Danica Taylor's Blog

Full disclosure: I haven’t yet read Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli. But, I did see the movie, and that’s what I’ll be talking about. Because apparently, it’s pretty difficult to find movies with queer protagonists. I’m sure there are, but maybe I just haven’t found them yet.

Love, Simon follows Simon Spier, a high school student who is a closeted gay man. One day, Simon (along with everyone else in his high school) see a social media post by Blue, a man who confesses that he is gay but can’t tell anyone about it. Seeing the parallel between their situations, Simon emails him to share in their burden, and the two stay anonymous while revealing everything else about themselves. Simon’s peaceful lives suddenly stops when someone accidentally sees the emails and threatens to expose Simon unless he helps them.

Despite the very awkward and cringy scenes (because what else would you get in a high school romcom?) the movie is very sweet, and I think deals with homosexuality really well.

Simon, for example, is pretty sure if he came out to his family and friends they wouldn’t really care, but there’s a piece of him that’s scared of what could happen. Of what could change. He says he isn’t ashamed of being gay, but coming to terms with your identity, regardless of what it is, can be hard for anyone.

And you never really know who Blue is. Throughout, Simon speaks to boys in his school he believes could be Blue, and seeing him trying to find this boy that understands him so completely is very heartwarming.

I definitely have to read the book now. I mean, I loved the movie, so I hope the book can keep up.

In general, I think books set in the 1700s are usually a lot of fun. It’s a really intriguing world of British nobility and high society, which makes it a beautiful setting for shenanigans

The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee follows Edward “Monty” Montague is the wayward son of an Earl. He was raised to be a gentleman and take over after his father, but Monty is the farthest thing from any of that. He’s a drinker, a gambler, and prefers spending his nights with beautiful men and women.

He also happens to be in love with his best friend Percy.

When the two boys, trailed by Monty’s sister Felicity and a rule-abiding chaperone, start their Grand Tour of Europe, things take a very terrible (yet amusing for us) turn.

What’s intruding about this setting is that homosexuality wasn’t really a common thing back in 1700 England. I mean, sex wasn’t really talked about, and relationships in noble homes were even more guarded. Monty, for example, isn’t ashamed that he loves boys. But his father (the Earl, who is also a dick) would happily disown his son. I mean, in Europe, homosexuality was a crime and a sin (which, I don’t know what was worse in 1700 Europe to be honest).

So, it’s interesting to have Monty who is kind-of-not-really but sort-of openly gay. I mean, he’s also been caught with women, but most people already have a pretty low opinion of Monty. Which is unfortunate, because he’s actually quite brave and intelligent. When his brain isn’t mush from overconsumption of alcohol.

But Percy and Monty are adorable, so who cares?

I really love their relationship. Percy is a sweetheart, and the two of them are just too cute. Even before Monty tells Percy how he feels, they’re very affectionate toward each other. And, despite Monty’s not-so-stellar opinion of his sister at the beginning of the book, I loved Felicity from the moment I met her. She’s fierce, intelligent, stubborn, and has a bloody backbone.

But, yeah. 18th century gay romances I feel aren’t really common, and this one was a fun one. It definitely didn’t go where I thought it would. And Felicity is going to have her own book, A Lady’s Guide to Petticoats and Piracy, which I am very excited about.

Since I’ve been really into reading books with queer protagonists, and I myself wrote a novella with an aromantic protagonist, I find it interesting the things that go through my own head when creating a character that isn’t heterosexual and cis-gender.

Because I identify as aromantic and asexual, I can easily speak to my own experiences and use those as springboards when creating a character who is also aromantic or asexual. Though the biggest thing for me, and I think that goes for all queer characters, is to not fall into stereotypes, especially for authors who aren’t queer.

I’ve read one too many stories where the main female as a gay best friend who is just so into shopping and always speaks in that stereotypical “gay voice.” Now, I know people like that exist, but not every homosexual on the planet is like that.

You know, like how all humans happen to be different (weird how that works out that way).

I think the other hurdle is not writing an authentic character, but writing authentic reactions from people around the character. For example, I really want to write a story with a trans protagonist or trans character. My issue is that 1) I don’t want to misrepresent the trans community. Regrettably, they have enough people doing that already. 2) I can’t even begin to understand what trans people go through daily when it comes to prejudice. And not having that context, that psychological understanding of a character makes it harder for me to write an authentic character that I would be proud to represent a community.

This goes for any character with a cultural or sociological background that is very emotional and hard to understand unless you’re part of that community.

I’ve heard it from other people too, that they don’t want to make up stories for communities and groups that they’re not part of. It’s an interesting dynamic.

I wonder if that’s why there are so many fantasy novels with a plethora of queer characters. In a world the author invented, they don’t have to worry about Earth’s rules, they can just invent their own.

I’ve been more or less sticking to books and other works of writing, but I think I’m going to change it up just for this week. Well, Critical Role does have a comic book series, but that hasn’t mentioned anything yet (even though all the fans know it’s going to be true).

Anyway, Critical Role is a live-stream D&D game hosted by famous voice actor Matthew Mercer. It plays every Thursday and has 7 permanent players (one of which is often missing because she’s shooting a TV show in New York), who are also famous voice actors.

Laura Bailey: Vex’ahlia (Campaign 1), Jester (Campaign 2)

Liam O’Brien: Vax’ildan (Campaign 1), Caleb (Campaign 2)

Travis Willingham: Grog Strongjaw (Campaign 1), Fjord (Campaign 2)

Marisha Ray: Keyleth (Campaign 1), Beauregard (Campaign 2)

Taliesin Jaffe: Percival de Rolo (Campaign 1), Mollymauk (Campaign 2)

Sam Riegel: Scanlan Shorthalt/ Taryon Darrington (Campaign 1), Nott the Brave (Campaign 2)

Ashley Johnson: Pike Trickfoot (Campaign 1), Yasha (Campaign 2)

I’m going to focus on the first campaign since I don’t know enough about their new characters yet. The first campaign follows the adventures of Vox Machina as they travel around the continent (and beyond) on multiple missions—some to save themselves, and some to save the world.

To my knowledge, it’s the first streamed D&D game that’s gathered so much attention and that has had such a global impact. And one of the greatest things about it is that Matthew Mercer has actually included diversity in a way that doesn’t seem forced. There are multiple NPCs who play a very pivotal role in Vox Machina’s adventures that aren’t heterosexual white people.

The three big ones that come to mind are Shaun Gilmore (a fabulously flamboyant merchant sorcerer who looks fabulous in purple), Allura (a powerful arcanist and a well of information), and Lady Kima of Vord (badass paladin of Bahamut). There are some more, but these are the three that are reoccurring.

But I’ll be primarily focusing on Vax’ildan (Vax for short), and Scanlan Shorthalt, because these guys are some of our protagonists.

[image error]Vax, played by voice actor Liam O’Brien, is a bisexual rogue paladin who worships the Raven Queen. He is also Vex’ahlia’s twin brother and eventually becomes Keyleth’s lover. But before his relationship with Keyleth, Vax and Gilmore were very close.

In early episodes, they are very obviously flirting and it’s very apparent that if he hadn’t fallen for Keyleth, Vax and Gilmore could’ve had a relationship. I think to the very end, Gilmore probably still loved Vax (be it like a friend or a lover, I’m not sure).

Even after he properly breaks it off with Gilmore, there are a couple mentions of Vax’s bisexuality throughout the story.

The second character, Scanlan Shorthalt, voiced by Sam Riegel, is a gnome bard. He is [image error]definitely pansexual, which I probably wouldn’t have figured out if it wasn’t for this hilarious scene near the tail end of the Campaign where Scanlan claims falling in love with a human male would be “teenage years” and that’s he’s done a lot of crazier stuff since.

To be completely honest, I don’t think I want to know what crazier could mean.

But throughout the beginning of the campaign, Scanlan is seen wooing women and I don’t think I’ve ever seen him try and seduce men (except for that one time he was tricked into drinking a love potion and fell in love with Percival…). So most likely pansexual, but it’s not really mentioned at all until near the end.

[image error]Sam Riegel plays a second character for a brief period of time. Taryon “Tary” Darrington is a very rich, very unheroic (at the beginning) human artificer. He is confined gay. Though only part of Vox Machina for a brief period of time, Tary does continue to live on through Vox Machina’s thoughts. He even gets his own love story (off screen, unfortunately) and finds his lost lover.

And I briefly mentioned that they had comics releasing periodically about the adventures of Vox Machina before the stream started, so

[image error]maybe we’ll see more of Vax and Gilmore (if it goes that far, I’m not sure).

But I think it’s really cool that a D&D game, especially one that started off as something kind of off-hand, turned into something so huge. I mean, they have thousands of people (me included) who watch them live every bran and either stay up or wake up at ridiculous hours just to watch these “Nerdy-ass voice actors sit around a play Dungeons and Dragons.” And the fact they also have some diversity in there is super cool.

Images:

http://www.takayuuki.deviantart.com/art/Critical-Role-3rd-season-designs-lineup-705405174

https://geekandsundry.com/your-first-look-at-the-official-art-for-the-second-critical-role-campaign/

http://www.criticalrole.wikia.com/wiki/File:Vaxildan.png

http://www.criticalrole.wikia.com/wiki/File:Scanlan.png

http://criticalrole.wikia.com/wiki/Taryon_Darrington

https://geekandsundry.com/critical-role-from-dark-horse-comics/

The title alone warned me that this book would definitely be a tear-jerker, and that I would be having some serious emotional issues after I finished the last page.

And I was right. Despite the spoiler title, the book made everything worth it.

The Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera follows Mateo Torrez and Rufus Emeterio on what should be the worst day of their lives. Both boys get a phone call from Death-Cast, a telephone system that predicts when everyone will die, and regretfully informs the two of them, who are 18 and 17 respectfully, that they will die sometime today.

Oh yeah, and enjoy your last day on Earth while you can.

Mateo is a bookworm who is terrified of everything that could be lurking outside of his apartment, while Rufus is an orphan running through the streets on his bike. At first glance, these two seem to have very little in common, but an app called Last Friend, which is designed to give “Deckers” someone to be with on their Last Day, brings these two wayward boys together for a day that will ultimately be the best of their lives.

But honestly, the relationship these two boys have is so wonderful, it’s tragic it only lasted a day. Rufus is bisexual (which is established super early on), and we later learn that Mateo is gay. And though their fast relationship eventually bubbles into something romantic, I really appreciate the trust these two boys gave each other, considering they’d only met that morning.

What’s also kind of interesting is the book peeks into the minds of other characters in this city. Some are loosely involved with the plot, others have a much bigger role, but you get this weird gift of seeing Mateo and Rufus’s last day from a complete strangers point of view.

But on a personal level, this book is also kind of terrifying. Imagine getting a call just after midnight, and someone lets you know that at some point in the next twenty-four hours, you’re going to die. From that point, it could be a few minutes, or it could be twelve hours later. You don’t know when, you don’t know how, but you today is your last day, and there’s nothing you can do about it.

Regardless, I really enjoyed this book. It was adorable and sad, and I wished that Mateo and Rufus had met when they were younger. It’s a friendship that didn’t get enough time to fully grow. And that’s the most tragic thing.

At first, I didn’t even think about featuring Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom because I have a hard time figuring out who the main protagonist is when a story has multiple storytellers. I always saw Kaz as the main character, but that’s not necessarily true. There are many voices in this story.

The Six of Crows series by Leigh Bardugo is, at the moment, my absolute favourite books. It has heists, magic, morally ambiguous characters, queerness (obviously), compelling relationships, humour, and gangs.

Honestly, this book was written for me. It checks every bloody box.

The story follows a small ragtag crew of criminals and thieves. Most are from the Dregs, a powerful gang in Ketterdam, but some are pulled from other places, each with their own special skill. They’re hired to accomplish a seemingly impossible heist for the greatest payout they’ve ever seen. The money—and the challenge—makes it impossible to resist.

Kaz “Dirtyhands” Brekker is a master thief and criminal prodigy. He’s the leader of this crazy gang and the mastermind behind the entire heist. I can’t be sure, since it was never actually mentioned in the book, but many people believe Kaz to be asexual. However, Kaz is disabled—he walks with a bad limp and uses a cane due to a bad accident when he was a teen.

However, there are confirmed LGBTQ* characters in this series (or else I wouldn’t be talking about it!)

Jesper Fahey is a sharpshooter and a gambler. At the start of the series, he has a thing for Kaz, but this later changes after he meets Wylan Van Eck, an explosive expert/ former hostage. Their relationship starts budding (à-la-Jesper flirting) in Six of Crows which later develops into something more in Crooked Kingdom. I’ve read some sources saying Jesper is bisexual, but I’m not sure (in my defence, it’s been a while since I read these).

Another fun tidbit about Wylan is that he has a learning disability. He can’t read, which ultimately got him disowned by his family. It’s really too bad, because Wylan is very talented in so many other things. [image error]

And then the two other characters which the community is speculating about. Inej Ghafa, the Wraith, is a gymnast and a spy, and believed to be also asexual. Nina Zenik is a Heartrender and a Grisha who the community believes to be pansexual (though again, I can’t confirm).

Honestly, these characters are so fun. Not only is there a very compelling story throughout (lots of action, awesome twists and badassery), there are budding romances and friendships that are woven into the story so naturally it actually feels natural.

I would recommend this to anyone.

Wild Beauty by Anna-Marie McLemore was a little different than the stuff I usually read. Sure, it had romance and magic, but it felt more series and rooted (which will be really ironic in a second) than most books I usually read.

In Wild Beauty, the Nomeolvides women all live in a place called La Pradera. From the outside, it looks like absolute paradise. It’s the only place these women, who can create flowers and plants from their bare hands, can live safely. But these women are trapped here. If they try to leave, the land punishes them. And if they fall in love, their lover suddenly disappears.

Estrella and her cousins, Gloria, Dalia, Azalea, and Calla, are the newest generation of Nomeolvides women, and they’re all in love with the same girl. Fearing that they’ll lose her, they pray to La Pradera to protect her. The next day, Estrella finds a boy with no memory of who he is or where he comes from.

Though I may have gotten lost a couple times, this story was nothing short of beautiful. It really transports you into this garden space of lush flowers and trees. The lyrical prose of this book is just stunning.

I also loved Estrella and Fel. They are so bloody adorable together.

The representation in this novel is very good. The majority of the characters are bisexual (this includes the mothers and the grandmothers), and they address is quite often. It’s also eventually revealed that Fel’s brother was gay, so he doesn’t have any resentment toward the cousins (thank god).

But other than talking about bisexuality, this story also touched on immigrants and workers rights. All the women (and Fel) are latina. Though the youngest generation doesn’t, all the other characters speak Spanish, and the culture and language are beautifully woven into the story. However, the family who owns the land is white. And The Nomeolvides women are often treated as property and parlour tricks rather than people.

Even though this book took its time, I think it was well-paced. Everything was beautiful and reading this book really transported me into this world of beautiful flowers and heartbreak.

Carry On by Rainbow Rowell was definitely a fun read. I’ve never read her book Fangirl, so I don’t know how that one shapes Carry On, but I may have to start reading it. Especially if there’s more Baz and Simon.

If you want what this book is about in a nutshell, just imagine Harry Potter, but slightly gayer. And with vampires.

Simon Snow is the Chosen One, but he’s a pretty terrible Magician. He can’t properly control his magic and is living with the fear of “going off” and hurting people around him—basically losing control of his magic and causing a huge explosion. He’s being hunted by this monster called the Insidious Humdrum, Humdrum for short, who terrorizes magicians and eats away their magic.

Though, to be fair, I’d be a little evil and vengeful too if I had a name like Insidious Humdrum.

So, woven through this adventure tale is the love story between Baz and Simon—roommates and enemies. We later learn that Baz is actually totally head-over-heels in love with Simon, and Baz is very open about his queerness in the book. Simon, on the other hand, starts the story off with his girlfriend Agatha. They eventually break it off (because Agatha has a thing for bad boys?). Obviously, Baz and Simon end up together, but how does a seemingly straight guy end up dating a boy?

Well, the short answer is that Simon was always gay (or bisexual) and then didn’t realize it until he and Baz were finally becoming friends and not trying to kill each other. Most of the books I’ve read, if a male who thinks himself straight starts being attracted toward another male, they go into heavy denial. Simon does the complete opposite. He just totally roles with it.

He questions whether he’s actually gay or not (and then concludes he’s in love with Baz so who cares?), but it doesn’t stop him from kissing Baz or acting couple-y with him. Which is super nice. I love that Simon is just aware that he’s probably always been attracted to Baz but hadn’t really realized it yet. Plus they’re adorable, so seeing them together makes my heart warm.

The only complaint I have is I wish they would’ve gotten together sooner!

In recent years, I feel like there have been a lot more books with queer protagonists, POC, peoples with disabilities and more awareness on mental illness. Now, obviously the “normative” stuff still far out-numbers all the rest, but we’ve got to start somewhere.

While I’m finishing Carry On by Rainbow Rowell (imagine Harry Potter, but gayer. And with vampires), I want to look at the top 5 books coming out in 2018 that intrigue me. Most, if not all, are going to be YA. That’s just what I’m reading right now.

Let’s Talk About Love by Claire Kann

[image error]Alice had her whole summer planned. Nonstop all-you-can-eat buffets while marathoning her favorite TV shows (best friends totally included) with the smallest dash of adulting—working at the library to pay her share of the rent. The only thing missing from her perfect plan? Her girlfriend (who ended things when Alice confessed she’s asexual). Alice is done with dating—no thank you, do not pass go, stick a fork in her, done.

But then Alice meets Takumi and she can’t stop thinking about him or the rom com-grade romance feels she did not ask for (uncertainty, butterflies, and swoons, oh my!).

When her blissful summer takes an unexpected turn and Takumi becomes her knight with a shiny library-employee badge (close enough), Alice has to decide if she’s willing to risk their friendship for a love that might not be reciprocated—or understood.

Something with a bi-romantic asexual? Yes Please!

[image error]Take a journey through time and genres and discover a past where queer figures live, love and shape the world around them. Seventeen of the best young adult authors across the queer spectrum have come together to create a collection of beautifully written diverse historical fiction for teens.

From a retelling of Little Red Riding Hood set in war-torn 1870s Mexico featuring a transgender soldier, to two girls falling in love while mourning the death of Kurt Cobain, forbidden love in a sixteenth-century Spanish convent or an asexual girl discovering her identity amid the 1970s roller-disco scene, All Out tells a diverse range of stories across cultures, time periods and identities, shedding light on an area of history often ignored or forgotten.

This kind of reminds me of The One Hundred Nights of Hero by Isabel Greenberg in the sense that it’s a bunch of short stories put together. Except this is more historical retellings. And I love historical retellings,

Sometime After Midnight by L. Philips

[image error]Late one night in a dingy Los Angeles club, Nate and Cameron meet and discover they have much more in common than their love of an obscure indie band. But when Nate learns that Cameron is the heir to a soul-sucking record label—the very one that destroyed his father’s life—he runs away as fast as he can. The only evidence of their brief but intense connection is the blurry photo Cameron snaps of Nate’s Sharpied Chuck Taylors.

When Cameron’s sister Tess—a famous model and socialite—posts the photo on Instagram for her legions of fans, the internet just about breaks with the news of this modern fairy tale. “Anyone know the owner of these shoes?” she writes. “My Prince Charming brother is looking for his Cinderfella!” But while the viral sensation begins to bring the pair back together, their own demons and pasts might get in the way of any happily ever afters . . .

This one just sounds really cute. And like I said, I love a good retelling!

Hurricane Child by Cheryl Callender

[image error]Twelve-year-old Caroline is a Hurricane Child, born on Water Island during a storm. Coming into this world during a hurricane is unlucky, and Caroline has had her share of bad luck already. She’s hated by everyone in her small school, she can see things that no one else can see, and — worst of all — her mother left home one day and never came back. With no friends and days filled with heartache, Caroline is determined to find her mother. When a new student, Kalinda, arrives, Caroline’s luck begins to turn around. Kalinda, a solemn girl from Barbados with a special smile for everyone, seems to see the things Caroline sees, too. Joined by their common gift, Kalinda agrees to help Caroline look for her mother, starting with a mysterious lady dressed in black. Soon, they discover the healing power of a close friendship between girls.

This book sounds like it’ll make me cry. Of both happiness and sadness.

Anger is a Gift  by Mark Oshiro

[image error]Six years ago, Moss Jefferies’ father was murdered by an Oakland police officer. Along with losing a parent, the media’s vilification of his father and lack of accountability has left Moss with near crippling panic attacks.

Now, in his sophomore year of high school, Moss and his fellow classmates find themselves increasingly treated like criminals their own school. New rules. Random locker searches. Constant intimidation and Oakland Police Department stationed in their halls. Despite their youth, the students decide to organize and push back against the administration.

When tensions hit a fever pitch and tragedy strikes, Moss must face a difficult choice: give in to fear and hate or realize that anger can actually be a gift.

I wasn’t sure about this one at first because it’s so serious and another heart-wrenching story, but then isn’t that why people tell stories?

When I was in high school, before reality and cynicism really settled in, my dream was to become a writer. And then that dream got tainted by doubt and believing that I couldn’t amount to anything because how could I ever be as good as the greats?

It turns out I don’t have to be as good as the greats. I just have to be good enough for me. And as long as I like what I’m writing, well that’s enough right now.

Though, as a side note, don’t read and study works of fiction by phenomenal authors while writing the first draft of a book you’re looking to publish. It doesn’t help anyone’s self-esteem.

But thanks to Creative Communications, I had the opportunity to write and publish a written work that will actually be sold in real stores and hopefully bought by real people.

So, I guess I’m an indie author now?

I’ve come into my own, I believe, by not wondering how I can be like the greats, but how can I write a compelling story that hasn’t been told before. And, at least in this case, I’ve done that by focusing on aromantic characters in fiction (which isn’t terribly common). And maybe, if I decide to continue writing for fun, focus on implementing more queer characters into my stories.

Will I ever make writing into a full-time career? I highly doubt it, but it would be pretty cool. Doing this novella sparked a passion for writing I thought I’d lost. And that’s pretty exciting. If I do continue this route, I think I’ll focus first on short stories and trying to get published in magazines. And one day, if I ever feel confident enough, maybe I’ll get published by an actual publisher.

Wouldn’t that be neat?