The-unknown-specimen - The Unknown Specimen

Reading Vlog #1 - Holy Shit...

I’m reading a novel that was written in 1915 and has a whole paragraph just casually discussing sexism, objectification, asexuality and the impermanence of love. I don’t care if the characters are supposedly ‘despicable’, Ford Madox Ford was onto something.

‘The Good Soldier’ by Ford Madox Ford, on page 84 of 179.

From my private meme collection. Since I also work as an editor I often have to remind myself there aren’t actually any rules in writing. I’m happiest when I let myself follow my obsessions, my interests, my fancies and caprices–even if that means it doesn’t “make sense,” or the results are weird, or I never finish it, or no one ever wants to read it or publish it, or it’s 5 words long, or it’s written on toilet paper, or whatever. Sharing for whoever needs to hear this today <3

You ever invite your coworker to watch you give birth just to spite a racist

“We are all so afraid, we are all so alone, we all so need from the outside the assurance of our own worthiness to exist.”

- The Good Soldier, Ford Madox Ford

I love how many Golden Age “World’s Finest” covers are basically just Superman and Batman taking their adopted son Robin out for fun activities like good supportive parents (though not above a little harmless fun at each other’s expense).

Do you want to hear my story?

DC/Marvel crossovers by Vasco Georgiev 

The Theoi are meant to be worshipped. And that means by anyone. If you feel so inclined to worship a deity, do it! Worshipping the gods isn’t like an exclusive club, they were worshipped historically by a vast array of people as just a part of life. So give them some offerings and some prayers and just go from there. We were meant to worship them, so don’t feel insecure about wanting to! The gods are already part of your life whether you know it or not, so just reach out!

for no particular reason and certainly not because of a certain shitbag author publishing yet another shitty book, here’s a list of science fiction/fantasy books by marginalized authors.

with special focus on trans, indigenous, jewish, asian and/or disabled authors because these are groups she-who-must-not-be-named has been particularly shitty about!

note: i got the idea to do this from @queerpontmercy​​​ - hope you don’t mind! i’ve read most of these, and i’ve tried to organize them by subgenre. now go read!

Pet by Akwaeke Emezi. Young adult SFF written by a black nonbinary author, with a black trans girl main character.

Elatsoe by Darcie Little Badger. Young adult speculative fiction written by a Lipan Apache author. Main character is an asexual Lipan Apache teenager.

Girls of Paper and Fire by Natasha Ngan. First book in a YA fantasy series in an Asian-inspired setting by a mixed-race author of Malaysian descent, featuring a F/F romance.

Blanca & Roja by Anna-Marie McLemore. A young adult fantasy about two sisters in a cursed family, written by a Mexican-American nonbinary author.

Mongrels by Stephen Graham Jones. A contemporary, coming-of-age fantasy about a boy and his werewolf family, written by a Blackfeet Native American author.

The Empress of Salt and Fortune by Nghi Vo. First in a high fantasy novella series by an Asian-American author, featuring a queer cast including a nonbinary main character.

The Black Tides of Heaven (Tensorite Series) by JY (Neon) Yang. A fantasy novella series with nonbinary and lgbtq+ main characters, written by a nonbinary Singaporean author.

Upright Women Wanted by Sarah Gailey. Pulp Western science/ dystopian fiction novella with an all-queer cast, written by a nonbinary author.

The Golem & the Jinni by Helene Wecker. Historical fantasy combining elements of Jewish and Arab folk mythology by a Jewish author.

Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik. Fantasy by a Jewish author with Jewish main characters.

All the Birds in the Sky by Charlie Jane Anders. Fantasy about witches and scientists trying to save the world by a trans author.

Jade City by Fonda Lee. First in a fantasy series in an Asia-inspired setting written by an Asian-Canadian author.

Bone Universe trilogy by Fran Wilde. Fantasy trilogy featuring cast of disabled characters written by a disabled author.

Parable of the Sower (Earthseed series) by Octavia Butler. Science fiction / dystopian series written by a black disabled author.