Harsh opinion, but if someone says “I like/read classics” with no additional clarification, I don’t trust them in terms of actually knowing what kinds of books they like. The more they insist that “classics” are “superior,” the more that trust diminishes. And it’s not even really because of the pretension that tends to haunt those… Continue reading I Don’t Think Some Classics Readers Actually Like Books
In the real world, when it comes to language about queer identities, we often find ourselves in a bit scuffle with pre-conceived linguistic notions. What’s the actual difference between pan and bi? What are the different ways non-binary identities (genderfluid, genderqueer, agender) interact with each other? What about the micro-labels that pepper the asexual spectrum?… Continue reading Creating a Queernorm Fantasy Setting: The Language Around Attraction
I made a decision very very early in honing my writing as a craft. I was never going to center a story around what someone of a certain gender could or couldn’t do.You’re not going to read a story from me about a young girl who has to pretend to be a boy to join… Continue reading Creating a Queernorm Fantasy Setting: Exploring True Gender Equity
In an effort to create a queernorm fantasy setting, one of the things I found myself doing was experimenting with ways to dislodge reproduction from gender and sexuality. Why? Because, collectively, we struggle with the idea of “non-reproductive” coupling. This manifests in different measures with childless couples and same-sex couples. While the former has their… Continue reading Creating a Queernorm Fantasy Setting: Disabling the Link Between Reproduction and Sexuality
Something that came to me, in a study of biology, was how much more interesting a fantasy setting would be if some of the sapient peoples in the world I was creating didn’t adhere to the typical reproductive binary. From this thought process came how I ended up writing hermaphroditic goblins and a whole planet… Continue reading Creating a Queernorm Fantasy Setting: Genetic Restructuring
Check the end for promos, free books, and special sales. The Zoologist's Guide to the Galaxy: What Animals on Earth Reveal About Aliens and OurselvesDr. Arik KershenbaumNon-fiction Biology, 2020 From Storygraph: "Using his own expert understanding of life on Earth and Darwin's theory of evolution - which applies throughout the universe - Cambridge zoologist Dr.… Continue reading May Reads and Reviews
James Cameron’s Avatar is still the top grossing movie of all time even fifteen years after its release. It’s followed in the top five by Avengers: Endgame, Avatar: The Way of Water, Titanic, and Star Wars: Episode VII. While Marvel and Star Wars, as properties, have massive transformative fan communities around them, the James Cameron… Continue reading How does fanfic emerge?
Hot take.I don’t like fanfiction AUs.Now what am I talking about exactly?In the parlance of the fanfiction community, “AU” means “Alternate Universe.” It is a work in which the characters of the original IP are placed into a completely new setting unlike their original one. Not to be confused with something like a crossover or… Continue reading I Hate Alternative Universe Fanfiction
Fanfiction is defined, at its core, is a piece of new work created by the fan of an existing work that borrows characters, settings, and other elements to craft a new narrative. A retelling is defined, at its core, is a piece of new work created by the fan of an existing work that borrows… Continue reading Some of Y’all Just Don’t Want to Admit You Actually Like Fanfiction
About a decade ago, I had this online gaming pal who was only getting into Harry Potter as an adult via the movies and some of the games. They knew I had not only read the books but knew them in pretty intricate detail. It was one of my primary fandoms as a kid well… Continue reading When Canon Gets Remolded in Our Image
Pixels and Pins Studio 