It’s been a busy month – and that’s “productive and exciting” busy as opposed to “I feel like I’m about to melt because everything is Entirely Too Much” busy, so that’s a plus! I’ve taken up the torch and am running a creative writing course this semester, making my own adjustments to the pre-existing curriculum set out by a mentor of mine. It’s been daunting but also very fun and rewarding so far! Who’d have thought I’d have a great time spreading the joy of books, huh?
The blog is also back to a regular publishing schedule. Given the looming threat of thesis deadlines and the above-mentioned commitments, I may have to duck back into another hiatus before the year is out, but fingers crossed that’s not the case. In any case, enjoy some links – there are a lot of really cool ones in this roundup!
On the blog:
In Which Adulthood is a Construct and Rent-a-Girlfriend is Compelling – this show has me hooked, for better or worse, and seems to have some things to say about the farce that is adulthood and relationships.
Queer YA Spotlight: Felix Ever After – I’ve foregone my “min-reviews” style of post in favour of giving more space to the novels I really want to talk about and draw attention to, starting with this heart-wrenching and heart-warming tale of love, art, and online subterfuge.
On AniFem:
Worldbuilding a Queer Paradise in My Next Life as a Villainess – Catarina Claes has become something of a Disaster Bi icon, and here I explore how the setup of her show makes space for this (even if it isn’t a queer utopia by all standards we might ask for).
Bonus: my Conversation article about uplifting queer YA has been shared around the web (with full credit) and can now be found on international sites like Mamba Online and Charlotte Pride! My dastardly agenda of getting more people to read books that I like it spreading!
Web content for your perusal:
A costume historian on the accuracy of the costumes in Hamilton – and how the show balances historical accuracy just enough to gets it setting and tone across while still being practical, still conveying character, and still looking rad as heck when people are breakdancing in it.
Hbomb returns and unpacks the potential not met in RWBY, from plot to worldbuilding to character to allegory to misuse of its influences, with an emphasis that what it could have been is always just out of reach.
What is An Aesthetic? It’s whatever you want it to be to feel good about how you look, babey.
Promare, BNA, and the Outrage of the Oppressed – someone at Studio Trigger clearly has a hankering to tell a story About Oppression, and they’re going to keep re-trying it with different fantastical metaphors until they get it right. But what would “getting it right” look like, and how do its current ventures get it wrong?
The Path to Publication: Writing the Queer Black Girls of Cinderella is Dead – Kalynn Bayron writes about the publication journey of her new YA fantasy, and the many racist, homophobic, and “it just doesn’t resonate with a mainstream audience” hurdles along the way.
Idle Animations: Denying the Reaper in Red Dead Redemption 2 – a very poetic and melancholy celebration of the way the game allows (and encourages) you to slow down and take in the beauty and peace of the world in a game that’s also about violence and betrayal, and how these lulls also help you, the emotionally invested player, stave off inevitable tragedy.
In Conversation: Rebecca Sugar and Noelle Stevenson – the creators of Steven Universe and She-Ra and the Princesses of Power talk about their respective roads to success and the exciting turning point we’re at in terms of queer rep in all sorts of fiction.
“College Republicans”: Why White Male Coming-of-Age Films Should Be the Exception – Leah Johnson expresses a long frustration with the tropes of the award-winning narrative of growing up, which, you guessed it, most often features and centres the experiences of white, straight, well-off cis dudes and presents this as “universal”.
Celebrating Queer Joy Through Stories – Auriane Desombre discusses the inspiration behind her upcoming rom-com debut (including a pivotal moment of Queer Realisation starring The Legend of Korra) and the many layers of queer joy woven through her own story.
Take care everyone, and I’ll see you in the next post!
The Afictionado 