Multimedia Tattoos: How Inking Yourself in Cyber Space May Be Unprofessional

Why do people ask for new and innovative ideas while pushing the folks applying into the same mold? 

Courtesy of El Sonador Photography (http://www.piecesofel.blogspot.com)

Recently, I've been studying a lot of academic multimedia. I'm a graduate student in a Rhetoric and Writing program and we have a very heavy emphasis on technology and using the new multimedia platforms available to us. Now, there are a lot of things I want to discuss here and just so you're ready, here they are: What is multimedia, how to use it academically, why is it not professional, and how your personality comes through in it (and how your personality is actually the thing "damaging" you).
First, what is multimedia? According to the readings I've done over the last year and a half, multimedia is just what it sounds like: using multiple media outlets to make some stuff--literature and academic articles if you're in the rhetoric or writing fields. For example, I am currently working on a huge project for Bram Stoker's Dracula. It is a website that IS the book. Text can be a media, by the way. For my multimedia Dracula web site, I have a home page with a menu (buttons) that links you to my other parts of the site. I have a button that reads "Chapters" which will take you to the letters Mina Murry wrote to her best friend Lucy. This I left as text because Mina wrote them. However, in another section of my site I have sound files for when Mina recorded the findings on a phonograph. For these, I used a free audiobook from Librivox but I have altered it to have sounds in the background that would have come through when Mina recorded. Then I have images on links, music on some pages, and then a section of devoted to the feminism in Dracula. Which is why everything is centered on Mina on the site, but that's another argument for another time. So you see, this is a multimedia presentation of Dracula.

So this sounds like fun and games!

Literature on the web where you can click around, don't have to read in any order, can listen to things, see some video clips, have fun with font and colors! What a blast. But it's just for entertainment. No, not really. I recently had the pleasure of writing a book review for Susan Delegrange's book "Technologies of Wonder" and she blasts people's minds with the idea that multimedia could be used for academia. She also acknowledges the whole point that inspired this blog post: Images are viewed as unprofessional and juvenile (or for entertainment). I agree with her that they are not. Images and multimedia are viewed as scandalous and inappropriate for academia--just like most things that have to do with woman enjoying themselves is inappropriate. Or doesn't belong in public view.
I've read many great journals in the last year discussing the snide wordage and jargon used in journals. How people write so academically. So "knowledgeable" that it's the most boring thing you've ever read. Many leading writers and researchers in the rhetoric field agree that that kind of thing needs to stop. Yes, use your vocabulary but there is no reason to not use first person when writing "smartly". You did the research didn't you? I'm reading YOUR writing aren't I? I would like to have your voice and personality come out a little, and--in the words of Joss Whedon-- for God's sake tell a joke. My favorite editor ever Donald Maas said in his book "The Fire in Fiction" that the best thing you could bring to your writing is you. I couldn't agree more. If you believe in "everyone is unique at least a little" then the thing that is going to make your writing stand out is the unique you.
So to use multimedia academically, we first have to get our thoughts straight: there is nothing "unprofessional" about images, sounds, videos--any of that. THAT IS MULTIMEDIA LITERACY. Yes, Literacy. Like knowing how to read you can know how to work with and read multimedia. You can do things on the web (or through an electronic medium) that you cannot do in print. Now, don't worry, I'm not saying we should burn all the books. I love books and all the feelings that come with them. I will always buy a print book over anything on the Kindle. I don't even own a Kindle or a Nook or even an iPad. Any way...

We are moving towards electronic and that will never change. 

So why not utilize it? There are amazing things to be seen in that world. As Delegrange says, they are a wunderkammern of, well, wonder!
So how does this tie to tattoos?
You've seen this meme, and I'm assuming I don't have to credit it to anyone right now because I have no idea where these things come from. I hear this guy, whoever he is, is actually just fine, has a job, and is not really doing any damage to anyone. Nah, I'm not a fan of the gauges, but that's just me. I'm not going to fire him for it.

This all ties in because recently I was told that I needed to change my name on Facebook. I have a fake, made up name in my "real" name on Facebook which is also the name of my Twitter and the name on this blog and the name that was on my Wordpress. The name is special to me and blah blah blah. Who cares? Well, someone said it will deter people from hiring me as a writer or a professional anything. Have you seen my Wordpress? It's neon, space-age-ish, is called The Moral Alien, and has pictures of stars and planets on it. Not "professional" at all and I don't think it needs to be. Who decides what professional is any way? Clearly, it means "boring stuff". But to me, it means not distracting. I think my Wordpress is pretty clean and easy to navigate and doesn't hurt your eyes. Hence, I think it does what it's supposed to, which is show case lil' old me. But will that get me hired? Nope. Not according to Real People.
For example, if you've played League of Legends or DOTA or any MMO, then you know certain characters go to certain lanes, build certain weapons and play certain roles. But Apollo smite thee if you step outside that meta! In reality though, you may die if you try to go outside the box. Because one, your team mates think your stupid for doing it, and two, they won't help you out, and three you're not great at it yet because it's New and you have to practice.
But no one wants to take a chance. You may be the best editor or the best marketing manager in the world but if you have a "fun" or out of the meta online representation, you will not be picked. You have to be established as THAT GREAT already, which cannot be because no one will give you a chance. So you have to work even harder to make that chance and make yourself 200% better than the rest.
Take Abby Sciuto from the TV show NCIS. Would we love her if she had stayed in that horrible pink suite from that one episode when they told her she needed to dress for her job? No. We love Abby because she IS Abby. We know that. People who want to hire you don't know that. So you have to be that good.
I've been goth for the last ten years of my life and my parents always hoped I'd grow out of it. Jillian Ventures wrote in her book on loving the goth in your life "Gothic Charm School" that being a really good kid will help smooth over your gothiness to your parents. Don't do drugs, stay in school, say "yes, ma'am" and just be polite. Really, just be a respectable human being and you can then be gothy and spooky because you are clearly NOT a psycho murderer. And then your parents will back you up and you are set.
When I ask people for a freelance job (as I do often right now, though they are hard to get because let's face it, there are a lot of English majors wanting jobs right now, but one topic at a time, please (and they are not unemployed for the reasons you think!)) I send them my Wordpress link, a cover letter, and my resume if they want it. I want them to see my page and think "Hmm, she likes to show her personality" then read my samples on my page and go "Oh, and a good writer with experience. Very nice". I live in a fantasy land where that happens all the time. But in Real Life it doesn't. Am I hurting myself with this Tattooed Online Version of Myself? Maybe right now. But I can work through that and I know that some people will want me for me and what I can bring to them.
All the time you see people advertising for great "creative people to join" their team--the hypocrites. I will not change to fit a meta that doesn't have to rule the world. I would much rather be happy and hardly employed and just getting by then putting on the costume of "Corporate Clone Woman" every day for the next 40 years of my life.

AND ONE MORE THING!

I am not saying that every place should except you if you can fit the bill in experience and intelligence and get the job done the best(though they should). Some places have a look they want. Now, in the Office Building World that really shouldn't matter (yes, even if you are meeting a really big ranking dude from HigherUpVille. If you're awesome, they shouldn't care that you have pink hair) but it does because of the world we have created. HOWEVER, Disney says no one can have tongue piercings, gauges, or visible tattoos for their cast members. Think about it. The audience is children. Here is a moral question that I don't want to get into but let me just say, kids do not want to see your split tongue or your middle finger tattoo on your throat. For the children, please...If you want to be in the entertainment world like that, there are many places for you. But if you LOVE Disney, you will be glad to cover up for the day of work. That's different. 

Academia needs to take it's face out of its old box and realize that creativity and individuality is the only way to advance. Why do people ask for new and innovative ideas while pushing the folks applying into the same mold? How will you know who the best thinkers are if you cannot see them?   

The Power of Naming

Humans love to name things. I can't remember where I heard first, but some fantasy novel somewhere had a character in it who thought it was absurd that humans must name everything. In fact, it was one of those "humans suck because" moments. The ones where the fantasy or sic-fi creature is better than the humane race because they don't do something all humans do. I hate and love those moments, but this isn't about that.
I, for one, love to name things. I have a very bad memory and have had a hard time learning for as long as I can remember. So naming something is good for me. But there are more reasons to name written things specifically.

1. It helps you as a writer:

I am naming my points to help get my message across and hope that no other high and mighty writer sees them and says, "Oh, it's one of those silly list-things". I hope to have more words on here than those things.

Photo by Drew Coffman

When you are writing your novel or technical book or whatever lengthy literary project you have going on, it helps you to know where you are. I used to never use chapter titles because I though it was an amateurish or YA kind of thing to do. But I disagree now. When I started my first real sci-fi novel last year in November, I used numbers. I even went so far as to think I was really cool and used things like 1.3 to say this was part one chapter 3 (the chapters and parts were rather micro). I thought it was so clever and science-fiction-esque. Then I started to outline a sequel to my novelette. Then I tried to remember in which part of the first manuscript Arthur was born and when Ector took him to the moon. Perhaps some of you are better for this and can remember that sort of thing, but I'm not and not everyone else is either.
So when I read through my manuscript, I went back and named all my chapters. And took out the "parts" as well. As a writer, you name the chapter after the thing that happens. Whether that be a character, a kairotic moment, an object, a planet visited, or even a myth told, get a name on there. It's a place holder and it's nice to know where you're headed in that chapter.
Name the chapter first then write about it? Sure, if you have it all in your outline and know what's happening. Writer the chapter then name it? I tend to name the chapter, write it, then rename it. I do write outlines (sometimes) and so I know where I'm headed in that chapter and can name it first. Sometimes. Point being, naming the chapter tells you, the writer, where you are, what you're doing and what's important in that chapter. Name it so it doesn't get lost and you can call it home when you need to.

2. It helps the readers too:

The same thing applies to readers. Nothing is more annoying than when you're trying to find that one place in a novel that you love and you can't recall the darn number that goes with it. I've done that so many times. "I have no idea what chapter it was in, but..." And then I spend the whole class (say you're in literature class) trying to find that darned page.

Image by khrawling

As a reader, I remember very well the chapter name where Harry Potter sneaks into Hogsmeade and learns about Sirius Black. I know what happens in the chapter in Two Towers called "Flotsam and Jetsam". But what happens in "The Great Gatsby" in chapter twenty-two? I haven't the slightest clue.

The name is the thing. There is power in naming things. Plus, chapter names can turn into really cool catch phrases later. I know there aren't any on merchandise right now, but you say the chapter name in conversation with your fellow fanatics and they know it too and all the emotion and love that comes with that chapter name. It becomes a phrase (or word) of endearment. 

3. Use it in long academic work...please:

I have yet to edit my online academic essays, but those of you with the immediate option to fix it: put headers, dividers, part names--anything! to break up that 10,000 word essay on Poe (or in my case, Jonathan Swift). Nothing says "Ready to die?" like a long, jargon-filled, essay on any topic. My heart turns into a raisin a little every time I have to read an essay (I'm a grad student, it's all I do) that does not have bullet points. Or headers. Or something.

Those little map bullets will do wonders for a reader. It tells them what is coming up next. Yes, we know as a writer you are great at form, arrangement, and organization, but we can't see that when we're navel-deep in your words. Give us a floaty to hold on to. The same thing applies as in points one and two: it helps you as a writer and us as readers. It also tells us that you know where you are going and that those are your points from your intro and thesis. It reassures us as readers that you're not going on some rabbit trail and are in fact on target. Plus, it helps break it up for readers. I know, back in the day people read millions of words without such things. But this is now. No, it doesn't dumb it down for us, it helps us and keeps us focused on your work. 

4. It doesn't mean you're any less smart

I told you about how I used my clever sic-fi chapter system. Well, it wasn't that clever. It was just kind of dumb. Fun, but not really lending anything my piece and was just confusing for me. Naming your chapters, parts of an essay, or putting in bullet headers doesn't make you any less studious, reliable, or authorial. It shows how curious you are and that you cared enough to name that chapter. It was important to you. That's why humans name things. Because they are important. I name a plant my best friend's mom gave me. I called it Ceaser and I killed him. It was an accident, I swear!

But I named it because it was special to me. Did you know your writing should be special to you? It should. Donald Maass, a literary agent and editor, says that the best part of your writing is you. So don't think that just because you write sci-fi or non-fiction that you have to sound all cool and not name your chapters. There is room in all writing for creativity. 

5. Keep it short and sweet

Say what you mean, only use examples that matter, and always work in nice, symmetrical numbers or else your OCD will implode your head.

:) 

Suffering in Common Means I Have It Worse

Humans think they have it worse than, well, humans.

There was a time when you loved scenes where characters who never used to get along suddenly realize they have a hardship in common, stare at each other for a moment while that stringed orchestra draws out a nice, high note. Then, one smiles and they look away—a silent understanding with no need for words. They are brothers/sisters in arms now. They suffer the same.

Seriously! Look how angry/sad Harry is!!

Imagine, for example, if Harry Potter had decided he really hated Snape more for loving his mother instead of understanding and realizing how brave Snape was. “No, I loved her more and I never got time with her!” Harry would scream in all his wizard angst. “At least you got to see her!”

Snape would reply that he had to love her from a far and watch the boy he hated marry her and make a family. Harry would retort with how he suffered more, and Snape would snap back. Someone always has it worse. And they want to tell you about it. All. The. Time.

No one wants to know you have issues too. They have it worse.

How often have you texted someone your woes, hoping for a little “Ah, that’s BS! Let’s go out and get some alc and watch Alien to cool down. Sorry bro” but instead you get “That’s nothing, one time….”

Or even worse, if someone comes to you and says they may cry, they are hurt, life is so unfair—and you say “At least…” or “One time it was so much harder for me…”. What if someone was whining and you KNOW you’ve had it worse? You know that they have seen nothing yet. You going to nullify their troubles, tell them to look on the bright side, that you have it worse? Of course you are, you suffer more.

How very rude of you...

Telling someone they cannot imagine, they don’t know, or simply nullifying their experience and heartache is just horrible. You make them and their hurt not matter. It shows you are so self-centered that you cannot see beyond the end of your nose. Rather than saying you understand and helping out, humans belittle other’s problems and try to make themselves into the martyr. Gone are the days of sharing a burden, understanding a sore emotion, and taking up the load together. It’s nice in films and books but it is just a thing of fantasy now.

This comes from humans wanting to be the center of attention and always desiring the role of Damsel in Distress. Humans love to be the victim. Victims get saved, get free stuff, everyone knows their story, and they get the best thing: pity. Oh, how humans wallow in pity! It’s like a super mana potion of god-like strength!

Everything is a competition too. “I’m so much more tired than Jay”, “I’m way crazier than Erica, go out with me!”. Everyone is always more-something-than-someone-else. And no one else understands, right? If everyone is always so much worse off than everyone else and no one gets that—how does the human race function at all? Or does it?

With the lack of sympathy and caring, how can any one human expect to get it? No one does it. But everyone wants it. Constantly consuming the attention but giving none. That’s a resource that will run out.

Dont understand yet? Here is an example in cramped-story-form:

Jess texted her boyfriend Mark that the English had again given her a low score because she did not agree with Jess's ideas in her essay. And on top of that, Jess's dad was getting laid off. She thought about this while filling up her car with gas--paying for it with the money she had been saving for a new pair of pants. She was waiting for Mark to reply. He would help her get through this.

But she was wrong. Her phone buzzed and her heart skipped a happy beat as it often did when Mark's special tone sounded. She flipped open her phone and read the brief, unfeeling message: "Sorry bae, see you tonight".

With wide, unbelieving eyes, she stared at the message. She didn't expect him to fix her problems--no one could!--but she was hoping for a little more than that. What did she want? She wasn't sure, but that wasn't it.

She let it go until that evening when she could tell him in more detail. But he canceled the plans. "Life is just really sucking right now," she texted. 

The reply was worse. "At least your dad is alive. My mom works two jobs to feed us and I may have to drop out of school to help out. That's unfair."

No Jess feels even worse and her heart breaks a little. All she wanted was a little sympathy and now she had to work harder to dish some out to Mark. Bravely, putting her own hurts aside, she replied: "I'm sorry I was so insensative. I should just work on my essay, I guess. See you tomorrow, love."

miaboas.deviantart.com

People like Jess are going to run out love to give. People like her have a lot to give so they may last a while. But sooner or later, they run out and they crash. Hard. And people will continue to belittle her life. They will make her feel unimportant and like she is the one feeling sorry for herself.  

Next time someone comes to you, don’t compare yourself to them. Do not tell them to buck up and move on. Do not nullify their sadness. Do not ignore them. Do not get on a high horse and sermonize to them. They will just hate you more. And maybe that is ok with you. But you know what? Doing that will make whatever made that person come to you in the first place go away. Do that enough and you will have only the worst people left in your circle to come to with your issues. And they will be just like you and tell you don’t know, you don’t understand, and that you don’t matter.

It’s not a competition. It’s a sad person who needs some help. Get over yourself. 

The United Federation of Nope-Never

If you have spent any time on planet Earth since the 60s, you know that in the future there is a wonderful place called Starfleet in San Francisco, California where all kinds of alien and human races get along and learn about space, cultures, religions, not interfering with a race's natural process, hot babes that suck the salt out of you, and dangerous alien-lizards that look like men in costumes. This is where the legendary Captain Kirk learned to pilot (and explode when necessary) one of the greatest known ships: The USS Enterprise. USS here having the meaning of "United Space Ship". This marks the darling ship as a safe ship; somewhere Vulcans, Twi'leks, and Samus Aran can all get along! United. What a lovely word. Loyalty and honor, Starfleet says.

But this will never happen. Even in the 23rd century when Kirk is ready to take command and be BFFs with a snide Vulcan, the rest of the human race will still be angry about white people appropriating someone else's culture.
For the record, I hate that word. Appropriate. Those of non-white skin color (and a lot of those with) use this word when they see someone not of their race doing something of their race. For example, just look up "gypsy dance" on youtube. The comments on these videos are heartbreaking.



Go here to read about an angry women telling off white belly dancers: http://www.salon.com/2014/03/04/why_i_cant_stand_white_belly_dancers/

There are a lot of great replies to such a blog. Including things like "please stop wearing Levi Jeans then" and "Asians should stop playing Mozart, Beethoven, and other white artists".

People are furious over this issue. Myself included. I think that if we all live on this world, then we should share with each other. Stop FIGHTING for equality and share. Stop being angry when someone wants to wear "gypsy" clothes or listen to "non-black music". This kind of sharing is not going to lessen the value of your culture. It is not going to taint it. It is only going to bring inspiration, value, understanding, love, questions, and knowledge to our lives.

Yoga has helped me manage my bipolar swings and my stress in ways no amount of chocolate ice cream and reruns of Dark Shadows can (though trust me, that goes a long way too). Italian food is the best. Turkish delight is amazing. I love Indian films. (Go watch "The Fall" by Tarsem NOW) I love Chinese ballet (OMG! Called it ballet did I? That's French). I love Japanese anime. And do not get me started on Native American and African drumming. That's amazing.

There is too much hate on this planet. What if the Klingons are watching us right now and are saying, "No, sir, we cannot make contact. They're angrier than we are in a war." Ouch. Why would someone from another planet far far away want to come to earth any way? We hate each other, there is no way we can welcome a spectacular life from another world.

This is about stoping cultural hate and fear. Do not deny your knowledge and ways to others. Do not press it on others. This not about world peace.

If you ever want to see a great Earth-rise (like a sunrise but not) from another planet, then stop getting offended when someone is interested in your culture. Teach and learn.
And hurry up, so I can have a chance with Captain James Kirk!

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Nice Armor. What's It Made From?

I have layered armor. First, I have a tunic of Brushing Off. This is for those comments that are not too bad. For example a "you suck" or "stupid" cannot make it past this awesome tunic.
Over that, I have the chain mail of Yes, I Am Actually Correct. This is for the harsher comments like "You don't know anything, do your research" and "I know this is wrong because of this" and the classic low level name calling and curse words.
After that, I can either dawn some leather armor for the upper level swear words (look at that vocabulary at this point, must be a genius!) and the personal attacks on either the ever classic "my mother" or "You must be stupid if..." and other personal attacks that people use because they cannot think of anything else.
Lastly is my full out joisting armor with shield and helmet. This is for the rape threats. Threats to a females life. Words that sway we don't matter. Say we deserve what we get. One Tweet I found was from a male wearing a blue button down shirt and tie and it said something to the extent of "Hey _______ look at you. Take the rape as a compliment not a violation". Um, how about no.
Ever wonder why females are so, well, bitchy? That is the closest thing I can find to being "touch". Have a thick skin, people say. Fine, I will. But then we get told we're bitchy and bossy. I have a feminist friend at school who has been told many times that she will be "f**ked into splinters" and that she better "watch her back because I am coming for you in a dark ally and will tear that a** up".
Women are told to toughen up. We are told the internet is a safe anonymous place. Tell that to the Slane Girl from Dublin. My twitter account and online game accounts are as anonymous as they can be.
One time in a League match, someone who knew me referred to me as "she". Once. The next ten chat messages during the round included the word c*nt, bitch, f**king stupid whore, and other pleasantries. Also the phrase "this is why girls shouldn't play games." Ahem...
But rape threats aren't the only thing going on online. Death threats to feminists, threats to their families, ANY kid of threat! The people who threaten females online can get pretty creative. And for some reason they usually write in caps.
I try to not let words hurt me. But they can really ruin my day. It may have something to do with the bipolar issues I deal with. But I'm not going to blame that either. The scary part is that these people very well COULD find where you live and bomb your house. They could track you down, rape you and kill you. That's technology. So it goes beyond words.
The counter side of course is that anyone in America can say what they want. That's your right. Humans cling to that so much that they ignore, well, their human side. There is not a lot that needs to go into the making this world a better place. Humans just need to stop acting like angry apes and start acting like the evolved species they claim to be.  

League as Life: Worth your weight in Mana

I’ve played games most of my life. Like most, I played Atari at grandma’s house and then got a NES at the age of three or so. Gaming has come a long way since then and teaming up with the Internet has given us MMO games. My current favorite, since I was late to this particular band wagon, is League of Legends, fondly known as LoL. If you’ve played one MMO, you know most of them. Fresh out of literary analysis classes, I couldn’t help but string together a series of metaphors for my life and my life on LoL.

Let me start by explaining how—for my very personal experience—my League life went.

I was very excited when I entered my first AI match. The woman who announces everything was telling me just what to do in tutoring matches (“Stay behind your minions!!” still rings in my ears when I get executed on occasion). Ashe was my archer of doom, and I was winning. I took a lot of damage, bought the wrong things, tried to use skill shots on the turrets—all that stuff that you probably did too but deny to this day ever doing.

Naturally, I bought Ashe and one of my brothers gifted me a skin for her so I could dress her up on the battlefield. I learned ADC (attack, damage, carry) fast, found out there were websites that told you how to build, videos on how to play—all that. I basically studied the game like I studied Statistics for college. The game got fun. I won. I lost. I leveled up. I bought runes to make Ashe stronger, found the Masteries page to get her more damage and some cool pluses. She was great. Then…I met Jinx. She was free to play and was just begging me to try her on. I had gotten a good grasp of how the game worked, how to win, how to not die. So I thought, “Well, why not try something new!” Hint: this is a life metaphor. 

Jinx and I clicked like an Attack and Armor Pen rune. We could not lose. By this time, I headed out into the big leagues. No more fighting AI and went up against real people I had never met. Fighting WITH real people I had never met. It was hard at first, but hey, I had a new hero to play! And we did fine.

Then. It happened.

Suddenly, at that one level (about 15-25) no one wanted to support me (ADCs need a support). No one wanted to heal me up, get me kills, protect me with a shield, ward my lane. I was dying left and right. The jungler never emerged to gank the bottom for us and help us push a turret. “Jinx, you suck!” “Get kills, loser!” “F**k you a** hole!” “Worst ADC ever!” And far worse things. What could I do? My supports were too aggressive and would chase past the enemy turret. My jungler never came down because he was too scared.

I had to change tactics if I wanted to keep playing. I had picked up Teemo and Malzahar on the way by this point and tried out top and middle. That was fine. But again with the jungler issue. No help. Everyone was playing solo. What to do? Who can keep a team together that doesn’t want to play together? Who can help everyone and keep everyone happy?

Enter Sona the Maven of the Strings. Graceful, strong, quiet. 

I bought Sona after she was free to play and learned her fast. I had to if I wanted to enjoy the game at all. I supported and I rocked at it. My ADC would still scream at me if she/he died. Junglers are still scared to come bottom, but I was there to help. That was my role. I learned to be friendly, to defend my team mates from my own team mates! I had to. I had to support everyone through chat and with my spells. But I didn’t want to. I wanted to go out and kick some butt and get those kill scores! But I couldn’t. I had to weaken the enemy, strengthen my ADC and then let them go in and get the score while I waited back and watched out for the enemy jungler with my sight wards.

I had to make other people look good.

This is where real life comes in. I still supp and it still makes me sad to have to abandon Malzahar and Vladimir and Teemo. And Jinx and Ashe. They were old characters I used to fit into. Characters I wanted to be. But no one else would sacrifice and be support. No one else would fill a jungler’s shoes and come down to help. I had to be the best support so that my ADC wouldn’t die. I still have bad games, of course. I had to be the best person on my team so that my mates wouldn’t become our enemies.

I didn’t choose to play a support, it’s the role the League society thrust upon me. That’s life, right there. I read that back when League was new, no one called lanes and no one even knew what a role was. Imagine that! They just played. But what happened is what happens in our world: order fell into place and the League society decided what was right and what was wrong. What was acceptable and what was not. If you go against that, you are wrong and you suck and deserve to die.

You have no choice either. If you step outside the meta your team WILL lose. So pick a position and hero you like. That’s the only way to get by in League. In life. You can try to go against it, but be ready to fail, to be hated, and be reported. I decided to slide into a role I didn’t want. The odd thing is, I am really good at it. I am good at making sure not only my ADC stays alive, but that my team mates don’t turn into enemies. I support. Hint: this is me in real life too.

This world is full of solo players. No one wants to team fight. No one says “our supp is OP!”. No one does in life either. You have to train yourself into another skin. You have to learn how to find the worth in what you have to do. Your lesson is a solo one. But you will be the glue of the team. You save them, protect them, heal them, set them up for victory. No one will know. All they will know is that they got kills and won. Your happiness comes from knowing that you had something to do with that. I hear you. “That’s not enough!” you say. But that’s why only the greatest, strongest, most fun and most wonderful people are good supports.

No, no, I am not that person. I get angry. But that is the person I want to be. I didn’t choose it. But through life you have to choose different skins and heroes to be. Sometimes you can be the ADC or the game-changing jungler. But when you’re stuck as support, know that without you they wouldn’t win either. Your lesson is to know what you’re worth, not them. Even if you don't win the match, you still get: