Have you ever noticed that some characters in fantasy stories feel more alive and relatable than others? A common pitfall is writing characters as archetypes—like the badass warrior—who perform predictable actions. Instead, I focus on their motivations. For example, consider a warrior who was once pampered and weak, leading to the death of a family member. Now, [...]
Check out these messages I got a few days ago. (In response to my How Are Lesbian Space Witches Putting a Curse on Your Favorite Series? email). “Dude your only complaint about a sci-if fantasy show is that witches can create life out of nothing is absurd. Like this isn’t even that big of a plot point [...]
“Death obsesses me, yes it does. I can’t really understand why it doesn’t obsess everyone – I think it does really, I’m just a little more out about it.” – JK Rowling, author of the Harry Potter series. Fantasy, as a genre, makes you feel that anything is possible. It offers an escape not just from [...]
Have you heard of Zach Vorhies, the Google whistleblower? He revealed an AI system that re-ranks the internet based on Google’s ideological values. Now, he’s warning of something even more chilling: a crusade against books. Yes, books—the last bastion of decentralized, offline knowledge. Vorhies suggests there might soon be a subtle effort to destroy or manipulate this knowledge. It’s [...]
Imagine watching a once-beloved steak house turn into a salad bar – sure, it’s a change, but is it really for the better? I’ve been observing “Star Wars: The Acolyte” and the mixed reactions it’s been getting. As a long-time fan of the franchise, I suspected that the “girl branding” was going to hurt the show. But [...]
Remember when being a kid meant endless adventures outside, and the smartphones didn’t dominate our lives? Contacting friends meant dialing their home number (on a landline) , often speaking to their parents first. This taught us respect and honed our social skills in ways texting never could. Imagine playing video games only with friends physically present. The [...]
“I think it’s time to accept that a large part of the moviegoing public sucks sh*t, declared a Hollywood screenwriter recently. It’s always someone else’s fault; they never consider that their writing might be the problem. I’m not surprised a Hollywood writer blames the audience for the industry’s failures. The lack of self-awareness is amusing. The [...]
A recent Twitter comment highlights a significant issue with modern storytelling and the misguided analysis of a lot of pop culture commentators. The tweet reads: “Furiosa was the worst-performing film for Memorial Day weekend in 30 years. It needs over 500 million just to break even after marketing. Despite great reviews, it made just 31 million and [...]
Ever caught yourself zoning out in front of the screen, only to snap back and wonder, “What did my soul just digest?” You’re not alone. Muslim men like us, raised in the Anglosphere, are in a unique bind. On one hand, we’re sick of the mainstream narrative that portrays us as terrorists, terrorists-in-training, or just [...]
