Back in sixth grade, first day of science class, the teacher asked us “what is science?” First day, we were supposed to answer that? The paper was blank, the pencil was blunt, and I was just there wracking my brains, trying to figure out what science was. All I could think of when I thought about science were old movies with lots crazy guys in lab coats working with beakers and tubes and bubbling stuff, so I put down “Science is chemistry!”

That was wrong.

But that was not the only gotcha waiting for me that day. The English teacher wanted us to write a couple of paragraphs on who our greatest hero was. Wow, not an easy question to answer! Superman? Wonder Woman? Green Lantern? All had their strengths. I was really interested in having an honest discussion about the pros and cons of the various heroes with the rest of the class.

The teacher went around the room, calling on people. “My mom!” “My DAD!” “My grandfather fought in the war!”

When it came to my turn, I just said, “yeah, my dad…”.

To be honest, my dad was a heck of a guy. Youngest ham radio license holder in the state of Vermont when he was 13. Designed and built windmills. Rebuilt old Model Ts. Private pilot. Could identify the year, model and make of any car in three seconds, often just from the sound of the engine. (It just occurred to me, just now, that he might have been lying, because how would I know the difference between a ‘66 and ‘67 Mustang?)

The lesson I learned that day was that teachers weren’t actually interested in what I actually thought; they just wanted answers they were expecting. (And… it just now occurred to me that, perhaps, the teacher was hoping to have a great discussion about how the Justice League was shaping up, and was disappointed that people were talking about their families instead. I don’t really think so, though.)

Today’s Blaugust Promptapalooza writing prompt is from Wilhelm Arcturus at The Ancient Gaming Noob, who asks:

What is a favorite Quote/s, and tell us why

This question is a trap. Nobody wants me to write about a quotation I frequently quote, which would probably be:

“Oops…” (author unknown)

No, I will be judged on the quality of my quotes. And it also recently occurred to me that maybe I’m supposed to be writing about video games for this blogging series, and not just… whatever? I actually discussed this writing prompt on MagiWasTaken’s blog yesterday before deciding to work on it more myself.

So, given all that, here’s one:

Wider den Tod ist kein Krautlein gewachsen

  • James Blish, “They Shall Have Stars”

I’ve written before that my mother encouraged me to read books I really had no business reading. James Blish had huge success writing up novelizations of Star Trek episodes. We didn’t get Star Trek at home, but sometimes when we visited my grandmother, who had cable, I’d find it on and would watch, raptly. It was through those novelizations (that I would beg from my mom whenever we’d go to the grocery store, which at that time also had spinning racks of paperbacks for sale) – it was through those novelizations that I knew James Blish, and was introduced to his other works, including a really thick book called “Cities in Flight”, which was an omnibus collection of four shorter novels telling the story of the diaspora of Earth’s (which is to say, America’s) cities (following first Scranton, Pennsylvania before moving on to New York City) into space after the twin discoveries of faster than light travel that works better the more massive the ship, and life extension drugs.

The lab where they developed the life extension drugs had that quote inscribed above the door – “Against Death doth no Simple Grow” – there is no herb that can stay death. But, of course, they do find a treatment.

Years later, I’d have a chance to drive through Scranton, Pennsylvania. I kind of expected to see a lot of stuff commemorating its role in the future history of Earth, but all they had was stuff about “The Office”.

But this blog is supposedly about video games. Here’s one:

“Things are about to get dicey!” – Kurt, “Greedfall”

Your friend and protector and potential lover, Kurt, from last year’s Greedfall, says this about every three seconds during battle. I guess I should try fitting this into conversation more often than I do, which is never. It would certainly work better than “Wider den Tod ist kein Krautlein gewachsen” (literal translation: “Again, Death isn’t washing tiny sauerkraut!”) (This is not the literal translation. It’s how I would translate it given my pidgin knowledge of German).

Lastly, an actual quote that I do sometimes say that is more or less relevant:

“Never give up. Never surrender!” – Commander Peter Quincy Taggart, NSEA Protector

Never give up blogging, folks. Never surrender.