February Romance Special
Today is February 14th: congratulations, you made it through another Valentine's day! Of course, you did... We all know there is no cupid going around, shooting people with his "arrows of love". I mean, come on... that would hurt and leave a lot less people alive to love. (Now say that five times in a row). Valentine is a marketing trick; a dedicated day to spend more time (and of course money) on those we love. Don't get me wrong: love is a good thing. But with love being a word with so many meanings, let's take a look at what we can learn from love in Sci-Fi stories...
Sci-Fi: disconnecting from contemporary understanding
The word "love" means different things to different people. Some agree that saying "wear your seatbelt" is a sign of love, whereas others may interpret love through gifts or the act of making love. Love is. And with contemporary topics mixing into the subject, I don't think there's ever been an emotion more complex than Love is today.
Love encompasses a range of strong and positive emotional and mental states, from the most sublime virtue or good habit, the deepest interpersonalaffection, to the simplest pleasure. An example of this range of meanings is that the love of a mother differs from the love of a spouse, which differs from the love for food. Most commonly, love refers to a feeling of a strong attraction and emotional attachment.
With our awareness of the LGBTQIA+ community expanding ever further, I am a firm believer that love is, aside from more complex, also more important than ever. I find it strange how some people believe that the love between two (fe)males is not the same or worth less than the love between a male and a female. I find it strange that love is such a universal feeling/emotion, but despite that, still suffers from a lack of value by some. I repeat: Love is.
So what does this have to do with Sci-Fi? Let me explain... The Sci-Fi genre is one of the few genres that approaches the concept of love while breaking these contemporary barriers. If there's anything we can learn from our favorite Sci-Fi movies/books/series/games, it's that love cannot be defined by gender or ethnicity. I mean, look at these power couples:
Spock ❤ Uhura (Star Trek) Peter Quill ❤ Gamora (Guardians of the Galaxy) Saint-14 ❤ Osiris (Destiny 2)
Niko Breckenridge ❤ William (Another Life)
And be honest with me: what is there not to love? Each of these relationships is as genuine and loveable as any other, even with a partner being an A.I.-system or an EXO-robot. Love is.
Love in The Singularian Grimoire Anthologies
Of course, there is love in The Singularian Grimoire Anthologies. Of course, there is love that encompasses the core of this article. In a world where humans can live inside of machines and where new species arise from wicked DNA-splicing experiments, you'll find some characters exploring the meaning and consequences of love on their own.
Now, I'm definitely not a romance writer, but I do believe that love can be an extremely effective motivator to get some story arcs going. Let's take a look at Crow for example. Crow was designed, crafted into the perfect killing machine. With wings, talons, and an excellent predator's instinct, he has gained many nickname over the years. Harbinger, Dark Angel, Henchman... People know him by reputation and judge him accordingly. But when Crow meets a woman (a Splice like himself), he starts to wonder what it all means.
Aside from Crow's story, there's also the tale of Janice Wrayburn and her lover Maven. Both are strong, independent women: trained assassins and soldiers who protect a sanctuary for Splices. Their love has always been the foundation for what they do, and it is through that love that they have found each other: a love that surpasses the concept of mere physics.
There are of course more examples of love and relationships in The Singularian, but I'd be spoiling too much (and not giving them due credit) if I mention them all in this article. Believe me when I tell you: it's something you'll want to discover for yourself. Have a look at the books!
Celebrate love
Let's take a moment to think about Valentine's Day: a day to celebrate love in any possible way. Go ahead and give your partner an extra kiss today. Go ahead and tell your friend he/she/they matter. Tell your mom or dad you love them, hug your sister or brother, and spend some extra time underneath your blanket while petting your cat. Love is love, and love will always be. Let's celebrate it! Tell us below in the comment section to whom you would like to make a shoutout with some extra love...
Tags: #love #valentine #ValentinesDay #LGBTQ #scifi #romance #lovers #Destiny2 #StarTrek #AnotherLIfe #GuardiansoftheGalaxy #Marvel #Bungie #celebrate