I have relinquished myself to bagginsheild
A currency that isn’t gold-standard/having gold be as valuable as tin
A currency that runs entirely on a perishable resource, like cocoa beans
A clock that isn’t 24-hours
More or less than four seasons/seasons other than the ones we know
Fantastical weather patterns like irregular cloud formations, iridescent rain
Multiple moons/no moon
Planetary rings
A northern lights effect, but near the equator
Roads that aren’t brown or grey/black, like San Juan’s blue bricks
Jewelry beyond precious gems and metals
Marriage signifiers other than wedding bands
The husband taking the wife's name / newlyweds inventing a new surname upon marriage
No concept of virginity or bastardry
More than 2 genders/no concept of gender
Monotheism, but not creationism
Gods that don’t look like people
Domesticated pets that aren’t re-skinned dogs and cats
Some normalized supernatural element that has nothing to do with the plot
Magical communication that isn’t Fantasy Zoom
“Books” that aren’t bound or scrolls
A nonverbal means of communicating, like sign language
A race of people who are obligate carnivores/ vegetarians/ vegans/ pescatarians (not religious, biological imperative)
I’ve done about half of these myself in one WIP or another and a little detail here or there goes a long way in reminding the audience that this isn’t Kansas anymore.
Because at some point it got folded in under “problematic,” and now every damn thing that has Unfortunate Implications or deals with sensitive topics indelicately enough to raise hackles or gores somebody’s sacred cow is treated as a grave injustice or a threat to society. Online activism culture has lost the vocabulary to express “this deals with touchy stuff in a way many people might find inappropriate, and you should probably avoid it if insensitivity on this subject gets you angry/upset, but it’s not promoting hateful ideas or demeaning people or affecting anything but my opinion of the creator’s sense of tact.”
Tolkien characters will literally be like what if we were soulmates? What if legends were written of our love? What if our love brought hope in terror, strength in war, and peace in death? What if our love could break barriers, end tyranny, and build kingdoms? What if our relationship changed us in unfathomable ways? What if fate gave us no choice?
"And I'm trying my best to stand up for you in every way I can." 🏳️⚧️🏳️⚧️🏳️⚧️
lord the peasants are so loud today
Moon Angel by Rinotuna
it's a small win for trans rights. kind of. but in reality, i'm sure they just want to make it so they can recruit as many people as possible and don't really give a shit whether it's a hetero-cis person or lgbtq person who dies for the imperialist death machine. they just need healthy bodies.
Banner image courtesy of NASA (butterfly nebula)
249 posts