Fandom: Alt & Niche

Our menagerie of the odd, the obscure, the weirdly niche. If it’s considered a “cult classic” or a “strange subgenre”, chances are, it’s here.

  • Authors of the Amorphous: Neil Gaiman

    Authors of the Amorphous: Neil Gaiman

    Navigating the Bleeding Edge: Gaiman’s works don’t smack you in the face and tell you they’re “weird and cool.” Instead, they show you their weirdness in a search for meaning. Don’t be surprised if you’re riveted to his works; if Gaiman finds something interesting enough to write about, chances are it’s fascinating, horrifying and breathtakingly…

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  • Genres Collide: Clashing Realities Don’t Play Fair
  • Authors of the Amorphous: John DeChancie
  • Bury Your Gays

    Bury Your Gays

    Many forms of media play into specific troupes. One such troupe is the killing off of LGBTQIA+ characters more quickly than others. When viewers see relatable characters fall to the axe much quicker than others, it seems that their lives are not as important and their stories are only used for emotional plot development. Queer…

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  • Movies, Comics, and the New Weird
  • Bound: Dawn of the Wachowskis

    Bound: Dawn of the Wachowskis

    Welcome back to our post-millennial analysis of the current state of fandom. With the Wachowskis both coming out as trans women, their breakout film Bound, a pulpy movie about a lesbian couple, takes on new significance in the conversation about the subversion and upholding of tropes about minorities.

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  • Vignettes of Fascism in Fiction
  • What’s the Difference? Terminology

    What’s the Difference? Terminology

    Welcome back to the eighth installment of me talking about the age of sail. In this column I’ll be talking about some of the terms used to describe pirates and their close kin, as well as what each means.

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  • Etiquette & Chain of Command: Dos and Don’ts

    Etiquette & Chain of Command: Dos and Don’ts

    Welcome to the seventh installment of Rum, Sodomy, and the Lash, a series looking at the fantasy and the reality of being a sailor in the modern age. Today we’ll be covering etiquette and the chain of command aboard a tall ship, as well as various superstitions and commonly asked questions.

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  • Maintenance and Preparation

    Maintenance and Preparation

    Welcome to the sixth installment of Rum, Sodomy, and the Lash, a series looking at the fantasy and the reality of being a sailor in the modern age. Today we’ll be examining the maintenance and preparation of a tall ship.

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