Trivially Crucial
Individual science fiction stories may seem as trivial as ever to the blinder critics and philosophers of today - but the core of science fiction, its essence has become crucial to our salvation if we are to be saved at all. –Isaac Asimov
Here at Trivially Crucial, we believe that fiction stories are critical to how people experience and understand the world around them, regardless of the medium. Whether it is the ancient Greeks listening to Homer or the people of today flocking to see the latest Marvel film, stories inform our worldviews. Different tales can have different meanings depending on whether a person is a creator or a consumer, or even depending on a person's current stage of life. We believe that interpretations of stories are, for the most part, equally valid.
Stories have had a profound impact on our lives, and we love to dissect and discuss tales in every medium. Our joy and love of the story is not destroyed by dissecting a story but rather the process of pulling it apart helps us appreciate the art of storytelling. It also makes for interesting discussions when our interpretations of stories vary.
So welcome to Trivially Crucial, where we believe every camera angle, comic pane, word choice, and boss battle is important and critical to our lives no matter how unimportant a story may seem.
Michael G.
A "computer guy" by day, by night, and by those wee hours when neither really fits, Michael is obsessed with media, and especially with narrative. He once got grounded for reading too much, which cemented his obsession with video games. Later in life, comics, TV, and movies all began to take up ridiculous amounts of his time, to the point where he now has a mountainous backlog of every form of media which could probably last until the end times without additions. Nonetheless, additions will come, and he'll be ready. While he watches less TV and reads fewer books these days than he once did, that is largely because he still tries to get in time with long RPGs and the immense number of comic books he's recently gained legitimate access to through the wonders of comiXology. While he's a big fan of quirks and gimmicks in any medium, his greatest appreciation of a work will come down to the story–how it's told, what emotions it invokes, and what lessons it teaches.
Michael blogs (currently extremely rarely, but hopefully more soon) at MGabriel.org and tweets as @Auhim.
Mandy P.
An aerospace engineer by day and aspiring SF/F author by night, Mandy loves all forms of stories. She understands life through the lens of narratives and therefore considers herself an honorary member of the Tamarian species. She reads more than is probably healthy for her, definitely watches more TV than she should, and though she is newly come to comics, sends a monthly tithe to Marvel and DC to keep the stories coming. Mandy's only regret is that she truly sucks at video games, so she lives vicariously through Michael and other video game lovers, instead of experiencing the stories for herself. Mandy blogs at A Bittersweet Fountain and tweets as @Brown_Ajah.