Well my social media holiday turned out to be a complete disaster but it’s nothing any of you would care about so let’s just get straight down to business.
Brian Niemeier discusses the difference between the Superversive and the Pulp Revolution literary movements.
http://www.brianniemeier.com/2017/07/superversive-pulprev.html
I do think it is important to remember that these two movements overlap and are not in direct conflict; even if certain people do seem to get strangely butthurt about it.
I initially supported the Superversive SF movement and I stand by the goal of countering the nihilism and hopelessness that is all pervasive in modern literature and “entertainment.” As for the Pulprev? I have the much better reason that all my cool friends are doing it and putting entertainment back into things that are supposed to be entertaining just seems like a good idea.
Huge folding knife; which turns out to be a surprisingly good weapon.
Jon Del Arroz on writing character. Lot of good tips here.
“The final thing I’ll note is the protagonist especially needs something for someone to root for.”
Remember if the audience begins to cheer for the bad guys, you either haven’t fleshed out your heroes properly or you may be writing some kind of horrible message fic.
An in-depth article about viking shields; from both a historical and a gamer (GURPS) point of view.
https://gamingballistic.com/2017/07/12/vikings-shields-and-game-rules/
“Interesting thing about this – a properly made shield, when struck at with a sharp sword, will catch and trap the blade of that sword. Nearly every time. The thinner, the easier this happens, but even with the thicker wood with no rawhide edging, a good shield bind was obtained.”
Sabaton and Girls und Panzer
Sabaton makes everything better.
Injustice Gamer brings up a niche product that might just fill your gaming needs.
http://injusticegamer.blogspot.ca/2017/07/adventure-boardgames-to-fill-gap.html
“Mice and Mystics is the most family friendly entry here. You’re playing as the king’s heroes after they’ve been turned into mice by an evil wizard. Try to avoid the cats and bats, get the cheese, and save the king.”
Your kids will live on Mars. Mixed feeling about this piece. On one hand it’s important to be optimistic on the other hand the name Elon Musk triggered a red flag. Still worth a quick read.
http://astroblog.cosmobc.com/2017/07/03/kids-live-mars/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter
The only map that matters.
Fully Explaining Lunar Calendars. [10min]
Here’s a video for the truly obsessive fantasy writer.
Why Female Action Heroes suck.
Steven Crowder makes the case that female action heroes aren’t really that believable and do so in a fairly hilarious manner.
Of Wolves and Men 