#bill cipher deconstructed

[flufflecat]

[mothgenes]

HOW STAN BEAT ME "and ANOTHER thing!"

I wasn't sure if anyone had fully copied out the text on this page so I decided to. It's a repeating and somewhat overlapping set of the same paragraph, and I'm pretty sure I got all the words right, this includes all of the typos that were present (because there are some.) I also tried to include punctuation and capitalization correctly. "Ever since that pathetic excuse for a 5-sensed three dimensional one-lifespanned skin puppet was barfed into the universe he was nothing but a carboncopy of a better genetic duplicate, and he knew it! A trillion years from now when I've broken out of this place nd taken over, he'll be remembered as a speed bump under the cement truck of my inevitable triumph, an astersik next to an asterisk next to an asterisk next to an asterisk who would be a joke if he was capable of understanding comedy which he obviously isn't, I mean have you heard the hacky matreial he does on the tourss? I've been inside his dreams, he WORKSHOPS that material, he SLAVES over it, and the best he can doare some puns that would make a third grader cringe and vaudeville routines that were hack before they were even invented! its an insult that he's allowed to wear a suit and tie, he should be in a BARREL with SUSPENDERS!" Obviously in addition there are the bigger exclamations which I'll still repeat here: Hack Jokes, Co-dependant, self pitying, couldnt win local election, stupid, "fully clothed women", tacky, smug, sas-crotch, cliche dreams, "singin salmon", and "Unworthy!". Ending with "and thats the final word!" of course! Original image under the cut! I hope this was useful for someone else, I know I personally hadn't read this in full until I did this.

[ckret2]

Oh! Quick Question!:

Who is your favorite Henchmainac (and I mean any of them that is seen in the apocalypse as a henchmen) And why?

Follow up question:

Did it change at all after reading TBOB?

Amorphous Shape, entirely for personal "what if that's a hive mind made by fusing a bunch of shapes together into one person?" headcanon reasons. Plus Morph's got one of the weirdest body shapes among the Henchmaniacs (the majority of whom are either "the Star Trek costume department could pull that off" or "inanimate object with human limbs stuck on").

TBOB upended almost all of my Amorphous Shape headcanons (I had them as an interdimensional quantum physicist and the source of Bill's portal blueprints—and, also, they're visible and vocal), so aside from the "that weirdo's from the second dimension and made out of multiple people" headcanon (which I'm keeping), I'm gonna have to restructure her from the ground up. But I like the new Amorphous shape we got—incomprehensible artist and/or art project you can't see without psychedelics that just casually invited herself to couch surf in Bill Cipher's clubhouse, that's terrific, 10/10 no notes.

Every other Henchmaniac has to fight to the death in a Burger King ballpit for the honor of joining Bill's gang, meanwhile this deconstructed Rubik's cube moves in without asking and Bill just goes "sure."

[normystical]

OHHH MY GOD I JUST REMEMBERED A WEBCOMIC IDEA I HAD THAT I FORGOT ALL ABOUT

basically there were these villain characters and like,, they're trying to make it a genuine business iirc? mainly it's this one guy who is the youngest of the friend group (but still damn well an adult) who prompted all this and is the boss and stuff. basically,,, yk how there's stories deconstructing how villainy would work in the modern day? well,,, how was such a thing ESTABLISHED in the first place yk? i think that was why i made the whole thing ig.

also the main guy i think did a surgery to make his teeth spiky sharp like some fucking loser lmao. just a lil design quirk is all

could throw in how heroes get established and everything also. a bunch of different arcs yk?

OH ALSO i wanted there to be a character who was fresh out of college and wasnt that into the idea of villainy but they werent getting accepted in any other jobs so they just went there due to a lack of options and yeah. also i wanted to have a sort of arc or whatever where they transition. like theyre a guy at first in the story but identify as a girl much later on. the boss guy i mentioned, so like,,, ok wait i might need emojis for this one

📃 (idk shes in college debt or whatever) came out to ⚠️ (...i accidentally got inspired by twink bill cipher designs for him. i promise i'll fix that eventually) in private, and when 📃 was ready for the name change to be announced to the rest of the crew, ⚠️ says they have a big announcement... 📃[deadname] is fucking dead. i killed him guys i beat him to death with an aluminum bar he is absolutely gored it was brutal like holy shit. and i didnt even care. loved watching the light leave his hopeless eyes. anyway here's our new secretary 📃[new name] better move on quickly lmao. and ofc 📃 is like DUDE WHAT THE FUCK

[ryangero]

Gravity Falls gender representation analysis

Gravity Falls is an animated TV show created by Alex Hirsch that aired from 2012 - 2016 on Disney. There are only two seasons, but the show has built a dedicated fan base that continues to grow even after its conclusion. The series, set in the mysterious town of Gravity Falls, Oregon, follows the summer adventures of twin siblings, Dipper and Mabel Pines, as they unravel supernatural mysteries, encounter peculiar creatures, and navigate the complexities of family and friendship.

What sets Gravity Falls apart is its unique blend of humor, heartwarming moments, and a narrative that seamlessly weaves together overarching mysteries. Creator Alex Hirsch's clever writing and commitment to character development have left a lasting impact on viewers of all ages. The show's memorable characters, from the lovably eccentric Grunkle Stan to the enigmatic Bill Cipher, have become iconic figures in popular culture. Gravity Falls not only entertains with its imaginative storytelling but also delves into themes of identity, friendship, and the acceptance of the unknown. Gravity Falls' influence extends beyond its on-screen presence, inspiring a myriad of fan theories, artistic creations, and a thriving online community. Its cultural impact is a testament to the show's ability to resonate with audiences and spark discussions on various social and philosophical topics.

By examining specific characters and relationships, including Dipper's encounter with manliness and the unique dynamic between the two sheriffs, we can unveil how the show challenges and transcends traditional gender representations.

Judith Butler's notion of performativity finds resonance in Dipper's encounter with manliness in the episode, “Dipper vs Manliness” (S1E6). In her essay, Butler argues, "That it must repeat this imitation, that it sets up pathologizing practices and normalizing sciences in order to produce and consecrate its own claim on originality and propriety, suggests that heterosexual performativity is beset by an anxiety that it can never be finally or fully achieved, and that it is consistently haunted by that domain of sexual possibility that must be excluded for heterosexualized gender to produce itself” [1]. In other words, Butler explains despite the efforts to adhere to established norms, there is a persistent fear that the performance of heterosexuality is never fully achieved or secure.

The episode begins with Dipper wanting to win the approval of Stan and Mable by scoring high in a “Manliness tester” game. They both laugh at the idea of Dipper being “manly.” Frustrated, Dipper plays the game but gets the lowest level, wimp. Later on, he meets a mythical creature in the forest, called a Manotaur. These large bearded creatures embody all of the stereotypical “manly” qualities Dipper seeks–tall, deep voice, chest hair, buff. The creature brings Dipper to the “man cave” where all of the Manotuars live. In order to join the clan, Dipper must pass a series of tests to prove his manliness. At the final test, Dipper folds and accepts that he is not the “manly” person he hoped to be. He expresses his feelings to the Manotaurs, saying: “You keep telling me that being a man means doing all these tasks and being agro all the time, but I’m starting to think that stuff’s malarkey.”

Dipper's reluctant participation in the “manliness tests" reflects the performative nature of gender. The episode deconstructs traditional notions of masculinity by showcasing Dipper's discomfort with stereotypical expressions of manliness. His resistance to conformity challenges the established gender norms within the narrative.

It’s not uncommon for the series to use a mythical species to represent certain stereotypes or insecurities. In this episode, the Manotaurs are the portrayal of Dipper's insecurities of gender performativity. The Manotaurs other Dipper and his characteristics by making him feel inferior to their exaggerated, hyper-masculine standards. This not only highlights the external pressures individuals face in conforming to societal expectations of masculinity but also underscores the detrimental impact of such expectations on one's self-perception. Gravity Falls skillfully employs fantastical elements to delve into real-world issues, encouraging audiences to critically examine and challenge societal norms surrounding gender and identity.

Creator Alex Hirsch likes to hide subtle clues of LGBTQ representation in certain characters (he’s explained many times that it’s insanely hard to get most things through Disney’s censor). However, the relationship between Sheriff Blubs and Deputy Durland seems to be the most clear example. The two characters are the town’s police officers, who appear as recurring characters in many episodes. The dynamic between Sheriff Blubs and Deputy Durland provides a fascinating exploration of gender representation. The duo subverts expectations by embodying traditionally masculine roles in law enforcement while also sharing a close bond that challenges traditional expressions of masculinity. They share a close bond, expressing things like, “The time we spend together is treasure enough,” and “Edwin darling, you are a diamond in the rough.” In almost all Western depictions of police officers, they embody hyper-masculine traits, as being fearless and stoic seems to be inherently part of the job. The sheriff’s dynamic challenges the binary understanding of gender, showcasing the fluidity inherent in Butler's theory. In the last episode, their romantic relationship is confirmed: “We’re mad with power… and love,” they declare while looking into each other's eyes. Creator Alex Hirsch also confirmed this at a charity event, and has repeatedly explained how hard it was to get past Disney’s censors. Hirsch has also revealed dozens of scenes originally written to have openly gay characters that got slashed by Disney. Unfortunately, a company as big as Disney has ultimate power over what is and isn’t aired. While there isn’t any other direct LGBTQ representation in the show, the blame should be put on Disney, not Alex Hirsch. Most likely Disney provided the outlet for him to create this show, but in turn, blocked many of his creative ideas. 

Gravity Falls, through the characters of Dipper, Sheriff Blubs, and Deputy Durland, becomes a compelling exploration of gender representation. The show aligns with Judith Butler's gender theory by deconstructing traditional norms, emphasizing the performative nature of gender, and challenging the rigidity of binary constructions. Dipper's resistance to manliness and the nuanced dynamic between Sheriff Blubs and Deputy Durland collectively contribute to Gravity Falls' progressive portrayal of gender identities. In doing so, the show invites audiences to question and redefine societal expectations, demonstrating the transformative potential of animated narratives in challenging and reshaping cultural perspectives on gender.

[1] Judith Butler, “Gender Is Burning: Questions of Appropriation and Subversion”, New York University Press, 1999, 338-339. 

@theuncannyprofessoro

[awfuljourneyoftylerparsons]

An amazing essay written by a student.

The following is an essay for a book I wrote years ago titled "How I, Tyler Parsons Became Isekaied As An Anthropomorphic Wolf In Another World.", bare with me on this one its one of the best deconstructions of my work I've ever seen. Let me know if you want me to drop the actual book after reading this.

A Brief Dive Into "How I, Tyler Parsons Became Isekaied As An Anthropomorphic Wolf In Another World", Written By Tyler Parsons

"How I, Tyler Parsons Became Isekaied As An Anthropomorphic Wolf In Another World", By Tyler Parsons, is a tale of an ordinary teenager (named Tyler Parsons) who gets transported to a world of magic and wonder. Oh yeah, and he’s also been turned into an anthropomorphic wolf for some reason. Determined to make the most of this unexpected change, but also survive, Tyler sets off on a journey. On this journey, he meets a range of creatures, both friendly and the opposite. After rescuing a group of travelers from a pack of wolves (whether anthropomorphic wolves or just normal ones, it is not specified), Tyler parsons is invited on a journey with the travelers. The word “journey” is used a grand total of seventy seven times in "How I, Tyler Parsons Became Isekaied As An Anthropomorphic Wolf In Another World". Personally though, I think that wasn’t enough. 

On his journey, with his newfound friends, Tyler learns all about this world he now calls home. He learns of the culture, and all of the different creatures who inhabit it. He also learns of the magic which flows through the air, and how it can be controlled. On his first adventures with his new crew, he courageously saves an entire village, then later helps some dwarves fight off a group of goblins. After being victorious in a battle against the goblin leader, Tyler collapses, and his vision fades to black. He awakes and is informed by a “being of light”, as Tyler Parsons words it (author, not character) that he died, but has been given another chance at life if he wants it - in the magic world. Tyler is elated at this news, and returns. 

In chapter three, I got a strange feeling of deja vu… 

After reading through the remainder of the story, I noticed pretty much this same exact thing happens FOUR TIMES in the course of the book. Here are the other two: 

Both the group of travelers being attacked by wolves and the whole goblin/dwarf fight happened probably way more than it should have, but that’s fine, because after all that, things got more interesting. Characters and places from movies, shows, and even from Tyler Parsons’s (author) real life were sprinkled in! These included Sarah, Gravity Falls, Mabel and Dipper Pines, Bill Cipher, Saul Goodman, Elon Musk, and many more. I noticed a sort of theme with these characters - Tyler Parsons (author) seems to like killing them off. 

In chapter ten, it is revealed that Tyler Parsons has, since he was just a small child, always dreamed of being an anthropomorphic wolf. His birthday is coming up, and he wants to have a big celebration since he’s achieved his dream and is living the life he’s always wanted. And, that is exactly what Tyler Parsons does. He holds a huge party and invites all of his friends and spends the whole day celebrating. As the party goes on, however, Tyler feels sad because someone is missing - Mabel Pines, whom he, regretfully, killed. Despite knowing it had to be done, Tyler misses Mabel, because they had been good friends. Dipper comes out of nowhere and battles Tyler. Tyler, with his supreme skill, defeats Dipper.

Shortly after, Tyler comes across Jasmin Elwood, an old friend from high school. He is excited to see her, and is shocked when she points at him, laughing “hahaha! you’re a furry! hahahaha”. Jasmin then turns into a puddle. Anyway… 

Later, Tyler befriends a young girl who has just lost everyone whom she has ever known to bandits. The two of them meet Walter White, who gives them blue meth, telling them it will give them great power. Tyler believes this sounds completely reasonable, and has the young girl smoke the blue meth. Surprise surprise, she dies. Walter White then shoots himself, because Tyler Parsons (author) just can’t help himself from killing characters. Tyler Parsons (character) worries that Walter White will come after him. I don’t know why, given he’s now dead. Perhaps Tyler is finally going insane. Or, perhaps he has been this entire time..who’s to say? Anyways..Tyler, after burying the girl, sets off to “Wolf Town”, which is a town that has other anthropomorphic wolves in it. I feel that it’s worth mentioning that the town leader is named “Alpha”. Tyler, after helping save Wolf Town lots of times, becomes second in command after Alpha. A bit later, Kanye West, who is apparently another of Tyler’s old highschool friends, appears. Tyler immediately kills him, and regrets nothing. He laughs to himself at how funny it is that he, Tyler the anthropomorphic wolf, has killed both Kanye West and Elon Musk. He “felt a sense of amusement and amusement”. Tyler really was insane. 

Alpha sends Tyler to save Wolf City, which is being attacked by evil wizards. He sends three other anthropomorphic wolves with him - BBQ, Iphone, and Draven. Together, they save Wolf City, and decide to stay there. Walking down the street, the four of them have a lovely conversation about how great it is to be an anthropomorphic wolf. Suddenly, Draven drops dead, followed by BBQ and Iphone. Tyler (author) still can’t stop killing everyone off who isn’t Tyler (character).  Tyler discovers the three of them had been killed by The Death Note. Tyler leaves to pursue the wolf in possession of The Death Note, and kills him. Upon Tyler’s return to Wolf City, he encounters Twilight Sparkle. She says to him: “Hi there, Tyler! It’s great to meet another anthropomorphic animal like me. I love being a magical pony, and I’m sure you love being a wolf just as much!”. Of course, Tyler and Twilight become fast friends. A whole five minutes go by, then Twilight uses her magic to make a gun appear, shoots herself, and dies. What the actual f***. Tyler gets over Twilight’s death when he recalls a meme he saw one time, and he moves on. 

Twenty years have passed. Tyler sits in a bar, drinking his sorrows away, remembering everything that’s happened, and everyone who has died. He turns around, and sees Twilight Sparkle as a ghost. Perhaps he’s had one too many drinks. Twilight Ghost tells Tyler that everything will be okay, then she fades away.

The End. 

Or so I thought, until Tyler Parsons (author) informed me it was, in fact, not the end. On the contrary, there were seven more pages. Little did I know that nothing could prepare me for reading them. Here's what they entailed:

Tyler Parsons, now once again determined to make a difference in the world, leaves the bar and sets off to speak to the alpha of Wolf City. The alpha, now old and frail, informs Tyler that he needs his help! Zhong XiNa was on his way to Wolf City, prepared for war! The alpha gathers up the greatest soldiers in the area for Tyler to lead to stop Zhong XiNa and his army: which includes Nick Wilde, Sonic the Hedgehog, and Legoshi from Beastars. Tyler and his crew set off to battle Zhong XiNa and his army. Tyler is shocked to see that Zhong XiNa towers above him and his crew. He is even more shocked to see who is standing beside him - Kamille Rankin! A third person from Tyler's highschool days! On the other side of Zhong XiNa was a ginormous Pac-Man. Tyler knew this would not be an easy fight. Sonic the Hedgehog speeds towards the army, and Tyler and the others watch in horror as Pac-Man eats Sonic whole.

Everyone flies into a panic at what has happened. After all, Sonic was going to be their ultimate weapon! This wasn't the plan at all - how could Tyler and the rest of his team possibly win now? Then, when all hope seems lost, someone taps Tyler on the shoulder. It's Nick Wilde, and he says, determined, that they can still win this. With that, Tyler's convinced, and prepares himself for the fight of his life. Then, out of nowhere, Legoshi pulls out a gun, and aims it at Nick Wilde. He'd been working for the other side this whole time. Legoshi explains that the reason for this is because Nick Wilde is hotter than him, and he's jealous. Legoshi shoots Nick in the chest, and says, triumphantly, "Look who's hottest now". 

Legoshi and Tyler have an epic battle. It goes on for what seems like hours, and Tyler is struggling to land a hit. When he does though, Legoshi barely even flinches. Despite this, a minute later, Tyler lands an uppercut on Legoshi's chin, killing him. This whole time, I have but one thought: what has Zhong XiNa and his army been doing this whole time? Just standing there? Nope, apparently they were elsewhere for some reason, even though they'd been there before Legoshi and Tyler had begun their fight. Tyler, battered and bruised, tries to think of a way to get away before he's caught up with. He recalls teleportation magic he conveniently learned a while ago. He recites an incantation and finds himself in a dense forest unfamiliar to him. He's escaped. He discovers an abandoned cabin, and lies down on the bed. As he begins to drift off to sleep, he thinks to himself, knowing his journey isn't over yet, "I can't wait to see what comes next".

The End (for real, thankfully 🙏😭)

P.S. I will be scarred for the remainder of my days

Anywho, that's the essay they wrote on my book, hope you enjoyed :3

[ecandjamesvpjournal]

I don’t know why, but it feels like something to cuss at Bill Cipher just as he’s being deconstructed from reality itself.

The Eiffel tower is going to be deconstructed.

[stick-rick]

Name's Rick, from dimension...whatever. I keep getting asked questions when visiting other dimensions so at least now maybe your questions can be restricted to here. Don't expect fast responses though. I get to them when I get to them.

About this Rick...

This RP blog was primarily inspired by stick figure series such as Henry Stickmin, Animator vs Animation, and raxdflipnote. Concept is mostly similar to Lego Spider-Man from Spider-Verse in a way.

Rick is 1 foot tall. You can figure the size of everything else out from there.

People outside of the 1st dimension wouldn't be able to survive from the compression (à la the 2D Planet from A Wrinkle in Time). Due to this compression, most Ricks' technology deconstructs and becomes ineffective. Think Abstract Thought from Inside Out.

With many Ricks trying to explore Stickman Rick's dimension unprepared, Stickman Rick spends a lot of his time trying to help see Ricks out of his dimension whenever he finds one.

When outside of his dimension, Stickman Rick is flat from the side like Teri from Gumball. Although, he's more solid and doesn't have the properties of paper. His texture is more like a whiteboard.

When most stick people are exposed to anything outside the 1st dimension, their heads will explode due to the inability to process the complexities of it. Rick is able to survive due to constantly being on Kalaxian Crystals and a force field he has designed for himself to survive the pressures of other dimensions.

Due to this, Morty and the rest of the family is banned from viewing Rick's social media to avoid seeing anything above the 1st dimension. That doesn't stop them from trying though.

Send asks to learn more! You can send Morty asks too but they'll be answered by Rick.

Rules!

I'm still pretty new to RPing on Tumblr, so feel free to give me any pointers!

Due to the subject of this blog, minors DNI!!! I won't be interacting to posts made explicitly by minors. You can come back once you turn 18. (Mun is 22)

Everything posted here is from Stickman Rick unless tagged OOC.

I am multi-fandom! With that being the case, please DM me before interacting if you're RPing from another fandom as there may be the chance that I'm not too familiar with it. There's been comparisons between Stickman Rick's dimension and Bill Cipher's home dimension as well as Flatland, which I am totally fine with making.

To cover just a few fandoms, I've also been a fan of JJBA, TADC, Sonic, Hellaverse, Gravity Falls, Undertale/Deltarune, and Marvel (specifically Loki and Spider-Man). I may add more to this list as I see more active RP communities.

Please ask about long-term or restricted scenarios such as ships, forced living arrangements, extreme/disastrous events, etc. I am not comfortable with godmodding. My DMs are open for discussion if you wanna work something out!

MUN ≠ MUSE!!! I am playing a character and do not endorse some of the acts my character may do. I like conflict as I feel like it adds to the narrative, but that does not mean I condone those actions.

I feel like I need to make this clear: I do not make friends with people I only know through roleplay. We need to have interacted extensively outside of roleplay for me to even consider calling you a friend. Please understand this, as I've had several people misinterpret my IC interactions as IRL friendship.

This is NOT a Rickorty blog, so DNI!!!

[w1tchybusiness]

And now, for your reading displeasure:

A formulaic deconstruction and analysis of what makes for a successful Tumblr Sexyman

All data here also applies to women, non-binary, agender, and xenogender characters.



Before we can get into the fundamentals, we must first discuss; what is a tumblr sexyman?

A tumblr sexyman is a character either intentionally or unintentionally designed to appeal towards tumblr’s very specific and very horny tastes. Before this study there was no concrete characteristics to look for, but there are now. We’ll touch on those later. For now, all you need to know is that they’re EITHER: Hot and Dangerous or Ugly and Backstoried. A few prime examples of tumblr sexymen include:

That Guy From Hazbin Hotel. You Know The One.

Mettaton From Undertale

Sans From Undertale

Tasque Manager From Deltarune

Swatch From Deltarune

Cruella De Ville

Grimm From Hollow Knight

Susie From Deltarune

Jevil From Deltarune

Spamton From Deltarune

The Onceler

Gordon Freeman

Benrey (Half-Life VR But The AI Is Self-Aware)

The Barnacle From Half-Life (I Swear This Will Make Sense)

Alyx Vance

A White Twink Humanoid Version Of Bill Cipher

Now that we’ve made it clear what a tumblr sexyman is, let’s get into the analysis of their defining traits.

They tend to be tall, so we can put that on the list.

Usually wear a primary color (red, yellow, or blue).

Top hat.

Smile a lot, or generally jovial yet grim attitude.

Deep lore.

Tailcoat, with coattails usually stretching to their shins or lower.

Broad shoulders.

Twink.

*sigh.* usually white.

Takes a villain role.

Now, this is excluding a huge minority: the weird goblins. You’d absolutely say that Sans and Jevil are tumblr sexymen, but they’re a rare breed that I have dubbed the Underdogs. Not intended to be sexymen, but wound up one anyway by one factor: the LORE IMPLICATIONS. If they have a dark or intense backstory leading up to a climactic fight with kickass music, it doesn’t matter how short and goblin like they are- they’re a tumblr sexyman.

Now that we have an understanding of what exactly a tumblr sexyman is made of, we can refine this data down into a formula.

So, by Gronk’s Law, any tumblr sexyman must have at least two of the following characteristics:

Wears a primary color

Tall

Top hat or other dress clothes

Long tailcoat

Excessive smiling (bonus points if they’re miserable while doing it)

Miserable at all times

Dark and brooding

Circus aesthetic (ringleader or clown)

God-like power

Broad shoulders

Thank you for reading my analysis, I hope you learned something that you hate.

[flufflecat]

bill cipher deconstructed, a cosplay

[caltropspress]

FEEDBACK LOOP #6: Cargo Cults’ “Rammellzee”

Since these symbols and all symbols are drawn, infinity’s separation from all symbols must be shown through drawing. The only proof of such a separation of the infinity would be the understanding by the majority of the planetary peers. There is no other way.

—from IONIC TREATISE GOTHIC FUTURISM ASSASSIN KNOWLEDGES OF THE REMANIPULATED SQUARE POINT’S ONE TO 720° TO 1440° THE RAMM-ΣLL-ZΣΣ (1979, 2003)

The rabbit-hole went straight on like a tunnel for some way, and then dipped suddenly down, so suddenly that Alice had not a moment to think about stopping herself before she found herself falling down a very deep well.

—from Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland

Riding among an exhausted busful of Negroes going on to graveyard shifts all over the city, she saw scratched on the back of a seat, shining for her in the brilliant smoky interior, the post horn with the legend DEATH. But unlike WASTE, somebody had troubled to write in, in pencil: DON’T EVER ANTAGONIZE THE HORN.

—from Thomas Pynchon’s The Crying of Lot 49

1.  I walk down the street and people look at me and say, “Who the hell are you?”

Cargo Cults (Alaska and Zilla Rocca) begin their track “Rammellzee” with the voice of the some-16 billion-years-old being himself. The song is an ode, an invocation. The organ sample provides a bizarre ride: a carousel of colors. We immediately plummet—into a well, a subway tunnel, a cosmos of linguistics. Not a nonchalant That’s deep, but a depth of knowledge where “cipher” means code, means Supreme Mathematics, means gathering with your rapfolk outside the Nuyorican Poets Cafe or in Washington Square Park: a deep connection. Mimicking Rammellzee, Alaska presents the listener with “swirling pages / forming mazes of [his] formulations” and subsequently “break[s] them down into a form that’s shapeless.”

2.  Hip-hop is ageist….In blues, you ain’t official until you fifty. (Ka, Red Bull Music Academy interview with Jeff Mao, 2016)

The phrase …of a certain age has, historically, been used euphemistically to describe someone (typically a woman) who has existed for a “shameful” tally of years. Society is still undoing the stigma, but rappers have made strides.

In Adult Rappers, a 2015 documentary directed by Paul Iannacchino (Hangar 18’s DJ paWL), Alaska is [accidentally?] presented twice in the closing credits—like a double, a separate persona—which calls to mind the multiple personalities of Rammellzee: Crux the Monk, Chaser the Eraser, Gash/Olear, et cetera. Age allows for maturation, for building, for bettering. In Rammellzee’s case—and I’d argue Alaska’s—it allows for complexity to emerge organically through wisdom. It allows for reinvention, for many versions of one’s self. Age and development is how an aerosol can with a fat cap can graduate to customized deodorant roll-ons and shoe polish canisters.

It begins with jerry-rigging a nozzle and ends in diagramming a “harpoonic whip launcher/pulsating extendor” to illustrate the deconstruction of letter-formations in the English alphabet. The spirit of experience pervades the Nihilist Millennial album. As anyone who has ever sat on the couch knows, communication can also improve with age.

3.

Artists and rappers like Rammellzee and Alaska rely on wild-styles, a self-made world that warps quantum physics and disregards notions of dimensionality. It’s dream-vision. It’s liberation. It simultaneously celebrates and critiques communication: like the image of a muted horn.

“Communication is the key,” cried Nefastis. “The Demon passes his data on to the sensitive, and the sensitive must reply in kind. There are untold billions of molecules in that box. The Demon collects data on each and every one. At some deep psychic level he must get through…”

“Help,” said Oedipa, “you’re not reaching me.”

“Entropy is a figure of speech, then,” sighed Nefastis, “a metaphor. It connects the world of thermodynamics to the world of information flow. The Machine uses both. The Demon makes the metaphor not only verbally graceful, but also objectively true.”

[…]

Nefastis smiled; impenetrable, calm, a believer.

The wordplay seems just that: play—that is, until you find the thread. Alaska cobbles together words like rubbish, W.A.S.T.E. Words appear daisy-chained together—flowery, ornate, and strung together by their stems: “fatalism, Fela Kuti, razor thin” / “smash the superstitions with acid tabs and some Sufi visions” / “deep dive Sonny Liston” / “Walt Whitman.”

The track reads like a codex. Something crafted in a scriptorium. His words are warfare—double-tracked/double-barreled—and he slips into braggadocio to prove it. It’s an authoritative posture of experience. Having started atomically small—from Breaking Atoms bedroom listening, to Atoms Family—Alaska’s flow presents nuclear now: maximum damage.

There’s a refinement to what this duo is doing: “Me and Zilla well-established with a lavish vision. / Both hands crusty with Ikonklastic Panzerism.” The boasts rely on royal diction: Camelot, palace doors, Prince Paul. Each man a king, a God, and each one should teach one. Mentor texts for the masses.

4.  

Rammellzee is an equation, And simply stated it’s the way of life I’m chasing. That’s why I praise the future-Gothic future-prophet. Gotta rock it, don’t stop it, Gotta rock it, don’t stop.

You find diversions on the song, exits into familiar chambers. GZA quotations (“I was the thrilla in the Ali-Frazier Manila”) and allusions to Main Source. Large Professor rapped “Dead is my antonym,” and if that’s to be proven true, money needs to be removed from the equation. The refrain of “Gotta rock it” not only calls to mind “Beat Bop,” Herbie Hancock, and Grand Mixer DS.T (or his later incarnation, DXT), but rockets—Afrofuturist angles, future shocks (Bill Laswell [Material], friend to Rammellzee, had a hand in all this). It’s not so much a “future-prophet” as a “future profit.” “Freedom in the process” means creativity without expectation, without the constraints of market value.

Alaska gives it to us straight: “I don’t care if you don’t like it, and I don’t care if you don’t buy it / ’Cause I find freedom in the process.” Despite becoming increasingly complex in his visual approach—like a heap of garbage that loses the definition of its component parts over the ages—Rammellzee understood time equals clarity of vision. A wasted world becomes a meaningful one. Of course, we got to pay rent, so money connects, but ownership of one’s art is about empowerment. “Selling out” is the opposite—an evisceration of one’s self and spirit. “We lost control from the second we sold the art,” Alaska raps. “We sold our future….We should be seeking enlightenment.”

The moment arrives, epiphanically: “I find freedom in the process so I’m grateful, / And that’s my main source: it’s my friendly game of baseball.” For Alaska and Zilla Rocca, it’s not a job—it’s a passion, a pastime.

5.  Nascent imagination deep inside a battle station.

Post-9/11 meant luxury apartments displaced Rammellzee’s Battle Station loft, his living museum. But the art has been excavated and exists posthumously. His Gothic Futurism and Ikonoklast Panzerism seem at home archived on the internet—a network that appears more like a chaos cloud. Rammellzee deconstructed and transcended language—junk monk scripts and calligraphic cut-ups of consumerism. His art is the empowerment a recycling arrow-triangle could only hope to be. Recycle is also rebirth. Rammellzee’s career path is circuitous, deep-tunneled (subway-esque), eternal.

Similarly, Alaska’s multisyllabic patterns are an endless barrage, like weaponized letters tilted sideways, like bottle rockets angled into a bottle’s neck: “Armament / Now my names are built like a BattleBot / Locked inside an ad hoc Camelot, I rather not / Tangle with a rabid lot, hop inside a rabbit hole.”

Alice was beginning to get very tired of sitting by her sister on the bank, and of having nothing to do: once or twice she had peeped into the book her sister was reading, but it had no pictures or conversations in it, “and what is the use of a book,” thought Alice “without pictures or conversations?”

Boredom can make trouble, but boredom can also breed creativity. Alaska rather not spar with trolls under ISP bridges—though he’s equipped to. Instead, he channels his energies into material.

6.  Our culture is done. We lived it.

Near the end, Alaska paraphrases Rammellzee: “I’m not the first or the last to don the mask. / I see it as a title, I’m monastic with these raps.”

Living a life of art—making it regardless of accolade or monetary payment—is the highest form of creativity. Live the art and die by it, like Stan Brakhage, poisoning himself at a slow pace as he applied toxic dyes to celluloid film. Like Rammellzee executing graffiti pieces maskless, huffing the carcinogenic fumes.

MF DOOM (née Zev Love X)—a Rammellzee descendant—taught us how to revel in anonymity, the importance of not spotlighting yourself, but instead seeking out the shade, secret passageways, and the trapdoor in the stage floor. Not all of us heed the advice, but some do, and they feel the throb of real success, not the sort that shows up in bank statements and 401(k) plans.

Images:

“Beat Bop” test pressing, Rammellzee and K-Rob, art by Jean-Michel Basquiat, 1983 (detail) | Rammellzee black-and-white portrait photograph (unknown) | Ikonoklast Panzerism diagram from IONIC TREATISE GOTHIC FUTURISM ASSASSIN KNOWLEDGES OF THE REMANIPULATED SQUARE POINT’S ONE TO 720° TO 1440° THE RAMM-ΣLL-ZΣΣ (1979, 2003) | Page 34 (muted post horn) in Thomas Pynchon’s The Crying of Lot 49, Bantam Books edition (1966) | “A scribe at work,” from an illuminated manuscript from the Estoire del Saint Graal, France (Royal MS 14 E III c. 1315-1325 AD) | Herbie Hancock, Future Shock cassette cover (1983) | Grand Mixer D.ST comic book image (unknown) | Stan Brahage at chalkboard (unknown) | Stan Brakhage, Mothlight celluloid (1963) | “Beat Bop” test pressing, Rammellzee and K-Rob, art by Jean-Michel Basquiat, 1983 (detail)

[mrjoelgarcia9]

Let’s Talk #StarVsTheForcesOfEvil: Season 5(?)

The following contains a slightly updated snippet from my Final Thoughts post.

Should Star Vs. The Forces Of Evil return for a fifth season or film? No.

For my expanded thoughts, feel free to keep reading. There will be spoilers.

“Cleaved” was a great conclusion to the series, leaving the characters happily ever after with a new status quo. It would be weird to continue a show primarily about a magical girl with no magic. It makes as much sense as a sixth season of Gotham.

Also, it might have been really boring and mundane seeing the characters go from fighting the magical forces of evil to probably running a monster hotel.

Disney could revive the series by having the magic suddenly return, but it might be seen as contrived after everything the characters endured. It would be like if Bill Cipher came back the day after Dipper and Mabel left Gravity Falls.

There is always the possibility for a revival. Both Gravity Falls and Phineas and Ferb returned long after their respective finales, the former as a graphic novel and the latter with crossover appearances on Milo Murphy’s Law and an upcoming original film for Disney+.

In the meantime, there are really good continuations currently being written and drawn by fans. One great example is @moringmark’s Echo Creek: A Tale of Two Butterflies, a web comic centering around Mariposa and Meteora as teenagers living in a post-”Cleaved” world. It is one of the best fan stories I have ever read and I highly recommend it.

MoringMark is also the creator of the Ship War AU comic, a fun and dramatic retelling of the second season finale which centers around the future children of Marco, Jackie, and Star. At the moment, it appears to be on a permanent hiatus.

Star Vs. The Forces of Evil was yet another great animated series from Disney. While it may not have reached the same type of mainstream success as fellow series Gravity Falls, it had a great story with great characters and a great conclusion. It was a unique deconstruction of the magical girl genre by Disney that is unlikely to be rivaled in the near future.

Unless the show is compared to its successors just like Gravity Falls is compared to every mystery-based animated series ever.

(Amphibia is a funny new show which is worth watching, and I can’t wait to see The Owl House.)

The complete series is available to buy on digital providers and can currently be streamed on Hulu.

Until next time, thank you for reading!

[blueincandescence]

The problem with Godless is Godless...not us.

Rebuttal to this post. I tried to avoid spoilers but, tbh, spoilers ahead.

So, here’s the thing. There’s no such thing as “clickbait” advertising. Advertising is there to bait you. When a show is mis-advertised it’s never the audience’s fault. Maybe the marketing team misrepresented the wishes of the production team, sure, but that’s not our problem. That’s Netflix’s problem. Consumers have a right to be disappointed in false advertising.

Now. I’ll agree that in Godless there exists some good acting, some nice production, and, yes, beautiful cinematography. But any Western worth its leather has that. I’ve watched a lot of Westerns. I’ve enjoyed a lot of Westerns, as problematic as the genre is. So what does the show offer that isn’t a cookie-cutter rip-off of better Westerns before it?

The villain (white man) is faux-intellectual (“I’ve seen my death” is supposed to be cool and ominous but it leads to the most obvious punchline). The themes of criminal families and violent hardships and the Godforsaken Wild West are, at best, classic and, at worst, old hat.

The protagonist (white man) is a drifter because the protagonist is always a drifter. Sure you can scrape together some excuses for why Roy chooses to do what he chooses to do at the end, but the real reason he does it is that he’s a cipher — the Western genre hero always makes that choice. 

The secondary protagonist (white man) is trying to be the hero he once was. He shows up, says, “I’m not blind yet,” and proceeds to not face hardly as many of the physical hardships he once did because he believes in himself.

The tertiary protagonist (white man) is coming of age at a time when it’s hard to live up to the Cowboy Ideal. He loves a girl he’s seen three times enough to almost kill her father. He’s all the cliches of Follies of Youth in one smelly form. 

What drew me to Godless wasn’t the narrative they give us. It was the promise of something subversive that ultimately didn’t live up to the hype.

Truckee and Roy’s relationship is a highlight because it is a deconstruction of the trope of the grizzled father figure indoctrinating the young innocent boy into the perils of the West. That, in turn, made Roy’s relationship with Frank more interesting. But since Roy chooses to be a cipher in the end it wasn’t for much. At the same time, in order to bring some element of interest to Roy’s story, we have to watch a biracial boy be taught “how to be an Indian” by a white dude. Cool story, bro.

Alice looks great shooting a gun and we know she’s got grit. Her relationship with Roy is interesting because it is the inverse of the usual trope — Roy softens her not the other way around. It’s lovely! Roy is so gentle and competent and respectful! But their romance means nothing because the men literally have a conversation about who she belongs to and, in the end, she goes with their choice. Like? What? The story doesn’t develop Bill and Alice beyond “he saved me from my inevitable past of traumatic rape and we looked longingly at each other a couple of times.” It’s an afterthought. Alice goes from woman of agency to reward. Cool story, bro.

What scenes we do get of a town full of ladies doing it for themselves are all highlights because we don’t often see that. It was pure joy seeing Mary Agnes fight for her town and fall in love. But now what? What happens to the mine? We’re robbed of the narrative resolution of them coming together to say that this is their mine and they’ll damn well run it together. Instead, we got a funeral and the arrival of a preacher, symbolizing that order has finally come to this godless (but once free and independent) town? Cool story, bro.

The inclusion of Blackton highlights the accomplishments of the Buffalo Soldiers. The budding interracial romance is cute and the narrative doesn’t shy away from the complications. White characters acknowledge how the mine dicked over the people of Blackton. But, good God, was the whole subplot a “don’t trust [W]hitey joke?” We’re set up for the Buffalo soldiers to be the baddest of the bad and all we get is a couple of shots and then the whole damn town is massacred. We learn nothing new from the carnage. Frank already massacred a town, we get it. Blackton was already dicked over by white folks, we get it. Belle was already an underdog fight, we get it. All I can say is thank God the romantic subplot got resolved the way it did or it would have been even more outrageous. Instead of Blackton being full of characters with different perspectives, it’s used as a means of propping up [w]hitey’s heroic arc. Cool story, bro.

Honestly, I could go on and on. As I said in my original review, I don’t regret the seven flu-ridden hours I spent on this show. 

But I do resent the false advertising. 

I do resent the mediocre main storyline. 

I do resent the show for presenting interesting white women, women of color, and men of color who have the incredible potential to tell stories we aren’t used to seeing — and then cutting their narrative agency off at the knees to service the oldest, most cliched white men’s stories in the book.

That doesn’t mean you can’t still like it. I did like parts of it, even parts about Roy or Whitey or Bill and elements of Frank. 

But there is absolutely no need to pretend that we’re all over here mad because we were dumb enough to believe the advertising and can’t look past that to see it for its brilliance. Not the case. I’m done giving Westerns a pass. I want to see some new shit.

[shuvva]

Character Deconstruction Meme: Danza

Top Row: Gengar (Pokemon), Death (Sandman), Jean-Ralphio Saperstein (Parks and Recreation)

Middle Row: Marceline (Adventure Time), Louise Belcher (Bob’s Burgers)

Bottom Row: Sucy Manbavaran (Little Witch Academia), Envy (Fullmetal Alchemist), Bill Cipher (Gravity Falls)

[mrjoelgarcia9]

Let’s Talk #Disney’s #StarVsTheForcesOfEvil: Final Thoughts & Season 5

Star Vs. The Forces of Evil was a great deconstruction of the magical girl genre with a Disney twist.

For my Final Thoughts on Disney’s Star Vs The Forces of Evil, as well as the possibility of a fifth season, feel free to keep reading. There will be spoilers.

The two things that made this show stand out from other magical girl shows such as Sailor Moon, an obvious source of inspiration, were how the monsters were treated and the magic literally being destroyed.

In other magical girl shows, monsters are just mindless beings the characters kill and destroy. In this show, they were presented as normal citizens who just want to live their lives. The people of Mewni saw them as threats and second-class citizens. Only the privileged, such as Tom, could be anywhere near them.

Star, Eclipsa, and Marco all treated them as regular people, while everyone else in Mewni wanted them to go away forever. Even when Eclipsa became queen, they simply moved into the forests to build new civilizations and then joined Mina’s army to destroy them all.

Some fans have debated how the monsters were treated as either being racism or colonialism. Regardless of which of the two you may believe the show may have been presenting, it did its best to show it for a younger audience without referencing real world events.

The most divisive aspect about how the show ended was Star’s decision to get rid of magic forever. It says something when it was considered by some online to be the worst finale the day it aired (Coincidentally, Game of Thrones ended later that evening).

It is understandable why some fans did not like how the series ended, with Star no longer being either a princess or magical. There are numerous pieces of fan art and written fiction online which have Star and Marco eventually becoming Queen and King of Mewni (below) and having a daughter who goes on her own adventures with their friends’ children.

The events of the third and fourth seasons all but crushed the possibility of that ever happening. In the end, it made perfect sense for Star to destroy the magic.

She came to the realization that it caused nothing but trouble. Her parents originally sent her to Earth because of her own magical antics, but even then kept using it to do things such as turn a teacher into a monster and endanger her friends several times.

Her mother Moon, Eclipsa, and Meteora all used magic for nefarious purposes. Moon started a war, Eclipsa played around with dark magic, and Meteora used it to consume souls and almost destroy Mewni. 

When Toffee had the magic, via an unaware Ludo, he used it to burn the Book of Spells, kill Glossaryck (the first time), and almost kill Star. Beforehand, he tried to destroy magic by threatening Marco’s life if Star didn’t disable her wand.

Mina’s undying commitment to Queen Solaria, who may have been the only person to treat her with respect, made her use magic to almost not only kill all the monsters but also the royals she believed betrayed Solaria’s legacy.

In other words, magic in this show’s universe was both beneficial and detrimental at the same time. For once, the bad guy was right. 

(On a related note, Michael C. Hall was awesome as Toffee. Also, Eden Sher was great as Star.)

Star simply leveled the playing field by getting rid of all magic forever.

Despite these positives, there were a handful of flaws, such as the intro and the final episodes acting as somewhat of a rushed fifth season.

The theme song was great, but the visuals barely changed and quickly became dated by what was happening within the series. This is mainly an overall issue with Disney’s animated series, which rarely change their intros’ visuals. The only other notable show to change visuals has been DuckTales (2017).

The first intro works for the first season but makes no sense in the second season since Star and Ludo rarely confronted each other.

The second and final intro which began airing in the third season quickly became outdated right after Eclipsa broke out of her crystal. It made even less sense during the fourth season, since Heinous was no longer a threat and Ludo had all but retired.

The last few episodes of the fourth season, starting right after Eclipsa’s coronation, felt like a condensed fifth season. It wrapped up several story threads, such as what happened to Jackie after the breakup, and then went right into the final arc. It felt rushed after the season had relatively good pacing.

Disney supposedly has a “four season rule” for their shows, in which they end after four seasons regardless of their success and popularity. It is a nonsensical concept since some of their shows have had fifth seasons, such as Disney XD’s Avengers Assemble and Disney Channel’s Mickey Mouse.

Additionally, their shows have had odd runs such as Phineas and Ferb running for four seasons consisting of 222 episodes shown throughout eight years.

For comparison, Star ran for four seasons with 77 episodes within four years.

Should this show return for a fifth season or film? No.

“Cleaved” was a great conclusion to the series, leaving the characters happily ever after with a new status quo. It would be weird to continue a show primarily about a magical girl with no magic. It makes as much sense as a sixth season of Gotham.

Also, it might have been really boring and mundane seeing the characters go from fighting the magical forces of evil to probably running a monster hotel. 

It is possible Disney could revive the series by having the magic suddenly return. However, it might be seen as contrived after everything the characters endured. It would be like if Bill Cipher came back the day after Dipper and Mabel left Gravity Falls.

There is always the possibility for a revival. Both the aforementioned Gravity Falls and Phineas and Ferb returned long after their respective finales, the former as a graphic novel and the latter with crossover appearances on Milo Murphy’s Law and an upcoming original film for Disney+.

In the meantime, there are really good fan continuations currently being written and drawn. One great example is @moringmark's Echo Creek: A Tale of Two Butterflies, a web comic centering around Mariposa and Meteora as teenagers living in a post-”Cleaved” world. It is one of the best fan stories I have ever read and I highly recommend it.

MoringMark is also the artist behind the Ship War AU comic, a fun and dramatic retelling of the second season finale which centers around the future children of Marco, Jackie, and Star. At the moment, it appears to be on a permanent hiatus.

Star Vs. The Forces of Evil was yet another great animated series from Disney. While it may not have reached the same type of mainstream success as fellow series Gravity Falls, it had a great story with great characters and a great conclusion. It was a unique deconstruction of the magical girl genre by Disney that is unlikely to be rivaled in the near future.

Unless the show is compared to its successors just like Gravity Falls is compared to every mystery-based animated series ever.

(Amphibia is a cool new show and I can’t wait to see The Owl House.)

The complete series is available to buy on digital providers and can currently be streamed on Hulu.

Until next time, thank you for reading!