Category: 2017
Best TV Shows of 2017
Best Games of 2017
Best Songs of 2017
Ok, Let’s Talk About Patreon
Firstly, I would like to thank everyone who has contributed to the Patreon over the past year. Your support has been a bedrock of this website. If there is one thing I have lacked in my previous creative pursuits it has been consistency. The key to the success of any creative project is continuous engagement with the project. There have been weeks were my motivation to write for this website has been non-existent. The thought that people have put money on the table for my writing each month has dragged me through those bouts of non-creativity. If there’s one thing that I hate doing, that’s disappointing people. For me, the people are what’s important about Patreon.
Why Can’t We Have a Queer Superhero?
You might have been following the news recently when there was talk of Valkyrie in Thor Ragnarok being bisexual. You, like me, might have seen the movie and thought ‘well, when it comes to representation, that was a whole lot of nothing’. Later interviews revealed that the scene had been cut for timing, or pacing, or such. However, it might have struck you about how often that we might hear about a character potentially being LGBT or such in a major blockbuster and then nothing comes of it. And why you may ask?
Ancestry
Chris Mackenzie looked out at the still waters of the Loch. He probably wasn’t the first person to stand on its edge, hoping to catch a glimpse of the famed Loch Ness Monster. He was different though. He had history on his side. His great-grandfather had reported seeing the monster. He was one of the first. The fact that he had only mentioned it after the famous ‘surgeon’s photograph’ made it questionable. Chris believed his great-grandfather though and he’d travelled to Scotland to prove something.
He’s a fool. Full of high-minded ideas about his ancestry.
Thor Ragnarok and Colonialism
[Spoilers for Thor Ragnarok]
So, some weeks ago I was watching the latest offering in the Marvel Cinematic Universe about a superhero whose mythos and supporting cast are drawn from Norse mythology. Here’s the thing. I know most of the work of director Taika Waititi and eagerly awaited Thor Ragnarok purely because of the comedy stylings of its director meeting the solid structure powerhouse that is Marvel Studios. The film was loved for its humour and action. For my money, it’s not my favourite Taika Waititi film (What We Do in the Shadows) or my favourite Marvel movie (Captain America The First Avenger), but that’s a matter of personal taste and there’s certainly lots to love about the film. The thing I want to discuss in regards to Thor Ragnarok is a couple of scenes in particular. However, first, I have to talk about Hela.
What Does the Switch Mean for Pokémon?
So, last week, Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon released on the Nintendo 3DS. I’ve been playing through them. Don’t worry, no spoilers here. The reason I mention these games is that these games have been revealed to be the last Pokémon games for the 3DS. Now I’m very new to the Pokémon games due to having neither Nintendo consoles or handheld consoles as a kid. The handhelds were withheld due to a belief of my parents that I would play the games all night. They weren’t wrong, but now I’m an adult and can make my own poor life decisions.
So, a couple years ago I bought a 3DS and played through Pokémon X and Pokémon Alpha Sapphire. Through these games, I completed the Pokédex and got invested in the series. You can read about some of my experiences with going back to play Pokémon Blue in my first post on this site. Anyway, I’m fairly tied to the series now. A friend recently suggested that I post my theories about what the Switch will do to the main Pokémon formula and so, this piece exists.
Who Should You Write About?
I find myself being very introspective of late. Perhaps it’s just that time of year. Perhaps it’s the fact that I have a short one-act play burning in my back pocket that’s all about the responsibility of writers and the power that writers have over the grand narrative. It might have been disingenuous of me to eliminate social media into that above creative thesis. Anyway, I’m getting off track thinking about a project that most of you haven’t even seen. Let’s focus on what you might have actually seen. My website has quite a few pieces on it that I’ve noticed fall into a broad catergory: Men thinking about their past and their relationship with the women in their life. Now, upon this realisation I thought to myself: God, am I really that boring? Then it lead me to the thesis point of this whole piece: Who Should You Write About?