Lifelong Nerd, Roleplayer, Writer and Philosopher
This morning finds me watching a history of the book series Redwall, which I'll link here for anyone who might be interested:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PA93oymTbXY
As some of you may know, fandom-wise, I'm a former furry who spent (or wasted, take your pick) thirteen years amongst other fans of the Anthropomorphic Animal genre, spending the years on and off engaging in reading, rolepaying, observing art of every type (I was a stupid teen, and lets leave it at that). Over the years, I didn't exactly fit in properly, and I kept on waiting and searching, hoping for a sign of a culture which might embrace epic worldbuilding along the lines of Redwall or even of the more basic variety, like that found in the Ironclaw RPG or the video game Armello. Over thirteen years, all I can say is that furries, out of all the "nerd" niches, are the least mature and most vainglorious of people you'll ever encounter. Sure, I met one or two exceptions to that rule (only one of whom I'm now in long-term contact with), but, for the most part, I waited in vain to search for epic, Tolkien-esque worldbuilding that largely wasn't to be found at all. Don't get me wrong: in short, I still LOVE anthropomorphism - it's one of the oldest and most untapped sources of nerd literature and worldbuilding that has ever been available to humanity as a whole, and its rarely been explored and properly fleshed out, even (or ESPECIALLY) by the people who claim to be its most ardent fans.
All I can say, after thirteen years among them, is this: to any of you who are parents, keep your kids away from the "Fandom" that has sprung up around Anthropomorphic creatures. Let's just say that that infamous CSI episode was waaaaay more accurate then most have been led to believe about it; I've never even been to a convention (and I never plan to go), but I urge you to listen to the news outlets who tell you that they are far from kid-friendly, just beneath the surface. Protect your kids and set limits, parents. I can't recommend this enough. It's all nothing more then a collection of the largely unimaginative run by pornographers behind the scenes.
Let me share with you a few of the other genres and characters that I've grown to love. In addition to enjoying Anthropomorphism's relatively untapped storytelling and worldbuilding potential, I'm something of a Trekkie (though not nearly as hardcore as the more extreme fans - it always took second place to Star Wars, IMO), having enjoyed Voyager and The Next Generation the most out of all of the series and episodes I've watched, thus far. Medieval storylines are the basics of some of the works we still enjoy to this day, and I can pore over the essence of those and derive great joy from them. I'm a HUGE fan of sci-fi and fantasy anthology stories, especially with a nice amount of worldbuilding and philosophy thrown in. The works and imagination of Osamu Tezuka have always held a special place in my heart, too, though I've largely avoided the rest of the anime/manga genre, as a whole. I'm a huge fan of classical mythology from every culture around the world, and any fiction that delves into myths (such as Hellboy comics) is always fun to read and share with others. Otherwise, out of all of the varied comic-book universes, the exploits of Batman have always fascinated me the most, and I've followed that character's many incarnations religiously ever since enjoying Batman: TAS way back in my childhood.
All of that aside, what other forms of sci-fi and fantasy do you guys delve into (and possibly roleplay in?), apart from Star Wars?
P. S. - Merry Christmas, everyone!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PA93oymTbXY
As some of you may know, fandom-wise, I'm a former furry who spent (or wasted, take your pick) thirteen years amongst other fans of the Anthropomorphic Animal genre, spending the years on and off engaging in reading, rolepaying, observing art of every type (I was a stupid teen, and lets leave it at that). Over the years, I didn't exactly fit in properly, and I kept on waiting and searching, hoping for a sign of a culture which might embrace epic worldbuilding along the lines of Redwall or even of the more basic variety, like that found in the Ironclaw RPG or the video game Armello. Over thirteen years, all I can say is that furries, out of all the "nerd" niches, are the least mature and most vainglorious of people you'll ever encounter. Sure, I met one or two exceptions to that rule (only one of whom I'm now in long-term contact with), but, for the most part, I waited in vain to search for epic, Tolkien-esque worldbuilding that largely wasn't to be found at all. Don't get me wrong: in short, I still LOVE anthropomorphism - it's one of the oldest and most untapped sources of nerd literature and worldbuilding that has ever been available to humanity as a whole, and its rarely been explored and properly fleshed out, even (or ESPECIALLY) by the people who claim to be its most ardent fans.
All I can say, after thirteen years among them, is this: to any of you who are parents, keep your kids away from the "Fandom" that has sprung up around Anthropomorphic creatures. Let's just say that that infamous CSI episode was waaaaay more accurate then most have been led to believe about it; I've never even been to a convention (and I never plan to go), but I urge you to listen to the news outlets who tell you that they are far from kid-friendly, just beneath the surface. Protect your kids and set limits, parents. I can't recommend this enough. It's all nothing more then a collection of the largely unimaginative run by pornographers behind the scenes.
Let me share with you a few of the other genres and characters that I've grown to love. In addition to enjoying Anthropomorphism's relatively untapped storytelling and worldbuilding potential, I'm something of a Trekkie (though not nearly as hardcore as the more extreme fans - it always took second place to Star Wars, IMO), having enjoyed Voyager and The Next Generation the most out of all of the series and episodes I've watched, thus far. Medieval storylines are the basics of some of the works we still enjoy to this day, and I can pore over the essence of those and derive great joy from them. I'm a HUGE fan of sci-fi and fantasy anthology stories, especially with a nice amount of worldbuilding and philosophy thrown in. The works and imagination of Osamu Tezuka have always held a special place in my heart, too, though I've largely avoided the rest of the anime/manga genre, as a whole. I'm a huge fan of classical mythology from every culture around the world, and any fiction that delves into myths (such as Hellboy comics) is always fun to read and share with others. Otherwise, out of all of the varied comic-book universes, the exploits of Batman have always fascinated me the most, and I've followed that character's many incarnations religiously ever since enjoying Batman: TAS way back in my childhood.
All of that aside, what other forms of sci-fi and fantasy do you guys delve into (and possibly roleplay in?), apart from Star Wars?
P. S. - Merry Christmas, everyone!
