Tag: xenophilia

nausicaaharris:

i think a far better metric for sci-fi is not “hard” or “soft” or “science fantasy” or whatever but the ease with which one can fuck aliens

from one end to the other, the scale is:

  • it is impossible to fuck aliens because we have not found any
  • it is technically impossible to fuck aliens because we have not found any, but you can fuck a wide variety of genetically-modified humans
  • it is impossible to fuck aliens because no alien species has anything resembling sex
  • it is difficult to fuck aliens due to divergent anatomy, but with great care and dedication it can be done
  • it is difficult to fuck aliens due to travel difficulties
  • it is moderately difficult to fuck aliens, as they are down to clown, but it requires a degree of courage
  • it requires no special effort to fuck aliens, because that’s hotter than reasonable levels of biodiversity
  • it is easy to fuck aliens, and you are cross-fertile with them because this is a universe with the Strong Hodgkin’s Law
  • it is easy to fuck aliens because you are all descended from ancient bullshit progenitors

(obviously there are intermediate stages but i do think this is a useful rubric)

A very reasonable classification system for science fiction!

My own is similar but much simpler:

– no aliens: neutral (I mean I love good science fiction in general)

– evil alien invaders: yawn

– friendly interaction with aliens: ok

– interspecies intercourse: AWWW YEAH ALIEN FUCKERS UNITE!!!

nyctophobia: fear of darkness

backstagerebelgirl:

in which a seemingly harmless blackout proves to be an experience you have never considered existing beyond horror films: a monster ensuing a morbid game of tormenting you while vulnerable.

* * *

Nichole has taken the liberty of your phone passcode to snap an atrocious selfie and appoint it as her own contact portrait. Truth be told, you don’t have the heart nor incentive to change it. It had taken time to ignore the scrutiny thrown your way, many times which consisted of ducking out of vicinity and of the like. At least her ringtone compensates for the source of embarrassment and entertainment. The wistful chorus of Patrick Swayze’s “She’s Like the Wind” echoes through the wood of your nightstand, a patterned vibration joining the melody. It’s tempting to ignore her call, especially since it’s already 11 p.m. on the night before a breakfast date with Mom.

Weiterlesen

xenophobia: fear of unknown | 01

backstagerebelgirl:

index: 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05

You babysit Zach, the son of a family friend, and become increasingly disturbed by unnatural occurrences playing out when he insists his imaginary friend is real.

* * *

“Again, thank you so, so, so much for doing this, even if the call was last minute,” Lucy breathes out, tugging on her coat in a messy haste from her husband’s ushering. For a second, you watch her struggle to get her second arm through its rightful sleeve before snatching the other end that keeps escaping the older woman’s grasp. The display earns a harmless chuckle from Samuel who snaps around to tap in his shoes when his wife tosses a glare his way. Their dynamic is so endearing to a level of admirable envy that you can’t help but smile a little. “You’re a lifesaver; I don’t know what we’d do without you,” she says.

Weiterlesen

Highly recommended.

ginsengandginger:

The bad boy syndrome

I think perhaps one of the reasons that we are attracted to the bad boys and the monsters of stories is not only because they are attractive/alluring, or because they tend to be more interesting than the good guys, but because for all their mystery we already know what they are: bad boys and monsters.

You know from the start that Loki is probably going to kill you

so really it’s only a pleasant surprise if he doesn’t,

and you’ll have a really interesting time with him until that point. And there’s always that thought that they won’t kill you, that you’ll connect with them. that you’ll be able to reach that tender spot inside them and that they’ll keep you. and then you’re really safe. No one is as safe as someone who a monster decides to protect.

On the flip side, heroes do everything they can to make sure no-one sees their dark side. No one knows what terrible things tempts a white knight, and we often find out too late what demons a good man is hiding.

And maybe that’s why it confuses men; that they create these terrible creatures that should be frightening and yet we dream of them quite fondly.

The biggest mystery of the bad boy, is how good is he.

The biggest mystery of a good man, is what evil he is capable of.

That’s certainly a big aspect why monsters and villains are appealing to me.

TRANSMISSION LOST by Stefan Mazzara

Jack Squier is a civilian cargo pilot in a future where humanity has begun colonizing other worlds throughout space. This period of expansion has led to prosperity, but has also led to the unfortunate realization that humanity is not alone in the universe. Humanity is now at war with the Ailian Ascendancy, a fiercely territorial empire that does not take kindly to humanity encroaching on their domain. Over this decade-long conflict, humanity’s ships have been spread thin across space as they fight to hold back the Ailian fleets.

With military ships becoming such a precious commodity, civilian pilots like Jack find themselves pressed into service running supplies for the UN Navy. On one such cargo run, Jack encounters the enemy in the worst way possible, and sets in motion a series of events that will change the future of humanity. 

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27236475-transmission-lost

Teratophilia recommendation by @winged-wolf-tsuki who shared some relevant information for monster lovers: ”It features a female character that is not only stronger than her human partner but much taller. The start of it has some similarities between Enemy Mine and Starkissed but then it starts to branch out a bit more. I found it a unique read.”

More books with monsters as the love interest: HERE

SPIDERLIGHT
by Adrian Tchaikovsky

The
Church of Armes of the Light has battled the forces of Darkness for
as long as anyone can remember. The great prophecy has foretold that
a band of misfits, led by a high priestess will defeat the Dark Lord
Darvezian, armed with their wits, the blessing of the Light and an
artifact stolen from the merciless Spider Queen.

Their
journey will be long, hard and fraught with danger. Allies will
become enemies; enemies will become allies. And the Dark Lord
will be waiting, always waiting…

Spiderlight
is an exhilarating fantasy quest from Adrian Tchaikovsky, the author
of Guns at Dawn and the Shadows of the Apt series.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28765741-spiderlight

Spoilers ahead…

This
book was a pleasant surprise. At first glance it’s a classic quest
novel about a small party (priestess, mage, warriors, thief) setting
out to defeat the eeeeeeeeevil Dark Lord.

It
becomes relevant to my (monster) interests when they force a giant
spider to join their party. To make him look less conspicuous the
resident mage attempts to give him a human shape. This goes slightly
wrong. The result is Nth, a man spider described as having a sinewy
physique, gray skin, slightly too long limbs, much too long fingers
and sporting 6 beady eyes as well as razor sharp fangs in a mouth
that, upon occasion, opens a bit too wide in an otherwise handsome face.
He’s also strong and tall. I’m in love.

The
poor spider monster fills his party members with intense disgust. Not
only do they not trust him despite having him placed under a spell
which compels him to obey everything they say, the human questers are
also having a hard time recognizing him as a person. My heart really
broke for Nth. He tried to adjust to an unwanted body complete with
its strange sensations and even stranger states of mind. He is forced
to betray his people, knows that he will never really belong anywhere
ever again and is even denied a free will.

But
slowly some of the party members start being compassionate towards
him and he in turn reaches out to them. A kind of camaraderie
develops between them and they start turning to each other for
comfort. Yes, I mean Nth and the female warrior Cyrene have (drunk)
sex. Moral implications ensue. Cyrene is genuinely worried that she
might have raped him because he’s still under the spell that makes
him obey everything the party members tell him to do. Luckily it
turns out Nth went into the situation willingly. This is quite
astonishing considering he later thanks Cyrene for not eating him
afterwards. He didn’t know that among humans this is not a common thing to do
after sex. 😅

So
Nth starts making friends, first the thief and then Cyrene. By the
end of the novel he has gained at least the respect of all the
questers (except the dead ones…) and is more or less made into a
hero and savior. Needless to say he doesn’t care about those
things. He also regains his free will and that is infinitely more
important to Nth.

The
end is happy enough because it suggests Nth and the two people who
genuinely care about him look forward to a quiet life where they can
escape all forced heroism and live unnoticed and therefore free.

I
have some minor criticisms but overall I thoroughly enjoyed this
book. The language is a bit overwrought but on the other hand this
goes very well with the dry humor the whole novel is infused with.
The POV of view changes quite frequently but it wasn’t confusing
despite all the characters’ voices sounding a little bit too much
alike.

The
book also deals with issues I didn’t expect in a novel about some
questers setting out to defeat the ultimate evil such as racism,
blind faith and bigotry, sexism, crimes committed under duress and
free will in general. Sometimes it’s a bit heavy handed but overall
the inclusion of those themes made the emotional struggle of the
characters very real.


Also have I mentioned that I love Nth? His
characterization is human enough to emphasize with him, yet as a being
of a different species also believably alien.  The poor monster
spider boy just wants to be treated like a person.

More books with monsters as the love interest: HERE