Category: Essay

The Leaper and the Doctor

The two best long-running time travel shows are Doctor Who and Quantum Leap.

Quantum Leap is about a character who is profoundly empathetic; he cares truly and deeply about every person who crosses his path and devotes himself to helping their lives be better, helping them achieve their best. He has to. Or he doesn’t leap. Structurally, he must be endlessly empathetic, caring, and immediately, constantly available. He never gets to say when something happens or who he engages with. His situations are chosen for him by circumstance, and he must accept and deal with circumstance as it comes to him. Continue reading “The Leaper and the Doctor”

Furry Fiction: The Squishy Edges and the Heart

by Mary E. Lowd

Adapted from threads written on Twitter, May 2021

The definition of furry fiction is really very simple: it is fiction featuring anthropomorphic characters.

Let’s talk about the squishy edges of the genre of furry fiction.

Why?

Because a lot of people clearly have no idea what the genre is.  And then, once we’ve talked about the squishy edges, let’s also talk about the heart. After that, we’ll take a brief tour through the most common sub-genres. Let’s get this whole question of the nature of furry fiction truly sorted out!

The first question I always get asked by people who’ve never heard of furry fiction before is, “What about lizards? Or fish?” Continue reading “Furry Fiction: The Squishy Edges and the Heart”

Ideas for Star Trek Shows

No matter how much I love Picard, it’s hard to get over the sequel to an ensemble show w/a diverse cast being about only the white male lead.

All the women & PoC in ST: Picard don’t change that the show is kinda saying, “White men are special; women & PoC are replaceable.”

To be clear, I’m not really critiquing any of the content within the new show… more just the fact that Picard is treated like he’s more important and more worthy of a new show about him than Troi, Geordi, Crusher, Worf… Or literally any women or PoC from previous Trek shows. Continue reading “Ideas for Star Trek Shows”