I blog Sci-fi and Fantasy Short Stories, musings on art and politics, and Monte Carlo simulations of board games. All 100% human-written.
Seattle, WA
Joined December 2009
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“My beef isn't that Romantasy exists, it's that men can't have the same thing.”
I got this comment after writing about Romantasy and A Court of Thorns and Roses, but they were utterly unprepared for how far I am willing to go to prove a single anonymous Internet commenter wrong.
“I wanted to dislike this on principle, but it’s too good.”
"I kinda forgot it was a parody straight up until her hips reminded him of colonialism 🤣"
I'm not sure I even know what this is, but I'm writing it anyway. I give you, A Romantasy for Men. markmywords.substack.com/p/f…
These were my thoughts on organizing the various sub-genres that overlap with romance (the concept), which is not a perfect match for Romance (the formal genre with industry mandated happy endings).
Happy endings don't occur in all of these, but romance plays a central role
In the case of Romantasy and ACOTAR, the genre boundaries get blurry. Books 1-2 of ACOTARi read as primarily Romance for me, while book 3 pivots into being Fantasy, to its detriment in my opinion.
A Court of Thorns and Roses was playing its strengths more in the love story imo
I have a number of other thoughts on that particular series (some spoiler-free, and some spoilery rants and nitpicks), if anyone is curious!
markmywords.substack.com/p/w……
I think arguing about the definition of a word is a little silly. Arguing about how booksellers should organize their inventory may have actual stakes, but if the Romance Writers of America mandate happy endings as part of what the genre means, HEA is probably here to stay.
I have a number of other thoughts on that particular series (some spoiler-free, and some spoilery rants and nitpicks), if anyone is curious!
markmywords.substack.com/p/w…
My friend has a PhD in game design, and this made them laugh out loud. "THIS is why AI will never match human innovation. AI slop like this would never be brought to a museum and celebrated as a triumph of cultural expression, by anyone other than the French."
This is a solved problem! You can just put art on a spectrum of how political it is instead.
markmywords.substack.com/p/a…
Mark Newheiser retweeted
Respectfully, no. Two things can be true at once. He is an existential threat to democracy and he should be opposed by democratic, legal means, not violence.
Happy Fourth of July!
To George Washington, a man who loved his country so much he declined to run for re-election when he thought the nation would be better served without him. If he had clung to power, I think the consequences would have been much worse for American democracy.
Mark Newheiser retweeted
I would also like to remind everyone that we must turn out massively for this movie, so that we can eventually get a movie where a giant CG worm lectures Jason Momoa on political philosophy for three or four hours 🙏
‘DUNE PART 2’ will release one year from today.
See what movies are releasing soon: bit.ly/Dates2022
Mark Newheiser retweeted
Hello. You're here being inflamed. It feels enlivening, right? Just remember it's you being poked and made tribal in order to produce salable data. You're a cow being fed growth hormone.
Mark Newheiser retweeted
its literally impossible to possess aristotelian virtue. you have to be courageous, but not too courageous or youre reckless. you cant be stingy, but if you give away too much money, youre prodigal. if youre not friendly enough youre surly, if youre too friendly youre obsequious
Mark Newheiser retweeted
Heard joke once: man goes to doctor. Says he's depressed. Says life seems harsh and cruel. Says he feels all alone in a threatening world where what lies ahead is vague and uncertain. Doctor says, "Treatment is simple. Great clown Pagliacci is in town tonight. Go and see him."
