Discussions, Analysis and Musings

Trope Discussions:

POC as Origin Story

The Marginalised Swan Song

Privileged Actors Playing Minorities

Marginalised People Cannot be Confined to Niches

Romance: Persistence is Not a Virtue

White Knights, Easy Moral High Ground & Hollow Heroes

In Defence of Reboots

Terry Goodkind, Cover Art, Criticism and Purpose. And Being a Dick

The Heathers and Hollow Minority Characters

Which Characters Matter

Magically Mundane

Stop Celebrating Crumbs

Confederate: The Show We Don't Need

LGBTQ Marketing Ploys: Teasing & Exploitation

Yes, Cuba Gooding Jr did Assault Sarah Paulson

The Selfish Redemption

Themes Urban Fantasy Needs to Explore

Friday Discussion: Isolated Tokens: Being the Only One"

LGBT Portrayals: Blink-and-You-Miss-It

The Perils of the Fast Lane Dystopia

Voya Magazine's Biphobia and Continued Digging

Bizarre Decisions and Implausible Situations

Consent in Romance: Love at First Woo-Woo

Magic Plot Glue - a Lazy Author's Best Friend

The Horror of LGBTQ Inclusion: #GiveElsaAGirlfriend and #GiveCaptainAmericaABoyfriend

Rape By Deception

LGBTQ Characters - Happiness is a Death Sentence

Marginalised Characters: Banished to the Plot Box

Prejudice Free Worlds

Quiet Portrayals of Minorities

Trigger Warnings

American Exceptionalism in Speculative Fiction

Mystery Shows: Madlibs as Plot

Meg Rosoff: Challenging Diversity in Children's Books

Making Sense of the Dimes and Nickles in Urban Fantasy

Tragic Love Interests: Tortured Pasts and Abusive True Loves

Paranormal Romance: Yet More Engorged, Throbbing and Fainting, Oh my!

Portraying Prejudice Well - Avoiding the Perils and Pitfalls

General Gary Stu: Righteously Commanding His Lessers

Where is the Penis

Hugo Awards 2016

The Hugo Awards and Various Repellent Puppies

Deadline's Bizarre Idea that Racial Inclusion is Going Too Far

Manpain

The Use of Atrocities in Urban Fantasy

What's Wrong with Bill Maher's Condemnation of Speculative Fiction

Super damsels - Strong Women in Peril

Virginal or Gently Used Heroines

The Potential of Urban Fantasy

Roles Only Cis, Straight, White Men Can Get Away With

Supernatural Love: Mighty Men and Fragile Ladies

Consent in Romance: Being Able to Leave

LGBT Tokens: Marketing Ploys, Hints and Broken Promises

POC as Other: The Foreigner, The Savage, The Non-Human

East-Asian Tropes in Urban Fantasy: Yakuza and Kitsune for everyone!

Mental Illness and the Non-Neuro-Typical in Urban Fantasy

Pilot Diversity and Minority Decay

Effortless Beauty: I know You Didn't Eat That Pizza

Raiding Non-Western Cultures for Exotic Monsters

The Problem With the Societal Default

The Art of Inserting a Token

In Fiction, No-one Is Forced by Circumstance

Urban Fantasy: Good Girls, Bad Girls and the Problems With Both

All Aboard the Redemption Train

Dystopians: The Leadership of Cis, Straight, White, Able-Bodied Men

Abusive Tropes are not Romantic

Top 65 Kick Ass Female Fantasy Characters - Looks Awfully White

Rachel Skartsen and the Mosaic Church

Boycotting Orson Scott Card's Bigotry - Skip Ender's Game

The Gay Comic Relief

Depictions of Nudity

The Possibility of Achieving Inclusive Conventions

Straightwashing GBLT Characters

Death of Marginalised Characters

Werewolves, They Just Can't Help It

Pet Peeves in Urban Fantasy

International Woman's Day

The International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia

Where The Exceptional Woman Falls Short

Marginalised Characters Do Not Define The Story

The Portrayal of Addiction in Urban Fantasy

A Weapon is Not a Strong Female Character

More Romance Tropes We'd Like to See Buried

Steampunk and the Nostalgic Blinkers of Victorian London

What Will You Do In A Dystopian?

GBLT Characters on our shows: What do you expect us to Watch?

Black is More Than for Mourning

There's Always an Excuse for Prejudice, Erasure and Tropes

Portraying Bigotry

Invisible Inclusion: Google the Minorities

Reverse Oppression, a Fad that Needs to End

Women in Science Fiction

There Can Only Be One Strong Female Character

People of Colour as Extras do not Equal Inclusion

Disney Princesses: New Drawings, New Problems

Vampires: The Duty of Conformity

Absent Mothers in Urban Fantasy

The Problem with Female Werewolves

Female Vampires: Children, Villains or Servants

Magically Diverse, Humanly Erased

The International Day Againt Homophobia and Transphobia isn't a Marketing Tool

When it Comes to Fantasy, TV and Film loses to Books

The Evolution of Snow White

Appropriation in Urban Fantasy Should Not be a Plot Point

Escapism When the Real World has too Many Minorities

Chekhov's Junkshop

Existence is not Entitlement, Erasure is not Acceptable

The Friday Discussion: The Mary Sue

Paranormal Romance: Engorged, throbbing and fainting, Oh my!

Traumatised Youth in Urban Fantasy

Paranormal Cinderellas

Mixed Raced Characters in Urban Fantasy don't Necessarily Constitute Inclusion

Vampires and Impossible, Timeless Beauty standards

Abuse as True Love in Paranormal Romance

Urban Fantasy's Guide to an Authentic British Vampire

Paranormal Steampunk and Dystopian Erasure - the Unpleasant Implications

Spunky Agency: Fake Empowerment and not-so-strong Female Protagonists

Self-Publishing: Sometimes the only Gate that's Open

The Problem with Fandom in Urban Fantasy

GBLT Hollow Characters: Lesbian Shark, Gay Uncle, Gay Maris

Romance Writers, Ink: Showing their Homophobic Arses

The Importance of Critquing Urban Fantasy


Series Discussions

The 100
Race on The 100
Race on the 100 #2


Alphas
Alphas: The Problem with Dr. Rosen (Alphas)


American Gods
American Gods: The Good, The Bad and the Awesome


American Horror Story
The Problems with LGBT Characters on American Horror Story: Freak Show
American Horror Story and Gratuitous Rape
American Horror Story and the Evils of the Sexual Woman
Ableism and Adelaide in American Horror Story
The Problem With Queenie on American Horror Story


Anita Blake Series
GBLT Characters in the Anita Blake Series
Women in the Anita Blake Series
Anita Blake Faux Champion of Sexual Agency


Argeneau Series
Homophobia in Lynsay Sands's Argeneau series

Black Dagger Brotherhood
The Black Dagger Brotherhood: Treatment of Women
GBLT people and themes in the Black Dagger Brotherhood


Blood Hunter's Series
Gender and the Problem with Marie Treanor’s Blood Hunters Series


Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Billy the Vampire Slayer: A New Gay Male Vampire Slayer


Cassandra Palmer World
Responding to Author Comments on our Review of Masks by Karen Chance


Continuum
Continuum and the Ruined Setting


Da Vinci's Demons
Da Vinci's Demons and the Horror of "Gratuitous" Bisexuality


Defiance
The Women of Defiance
The Problematic Portrayal of Race on Defiance


Doctor Who
It's The 13th Doctor and We're Still Waiting
Doctor Who & the Importance of Bill


Dracula
GBLT Characters in Dracula: Playing Trope Bingo


Dresden Files
Dresden Files: Who Isn't a Sex Object?


Emerald City
and Gender the Good the Bad and the Mediocre


Falling Skies
Race on the Falling Skies
Race on Fallings Skies Part 2: White Heroes, POC Sabotage
Women on Falling Skies


Fear The Walking Dead
Fear the Walking Dead: Excuses for the Death of Black People
Does Fear The Walking Dead Have A Race Problem?


Fringe
Fringe and Astrid as a Disposable Mammy


From Dusk Till Dawn
Women in From Dusk Till Dawn


Game of Thrones
Rape on Game of Thrones
Motherhood in the Game of Thrones
The Disabled Can Play the Game of Thrones
The Complexities of Tyrion


Grimm
Grimm Women and Power
Adalind and the Rape No-one Talks About
Grimm: Oh Hell No


Handmaid's Tale
Handmaid's Tale and Race
Handmaid's tale and Complicity in Oppression


Hemlock Grove
Hemlock Grove: So Many Problems
Women in Hemlock Grove


The Hollows Series
The Problem With Trent and Rachel's Love Story in Kim Harrison's The Hollows


The House of Night Series
The Awful Misogyny of the House of Night Series
The Awful Racism of the House of Night Series


The Hunger Games
Katniss Everdeen: The Good Kind of Poor Person
The Hunger Games Makes The Top Ten Challenged Books in 2011
A Sadly White-Washed Hunger Games


iZombie
iZombie and Playing with Identities


Lost Girl
GBLT representations in Lost Girl and True Blood
Hollow Characters of Colour on Lost Girl
Lost Girl: not as Gay Friendly as it Seems.


The Last Ship
Race on The Last Ship: Tokens, Set Decoration and Cheerleaders
The Last Ship: White Male Saviour & his Fawning Masses


Lucifer
Requiem: Lucifer
Fox's Lucifer and Sexually Predatory Behaviour


The Magicians
The Magicians & Gender
Inexcusable Homophobia of The Magicians


Mercy Thompson Series
Gender and Relationships in the Mercy Thompson Series


Midnight Texas
MMidnight Texas - TV series & Book Series


The Mist
The Homophobia of the Mist
Requiem: The Mist


Once Upon a Time
Requiem: Once Upon a Time
Once Upon a Time and Empty Characters of Colour
The Treatment of Regina


The Originals
Requiem: The Originals
Klaus and His Vagina Collection
Race on Vampire Diaries and The Originals
LGBT Characters in The Vampire Diaries and The Originals


Orphan Black
Requiem: Orphan Black


Outlander
The Feminism of Outlander


Parasol Protectorate
GBLT Characters in the Parasol Protectorate


Penny Dreadful
Penny Dreadful and the Avoidance of LGBT Characterisation
The Women of Penny Dreadful
Penny Dreadful and Race


Resurrection
The Women of Resurrection


Revolution
Revolution and Race
Revolution and Aggressive Masculinity


Song Of Ice and Fire
George R. R. Martin's Poor Excuse for LGBT Erasure in A Song of Ice and Fire


Shadowhunter Series
Asian Characters in Cassandra Clare's Shadow Hunters World
Cassandra Clare proves that all Inclusion isn't Good


Sleepy Hollow
The Intolerable Treatment of Abbie Mills
Sleepy Hollow, Vanishing Diversity and an Angry Fandom
Sleepy Hollow: The Problem with Katrina


Star Trek
Star Trek Into the Darkness and Khan


Supernatural
GBLT characters on Supernatural
Supernatural and the Very Overstocked Fridge


Teen Wolf
Tyler Posey and the Sterek Fandom
Teen Wolf: Bromance is easier than Inclusion
The Wasted Potential of the Women on Teen Wolf
Women in Teen Wolf
Requiem: Teen Wolf


True Blood
True Blood, Dubious Consent, Abuse and Relationships
GBLT representations in Lost Girl and True Blood
Lafayette and Jesus continue to depress me
Chelsea Lately, Nelson Ellis and a Whole Lot of Problems


The Vampire Diaries
‘The Vampire Diaries’: What People of Colour Do When They Aren’t Snack Food
Race on Vampire Diaries and The Originals
LGBT Characters in The Vampire Diaries and The Originals


The Walking Dead
Andrew Lincoln Leaving the Walking Dead
Physical Disability on the Walking Dead
The Problem of Female Leadership on the Walking Dead
Problematic Motherhood on the Walking Dead
The Race Problem on the Walking Dead
Race on the Walking Dead: Part 2
The Walking Dead and GBLT Erasure - Two Awful Choices
The Walking Dead: Michonne and Her Zombies
The Walking Dead: The Problem With Michonne
The Treatment of Carol on the Walking Dead
The Walking Dead Cliffhanger - who will die?
The Implications of Glenn's Death
The Walking Dead: Rick and his Fan Club


Warehouse 13
Race on Warehouse 13


Wayward Pines
Women in Blake Crouch's Wayward Pines series
Women and Death in Fox's Wayward Pines


Z Nation
Requiem: Z Nation


Zoo
The Women of Zoo
Requiem: Zoo


Cover Snark:
Who is this Woman

Covers That Do It Right

Sometimes the Cartoon Wins

Why Did You Change the Cover

The Eyes Have It

Heroines on their Knees

I See You Heroine, Shakin' That Ass

The Longer the Series, the Less Clothes Women Wear

Cover Snark: POC Erasure

Same Book, 2 Covers and So Many Problems

And 2 Seconds Later, She Fell Over

The Hip Thrust

Dinner's up! Come and Get The Belly Meat!

Is There a Chiropractor in the House?

Just Plain Awful

Facial Expressions

Beware Vampires, we have cleavage!

The Shoes!

She Must Be Freezing

Deformed Female Bodies and Photoshop Gone Wild

Weapons are a Girl's Best Friend

Lurking Danger, Crouching Heroine

Bring on the Mantitteh!

Give me down to there, hair, shoulder length or longer

Leather - the good, the bad and the unnecessarily sexy

When we Wish we Could Judge the Book on its Cover

Disembodied Women

That's not in the Book!

The Sideways View: T&A for Everyone!

Who Needs Clothing to be a Badass?

Oh The Thigh Muscles!

Who is this sex object and what did you do with my heroine?


Other Commentary:
On Creating an Inclusive Fandom

The Beauty and the Sadness of Geek Culture

#HaleNo Review Black Out Link Round Up

Kathleen Hale: Stalking and a Community Problem

Goodreads, Badly Behaving Authors and Silencing Criticism

Nathan Branford, Stop the Goodread Bullies and the "Abuse" of Negative Reviews

It's Not Bullying to Point Out Oppressive Language In a Book Review

Stop the GR Bullies: Defending the Indefensible

Stop the GR Bullies: Stalking, Tantrums and Bullying

The Difference Between a Negative and a Bad Review

Author Drama and Class Acts

How Book Blogging Changed Us

At What Point Are Fans Being Screwed?

Why the Recent Upsurge in Zombies?

Reviewers Behaving Badly: Selling Reviews, Guaranteeing Praise

Amazon Selling Fanfiction

The Problem With Paid Reviews and Self Pubs

Our Wish List for Ebooks

What We Wish from Authors in the Internet Age

A Letter from Urban Fantasy Parents to their Beloved Children

Written-By-Numbers Drinking Game: Madlib Mystery Shows

Written By The Numbers Drinking Game: CW Shows

Written By The Numbers Drinking Game: Dystopian

Written By the Numbers Drinking Game: Urban Fantasy

Written By the Numbers Drinking Game: Paranormal Romance

Written By the Numbers Drinking Game: Paranormal YA

This is Your Life: Original Cindy

This is Your Life: Merle Dixon

This is Your Life: Lord Akeldama

This is Your Life: Rebekah

This is Your Life: Oberon

Navigating Through Race- The Plight of Storytellers of Color

Writing Horror While Female

Submitting a book for Review

Are We Too Tough on Indie Authors?

50 Shades of Hypocrisy

Why Author Identity Matters

Face Off: We don't Forgive You

Face Off: I'm Team Evil

Face Off: Show's We'll Miss, Good Riddence and Please End!

Face Off: Cliched Episodes We See Again and Again

Face off: Tropes We Want to End

Face off: What Werewolf Legend Should Not Be Missed?

Face Off: Which Vampire Legend Should they Not Mess With

Face off: Have Sex Later!

Kristen Stewart vs Movie Goers

Which Books do you Want to See on TV

Face Off: No I Don't Believe it

Face Off: Werewolf vs Werewolf

Face Off: The Infernal Devices vs The Mortal Instruments

Face Off: The Men Sookie Broke

Face Off: A Tale of 2 Henrys

Face Off: Worst Friend in Urban Fantasy

Face Off: Most Blatant Token

Face Off: Best Bro Team

Face Off: Worst Idea Ever

Face Off: Twilight vs The Hunger Games

Face Off: Andrea vs Andrea - The Walking Dead Comics vs the TV Series

Face Off: Musty Vampire Edition

Face Off: Vampire Villains

Face Off: Grimm Vs Once Upon a Time

Face Off: Elena Vs Sookie, Battle of the Spunkies

Face Off: Katniss vs Tessa

Face Off: Supernatural Creatures

What is Urban Fantasy?