I’m a nerd. It’s something I make no apology for and feel no shame. I am what I am, and my interests are varied and diverse. I am passionate about those interests and am often baffled by the attitudes toward some of them. One of the things that so frequently irks me, is that Fantasy and Sci-fi are so often confused with one another when, to my eye, they are very different genres.
Science-fiction came about largely because some of the first authors in the genre imagined what technological feats humankind might one day achieve. Some ideas aren’t even remotely feasible and would basically shatter our ideas about the laws of science if they ever came to fruition, but some are more than feasible. The first flip phone designs were largely inspired by the Star Trek communicator and early science-fiction authors like Johannes Kepler and Francis Godwin imagined space travel centuries before it ever became a reality. Granted, their ideas were largely influenced by the scientific theories of the times and aren’t a realistic representation of what a trip to the moon was actually like, but I think it should show, at least, that some science-fiction ideas do become a reality in one way or another.
Fantasy on the other hand, could never became a reality, but I think people who fail to see past what they deem as silly spell-slinging, and don’t suspend their sense of disbelief never manage to look deeper. Both fantasy and science-fiction have long been a vehicle for social and political commentary and often illuminate the human condition. Terry Brooks, one of the biggest names in Fantasy, has set his most popular series, Shannara on a future Earth that was nearly destroyed by nuclear holocaust. In the future, humanity survives, but the world has been reshaped and magic has taken hold where technology once ruled supreme. Throughout the series, we see the battle for supremacy between the forces of magic and science play out. I dare you to tell me that Mr. Brooks isn’t trying to tell us something with these imagining.
I admit, some stories are just fun romps through an imaginary world, but you can find such stories in damn near every genre. Why, then do fantasy and science-fiction are met with such derision.
You even see similar attitudes prevail in the tg community. I’ve seen many people complain that stories involving magical or science-fiction transformations as unrealistic then turned around and promote a work that involves a big burly man who is over six-feet tall and broad-shouldered, cross-dress and managed to create a convincing facade of a beautiful woman. It’s ever bit as unrealistic and, face it, more than a little silly. Most of these stories involve wish fulfillment , either because they satisfy a sexual fetish or because they help the author work through gender their gender dysphoria. I find nothing wrong with either sort of story, but lets be honest with ourselves, the number of realistic stories on the various fiction sites are few and far between.
I write what I write, because I wanted to bring a different sort of story to the table. I wanted fantasy and science-fiction tg tales with believable characters and exciting plots. I can’t say how good they actually are, as I am anything but objective, but I like to think they at least entertain the folks who have read my stories. Again, there is that element of wish fulfillment in my tales. Some follow many of the tropes we see so often on fictionmania, bigcloset or tgstorytime and I would be lying if there weren’t fetishistic elements, but I’ve at least tried to portray trans characters in a more positive light. One thing is for certrain, I sure as hell included more than just a little social and political commentary if you know what you’re looking for.
It’s time for me to get going. Everyone have a delightfully demented day, and be sure to check back tomorrow when another one of my stories is posted.
Daniela A. Wolfe
