Like the Seasons, the Trends Are Ever Changing

Trash: Main character has a butler
Smash: Counting down

Setting the Mood for the Year

"It's the Year of the Minotaur, everyone!"
That pronouncement kicked off the new year. The crowd tried out some initial partying, a little hooting and a bit of gyration that promised to develop into dancing later. Before that, however, the king requested details as to what was to be celebrated. "What is the outlook for the Year of the Minotaur?"
"This will be an excellent year for bodily health and eating people. Pregnancy is highly recommended."
"That sounds familiar. What was the last year and its outlook?"
"The Year of the Cyclops, which was most propitious for healthy sheep and eating people."
"The year before that?"
"Oh, what a fine year that was. The Year of the Sphinx. It will be a long time before you have a better chance to solve problems and eat people."
"Very good. What I wonder now is when the year will not favor eating people, of whom my subjects happen to make up a large number."
The priest shrugged. "Hard to say. There's a lot of monsters out there, so the chance of one of them coming up as opposed to a less people-eating creature such as a rabbit, well . . ."
"I see." And so the king and his brave warriors set out and killed all the monsters that eat people to take them out of the rotation.
Finis

The Popular Taste

Suppose you have your main character travel around with his butler, but the readers at home tell you the setup is too stuffy. What do you do? Add a team of cheerleaders, of course. Keep the butler. Audiences today demand more.

I've Got a Feeling

It's going to be a minotaur spring this year. There's something in the air. Milk maybe.

A Fantasy-Based Proposal

Let's change February to Feb'uary. That R isn't doing anything anyway.

Addendum

"Q" and "A" in the previous post stand for Quentin and Adam, of course.

The Rules Are Simple

Q. Can my main character have a head maid instead of a butler?
A. No. A head maid alongside a butler is permissible however.
Q. But I really want a maid and not a butler.
A. Have you considered having the butler be a woman in disguise?
Q. Fantastic!

Adaptation Corner

The Way of Kings: vertical shooting game
The Crystal Cave: 3D platformer
The Eye of the World: horizontal runner
The Swordbearer: Dynasty Warriors

The Whig Theory of Entertainment

Behold, the future! Look at that couple, both in perfect physical condition. If you had a way to check, which our technicians most certainly do, you would find flawless genes as well. Eugenics? No, just a few therapeutic sessions.
Where are they going with such sure strides? A restaurant no doubt, you say as dwellers in the past. Not at all. Food became too delicious. Everyone wanted to do nothing but eat. Food is now banned. To a movie theater then? Those all shut down after the perfect movie was made twenty years ago. Everyone owns it for private viewings in their private theater setups, which are superior in visual and audio quality to the professional establishments of the past. To a comedy club for a few laughs is your next guess. They exist, certainly, as do comedians. Those are no longer allowed to tell jokes. Too many audience members laughed till they died.
So where? There is one thing, friends from the past, that we still have not quite got the hang of. Yes, it's just what you think it is: cyberpunk! Cyberpunk novels, cyberpunk TV, cyberpunk games, cyberpunk resorts, and cyberpunk radio dramas are all alive and kicking, and they will continue to be allowed to do so as long as they never actually predict the future or get good.
By that we mean, of course, future good. By the standards of your day, those entertainments are without exception fantastic. So, people of the past, we encourage you to keep looking forward . . . to the future!
Finis

The Best Science Fiction Predicts Future Social Trends

And that's why I'm telling you right now that people will say "Bonanza!" as sort of a slang thing. If not, that's how we'll know humanity took the wrong path. Perhaps we should reset this world to zero.