HBO's Watchmen and Lovecraft Country aren't directly in my critical lane, but man, there's *something* -- grist for the critical mill! -- about mass confusion when it comes to the Black fantastic.

What is it about Black fantastic imagination that's so confusing?

You know, I used to buy this line of reasoning... until I started reading everyone else's fantasies. *Everyone's.*

Do you know how much confusing and unexplained stuff exists in SFF?

I'm trying to catch up on SFF theory outside kidlit/MG/YA (my lane). So what's up with that?

We're also SO hard on Black creatives. Like, excessively. There's something to be written about there, too, but I honestly wish folks would think it through.

I'm not saying we have to like everything. I'm not saying that some Black speculative storytelling just doesn't work.

I'm reading some of this, and half of me is nodding, but the other half is going, damn, y'all.

I've got all the mediocre and bad SFF I've read in mind. I know there is no Black genre midlist, but ever think of why?

(*whispers* Why can't Black stories just be mediocre? LOL.)

Way too much pressure on way too few narratives. Expand the number of stories across genre and mode, and let these creatives have a little more room to experiment, fail -- and grow.

Not everything's gotta be superlative.

ETA: Very good point. This is something I've been pondering in a (rough draft) essay I submitted a few weeks ago about Wakandafication... https://twitter.com/millerej_11/status/1308189010464968704

This thread gave me lots to think about, too... thanks! https://twitter.com/millerej_11/status/1308189010464968704