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davidmann95 · 3 years

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So you've talked a lot about Darkseid, but what about the other New Gods?

SO THIS HAS BEEN IN MY INBOX FOR ALMOST AS LONG AS THIS BLOG’S BEEN AROUND AND I JUST FINALLY FINISHED FOURTH WORLD

Well that sure was something. My musings on some major players that I either have substantial thoughts on, or where I especially think the majority consensus/interpretation has subsequently gotten them wrong (a state Kirby is well aware of, because a HUGE part of “Even Gods Can Die!” is him being frustrated at subsequent handlings of the characters even by 1984 mucking things up):

Orion: Perhaps the most hard-done by as a result of Kirby never being able to fully finish Fourth World as he had imagined it, as his character arc ends on a cliffhanger for a decade and is forced into a rapid completion later. When he emerges, while a warrior born he’s also every bit the classical, magnificent hero you expect to see in a superhero comic to try and overshadow his inner demons, while by the end of New Gods he’s embraced not only his true face (the OTHER face, as his father would put it) in the fight against Apokolips but the murderous, sadistic rage that is his birthright, reveling in inflicting agony and very much the berserker others have since portrayed him as. Surely as much a product of his trauma from a childhood on Apokolips (a detail frequently glossed over) and a sense of being unwanted as anything genetic, it’s ultimately unconditional love for him as he truly is in Hunger Dogs that lets him overcome his fear that he can’t be anything but a monstrous tool in service of better people than himself, and embrace ‘the tomorrow overture’. Even his anger has its righteous if tragic place as a primal force of upheaval: “It defies time! It stands firm against the hammers of change! It mocks life and defies death!” I won’t get to it for awhile yet, but very curious what Simonson does with him.

Lightray: Rules! He’s the closest the New Gods have to a traditional superhero, and it’s in that capacity that while a lousy warrior next to Orion (Kalibak thinks little of his attempt at fighting him, mockingly deeming him a “callow little killer”), his strength is in transformation: he makes himself light, he turns a tormented weapon into the glory boat, a machine armed against the New Gods into a weapon against Darkseid, Orion from a man alone into a friend. He’s not a warrior, but he’s the one who makes a better world worth waging war for and who might one day make such war unnecessary. Also he and Orion have definitely fucked.

Mister Miracle: Not WILDLY off the mark since, but it’s interesting that as I expect a result of JLI he’s been written so often since as an everymanish, relatable, bordering-on-comedic figure, when under Kirby he was very much the archetypal good guy. One often committed to freeing others as he had been freed himself, in the likes of Ted Brown and Shilo Norman, an avenue I’m surprised hasn’t been explored more often from what I’ve seen. Also worth noting: Darkseid declared the moment he got his hands on the kid that Granny would be twice as hard on him as others, and that it would eventually drive the boy away and let the war resume. Which not only indicates Darkseid’s understanding of the subtlety needed in control, but would seem to take Scott’s rebellion out of his own hands…except that at the moment of his escape Darkseid still offered him a choice, implored the boy to allow him to “complete the destruction of Scott Free – so you may live with the majesty that is the power of DARKSEID!” And instead he turned his back on his god and chose to be what he is.

Barda: Shockingly, great as she’s been since, her background is often severely mischaracterized. The shorthand is “love saved her and turned her from a servant of evil to a champion of good!”, but that’s…while not entirely wrong, a bad way of presenting it. When she leaves Apokolips initially, even after she starts hanging out with Scott Free and Oberson after having helped the former escape years earlier, she still believes in Darkseid. She fights and hates her former allies not because she’s turned against his vision of the universe (this is in fact a major aspect often overlooked - under Kirby Darkseid’s agents don’t simply fear him, they sincerely believe in him and his vision of how the universe works) but because she sees them as loathsome, brutish executors of his grand design. In short, she doesn’t think it’s the system that’s the problem, but a bunch of bad apples. It’s her experience with freedom and simple pleasures and life on Earth, her lingering guilt over the death of her friend Auralie as eventually manifested in her protection and training of Shiloh Norman, and yes, her eventual realized love for Scott, that brings her around to realizing she truly desires a life beyond what Darkseid can offer.

Forever People: Okay I actually don’t have a ton to say about the Forever People, though I do think they’re underrated and underutilized. Naive and in over their heads as the frequently are they’re also the best of their peers, believing in freedom and transformation and the potential of those around them to become better - their defining moment for me is when they reassure Sonny Sumo that having the power of the Anti-Life Equation doesn’t make him a monster. “Where we come from the Anti-Life Equation is one of many others–almost as awesome!! But they merely exist!! It’s we who live!!”

Metron: The big figure I haven’t really been able to crack. Machinery as not necessarily cold mechanization but extensions of ourselves and our souls, and able to nourish them in turn, is a big aspect of Fourth World, but Metron as the embodiment of mechanization and knowledge feels like not just an outsider as he’s framed but one who never quite became whatever Kirby had in mind for him, making his crucial role at the end of Hunger Dogs a bit of a non-sequitur for me. I’d be curious to hear what other people think.

Desaad: God Desaad’s been made boring. Not that he isn’t fairly one-dimensional under Kirby too, but his craft and awful glee as the god of torture isn’t just in strapping people to tables and poking them with unpleasant tools, it’s in manipulating their emotions and agonies to a fever pitch - he should be such an unsettling figure, and instead he’s a simpering helpless toady.

Highfather: Not a perfect figure, given how he’s framed with the likes of Fastbak, and the Forever People, and the Pact, willing to deploy fear as a weapon in the name of peace as Darkseid will use chaos in the name of a larger order, but always trying - as with Darkseid, an imperfect vessel of what he represents, but capable of growth and realization as a leader.

Steppenwolf/Heggra: Essential to understanding The Pact, they’re the old ways of the world and war, petty despots and warrior-kings, supplanted by fascism in Darkseid.

Darkseid: So I’ve discussed Darkseid before in terms of his broad use and ideas, but the very specific ways Kirby presented him have their own dimensions. In the world of superheroes he’s larger-than-life and often such in here too, but in rare moments, and by the end entirely as all artifice is stripped away? Kirby’s Darkseid is a profoundly human figure. He recognizes the irony that the Forever People believe in letting all be who they are, for that very need to fulfill himself is why he must pursue conquest (“And of course - that’s the pity of it!”). While he thinks to himself “Oh, how heroes LOVE to flaunt their nobility in the face of death! Yet THEY know better than most that war is but the COLD game of the BUTCHER!” he too believes in “Boldness! Risk! The raw meat of existence!” even as he consigns himself to the role of puppetmaster rather than warrior. He does or so he tells himself “no more than what HAS to be done!!” rather than indulging in cruelty for its own sake. He dresses up in ridiculous costumes for his schemes, he gets sarcastic, he recognizes honor and respects worthy foes, he feels love, he craves the laughter of a friend, he fears the obsolesce of his preferred way of doing things, he tells himself that should he achieve omnipotence others will find “eternal shelter”. He’s a person, one capable of a range of emotions, but he is the TIGER FORCE AT THE CORE OF ALL THINGS regardless…not because he is a mythic unstoppable force, but because every day he rises and believes in himself over all others, because there is a black hole within him that he can only hope dominance might fill regardless of what pain he finds in the process. But as Mister Miracle’s battle with the Lump foretold, when left truly alone over a world that is himself he will be only within “a self-made prison”, reflections of his own fear and agony.

#New Gods #Fourth World #Kirby #Orion #Lightray #Mister Miracle #Barda #Forever People #Metron #Desaad #Highfather #Darkseid #Opinion

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rachelsheart · 3 years

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10 Signs You’re a Shaman & Don’t Know It

As I feel indebted to the shamans who saw themselves in me and helped me understand why I have always felt like I don’t belong in mainstream medicine, the intention of this article is to respectfully honor the shamanic tradition, and not to violate it in any way.

Because modern culture doesn’t have a role for the shamanic archetype, many people who grow up outside indigenous villages are shamans and don’t know it. Many naturally wind up in overtly healing professions, such as medicine, psychology, or life coaching. But some wind up in professions where they may feel like they don’t fit in at all. Even those who enter the healing professions may feel out of place, because the systems of Western medicine and psychology leave little room for a shaman to practice his or her natural healing art. But many will wind up in various forms of sacred activism, healing the planet, for example, rather than healing people.

Are you a shaman and you don’t know it? Here are some telltale signs that you might fit the archetype.

1. You sense that you’re meant to participate in the global shift in consciousness that is currently underway.

We can all feel it, this impending shift that New Agers have talked about for decades. But those with the shamanic archetype don’t just feel it, they feel it pulling them, like a magnet, towards leadership positions that help facilitate this transformation of human consciousness and evolution of the species.

2. You’ve been through a difficult initiation, which has prepared you for this leadership role.

In indigenous cultures, the village knew who the shaman was because he or she was struck by lightning and survived. In modern culture, you may not literally be struck by lightning, but you may have survived some other life or heart-threatening ordeal. You may have experienced childhood abuse, sexual violence, a near-death experience, or some other trauma that put you through the crucible and forged you into the healing earth shaman you are becoming.

3. You are an introvert.

Shamans are multi-dimensional beings who dance between the realms of the seen and unseen worlds, so if you’re of the shamanic archetype, you may have a hard time navigating the 3D realms of this dimension, which may cause you to withdraw into yourself so you can visit the realms of consciousness where you feel most at home.

4. You feel most at home in nature.

The shamans of a culture are the bridges between nature and humans, serving as translators between the mountains, oceans, rivers, animals, and people. You may sense that nature is talking to you or that you get your most tuned in downloads when you are surrounded by the natural world.

5. You’re very sensitive.

You may feels things others don’t feel, see things others don’t see, hear things others don’t hear, smell things others don’t smell, and sense things others don’t sense. This may make it hard for you to be out in public, where you may feel accosted by over-stimulation of your senses. If you embody the shamanic archetype, it’s likely that you’re the kind of person others may feel is “too sensitive.” But this sensitivity is a blessing. It’s part of your gift.

6. You feel a sort of spiritual calling to ease the suffering of people, animals, and nature.

Many health care providers are called to medicine the way priests are called to the priesthood. But you don’t have to be a health care provider to have the shamanic archetype. It may transmute itself into healing service to animals, sacred activist causes, or conservation of Mother Earth.

7. Physical ailments that fall under the category of “shaman sickness.”

In the indigenous cultures, shamans who have been called to service but haven’t yet said “yes” to the call often wind up struck with physical ailments. In modern culture, these shamanic sicknesses may fall into difficult to treat categories like chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, chronic Lyme disease, chronic pain disorders, and autoimmune disorders. Acceptance of the call to shamanic service often resolves the symptoms of shaman sickness. If you’re suffering from one of these illnesses, ask yourself, “Am I a shaman who hasn’t said yes to my calling yet?”

8. You tend to have vivid dreams.

The unseen realm may be communicating with you through your dreams, so try analyzing your dreams. Pay particular attention to any animal totems that may appear in your dreams. Google search the animal and “spirit totem” and see if you can find any messages from the animals in your dreams. Or try a Jungian analysis, like the one described here.

9. You may discover unusual spiritual superpowers, or what the yogis call “siddhis.”

You might be psychic. You might get healing visions like the one in my previous post about the meeting of Western medicine and Shamanism. You might realize that you can heal people with your hands or that you can telepathically communicate with animals, people, or even inanimate objects.

10. You’ve always felt like you don’t quite belong anywhere, because you are a bridge.

Shamans tend to live on the outskirts of the village for a reason. They are not like the others – and this is a blessing! In village life, this is understood and recognized. But in the modern world, it may leave those with the shamanic archetype feeling like they don’t ever fit in. But don’t despair. You DO fit in. Your role is essential. You may find that you fit in best with others who share this shamanic archetype. Among your fellow shamans, you will feel like you are with family.

Embrace Your Bridge Work

Because shamans are always operating between worlds, you may find that you’re connecting mainstream culture and the culture that wants to be born in the new consciousness, and this may feel uncomfortable, as if you don’t quite fit in. When I realized that I am a bridge between mainstream medicine and the new world of medicine that is being co-created by others who share the shamanic archetype, it brought me such a profound sense of relief! This relief is shared by the health care providers who participate in the Whole Health Medicine Institute, which I founded for doctors and other stealth shamans. If you’re one of those bridge workers, please know that you belong with all the other stealth shamans in this program, designed to merge medicine and spirituality, and we’re enrolling for the 2016 class now.

About The Author

Helen Noronha

Hi there! I am someone who if given the option can read books all day, without even sleeping. I love binging on TV shows, with Game of Thrones being my favorite (duh!). Apart from that, I am passionate about writing and can write anytime and anywhere.

20 thoughts on “10 Signs You’re a Shaman & Don’t Know It”

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Five Ways Carl Jung Led Us to the “Inner Life”

Lying behind much of the way we talk about the inner life today is the work of the Swiss psychologist C. G. Jung. He revolutionized how we discuss dreams and archetypes and gave us our words “introvert,” “extravert” and “synchronicity.” However, what made him a true psychological pioneer was that he looked inside himself in a way that is still unique today.

#1) Dreams

From earliest beginnings of human civilization, we have considered dreams a doorway to the soul. Jung saw that they showed us parts of ourselves that were being rejected by our waking consciousness: strengths unexpressed and shadow figures run amok; qualities that we were missing about ourselves; and desires that we’d rather not acknowledge. The mission of dreams was to balance us, to compensate for our often one-sided attitude toward life and lead us to integrate what we need for health and growth. We know today that dreams can have messages for us that are not only psychologically relevant, but even biologically urgent, relaying information about illness. Jung introduced the term “wholeness” to describe the aim of the unconscious: the further filling out of ourselves; an increasing completeness in the unique being that we are.

#2) Personality Types

Jung saw the differing pathways in our personalities. He observed that some people got energy from interacting with people, while others were drained by it. Introvert or extravert, intuitive or sensate, thinking or feeling; he described these differing forms as Psychological Types and they led to today’s MBTI categories. In normalizing different kinds of personality, Jung helped us to get over our natural biases against other types.

While he recognized variety in human personality, Jung believed that there was no one-size-fits-all approach to therapy. He saw each individual as having a unique blueprint for growth, an untold inner story, and he knew – from his own experience – that one man’s medicine is another’s poison.

“The shoe that fits one person pinches another; there is no recipe for living that suits all cases.” – C. G. Jung

#3) Archetypes

Jung also saw that the unconscious sometimes conveys information beyond the personal. He saw that the dreams of his patients sometimes echoed mythological motifs from far-flung foreign cultures. He saw the action of peoples’ lives following forms depicted in Greek tragedy. He discovered ancient, even timeless, pathways that energy flowed into: toward some things and away from others, attracted to some things, repulsed by others. This level of the psyche is beyond the personal and Jung called it the collective unconscious.

“I thought of Jung as a noetic archeologist, [he] provided maps of the unconscious.” – Terence McKenna

The collective unconscious shows us eternal, dynamic qualities in our nature: they are alive and timeless. One of these archetypes is our inner opposite sex figure and soul guide–what Jung called the Anima or Animus. We encounter it both in our dreams and when just the right person walks up to us and we fall in love at first sight. Even though we experience this figure through others, but it is ultimately up to us to integrate it for ourselves.

Once we’ve learned to recognize these archetypes, we see them throughout classic literature and film and even in modern sitcoms. However, we may not really discover them for ourselves until we’ve been battered and bruised and are wondering how we got into this mess (again). Usually we need a little help to gain sight of these figures in our own lives.

“You don’t see something until you have the right metaphor to let you perceive it.” – Robert Stetson Shaw

#4) Synchronicity

Jung’s psychology is only really understood when it is a lived experience, and nothing exemplifies this more than the mystery of synchronicity. Jung coined the term synchronicity to refer to extraordinary moments when outer happenings reflect inner states. What we see in such a coincidence of events is a meaningful interplay alive in our reality. The notion that there’s a deeper principle actually operating in the world can be frightening to people from a culture that believes that it’s the only conscious force in the universe. Yet at the same time, discovering that there’s more going on can be experienced as a profound relief. In order to get through our resistance to such experiences, it helps to hear others’ stories and share our own (and you can do so here). Incorporating the meaning of these experiences for ourselves requires something authentic from us – a real inner change, the genuine achievement of a new attitude.

Helen

RachelsHeart

#shaman #shamanicjourney #shamanism

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shades4dogs · 4 years

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🌻 give me knowledge

YOUR ICON MADE ME THINK SONIC THOUGHTS SO HERE

the babylon rogues are extremely underrated and i dont just mean by the fans, i mean by sega and the writers too. Jet is such an interesting concept for a villain because he embodies all of that sonic haters expect sonic to be - he’s cocky, loudmouthed, brash, insulting, competitive, and inconsiderate. he shirks his responsibilities off onto people who only want whats best for him.

it’s the kind of dickhead teenage boy personality people like to imagine sonic with when they don’t understand him, and it kind of puts a lampshade on the traits that really make sonic shine as a protagonist. hell, his colour scheme is even the reverse of sonics - blue spines and green eyes vs green feathers and blue eyes.

they seem really different, but if you step back and look they’re not so different after all. they’re both the leading figure of their team, love to compete, and are very proud of their speed and agility. the difference is that sonic has humility, whereas jet has an ego full to bursting that he hasn’t yet learned to control. sonic uplifts himself and others, while jet only uplifts himself.

but these differences never bring up any insecurities. jet and sonic clash really well in a way that they both clearly enjoy. they love to rile each other up. i think it’s a really fun rivalry!

in my opinion, sonic and jet could really learn a lot from each other if the writers let them spend any time together. jet is like an amplified sonic, and the contrast there is extremely interesting. a slow-burn of them coming to terms with these differences and learning from eachother would be really really cool!

and that’s not even mentioning storm and wave. i know they’re pretty one-dimensional in lore but they have heaps of potential as characters. wave is a “brilliant mecha-mechanic” and really the brains of the entire operation. she’s sarcastic and likes to talk down to people. she revels in petty squabbles. she’s not afraid to point out people’s flaws.

but she also has strong beliefs and convictions, being the first to wish on a shooting star. she’s a very headstrong girl, and if she could ever overcome her antagonistic ways she’d be a really valuable ally. i could see her and rouge working extremely well together

storm is just... The best. Storm is seriously the best. storm is the type of person who’d win an argument against a kid, laugh, but then immediately feel bad and apologise. storm is a blundering oaf with a good heart being led astray. he just wants to make people happy (while also being violent) and i love that for him. can you imagine what it’d be like if storm and, say, vector and/or big hung out? i feel like they’d get along really well once they warmed up to each other!

anyways rant over i love the babylon rogues. THANK YOU FOR GIVING ME THE OPPORTUNITY TO GO OFF ABOUT THEM

send me a 🌻 and ill just tell you whatever the fuck i want

#txt #ask games #long post #text heavy #sth #teamchaotix

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battlestar-royco · 5 years

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Elaborating on Sansa and Daenerys’s White Femininity

This post is a counterargument to the hierarchical positioning of Sansa as the embodiment of white femininity and white feminism in Daenerys’s favor. To name only one of these two characters as the emblem of white femininity and white feminism is disingenuous because all of Martin’s white women are different representations of white feminism and femininity. The story is written within a pseudo-feudal European framework and as such, the main gender dynamics he portrays in depth focus on the issues experienced by white cisgender women--with the exception of Arianne. Brienne and Arya struggle with the gender binary, and Catelyn and Cersei struggle with underestimation from male peers and internalized misogyny. Daenerys struggles as a queen and Sansa struggles as a hostage being groomed by abusers. Daenerys and Sansa can be treated as foils for each other in regards to their whiteness and femininity and their use of their sociopolitical identities to enact change. Both of them are conventionally attractive, as implied multiple times in the text through several character POVs, and obviously in the show are played by extremely conventionally-featured Sophie Turner and Emilia Clarke. They are both meant to be beautiful, both coveted by men who seek to hold some sort of authority over their lives. They both use their appearances to navigate political landscapes. Their social privilege is integral to both their characters.

So first of all, yes: Sansa is meant to represent the ideal (white, cis, wealthy) femininity of Westeros, but this argument and the argument that she represents white feminism desperately needs some dimensionality. Aside from Arya, Asha, and Brienne, Sansa is a representation of ideal white femininity as much as any other noble white Westerosi female character (especially narrators) in ASOIAF--so that includes Catelyn, Cersei, Margaery, and... absolutely Daenerys. That being said, Arya, Asha, and Brienne’s chapters are also meant to make commentary on the multiple different ways in which womanhood and femininity can manifest in Westeros. Sansa’s privilege, namely her ableism and classism, is as much integral to her character as Cersei and Cat’s internalized misogyny, ableism, and classism. (We’ll get to Daenerys’s flaws later.) Further, Sansa is not an advocate of external social change any more than any of the aforementioned characters (except for Dany of course). In fact, her mentality is probably most similar to Cat’s, who is an advocate of peace.

Though we understand her intended modus operandi should she ever become queen (“I will make them love me,” directly positioned as a foil to Cersei’s MO--Cersei, whose actions greatly contributed to the War of Five Kings, and her rule to the downfall of House Lannister), Sansa simply does not get the chance to advocate for any sort of social change because she is literally under duress for just about half of her ASOIAF arc. Would she, if she were in the position to do so? We have yet to see. Of course, Sansa is not a radical. But loving herself in a political landscape with so much hatred against her brand of femininity and against her family is a radical act. Maintaining courtesy while undergoing such an internal change of worldview as Sansa does throughout ACOK and ASOS is radical. Not recognizing the agency that Sansa exercises, so parallel to women of ALL ethnicities and social classes who historically did not have the social power or resources to act like Daenerys does in ACOK and ASOS (ie survivors of partner abuse, CSA, trafficking, kidnapping, child marriage, rape, etc, whose agency is so often downcast and yet in many cases similar to what Sansa undergoes), is dismissive of so many women. Thus, she is not meant to represent white feminism (because she is in almost no way an advocate for wide-scale social change), but she is meant to subvert expectations about femininity in that she survives in King’s Landing for so long and she manages to still love herself and not become an abuser.

Moving on to Daenerys’s (white, cis, wealthy) femininity and social agenda: I am very uncomfortable with the argument that Daenerys is a new or somehow more subversive representation of white femininity than Sansa. Over the past decade, and even further back in time, white women in our media have been central to the radical movements in mainstream fiction, often erasing women of color in the process either through whitewashing or outliving the tragic ending of their best friend--who is, interestingly, almost always a woman of color. We’ve seen Wonder Woman, Katniss Everdeen, Tris Prior, Dolores Abernathy, General Leia, Senator Padme, Jyn Erso, Rey, June from the Handmaid’s Tale, hell, even Merida from Brave take precedence over women of color in their fight against the Capitol, the Empire, Gilead, the institution of marriage, etc. Many women tired of the “complacent” and more traditionally feminine role that Sansa plays in ASOIAF years if not decades ago, but white women alone have multiple layers to their representation in all the aforementioned socially active characters. White women already have both avatars of social change and avatars of soft and kind idealization, and the most culturally iconic figures of white feminism in the past decade have fallen into the former category. Women of color have much more often been placed in the angry street-smart position, even if some of that kindness and beauty is meant to shine through. Daenerys, as a white woman, is allowed to fluctuate between both the fierce and the beautiful. Her beauty is known throughout Essos (and probably some parts of Westeros), as evidenced through Tyrion’s ADWD chapters as well as through the many characters in Daenerys’s POV who remark upon her beauty. She is allowed to take action and forefront that change in a way that women of color--in the society she sets out to change--are not. She is regarded as a visionary, and she is centered as the radical agent in a story about the liberation of people of color. This, to me, is more representative of white feminism than anything else in the ASOIAF novels.

I believe Daenerys, if familiar with the concept of feminism as we understand it, would identify as a feminist. In the sense that she seeks to change the structure of society, to a certain extent it is fair to call her a radical feminist. However, true radical action does not exist without solidarity, and that is what Daenerys lacks. She fails to understand why Mirri Maz Duur did not want her help at the end of AGOT. She fails to completely understand the Meereenese; she tries to change their cultural practices; and she compares them to animals. She only regularly confers with Meereenese nobles out of social obligation. She freed the slaves in Yunkai and Astapor only to leave their economic and social infrastructure in ruins so bad that freedpeople are either begging to go back to their slavers or pseudo-slave/master laws are being formed in place of the previous law. She infantilizes the freedpeople in a way that is remarkably similar to how real-life white colonists regarded indigenous peoples in the lands they conquered--the Ghiscari call Daenerys “Mother,” and she refers to herself as their mother. The freeing of Slaver’s Bay is only told from Westerosi points of view. Daenerys’s whiteness (or otherness, if you want to argue that whiteness does not exist in ASOIAF, though I would highly disagree with that) is very purposefully and irrevocably entwined in her brand of activism.

So I am hesitant to cast off only one of these two characters as a white feminist or the representation of white femininity because that is reflective of a narrow view of white femininity in my opinion. In ASOIAF alone, white women and their femininity are represented with so much flexibility. Their desires, body types and appearances, social station, attitude toward misogyny and other women, attitude toward ruling, cultural and religious backgrounds, and more are explored in depth. To uphold only one as a white feminist or as a paragon of white femininity--which I’ve seen both white Sansa fans and white Daenerys fans do in order to disfavor one or the other--is simply inaccurate.

#sansa stark #asoiaf #anti daenerys #ngl i've been sitting on this post for a bit

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recentanimenews · 4 years

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OPINION: Here's Why Berserk Is the Perfect Blend of Shonen and Shoujo

My tastes in media have shifted in all sorts of directions throughout the years, but there’s one constant: Berserk is still my favorite manga and my favorite work of fiction, period. It was an absolute game-changer for me when I first experienced Miura’s hellish fantasy in early high school. I was amazed to see a manga that amalgamated so many appealing and variegated concepts, emotions, and aesthetic elements into one cohesive package. Miura’s world was not only frightening, but also beautiful, and even in my adolescent opinion, I thought it had the most painstakingly gorgeous hand-drawn illustrations I had ever seen. I was shocked a dark fantasy existed that blended the best of shounen and seinen, with the emotional depth and character development more native to shoujo.

In recent times, I found out my personal interpretation of Berserk might be more factually on point than I realized. Kentaro Miura, the creator, remarked in one of a Crunchyroll interview that Fist of the North Star greatly influenced Berserk. Miura also mentioned in the official Berserk Official Guidebook that the character Serpico was meant to mirror Andre from the acclaimed European-inspired shoujo Rose of Versailles. To celebrate the anniversary of the Berserk manga, I’ll explore how the depressingly overlooked Lost Children Arc — in particular, volumes 14-16 — embodies Miura’s unique mesh of the best of both shounen and shoujo, resulting in an entirely original and moving narrative. Because of this, Berserk is rightfully branded (pun intended, tee-hee) as a monolithic manga masterpiece for the ages. Read on for more.

Image via Dark Horse Comics

The Lost Children Arc is, in my opinion, the most underrated of all Berserk arcs. The short saga rarely gets discussed in online circles and has been skipped in both anime and game incarnations of the series (even in the most recent musou-style PS4 Berserk title). There are good reasons why, as the arc features some very graphic depictions of abuse and violence toward children. Despite its sensitive and graphic nature, the Lost Children Arc provides very cautionary insights about the cyclical nature/consequences of abuse toward kids. Miura is at his most compassionate here, encouraging readers to look at the ugliness of life straight in the eye while simultaneously showing the beauty of humanity’s indomitable will to survive.

Berserk's central character, Guts, meets Jill — a young girl and the protagonist of the arc — in a manner somewhat similar to the first meeting between Kenshiro and Rin in Fist of the North Star: The Movie. Guts saves Jill from a cruel group of men who kidnapped her, just as Kenshiro saves Rin from, well, a cruel group of violent men too. Guts goes to Jill’s hometown, which is plagued by demonic elves who eat humans and steal the children in the village. The central antagonist is Rosine, an Apostle who sacrificed the lives of her parents in order to obtain demonic powers, and who turns stolen children into murderous elves. Rosine and Jill were the closest of friends growing up, and both experienced the same level of abuse from their respective fathers. These two abusive father figures exemplify the unique way Berserk departs from shounen like Fist of the North Star.

Berserk borrows FotNS's depiction of the dreary lives led by many of the average inhabitants of its bleak universe. But whereas FotNS almost always portrays the average person/family of the post-apocalyptic world within a positive light, Berserk offers no easy dichotomy. Outside of the main characters and villains, FotNS is a roughly binary world split between the muscular roaming murderers and the hapless, regular people trying to survive their grim existence. Berserk injects a much starker component by locating the grisly realities of household abuse, refusing to portray the average family as uniformly faultless, saintly individuals. Jill’s father is an embittered alcoholic who abuses both his wife and daughter, and Rosine’s father does the same to her. Miura’s Berserk, unlike FotNS, is a disturbing — yet sadly realistic — world where even average individuals embody the same cruelty of their environment, where horror is focalized within the everyday, as well. Showing that disenfranchised, suffering individuals are capable of continuing cycles of abuse gives Berserk a nuanced edge that sets it apart from other shounen/seinen.

Image via Dark Horse Comics

In a more overt way, the Lost Children Arc further drives home its realist message via heavily deconstructed fantasy shoujo tropes that contrast from the norm. In a show like Sailor Moon, for example, Usagi and the Sailor Guardians must transform into their magical forms, and use their magical powers to fend off demons and save their loved ones along with the Earth. Their "regular" day-to-day human selves are not enough to defeat the evil beings and trials they face. Though it’s debatable, as I could see someone referencing love and friendship as the "true" means of triumph in Sailor Moon, I see its fantastical elements as the primary vehicles through which salvation, unity, and victory is achieved.

In contrast, Berserk does the inverse and uses escapist fantasy elements and magical powers to express a disturbing, sobering message. In one sequence, Jill is horrified that the demon elves actually kill each other in their mock warfare activities, and Rosine tells her they’re simply "playing human" in those games. Here, Miura uses the fantastical, mystical environment of Rosine and her misty valley to reenact and highlight the gruesome realities of human cruelty. In this way, fantasy is a vehicle to point toward the grim, bare facts of human reality, rather than the typical usage of fantasy as an escape from the hard truths of our existence. However, even though Miura uses Rosine’s fantastical powers as a means to communicate the ugliness of human behavior, he simultaneously adds a sympathetic layer to her character that expresses a deeply compassionate look at how enduring exploitation can easily reproduce horror and suffering.

The maltreatment and alienation that led Rosine to sacrifice her parents and become a terrifying demonic being feel very understandable given the circumstances of her life. Although Rosine’s actions are utterly indefensible, the manga still invites a somewhat compassionate reading of her character. It’s hard not to feel some degree of empathy for Rosine, a young girl who simply longed to live in a better world where adults did not beat her and make others suffer needlessly. Gaining power with the Behelit was an anguished cry from her inconsolable heart that understandably — though not justifiably — rejected the endless harshities of life.

Finally, Miura creates further sympathetic nuance around this unique take on fantasy the moment Rosine dies. Rosine personally identified with a fairytale about a lonely outcast child named Peekaf and expressed deep sorrow that she found no elves when she visited the Misty Valley. Puck — the Elf that follows Guts and provides much-needed comedic relief throughout all of Berserk — reveals that Elves likely did live in the Misty Valley, and his very existence proves the meaning of the story of tragic Peekaf. Rosine experiences a brief blip of comfort in her last moments as she tearfully realizes the fantasy story she clung to for dear life was not entirely false or meaningless. Here Miura adds another layer of complexity by reminding us that make-believe has traces of important truths, and those fantastical narratives can still help us even if the reality of life isn’t as bright or as happy as we hoped.

Image via Dark Horse Comics

In addition to the complexity given to both secondary "regular" characters and antagonists, Berserk uses Guts to defy common tropes of male shonen protagonists. Unlike the rather "righteous" stoic purity of someone like Kenshiro, Guts is gleefully ruthless against his enemies and does some dastardly stuff to achieve a win. Throughout the arc, Guts uses Jill as a hostage, almost slices her in half, and then kills what turns out to be demonic versions of formerly human children. This makes Guts appear to be more of a "villain" on the surface than even Rosine and her elves, which is a rather uncommon inversion within the world of shonen. Jill outright refers to Guts as the one who looked more like a "terrifying monster" at the end of Volume 15, and Farnese and her men are all convinced that Guts is the feared Hawk of Darkness, an ominous harbinger of world chaos. Despite this, Miura graces Guts with immense in-depth emotional development and refuses to keep him in a stationary, one-dimensional box.

In one example, Guts recognizes the bruises on Jill’s body with an empathetic look, having also been victimized by a surrogate father figure named Gambino. At the end of the arc, Guts tells Jill to look around him at all the darkness, and tells Jill with tenderness, “There is no paradise for you to escape to.” Guts says she’ll only find a battlefield, and tells Jill to return to the personal battlefield that is her life. Both these moments carefully and touchingly imbue Guts with a compassionate side beneath his veil of ruthlessness, giving him a level of sympathetic intricacy more common to shoujo characters. I love most shonen protagonists, but I admit their emotional palette is often woefully limited to masculinist tenacity/stoicism. This makes a figure like Guts stand out all the more due to his multifaceted, organic character development.

In the last scene of the arc, Jill remarks after Guts leaves that "the mist was pushed out by the flames," leaving only a clear view that did not possess the spectacle of flying in the sky with Rosine. Jill realizes she can’t be as violent as Guts or run away like Rosine, but she can at least try "crying and shouting and biting" her way through, and "maybe change something." These last words by Jill highlight the most powerful message of the arc: The world is overwhelmingly cruel, but so long as we can accept and address it with eyes clear and open, there is hope to survive and live to see a better day. For me, I have never seen another shonen or shoujo express this notion with the same audacity, depth, and idiosyncrasy as Berserk. I think I'll carry Miura’s words through my own battlefield. What do you think Berserk does best as a manga? Which Berserk arc is your favorite? Let me know in the comments below!

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dishonoredrpg · 4 years

Photo

Congratulations, KAY! You’ve been accepted for the role of THE LOVERS with the faceclaim of BIANCA ROJAS. There is something so undeniably soft about Cleo that makes her likable without seeming too indulgent. Her affection for The World and acknowledgment of her place in the way of things is so... I want to say, hm, gentle, lovely, peace-inducing. I immediately felt calm and this feeling continued throughout the application, like all the pieces just clicked right into place. From her silence into childhood to her first realization of love at sixteen, everything about Cleo is painted in pretty pastel colors and beautiful shades -- she does not hide from the harsh cruelties of the world that she lives in, but she’s learning to grow into them, and to me, that’s very exciting.

Please review the CHECKLIST and send your blog in within 24 hours.

OOC

NAME: Kay

PRONOUNS: She/her/hers

AGE: 25

TIMEZONE, ACTIVITY LEVEL: PST, I’ve had a little trouble getting on the dash in other groups due to my muse escaping me and everything else going on in the world, but I’d say I’m able to get on the dash at least twice a week. I’m also always available on Discord to plot and discuss things about the group with other players.

ANYTHING ELSE?: UWU LOVE U GOOSIE

IN CHARACTER

SKELETON: The Lovers

NAME: Cleo Sepherene Nystrom - Since Cleo is more of a casual name, I feel like most would refer to her as Sepherene except for those who are particularly close to her.

FACECLAIM: Okay, so don’t hate me for this but I’m going to suggest four fc’s and the reasons why I think they fit best and I’m leaving it up to you. I know, I’m the worst but I truly believe any of these four ladies embody what I have pictured for Cleo. I’ll start with Alexa Demie. Looking at Alexa, she gives me the perfect mixture of soft but unyielding. When I look at Alexa and think of her in terms of Cleo, I can see soft reassurances coming from her mouth and being whispered to The World while they’re holding hands and smiling at each other. She’s just got That Look. Mishti Rahman is another fc that I think works fantastically for Cleo. Just like Alexa, she gives me the vibes I was picturing when reading the skeleton and I can totally see her smiling and watching over The World like a woman in LOVE. Also, those eyes of hers? I can picture her full attention on them when the rest of the room is packed. Next, Tati Gabrielle gives me similar vibes like Alexa does. She isn’t what most people would think of as soft, but I can picture her braiding the others hair and sticking flowers in it while telling them a story. Lastly, Bianca Rojas is a face that I think really embodies Cleo. She gives off the exact vibes I’m going off when thinking of Cleo which are soft, pouty, and pretty. I could picture people sitting around her and listening to her laugh or telling a story. She also gives off the vibe that there’s something going on beneath the surface and that she’s not so one dimensional.

If I had to pick a top two it would be Alexa and Bianca! And if I had to pick between the two of those, I would go with Bianca.

AGE: 23

DETAILS: When it comes to The Lovers, it was easy for me to fall in love with them right away. It’s very obvious that they’re soft, but more than that, they wear it as armor. It’s easy for others to be hard and mean and brutal. But when it comes to Cleo, it’s harder to be soft in a world filled with so much blood and horror. It’s harder to sit there and whisper sweet things to keep those around her happy. She understands why the people around her are that way, she knows that they’ve done things that have caused them to be the ways that they are, but in a world that’s filled with blood and horror and lies, someone has to be the one that makes them smile. If not her, then who? But more than that, she uses this to her advantage. Those around her would never think twice if they let their secrets spill while they were within earshot. She gathers these truths and holds them in her mind until the correct moment comes; it’s why her hair’s so big, it’s full of secrets.

Even with that being said, she’s much more than just a lady-in-waiting. Her dedication to The World truly amazed me. Yes, she’s in love with them. And yes, she would do anything they asked. But, her dedication to them is more than that. It’s a bone deep dedication that people write songs about. It reminded me very much of the relationship between Achilles and Patrolous and how dedicated they were to the other. Call her young, call her stupid, but Cleo would do anything to make sure the other is safe and happy. And personally, I think that’s an important part of who she is. Dedication is a rare quality at times and for it to bloom so easily in Cleo is something I personally admire.

A lot of The Lovers skeleton revolves around The World, and while I absolutely love their connection and the fact that they’re such a big part of who she is, Cleo is more than just that. She’s a whole person that comes off as one dimensional to a lot of people, but if you look just beneath the surface you can see that she has her own motives and thoughts and plans. When left to her own devices, she’s someone that walks the castle and figures out how the best way to get from a to b, she learns where the best hidden spots are, and she lets her fingers trail along the walls just because she can.

Lastly, I resonate a lot with her coming from a different class and becoming a lady-in-waiting, or at least someone in a high social standing/class. Not that I’m a lady-in-waiting in the least bit, but the trope of coming from one class to a higher and succeeding is something that I personally connect with. Even though she was picked and was given the permission to be The World's right hand woman, she was able to succeed in that role. She was able rise above what others might’ve thought possible of her. It makes me excited to see where else she goes and how far she rises, putting anyone elses doubts about her to rest.

BACKGROUND:

You are brought into this world silent and unyielding. Your voice is something your parents sought for from the moment you were born until the moment they send you off. They try to coax syllables from your lips, but each time they’re met with a stare and silence. They wonder if God has cursed them in some way and that you’ll never speak. Perhaps you were born without vocal chords because of something their ancestors have done and God has come to collect.

You can barely walk when you realize keeping your voice to yourself is the best thing you can do. You see the way your siblings are treated when they speak up and you close your eyes when the inevitable happens; it happens each day and you have grown to know the signs. Staying silent is how you stay out of sight and staying out of sight is how you survive. It’s the most important thing you can learn at this age.

You are only a child when you realize the knights and nobles don’t care for you. They pass by on their horses, splashing mud on your clothes as if you’re not even standing there. When your mother asks what happened, all you can do is shake your head. It’s only when the boy next door sees it happen again does he whisper in your ear. They don’t care about us, we’re just here for them to play with. We’re not worth protecting. You shake her head at him and say he’s wrong, that they’re protecting everyone. But, you know the truth; you know he’s right.

You are 10-years-old when you remember your parents’ faces as The Empress looked at you like you weren’t good enough. You carefully avoided her eye and concentrated on your mothers instead, searching for the correct answers to the questions you’re being asked. You don’t even have a chance to speak before they’re shuffling you away and when you look back at your mother you can see she’s crying for the first time you can recall. The thought stays with you even as someone changes you out of your rags and washes your skin. Was she expecting you to scream? To run back into her arms? Or were there tears of joy that you’ll never understand? In that moment, you promise yourself to find her again and ask.

You have been at the Castle for years and yet, you still haven’t learned your lesson. Any other girl would be happy to be the lady-in-waiting for The World. But, for some reason you pout and barely speak to them. You’re being stubborn for the sake of being stubborn and the nobles around you can tell; it’s only a matter of time before The Empress throws you out for good. The others beg you to stop, to smile, to just put on a mask for the public and take it off when you’re alone. You shake them off until The World comes to your room one day, asking why you hate them. It’s not hate, you say, but feeling as if you were not good enough to be there.

You are barely a teenager when your cheeks flush from such a simple touch. Perhaps this is the beginning of a song that plays for years or a fairytale that your sisters would tell you at night before bed. How a simple brush of their fingertips against your wrist could elicit such a reaction is something that makes you stop walking and stare at the spot. They notice your absence from their side and call your arm, reaching out for your hand again. It takes less than a seconds deliberation for you to lace your fingers through theirs as if nothing happened.

You are 16-years-old when you realize what love truly is. It’s in the soft touches as you grab onto their hand to help them from a seat. It’s in the silence of your stare at you watch their back, giving them a flicker of a smile when they turn to you. It’s in the laughter that only the two of you share on the nights spent tangled in each other's limbs. This is what love is and you’re willing to drown yourself in it if it’s with them. You realize how ridiculous it sounds, but matters of the heart are something that you always hold true.

You blink and you’re an adult being pampered and cared for while surrounded by riches. Something about it feels so wrong, but you can’t place what it is. There is something in the way others look at you and see nothing that makes your skin crawl. The passing glances and whispered phrases are not lost on you even if they think they’re subtle. But still you ignore them until you’re alone and then, only then, do you allow yourself the catharsis of sobbing into your pillow.

PLOT IDEAS:

1. I’ll keep my eyes fixed on the sun. || Okay so the first plot idea I want to start with obviously has to do with The World. As stated on the main, they’re in love with each other. Straight up in love, not gals being pals. But, Cleo is in so deep that I would love to explore how far she’s willing to go for them. Love for them is something that has burned so hard for so long that I don’t think she could put it out if she tried. But, just how far will she go for them? Is she willing to sneak around and listen to secrets? Is she willing to break others hearts? Is she even willing to kill? For The World, I think she’d be able to. I want to see how far she’s willing to go for them before she breaks.

2. Looking for the answers in the pouring rain. || Where Cleo is soft and her mind is often curious, The Wheel of Fortune seems to want the opposite. Not only does their magic absolutely fascinate her, but they fascinate her as a person overall. She wants to know their story, who they are, where they’re from and why they’re here now. There’s something about them that keeps Cleo coming back and trying to learn more about them - whether it’s a dangerous thing to be tempted into their circle or not, Cleo wants to know more and more and more. At the very minimum she’s happy to call them a friend, willing to lend an ear and listen to their woes. But more than that, she wants to know who - or what - lurks just below the surface.

3. Got so much to lose, got so much to prove. || Cleo isn’t blind. Just because she smiles at Temperance and greets them like a friend, doesn’t mean she can’t see the way they look at her when they think she isn’t looking. Her reaction is never short of ‘good, let them be jealous.’ But, that doesn’t stop the voice in the back of her mind from whispering that they’ll take The World from her - and that terrifies her. As someone who thrives on being soft and kind, I would love to see how far she’s willing to go to keep Temperance away from The World, or at least away from the type of relationship she has with them. Let!!! Her!!! Be!!! Mean!!!

4. Come a little closer and you’ll see. || As someone with no magical ability, Cleo’s interest in that is something I would love to develop. This wasn’t alluded to in her skeleton or anything like that, but she has a natural curiosity for things that she doesn’t have or know about - and whether that curiosity hurts her or helps her along the way is interesting to me. Idk this plot isn’t that ~ worked out ~ just yet but I know I want to explore the curious part of her mind that’s like a moth to a flame.

5. Shake me down, not a lot of people left around. || As two people from similar backgrounds, The Magician is someone that Cleo just can’t forget about. Personally, I feel like she wants to hold onto them because they’re a tangible part of her past and because of that, she wants to help them. That being said, I think she can easily get annoyed with them and that is something I would love to expand on and explore. What in particular annoys her? How far will she let their slip ups happen before she gets annoyed and snaps at them? Is The Magician the person that finally pushes her buttons enough that she shows something other than kindness on her face? And what happens after she does snap?

6. Oh no, there ain’t no rest for the wicked until we close our eyes for good. || I’d be lying if I said Cleo hasn’t entertained the idea of listening to Death and their ideas for the future. She, of course, holds The World’s life as something precious and if that means aligning with Death in order to protect them, she’s willing to do it. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t excited for Cleo to have the chance to say fuck it and kill someone - but, I’d also be lying if I said I wasn’t excited for the aftermath of that and how she reacts to hurting someone. The potential!!!! I love it.

CHARACTER DEATH: LISTEN, you know I’m down for a character death - especially if it’s my own. So it goes, babey. Killing Cleo off is actually something I’d be particular to if it arises in the plot because of the things that could come from it - especially when it comes to their position within the grand scheme of things.

WRITING SAMPLE

It doesn’t take long for someone to notice the red stains around Cleo’s mouth, a thumb pressing ever so softly to wipe at it. “It’s from the cherries,” she says as she leans into the touch. This is easy, letting others clean the stains from her mouth as she does the same to The World. They’ve spent hours lounging on cushions made of silk and feathers, only the finest materials used to pamper the ladies. Just because they’re the ones in the background, the ones that are seen but never heard, doesn’t mean that they aren't treated as an extension of royalty. It’s something that Cleo has never truly wrapped her head around and yet, she fits into the mask like it’s her own skin.

Maybe this is who she’s meant to be all along. Or maybe this is all a dream and she’ll wake up at any moment to stare at the bleak ceiling above her bed.

Cleo reaches into the bowl and searches for the perfect pick. “They’re finally in season again. Have you tried this kind?” Now it’s her turn to press against the others mouth, a cherry just barely pushed between their teeth as her own thumb wipes at the juice. She watches as they bite into the flesh and smiles when they hum their approval. This reaction is why she’s here; the approval of those around her are what keep her position solidified. These small acts of softness keep these ladies on her side. There’s no hope for her to stay in her position if she doesn’t have some form of loyalty from them; in this world the only form of currency that matters is loyalty.

This is where she’s told she belongs, here with the other ladies as they’re dressed in linens, even if she doesn’t believe it.

Laughter filters into her mind and breaks Cleo from her reverie. She knows it’s dangerous to let her mind wander into the past. And yet, she remembers the horror on her mother's face when they took her away from her. It was as if they ripped her out from her chest and left her with nothing but a hole. Cleo wonders if she would look the same if The World was ripped from her arms. “They’re delicious, aren’t they? They’re my favorite.” It’s easy for her to slip back into the idea she’s supposed to be. They believe the idea of her with each smile she gives them, sugary and sweet and polite. She wonders what they’re capable of doing.

The taste in her mouth turns from tart to ash, a bitter reminder that she’s different from the rest of these ladies and that will always be true.

EXTRAS

Here’s a mock blog and a Pinterest board! I didn’t have time to make a playlist for her, but I listened to a lot of Glass Animals while writing her app and I feel like the songs Gooey and Black Mambo are very ~ her ~. And as always, I have hcs for you:

Contrary to most, Cleo loves to wear dark, flowy outfits covered in stars and gold embroidery. When she does wear lighter colors, they very much puffy sleeves and bows though. Peep her Pinterest for some examples.

She loves to spend time in the greenhouse. Being surrounded by flowers reminds her of her childhood.

Her room is filled with so many candles it’s definitely a fire hazard.

She has a milk bath literally every day. I wish I was joking but she likes to treat herself and that’s that.

While I don’t think tattoos are a thing, I like to think she sometimes draws little flowers or birds or abstract shapes on her wrists for fun.

#accepted #accepted: the lovers

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thewaywedo33 · 7 years

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Wynonna Earp Episode 2X04 Thoughts and Faves

Every week so far during Season 2 I finish the episode thinking the show has leveled up, and wooooo doggy, was that the case again this week. There was a lot to unpack and mull over in the hour of television, and here are just a handful of things that stood out to me:

That opening scene, man, it was just gorgeous. From the haunting music to the cinematography, Waverly’s slow-mo walk, the interaction between the Earp sisters (that small, frustrated sob from Waverly, good god), everything was done so well and pulled you right into the feel of the episode. From the start you knew something big was coming, but you didn’t know what, and the payoff was phenomenal.

I liked Jeremy from his introduction, but the BBD scene between him, Wynonna and Waverly really cemented things for me. I love the interplay between him and Wynonna especially. “Close your mouth, Jeremy.” It’s so great. This scene really has me looking forward to the inevitable episode when Jeremy has to make decisions and take actions to ‘prove’ himself to Wynonna, which will result in him becoming a solidified part of the group. He took steps in this episode, but you know it’s coming.

Speaking of that BBD scene, Waverly felt more like our Waverly in that scene than she has in awhile. And I love the way Wynonna relents, despite her reservations, to her sister joining Lucado’s BBD Op, basically because of Waverly’s face. She can tell how much it means to Waverly, so she gives in.

The way Rosita says ‘Thunderation’ when she mocks Doc is a joy. I kind of want it to be my new ringtone. Much like Jeremy, I’ve enjoyed Rosita so far. I look forward to finding out more about her. What is it that has her trying to seduce Jeremy in one moment, then trying to leverage Dolls’ serum for something in the next (which backfires, because messing with a demonic dragon-being while he’s in withdrawal is never a good idea). Why does she need protection? What exactly is she trying to get free from?

The Wynonna and Nicole scene was one of my favorites of the episode. I’m on the record already with my belief that it highlights the respect Wynonna has for Nicole. Wynonna doesn’t do apologies often, and if she does, it’s normally awkward and quip riddled. This wasn’t. It felt like an acknowledgement that Nicole is an important part of her sister’s life, and her opinion on Waverly’s behavior and general well-being can be trusted. Like many people, I’ve loved the idea of a WynHaught brotp since episode 1X07, and this felt like further development towards that.

Lounge singer Waverly is a good look, and damn can Dominique sing, but my main thought during the scene was ‘who are all these people in a dark, smoky lounge during the day?’. It’s winter, so the sun would set pretty early, yet it’s fully light out when Waverly is singing. I guess there really isn’t much to do in Purgatory.

Regarding the Bading Bading scene, I find it interesting that Waverly was willing to use the ‘Tacos are tasty’ code to call in the BBD backup (not knowing there wasn’t any), but she’s upset when Wynonna shows up and blows her cover. It highlights how much Waverly wants agency and a form of independence. She wants so badly for Wynonna to view her as an equal, the way she feels Wynonna viewed Willa. Waverly is tired of Wynonna having to come to her rescue, and it makes me wonder if we’re building towards Waverly being the one to rescue Wynonna at an opportune moment this season.

The “You know when my birthday is, right?” call back to season 1 hurts. Wynonna is the one Earp Waverly would expect to remember her birthday (we know Ward didn’t). You know Waverly is going to tuck that interaction away with the rest of her fears revolving around inferiority and not belonging.

Underrated Earp sister moment of the episode: “No, damn it.” -Waverly, “Stupid bitch.” - Wynonna, directed at Siri. Simultaneous expletive dropping Earp sisters are a favorite of mine.

Tucker is super creepy and extremely manipulative, and his scene with Nicole had my spine straightening. God I hope Nicole is the one to ultimately take that weasel down by the end of the season. It certainly feels like they’re setting that up. We know Wynonna will be required to deal with faux Mercedes and Beth (insert woeful ode to the real Mercedes we hardly knew, but loved), but let Officer Haught remove the walking embodiment of patriarchal bullshit from our screens, please.

I love that Nicole is getting her own storylines outside of her relationship with Waverly. I know there was no Wayhaught this episode, but I’m honestly fine with that. I love the character of Nicole Haught all on her own, especially as they develop her more and more as an individual. She plays so well off other characters and with multiple dynamics that it would be a crime not to utilize it. Not to mention, I feel like seeing her in her own element only strengthens the Wayhaught relationship. It’s like when you meet a couple in real life, and for awhile you only know them as an entity, but when you finally have the chance to interact with each person one on one it cements for you why they work so well together. Understanding the individuals helps you understand the couple in a multi-dimensional way. I love it. Give Nicole scenes with ALL the citizens of Purgatory, as far as I’m concerned.

I adored when Doc showed up at the lounge. His little ‘woohoo’ chuckle and the way he takes the time to scoop the hat up off the floor during a gun fight are a delight. I felt like we were given a glimpse of him in his 1800′s form, as Wyatt’s right hand man, irreverently wielding the moniker of one of the greatest gunslingers to ever live.

Sign me up for the begrudging respect Doc and Dolls display to each other. There is nothing like two competitors acknowledging each other’s strengths and showing reciprocal admiration, despite having reservations.

And now, to the scene. You know the one. If you’re like me, you didn’t see the final moments of the show coming. That means something to me, because I almost always guess the twist or see the surprise before it happens in shows and movies. It’s a testament to the show taking it’s time over the first four episodes in building the Waverly possession storyline. Everything felt like it was hurtling towards a painful showdown between Wynonna and a youngest Earp sister who no longer possesses any of her kindness or care. But then, oh but then, the show switched the field in a single moment.

Something that really jumps out to me in this scene is when the Goo demon states how strong Waverly is. We know she’s a brave little toaster, but this almost seems to be more than that. When Wynonna says she won’t let the demon kill her, the Goo demon says “If only”, which suggests to me it would be difficult to do so. Maybe it’s just the writers’ testament to Waverly’s strength of character and perseverance, maybe it’s more. We’ll have to wait and see, but I loved the ambiguity.

I think I ended up typing SCROFANO’S FACE about five times while taking notes on this episode, but it really is a sight to behold in the final scene. When she holds up Peacemaker to Waverly and it glows, you can clearly see on her face the realization and the pain it brings that she failed to protect another sister. Oh Wynonna, baby, in a town full of demons, with your family curse hanging over your heads, you can’t protect Waverly the way you want to, it’s impossible, but I feel how desperately you need to try.

Moments later, Wynonna is clearly freaked out by seeing her sister possessed, so she stands stock still, which is rare for her. It tells you she’s desperately trying to get a read on the situation to figure out how she can save her sister without harming her. It gives the Goo Demon the moment it needs to make the contact required for a body transfer. And thus, a true ‘I did not see that coming, WTF’, moment is born.

I wonder if the Goo can sense the internal strife and darkness in Wynonna. When Gooverly says “It’d be so easy” it seems to suggest it won’t be nearly as difficult to possess Wynonna as it is Waverly. It could also be referencing her extra powers, but I’ll be very curious to see how in control the Goo manages to be next episode.

Some random fave dialogue from the Episode:

“I’d maim a duck for a spoon right now.” -Who hurt you Wynonna, and why did it give you a dislike for ducks?

“More like crap cakes.” - A classic Waverly quip that I’ve missed with all the demon possession going on.

“You can start fires with your mind?!” - This was one of those places I typed SCROFANO’S FACE, because it was like getting to behold the face of a dog who’s just been told they’re a good girl and getting a treat.

“There’s no one in the bushes?!” - Why is this show so top-shelf?

“My sister’s in there you bitch!” - Protective punch-throwing Wynonna can be on my screen anytime.

“Bad news, they ran out of pumpkin spice.” - Of course Jeremy is a pumpkin spice guy, nothing has ever seemed more in character to me.

“Asscapade.” - Actual dialogue, or Melanie Scrofano adlib? Inquiring minds want to know.

I have to finish this off with a reference to the 2X05 preview. We see Wynonna wielding Peacemaker just fine at one point, so, either the Goo makes another jump, or Wynonna is able to stave it off at times, allowing her to handle the gun. We know Peacemaker is sentient in some way, and can sense when the demon in someone is in control, but doesn’t seem to be able to sense anything when the demon is dormant. It’s evidenced by Dolls, and by Waverly being able to hold the gun in 2X03.

I’ll be curious how it plays out. We know there’s more twists coming, Andras warned us to ‘Just wait’, so I’m preparing myself. I can’t wait to see Melanie handle goo-ified Wynonna.

Also, the Homestead seems to get pretty trashed in the episode, so prayer circle that we get tool-belt wearing Nicole Haught and Doc Holliday fixing the place up afterwards.

#Wynonna Earp #episode 2x04 #waverly earp #Nicole Haught #doc holliday #This episode was such a good

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violet--minds-blog · 7 years

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‘The Bold Type’ and Surface-Level Intersectionality

Piper Gibson | July 26, 2017

Long time, no write, I know. It’s hard, as a mentally ill person working and going to school and trying to stay politically aware in these trying times, to update this blog. But I’m back with another post, because I am annoyed.

I’ve caught up with The Bold Type, a new Freeform series which is about three friends who work at a women’s magazine and is currently airing its first season. As I’m writing this there’s four episodes, but each is packed with so much that rubs me the wrong way that I’ve been incessantly livetweeting on my (private) Twitter about it. I don’t even know where to start, so I suppose I’ll begin with a few things I like.

I like that it’s a women-driven show. I like that we get to see women in power and at the top of their game. I like that the side characters are kinda diverse. I like that it passes the Bechdel test in a major, major way. I like that they are at least trying to come from an intersectional feminist perspective. That’s actually why I’m really frustrated with this show, but I’ll talk about that more later.

Firstly. Jane, the kind-of main character (To me, she’s clearly the main protagonist, but it could be argued that her, Kat, and Sutton are all protagonists) is boring. I’m sorry. She just is the human embodiment of plain yogurt. I cannot bring myself to care about her budding career or mediocre hetero love life. I don’t care when she wins, and I don’t care when she loses. I guess to some, her story might be interesting, but I just... don’t... care. I feel basically the same about Sutton, but she’s a teense more likable because the glimpses of her backstory spark an interest in me. For Jane, I think the writers were going for a Gifted-Child-Who-Grew-Up-To-Need-To-Please-Authority-Figures vibe, which I can relate to, except I see basically nothing of myself in her. Maybe it’s the bland cishet girl thing, but she’s not doing it for me.

My main problem with this show is that they focus on Plain Jane (low-hanging fruit, I know, but I had to do it), who has the personality of a lightly-salted potato chip, way more than they focus on Kat, who is IMO the most interesting person on the show. For a series that’s at least kind of trying to be diverse, it’s frustrating to me that 2/3 of the main characters are white and cis and heterosexual, but anyway. They have two cis, heterosexual, white woman main characters and then a black woman main character who is questioning her sexuality. Who do you think a large portion of the viewership for a show that claims to be feminist is gonna gravitate towards? Not the pasty heteros, probably.

Kat is dynamic, and interesting, and good at her job, not to mention gorgeous as all hell. Yet they give her storylines like "Black Girl Who Grew Up Upper-Middle Class Has to Have Poverty Explained to Her by White Girl” and “Black Girl Living In Modern-Day America Somehow Doesn’t Understand Why A WOC Immigrant Might Not Want to Interact With Police” and “Black Girl Who Works at a Feminist Magazine Doesn’t Seem to Know About Bisexuality For Some Reason” and y’all. It’s honestly so tiring. I understand that Kat is the one with the majority of the interactions with Adena to set up the queer romance between them (which I love and appreciate) but this also means Kat is their point-girl to explain xenophobia and immigration issues to the audience.

I would like that they’re showing interracial ignorance issues, because people of color can be ignorant about and discriminatory towards other people of color, but I don’t think that’s what they set out to do. I think they wanted this to be a cool, hip, intersectional show, so they do a few kind of performative scenes where the Muslim lesbian woman on a work visa explains to another woman of color why she doesn’t take her hijab off or why she ran when the police showed up after a man assaulted her. At one point, Kat’s white boss actually explains to her that Adena ran from the cops because she could’ve gotten deported, which Kat hadn’t even considered somehow. What this actually does is tell the audience that Kat is ignorant on issues pertaining to women of color, and since Jane and Sutton literally never have race discussions beside one throw-away line about the Civil War from Jane, it feels like race is a topic secluded to only a few WOC characters. The women of color do all the literal and metaphorical emotional labor on this topic on the show, and the white women characters don’t have to deal with it. Which, I guess, is realistic to actual race relations between women, but I would like it to be acknowledged on-screen. For Kat to have to be the person with the brunt of the ignorance on xenophobia and queer issues while her white friends don’t have to deal with it is upsetting, to say the least. Because the show doesn’t address it, to me, it feels like them saying that white women are just so much better and more knowledgeable about these things than women of color, which is just... straight up wrong. I’d like at least one scene of Sutton and Jane not understanding something about race and Kat saying “Just Google it, I’m not gonna do the emotional labor for the both of you,” please, for the love of God.

This isn’t even all of my problems with the show. It revolves way too much around romance and sex for media that seems to say women’s lives don’t have to revolve around romance and sex, for one thing. Both Jane and Sutton’s love interests are white assholes. Sutton’s boyfriend works for the same company as her and as such, is in a position of power over her. At least the show acknowledges that if this were to get out, the high-up board member boyfriend would not be the one in trouble and probably fired. But he’s still touted as this super sweet guy who tries really hard, despite him talking down to Sutton about how young she is and how he “remembers feeling like” there was no time to accomplish things like he’s so much more worldly and intelligent than her. Ew. Dump him, sweetheart.

Jane’s love interest is the. Literal. Worst. His name is like, Tyler or Aaron or something douchey, and he’s my least favorite guy archetype. Tyler-Aaron works for the “rival” men’s magazine about sex and relationships, with stunning article titles like “How To Make Your Girlfriend Fuck Like a Porn Star.” I know. Obviously, White Feminist Jane hates him at first. But I am a smart person, so when I saw them get in a disagreement in which he condescendingly calls her article “cute” and she storms off, I said, “Oh no. They’re gonna fuck, aren’t they.” Because that’s what happens every time a man and a woman dislike each other in popular media. A woman thinks a man is sexist? Yeah, eventually she’s gonna see the error of her ways and they’re gonna have sex.

See, what bothers me about Tyler-Aaron is that they made him a Secret Male Feminist. He tells Jane, “You haven’t read my articles, have you?” after she calls them sexist, and everyone tells her that he’s a pretty good writer and not a bad guy. He told her there’s nothing he finds sexier than a woman speaking her mind, and he wrote one good article about how women feeling like they need to fake orgasms is the fault of men, so he really schooled her, huh? Jane stands there with her mouth agape as Secret Male Feminist struts away smirking, and then within a day or so she’s kissing him. Yawn. Puke. Etc, etc.

This storyline doesn’t work. It doesn’t work because he already was a dick. He already condescended her writing, said she was sexy when she called him out for legitimate reasons, and wrote shitty sexist articles. Him writing one good article or being nice to her now doesn’t change that. And making him teach her something about feminism or prove her ideas wrong is akin to gaslighting. Women are already told every single day that we’re imagining all this discrimination and violence, that sexism is basically over and we need to shut up, that Congress passed X thing or a movie had Y plot so we “won,” and it’s time to move on. We’re told this despite seeing and experiencing this violence on every level, starting with interpersonal and going up to governmental and global. Tyler-Aaron apparently being an okay guy instead of the sexist douche Jane once thought he was (and I still know he is) is basically the show saying, “Hey, crazy feminist, not all men are bad, and some can be feminist, so calm down, okay? Your gut-reaction of a man being sexist and condescending is a fake reaction and you’re just making things up and jumping to conclusions.” It’s gross. And I expect better.

That’s why I dislike the show. It’s clearly trying, at least a tiny little bit, to be feminist and intersectional. It could be a really great, diverse, ground-breaking show. Instead, it is still so limited, racist, and surface-level white feminist-y. Most of what it tries to do, it fails. And, okay, I recognize that it’s important that a show like this, with a large majority of female characters, even exists. But they’re doing a disservice to characters like Kat, a lot of characters are boring and one-dimensional, and they haven’t even mentioned issues like trans or disability rights. It’s just not great writing, folks. Personally, when a show claims to be feminist, I expect it to follow through.

#piper gibson #blog #text #essay #article #media

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likewaterintodryearth · 7 years

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Send me a character & I’ll answer the following about them! : Eddis Helen from the Queen’s Thief

Thanks @throwaninkpot for the ask... I LOVE HELEN!!! I’m excited to write about her and I might not to be able to stop myself from profiling Eugenides, Irene, Costis, Sophos and Kamet while I’m at it too.

general opinion: From the options below, she’s not my number one but she ties right up there for second place along with Eugenides and Sophos and increasingly, Costis and Kamet. Attolia Irene is the actual love of my life. fall in a hole and die | don’t like them | eh | they’re fine I guess | like them! | love them | actual love of my life hotness level: More than anything and anyone, I love effeminate butches. I love women on the short side. I love athleticism, physical and spacial competence. I love muscular, built women who’s shoulders are distinctly broader than their hips and yet they have the tight waist and pert ass that are distinctly female. I love dark skin and my head canon image of Helen as being mixed race black and white. I love a queen who doesn’t need to wear a crown constantly or be sitting on a throne to be embody the energy of a sovereign. I love a woman who can be all aspects of the divine feminine and do it in pants who can also still wear a gown to a formal dinner. All the detail about Helen being “ugly” I feel like is intended to refreshingly contrast with the archetype, and build on the contrast with Irene. I appreciate that it gives Eugenides a way to give her shit about it the way siblings/family do to each other and that creates this familiar, jovial intimacy that I love and also contrasts with Irene’s extreme formality to the people closest to her. And it makes how Irene can relax that stiff formality as she thaws all the more satisfying. I can’t imagine Helen ugly. I love the magus’s diplomacy, when he says she’s simply non-traditional. I LOVE non-traditional beauty. I LOVE that I get to have all the things I LOVE and respect and admire in life in one character. get away from me | meh | neutral | theoretically hot but not my type | pretty hot | gorgeous! | 10/10 would bang hogwarts house: Umm... ravenclaw is coming to mind. Or gryffindor but I feel like in choosing gryffindor it’s like choosing the white majority or something... like it’s thoughtless. there’s an uncomfortable bias in the question even though the Hogwarts Houses were also created for satisfying literary contrast. gryffindor | slytherin | ravenclaw | hufflepuff best quality: I love that although Helen’s character is the least flawed or vulnerable of the 6 protagonists, she still has a compelling personal story and romance arc, where wholeness being the root of attraction between Helen and Sophos contrasts beautifully with the brokenness being the root of attraction between Irene and Eugenides. I cannot talk about Eddis Helen without also talking about her country: I adore the idea of the somewhat utopian Eddis and its culture protected in its mountains amidst the rest of the countries being comparable shit shows still caught in hegemonic, patriarchal binary. I love that Eddis is portrayed as being the closest to abolishing that binary and how the more spiritual nature of the people and their connection with the natural world propels this. I love how Eddis is considered the poorest nation and the most dependent on trade and yet the resourcefulness of the state abounds: in Helen’s implied relationship with the pirates, in how military strategy is interwoven with an engineer’s understanding of the land and rivers. I love how “all the finest linens in the lands come from Eddis.” Eddis really reminds me of where I’m from in the U.S., Boulder, Colorado. Eddis is to Boulder as Attolia or the Mede are to the rest of America. I love how the borrowed chair Helen sits on for the ceremonies in Attolia is fancier than even Helen’s most formal throne-- I love how Helen is so casual-- she is a “plain person,” and her palace reflects that .... how she and Eddis ain’t got no time for pretentious grandiosity: and YET in stunning contrast, pretentious grandiosity is totally Gen’s style and it WORKS for him because it’s part of his deception and facade and probably used to intentionally create distraction so he can ALSO get shit done... I mean... he went to war against Attolia with 11 FAKE WOODEN CANON (if that’s not military pretention and grandiosity in the BEST of ways, turning those two very ideas from negative to extremely positive, I don’t know what is.) So I end up loving BOTH opposing ideas in BOTH characters: Simplicity in Helen for Grandiosity in Gen. It’s a amazing feeling. ANYWAY back to Helen.. I love how she’s so wise, balanced and sensible and yet she still has enough spitfire in her (”It’s good to see you storming around again.” says Gen) to intimidate. I love how she is not fragile like Irene is and yet enough vulnerability in her to want to hug her when she feels sad and angry and guilty after Gen loses his hand, when she figures out what being in love with Sophos really means, a moment too late. worst quality: NOTHING! ship them with: Sophos of course. I love the subtle contrast between how MWT describes Gen/Irene intimacy and affection with Helen’s and Sophos’s. With Gen and Irene, there’s a lot of more elegant, delicate hand holding and face cupping that certainly represents the fragile nature of their still developing trust in each other, their hesitancy, and healing of their trauma.... whereas, Helen and Sophos have this un-traumatized, un-shattered incredibly direct, comfortable aspect with each other and they’re into hugging and holding and lots of skin contact and more full-bodied embrace with each other that naturally evolves from still-whole trust and probably having had supportive family units as children: even though Sophos had plenty of issues with his father, it seems he was very affectionate with his mother and sisters, and I even in the midst of nefarious cousins, I imagine Helen’s family life was similarly wholesome. I love the part in CoK where Helen laughs with her head against Sophos’s chest and he feels the vibrations of her chuckle. brotp them with: Irene. I LOVE hearing anything and everything about the budding, begrudging friendship between Irene and Helen. The scene where Irene takes Helen’s hand in quiet expression of female-to-female support... and Helen clings to it.... is one of my favorite scenes of the saga. I love that even though Helen was too focused on what was important to dwell too much on Irene’s initial petty jealousy of her (which we later find out is really not petty at all and a reflection of someone in tremendous pain).... there’s this sense that she was somewhat hurt by the childhood/adolescent discord between them too even before Irene cut off Eugenides’s hand and Helen perceived it as an attack against her and an attack against all of Eddis. I like to believe in the head canon out there that says Irene and Helen saw each other occasionally as children/princesses, often enough to feel the hole where friendship could have been and instead there was an enemy. There’s also this sense that in her own way, Irene was trying to be sincerely helpful when she gave Helen the advice on how to rule a kingdom with an iron fist (After all, so many years later, she essentially gives Sophos the same advice as she gave Helen and he actually takes it!) and an equal sense that even though it was a genuine attempt to help, Helen, undamaged by the toxicity that permeated Irene’s daily life, perceived it as more of an attack than it was meant to be. I’m sure there was a little bit if ego in Irene’s delivery of it but that ego is a by-product of always feeling lesser the other 99% of the time. Needless to say I love and adore how through Irene and Helen, the beautiful woman archetype of the ages is put to rest. In every other lacking, one-dimensional fairytale, the beautiful woman has it all and the mediocre women look on jealously. Here, it’s Irene, the feminine embodiment of all that is gorgeous and perfect on the surface seethes with envy for the woman who is celebrated and adored for everything other than her appearance. This alone, is one of the most powerful aspects of the Queen’s Thief Series. needs to stay away from: Nobody. In the same way that Attolis Eugenides takes those who trespass against him and draws them close, holds them and loves them and kisses them metaphorically, symbolically, literally and figuratively, until they can’t help but love and respect him in return (Costis, Relius, Dite, Teleus... and now “the younger Erondites” in TAT), I imagine Helen following Attolis’s example if she has not always already. misc. thoughts: Even though, like her husband Sophos, Helen doesn’t care about clothes, I hope that Helen develops a sense of style that she can feel good and confident in, even when she has to fem up for those formal dinners. I noticed that when Helen was listing for Gen, all the hardships about ruling, she says “all the clothes,” even before she says “all the appointments, consultations, formalities, and the actual substance of her position. It would mean Gen would have to find something else to give her shit about, but gone would be the days of getting “bullied” into wearing things by her attendants. And finally, how often is a marriage so “politically convenient” so... comfortable, and sweet? So compelling in its sheer contrast with the edgelord nature of Gen and Irene’s marriage.

#qtappreciation #queen's thief #characteranalysis #eddis #helen #queen of attolia #king of attolia #conspiracy of kings #thick as thieves #irene #eugenides #meganwhalenturner #sounis #sophos #sophos-x-helen

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baronfulmen · 7 years

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Story 228: Both Simpler and More Complicated

Jennie Hollis hated magic. It wasn’t the extra-dimensional monsters that reached out of the shadows to devour her – those she could manage. It was the sloppiness of it all. She could create a ball of fire and hurl it at something without breaking a sweat even though a coherent ball of flame should burn her hand, and should require fuel, and clearly had some sort of solid core but also levitated. These were non-trivial problems in theory, and it just sort of worked. Then she would try to do something simple, like negate the weak nuclear force in a small area, and it was a huge headache – literally and figuratively. There was just no rhyme or reason to it.

“This is bullshit,” she said. Jennie rested her head on her desk and tried to wallow in misery, but her little desk lamp was too bright even with her eyes closed. She thought about making the bulb blow out with magic, then thought about cloaking the whole room in darkness instead, then thought about telekinetically flipping the light switch. Then she thought about how all three of those used about the same amount of energy even though logically they shouldn’t, and she just gave up and turned the light off with her actual finger. “Bullshit!” chirped a tinny voice from across the room. “Quiet, Canary.” Canary was a lead sphere about the size of a baseball, painted yellow. Jennie was extremely proud of it, even though it embodied everything that frustrated her about magic. Imbuing the stupid ball with a rudimentary intelligence had been way too easy. Shouldn’t that be one of the hardest things of all? Canary made a loud chirping noise, and a ripple of energy passed through the room. Another extra-dimensional monster toasted. They were easy to kill, barely corporeal shadow fiends that lurched out of the walls blindly groping towards any source of magic. Jennie had spent a few months being terrified of them before she got really good at tearing them apart, and then a few months longer looking over her shoulder all the time until she had made Canary.

Canary could float along behind her, and it gave off an obnoxiously strong magical signal. Most of that magic was a rechargeable spell to kill shadow beasties, with another spell just barely preventing that from going off. Whenever a nightmare came too close it would always go for Canary first, and the second it drained any energy the spell would let loose and kill it. It was like a magical bug zapper. Jennie focused on the ball for a moment, until it made a contented whistling sound. All primed and ready to go again. It was so nice to be able to concentrate on her work without worrying about something coming up behind her. Except for the part where she hated her work. She turned the light back on again, determined to get out of her funk. On the desk in front of her were five old cell phones with dead batteries. “This is going to work. This is going to work.” Magic was energy, of a sort. It was really good at turning into other kinds of energy, like light or electricity or heat. In theory, then, she should be able to recharge these phones with magic. It just wasn’t working. Concentrating, she gently reached out to the first phone and felt the flow of magical energy surround her. The phone burst into flames. “Son of a bitch!” She got the fire extinguished, but at the cost of coating the whole top of the desk with frost. Canary giggled.

The workshop – originally something odd that was either a really small barn or a really large garage – was hazy with smoke. Jennie pried open the one window that wasn’t hopelessly painted shut, and propped the side door open. The main double doors weren’t functional, having been nailed together so she could build shelves. Jennie rented the space from her parents, and slept in the tiny loft above her work area. It was cool, and had lots of character, but it was also cold as hell in the winter and just sixty-eight feet from her parent’s house. Not for the first time, Jennie wondered if she could buy a vacant lot and magically transport the workshop there. Probably not, she thought, but for some reason she felt certain she could do it by making the whole structure walk there. Why was she picturing chicken legs? Whatever. That wouldn't work, as far as she could tell virtually nobody knew magic was real. On the off chance that this was due to some sort of global Illuminati that assassinated magic users to keep it under wraps she wasn't eager to make a building strut across town. But until she did find a good way to relocate, she also had to hide it from her parents.

Her mother walked in, as if on cue. "Sweetie, are you coming to the house?" Jennie glanced around for Canary, but it was nowhere to be found. Canary had been acting more and more on its own, which was simultaneously awesome and a little troubling. She had hidden it herself, then she had been able to tell it to hide, and now it appeared to have just figured out that mom = get out of sight. "Mom, you need to knock. I'm paying rent." "Well the door was open, sweetheart. Was... was something burning?" "One of my inventions." Jennie cringed internally every time she made that stupid excuse. "Minor electrical problem, nothing to be worried about." Her mother nodded, but looked like she planned to worry anyway. "Well. Okay. But are you coming? You know we invited our new neighbors to dinner and you said you'd join us." "Shit. I mean shoot. Sorry, mom. Um... yes. Give me ten minutes to get cleaned up, okay?" The neighbors had moved in a week ago, and looked like something out of a 1950's Sears catalog. Jennie didn't really feel like introducing herself to anyone new, but it wasn't worth saying no to her mom. "She's gone, Canary. Come on out."

Canary floated out from behind a stack of books and drifted to Jennie. "Coming to the house?" It sounded a little like Jennie's mom. "Yes, Canary. I'm going to the house for dinner. Let me look at you." She took Canary in her hand, and squinted. The spells were there, looking the same as ever. The retaining spell for the shadow zapper, then the zapper, then - woven into the lead ball itself - a complex spell to grant sentience and let Canary talk, float, and perceive the world around it. "Are you getting smarter, Canary?" Canary giggled. "I'll take that as a maybe. I just wish I understood how." Canary chirped, the same way it did when a beastie grabbed it. But there wasn't anything in the shadows, or dripping out of the air, or bubbling out of the floorboards or whatever. There was... crunching? Someone was walking up the gravel path. "Howdy, neighbor!" The he-neighbor. Jennie tried to smile, but was annoyed by the intrusion. "Oh. Hey, you want the main house. My mom and dad are getting dinner set up for you right now." "Sure, sure. Sounds great. I just saw the door open and the light on and thought I'd poke in to say hello." "Okay. Hello." "Jake. Jake Price." He extended his hand to shake hers, and she awkwardly started to reach forward while still holding Canary. He took it from her. "Oh. Um. If I could just..." "What do we have here? A heavy little thing! You know, this reminds me..." Canary chirped, and a ripple of magical energy washed over them. Jake dropped Canary, and stared blankly ahead. "Oh, shit. Oh shit. Shit shit shit. Canary?" There was no answer. It was gone, hiding somewhere. Jennie knew the spell should be harmless to humans, but her new neighbor looked catatonic.

He blinked. "Uh... " "Are you okay?" "Where am I?" His accent was different, it had a sort of Southern twang it hadn't before. "I remember... in the root cellar, there was something... something in the walls... and..." He trailed off, and shook his head. "Okay. Do you remember your name?" It was the only thing she could think to ask. All she knew about him was his name, where he lived, and that he was married. Should she go and get his wife?" "Yeah, yeah. Of course. My name is Simon Alexander Granger. What... what day is it?" Okay, so wrong accent and wrong name. And Canary had gone off. "Stay here. Don't move. I need to go see something." Jennie headed up to the house. She could smell roast beef and baked potatoes and something else. It smelled delicious. She snuck in through the kitchen, and sure enough the she-neighbor was in the living room. Jennie squinted. There was something there. Something... squirming. She couldn't get a look at it from the kitchen, it was like a spell but fuzzy somehow. Jennie stepped into the room and waved. "Hey. Hi guys. Um, Mrs. Price? Your husband wanted to talk to you outside for some reason." The woman excused herself and walked outside with Jennie. She saw Jake, or Simon, or whatever his name was and stopped dead. "We underestimated you, little witch. You killed my partner." "Oh...kay. Sure. Can I ask what the fuck is going on here?" The spell, or whatever it was, suddenly yanked out of the woman’s body and emerged as a familiar sight. Shadowy tendrils, dripping as they twisted in the air. It was gone before Jennie could react. "Where am I?"

Later, after the police collected her neighbors while seeming completely at a loss about what to do with them, Jennie collapsed at her workbench. She heard Canary humming something. "Canary, let me see you again." As she suspected, the trigger spell was still in place. The zapper shouldn't have gone off. "I don't understand. I don't understand anything. I don't know why some spells are easy and some are hard. I don't know what the things that come after me are. I don't know how you're learning. I don't know how you triggered that spell by yourself, or why. This is so frustrating!" Canary giggled again. "Oh, is this funny for you? Maybe you'd like to actually answer some of my questions?" "Okay" "Wait, really? Do you know the answers?" "Answer. One." "Fine, just one of them. That's something." She had never really had a conversation with Canary before. "All questions. One answer." "They all have the same answer?" Canary made its contented whistle in response. "Okay, spit it out. What is it?" "Magic is alive."

#short fiction #magic

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barrenharold021-blog · 4 years

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Robot buying guide for your kids

Parents often buy cool robot toys for their children with the hopes that it will spark an interest in science and engineering. I know because I was one of them. But often parents are left disappointed as these bots are nothing more than remote control droids. Yet, I still believe robots carry a high potential for learning through play.

With the help of four tester families, boys and girls ranging from five to 11 years of age, tested as many robots as possible in the past year in order to explore the learning potential and how much adult support might be needed. Some robots were played with for 10 hours and some for over 500 hours as the robots varied in complexity and function. We specifically looked for toys that had the power to really engage kids, would challenge them, but at the same time leave them feeling accomplished and excited for the more ways to learn.

The good news is 2014 truly is the Year of the Robot: So many toys that allow children to program robots easily have entered the market this year. In their own ways, many of them demonstrate the benefits of coding to youngsters through hands on toys that will immediately execute the programs the kids have created. Until now, much of learning how to code has been screen-based. There are many good robot toys out there, especially ones with ability to use coding but not every robot is right for everyone. Do Robotic Pool Cleaners Really Work https://www.robotsden.com/do-robotic-pool-cleaners-really-work

Here’s an in-depth look at our favorites:

1. Forget everything you think you know about robots A toddler tries to drive the Sphero with the iPad mini. How is this a robot? Where are the eyes, the legs? All of these are good questions and yet, this spherical wonder embodies many of the traits that I value in a modern robot toy. The first is that it is rather indestructible. I’ve stepped on it and ran it into the wall many times. Additionally, the Sphero 2.0 can not only get wet but it can actually swim! Best of all, this bot is rather easy to just pick up and play with—all you need is a phone or tablet to drive it. To drive it well, your child must practice but there is a payoff once she is able. A variety of apps allow users to drive Sphero while videotaping it simultaneously, test hand-eye reflexes, or even play golf with Sphero. To add to the excitement, Sphero released additional accessories and stunt products including the chariot, which basically turns Sphero into a transport vehicle with a cellphone slot (think drive-cam) and a special rooftop that can fit LEGO-like bricks.

The $20 Chariot for Sphero makes it compatible to this tester’s huge LEGO collection.

Since gifting the first-gen Sphero to my son two years ago, I have watched the company grow into an entity that continues to put learning first. This year, Orbotix, the makers of Sphero created SPRK, a program that teaches programming with Sphero and its cousin, the Ollie, a cylindrical robot named after a skateboard stunt. Our official tester, an 11-year-old girl in the sixth grade, had a blast learning how to program her powerful Ollie, which can run as fast as 14mph, with her dad. Keyword arduino robot arm source code https://www.robotsden.com/7-arduino-robotic-arm-project-ideas-tutorial-plus-source-code

Seven-year-old testing to see if you can use Ollie to give yourself a foot massage.

So impressed with Ollie, her father bought two Spheros for her cousins so that they could swim with their new robots since they have a pool. My children tested Sphero for months, love it as well as the new accessories but it is Ollie who is on my eldest’s (a 10-year-old) wish list since it was released this fall. Thus, Santa will leave Darkside Ollie under the tree this year. I am hoping the investment will end up paying for itself as we’ve discovered Ollie’s powerful motor gives excellent back massages, even better than Sphero does.

2. Robots teach best if they don’t intimidate

Connecting a sequence of programming blocks to be scanned by KIBO. For some, the idea of preschoolers learning to code may seem preposterous but I think it makes perfect sense. Coding is very much like learning a new language and without a doubt, early exposure can make a big difference. However, what I like most about coding is how it promotes breaking things down to problem solving. For any child, learning to code is mostly a two-dimensional process but most educators will tell you that three-dimensional play is better for the very young. Enter KIBO, a robot that scans bar codes from color-coded wooden blocks with images that are connected easily by pegs. Each block has a directive i.e. shake, turn right, sing. Together, the directives make one programming sequence to be scanned. Unlike most robots, KIBO is different because it’s rather simple-looking. Scanning a programming sequence one block at a time with KIBO. I later learned that KIBO was purposely designed this way based on research from Tufts University’s Dev Tech Research Group. The creators felt that plain-looking robots could reduce the kind of apprehension that hinder young children, like my seven-year-old, from wanting to explore. I was made a believer when on the first day of playing with KIBO: I saw this same child pick up this unusual looking robot and start to scan coding blocks to make a new program as if he had been doing it all year long. remote control car with night vision https://www.robotsden.com/best-remote-control-car-with-night-vision

To be sure, looking approachable is an excellent attribute for inviting curiosity. Similarly, the very adorable Ozobot, which is smaller than a ping pong ball, still manages to teach many lessons in basic programming. Ozobot follows black lines and will follow your orders (spin, zigzag, go fast) if you draw different color code sequences in between the black lines. No tablets are necessary, but putting your Ozobot on a tablet will broaden its possibilities dramatically. My favorite app is Ozodraw where children are able create a path for Ozobot just by simply dragging and dropping coding blocks onto his path on the screen. There are also puzzles where users must figure out which code would help Ozobot complete its path.

Ozobot can be played with on screen or on paper.

3. The quintessential robot

Checking out the LEGO Mindstorms EV3 at World Maker Faire 2014. The EV3 really embodies the concept of what most people think a robot should be—a machine that can be programmed to perform various tasks. Its modular design means the robot structure can be changed and the programmable “brain” is there so that it can do a job without being given a direction at every single step. The difference is simple: a typical programmed task might have an if/then clause involved. “If my right sensor bumps into something, I will turn left.” A remote control droid would need a person to push a button once he sees that his robot bumped his right side. LEGO EV3 is a terrific transition from pretend play to productivity but it isn’t for everyone. Some parents may think that robotics is a natural next step after building the more complex LEGO sets but, a child must be interested by the potential to build and to code in order for this toy to be successful. Parental help, however, is necessary in two big ways: Wrangling stubborn computers when downloading software or programs and understanding complex directions. (Note that LEGO directions are awesome. When reading pdf instructions on a screen, the pegs will literally move into their respective places!). Additionally, when facing building challenges, children will need a coach-like mentor, someone who can provide moral support and ask the right questions so that the child can figure out a solution.

Two testers, 8 and 10, build and code VEX IQ Robotics Construction Kit. Much of this also applies to another system, the VEX IQ Robotics Construction Kit that uses the free open source Modkit for VEX for programming. This kit is new to consumers but the education VEX IQ sets have been available in the education market for years. Both VEX IQ and LEGO EV3 have somewhat different packages from their education set counterparts, which contain trays for parts, rechargeable batteries—basically they are more designed for classroom use. Our testers tested the LEGO Education EV3 set as well and were very happy with it because it comes with rechargeable battery and organizing crates as well as a full curriculum dedicated to teaching programming via EV3. toy robot that blows smoke https://www.robotsden.com/toy-robot-that-blows-smoke-gifts-to-delight-your-inquisitive-kid

4. Design and personality enhances potential

Figuring out how to get Dash to play a song. If there were such a contest, Dot and Dash would tie for the Cutest Robot of the Year Award. These do not have a humanoid shape and yet these bots from Wonder Workshop’s seem to be the most life-like of any of the robots we’ve tested. Despite the cuteness and simulated eye blinks, there are brains beneath the beauty here. Blockly is a program that can be downloaded onto kids’ iPads so that they can easily create programs for Dot and Dash. Both have the potential to be fun playmates as well as useful desk pets. My 10-year-old son who enjoys building more than coding was highly motivated to program Dot to be a timer because it’s simply adorable.

Homemade code to transform Dot or Dash into a personal reading timer. First your bot will say “okay” and turn red, and then in 10 minutes, turn yellow, then in another 10 minutes, he will turn green, say “Weee” and “Buh Bye” and so your child will know time is up, he can go play.

This factor can be a game changer for some kids. Sometimes Dot says “OK” with a sigh or even snores if he’s been left alone. The best part is that you can also program it to do these things and more. Make Dot become a reading timer by starting out red, then yellow, then turning green after 20 minutes as required by many homework reading logs. This 6-year-old girl was laughing as she moved Dash around while the older boy was adding accessories to it. Personality and cuteness is another plus for WowWee’s MiP that can balance itself and more all while rolling on two wheels. Its nonsensical mumblings belong to no language and yet is easily understood by kids. Kid testers have said MiP would be good to help combat loneliness. Sure enough, it is a worthy companion in the morning as we wait for the school bus to arrive.

5. Coding is important but so is the machine

Building a scissor lift with Remote Control Machines DLX. Believe it or not, there is a lack of modular toys that offer remote control capabilities. LEGO Education WeDo with software is a great example and is especially terrific because it can be programmed with free programming language Scratch. However, if you are looking for something that doesn’t really involve programming or require parents, consider the Remote Control Machines DLX set from Thames and Kosmos, an expert in high quality science toys. Their large, full-color instructional manuals support self-directed learning, allow kids to choose from 20 different builds, and read how these machines apply to the real world.

Remote Control Machines DLX should really be called Remote Control Machines 2.0 because it’s not a kit with more pieces, rather, everything from pieces to instruction manual is new and improved from the original Remote Control Machines set. Additionally, the builds in DLX are all different from the original Remote Control Machines set. The DLX is compatible with the pieces in other Thames and Kosmos sets that explore other facets in engineering such as gyroscopes, spring action, hydraulics and pneumatics, to name a few. While programming isn’t offered here, it’s good for kids to learn about the mechanisms they would actually need to program in real life. Other kits that allow children to explore how sensors are used in robots are MOSS Zombonitron 1600 and the littleBits Premium Kit. Additionally fun low-cost DIY sets like the MAKE: Spinbot Kit and Brushbots from the Maker Shed are snappy tools for learning about motors as well as entertaining.

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bluewatsons · 5 years

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Barbara Foley, Intersectionality: A Marxist Critique, 52 Science & Society 269 (2018)

Intersectionality, a way of thinking about the nature and causes of social inequality, proposes that the effects of multiple forms of oppression are cumulative and, as the term suggests, interwoven. Not only do racism, sexism, homophobia, disablism, religious bigotry, and so-called “classism” wreak pain and harm in the lives of many people, but any two or more of these types of oppression can be experienced simultaneously in the lives of given individuals or demographic sectors. According to the intersectional model, it is only by taking into account the complex experiences of many people who are pressed to the margins of mainstream society that matters of social justice can be effectively addressed. In order to assess the usefulness of intersectionality as an analytical model and practical program, however—and, indeed, to decide whether or not it can actually be said to be a “theory,” as a number of its proponents insist—we need to ask not only what kinds of questions it encourages and remedies, but also what kinds of questions it discourages and what kinds of remedies it forecloses.

It is standard procedure in discussions of intersectionality to cite important forebears—from Sojourner Truth to Anna Julia Cooper, from Alexandra Kollontai to Claudia Jones to the Combahee River Collective—but then to zero in on the work of the legal theorist Kimberlé Crenshaw, who first coined and explicated the term in the late 1980s. Concerned with overcoming the discriminatory situation faced by African American women workers at General Motors, Crenshaw demonstrated the inadequacy of existing categories denoting gender and race as grounds for legal action, since these could not be mobilized simultaneously in the case of a given individual: you had to be either a woman or nonwhite, but not both at the same time. Crenshaw famously developed the metaphor of a crossroads of two avenues, one denoting race, the other gender, to make the point that accidents occurring at the intersection could not be attributed to solely one cause; it took motion along two crossing roads to make an accident happen (Crenshaw, 1989).

While Crenshaw’s model ably describes the workings of what the African American feminist writer Patricia Hill Collins has termed a “matrix of oppressions,” the model’s spatial two-dimensionality points to its inadequacy as an explanation of why this “matrix” exists in the first place (Collins, 1990). Who created these avenues? Why would certain people be traveling down them? Where were they constructed, and when? The spatial model discourages questions like these. The fact that the black women in question are workers who earn at best modest wages, but make the bosses of General Motors (GM) very rich, is simply taken as a given. That is, to return to the metaphor of intersecting roads, the ground on which the roads have been built is a given, not even called into question. While Crenshaw succeeded in demonstrating that the GM workers had been subjected to double discrimination—no doubt a legal outcome of considerable value to the women she represented—her model for analysis and compensation was confined to the limits of the law. As the Marxist-feminist theorist Delia Aguilar has ironically noted, class was not even an “actionable” category for the workers in question (Aguilar, 2015, 209).

Although intersectionality can usefully describe the effects of multiple oppressions, I propose, it does not offer an adequate explanatory framework for addressing the root causes of social inequality in the capitalist socioeconomic system. In fact, intersectionality can pose a barrier when one begins to ask other kinds of questions about the reasons for inequality—that is, when one moves past the discourse of “rights” and institutional policy, which presuppose the existence of social relations based upon the private ownership of the means of production and the exploitation of labor.

Gender, race and class:—the “contemporary holy trinity,” as Terry Eagleton once called them (Eagleton, 1986, 82), or the “trilogy,” in Martha Gimenez’s phrase (Gimenez, 2001)—how do these categories correlate with one another? If gender, race and class are analytical categories, are they commensurable (that is, similar in kind), or distinct? Can their causal roles be situated in some kind of hierarchy, or are they, by virtue of their “interlocked” and simultaneous operations, of necessity basically equivalent to one another as causal “factors”?

When I ask these questions, I am not asserting that a black female auto worker is black on Monday and Wednesday, female on Tuesday and Thursday, a proletarian on Friday, and—for good measure—a Muslim on Saturday. (We’ll leave Sunday for another selfhood of her choosing.) (For a version of this rather clever formulation I am indebted to Kathryn Russell [Russell, 2007].) But I am proposing that some kinds of causes take priority over others—and, moreover, that, while gender, race and class can be viewed as comparable identities, they in fact require quite different analytical approaches. Here is where the Marxist claim for the explanatory superiority of a class analysis comes into the mix, and the distinction between oppression and exploitation becomes crucially important. Oppression, as Gregory Meyerson puts it, is indeed multiple and intersecting, producing experiences of various kinds; but its causes are not multiple but singular (Meyerson, 2000). That is, “race” does not cause racism; gender does not cause sexism. But the ways in which “race” and gender—as modes of oppression–have historically been shaped by the division of labor can and should be understood within the explanatory framework supplied by class analysis, which foregrounds the issue of exploitation, that is, of the profits gained from the extraction of what Marx called “surplus value” from the labor of those who produce the things that society needs. (In considering the historical division of labor along lines of gender, we need to go back to the origins of monogamous marriage, as Friedrich Engels argued in On the Origins of the Family, Private Property, and the State. The historical division of labor along lines of “race” is largely traceable to the age of colonialism, imperialism, and modern chattel slavery [Fields and Fields; Baptist].) If class analysis is ignored, as Eve Mitchell points out, categories for defining types of identity that are themselves the product of exploited labor end up being taken for granted and, in the process, legitimated(Mitchell, 2013).

An effective critique of the limitations of intersectionality hinges upon the formulation of a more robust and materialist understanding of social class than is usually allowed: not class as an identity or an experiential category, but class analysis as a mode of structural explanation. In the writings of Karl Marx, “class” figures in several ways. At times, as in the chapter on “The Working Day” in Volume I of Capital, it is an empirical category, one inhabited by children who inhale factory dust, men who lose fingers in power-looms, women who drag barges, and slaves who pick cotton in the blazing sun (Marx, 1990, 340-416). All these people are oppressed as well as exploited. But most of the time, for Marx, class is a relationship, a social relation of production; that is why, in the opening chapter of Capital, he can talk about the commodity, with its odd identity as a conjunction of use value and exchange value, as an embodiment of irreconcilable class antagonisms. To assert the priority of a class analysis is not to claim that a worker is more important than a homemaker, or even that the worker primarily thinks of herself as a worker; indeed, based on her personal experience with spousal abuse or police brutality, she may well think of herself more as a woman, or a black person. It is to propose, however, that the ways in which productive human activity is organized—and, in class-based society, compels the mass of the population to be divided up into various categories in order to insure that the many will be divided from one another and will labor for the benefit of the few—this class-based organization constitutes the principal issue requiring investigation if we wish to understand the roots of social inequality. To say this is not to “reduce” gender or “race” to class as modes of oppression. It is, rather, to insist that the distinction between exploitation and oppression makes possible an understanding of the material (that is, socially grounded) roots of oppressions of various kinds. It is also to posit that “classism,” a frequently heard term, is a deeply flawed concept. For this term often views class to a set of prejudiced attitudes, equivalent to ideologies of racism and sexism. As a Marxist, I say that we need more, not less, class-based antipathy.

In closing, I suggest that intersectionality is less valuable as an explanatory framework than as an ideological reflection of the times in which it has moved into prominence (see Wallis, 2015). These times—extending back several decades now—have been marked by several interrelated developments. One is the world-historical (if in the long run temporary) defeat of movements to set up and consolidate worker-run egalitarian societies, primarily in China and the USSR. Another—hardly independent of the first—is the neoliberal assault upon the standard of living of the world’s workers, as well as upon those unions that have historically supplied a ground for a class-based and class-conscious resistance to capital. The growing regime of what has been called “flexible accumulation” (Harvey, 1990, 141-72), which fragments the workforce into gig and precarious economies of various kinds, has accompanied and consolidated this capitalist assault on the working class, not just in the U.S. but around the world. For some decades now, a political manifestation of these altered economic circumstances has been the emergence of “New Social Movements” positing the need for pluralist coalitions around a range of non-class-based reform movements rather than resistance to capitalism. Central to all these developments has been the “retreat from class,” a phrase originated by Ellen Meiksins Wood (Wood, 1986); in academic circles, this has been displayed in attacks on Marxism as a class-reductionist “master narrative” in need of supplementation by a range of alternative methodologies (Laclau and Mouffe).

These and related phenomena have for some time now constituted the ideological air that we breathe; intersectionality is in many ways a reflection of, and reaction to, these economic and political developments. Those of us who look to intersectionality for a comprehension of the causes of the social inequalities that grow more intense every day, here in the U.S. and around the world, would do much better to seek analysis and remedy in an antiracist, antisexist, and internationalist revolutionary Marxism: a Marxism that envisions the communist transformation of society in the not too distant future.

Works Cited

Aguilar, Delia. 2015. “Intersectionality.” In Mojab, 203-220.

Baptist, Edward E. The Half Has Never Been Told: Slavery and the Making of American Capitalism. New York: Basic Books. 2014.

Collins, Patricia Hill. 1990. Black Feminist Thought: Knowledge, Consciousness, and the Politics of Empowerment. New York: Routledge.

Crenshaw, Kimberlé. 1989. “Demarginalizing the Intersection of Race and Sex: A Black Feminist Critique of Discrimination Doctrine, Feminist Theory, and Antiracist Practice.” University of Chicago Legal Forum89:139-67.

Eagleton, Terry. 1986. Against the Grain: Selected Essays 1975-1985. London: Verso.

Engels, Friedrich. On the Origin of the Family, Private Property, and the State. New York: International Publishers. 1972.

Fields, Karen E., and Barbara J. Fields. Racecraft: The Soul of Inequality in American Life. London: Verso. 2014.

Gimenez, Martha. 2001. “Marxism and Class, Gender and Race: Rethinking the Trilogy.” Race, Gender & Class8, 2: 22-33.

Harvey, David. 1990. The Condition of Postmodernity: An Enquiry into the origins of Cultural Change. Cambridge, MA: Blackwell.

Laclau, Ernesto, and Chantal Mouffe. Hegemony and Socialist Strategy: Towards a Radical Democratic Politics.2nded. London: Verso. 2001.

Marx, Karl. 1990. Capital. Vol. 1. Trans. Ben Fowkes. London: Penguin.

Meyerson, Gregory. 2000. “Rethinking Black Marxism: Reflections on Cedric Robinson and Others.” Cultural Logic3(2). clogic.eserver.org/3-182/meyerson.html.Accessed 18 May 2016.

Mitchell, Eve. 2013. “I Am a Woman and a Human: A Marxist Feminist Critique of Intersectionality Theory.” http://gatheringforces.org/2013/09/12/i-am-a-woman-and-a-human-amarxist-feminist-critique-of-intersectionality-theory/.

Mojab, Shahrzad. 2015. Marxism and Feminism. London: ZED Books.

Russell, Kathryn. 2007. “Feminist Dialectics and Marxist Theory.” Radical Philosophy Review10, 1: 33-54.

Smith, Sharon. n.d. “Black Feminism and Intersectionality.” International Socialist Review#91. http://isreview.org/issue/91/black-feminism-and-intersectionality.

Wallis, Victor. 2015. “Intersectionality’s Binding Agent: The Political Primacy of Class.” New Political Science37, 4: 604-619.

Wood, Ellen Meiksins. 1986. The Retreat from Class: A New “True” Socialism. London: Verso.

#intersectionality #marxism #critique #oppression #social justice #theory #kimberle crenshaw

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picturelockshow · 5 years

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Sundance 2019: "Luce" Review

Luce explores the delicate line between the perceptions that people have of other people versus the truth of who they are. While our individual experience is on a spectrum, human nature and history has placed its construction of race in boxes in order to “understand” each other. This film allows its main character to work within the constraints of those boxes to exploit the system in a powerful way that puts some of those ideals on trial.

Luce Edgar (Kelvin Harrison Jr.) was adopted from war-torn Eritrea by his white parents, Amy (Naomi Watts) and Peter (Tim Roth) at the age of ten. His parents helped him get through years of therapy to heal wounds from being a child soldier, and sacrifice to provide him the best life possible. Now a senior in high school, he’s fully acclimated to America and in fact, is a stellar student! He’s a beacon of light for his fellow students, especially the black population, and the weight of that is heavy on his shoulders.

The film’s inciting incident occurs when Luce’s teacher, Harriet Wilson (Octavia Spencer), calls Amy in to talk about a discovery she’s made. After tasking the class with an assignment to write a paper in the voice of a historical figure, Luce chose the radical Frantz Fanon, who believed in hurting others for a cause. On top of that, Ms. Wilson searched Luce’s locker and found illegal fireworks that pack the same punch as a shotgun. Ms. Wilson’s motive for bringing Amy in before letting anyone else make the discovery is to protect Luce’s reputation and make sure he succeeds.

With this information and the materials in her possession, Amy talks to her husband as soon as she gets home. This initial conversation is where both Amy and Peter start making judgements on Luce’s character, and we as audience members must make our own conclusions on the situation as well. As the story moves forward, little by little, we find out more of the big picture of what’s happening at school and see how characters in this world make judgement calls based off of pre-conceived and personal thoughts.

Situations like Stephanie Kim’s (Andrea Bang) possible rape during a party, and Luce’s ex-teammate Deshaun (Astro) getting caught with weed in his locker are all brought to the forefront of conversation in the film. What does it mean for Luce’s reputation if he participated in either of these activities? Why does Luce get special treatment over his friends? What does it feel like to be the person that everyone looks at for hope and expects to be virtually perfect?

While the film does interrogate these questions and the American dream on a large scale, screenwriters J.C. Lee and Julius Onah nail what being black, talented, and on a pedestal in America feels like. The ideal of tokenism (the one black person in a room/organization/team/etc.) and pressure to be on is something that Luce feels constantly, and is spot on.

Ultimately, this play turned screenplay is brought to life by its stellar cast. Kelvin Harris Jr. is undoubtedly an actor to watch! He commands the screen and authentically connects with the ability to perform in different spaces with uncanny finesse. The scenes where Octavia Spencer and Harris Jr. face off are electric and the things award nominations are made of. Tim Roth and Naomi Watts embody the sacrifice parents make for their children, and the individual struggles of giving blind trust versus questioning your child. Even the supporting cast members like Andrea Bang and Marsha Stephanie Blake (who brilliantly plays Rosemary Wilson, Ms. Wilson’s mentally ill sister) are exhilarating to watch. Their characters are real, dimensional people that you can connect with.

The music by Geoff Barrow and Ben Salisbury swell with tension and put you on edge. It supplements the story that unfolds before your eyes in a way that hits on all cylinders. Luce is a film that you want to watch again to not only to catch what you may have missed in a scene, but also the ideals explored that you may want to ponder over more. It’s a must see!

Rating: A-

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susaanrogers · 6 years

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Creative problem solving in graphic design

“Creativity” and “problem solving” are not usually found in the same context, let alone right next to each other. But in fact, creativity and problem solving have a lot in common, and it is in their overlap that the best brand identities and logos are born.

Creative problem solving is the science of taking a clear look at what a business wants to convey, to whom and how it wants to convey it and creatively aligning all these elements into one beautifully structured solution—a crisp, multi-dimensional brand identity that works on every level.

Creativity is generally associated with some artsy dude laying on his couch, waiting for inspiration to magically strike, while problem solving conjures up that uptight classmate who methodically took the lead in team assignments. But regardless of which group you relate to, the key to success lies in refusing to connect to one way of doing things, instead resting somewhere in the middle.

I think the passion I have for my profession is not so much about graphic design as it is about problem-solving. I think a personality type who is fascinated with a problem being presented and can not rest until it is solved adequately is a natural corporate identity designer. That’s me.

- Sagi Haviv, renowned graphic designer who has designed logos for Armani Exchange, Harvard University Press and many more, in an interview for Logo Design Love.

So where does creative problem-solving start?

It starts with the brief —

A graphic designer can only address a business’s identity issues if the business clearly outlines its vision and goals—and this is usually accomplished in a brief. From there, the graphic designer can take those smudgy ideas and sensitize them like a photo negative. A good brief is the start of a beautiful conversation between client and designer, with each exchange solving more and more problems until a trouble-free brand identity is reached.

It continues on a sheet of paper —

A creative solution for a balloon museum. Logo design via Sagi Haviv

After reading the brief, the next step is to begin jotting down anything about the company that comes to your mind. During this stage, it’s good for your mind to wander and enter a flow state.

The computer will not help you connect with your creative impulses. A pencil will.

- Sagi Haviv

Don’t be stingy with your ink or paper, hash everything out: the company’s traits, mission, goals, values, vision, culture, story, overall feel, its product/offering, what problem it’s solving, how it is solving it, who does it solve it for, the target audience’s outlook, lifestyle, dreams, and anything else you can make out of the brief directly or indirectly.

Knowledge is wings. Logo design via Sagi Haviv

This stage is similar to when a detective asks a witness to a crime to share any details he or she may remember even if they don’t think it’s relevant. You never know what may deliver the Eureka moment. When it comes to logos, less is more, but during this phase, less might result in nothing. Even the mere act of writing things down will start shaping images in your head.

Control the chaos —

But just because problem solving is creative doesn’t mean it should be chaotic. Once you’ve got a feel for the brand, you can start getting more selective and systematic with your brainstorming. Only the most prominent details should make the cut.

Come up with a system that works for you. For example, you can divide a piece of paper into four parts—on the first one list the business’s most defining features, on the second outline the problem it solves through its work, and on the third list out the target audience’s most sensitive emotional triggers.

Above these three parts, make an overarching note of the logo’s must-haves and limitations as set by the client. This way, the images that pop in your mind will slowly and seamlessly start adhering to all of the client’s guidelines until the logo checks all the boxes, or in other words, solves all the problems.

A visual view of logo creation —

via Aleksejs Bergmanis

As you can probably imagine, the bigger the paper, the better. A big whiteboard is often a great way to approach this method. Creative and artistic expression can provide an aerial view from which the complex becomes simple, which is exactly what a logo does for a business—it is a brand’s boiled down essence, an intersection where all its identity problems meet a common solution. In order to see that intersection, you need something that can encompass all major problems and their possible routes.

Two-birds-with-one-stone logos —

When less is more. Abstract logo design by Milos Subotic

Take a look at the logo above. It’s for a landscape architecture firm which wants to convey a myriad of ideas: they want a logo that has to do with nature since they do landscaping, yet it has to clearly distinguish them from landscape contractors and maintenance companies. They also want something that looks high-end but can appeal to smaller clients as well; and they want the logo to allude to its second branch and the two parties’ synergy—all this through a clean and minimalistic design with a touch of bold.

Now that’s what you call a problem! Even the firm itself admits it in the brief. What many designers would probably dismiss as yet another client’s impossible whim, Milos Subotic saw as fertile soil for creative problem solving to blossom. His logo has two abstract, sophisticated leafs whose overlap creates a beautiful symmetry that invokes pure, simplistic class. Just spectacular work! If a problem as complex as this one can be reduced to such an “easy” solution, any brand identity can be boiled down to a core that pulses with all its nuances.

Two into one. Logo design by toometo

Creative problem solving is not easy, but when done right, it looks like a piece of cake—or the logo above. It’s for a production studio that does all kinds of creative visual work like computer graphics, brand films and advertising, as well as interactive museum exhibitions and projects. In the brief, they define themselves as a company that borrows a bit of both the cooperate and the informal hipster world, with a culture of innovation and professionalism with a personal, friendly touch. They specifically mention they want a minimalistic logo, but with a twist that separates them from the branding trends among their competitors, and they request that “Artman” remain one word.

The graphic designer has masterfully captured the thread which keeps surfacing throughout the brief—the company clearly seeks unity between its two counterparts, something that seamlessly intersects sophistication and creativity, just like the name “Artman.” The logo is the result of creative, yet methodical deduction: a bucket of paint with the perfect, tiny tweak to incorporate the universal symbol of a classy gentleman.

Logo design by CQ Design for Detail Geeks

Now take a look at these three logos. They all revolve around geeks and nerds, but within different contexts, and are designed to solve different brand identity problems.

The first two share some similarities. Both companies were looking for something simple, yet there is an important difference between the two. The first one reflects modernity, while the second aims to convey youthfulness.

The first logo is for a mobile auto detailing company that wanted someone who looks smart, but not nerdy, and the clean-cut style is the perfect embodiment of that vision. In addition, the tiny touch on the right lens to make it into a G very elegantly alludes to the idea of details which is already in the name. On the other hand, CityGeek is an app that finds restaurant deals for young people, and the boyish, smirking geek with hair made of skyscrapers fits the bill. Two geeks, very different in style and purpose.

The third logo, on the other hand, speaks for itself. It’s for a mobile gaming app company, and the name “Two Nerds” is imaginatively translated into two child-like figures, immersed in their phones, which together make a gaming headset. One look at the playful logo and it’s easy to understand what the company is about, yet the design is anything but plain or straightforward.

Reverse the process: write a brief based on the logo —

One of the best creative problem solving techniques is to reverse the process and test out how successful your logo really is. Try to forget about the company the logo is for and write a brief based on your creation. Better yet, ask someone who really doesn’t know and see how close their brief is to the original.

Logo design by brandsformed® for idearoute

The logo above is for a start-up that helps other start-ups realize their goals by analyzing their ideas and mapping out the most strategic path toward their materialization. The company wanted something sophisticated, modern and literal, yet creative. This logo falls right onto the “yet” in the sentence. You probably wouldn’t be able to guess exactly what the company does by just looking at the logo, but the nature of their work is unmistakable.

This logo is a testament to the clarity of the client’s vision as well—the logo literally illustrates the two components of the company’s name.

Each of these examples couldn’t be more different from the other: they have different styles, colors, feels, complexities and most of all, they solve completely different problems for completely different companies. However, throughout all of them, there’s one recurring theme and that’s the pulse of creative problem solving—beautiful, pinpoint accuracy. There’s not a single dot in excess. Every element serves a specific purpose. This is what creative problem solving looks like when applied specifically to logo design.

The ultimate symbiosis: creativity and problem solving

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Creativity and problem solving are two streams of thought that flow in the same direction. When it comes to business, uniting them into one, steady current can lead a brand identity from muddy to crystal-clear waters. Creativity is something you are born with, problem solving, however, can be mastered even by the most unorganized, chaotic mad genius. Problem solving does for creativity what practice does for talent. And we all know how far talent goes without practice. So, what are you waiting for, go and solve some problems!

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About the author

Petar Petrov writes about culture, art, advertising, entertainment, society, and lifestyle, and anything in-between that can make for a fun story.

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