Why White SFF Writers Should Watch Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood

I mean, everyone who likes epic, dark, steampunk-y fantasy should watch the anime Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood. But for a deeper understanding of writing better, white, Western writers in particular should watch it. Why? Because we often try to write characters from other cultures from a place of privilege, and many…

Harry Potter vs. Anime Round 2: Orochimaru vs. Voldemort

*ding ding ding* Ladies and gents and other esteemed persons, do we have a show for you tonight! In this corner, the reigning champion, protagonist of the fastest-selling book in history, Harry F***ing Pot-teeeeeer and his world of wizards, magic, and blood purity wars. Our challenger: young, scrappy, one of…

Steven Universe and Inclusion in Stories: Feeling Like a People Too

Isn’t it nice to find yourself somewhere different, whoa-oh (Steven Universe, “Island Adventure”) A relatively large number of people I know say they aren’t able to get into Steven Universe because the plot feels too simplistic, which is fair: the series starts slowly and carefully, and it takes almost a…