fantasy

From Otherkin to Transethnicity: Your Field Guide to the Weird World of Tumblr Identity Politics

Max Read · 09/06/12 03:25PM

Like a lot of teenagers and 20-somethings, "Eric Draven" used to keep a Tumblr. The microblogging platform has a strong community aspect, and it's easy to find people who like the same things — or are undergoing the same struggles — as you. There aren't many people undergoing the exact same struggles as Draven (a pseudonym taken from goth classic The Crow), though: unlike most teenagers and 20-somethings, Draven isn't, he claims, human. He might present as human, yes, but really he's a "fictive and otherkin who, in previous lives, has been a Deku Scrub and a dark elf." He's also "transethnic(Japanese) and andrognous [sic]."

You Are Now a Birdwatcher

Hamilton Nolan · 07/16/09 11:12AM

"A federal study indicates one of every five U.S. citizens was involved in birdwatching during 2006, contributing $36 billion to the nation's economy," says the UPI. Oh yea? Bullshit. Saw a bird, maybe.

Hobbit Homes Halted

Hamilton Nolan · 08/05/08 10:36AM

An Oregon man who built a 31-lot Lord of the Rings-themed development called The Shire—including a house with an attached "hobbit hole," a central area called the "Ring Bearer's Court," and a set of bylaws called the "Declaration of Interdependence"—now faces financial ruin because of the bad real estate market. Or maybe it's because of the Lord of the Rings theme? No, definitely the real estate market. [Bend Bulletin]