A Letter to J K Rowling

 

You’re being a lot nastier than you think you are.

Your trans posts, this post, and even your scraps with Donald Trump all come across as you trying to puff yourself up at someone else’s expense!

This is not how you started. Even now, there is still an idealism glowing within your earlier work. It still has the potential to encourage people to be strong in the face of danger.

What you’ve been doing in the last decade… runs contrary to that.

I had some sympathy for you, because I know all too well how fear and pain change people. Getting mad at people who’d threatened you and endangered you is understandable. Working through anger and pain isn’t easy. That being said…

You still have a responsibility to NOT take things out on innocent people.

Failing to distinguish between the asswipes who hurt you and innocent people is a slippery slope. First you were angry at the people who threatened you. Fair enough. Then you called out what you saw as abuses of power. Sometimes, you were right and sometimes you were wrong. Again, fair enough.

But then, you shifted your anger to ALL trans people for even existing.

Now, you’re going after people like me. As far as I know, we asexuals did NOTHING to you.

Not. A. Single. Thing.

You used to know the difference between an instigator and an innocent.

Out of respect for the good your writing once did, and out of respect for the good you used to do, I send this warning:

You are destroying your own legacy by punching down so much. Whoever suggested this particular post is NOT your friend, and most likely envies the blessings you gained by your work.

Mustard for Dibbler’s Pie

We all know about the “popular” series that get promoted to the moon and back. There’s a definite inclination to groan and wish them a speedy departure. However, sometimes truly beautiful art rides in on the coat tails of otherwise lacklustre experiences. What kicked this blog off was discovering non-brain melting ways to enjoy a few different series that otherwise I’m not particularly fond of. Specifically, I’m going to be talking about fan works for Twilight and My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic.

Let’s start with Twilight. Meyer’s concept was not bad; it was just poorly handled. Used skillfully, it is fascinating and can make for a gripping story. Thankfully, this thought also occurred to other people.

 “Buffy vs. Edward”, an excellent parody and exploration of some of the more unhealthy attitudes espoused in Twilight, follows a theoretical journey from the first encounter between Buffy and Edward to the last. It feels like an actual Buffy episode, while retaining its own character.


Incidentally, its history also provides an excellent example of the Fair Use clause. If you have any interest in copyright law, you might find reading about the video most illuminating.

 However, the crowning glory of the theoretical “what could have been” for Twilight is the fan novel Luminosity. I cannot help wishing that this was the real Twilight, because there is so much to it. Alicorn took the outline formed by the original novel and fleshed it out, turning it into a living, breathing world. Luminosity’s premise is “what would happen if Bella was clever and loved to think about the world around her?” While not a grand planner, this Bella does think things through, and while on the whole, her efforts to help do good (at first), the novel also shows the dangers of relying overly much on one’s own cleverness. (in this case, one small detail Bella overlooks undoes her) It’s a surprisingly balanced story, and, even if you cannot stand the original books, is highly enjoyable.

The theme song for Breaking Dawn part 1 is lovely (and the only part of the film I like lol), and so is the PianoGuys' cover of it.I liked song (particularly the melody) before finding out that it was written for a Twilight film; I still think it is beautiful. :) Apparently this cover was made as present to a family member of theirs.




 The current MLP fandom never ceases to amaze me. The same passion that drove this fandom to howl all over the internet for months about a character's promotion also fuels far more creative - though equally involved - endeavors. One of the most impressive gifts this fandom has to offer is its music, including full, nuanced symphonies and soundtracks! Here is one of the loveliest of the fan albums I've bumped into. I was pleasantly surprised to find this in my messages one day (in a fan art group that accepts all kinds of fan art) It sounds like the highlights from an epic fantasy film. :)