on the intent of the Series 9 story and character arcs.

[zarekthelordofthefries]

Please talk to me about TTRPGs that aren’t D&D or Pathfinder I’m begging you

[theonlyspiral]

I’m a big fan of the AGE system.

[zarekthelordofthefries]

I don’t know if I’ve heard of that one!

[theonlyspiral]

Green Ronin made it. Uses 3D6 and a table of stunts. 3 Classes with a variety of backgrounds, which work more like ancestries than traditional “Race” mechanics. Started with Dragon Age, but they just did a whole setting neutral game. There are a few issues I have with it, but that’s basically every rpg ever.

[mikelpen]

Not familiar with a lot of newer stuff, but I always liked GURPS (Generic Universal Roleplaying System). Not sure how well it actually works as a generic, setting neutral game, as we mostly only used it for our fantasy homebrew setting, but I loved its character creation. Point-based, with an advantage/disadvantage system that really promoted role play as opposed to simple min-maxing.