Hello,
Thank you for the likes and follows.
There are no QFWs this week, and I decided to combine the Wednesday post and update because it is going to be quick and dirty. Prepare yourself for grammatical errors.
Over the weekend, we moved all the heavy furniture out of the house and placed it into the apartment. The apartment is a hot mess, and then I had to go to work. My current day job is a live-in position. I’m here five days out of the week. The pay is alright, but that is a lot of time, and it is starting to give me fatigue.
The upside to this situation is that I do have time to write. This post is a result of it. I heard two things that disappointed me. I feel the need to share a bit. I was following a channel on YT. I like stories and the craft of stories. I found myself listening to people discuss the Lore of Magic: the Gathering D&D, the Elder Scrolls, etc. Magic: the Gathering is a card game over 20 years old they have a lot of lore. I was indulging in various channels that explain different aspects of the game. They all have a niche. I don’t plan to play the game ever. I like the worlds or planes and the world-building that goes along with it. A content creator made a video explaining his dislike of the new installation of the game. The content creator’s issues were valid to him, but the terms he used to express them were disappointing to me. I will not be sharing my time on his videos any longer. I don’t know if other people left a comment on his video agreeing with him or not. One of my goals in wellness is not to endure things that will upset my well-being. Therefore, his channel is on the X-list.
The other disappointing news that I came across was on YouTube again. It was short, and I can’t remember who produced the video, but it was about the Disney live-action Little Mermaid movie. I don’t know how true this is, but the international box office sales are not making the dollars other Disney live-action films were making, their numbers were lower. Especially in China, a reviewer from there stated that if Disney wanted to produce a fairy tale film with a black female lead, they should do it with original stories instead of switching. This is a paraphrase since the short video is quick, and I had no desire to rewatch it.
However, I take issues with the words. First, it would be great if Disney or Pixar were interested in original POC mermaid fairy tales. I don’t have the stats, I know there are mermaid stories all over the world. It would be great to see them in animation or any other form of media, but we all know that corporations like Disney are looking at the dollar signs, not feel-good vibes.
My other issue with these two subjects tie-in together. I hope I am able to make them clear. First, I want to make this clear I don’t have the sociological or anthropological background to write what I am about it. I’m sure others have said or written it better.
I don’t always agree with race-switching. I don’t even like the world race. It is a failed construct that is destroying the world. However, it has to be dealt with. People of color, Black people should have a right to include themselves in fantasy stories without other people flipping tables about it. This may seem like a divisive thing to say, but not every Black person has emotional ties to Africa. I write this from personal experience; there was a time in my life when I didn’t feel any ties to any of the cultural groups I grew up in. I wasn’t a Black American with a history and relatives in the South of the United States. Nor was I West Indian enough to claim my parents’ heritage. Figuring this out about myself took some time. Reading stories from all over the world helped. It most likely inspired me to write my own. Sometimes, Black people like and want to be elves or fairies without cause or explanation.
Companies want as much money as we can give them. If you don’t like what they are doing, don’t give them your money. I believe in the idea that not every story is not for everyone. There are going to be stories that connect in the present right now, and then there are stories that are for the future-you or a future person, who will need that story more than you ever did. That includes film adaptations. Yes, even the bad ones.
That is all I have to say about this subject. Sorry if it was long or confusing. I haven’t seen the live-action Little Mermaid. Moving has taken up all my weekends. It is on my To-Do List as soon as I have a free weekend. This rant took so many words. I am working on Connection Lost again, Yay! I started a new urban fantasy series, it is called Ordinary by Devon Monk. I am on the fence about it. So my week is full.
This is finally all I have to write. I hope you are all doing well. We need kindness more than ever. Have a great rest of the week.
End
P.S. Quotes For Writers and the Monday Updates should resume next week.
JC Henry Universe 