A Starstruck Odyssey, and Masculinity

I have thoughts and am just gonna unload them on Tumblr. That's what we do here, right? I recently have been re-listening to Starstruck and have had some thoughts on it's depictions of masculinity. This isn't a serious post per se, just some thoughts and observations. Starstruck has a wide spectrum of masculine characters on display, though a lot of it is hostile/toxic. Most men or male-coded characters are either outright villains, or more neutral parties with some toxic and selfish tendencies. Don't get me wrong it's a wild violent galaxy and that's the point, the entire party participates in scamming, kidnapping, exploitations, and unnecessary murder and we love to see it, it's not like it explicitly makes all men out to be inherently more monstrous and evil than others. But I do think the depictions of masculinity can be interesting to observe. Amercadia is a pretty cut and dry critism of the patriarchy and American nationalist culture, which is fantastic worldbuilding to include. Many of the masculine-coded androids are actually pretty nice, friendly and helpful or serious about their jobs, aside from a bitchy one in the beginning who injects our main 'droid with an anxiety spike about being one of a kind. Pretty much all of the Slugs we meet occupy masculine bodies, and they seem to have an abstract gender that picks up pronouns from the body they occupy, though the monarch is objectively a king and uses masculine pronouns even before getting a body, and he's pretty selfish and stupid.

But the main pair I'm thinking of, is Barry and Gunnie. Looking at the two of them, there's a lot you can assume. Big Barry Syx is this massive, bulky dude in power armor and shades with a mullet, while Gunnie is a 4' 11" techie cyborg with a big ol' smile. Listen to them in action and many of your assumptions are reinforced; Barry is a total dude-bro associated with nuts, steroids, working out, and acting much like gym bros in our modern life, while Gunnie is a hyperactive technician just doing his best, despite being mired in sympathetic tragedy. Barry's trauma is fairly fantastical or common to stories, having his family gunned down by one of his own, while Gunnie is mostly weighted down by medical debt after he got in an accident after trusting the wrong person. Based on these apperent details one would assume Barry is this toxicly masculine jackass who's insecure about his flaws, while Gunnie is the smartest man on board and is trying to keep everyone in line, doing the right thing, ect. And of course, you'd be dead wrong. Gunnie, while a sympathetic and likable character, is *mired* in toxic masculine traits. While it was an accident that put him in his situation, it was brash foolishness and ignoring obvious red flags that got him in that position in the first place, not to mention a rebellion against his family driving him to it. Furthermore, as Lou himself admits in Adventuring party, Gunnie's *pride* is the reason his problems are so vast; He comes from a lot of money, his initial debt might have never happened or mostly gone away to begin with if he went back to his dads for help. His toxicity doesn't make him an unlikable character but he does have these traits. He's brash, prideful, and ignores common sense a lot. He is also very nice and friendly with others, listens to people, ect. He doesn't have *every* toxic trait in the book, but has them which I tend to not even notice because he's just a funny little guy. Barry, meanwhile, is just about the most wholesome and giving person in the entire 'verse. Syx *And* Nyne, when not under a slug's control, are these total sweetheart bros. Sure, they shit talk each other with friendly ribbing, and yes they are very good at violence, but this violence is always motivated by helping those in need or fighting for those who can't fight for themselves, the Barry Battalion way. Barrys hate it when people are rude, or hurt the innocent. Barrys fight for their friends, provide endless support and praise, and will throw their very bodies into danger to protect or help, as seen on Rec 97 and in the big finale of the battle of the brands. And while the thing the love most is other Barrys, that does not mean that what they respect is also being heavily macho dudes. Barry one (or was is spelled differently? Barry Won? who knows) was the professor who created the other Barrys, a nerdy and fragile professor type, that the Barrys loved and treated as a fellow Barry *literally* the moment they were created. Even Syd is a Barry now, and that's accepted both by Barry Syx who's known her a long time and bonded with her, as well as Barry Nyne who literally, to his perception, *Just* met her, despite her appearance as like a waitress with an arm canon. Being a Barry, in other words, isn't about being just like them, having the name Barry, or anything like that. It's a vibe, it's a way to be, and the 'verse is better off with these super wholesome boys who, despite embodying many stereotypes of the gym bro, posses *none* of the commonly toxic traits also associated with that. They aren't insecure around smarter people or those with different skillsets, they hold no gendered assumptions, and they never wanna use their might to opress others for their own satisfaction.

Just, some thoughts.

Tit Barry Syx. Sorry, hold on - Big Barry Tits. Okay hold on one more try. Big Titty Syx - okay you get the point.

Bonus:

^ Definitely the galaxy’s Most Straightest Man

Everyone shut up what if Siobhan plays Barry Nyne in aso season 2

A Barry emotional speech

Barry Syx and Barry Nyne are what would happen if a pair of dragonball z characters landed in the middle of New Jersey in the home of WWE fans as babies

the dichotomy of man but it’s murph in starstruck odyssey (frat boy himbo, looks like it) and then murph in neverafter (frog prince, distinguished guy, looks like it)

hi there , could i kindly ask for a barry nyne stimboard ? thanks !

"I just don't wanna hurt anybody... I wanna hurt somebody."

x x x - x 9️⃣ x - x x x

A hot exit! With Skip and Barry Nyne!

They had a lovely shopping day and a spa trip, but Margaret pissed someone off so now they are running back. Only one bag has perished. (Also, no clue what color eyes the barry's have, but i went with blue to contrast the pink of his hair)

Based on the fanfic "Novelty is strange" by AgentStannerShipper (link here, so go read it yourself :P) its absolutely delightful

Barry always sang weird songs, with melodies that didn’t seem all that tonal. The crew only realized why when Nyne joined, and a second harmony joined- neither of them the main part, but clearly a snippet of a once twelve-strong concert, only heard in memory now

Starstruck Odyssey characters as notes from The Beginners Guide

Some bonuses under the cut:

“there were barrys and then there was barry, and now there’s barrys again, barry!” 

couldn’t imagine before this season tearing up over a line with so many uses of the name “barry”

“What did you do, you killed them all, you killed them all!”

The Luckless, the Abandoned and the Forsaked

is the best finale Starstruck Odyssey could have. Nearly every single enemy they’ve faced running them down at once. Two nearly identical plans, one which could destroy the universe, the other save it. UFTP and Rubian V coming after Zortch. Rubian V, Gravaar Worlds, and the Guernican Art Squad coming after Gnosis. Repo Reapers coming after Gunnie. Amercadia coming after Norman. Slugged Barry Nyne coming after Zortch and Barry Nyne. Warfare Whittneys coming for Sid.

I love when heroes get truly flooded with enemies, who implicitly are not all on the same page. Turning your enemies against each other, is so fucjing cool. Turning Amercadia against itself, saving Barry Nyne, paying off the Repo Reapers, calling the Union, sicing Gravaar against UFTP, Riva blowing up the inside of the UFTP ship, summoning Vercadian Protector Droids, launching a lawsuit against Warfare Whittney, just, all of it was amazing.

I just started to listening to naddpod and if Dimension 20 did another Starstruck Odyssey it would be awesome if Murph played Barry Syx and Jake Hurwitz played Barry Nyne! Or even just as a guest for a live show!