Who is Venom? What is the Venom symbiote’s “name?” Why even ask this question? Why do we care? Because the fandom community around this character has very strong opinions around who and what “Venom” is. There’s a very strong hostile undercurrent in regards to nomenclature that claims, with certainty, that only the bonded host and… Continue reading You Can Call the Symbiote Venom: A Textual Analysis
Originally written for VN Game Den in December 2021 Oh no. You’ve done it.The conversation had been pleasant enough when you all sat down for a holiday dinner with the family. Then Aunt Sheryl (because isn’t it always Aunt Sheryl?) turns to you and asks what seems like an innocent question. “What have you been… Continue reading How to Talk to Your Family About Visual Novels
I’m a fantasy and science fiction writer, so, of course I study worldbuilding. As opposed to the worldbuilding itself, I rather like to examine the implementation of it. My favorite style tends to be “I’ll tell you what you need to know for the next little bit, then move on.” I don’t particularly for long… Continue reading The Summer of Capes and Worldbuilding
For updates on my own books delivered to your inbox, sign up for your newsletter of choice. Queer Fantasy :: Sci-Fi Romance The Cosmic ColorT.T. MaddenScience Fiction (2025, Recent Release!) From Storygraph: Eric Fisher, a Black recruit finishing up his training, has always felt strange in his own skin. Now that he’s finally a mecha pilot, ready… Continue reading May Reads and Reviews
Check out the end for book sales and deals from indie authors. There’s a style of online game called a “Hero Shooter.” Think Overwatch, Team Fortress 2, or my recent time sink, Marvel Rivals. For the uninitiated, the gameplay loop is two teams of six fight each other for an objective. Either domination of a… Continue reading Video Game Metas and the Logic of Failure
Note: There are two versions of this: a shorter outline view and more detailed one describing my logic. This is the shorter version. I've determined there're two ways comics can approach a Big Narrative Change. There's the unexpected and the out of character. And this has nothing to do with fandom response or the quality… Continue reading Spectacular Spider-Man: The Hunger-A Case study in Major Narrative Shifts (Short Version)
Note: There are two versions of this: a shorter outline view and more detailed one describing my logic. This is the longer version. I've determined there're two ways comics can approach a Big Narrative Change. There's the unexpected and the out of character. And this has nothing to do with fandom response or the quality… Continue reading Spectacular Spider-Man: The Hunger-A Case study in Major Narrative Shifts (Long Version)
There’s this extraordinarily silly thing that happens on TikTok every year like clockwork. One batch of users talks about the one- tw0- three- hundred books they read that year. Another batch is utterly baffled at these numbers to the point of conniption. “How is it possible?” is the cry they lift to the heavens. “Don’t… Continue reading High Volume Reading as a Moral Imperative
Check the end for promos, free books, and special sales. Landscape with Invisible HandM. T. AndersonScience Fiction2017 From Storygraph: When the vuvv first landed, it came as a surprise to aspiring artist Adam and the rest of planet Earth -- but not necessarily an unwelcome one. Can it really be called an invasion when the… Continue reading December 2024 Reads and Reviews
The Mimicking of Known SuccessesMalka OlderCozy Science Fiction-2023 From Storygraph: "On a remote, gas-wreathed outpost of a human colony on Jupiter, a man goes missing. The enigmatic Investigator Mossa follows his trail to Valdegeld, home to the colony’s erudite university—and Mossa’s former girlfriend, a scholar of Earth’s pre-collapse ecosystems. Pleiti has dedicated her research and… Continue reading November Reads and Reviews
Pixels and Pins Studio 