I am one of the YouTube curmudgeons warning audiences about the politically correct takeover of my favorite fandoms.
You can find articles on my website and essays on my vidcast raging against what is now known as woke. I’m not alone. Nerdrotic, The Critical Drinker, Eric July, Melonie Mac, and a handful of others have been discussing it, some long before I was.
One of the most common retorts I would get, and I am sure the others did as well, was, “If you don’t like DC Comics making Harley Quinn a lesbian, create your own thing.”
Of course, I already had.
“Cacophony: A Tale Of Faith And Fear” is my first release, featuring a paranormal story. “The Seven Royals: All Good Things” and its sequel, “Breaking The Stars” are the first two parts in a high fantasy trilogy that is inspired by the fairy tales of old.
I am proud of these works, but that does not mean I will stop. Thus, I began working on another tale.
My latest work, “Blessed Child,” is something different. The idea first came to me while talking with my boss who commented how “dragons can celebrate life, too.”
That was when I got my first idea. Maybe not dragons since I used them heavily in previous works, but what about Elves? That was the first step.
Not enough fiction, especially in the fantasy genre, celebrates life. Bleakness, nihilism, and negativity seem to be the norm these days. Just look at the “reinventing” of The Lord Of The Rings author J.R.R. Tolkien’s works in Amazon Prime’s “The Rings Of Power.”
All of the hope, grace and faith is gone for that streaming service series.
The next piece of inspiration was Hollywood’s blatant attack on masculinity and feminity. I watched as the once-great Marvel Studios turned Thor from a mighty Avenger into a caricature of himself so that the spotlight could be shone on his female counterparts.
Compare “Thor: Love and Thunder” to “Captain Marvel” and the message is contradictory if not clear: men are muscleheads and women need to act like men. That is how Princess Karense and Sir Matthew were born.
Princess Karense would be compassionate, loving and kind. Sir Matthew embodies courage, strength and skill. Feminity and masculinity are complemented in these two characters.
Karense is an elf princess pregnant with her deceased husband’s child. After sensing her grief, her unborn child would be found not to be an Elf, but a human, like her father.
Her elvish kingdom would disapprove, to say the least, and thus a protector would be hired. This would be Sir Matthew, who had been disgraced but now desires to redeem himself as a knight. The two would form an unlikely bond amid the conspiracies surrounding them.
You can pre-order my upcoming novel at the link below:https://t.co/4v1auGROrP
— Jacob Airey (@realJacobAirey) June 28, 2024
With my main protagonists, a title, and an overall plot figured out, I got to work, but something was missing. I could not put my finger on it, but the book needed an extra seasoning.
That was when my wife sent me a video. It was not just her, family and friends sent me this clip. You see, I have always been a Transformers fan. Growing up, a local television station would rerun the 1980s classic animated series and my parents bought the VHS tape of the 1986 film “Transformers: The Movie,” so I knew the voice.
That’s right. The character of Optimus Prime was performed by actor Peter Cullen. The aforementioned clip was his acceptance speech for receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2023 Annual Children’s and Family Emmys.
It was an excellent speech with him recalling his first roles, praising the TF fans, and then he told this heartwarming story. He recalls telling his brother Larry, who had just finished a stint with the Marines, about getting the role of Optimus Prime, a heroic truck, as he described it.
“Peter,” said the elder brother. “If you’re going to be a hero, be a real hero. Don’t be one of those Hollywood pretenders. Don’t go yelling and screaming and pretending you’re a tough guy. Be strong enough to be gentle.”
Cullen would go on to say when you hear Optimus Prime, you hear his brother.
That was it. That is what was missing. An emotional undertone that encapsulates the tone and narrative of the story.
With those three key ingredients, “Blessed Child” was written. In the beginning, I saw it as another attempt to own the politically correct keyboard warriors, but as I crafted it, I soon realized it was a labor of love.
It might sound saccharine to say, but I hope every reader emotionally connects with the characters, the world, and the plot. Yes, it has drama, action, romance and more, but it also has a message that life is something to celebrate.
Sadly, that message is unique these days.
Jacob Airey is the Chief Editor of StudioJake Media and host of the StudioJake Vidcast.
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