Lauren's Favorite Things

Like, on Earth, for every hyper-imperialistic culture, there are 200 that just… aren’t.

What if they value other things? What if they see no reason to go probing and conquering?

We can assume that space aliens are “like us” without assuming that they’re like white British people specifically, can’t we?

And why assume that humans of the far future will be like humans of today? Why assume that we will become a space-faring colonial force, eager to leave our home and manifest-destiny our way across the Milky Way?

As humans, all cultures have the same mental and physical capabilities. Any culture on earth could have hypothetically produced hyper-realistic Greek-like sculptures or Renaissance-like paintings.

It reminds me a lot of that “march of progress” illustration. The idea that evolution— or civilization— has some sort of end goal. And that that end goal must involve increased intelligence, solar-system size computers, and mass control over vast swaths of the universe, no matter where you started from, on earth or otherwise.

Back to the idea of art: imagine being born way back when and watching the development of extreme realism in painting, and wondering just how realistic paintings could get. What new heights will be reached? Maybe paintings will eventually feel like literally, actually looking out a window, or actually having a person in front of you.

But in the unimaginable future, in 500 odd years, realism isn’t actually nearly as valued.

What I’m saying is that many people expect “advanced” aliens or future human civilization to look like this, which it very well might:

But I think the odds are just as good of it looking like this:

It's called parallel play in children, and I enjoy it even as an adult! It's nice to just be able to do your own thing in the company of others.

aro & ace books: f/f adult

some of these are romance books, some just have a romance subplot (some have other non f/f romances too)

Someone You Can Build A Nest In - fantasy, ace coded MC, LI

The Cybernetic Tea Shop - fantasy, 1/2 MCs is ace

She Who Became The Sun - historical, an acespec coded MC

Kiss Her Once For Me - romance, demi bi MC

Thaw - romance, 1/2 MCs is bi ace

Here We Go Again - romance, 1/2 MCs is aroacespec coded (though she explicitly doesn't label herself as such)

Mrs Mix Up - romance, 1/2 MCs is demiro lesbian

The Murder Next Door - historical mystery, 1/2 MCs is an ace lesbian

The Winter Knight - urban fantasy, 1/2 MCs is bi ace

The Mystic Marriage - historical fantasy, demi-coded MC

Let The Dead Bury The Dead - historical fantasy, 1/3 MCs is an ace lesbian

Soft on Soft - romance, 1/2 MCs is demi

Fragments of a Fallen Star - fantasy romance, LI is demi