#i want this to be a cautionary tale and that my ending is unique. not all of us are even ABLE to repair a relationship that was THAT broken | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

dballzposting · 1 year

Text

It’s just that I look at GT Trunks and I think that I know him. Here’s what I know. I know that his mother is a willful and irate woman and that he has seen his father consistently lose to her throughout the years. He has seen the same in Goten’s parents, and to an extent, in Krillin and Android 18.

I know that at some point he was told the story of how his parents met, and I think that he took it as a cautionary tale. I think it scared him to think that somebody as disciplined and focused and ambitious as his father could just, like, fall into seduction, and “”accidentally”” wind up with a kid. I think that Trunks as a young teenager felt a sort of fear about his own sexual maturity, and you couldn’t ever tell it, because it’s not like he was eager to express his feelings and fear, and also because he grew into the rambunctious womanizer-wannabe role well by the end of his teen years.

But I think that witnessing his own parents throughout his entire life has taught him daily what he should avoid.

He has no disrespect for his parents of course, and in fact, this is why he can learn from their mistakes, as a way to honor their efforts.

But also, it’s just, like. Well he’s a little bit afraid of women like his mother and like Goten’s mother.

He understands where they’re coming from, but understand where he’s coming from: He does not want to live under the thumb of some forceful woman.

It’s not that he wants to be the angry and bossy one instead - when pressed, he’ll tell you that he’s all for a partnership of equals! What’s not to like? But he also wants to, for lack of a better term, be the man of the relationship. He wants to be the head of the house and to have a respectable amount of control and volition over its affairs. He doesn’t want to be stepped on by double standards; he doesn't want a wife who will use those privileges that women for some reason have over men, where they can raise their voice and slap their husbands and refuse to discuss or bend in opinion, and never face any repercussions to their character for it.

This is what Trunks has seen his whole life, and he just doesn’t dig it. He feels a bit vulnerable at being a man, and he feels the circumstances of his conception in his soul; he feels the quiet and delicate shame of his father, and he feels the way that he doesn’t know which party to blame, and he feels the fear that comes with weakness.

Trunks doesn’t want to be a man weak enough to be taken by a woman, and he doesn’t want to be with a woman who thinks herself more vulnerable or valuable by basis of sex alone.

(The interesting thing is, this innate aversion or trepidation of his can mirror the experiences of his mother, who has been objectified to horrendous degrees in her time. Really, it’s perhaps from both parents that he’s inherited this sensitivity from.)

Trunks went from a carefree and confident teenage boy exuding heterosexuality at the end of Z, to a well-mannered and chill man in GT. But you know, there’s not much difference between the two. Both have an eye for fashion that is dark-colored, well-fitting, and almost classy, although EOZ Trunks has a bit more spunk while GT Trunks boasts fits with more unique longetivity. Both are pretty transparent, and emote freely when a feeling comes on, although in the case of EOZ Trunks he is more concerned with appearing cool, while GT Trunks is just genuinely more chill and calm. Both are polite and well-mannered actually, EOZ Trunks just had the detriment of being shown hanging out with his best guy friend, and it just goes without saying that he is more cocksure and vapid than GT Trunks out of virtue of being 18. The biggest difference, I think, is that EOZ Trunks exudes heterosexuality while GT Trunks does not.

GT Trunks clearly does not like his job but he does it anyway. And my humble opinion at having seen most of GT is that Trunks, very clearly, very simply, just wants to have a good time. That’s it. That’s all there is to it. He wants to hang out. He’ll be president and he’ll go into space and he’ll fight bad guys because he has to and he kind of likes it and he’ll fix the spaceship because he has to and he’ll breastfeed Giru because somebody has to, but, between you and me; he just wants to chill out. He wants to put his hands behind his head and make a wisecrack. He wants the tough shit to be over with, and he’ll do the tough shit, but he is without Bulma’s devout acuity and without Vegeta’s deeply-rooted pride; he’ll do the tough shit and he’ll do it fine or well or passing or even in a way worth being proud of, but mostly, when no one is looking, he’ll do it his way, which is whatever bullshit he needs to cobblefuck to get the shit working again so he can go and chill out somewhere in peace.

He just wants to hang out.

I didn’t say anything about him wanting to get a girlfriend, though.

Goten got a girlfriend. Trunks did not get a girlfriend.

Oh, ‘cause he’s too busy, right? Yeah he is. But also, he’s a rich bitch, and all the ladies think he’s cute (seen first episode of GT) (or maybe second I don’t remember) - if he WANTED a girlfriend, he could squeeze one in between his 7 o’clock meeting and his 3 o’clock brunch.

But when all those sweet ladies were fawning over him, he did not wear their attention well. He blushed and stared at his shoes.

President of Capsule Corp, 23 years old, richer than most, stronger than most, son of prodigy Bulma, son of Saiyan legend Vegeta, the one who mastered fusion and fought Majin Buu when he was 8 years old - someone who’s strength and stability of character and name and heritage are of utmost importance, and this importance is reiterated with every day he grows and progresses on his journey - Trunks stares at his shoes and blushes because all the women are fawning over him.

He stares at his shoes, not having what it takes to stand with confidence. And he dutifully blushes.

A lot could be inferred here, is the thing. He’s blushing because he’s angry and embarrassed at being infantilized like this, he’s embarrassed because being pretty was not in the job description and he’s left with the sense that he’s being immature and doing it wrong by causing adoration, he’s embarrassed just because he’s always been bashful behind his attitude (his cocky attitude which is notably lost in GT), he’s not standing with pride because he doesn’t want the job, or - he doesn’t feel the need to conduct himself with valour, because everything has always been given to him, and this job is a birthright that he can’t besmirch that easily.

Whatever it is, we know this - HE DOESN’T BASK IN THIS ATTENTION! He’s embarrassed! And it’s not because he already has a girlfriend. He doesn’t have one. He doesn’t have one until Dragon Ball Super partnered him up with Mai, and I don’t know if that was for his relevance or hers.

So, here’s what I think about GT Trunks.

I think that he’s not necessarily looking for a girlfriend right now. I think that that fratboy teen is still a part of him, and I think that he will need a woman in his life eventually, but I think that he dislikes the idea of (and is perhaps afraid of the risk of) a one night stand, so he continues on in his vaguely celibate way. I actually think that if he had a woman for a night and woke up and she was still there, he’d just marry her. I think he knows this, and this is why he doesn’t let himself cave like his father had; because he doesn’t want to end up with a wife like his mother. His mother chose his father, and Vegeta didn’t have much of a say in it - and you could say that if Trunks marries a woman only because she stayed, then that is he choosing her, but I think to him, it would not feel like an enabled decision and he would not agree with that perspective. I think to him, love is sensitive and fragile and completely has the power to take him by the balls, and when he wants to marry the woman who stayed with him through the night, it is not a decision he feels good about making, but one that his heart has already made and one that he must commit to lest he let his heart come into the pain of breaking. He feels a victim to it, and he does not want to end up in a dutiful, violent, communication-less love like the one of his parents.

He’s not necessarily looking for a girlfriend right now. It takes too much time, and he’s losing interest in small talk as he ages and as the appeal of being in the presence of a pretty girl diminishes. It’s not that he no longer thinks that girls are pretty, but it’s just that that factor alone does not offer enough reason for him to sit and make awkward/boring small talk for hours. He doesn’t have the time to not be decisive. But that’s how you meet people, and that’s how you get to know people, so to be honest, his prospects are looking a little slim.

To compare, his buddy Goten LOVES chatting up girls and chicks and ladies and dames and skirts alike, and he isn’t afraid of initiating a conversation. Trunks, on the other hand, likes the IDEA of freely conversing, but it just never plays out that way; he’s sort of famous and he shows his reputation to everybody who sees his face, and he can’t risk tarnishing it by venturing down a verbal path uncouth. He’s president of Capsule Corp, now, man! He wishes he could just say some wild and stupid and playful and free shit and gauge the responses, but, man, he just isn’t as stress-free as he used to be, and there’s more riding on his shoulders than there used to be.

Trunks isn’t necessarily looking for a girlfriend right now, but if you ask him, he seems to think that it’ll happen eventually. He wants to get one eventually. He just wants it to be the right woman. Trunks is holding out for a sensible woman, and he thinks that he’ll have her eventually, and he’ll know her when he does.

That’s it - a sensible woman. Someone he can goddamn talk to. Someone who will let it be a partnership of equals, and who will let him be a man without losing sight of his humanity. Someone who will play a woman’s role without the vitriol or power struggle; someone who is chill and confident like him, and open-minded in discussion, and willing to be compassionate; someone who won’t throw herself under the bus or let herself be stomped on, someone who won’t invent ways for them to resent each other.

And, yknow, he’d be pretty open-minded for her too. He’d be willing to tolerate a lot out of her, given she has the traits above. A sensible person can be hard to find. So he’d love her even if she had a really weird fetish or something. He would let her put him in reins and ride on him like a horsie. If that’s what it took.

And that’s all that’s going on here. GT Trunks doesn’t want to settle for/be taken by a dangerous woman, he doesn’t want to put the time in to be social and to meet all the wrong people, and he is waiting for a sensible woman to come into his life so that he may fall in love with her.

But he’s not really focusing on that right now. Like he’s busy going into space and being president and stuff. He’s sort of okay where he is.

He doesn’t want to endure the slow and awkward getting-to-know-you process when he’s too busy to not be decisive about a follow-up, so it’s pretty cool that he already has a person who is his lifetime BFF and whom he can talk to without effort. He hangs out with Goten because it’s a chill affair and because Goten is a little based. Goten’s always got some shit to say. Goten will just say anything to you.

Some viewers may arrive here and say that, hey, Trunks has already GOT a Goten, he’s already GOT a lifetime partner! He and Goten are on the same page all of the time. They know how to communicate. They’re already bonded. Does Trunks NEED anyone else?

And like Yeah you could stop there. Discussion over. Open and shut book. Goodbye

BUT I’m gonna keep going. I’m gonna argue that Trunks COULD use something more. I believe I’m on record as saying that he just needs a life-partner, he just needs that intimacy, so Goten would totally suffice, and not everybody gets what’s perfect for them so yeah maybe Trunks never secures a permanent woman but he’s happy enough running a sword-fighting dojo with his BFF sure - BUT. Imagine telling a 23 year old heterosexual (this adjective is not made canonical until DBS however) (this is present Trunks we all know that Future Trunks is gay) man that he’s never gonna have a woman. Well he just wouldn’t believe you for his own emotional wellbeing! Like what! He’s never going to have sexual relations with a woman again?! Please. You must be off your rocker.

OK so what. Does he keep his Goten and get over his subtle fear of what a woman could do to him and just start slamming ass all over Metro West? Maybe. That’s certainly an option.

But let’s consider Goten a moment. Goten is from a rural, traditional, and loving home, and he fully expects himself to have a wife and kids someday. When we see him in GT he’s still in his playboy phase and that’s fine but you can’t expect me to believe that he doesn’t want a family. Of course he wants a family. Everybody that he looks up to has one!

Unlike Trunks, Goten doesn’t have an aversion to the relationships that he’s borne witness to and the expectations put upon him, and he instead leans into them; when his mother tells him that he needs to settle down with a good woman and become a good working man, he listens to her. He just doesn’t know when it’ll happen. And while he certainly isn’t hoping on a wife who will beat him like how his mother beats his father, he would not be surprised to find himself with one; and if he did have an irascible and senseless wife, he would treat her carefully and with respect, and he wouldn’t miss all the cues that he’s seen his father miss when dealing with his mother, and he would take the wooden spoon beating with stoic dignity. And then afterward he would be like “Sugarlamb, babycakes, what’s got you all like this?” and depending on what she said he would either laugh her into reassurance (or another beating) or fly out of the house to destroy what was REALLY stressing her out.

To Goten, some women are just Like That, and that’s fine, and you gotta respect reality. He’s a virtuous man who wants to treat women with kindness, sympathy, and an awful lot of deference.

Trunks, on the other hand, is partial to expecting accountability out of a wife.

So Goten is really gonna land himself a wife one of these days, I tell you what, it’s gonna happen. And he’ll tolerate an awful lot out of her. And he can hang out with his buddy Trunks as they share a passion and a hobby, but his mother always told him that when a man starts a family, his guy friends become third priority to his children and wife (something that Goku never understood in the way that Chichi did). And Goten believes her, and he is not interested in repeating the behaviors of his father that had always made his mother so sad, so he makes ample time for his wife and kids when they come, and less for his BFF and their dojo.

If this post were all about Goten then we could perhaps dive more into what I just said, like, sometimes people as adults end up in rotten relationships because they keep trying to “fix” the traits in the other that they could never see fixed in their parents, and they keep trying to get out of a partner what their parents never gave them. And it’s like, Goten growing up saw such terrible and soft sadness in his mother because his father was either dead or absent, and as a youth that really struck and scarred him. Sometimes he felt responsible for it by proxy, because he was a boy, because everyone told him how much he looked like his father, because his mother stopped smiling at him when he grew up and into his own priorities and he wasn’t his mother’s soothing baby boy anymore, because Goten’s skull was thick enough to break the wooden spoon whenever his mother tried to take it all out on him.

So now he’s determined to be a better husband than his father was, as a way to retroactively fix what he could never do anything about then, and to express an indirect apology to his mother for never being good enough.

And you know, that’s pretty interesting. Maybe we should talk about THAT. Maybe we should talk about how Goten was never smart like Gohan, and always one step behind Trunks, and the only thing thing that made him feel like enough was when he let his mother pick out his outfits, because she seemed to delight in dressing him, and the significance of the dress to him started and ended at his mother’s approval.

But this post isn’t about Goten it’s about TRUNKS so don’t worry about all that.

So is Trunks ever going to fuck sex a hot woman again..? Has he ever even done that at all...?

We know that Goten gets a wife, but now Trunks is spending a lot of time alone again. Goten has two hands, isn’t there enough time for everyone? Well, yeah, there is, if Goten’s wife is willing to extend her other hand out to Trunks.

Now this doesn’t necessarily have to be like a polycule or a throuple thing. Trunks could just be Goten’s special friend. His guy friend who hangs out all the time and pretty much lives there. You know. Goten and Goten’s wife and their kids and .. Trunks. You know. He’s just a guy who’s there. Doesn’t need to be a big deal or anything.

Maybe Trunks has some women in his life throughout the years yknow. Nothing major. Just to get by, you know.

Maybe he meets someone sensible and he graduates from living at Goten’s house with his wife. That’d be swell.

Honestly Trunks probably needs a lot of alone time and his own space anyway, so if he could just come by every now and then to get his Goten time and his lady time, that’s all he really needs to be happy. We could end the post right here.

Or, you know. It could be a throuple thing.

So, in the interest of finishing this post and finding out where Trunks’s life takes him, WHO IS GOTEN’S WIFE?

Well canon hasn’t given us a Goten love interest so we don’t know. But this post is about GT Trunks so canon doesn’t matter much anyway. Let’s talk about Palace-chan

Palace-chan (also known as Valese in some releases and in the title of one of my spotify playlists) is Goten’s GIRLFRIEND in Dragon Ball GT. She has a very sweet and daft demeanor, and she doesn’t seem to know most things. She is, however, very open-minded, and will be pleasantly surprised when you teach her things, like how to eat ice cream, or what a hamburger is. She dates Goten after having broken up with a previous boyfriend, as is evident by his line “this is the first time since I’ve known you that you haven’t had a boyfriend.” We don’t know how long they’ve known each other, or how many boyfriends she’s had. The wiki says she’s rich and I believe that but I don’t know if I’ve seen proof of that yet or if I just missed it. She is dumb as rocks and 100x softer. She is kind, sympathetic, empathetic, and really seems to love her Goten when we see them on screen. Also, she’s pretty and cute and beautiful and charming. I know that her bedroom is pink and she has fluffy heart-shaped pillows and she has a Gwen Stefani poster and that her favorite show is Krypto The Superdog.

Palace-chan is lovely and full of love and she’s fun and playful and encouraging and open-minded and compassionate and she’s a little bit completely odd. She will get sad before she gets mad, and she puts an awful lot of trust in you. Luckily, Goten is the perfect man to put trust in - he loves to protect those he loves - and he matches her playful interests perfectly. Palace-chan loves to cuddle and giggle and make cupcakes and watch Krypto The Superdog on the 1990s Sony TV in her bedroom.

And, like, if you ask him, Trunks isn’t interested in having a “girl’s night” at Palace-chan’s place (the thing about Palace-chan is that whenever she’s involved it becomes a girl’s night. Put her in a group of older muscly men and by the end of the evening they’re drinking strawberry daiquiris and reading Cosmo.) (Obligatory screenshots of Trunks reading Cosmo magazine)

So Trunks doesn’t fancy himself someone who could have a “girl’s night,” but he goes because Goten makes him, and yknow, Trunks is friendly enough, so he’ll hang out with Goten’s girlfriend, sure. She’s a nice lady. And before he knows it she’s got him in a red apron that says “Kiss the Sous Chef” in her kitchen making cupcakes with her! They’re all making cupcakes! And now they’re decorating them and they’re doing a shit job and there’s frosting everywhere and they’re all giggling about it. Then suddenly Trunks is being dogpiled on in Palace’s pink bed, and they’re all giggling and bothering each other, while Trunks is trying to work the remote because Palace INSISTED that they watch Krypto, and she put the DVD in and now Trunks is working the remote because Palace and Goten are busy painting each other’s toenails, and they start bothering Trunks too, and now he’s cuddling with them and it’s all awfully sweet and tender and soft and...fucking weird.

After a few visits - which he still feels is too soon - Trunks bathes at Palace-chan’s mansion. He’s in this giant tub and Goten enters the bathroom. “Hey man what’s going on.” Goten gets in with him and he asks him how it’s going and if he likes hanging out here and if he likes Palace-chan at all. Trunks tells him that he does enjoy hanging out with her, and he and Goten wash each other’s hair (this is normal). Then Palace-chan enters. Trunks doesn’t want to freak out or anything because this is Palace-chan’s goddamn house, and she can move through it as she pleases, but then, LIKE IT’S NOTHING, she strips and gets in the tub with them. Goten acts like this is normal. Trunks can’t believe what’s going on so he hurriedly moves to leave, but Goten pulls him down, and tells him to not be rude, and then he tries to resume the conversation that Palace has just started and included them all in. So Trunks stays and tries to hide himself and to avert his gaze and eventually Palace asks if someone can wash her hair and Goten gestures for Trunks to do it like it’s normal and this is all normal. So Trunks washes Palace-chan’s hair and she tells him that she has a hair routine but she can’t remember where she is on it so he can just go on ahead and use any bottle on the shelf there.

This is so weird because last Trunks checked, he had not been married to the either of them for five years, so why does it feel like he’s five years into a marriage with these two? Why are they treating him like this?

Well, Palace and Goten are just like that. And more specifically, they like Trunks. Any friend of Goten is a someone whom Palace trusts completely, and besides, she thinks he’s cute. And Goten loves his sweet GF and his epic BFF and he thinks it’s funny how Trunks blushes whenever Palace tries to cuddle him. Also, he doesn’t like seeing Trunks overworked and lonely. It’s relieving to him, and comical, how even the cool Trunks starts giggling with the rest when Goten and Palace dogpile on him and mess with him.

So, what’s my point here? Well, Palace-chan isn’t the calm, sensible, rational woman that Trunks had his hopes out for. But there aren’t many people out there who fit that bill, and less so since Gohan and Videl tied each other down. Palace-chan herself isn’t even single, but she and her boyfriend seem willing to share, so who is Trunks to turn up his nose? Palace is open-minded and compassionate, and Goten’s chief concern is always the happiness and wellbeing of the flock, and it’s not like Trunks is keen on rocking the boat arbitrarily - they all keep each other mindful and loved, and there’s plenty of room for all of them in the corners of each other. Why, it seems like a good set-up. Palace-chan gets a nice, careful, virtuous and funny husband, as well as a second sweet and cute guy; Goten gets that wife he wants, and she is a lovely catch, and she doesn’t even beat him, and he also gets to keep his right-hand-man you-know-me-like-no-other confidant close; and Trunks gets the intimacy and understanding of his already BFF as well as the affection and touch of a tender woman who won’t yell at him.

So...?

THIS POST WAS GOTEN X PALACE X TRUNKS PROPAGANDA ALL ALONG!!!!

But I’m gonna keep talking.

See the thing is, I said earlier that Trunks would ideally want a life partner who is SENSIBLE and will work with him regarding boundaries and compromises. He doesn’t want a woman who just gets her way. But the thing about Palace-chan is that she often does just get her way out of virtue of the fact that if you deny her then you’re just being an asshole. Like, it’s an issue of chivalry. She’s a delicate thing. You just gotta let her have this man.

But that doesn’t mean she’s interested in making you commit to stuff that you don’t like. If you REALLY hated Krypto The Superdog then she would eventually stop asking you to watch it with her. But she’d definitely be sad to start. And she may find it hard to believe that you wouldn't like it. Because it’s the best fucking show ever. But as long as you don’t INSULT Krypto then she’ll let you walk away from it. But if you’re mean about it then she’d stamp her feet and make her very best stern face (it’s not that stern) and she’d say “Trunks-san. You are being very rude right now. If you don’t stop then I am going to say something rude myself.” But she just isn’t that scary and you can tell that she’s really so sad and trying to hold her ground, not that she’s especially angry.

Also I think that if you did walk all over her, then she would just break up with you. You think that maybe she’s a vulnerable and fragile flower but the thing is she’s rich and doesn't need you if you’re a dick. She can tell when she’s not being heard and if it keeps happening then she has the emotional strength and courage to cry to completion all night over what she’s about to lose, and then have the conviction to cut you loose the next day. I think she did that with all of her other boyfriends, albeit some of her reasons were stupid (the color of your bikes didn’t match). And some of her breakups she performed with only moroseness and the finality of a cried-out heart, not so much coming from a place of fierce self-vindication. But I’m getting sidetracked.

I said at the beginning that Trunks is afraid of winding up like his father. In the loving and stable arms of his BFF and his GF, it seems like Trunks has nothing to be afraid of.

But except that he does. Because after Goten and Palace get married, Palace gets pregnant. Trunks doesn’t really want kids, but he wouldn’t dare try to tell Goten and Palace how to live their life, and he’s not gonna leave the either of them for just that reason.

Everyone’s excited for Goten and Palace’s child, but the damn baby is born with blue hair. The damn baby is born with blue hair. Trunks and Palace weren’t married, which makes it a bastard child; and Palace is married to someone else, so that makes it an adultery baby. “But aren’t they all kind of in the relationship together, it can’t REALLY be an adultery baby, right?” - BUT BY A TECHNICALITY IT IS, ISN’T IT? Trunks just accidentally had a baby. He did not even want a kid, he did not MEAN to make one, but he finds himself in this scenario nonetheless, enticed by the love of a woman he did not choose but who chose him.

His father tells him over the phone later that he had warned him. “I warned you. When you went through puberty, I told you - I warned you to stay away from those jezebels who’ll try to steal your seed.” Vegeta didn’t really say that but actually yeah I think he did. I think he did say that. I think he would say that. I think he would. And I think he did.

Trunks of course already had himself living under the specter of fear for that scenario, and he did try really hard to avoid it. And you could argue that Trunks and his BFF and his BFF’s wife is a very different scenario from the one that Bulma ensnared Vegeta in. But that’s not how it feels. Trunks feels suddenly that he’s had no volition in this, that he’s been hunted like his mother and trapped like his father, all because he had the damn gall to be a lonely man.

He gets over it though & the next two kids are Goten’s. And Palace tries to name the next one “Vegeta V” even though it’s Goten’s and the first real riff in the relationship occurs when Trunks begs her day and night to not fucking name it that. He says “If that baby isn’t born with blue hair you can’t fucking name it that.” And then she names it that anyway & long story short I think that Trunks eventually snaps & takes the baby down to the Secretary of State’s office and tries to legally change its name. And the lady working the counter is like “You are not either of the baby’s parents” and he’s like “That’s the fucking problem, it’s named after my dad.” And she’s like “I cannot legally help you do this” And for the first time in Trunks’s life ever he uses his status for selfish gains, he leans over the counter and says “Ma’am, I am the President of the richest corporation on Earth. If you help me out with this little thing, I could make your life really good.”

Anyway he walks out of there with the baby’s new legal name being Son Goten II.

So yeah. GT Trunks everybody

#dballz posting #goten & palace & trunkz

16 notes · View notes

lara · 1 year

Text

A personal journey with me through Martin Scorsese movies

This week Martin Scorsese celebrates his 80th birthday, and this is something I wrote as a homage to the man who, in many ways, changed my life.

‘My whole life has been movies and religion,’ Scorsese once said. Maybe our similarity in that regard is the reason I've been drawn to his journey as director and lover of cinema.

I like to imagine that our religious upbringing allowed us to see beauty in believing in things bigger than ourselves. God as the man with a moving camera. Cinema as lifelong devotion.

Watching ‘Goodfellas’ for the first time was, in many ways, a religious experience for me. Like the birth of Jesus Christ, it constituted a before and after moment in my life.

Back then, I was in love with ‘The Godfather’ for its aesthetic choices: classical music, scenes of rural Italy, men from a different time. It had an elegance that reflected the past in its most violent and lovely moments. ‘Scarface’, another obsession of mine, was almost the opposite: raw and dirty, with Latin-American influences and a macho lead character. Its whiplash of violence and amorality left me breathless.

It was difficult for me to imagine that a movie about gangsters could look not outwards into the world, but inwards. That it could tell stories of love and friendship amongst thieves, and how someone can be drawn to criminality, not out of duty or need, but because of the enjoyment of it all—a cautionary tale more fantastic than the idea of an untouchable family business, or the inevitability of a ruthless immigrant choosing a life of crime.

So when I pressed play, and Ray Liotta said his famous line “As far back I can remember I always wanted to be a gangster”, I knew Marty would dismantle all the rules I knew about making movies.

‘Goodfellas’ cemented my love for gangster movies, not as a reflection of the rough realities of the world out there, but as a unique way to tell stories about criminals that didn't treat them as objects—like most cop movies—but as humans.

I got to know Scorsese through his gangster movies first. However, out of his prolific filmography of 25 feature films, only a handful are about them: ‘The Departed’, ‘Casino’, ‘Mean Streets’, ‘Gangs of New York’, ‘The Irishman’—and ‘Goodfellas’, of course.

His remaining filmography is rich and varied. In them, I noticed, his characters become mythological beings, and their end is akin to what I learnt reading the bible: a man's worst destiny was not to be punished by his enemies, but by God himself.

Many of them feature the male psyche and its inner demons. Some men are evil (‘Cape Fear’, ‘Taxi Driver’), others violent (‘Raging Bull’) or mad (‘Shutter Island’, ‘The King of Comedy’). For them, as in Shakespeare, violent delights have violent ends.

Sometimes, though, the demons are New York City, misogyny, colonization. The world. God himself.

Paul Hackett's full-circle punishment in ‘After Hours’, where no good deed goes unpunished. The suffering of the unhappy housewife turned widow, whose dream of being a singer is less dream than it is curse, in ‘Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore’. The profound sense of loss in the romance of Newland Archer and the countess in ‘The Age of Innocence.’ The persecution of jesuit priest Sebastião Rodrigues for his faith in ‘Silence’, a mirror of the persecution by the jesuits themselves in South America.

What fascinates me constantly about Scorsese's filmography is that it doesn't reflect a devotion to Christianity. In fact, it examines his conflicting beliefs about Catholicism and its dogmas through the plight of his characters, and we get to see it all through God's eyes.

In the words of John Cassavetes: "I think Marty has one God, and that's film."

youtube

#original #martin scorsese #cinema #movies #film #scorsese

15 notes · View notes

kelmcdonald · 1 year

Text

I'll Be at Emerald City This Weekend!

Crossposted from my newsletter.

Hey everyone! Hope you had a good February. I'll be at Emerald City Comic Con this weekend! Cautionary Fables and Fairytales will be at table 20815! There is a nice map up top (I took Kory Bing's image of our booth because I didn't have time to make my own.)

Emerald City is the big thing this month. But Failure to Launch is still crowdfunding! It goes until March 9th. Me, Spike, and Amanda will do a special Iron Circus Geekshow to close it out. That will be Thursday March 9th, at 6pm PST. Grab it while you still can!

My discord is still doing the full moon movie will be March 7th at 5pm PST. We will be watching the movie Cursed (2005). It's not a good movie but it is a fun movie. Anyone who wants to join, is free to sign up for my discord and join us.

As always I'll be streaming art on Twitch. My schedule is currently the following:

Tuesday 8pm-10pm PST

Wednesday 8pm-10pm PST

Thrusday 6pm-9pm PST (during the Iron Circus Geekshow)

Last month I was a guest on War Rocket Ajax. I was promoing Shards of Reflection and the Fame and Misfortune live reading. But really we mostly talked about videogames.

I also did a live reading on twitch of Fame and Misfortune. It was fun and I want to do more live readings. But it turned out my mic was broken. So I'm gonna redo it. You can give the first try a listen, but it will get auto-deleted in about a week.

I got a bad sinus infection last week. So I haven't really had time to work on Blue Moon. It's getting to the point where I think I might have to put You are the Chosen One on break again. I don't want to, but right now it's the comic that takes the most time (mostly because it's in color). I'm gonna see how much I get done this month when it comes to Blue Moon. Then I'll decide. If it goes on break, it will be after the current chapter is done posting (in July).

Getting sick really threw off my exercising. I'll get back to it after Emerald City. Kinda a double whammy of sickness and then con to mess up the routine. It's a shame because I was getting used to/forming a habit until I got sick. But sick meant I watched more stuff. Last month this section was kinda long. Maybe I should post these on my blog more frequently and just link to those posts? Anyway here's what I watched and read:

Posthumous Education (book 8 in The Utterly Uniteresting and Unadventurous Tales of Fred the Vampire Accountant) by Drew Hayes - The vampire accountant series is one I always grab as soon as it comes out. It stood out to me because most urban fantasy books are about magic cops or magic detectives. The series as a whole are episodic short stories and I like that they are mostly small stake conflicts. Like this volume the main character is teaching a business class at a supernatural college. The first story is about him trying to convince students how important learning basic contract knowledge is, not just for dealing with humans but also the fae and really any supernatural that makes deals. The series as a whole has bit about how higher ups abuse these legal tricks to control the inexperienced. I'm definitely gonna keep up with the series because small scale stories like this are harder to find.

Woke - This is a hulu show that is loosely based off the K Chronicles by Keith Knight. I didn't know much going in and wanted to see how Keith's work was turned into a TV show. I ended up really enjoying it. The first season is about what an artist's responsibility to the world. Like if you have an audience, how much do you have to use it for talking about important topics vs using it for escapism? And then how does commerce tight into an artists work. It was very funny and clever. It also uses Keith Knight's hand letterer for all the captions, text messages, and another another thing that needs a pop up label. It gave the show a unique look that helps tie it more to the comic it is based off of.

Baby Driver - Another thing with a unique look was Baby Driver. I like Edgar Wright movies but never got around to see Baby Driver until now. Basically, when it came out I was only interested in it because Edgar Wright was the director. Like everything I heard about it made me think that it might not be for me. And my instincts were right. While Baby Driver was a very pretty/stylish movie, the story and characters kinda fell flat for me. I might revisit it if I want to mimic it's specific look in an illustration, but for now it just made me want to rewatch Hot Fuzz.

Puss in Boots: Last Wish - To continue the line of stuff that is stylish and looks interesting, Puss in Boots: Last Wish is much better than it has any right to be. I mostly saw it because everyone was telling me it was much better than you'd expect. That is 100% true. The usually Shrek style was dropped in favor of something that is more stylized like Into the Spiderverse. The whole cast is after a fallen star they can make a wish on is the main driver of the story. That's a simple plot that allows for a lot of cool action and slapstick humor. So they can put the new style to good use. Then since the plot is so simple, there is also room for the characters to grow and change. Which means, unlike Baby Driver, you have a very strong sense of who everyone is and why they are involved in the story. Maybe I like it so much because I had low expectations, but it was very surprising in how good it is.

The Banshees of Inisherin - My favorite stories are ones that are funny and sad at the same time. The Banshees of Inisherin is just that. I think it's also a great example of how you can make something that seems small feel like the most important thing in the world. If you don't know, it's about two men in a small Irish town that have been friends for years. The starting incident is one telling the other he doesn't want to be friends anymore. The other can't accept that. I like that while you watch these two men argue about whether or not they should be friends there is an underlying heart and sadness that isn't spelt out. The man who doesn't want to be friends says the other man is dull and he is wasting his life listening to the other guy. So he is clearly wrestling with how short his time is on earth. And for all his desire to do something "important" with his life, he is spending a lot of it arguing with this former friend now. And the other guy is so upset that he is bringing his donkey into his house. The donkey is making a mess of his house but it's something for him to cuddle while depressed and lonely. Both situations are a combo of sad and funny. This is a movie I'll probably think a lot a bit and will revisit.

Aggretsuko Season 5 - I have some mixed feelings about Aggretsuko's last season. I really liked the first 3 seasons, but the more the show pushed Retsuko and Haida as a couple the more I lost interest. So season 4 and now season 5 giving him more scene time made me lose interest in him. It seems like a shift to try and justify him as a love interest. Also Haida's brief bit of being homeless felt like something the show wasn't prepared to properly address. Like the show wasn't to be sympathetic, but gives reasons for why the homeless characters are "stuck" that way. So it wants to be sympathetic while blaming the homeless for their situation. And then that story line is kinda tossed aside for Retsuko to run for office. I like Retsuko running for office, but didn't really like that she was strong armed into it. She has been repeated pushed into important plots each season. I wish the last season changed that. It would have been a nice way to end a series of her being so passive. Like the whole show has been realizing her unhappiness with the system and seeing others also unhappy under it. I would have liked her to make an active choice to try and change the system. And then maybe tie the homeless plot line into that more. As is, the two plot lines don't mesh with each other super well.

I've also been listening to the podcast Mangasplaining. It reviews manga and guides people through a wide variety of series. It makes me want read more manga. But only so much time is in the day. Either way, there might be more manga in these write ups. I at the very least should reread Akira (it's been like 15 years).

Thanks as always for your support this month. Have a good one everyone.

#kel mcdonald #the city between #vampires #werewolves #keith knight #puss in boots #baby driver #the banshees of inisherin #aggretsuko #you are the chosen one #concept art #comics

4 notes · View notes

nightingaleflow · 2 years

Text

I was (unofficially) tagged by @bbgirlsteve to list nine of my favorite movies.

Gotta tell you, narrowing this list down was hard. I was a Film major back in the day, so I have a ton of movies that I love dearly.

Tumblr arranged them in alphabetical order, so below is the actual order, along with a little blurb about each!

(1) Requiem for a Dream (2000) This is my all-time favorite movie, and one of the few I view as being perfect. It's about four people going down the downward spiral of addiction and experiencing all of the consequences that come with it. It was the first movie I watched on my own when I was trying to be a Serious Film Student, and I was blown away by it. In particular, the editing style is remarkable. It uses over 2000 cuts, whereas your average film of the same length uses about 600 - 700. It's done in such a way to mimic a drug user's experience, going from rapid, frantic movements to slow calms. I must stress though, if you want to watch this movie, PLEASE exercise caution. The whole reason I found it was because it was on several Most Disturbing Films Ever lists, and it earns its place there. It's like a very long, drawn out sucker punch - painful, dark, and potentially will leave you laid out for a day.

(2) Legally Blonde (2001) On the complete opposite end of the spectrum, Legally Blonde is my second favorite. I'm sure most of you know it, but in case you don't: A "dumb blonde" goes to Harvard Law School to win back the boyfriend who dumped her. I love it because it works hard to subvert the dumb blonde stereotype - Elle is smart, hard-working, and above all has a good heart. This movie just has an overall positive message, plus it has a ton of female positivity, which the world needs way more of. It's my go-to sick day movie because it never fails to make me feel better.

(3) Coraline (2009) Ah, Coraline. A cautionary tale about a little girl who discovers a gateway to a perfect parallel world in her new house (except it's not so perfect). This one I love because it manages to perfectly marry the magic and pains of childhood with extreme darkness. Coraline is just a kid who longs for adventure and a family that pays attention to her, which hit home for me in a lot of ways. And then they come in with "oh by the way you have to have buttons sewn into your eyes." God, that moment still makes me shudder. Also, fun fact: Coraline held the world record for the longest stop motion animation film (100 minutes) for seven years until it was overthrown by Kubo and the Two Strings (101 minutes).

(4) Colossal (2016) Colossal is probably one a lot of you have overlooked. It's a got a very strange premise - a drunk, down on her luck woman is somehow linked to and controlling a kaiju that randomly appeared in South Korea? What? But this movie is so, SO good. After not really paying much attention to movies for a few years, Colossal was the one that made me take notice again. It's a masterclass in acting from both Anne Hathaway and Jason Sudeikis. Its premise, while strange, lends it a unique charm I have yet to find in another movie, even other kaiju or body swap type stories. And its another positive message movie - no matter how hard life or other people knock you down, you can get back up and keep fighting. I can't recommend it strongly enough.

(5) Cat People (1942) This movie's premise is also pretty bonkers: A woman won't have sex with her husband because she thinks that she will turn into a giant cat and eat him if she does. However, do you like modern horror movies? If you do, you have Cat People to thank for them. Obviously, horror movies had come out before Cat People. It was made by RKO as a response to Universal's success with Dracula and Frankenstein, after all. However, Cat People set up a lot of things that would inspire later horror movies. In particular, its use of the idea that "What you don't see is scarier than what you do" and emphasis on subtlety rather than in your face scares is something you see coming from here. It's also credited as the source of the very first jump scare.

(6) Coco (2017) I love movies about music and/or that have good soundtracks. Coco falls into both categories, since it's about a little boy who wants to be a musician and ends up seeking out his musical ancestor in the Land of the Dead after his family rejects his musical aspirations. It is visually gorgeous - I legitimately think this is the prettiest movie Pixar has ever made, which is saying a lot. (The moment where Manny crosses the marigold bridge into the Land of the Dead comes to mind) I also love the way that the Mexican culture and music is seamlessly woven into the story. It truly transports me to a new world.

(7) The Ring (2002) Everyone knows the story even if they haven't seen this movie: It's about a video tape that kills you seven days after you watch it. And this is the single scariest movie I've ever seen. I first watched it when I was about 13. I watched it on VHS alone in the basement of my childhood house late at night (which definitely upped the scare factor). I actually thought the movie was over after they discover Samara's body in the well and stopped the movie. But then I decided I wanted to watch the credits because I wanted to see who was in the cast. And boy did I get a surprise. That single moment redefined horror for me. To this day, there hasn't been another movie that has scared me that badly.

(8) Tucker & Dale vs Evil (2010) Conversely, there hasn't been a horror comedy that hit all the right notes quite like Tucker and Dale. It's a spoof on your typical summer slasher movies like Friday the 13th or Wrong Turn, but done right. It takes every single slasher horror trope you can think of and turns it on its head. This movie made me laugh harder than almost any other movie. It's also made from a place of love, honoring the tropes and movies that came before it, and working with them to make an amazing movie.

(9) Zack and Miri Make a Porno (2008) Yes, this is a romantic comedy about two friends making a porno together. And it's good. It's hard to make me like romantic comedies. They have to have something that really sets them apart. Zack and Miri does this by leaning hard (hehe) into its premise. It's not ashamed, it gleefully shows off its cast in every sense of the word, and it still manages to create one of the most intimate sex scenes I've ever seen. (Yes, in a film about porn) Plus it's funny as hell. Just do yourselves a favor and don't watch it with your mom like I did.

Some honorable mentions:

The Omen (1976) Happy Death Day Ratatouille Us Pan's Labyrinth Candyman Stranger Than Fiction Wolf Children Cabin in the Woods Little Miss Sunshine A Quiet Place

Tagging (no pressure or obligation <3): @justmyownreality @iantoya @therantingfangirl @obscurism @starnightcat @moonlight-alphafemale @mal-the-konohoe

And if you weren't tagged but want to participate, please feel free. I love talking movies!

#tag game #long post #movies #horror #animation #rom com #nightingale speaks

8 notes · View notes

tess-eh · 3 months

Text

Blog Post #3

African American Studies 112A

Professor Due

02/01/2024

Blog Post #3

This week we discussed the films, Candyman (1992), Candyman (2020), and Ouanga, as well as two short stories from the book “Out There Screaming” called “Pressure” and “The Most Strongest Obeah Woman in the World”. What I appreciated about this week’s work is that it wasn’t all technically considered to be black horror, so I was able to compare films the films that are and aren’t and see what interpretative elements as well as themes overlap and are unique. Ouanga is a horror film, but it is not a black horror film, even though it includes aspects of race, racism, and even slavery. This is important to note because black horror is not just about race, as we know, and there are different versions of black horror. The horror in Ouanga was centered around the fear of blackness, especially black voodoo, which we see is a very prominent element in the film. It’s a spiritual piece and contains themes that we rarely ever see even today in Hollywood, such as a black woman standing up to a white man. While this film was still uncomfortable to watch, I really appreciated the parts in the film, similar to this, that are unconventional on screen and in reality because it allows the viewer to transcend into this world.

The short stories, “Pressure” and “The Most Strongest Obeah Woman in the World”, similar to Ouanga, also contained spiritual or supernatural elements, which were initially confusing to see. In “Pressure”, he’s fighting against racism within his own family. So it is also a cautionary tale, in which we don’t really see the horror aspects until the end of the story when it all comes together. At times, I was able to relate to the protagonist, because it felt like for him, seeing his family felt like a death sentence, and while my family is certainly not as extreme as this one in which there are actual threats or safety concerns, I absolutely feel underlying racism within my family, because they essentially only associate with people of their own kind. I am Middle Eastern and Jewish, and my family doesn’t want to even hear what I have to say about my friends or boyfriend if it doesn’t include them being Middle Eastern and Jewish too– spoiler alert, they aren’t. It makes me feel uncomfortable to even talk about my life with my family because of their deliberate racism, which in turn has made me distance myself from them.

In both versions of Candyman, he is a black man, which makes this film have an instinctive racial aspect to it. The original is more problematic than the latter because in the original, Candyman is the villain, who is black, and is attacking the victim who is a white woman, and framing her for these murders. He also ‘claims’ her as his, which adds in a very weird and disturbing sexual aspect to Candyman, which not only made it uncomfortable to watch but once again made Hollywood seem obsessed with this trope that a black man is the sexually violent villain against the innocent white woman. In the newer Candyman from 2020 by Jordan Peele, I enjoyed it much more because it was more entertaining for me to watch, and it also felt scarier. It’s almost like a mystery that is being pieced together as we discover who Anthony really is, and that becoming Candyman is his destiny. I also appreciated the more expansive cast in the 2020 Candyman, where it felt like there were even more black actors than white, making this a true black horror film.

0 notes

angryfaery · 8 months

Text

Lessons in Ethics in Fairy tales

There are many moral lessons hidden within fairy tales, educating us about the repercussions of things like greed, jealously, and hubris. For instance, the fable known as "The Boy Who Cried Wolf" serves as a cautionary tale about the perils of lying. These teachings, although being cloaked in captivating fiction, strike a chord with the audience.

The stories that make up fairy tales are often brief and straightforward, and they all convey some kind of valuable lesson to their readers. I've never given much attention to where fairy tales came from, nor have I given much thought to the ways in which they were adapted and retold in order to conform to the norms of the society that existed during the era in which they were written. I am aware that children's fairy tales are written just for them and that they are frequently read out loud during preschool by both parents and instructors.

My mother used to tell me Charles Perrault's fairy stories when I was a small child growing up in the suburbs of the Orlando region. I was an American and I was from the state of Florida. Due to the fact that I have a membership to the nearby theme park, Walt Disney World, I was able to witness the characters from the books being brought to life in a unique manner. The connections that may be formed with the characters from Perrault's stories and the applications that are able to be made to real life events have always been something that has captivated me. The purpose of this article is to conduct an in-depth investigation of the application of the lessons that are depicted in the tales.

The tale of Alice in Wonderland, which is widely considered to be one of the most beloved fairy tales with moral teachings, teaches us to be brave and to not be afraid of the unknown. The fact that she chose to descend down the rabbit hole and enter the magical realm despite the magnitude of her choice is significant. Sometimes there is magic waiting for you on the other side of the risk that you are hesitant to take. Alice has the ability to accept other individuals as she progresses through this enchanted realm. We are lovely precisely because of the singular qualities that set us apart. Celebrating these diversity allows us to be exposed to newer ways of life, which may help us better grasp who we are as individuals.

Who could ever forget the timeless tale of the three pigs in the big city? The three pigs, who are the protagonists of this tale, are responsible for the construction of three distinct homes: one made of brick, one made of wood, and one made of straw. A large wolf is making an effort to blast these buildings down. Even though he is successful in destroying two of the houses, he is unable to demolish the one that is constructed of bricks, which results in all of the pigs being saved. One thing that may be learned from this narrative is the importance of having faith in one's own efforts. Even though the other pigs who constructed their homes out of straw and wood appeared to be having a better time, it was the hard-working pig that constructed the house out of bricks that finally ended up saving everyone's lives. The answer to your question "What do fairy tales teach us?" is that we should work hard and avoid taking shortcuts if we want to achieve our goals. Putting forth the effort to perform well can help your efforts pay off in the long run.

#Aliceinwanderland #fairytales #morallesson

1 note · View note

sad-girl-who-loves-a-thick-guy · 9 months

Text

Lines from Curtis Sittenfeld’s phenomenal novel, Romantic Comedy, that made me reflect or cry.

“Obviously, unless the emailing someone before meeting is a waste of time, but I do still wonder whether a person’s writing self is there a realist soft, they’re fake itself, or just a different self their in-the-world self?”

“ I suppose I wanted to absolve myself of responsibility for my own happiness- I could blame him for trapping me here“

“ maybe I was a sucker, or maybe he had a little too much practice, but he was so disarmingly sweet.“

“ it occurred to me that perhaps this was how grown-up conversations worked – not that your communication didn’t falter, but that you both made good faith attempts to rectify things after it hard.“

“ was there any reason I couldn’t now become a third kind of person, made more confident by experience and braver by the current reminder of how fragile and tenuous all our lives have been all along? And still his head was turned to look at me, my head was turned to look at him.”

“ really, I have been completely silenced. I have never been on the receiving end of this kind of – well, I didn’t even know what it was. Admonition? A declaration? And encomium? None of it was clearly wrong; much of it was a heart stoppingly fluttering; A small but significant portion was humiliating.“

“ he turned his head so he was gazing out the windshield again. ‘There’s a picture of the cast and crew of TNO taken every year on the main stage, right? I’m sure I’ve seen it online or in a magazine. And if I was looking at that, would I pick you out from everyone else and say, that’s the most gorgeous woman I’ve ever seen? If I’m being honest, no but human beings aren’t static images. We’re dynamic and kinetic, and she like I said before-Right away, I wanted to talk to you, and every time I talk to you since I’ve always wanted to keep talking to you’.

That I didn’t feel completely unsalted by his admission that I wasn’t the most gorgeous woman he’s ever seen meant – what? That I nursed some private hope that he thought I was? Either because he had unusual taste or because I’ve been holding onto the belief that, as with many a romantic comedy heroine, I was far more beautiful than I realized?”

“ but now I wonder if it’s a cautionary tale about how you want to stew in your aloneness.“

“ and how unique and incredible you are does make me kind of karmically or existentially terrified. Because how could anyone deserve you, let alone me?

“ this time, I really, really laughed, and he said, ‘seriously, the sound of you laughing - there’s nothing else like it’.”

“ The truth is that I still can’t believe a hot, smart, kind man loves me back.“

#romantic comedy #curtis sittenfeld #all these made me cry

1 note · View note

cosmos-dot-semicolon · 2 years

Text

A bit of dialogue analysis on that one Thief line (Clever and Unpleasant)

One of the things I didn't expect to enjoy from Dicey was its writing; I played the online alpha as a way to gauge how much I would like the mechanics, decided I liked that enough to warrant a purchase, and jumped straight in. I don't usually buy games for their storyline - I just don't think most play well enough to their medium in a way I wouldn't just prefer to watch on video, or read in plain text. But I do really value it when games that technically never needed that sort of flair do add it in - an appropriately themed story and genuinely enjoyable characters in a well-polished game will make me remember the experience I've had with it for years on end. The technology we have for video games nowadays can combine so many different experiences, and I absolutely love it when creators take full advantage of that to create something unique.

There's a lot of dialogue snippets in this game that suggest a thousand different words in ten. This is one of my favourites, so keep reading if you want to enjoy a bit of a ramble from what I like out of the funny dice game and media in general :)

I don't think rooting for '(proudly) clever and unpleasant' characters is anything new or weird. A lot of antagonists are written with that in mind: at their most fundamental, villains are ultimately a challenge the heroes will overcome (given we're not in a cautionary tale). So why not make them enjoyable to watch, if we're not handling anything more nuanced? Their misdeeds make your protagonists more human, their dramatic acting riles up the audience to for their defeat, and their clever plots eventually falling through make it all the sweeter when your heroes are the one-in-a-million that succeeded against them.

Alternatively, hero characters with this mindset can make for a good foil to more morally-centred protagonists. They are outwardly mean and more willing to work pragmatically than our kind-hearted paragons, but there is (supposed to be) a reason they are kept on the team. You highlight your hero’s kind naïveté, you highlight your rogue’s rude pragmatism, and you round out the cast a little better by blending and developing those traits.

So, this dialogue asks, what happens if we put these two types of character together?

The most obvious feeling I got after reading these sentences was that Lady Luck was right. About both herself and Thief, to a fair extent. There isn't really a better way to illustrate a character being clever than them voicing their own self-awareness, and there isn't really a better way to illustrate a character being unpleasant than to have them put down another the audience is rooting for while boasting about themself. And we already know Thief is like this from his practical wish and standoff-ish attitude in his introduction. He seeks money, which is practical but arguably quaint and self-centred when you’re standing in the realm of endless possibilities. He’s also quite dismissive of the other contestants - perhaps understandably with the strange situation they’ve all found themselves in, but as none of them play against each other, his mantra of ‘not coming here to make friends’ seems unnecessarily catty.

Arguably, this also goes further into a wider understanding of media (something also appropriate in-universe for a showrunner!). It gets you to think about why somebody like Thief was chosen to be on the side of the heroes, and even though we know Lady Luck’s unpleasantness is much, much worse, it gets you to think about why Thief’s not as bad. And even why Lady Luck is arguably a little more fun to watch. What does it say about the two characters that Lady Luck was the first to realise and mention this, and what does it say about her that she only enough to use this as an insult for Thief and a compliment for herself?

I don’t actually think I’ve seen this comparison between a villain and a morally-questionable protagonist put like this. While there are all sorts of similar confrontations and “We’re not so Different, You and I!” kicking about, they aren’t nearly as... witty? As this. This is played moreso for comedy than for drama (these snippets take about 10 seconds to read and are such so that you can quickly jump into runs), but I think that actually leaves the greater impact here. It’s a funny twist to see someone call another out, only to take pride in themself being worse - but in-universe, it also establishes Lady Luck as having a strong presence, being able to say such a thing so brazenly on TV, as well as her more obviously devious schemes. As the contestants are more archetypes than fully fleshed out characters, it’s also plays better to the story’s structure and doesn’t try to invoke a depth that isn’t there.

But I would argue it does invoke another sort of depth - the type that comes from a joke that feels very true.

It’s a little self-aware jab, but it doesn’t make the game look insecure of its own writing or bitter about these tropes’ presence overall. It’s funny. The game gets you to compare its own characters, its own scenarios, and then asks you to extend that line of thinking to the rest of media in general. It’s a small gesture, as the game’s focus is ultimately more on mechanical elements, but a very important skill I think should really be more encouraged by media (compared to self-deprecation and/or bitterness, on both the part of writers and audiences).

I get that vibe a lot from Dicey Dungeons in general. It’s earnest, it makes you laugh and smile and gives you a good time, and it leaves you analysing everything from game design to writing to art a little more closely.

#dicey dungeons #lady luck #dicey dungeons thief #analysis #putting my english gcse skills to (good) use #if this is a bit rambly remember I have adhd and the ability to write #I don't remember how to paragraph properly #I'm just splitting this up in a way that my adhd won't completely skip over later #hmm. I might write more later #it is 1:30am on saturday #this is kinda rushed and I could pick apart all these implications more but also saving that for a fic

15 notes · View notes

interact-if · 3 years

Text

Day 5 of A/PI Heritage Month featured authors interview! The lovely Parker, everyone!

Parkerlyn, author of The Nameless

A/PI Heritage Month Featured Author

Legend goes when the world was formed, the mortal races, mortalis, were created with the gift of magic. But as time passed their hubris grew, and the sheevra were created to curb their pride.

When it comes to these chaotic and malevolent beings, the lands are full of cautionary tales. Though some would tell you that the stories are just that. To them, names have no power. There are no mysterious deals to fear, and the figure who seduces you into an alley at midnight is certainly no malicious spirit.

Which luckily for you means easy prey.

Author's Ko-fi | Discord

(INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT UNDER THE INTERVIEW!)

Q1: First of all, introduce us to your project! What is it about?

The Nameless is a mishmash of fey stories and a... teetering on apocalyptic setting? The world itself is almost completely covered by desert save for four regions and cities that have maintained life around them. The origins of that desert, the Arids, are said to have been from wars thousands of years ago where there was too much magic siphoned from the world, and the cost was desolation.

The reader enters the story as a sheevra (the fey-based race) who's been taught that all this was the mortal race’s doing in their desire for power. And that the sheevra were created to take that energy back from them via deals and names to slowly restore the world's more verdant state.

If you asked the mortalis though, they'd sing a different tune. To them, the sheevra are the remnants of the entity mainly responsible for the state of the Arids, and they're the reason why the world is stuck like it is.

Where does the truth actually fall? Well…

The game itself kicks off when one of the four sheevra clans in the world goes missing, and you're sent to investigate what happened. Though whether or not you really want to find out remains to be seen.

Q2: If it’s not too spoilery, what are you most excited about your project?

I'm definitely buzzing over some of the reveals behind the Arids and other features of the world, and how things are tied together. The puzzle will start getting filled in towards the end of Book 1 and will culminate in the final major choice of the entire story, and I'm really excited to see how people handle it.

I'm also looking forward to exploring more of the backstories of the romances and various characters, and also for more descriptions of magic-tech and how that's integrated into each of the cities (had a BLAST with this in upcoming content). Just in general, excited to continue bringing the world to life!

Q3: What inspired the current project you’re working on?

The Nameless was initially sparked by a D&D NPC, Oisein's predecessor who was far more bitter and not quite the sarcastic chaos gremlin they are today.

Specifically from Kobold Press' Courts of the Shadow Fey, this NPC was supposed to be just a one sentence rumor. But (of course) my players decided to pursue that route more in depth. Said character that I made up on the spot then ended up being a regular that I eventually made into a PC for another campaign. And...things sort of spiraled and transformed from there as I created their backstory and fell in love with the characters who would then become the four romances of the game.

There's also a theme I've been wanting to write about for a long time which might lend itself to spoilers, that I was finally able to find a home for in the world of The Nameless. So it's a dash of old and new ideas!

Q4: Do you pull from your own identity for inspiration? How has that been reflected in your work?

There's some indulgent, more obvious ones like the city of Han, which is directly named after the Han River in Korea and is, well, the City of Rivers. There's also small references to Korean folklore within the sheevra that will probably continue to show up, and you better believe Korean inspired food and clothing will make an appearance haha.

But below the surface level, I think a lot of the mannerisms and backstories of the characters may unconsciously be affected by my identity. Until someone asked me about modern ethnicities for the love interests, I didn't realize how much I had tied my mixed culture into these characters. But I'm happy to have that little piece intertwined in their personalities, their values, and their attitudes, as a small nod to my own Korean-American background.

This will probably become more evident in the settings too. There's a lot of mixed inspirations and sources in the architecture, environment, and culture of each city that I'm looking forward to expanding on.

So yeah, it's kind of funny to see that manifest in my writing, but hopefully it helps to build up an interesting and unique environment for readers to immerse themselves in!

Q5: What’s been your experience so far? With writing, with the if community...

For writing in general, this is by far the largest project I've ever taken on, and there was and is a learning curve when adjusting for interactive fiction. But I've enjoyed the freedom and variation I've been able to build into this story with this medium, and think it continues to take shape in ways I never initially planned but love to see!

For the IF community, it's definitely been positive! I kind of just chucked this story out there not expecting much from it and figured it would be hard for anyone else to get into. Honestly I thought that maybe just a few people would see it, but that it would mostly be self indulgent.

But the support from other writers and readers and the questions I've received has just been amazing, and I’m glad I dived deeper into the IF community. Especially when the self-doubt inevitably creeps in and you have those moments of "oof this is terrible". The positive words and encouragement mean so much, and I don't think I'll ever be able to express how much it helps. I'm also really happy to have found an overall inclusive community, and hope I can extend that space into this game!

Also the stories and games out there? Talented, brilliant, incredible, amazing, show-stopping, spectac-

Q6: Do you have any future projects in the works?

None at the moment, my focus is mainly on writing The Nameless and continuing to develop features for the Twine version!

Q7: Finally, what piece of advice would you give to fellow authors?

Don't let yourself get down by comparisons. It's easy to slip into, and I'm definitely guilty of it too! But no one's going to tell your story like you can and the way you want it, so it's up to you to share that with the world!

#if: events #Happy Asian and Pacific Islander month!!#Asian/pacific islander month 2021 #a/pi month #a/pi month 2021 #aapiheritagemonth #aapi month #interactive fiction #authors of color

130 notes · View notes

forestlingincorporated · 3 years

Text

Teen Titans #29

So, one of my favorite types of fics to read is Different First Meeting fics between Jason and Tim. I looooove reading Enemies To Caretaker, of which I fed handsomely on fairly recently. Big Brother Jason fics give me warm fuzzies, and Tim Drake needs a hug, and I feel like if these two actually got to know each other and worked past their preconceptions, they’d get along surprisingly well. And Still A Jason!Robin Fanboy Tim Drake is just a fun concept.

Also, it just FEELS right for the middle siblings to band together after Damian comes along, lets get those abandonment issues in the party.

So, for mysterious and very secret TimKon Week 2021 reasons, I was rereading some Teen Titans, and I stumbled over the Original Tim+Jason First Meeting, and I just sort of wanted to talk about some interesting things I found in there rereading it after several years.

First thing right off the bat, when reading fics, normally it’s either the Core Four at the tower that Jason puts to sleep, or it’s Tim alone for the night. In the comic, none of Tim’s close friends are even at the tower, Jason waits for Bart and Cassie to leave, and Conner actually hasn’t come around for an in-universe month, because this is after the Superboy’s Birthright arc where Lex mind controls Conner.

The people Jason knocks out were his own teammates when he was a Titan. He specifically says he never got to work with Beast Boy or Cyborg directly, so he doesn’t feel bad electrocuting them, but he feels bad putting Raven under much more gently because she used to worry for him.

Tim has just gotten off the phone with Bruce when Jason shows up. It seems like Bruce might’ve been picking Tim up, but something’s come up with Martian Manhunter going missing, so Tim tells him he’ll catch a ride with Cyborg.

This is actually really interesting to me, because it’s a small moment of Bruce letting Tim down. It’s a conversation he’s probably had with his biological father many times when Jack’s canceled on him.

Gonna acknowledge this abomination real quick. This is So Stupid, and I’m glad as a fandom we just all agreed Jason didn’t do this. It makes me ask so many questions. Where did he get that oversized Robin costume? Why’d he tear off his perfectly good clothes? Why did he do this? Why the yellow tights? WHY?

A lot of things are actually happening here that are actually Really Interesting if you just look past the stupid fucking outfit. Because this comic actually flew really close to greatness, they just ended up dropping the ball by not continuing to do more with it.

First off, Jason doesn’t beat around the bush. He’s immediately like “yeah, yeah, yeah, Red Hood, whatever, I’m Jason Todd, bitch! Fight me.”

Secondly, Jason’s done his homework. He knows A LOT about Tim. He knows his name, he knows he has a dad, he knows he went to prep school, and he knows the story of how Tim became Robin. How he GOT that last bit of information, I’d honestly like to know. But even HAVING the information isn’t enough; he’s still letting his preconceived ideas get in the way. The surface level information about Tim’s life only served to fuel his jealousy and anger (thanks, Lazerus Pitt!). He’s so focused on Tim’s privilege that he’s looked past evidence of hardship; if he’s done this much research on Tim, he’s no doubt seen records of multiple boarding schools, lengthy travel records, news reports, a death certificate.... He can’t even bring himself to BELIEVE parts of Tim’s story that aren’t lining up with his world view, like HOW he became Robin.

Jason has convinced himself that what he’s discovered about Tim and the period of time when Jason was dead - the fact that Bruce was spiraling after his death, that his family mourned him, that Tim had to step up to the plate at a weird suicide prevention buddy system - is all a lie. Despite the fact that he’s beating Tim’s ass, he speaks to him with the assumption that Tim’s a child who’s been manipulated and lied to.

Meanwhile, it must be SO PAINFUL for Tim to hear Jason say these things: I bet he said the same thing to you he said to me, didn’t he? That you have the talent to make a difference in Gotham. That he needed someone he could trust in his war on crime. That you were one of a kind. The light in his darkness.

Bruce never said any of that to Tim. Bruce rejected Tim, he didn’t want Tim, and begrudgingly accepted Tim.

Going back to Jason waiting for Tim’s other young teen friends to leave the tower before going in, only drugging his own former teammates, is much of his anger seems directed at THEM, not just Bruce. To Jason, it looks like they didn’t mourn him either, he has no statue. I find it interesting that he smashes Donna Troy’s statue, who died after him, and I believe she came back before he did.

Unless he was keeping track of the news from the League of Assassins, to Jason, Donna never died.

And most importantly? Tim shuts Jason down. Tim “Bitch, Please” Drake out here like: you’re a fucking idiot, he loved you to death, he barely let me audition for the role.

Tim shows some deep resentment towards Jason in this scene. I mean... earned, Jason literally came into his house and starting hitting him, but Tim’s relationship towards the Idea Of Jason has gone through a few changes. At first Jason was ROBIN! THE BOY WONDER! And if maybe Tim thought Bruce wasn’t AS happy with Jason as he was with Dick, there was still SOME hero worship early on. But it only takes Bruce and Alfred and Dick using Jason’s death as a cautionary tale a few times to get Tim to see Jason AS a cautionary tale - the kind of Robin NOT to be. But the more Tim craved Bruce’s paternal attention and approval, and the more Bruce withheld it or made Tim work for it, knowing that Bruce did that, in part, because of his love and grief for his dead son (Tim having an actual living breathing father plays a part, too), and those feelings towards Jason have started to fester.

Jason can’t let it go, though, he thinks the concept of Robin was a mistake and had always been a mistake, and if he can hurt Tim, so can Scarecrow, Penguin, The Joker.

This is a good time to bring up that one thing I think Jason probably doesn’t know is Tim is injured. It is a little over a month since since Conner shattered Tim’s right arm. Tim is still healing from a comminuted fracture in his forearm. And looking at this picture that is - ah, yes, that is the injured arm Jason is swinging Tim by. Tim is probably healed by now, the cast IS off and he’s a child, but bones don’t fully return to full strength for 3-6 months.

Jason is conflicted. This is clearly, in part, a fucked up way of “protecting” what he sees as a manipulated child, to convince him to leave Bruce. But there’s also clearly some deep, deep jealousy thrown into the mix to complicate matters and cloud his judgement. Ultimately, Jason isn’t there to kill Tim. Tim would be dead if he was. He’s there to “beat some sense into him,” and he ultimately fails, and fails badly.

Tim is found by the older Titans, awake by now, though it seems Jason knocked him out to, uh, fuck with the memorial chamber, and Tim... does not beat around the bush. No secret identities here just “yeah, Jason Todd beat the shit out of me.”

And their reactions are HILARIOUS.

One more little sidebar, in the comic, Jason gets in with a D.N.A. check that never removed him from its permissions. Usually in fic this is a unique pass code. I’m not sure which version I like better, honestly. There’s something about Jason physically inputting a code that accepts him even though he’s supposedly dead that I really like, and just feels better than a dna scan. A dna scan sounds SAFER, sure, but there’s something about the Titans leaving in an honest SECURITY RISK out of sentiment that I like.

Lastly, I really like how it ends. Jason honestly thinks Tim IS a good Robin, and it seems like Jason’s done some research on the core four, mentioning Tim’s “real friends” again while the “camera” is on Conner and Cassie, suggesting that Jason KNOWS about them and possibly that targeting the tower while they were gone maybe wasn’t an accident or out of convenience, but fully intentional. And again, Jason’s real problem is highlighted: he feels alone, forgotten, unmemorable, no family, no friends.

Thank you for coming to my TedTalk.

#Jason Todd #Tim Drake #Teen Titans #Teen Titans (2003-2011)

160 notes · View notes

nyerus · 3 years

Note

Hi, nyerus.....If you don't mind me asking, who are your favorite MXTX characters (top 5 from each novel)? And why? I'm sorry if you've answered this question before.

Thank you so much for asking! I would love to! (Apologies for the delay, and also for how long this is lol....)

TGCF

1.) Xie Lian: I could write forever about why I love him, but XL is just a really great character who subverted my expectations. He's gentle and compassionate, but also funny and snarky on the inside. His character arc is the classic hero's journey but told out of order. So we meet him when he's already wise and world-weary, then get to see what he was like before, and how he finishes his journey later on. He's extremely inspiring, to show that our choices and our actions are what make us, and ultimately no one can take those from us.

2.) Hua Cheng: This is no surprise! I also just adore HC for being a very intense character! He's completely devoted to XL and that zealotry is very unique in a character. He's 100%, not 50, not 75. While he has a lot of relateable aspects, this part of him is utterly fantastical, on the level only myth and fable can achieve--which tracks. After all, he isnt a Ghost King for nothing. In the story, he is the embodiment of the purest devotion, no strings attached.

3.) He Xuan: I actually like him for the same reasons as HC! He too is a walking fable, only instead of devotion, he represents vengence. (They're actually like foils of each other, which is quite neat.) I really adore his arc, and how murky his whole character is. It tells a cautionary tale of how sometimes, our worst enemy--the one who makes us most miserable--is often ourselves. SWD wronged him greviously, but HX's obsession with vengence ultimately prevented him from getting the peace and recompense he wanted in the end. Absolutely stellar storytelling.

4.) Mei Nianqing: While I often question his motives and methods, he is still a really good character. Caught between wanting to be a mentor and protector to XL, but still loving (platonically or romantically, that's up to you) JW. He's the only father figure in XL's life that actually took him seriously, even if he did have to come around to it. But ultimately, he was proud of who XL became even before he ascended. He was just terrified of XL drawing the attention of the one man he shouldn't--and did. However his belief in superstition and fear of Hong Hong-er also makes sense, even if it's sad. MNQ is also just a quirky and fun dude lol.

5.) Mu Qing: I really like how complicated and murky MQ's is in terms of his inner turmoil. I'm somewhat similar to him in the way he thinks, and it's real work not to make things worse for myself by expecting the worse. His background makes him naturally suspicious of... basically everyone, all the time, and it's honestly understandable. Ultimately, he does understand that you can't make assumptions about people's intentions by projecting your own insecurities onto them--which I think is something everyone can relate to. I really like his subtle journey of self-realization and self-forgiveness, and he ends up far better for it.

MDZS

1.) Lan Wangji: I love the fact that LWJ was just so ready to Night Hunt himself to death upon the loss of his beloved. As you can tell, I really like complicated characters who have extreme traits, haha! That being said, I just also really like his stoicism and reliability.

2.) Wei Wuxian: Naturally, it's hard not to love WWX! He decided "yeah maybe the ends do justify the means" and went for it. To us, he is the hero. To the regular people of the world? Whose ancestors were dug up and disturbed to be used by the Yiling Laozu? His blackened reputation is not without cause! (Like... JGY literally has done more positive and helpful things for regular people than Wangxian, but those metas already exist lol.) Once again, his gray morality is what makes him so damn good, and can be debated at length!

3.) Jiang Cheng: JC gets a bad rep, but oh boy he doesn't make things easy for himself at all. However if I was in his position, I probably would be much worse off. He lost EVERYTHING, and still trudged on because there were people who depended on him. His hatred of the Wens also makes sense in the context that... that's often how humans react to and process extreme trauma. We find something to blame and *waves at literally every major conflict since the dawn of time.* (His rumored torture of innocent people due to that is reprehensible, of course, but given that MDZS is a book about how rumors can make or break someone's life... we should take that line with a grain of skepticism, much like all other hearsay.) He's not typically the type of character I like, but I found him really interesting to read.

4.) Jiang Yanli: I really love JYL, who decided to be the emotional backbone of her family from the time she was a child. It was an undue and extremely heavy burden to bear, but she did all of it without complaint. That's strength. I think many elder siblings can relate to her having to step up and be the third parent, when the actual adults fail at it.

5.) Wen Qing: I really like her arc in the novel, where she makes some of the hardest decisions anyone will ever have to make, over and over and over again. I don't typically love very "rough" characters, but she has ever right to be that way (and it makes sense for her character, and isn't just a tacked-on character trait like hair color or eye color in a CC), and honestly I want to marry her very seriously.

SVSSS

1.) Luo Binghe: Probably the most misunderstood main character of all of MXTX's works. LBH is neither truly a crybaby nor is he a ruthless maniac. He's right in the middle, in the valley of misanthropy. And yet, he knows just how to use his charisma to get his way. Cunning and devious, intelligent and ruthless. Meanwhile, he craves love and intimacy--something he could only ever dream of.

2.) Shen Qingqiu (Shen Yuan): Extremely refreshing to see an transmigrator know how to handle transmigration almost flawlessly. (Me reading/watching other works with this trope and wanting to tear my hair out at the protags = me sympathizing on a personal level with SQQ.) This also proves to be SQQ's fatal flaw!! His knowledge of the novel is both a boon and a obstacle to him, and prevents him from understanding the other characters as people until he lets go of his pre-conceived notions. And of course, his snarky as heck inner dialogue is amazing.

3.) Liu Qingge: I don't actually even know why I love LQG as much as I do. He's just neat.

4.) Tianlang-Jun: Honestly same goes for TLJ. He's just great though, and I have a blast reading about him. He wanted to see the good in humanity, and ultimately comes around after writing them off.

5.) Yue Qingyuan: He's a fascinating character. Harmless on the outside, but a quagmire on the inside. His love for Shen Jiu was quite... problematic, in that he saught forgiveness from SJ, without actually ever taking the time to understand him or to make amends. Patronizing and judgemental, yet willing to let SJ get away with literally anything because of his own unresolved turmoil, etc etc. Fascinating.

#if this sounds like I want to study some of these characters under a microscope then you'd be correct #i also have a lot more faves i would want to talk about but actually it's a lot of work to Think #i just really love characters who make me think or are very complicated #tgcf #mdzs #svsss #asks #nyerus.txt #thanad-zid

61 notes · View notes

thecaffeinebookwarrior · 4 years

Text

Monster of the Week: The Undead!

From spooky scary skeletons to the original zombies, let’s have a look at the undead who have risen around the globe! This will not include vampires (which I have already compiled a post on) or ghosts (which I plan to compile a post on.)

Note that many of these can best be understood -- or only understood -- in their original cultural context, and I encourage you to continue your research if the lore interests you.

Skeletons/Skeletal Creatures

I am, for whatever reason, enthusiastic about skeletons. There’s a drama to them. They look like they’re perpetually grinning, or grimacing, which makes them oddly relatable. As an artist, I’m always thinking about them as the framework for poses.

More importantly, there’s one in all of us -- sorry if that made you uncomfortable -- which makes them a universally recurring being in global folklore. Let’s take a look at just a few.

Gashadokuro

Literally translating to “rattling skull,” the Gashadokuro is also called Odokoru (giant skull) or simply “the hungry skeleton.” That basically tells you all you need to know.

These big boys (and I mean REALLY big) wander around the countryside at night. Their name derives from the eerie rattling noise produced by their giant skulls. As chill as this may sound, the Gashadokuro is not actually chill at all, and if you come across them they will not hesitate bite your head off. This may seem like a jerk move, since they don’t even have a stomach, but they need the energy of the living in order to sustain themselves.

Like most undead fellas on this list, the Gashadokuro has its origins in the real world. They are thought to originate from the mass-graves, usually of those who died under violent or inhumane circumstances, the supernatural byproduct of countless skeletons.

The first Gashadokuro was thought to have originated after a specific bloody rebellion, in which the bereaved, sorceress daughter of a samurai summoned a giant skeleton from the mass grave of the rebelling soldiers and used it to attack the city. Queen behavior, if you ask me.

Santa Muerte

Image Source

Let’s conclude this portion with my favorite skeleton (excluding Baron Samedi, who doesn’t count, as he is often depicted as a man, or a man with a skull-like face), the goddess/folk saint Santa Muerte.

I still have a lot to learn about the rich folklore surrounding Santa Muerte, but to my understanding, she was born of a combination of pre-Columbian Indigenous religions and Mexican-American folk Catholicism.

Depicted as a skeleton in beautiful, feminine attire and considered to be embodiment of death, Santa Muerte is a healing and protective figure. She is beloved by legions of worshippers, despite condemnations from the Catholic church, and symbolizes a culturally positive relationship with death.

Despite appearances, she is a life-affirming figure.

Zombies and Reanimated Corpses:

The Draugr

When we hear “zombie,” we don’t traditionally think of “Norse mythology.” And yet, the Nordics had their very own zombie mythos, boasting some truly terrifying undead.

It is said that they first emerge from their graves as little more than wisps of smoke and a stench of decay, before adopting a humanoid form that boasts superhuman strength, the ability to change size at will, and the ability to shape-shift.

They aren’t mindless -- far from it. They boast an anthropomorphic intelligence, which makes them all the more dangerous.

As to what drives them from their graves? Jealousy and bitterness towards the living. Relatable, honestly.

The Jiangshi

(Note: I wish they were all as adorable as the one in this gif.)

This Chinese hopping corpse may have evolved into more of a vampire by Western influences, but it was originally far more zombie-like. And a unique zombie at that.

Due to rigor mortis, the Jiangshi hops stiffly from place to place, holding its arms straight out. What’s even more singular is their origin. Try to guess. Go ahead, try. You won’t be able to.

The Jiangshi is what occurs when a bereaved family, lacking the proper funds to send their loved one’s body back to their ancestral land for burial, hires a necromancing corpse driver to reanimate the cadaver and guide it as it hops back to its resting place. They’d travel at night to avoid or minimize decay, either prodded by a stick or to the beat of a drum.

Other ways to create a Jiangshi include improper burial, suicide, or possession.

Looking upon a Jiangshi is said to be bad luck, and presumably very unpleasant. However, the real problem is their insatiable appetite.

But fear not: if you see an unhealthy looking fellow hopping towards you with pasty, possibly decaying skin, you can protect yourself with mirrors, the hooves of a black donkey, or the wood of a peach tree. They can also be scared off by the sound of a crowing rooster, though that would require a bit of planning, and the cooperation of the rooster in question. Which, knowing roosters, is unlikely.

Haitian Zombies

All legends of the undead have roots in real tragedies, but this one is particularly upsetting -- and the source of the zombie legend in the Western world today.

The enslaved people of Haiti believed that death would set them free, sending them back to an idyllic version of their homeland unburdened by colonialism. But only if death came naturally. Suicide would turn them into mindless husks, carrying out the drudgery of their captors. A haunting parallel to the practice of slavery itself.

The concept was introduced to a contemporary audience by the 1932 film White Zombie, which sees a white “voodoo master” (who clearly didn’t know anything about the actual Voodoo religion) using witchcraft to create obedient slaves. He eventually uses this (ahem) “”voodoo”” on a white woman to try and force her to fall in love with him.

With the term “zombie” in public consciousness, it became an applicable allegory for all of society’s ills, and can now be used to refer to anything from mob mentality to consumerism. But few are as haunting and as disturbing as its origins.

Videos on zombies:

The Origin of the Zombie, from Haiti to the US

Where Zombies Come From

100 Hundred Years of Zombie Evolution in Pop Culture

Best Contemporary Zombie Movies*

*That I know of. Will update with more.

Night of the Living Dead - Though White Zombie introduced the term, it was arguably this film that popularized zombies as we know them today, particularly as an allegory for herd mentality and consumerism. Its successors, including Day of the Dead and Dawn of the Dead, prove similarly influential.

The Evil Dead Trilogy - Established that zombies can be fun, while also serving as an allegory for various societal problems. Also features undead that are refreshingly ravenous and evil without necessarily being mindless.

The Re-Animator - These days, the average zombie movie pushes the bounds of creativity is “make ‘em faster!” The Re-Animator’s take on the genre, however, would make Mary Shelley proud. Based loosely on the Lovecraft story, “Herbert West - Reanimator,” the films greatest triumph is its ability to have fun with its grisly premise, and compel the audience to have fun, too. It’s also a cautionary tale about why it’s important to be careful while getting a roommate.

Shaun of the Dead - I’m not kidding. This film is great, and shows that you don’t need a serious tone to be heartfelt, scary, or provide a thought-provoking social commentary. Way back when I was a sixteen-year-old college freshman, I turned up to class as a zombie cheerleader, and my psychology professor recommended Shaun of the Dead to me. She’s a woman of impeccable taste, and it did not disappoint.

28 Days Later - Before Cillian Murphy gave us Tommy Shelby, a gangster so pretty he could give Al Capone a sexual identity crisis, he was proving his mettle in the zombie-addled UK. For 2020 reasons, watching him wander the abandoned streets of London with a questionable haircut feels very topical. Add a stellar performance from Naomie Harris, and there’s a reason it sent me into a bisexual panic it’s considered a modern classic of the genre.

Little Monsters - An egregiously underrated flick, featuring a kindergarten teacher (who happens to be, you know, Lupita Nyong’o) protecting her class during a zombie outbreak. A must watch if you want a zombie movie with a powerhouse lead, a happy ending, and perhaps the most badass kindergarten teacher in cinematic history.

#monster of the week #writers reference #writers resources #skeletons #zombies #blood for ts #racism mention for ts

155 notes · View notes