Genesis

so.
Everyone needs a "why did I start this blog" post.
right?
Or... every blogger owes a bit of homage to the brain behind the operation.
Or, the brain behind the motivation.
Both, likely.
Approximately six years ago, I met the man who would very shortly become, in the cheesy romantic comedy way, the man of my dreams. It's one of those stories in which you'd be totally rooting for me. Him too, I think... in a While You Were Sleeping kind of way.... Anyway... six years later, and that man, that brilliant soul who has more insight into this ol' gal than anyone ever has; this dream of a man who has twice described me using a Good Will Hunting quote: "...feeling like God put an angel on earth just for you," ...
he's actually my partner. Seems the simplest, most sensible thing in the world, but it has taken us six years to reach this point. Six years to find our proper time. Six years before we were both ready to be the partner each other respectfully deserved. Perhaps, one day, I will feel so-inclined as to blog the details of that story. ... or to make it into the next teen romance series! ... Today, suffice it to say, it was my darling S who has encouraged me for ... easily over a year now... to begin a blog.

The romantic in me would like to believe that he's merely supporting my life-long dream of becoming a writer and somehow finding a way to make a living through this artistic medium. Insightful bloke that he is, he's surely recognized that his partner, talented though she may be, has failed to produce a single piece of fiction in the time he has known her ... [pause to argue the value of her poetry and non-fiction literary analysis here, won't you?]

So, we could surely stop here and give a nod to the great and brilliant S and presume that he always knows me better than I know myself and is simply encouraging the dream I probably won't begin to fulfill until the jewel of my eye is off to college.

I'd initially voted for this romantic notion, but, upon further reflection, my darling S is more likely to have noticed a far less romantic (and far more annoying) aspect of my personality that was in serious need of an outlet... before his insightful, brilliant mind simply exploded from the onslaught of texts and emails containing each and every possible point of discussion hurtling in his direction from the Bubblegum pink flip phone [yeah, you heard me] and post-9:30 bedtime gmail messages. Oh, my love. I don't know who said it first, but you certainly know me better than I know myself. 

His brilliance is a bit catty, actually. 
Note how the blog idea is [surely] an effort to find a creative outlet for me, thus improving my life, sense of self-worth, expanding upon my creative writing, etc, etc. But... it's also saving him  the onslaught, right? tsk tsk tsk. He always does this so well, it's incredible. A modern-day Sherlock. Or... Moriarty, perhaps. 

Another example of his catty brilliance: 
I consider myself a bit of a nerd. Always have been. No friends in high school, save the teachers, whom I regularly entertained after class with witty exchanges and requests for extra credit assignments as I was bored out of my skull and needed any motivation at all to drag me out of bed in the morning to return to those halls of taunts and jeers. I digress. I have always been a nerd. Played [and beat, naturally] every game Mario has graced with his presence, and many others we won't go into here. No physical coordination to speak of, chubby, no skills; only high grades and a general assumption that everyone disliked me for my plain appearance and aforementioned characteristics. Despite this pedigree, I never delved much into comics. Despite the draw of the comic books stores, made even more alluring by the nerdy male clientele [further romanticized in drool-worthy television shows starring said nerds such as The Big Bang Theory], I just never geeked-out on comics or comic characters. I had a passing knowledge of the X-Men characters due to a radiant red-haired best friend in fifth grade who had a bit of a fetish, but that was the extent of my knowledge. Strangely, even a sexy Ryan Reynolds didn't turn my head toward a Green Lantern lesson. 
Yet, one day, a couple years back (true nerds will know when X-Men: First Class was in theaters, I can't be distracted to look this up at the moment), I was wandering the small town of Taylor, Texas with a former partner when we came upon a delightful old cinema. It was a beautiful building. I've always held a soft spot for gorgeous old theatres, beginning with The Wilma in my hometown of Missoula, Montana, which, like the one in Taylor, Texas, still also shows films, though only on a few screens, as they were never meant to compete the the megaplexes of today. See the Paramount Theatre in Austin, Texas for another breath-taking example. Anyway... I wanted desperately to see more of the Taylor theater than the exterior but we couldn't tour as they were selling tickets to a film that was about to begin, the prequel to the X-Men. My former partner was a fan of the comics and rather easily persuaded me to give the film a shot. I had already decided it was worth the $4 admission to view the interior of the theater, and decided I really ought to support the poor guy's interests now and again, so in we went. 
Needless to say, I don't even remember the interior of the theater, though the snack bar, I recall, was intimately small and ridiculously inexpensive, if you're ever in the area. I really enjoyed the film, 100% more than I had expected to. 
Fast forward to today, well, a few weeks ago,... with my partner properly replaced with an eligible one, my darling S, who somehow had not seen X-Men: First Class, despite an admirable comic nerdom (or, at least, loyal following of all of the comic-based celluloid productions as of late). He, the poor dear, really tried to get me to watch The Avengers and Thor, making sure they were playing in the background every time I came over for weeks (let's just say he was trying to get me to watch them, and did not, in fact, watch them himself for weeks on-end... <3sigh<3.... my lovely nerd). Anyway, his efforts were greatly without fruit. Despite my desire to share his interests, I just didn't find the pieces of the films (and I'd also seen bits of Captain America... distorted giant head on a child's body, anyone??) enticing enough to warrant 2.5 hours of my time, multiplied by x number of superhero and comic-based films. 
Naturally, S was probably secretly thrilled to see my excitement at watching X-Men: First Class together. It was actually my suggestion!
He did not share any of this excitement with me. 

Here is what the catty little devil did, however. 
S has a habit of reading... and reading... and reading... everything he can get his hands on. 'Research,' to S, does not stop, typically, at Wikipedia. He is one of those [delicious] nerds who also follows the links at the bottom of the page to their logical conclusions... [yes, ladies, and he's all mine!] To refer to S as 'learned' and 'well-read' is a bit of an understatement. But, despite how horribly sexy that is, it has a downside. He often spoils works, particularly films, but occasionally books and restaurants as well, by reading far too many reviews, summaries and critiques. He gains a certain smug superiority from lifting his nose whenever possible, and, God knows, one may find a degrading critique (or hundreds...) on the internet in moments on just about any subject imaginable. 

Knowing this about himself, my darling was in a bit of a dilemma. He's an absolute director nerd and was interested in the genesis story of the X-Men, but did not want to go in completely unprepared. After all, how could he properly critique what he was watching if he knew not whose creation it was or whether it was based on actual comics or some freelance sideshow? This is serious business... how do you research a work without stumbling upon the spoilers?
You will remember the Moriarty comment, won't you now?
It just so happens that my beloved has, at eager beck-and-call, a rather talented researcher who had already seen the film. 
So S asked me to research a bit, find out whether the film was based on an actual comic, as in, did Stan Lee or any subsequent X-Men writers actually create the genesis stories for the X-Men characters in the strip, or was the film the work of a clever screenwriter alone? 
This seems like a completely legitimate request, doesn't it?
Sweet S just doesn't want to spoil the show, he's trying to give it an honest and impartial viewing, while still fulfilling his desire to comprehend the film's parentage. 

...

right?

Ah, but we aren't thinking like Moriarty. 
Recall the hidden (and somewhat self-serving) ulterior motive of getting this 1000-thoughts-per-day nerd-lover to write a blog instead of plaguing S's bewildered and exhausted phone....
What could S stand to gain in asking his angelic nerd to research the X-Men?
....He's a genius!

I happily jumped at the opportunity to "convince" him that the film was worth watching by doing the bit of research he requested. But I didn't stop there. I have a Masters Degree in English for a reason! S knows this. He played to my passions. I researched for hours, poring over the genesis stories of the X-Men, then expanding upon my own theories and ideas about the original relationship between Professor X [so fucking hot casting James McAvoy, btw] and Magneto. My undergrad is in Psych, so I get further into the character discussions regarding Magneto's traumatizing childhood and Xavier's endless empathy. Needless to say... my bf quite successfully opened my mind to the joys and pleasures of the comic world. A gateway film.
Catty little devil. I told you.
If only he had poor taste, I may have the heart to blame the guy. 
So far, his insight has been true, and he's introduced me to that which I've since thoroughly adored and had never known. 
Cliché as it may be, I cannot help but conclude that that is exactly what love is meant to be: An opportunity to see the world through the eyes of one's lover and to share in that vision. To learn via a collection of experiences and explanations built over the years of one's partner's life, and to add one's own. 


that was almost touching
had I not, for some horrible reason, thought: 
"With our powers combined! .... I... am Captain Planet!"

hey.. nerds can be romantic too... 
if you don't mind the sketches, quotes and citations.