Generally I'm not a nostalgic person. I'm not a huge fan of looking back at my own life, especially my childhood, and often cringe at photographs of myself that are before a certain dateline. Now, don't get me wrong, this is not because my childhood was in anyway tragic or terrible. My parents are wonderful people, and I owe the very fact that I'm able to sit here and type this out right now to their love and their persistence. I just generally feel that the person I was then doesn't quite reflect who I am now, and beyond that, having grown up with a rather debilitating heart condition, there's not an awful lot that's exciting or fun to look back on.
With that last thought in mind, and with the year only a few days old, I pondered on doing an end of year retrospective. Originally it was going to be a run-down of my favourite media released in 2013. Favourite film, game, TV show, you get the idea. But the more I thought, the more I realised that I never exactly indulged many of my great loves last year (comic books, music, books, for example) and it would feel criminal to leave them on the wayside, and also that this year wasn't really a year defined by those things. I want to look back at the things that were exciting, that helped shape the year for me, that defined the trends that crept their way into my life. After all, last year was kind of a strange one because it's caught between two of the biggest trips I've undertaken in my adult life. The first to Tucson in 2012, and the second to Seattle and beyond this year. By comparison, it would be easy to write last year off as the dull one - The inbetween days. Well, let's see how the old girl did, shall we?!
The Man-Ape Cometh!
You know what, for other people this may not even register - And considering all I said about about excitement! And meaningful events! This... May leave you scratching your head. But let me tell you something, as I look back upon the year? This little metal guy up here may have had a deceptively big influence on it.
So, let's break things down, shall we? Back in February last year, I decided to pitch in for a Kickstarter campaign for an expansion to West Wind's Empire of the Dead line of miniatures. Now, at this point I hadn't painted or even been a part of the modelling hobby in years. I was an old Games Workshop victim, having put together armies of Space Marines, Chaos Marines, Orks and dabbled in other things in days of yore, but recently? I mean, I knew where all my modelling material was, but hadn't truly touched a paintbrush or modelling file for a good, long time.
But there was something about Empire that just reeled me in. It's a Gothic horror skirmish game with steampunk elements that draws heavy on pulp fiction, penny dreadfuls and Victorian literature. I threw far more money at it than I should, and have since received a good sixty to eight minis to work on as a result, but during that time I thought 'I should get something to work on to make sure that, you know, I can still actually do this!'
So I picked up Man-Ape. A special character from the line, who is an escapee from the Circ Du Noir. Why Man-Ape? Well, he's a great gorilla in a top hat, so why wouldn't I?! And you know what, I not only had a blast, but really surprised myself as well. I decided to be brave and go completely off the suggested colour scheme and paint him as an Albino gorilla instead, and although mine looks nowhere near as good as the sample above - He turned out so well that I gained a new found confidence in my abilities. Miniature painting became a great source of stress relief and pride for me, and although not everything I've painted has turned out all that grand and I feel like there's more I could do to improve, it's thanks to this first success that I gained a hobby that would, in it's own small way, become an important refuge for me last year. One that I certainly look forward to picking up with a vengeance in the this new year.
International Tabletop Day
Another thing that would have probably been a blink and you'll miss it moment in other people's year, but upon looking back came to symbolise some good times last year! 2012 was, most definitely, the year that Tabletop gaming came to creep into and dominate my leisure time, especially when hanging out with my friends, and that was something that stayed very strong in 2013. International Tabletop Day, though? Was honestly one of the most eye-opening gaming sessions I had last year. To set the scene, International Tabletop Day is the creation of Felicia Day, Wil Wheaton and the team over at Geek and Sundry, it's a yearly event where everyone gets together and plays tabletop games and has ridiculous amounts of fun in the process. Last year it fell on the 30th of March and... All my friends were otherwise engaged.
So I took myself down to my local Forbidden Planet, and had a day gaming with a very small group of people (I think only three of us actually stuck it out until closing time, with another couple ghosting in and out) and some very charming, very dedicated staff. Let me tell you, it was a blast. I got introduced to some great new games, enjoyed a whole different dynamic compared to when I was playing with my friends and got to fight for the honour of Real Cheese in a game of Resistance, and who could really ask for more than that? Why is this so important, aside from being a really fun day? Well, mainly because it really gave me the confidence to go forth and enjoy several more gaming days, with a wider variety of people, since and to be honest, acts as my representative for all of those great gaming days throughout the year. Even when I was at my lowest, recovering from an operation, having not left the house in weeks - My friends were still good enough to get together, crack open Betrayal at the House on the Hill, order some pizzas and just have a fantastic time. Because that, at the end of the day, is what tabletop gaming is all about - One of the most fun ways to connect with people, even if those people are complete strangers to you!
Going Down to Dublin...
So last year, one of my best, and most charismatic, quirky and creative, friends got married. Now unless you go to dozens of weddings a year, which I don't, this would be enough to be a highlight of anyone's year - But oh no! It doesn't end there. For you see, it seems like it's impossible for me to go to a wedding that's actually local. In fact, the day I do go to one I'm going to be disappointed, because I've done such a marvellous job dodging the whole thing. My next wedding, for example, is in Denver, which for the trip alone is sure to be extraordinary. Last year, however, was only slightly more mundane - As it took me to both Dublin and Kildare in Ireland.
Now, I'd never been to Ireland before - In fact, I've never been to a European country before outside of the United Kingdom itself. I'd set my expectations at 'A lot like Britain, but with more Irish stuff' and to a degree that was true, but to an even greater degree it wasn't. Dublin was a beast all it's own, with more in common with other European capitals (according to my good friend and travelling companion, with the appropriate moniker of Wanderlust) than anything in the UK. I found it somewhat surreal and disorientating at first, especially as when we arrived they were celebrating the last days of Oktoberfest (at the tail end of September, yeah, work that one out!) and the city was full of Germans. Literally. More Germans than Irish people. Can you imagine such a thing in the UK? Even if it were for a few days, the Daily Mail would be wringing it's hands over this clear show of dominance from Brussels! But it went deeper than that. They had an overground tram system that, while not always reliable, was easy to access and stopped at every place of importance along a clearly marked out route. Newsagents, cafes and shops doubled up as sandwich bars - Often with a branded subway and a not-at-all branded Irish deli counter that served the same style of food, only looking significantly more edible, under the same roof. I can't help but feel we have things we could learn from Ireland, just... No adopting the currency. Not because I'm scared for our financial independence, but because it all looks so dull and boring and fake. The notes, in particular, are re-purposed Monopoly money and most of the coins are roughly the same shape and colour so you can never find the change you're looking for, but I digress.
After a couple of days we moved away from Dublin, and up to Kildare where we eventually made our way to the place that would be housing the main event - The Village at Lyonns, as pictured above. I'm not usually a person for natural beauty or getting away into the country, I'm far too big a fan of being connected to my friends all around the world for that, but The Village was truly a place of wonder, beauty and both natural and man made extravagance. I don't believe I have ever been somewhere quite so fancy in all my life, and certainly never stayed at such a place. I won't go into too much detail, but to paint you a picture of what we're talking about here - The teabags? They were silk. Silk! I mean, the tea itself was only of average quality, but still, that's a lot of effort for something ultimately destined for the bin.
As to the wedding itself, it was a night and day to remember. The ceremony was touching and sweet, I got to meet up with some fantastic new people, as well as some treasured old friends, including a friend I had never met face to face before. The reception was... Well, it was wild and unexpected. The entire night was set to the backdrop of a crashing waterfall outside, and featured such delights as a fire juggler, an Xbox gaming room, a balloon manipulator and an elderly magician who had the most wonderful personality. By the end of it, I was completely and utterly worn out. So I did the only smart thing, returned to Dublin and ventured to the local Goth club! Sadly my only Goth outing last year, but a good one! Most everyone was very friendly and kind, with some great music played and a huge buffet brought down from the pub above. Not an entirely wise way to round off the trip considering how done in I was, but a great one otherwise. What I ultimately got out of the Ireland trip though, was a desire to see more of Europe, especially Germany. Perhaps we can pencil that in for 2015 sometime. Yeah, sounds like a plan!
Where's Neil Gaiman when you need him?
And so we get into early October, and my major, solo outing for the year. Months before, at two or three am in the morning, a post had gone up on Neil Gaiman's facebook page, stating there would be a reading of his new children's book - Fortunately the Milk - In London. Now usually, I over think these kinds of things and talk myself out of going. I wanted to go to the Doctor Who Proms for example but panicked over the logistics of getting there, finding a place to stay, travelling, etc. and in the end had a good time watching it on TV with my mum instead. But not quite as good a time as if I'd been there, I'm sure. But for this one, my tired brain took full reigns, and before I knew it the whole thing was booked, with a special edition book thrown in, and suddenly I was going to London.
So I found a reasonably priced train, managed to find a hostel on the opposite side of Westerminster Bridge to the venue - Which to my surprise and delight, was only a ten-fifteen minute walk away! Then promptly forgot about it until it was nearly time to go. I have to say, right from the off, it was an experience. To focus on the event itself first, I was worried about finding the venue. I knew it was near Westminster Abby, for example, but I had no idea *where* in all that it might be. Eventually I spotted a gaggle of quirkly dressed folk forming a line that went around the block (baring in mind I was, at this point, three quarters of an hour early!) and thought 'Yep! This must be the place!'. So I joined them, got chatting to a rather charming gentleman who became my friend for the night - Sadly I don't remember his name, but we chatting about book and TV series and Ipads for primary school children (new initiative at his son's school, I don't get it either!) and even had a drink afterwards. But the main event, oh! The main event! It was wonderful. Truly. Neil Gaiman has a voice that's made to read books, and all his co-conspirators (who were also responsible for bouts of stand-up comedy and musical interludes) rose to the occasion with their readings. The biggest surprise of the evening was Lenny Henry, playing a T-Rex at the end. The entire venue erupted in cheers when they heard him, and I think the highlight of the entire thing may have been Henry's enthusiastic interpretation of the Doctor as a dog - Before the quip to end all quips, 'The BBC would sooner cast a dog as the Doctor than a black man!'.
Overall, a magical experience capped off well by the not-quite-so-surprise appearance of Gaiman's wife, Amanda Palmer, who sang a rendition of Ukulele Anthem which... May not have been the best choice for a family event like this one. The only regret I have is one I share with Neil Gaiman himself, that there weren't more children in the audience to enjoy such a vibrant and imaginative reading themselves.
The rest of the trip was a decidedly mixed bag. The hostel I stayed at, while in a good location and with the friendliest staff I've ever encountered, was missing very basic things like sinks in their bathrooms and light switches to see what you're doing of a night. There was also a rather large kerfuffle on the train involving downed trees across overhead lines and general dishonesty and incompetence for Virgin in sorting the matter, which doubled the time of my three hour journey home. But aside from that, I had one of my most pleasant trips to London proper in a long time. I found everything I set my heart to going on, including Forbidden Planet and the Sherlock Holmes museum, never getting lost once and handling travelling on the Tube almost like a native. Almost. I also picked up my now legendary Sherlock Holmes pen, which is perhaps one of the tackiest things I bought last year but I still love it! Overall this was a great boost to my confidence, as it was proof that when I set my mind to something, I could be as independent as I ruddy well pleased and get where I needed to go. I just hope, in 2014, I bare that in mind much more often.
Operation: Ark Reactor.
So, something relatively big that I don't wish to dwell on too much - On the seventh of November, I went in for major surgery. Now for most people, that would be a life changing and no doubt scary event that they would probably tell war stories of for the rest of my life. My poor mother, in fact, has recently broken her arm and it was a rather harrowing experience for... Well, both of us, especially as there was a good chance she could lose it. For me though, it was simply something I have come to regard as routine - I needed my pacemaker changed. Now, this is my... Fifth or sixth device I've had installed, the most recent being about seven or eight year ago, and while there was some measure of anxiety over the whole thing, it had almost become routine. Something I was sure they were going to get right, and they did. I'm now three months into the healing process, and although my scar is still sore, I can honestly say that the procedure seems to have gone off without a hitch.
The biggest question, however, is will it increase my quality of life? And to be honest with you, I don't know. 2013 was marked by a distinct lack of energy, frequent bouts of illness and a general sluggishness on my part. Now, I'm always struck down by bout of illness, I have no immune system, that's nothing new - But the lethargy? That was particularly pronounced. I think, had I been in better condition, I would have more exciting ventures to put on this list. I would have been to more live events, travelled to that Doctor Who prom, seen my friends in Luton a lot more often and maybe done more Goth stuff. But as it stands, that was not the case, and now I'm stuck pondering the question - Am I any better? I think the tenuous answer is yes. When I'm fit and well, I seem to be able to do more and suffer less for it, but ultimately only time will tell. Let's see how well, or poorly, I fare in this coming year and hope that being sliced and diced open for replacement parts has done me a world of good. Even if it hasn't though, this is still an important one that I can't ignore - If only for the reason that it's kept me alive! Alive to enjoy everything that's coming in the future, and alive to enjoy our last entry in this look back...
The Day of the Doctor!
Yeah, yeah. I know. Figurines! Tabletop gaming! A TV episode?! This hardly ranks alongside 'Got Married', 'Visited the Great Wall of China', 'Skydived out of a plane into a tank of sharks!' in terms of significance or excitement. But do you know what? Sometimes the smallest things can cast the brightest light, and even putting aside all the hype and the historic significance of this episode (and also putting aside the fact I'm a huge Doctor Who nerd, see last post for reference!) Day of the Doctor was one of the things last year that I got a huge amount of pleasure out of.
Now, last year was a pretty exciting one for television, no doubt. Misfits took it's final bow, in a series that got off to a rocky start but reminded me exactly why I loved it in all it's cringe-worthy,highly inappropriate glory by the end. Dexter also came crashing to it's grand finale, which seemed to divide the fanbase into more pieces than the killer does his victims, but I found enjoyable enough - Even though it was utterly ruined by those last few seconds. Black Mirror came back for three more interesting, if slightly less savage than last series, stories of satire and woe and early to mid-2013 also saw Utopia and In the Flesh. Two thought provoking, engaging, yet highly disturbing in parts creations with a real point to make. As an aside, if you've yet to watch In The Flesh, do yourself a favour and hunt it down. It's characterisation, world and plotting is the finest in the zombie genre and the story twists pack such an emotional punch it hurts. There was also plenty for my comic book geek side to sink his teeth into, with the superb second series of Arrow and the steadily improving Agents of Shield to enjoy - And you know what? Doctor Who was no slouch last year either!
So what makes Day of the Doctor so special that I'd want to single it out as one of my top moments of the year? Especially when, for my money, Adventure in Time and Space is by far the best Who related piece of media televised last year.
Well, it's because I had the great privilege of seeing Day of the Doctor in the cinema!
Now, on it's own this isn't very significant. I went to the cinema a lot last year, and I'm sure for many people it's just your average day out. But when it came to Day of the Doctor, it was different. For one thing, it was packed. And I mean packed. Our cinema is never full, at any time of day, but for this one? I am so glad I picked up my ticket early, because the queues for the till were so long that they had to set up a concessions stand in the theatre itself. It was also an absolute joy to see so many different people from so many different walks of life there, some of them in costume, some of them (like myself) in a variety of Doctor Who themed t-shirt and one woman even wandering around in a TARDIS onesie. Ultimately though, in contrast to what I was saying about Neil Gaiman's book reading, it warmed my heart to see so many children there. The thing with geek culture is that, while it's great to see it thriving of late, we've also allowed it to become rather dominated by adults. All you have to do is look at the most recent Superman movie to see what an absolute sorry state we're in right now. We have Superman, the world's first superhero, the character on which the morality of the entire genre was built on - Starring in a film that's so far removed from what an audience of children could enjoy, that it just makes me sad. Now, don't get me wrong, I don't think dumbing down for children is the way to go - Quite the opposite! But I think this is always a line that Doctor Who has walked well. It knows that the true meaning of mature isn't to just make everything grim and gritty, to have every character scowling, to wreak massive amounts of destruction because that's the only possible way to up the stakes - It's smarter than that. And it shows. Because throughout the entire episode, despite being in a cinema packed to the rafters with people, a good number of them children, do you know how many times the showing was interrupted?
Not once. Everyone was glued to that thing, wooping and letting out the obligatory 'Yes!' during the bits they were supposed too, but otherwise it had their full attention. And that, my friends, is part of the reason why the day was so magical - It showed that one piece of media could capture the imagination of so many people, of so many age groups, and ultimately touch their hearts. Soppy, but true, and an experience that will stick with me for a good, long while.
Of course, part of the reason is also the company I was in. Last year was a year of fantastic cinema outings with a very good friend of mine. We've seen everything from Thor 2, to Man of Steel, to Pacific Rim, sadly missing out on seeing the Hobbit together but again, this is a trend I very much hope to keep up in 2014 and if you're reading this, thanks for being such good company over the year, my friend! It's been a real pleasure, and like I said, long may it continue!
So, that was the year that was. There are, of course, other things that have shaped this year - Rather more tragic things that I'd rather not address in what, should be I feel, a celebration of everything good that's come and also smaller things. I was asked to be the godfather to a good friends child, who I hope to finally meet this year, and was very touched to accept. I had plenty of smaller adventures with friends old and new, and quiet, relaxed time with my family. I like to think I grew closer to my eldest brother, which is nice, and on an even smaller, but still significant note, there was blind draw and Celebrity avatars. Two wonderful, weekly endeavours with friends - One where you draw a subject with your eyes closed, the other where you change your facebook pictures to that of an actor or theme picked by another in the group. Simple things, but also things that have allowed me to engage with some very good friends of mine.
So that was 2013! What does 2014 hold? Who knows! But I hope, this year, whatever life throws at me, I can share it here and bring whoever might be reading it along for the ride. :)
Happy New Year, internet. Make it a good one!
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