#Interpretation and Subjectivity

[omegaphilosophia]

The Philosophy of Semiotics

The philosophy of semiotics explores the study of signs and symbols, their meaning, and how they function in communication. Semiotics is concerned with understanding how meaning is constructed and interpreted in various forms of communication, whether linguistic, visual, or cultural. This field intersects with linguistics, philosophy, anthropology, and psychology, examining the processes by which signs represent objects, ideas, or concepts.

Key Themes in the Philosophy of Semiotics:

Definition of Signs:

Signs and Symbols: In semiotics, a sign is anything that communicates a meaning beyond itself. Signs can be words, images, sounds, gestures, or objects. A symbol is a type of sign that represents something by convention or agreement, such as a flag representing a country.

Sign Components: A sign typically consists of two components: the signifier (the form the sign takes, such as a word or image) and the signified (the concept or meaning it represents). The relationship between these components is central to semiotic analysis.

Semiotic Theories:

Ferdinand de Saussure: Saussure, a Swiss linguist, is one of the founding figures of semiotics. He introduced the idea of the sign as composed of the signifier and signified, and emphasized that the relationship between them is arbitrary and based on social conventions. His work laid the foundation for structuralism.

Charles Sanders Peirce: An American philosopher, Peirce developed a triadic model of the sign, consisting of the representamen (the form of the sign), the interpretant (the meaning derived by the interpreter), and the object (the actual thing to which the sign refers). Peirce’s model is more dynamic and process-oriented than Saussure’s.

Roland Barthes: A French literary theorist, Barthes extended semiotics into cultural studies, exploring how myths and ideologies are constructed through signs. He analyzed how everyday objects and media convey broader cultural meanings.

Sign Systems:

Language as a Sign System: Language is the most studied sign system in semiotics. It is composed of linguistic signs (words), which are used to communicate complex ideas and emotions. Semiotics examines how language operates as a system of signs and how meaning is structured within this system.

Non-Linguistic Signs: Semiotics also studies non-linguistic sign systems, such as visual art, music, clothing, architecture, and even body language. These systems, like language, rely on conventions and cultural contexts to convey meaning.

Signification and Meaning:

Denotation and Connotation: Semiotics distinguishes between denotation (the literal meaning of a sign) and connotation (the associated or implied meanings). For example, a red rose denotatively signifies a type of flower, but it connotatively signifies love or passion.

Polysemy: Many signs are polysemous, meaning they have multiple meanings depending on context. Semiotics explores how the same sign can be interpreted differently in various cultural, social, or personal contexts.

Structuralism and Post-Structuralism:

Structuralism: Structuralism, influenced by Saussure, is an approach that analyzes cultural phenomena as systems of signs governed by underlying structures. It seeks to understand how meaning is produced within these structures, emphasizing the role of binary oppositions (e.g., good/evil, male/female) in organizing meaning.

Post-Structuralism: Post-structuralist thinkers like Jacques Derrida and Michel Foucault challenged the fixed relationships between signifier and signified proposed by structuralism. They argued that meaning is unstable, context-dependent, and subject to continual reinterpretation and deconstruction.

Semiotics in Cultural and Media Studies:

Myth and Ideology: Semiotics is used to analyze how myths, ideologies, and cultural narratives are constructed and maintained through signs. Barthes’ concept of myth explores how dominant cultural values are naturalized through everyday signs.

Media and Representation: Semiotics is a critical tool in media studies, helping to deconstruct how media texts (films, advertisements, news, etc.) produce and manipulate meaning. It examines how representations shape public perception and reinforce power structures.

Philosophical Implications:

Reality and Representation: Semiotics raises philosophical questions about the nature of reality and our ability to represent it through signs. If our understanding of the world is mediated by signs, then our perception of reality is always interpretative, never direct.

Subjectivity and Interpretation: The interpretation of signs is influenced by individual subjectivity, cultural background, and context. This challenges the notion of objective meaning and emphasizes the role of the interpreter in creating meaning.

Applications of Semiotics:

Advertising and Marketing: Semiotics is widely used in advertising to create powerful and persuasive messages. By understanding how signs operate, advertisers craft messages that resonate with consumers’ desires and cultural values.

Literary Criticism: In literary theory, semiotics is used to analyze texts, uncovering the layers of meaning embedded in language, symbols, and narrative structures.

Anthropology and Sociology: Semiotics informs the study of cultural rituals, practices, and artifacts, offering insights into how societies construct and convey meaning.

The philosophy of semiotics provides a framework for understanding how meaning is created, communicated, and interpreted through signs. It reveals the complexities of language, culture, and communication, showing how signs shape our perception of reality and our interactions with the world. By analyzing the structures and systems of signs, semiotics offers deep insights into the workings of human thought, culture, and society.

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

Out of sight, out of - wait.

[First] Prev <–-> Next

[vantabone]

Canto 8 Spoilers!

TW: SA/CSA, Grooming and familial, emotional abuse.

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A small analysis on Hong Lu's Story as a Metaphor for SA/CSA

I’d like to preface this with if I come off as insensitive or offensive, I sincerely apologize. I'll delete this if need be. Feel free to correct me on anything. Of course, feel free to disagree as well. This is just my own reading into the story. It's not supposed to be "the canon or right" way of interpreting it.

I'm fully aware that this could be entirely unintentional on PM's part, but the beauty of stories is finding your own interpretation of the words gifted to you. Please be civil!

If you find yourself feeling unwell while reading through this, please close out for your own mental safety.

I believe that Hong Lu's backstory can be read as SA. I don't think I'm alone in this as I've seen others mention it too, but I’d like to talk about my main points on why I believe this: his objectification, his abject grooming by Jia Mu, and how he reacts during and after, as well as the circumstances around it.

A question you might ask is: why this topic? Couldn't this be applied to other types of abuse too? The answer is yes! It can! But the imagery of the cuckoospawns, its wordings, and how Hong Lu acts afterwards is a direct result of that incident and recontextualizes his behavior. The inherent horror of the loss of bodily autonomy, the imagery violent creatures rising from one's own body, the silencing of the victim and its specific wording leads one to think in that direction. So I will be going that direction.

Hong Lu is heavily objectified. In his IDs and even before his canto itself, this is one of the things we know about him. He’s described as a “gem of a child” (Liu Hong Lu uptie story), “a precious jade that must be kept within the deepest coffers” (Qingtao) and during the flashbacks, everyone else around him either praises him or scorns him for his upbringing without thinking about how it affects him emotionally. The first scene where the shadows close in on him while he hears about how they whisper is obviously a sign that this is something he’s distressed about.

The elders themselves literally use him as a source of their entertainment. This objectification is one of the main reasons why he believes he has no bodily control over himself.

To be clear, Jia Mu was absolutely grooming him. One of the main tactics abusers will use is to isolate their victims from people who could support them, and when Baoyu shared how scared he was to Xiren, Jia Mu immediately had her lobotomized. This reinforced the belief in his mind that if he were to speak about this to anyone, bad things would befall them too. This is also a common thinking pattern that SA victims have, particularly the ones that have suffered familial abuse.

Familial abuse especially is tricky because it affects everyone. Some family members would even tell the victim not to report the abuse because it could “ruin” their family by tearing it apart. The weight of the emotional turmoil falls once again to the victim, adding more stress to an already traumatizing situation.

As Jia Mu is the family hierarch and him as a child, there is already a clear power imbalance there that Hong Lu will never be able to escape anything she makes him do. Jia Mu knows he’s a kind and gentle child. Someone who would try his best to save a person suffering. Someone who believes he could befriend even the people who speak ill of him. That boy would never willingly put anyone in harm’s way. She uses this as leverage to ensure that he would never talk to anyone about his circumstances again and to continue her abuse over him.

During the lab scenes we’re treated to how he continues to be forced even though he pleads he doesn’t want to. He begs anyone to help him, but Jia Mu even goes as far as taking away his only source of support: Xiren. In the end, what breaks him is his sole confidant rehashing the same words that sends him unbearable fear: to be silent and keep watching. He pushes away Daiyu, who is the only other person that notices his change of heart. A sign of trauma is pushing away the people that care about you as well as the isolation abuse tactic in full display. He now forces himself into the mold of what Jia Mu wants him to be. Because if he does this, then it’ll hurt less. Because this is what they tell him to do. He forces himself to be more palatable to his abuser.

Now, the incident. When he tries to stop people from going inside the venue, they don't believe him. He can't explain why out of fear. They laugh, ridicule or get mad at him for saying nonsense. This also mirrors the way victims are treated: are you sure it really happened? You're ruining someone's reputation. You don't even have any proof. Are we supposed to believe you? They're a good person, they would never do that. They do not take his cries for help seriously. Baoyu trying to help was also his own cry for help. That if they listened to him, maybe his choices do matter.

Second, I believe it’s no coincidence that it has implicit sexual violence, in my opinion. They did not go into details into how the cuckoobirds reproduce exactly, but their choice of wording is very intentional: “high level of fertility”, “reproductive abilities”, and “the glint of hunger when it’s reproductive instincts kicked in”. It is supposed to invoke that type of imagery within you without actually saying what went on. That’s part of the horror. So then, it should be easy to guess what it means for Hong Lu to have witnessed all of that unwillingly.

To preface I'm not saying he was assaulted himself. However, the things he witnessed also counts as SA because this was done to him against his well. I think it's an important distinction that there are different types of SA as well.

He was forced to watch people used as a breeding ground for the cuckoospawns. And even if they were not, these were things bursting out of people's bodies and wombs. There's a lack of bodily control for everyone imvolved. That's incredibly violating to imagine. Baoyu was only a child, too.

This is how he reacts after it all: dissociation, self-hatred and a deep, deep desire to be heard and comforted by anyone. It was vile. It was extremely violating. All he wished was someone to please help him, because this was something that never should have happened.

“After today, nothing good will ever happen to me again.” this was the line that made me go, oh.. Baoyu.. :(... And what fueled me to think about how exactly I was reading the canto. Not going into details, but this was a line that struck me personally. When something that violating happens to you, you just feel... I don't think I could describe how empty it makes you feel. But it really does feel like nothing good will happen to you again, because that traumatizing experience will always weigh down on you no matter what.

He buries his flowers-- his emotions and conscience, his free will and choices, and most importantly himself-- in a way that he won't have to watch as they wither. They will still be as "clean" and pure as they ever were, like what happened to him never happened at all. This is a common pattern among victims of SA, especially children. When someone has been assaulted, they think they've been dirtied by the experience and will never be "clean" again. This is a tangent but I personally don't like this perception because no matter what happened to someone, I don't think they've been "dirtied" at all. It was never their fault to begin with.

The elders as well have an obsession for him to stay a pristine jade. Impervious to anything beneath him like despair, fear, and agony.

Here are some other points I couldn't fit in above:

- When Jia Huan exclaimed he knew the reason why Baoyu was depressed, he reacted with fear. But when Jia Huan went on to say it was because of Daiyu, you could actually see his face slowly fall too. Whether it was disappointment or relief, but I think it was because he wanted someone to understand his situation without him having to say it out loud.

- (credit to user lyrecross for noticing this) Hong Lu shares the same "emphasis on the stomach area which is either wounded, open or binded" imagery across his EGOs. It's intriguing and sad how he shares the theme with the woman who was undeniably violated the most in this canto, Kong Sihui, who had her baby eaten by a creature which then burst out of her womb.

I'd like to point out his effervescent corrosion EGO: oysters create pearls because it's their body's natural defence against parasites entering their shell or to damage to their fragile shell. His corrosion line is this, too: “Filth nests inside me... So that they may be reborn as something useful.” This one's more or a stretch but the pearl's positioning also looks like a pregnant woman's belly. (I guess the entire clam opening is the stomach though)

The only exception to this trend is Soda Hong Lu which has the corrosion ego line “The seagulls... They keep crying and screaming away..!” and his base ego.

- DOTRC also had very blatant themes of sexual assault because it was about the misogyny women faced during that time. I interpret the original Jia Baoyu as also a victim of CSA, because even if its the time period, children having sex is pretty.. yeah. I'm glad to see they didn't leave this particular theme behind, even if they weren't that faithful to the original novel.

If you managed to read this far, thank you for taking the time out of your day to do so! And please be kind. Hong Lu is one of my favorite ever characters and I'm a big fan of the direction PM took with him. It might have been unintentional, but it was nontheless written well. Please share your thoughts with me, as long as it's polite!

[melit0n]

One of the lines that caught my eye in Emergence was "So tell me what you meant by 'living past your half life'?" In chemistry, a "half life" is the time it takes for a substance to decay to half of its original mass.

Further, half lives are also prominent in physics, specifically, nuclear physics. It has the same definition—amount of time taken for a nuclei to half itself—but is, as its name suggests, focused on how much useful energy is produced via the decomposition.

This also links in with the later lyrics of "space dust for your fuel rods." Fuel rods are used in the control of a nuclear decay reaction within a nuclear power plant. This could be interpreted as either Vessel's lack of autonomy, or Sleep losing dominion.

If it's anything to note, "space dust" can also be radioactive.

So, with this all in mind, living past a half life is, in its basics, working towards rot. Existing as a dead man walking and overtly aware that you are.

To me, this could be in reference to Sleep. It's been emphasised that, while Sleep is one of the oldest Gods, He is a forgotten one; kept alive by rituals and those who are beckoned by song to follow Him. Aka, kept alive and powerful by Vessel.

Sleep has long since lived past His so called "half life," and, in toe, He is, therefore "well versed in the afterlife."

While I don't think it works as well, mainly because I consider the majority of this song to be Vessel having a go at Sleep, instead of vice versa, this could be applied to Vessel as a mouthpiece, too, posing the question of; how long until your humanity disapears? How long does it take until you pass your half life, and begin to speak and see only that which bloodless and broken creatures do?

How long until you aren't even you anymore?

And, when that change happens, which it will, eventually, will you emerge and become "someone new," or stay as you were?

[pureshadough]

"the diverged costumes are a roleswap au where shadow milk takes pure vanillas place as the good guy" ❌ WRONG. ❌❌❌❌❌ WRONNNGGGGGGGGGG. THE SAGE OF TRUTH IS IN FACT WORSE THAN SHADOW MILK IS

My understanding is that Diverged is a what-if centered around Shadow Milk and Pure Vanilla swapping which halves of the Virtue of Knowledge they possess, and nothing more. This reflects upon their social roles in ways that make it seem like there's also a rather drastic difference in personalities on the surface, too, though on the Sage's part I'm of the firm belief that this is an intentional misdirection. His presentation is meant to lure others into a false sense of security; the air of mystique and seemingly boundless wisdom he carries himself with is his performance of Truth, wielded with probably just as much malintent as the Beast's embrace of Deceit. I suggest all of this because of one crucial detail in the costume story: At the end of the day, cookiekind doesn't know ANYTHING about either version, of their own volitions.

Just as Shadow Milk is the mask that the broken and spiteful once-Fount of Knowledge wears, proudly wielding contradictory information and over-the-top lies to sow insecurity in others (while shielding himself), the Sage of Truth is a mask of poeticisms and a friendly disposition designed to subtly redirect away from what lies underneath, instead leading the masses down mysterious rabbit holes towards mind-breaking revelations and despair, all the same.

Both of them are larger-than-life and untouchable in the ways they carry themselves, with the simple difference being in just how outwardly cruel they are to cookiekind. While through different lenses, I think they likely pursue the same goal of paying forward their thousands of years worth of resentment, and where Shadow Milk pulls the strings and orchestrates one's psychological torment directly in their face, the Sage of Truth leads others towards their suffering on their own terms with not but a warm smile and encouraging nudge. It is a betrayal that nobody ever sees coming, and that he will furthermore never take the blame for - it's not his fault that one finds these revelations so painful, after all.

So, for the amount of people in the fandom who believe him to be anything other than just as malevolent as the original, I think that just goes to show how well his performance works.

[lilybug-02]

“Ugly” Rough Comic Concept.

—————

I’m hoping to be able to finish this comic this next October or November. I know the idea and concept are conveyed quite clearly just with the rough draft, but I would like to finish it with line art. I want to show this to a broader audience :)

For the first time in a long time, with the CT comic on hiatus, I feel like I can start on some of my other comic concepts. And I feel like I’ve learned a lot from my Hollow Knight comic, with how short I want my ideas to be. I don’t feel too comfortable creating a long comic (or at least one that goes over a year). Being constrained isn’t my style.

[voltsm]

his hobbies include twitching and blinking a lot

[cafenervosa]

THE MAGNUS PROTOCOL : FIRST SHIFT 🖳

[ID in alt text]

[jon-sedai]

The way we discuss prophecy in fandom is genuinely fascinating. GRRM spends so much time showing how different characters have different interpretations of the same thing based on their own cultural contexts. He says that prophecy is tricky to navigate through multiple characters, showing that even the most careful practitioner can get almost everything wrong and fall victim to their own fallacies (see Mel). So tell me why the main takeaway for large parts of this fandom is “prophecy stupid, it doesn’t matter”. My brothers and sisters in R’hllor, GRRM didn’t invent multiple characters (three of whom are main POVs!!) who can see the future for this to be the conclusion. This is a FANTASY series. Please I’m begging, let us be serious 🥲

[steampunkhobo]

I’m sure I’m so late to this conversation but I’m so confused/curious about what intersex disorder Cardinal Benitez is supposed to have. Like- it’s implied if not outright stated that he presents externally as a “typical” male and doesn’t have ambiguous genitalia (that in combination with the idea that all that was requested by the papacy was a hysterectomy and not any kind of “sex reassignment” or genital alteration- which I highly doubt would have been accepted anyway- more likely anything more and he would have been defrocked, the church being how it is. Though also possible he has a microphallus or hypospadias which both could easily be overlooked at birth/in the seminary, as well as being common in cis men and therefore “acceptable”) and we know for certain that he has ovaries and a uterus- that much alone makes me think persistent Müllerian duct syndrome. But Benitez also says that his chromosomes would make some classify him as a woman, and individuals with PMDS have XY chromosomes. But it also can’t be de la Chapelle syndrome or Klinefelter syndrome, giving him a mostly “typical” male body (potentially smaller build, less hair, genital variations like a microphallus or Hypospadias) but XX or XXY chromosomes, because a uterus and ovaries aren’t present in those conditions. Ovarian tissue can be present, but not a fully developed set. (Amendment: there are, though rarer, cases of a developed uterus and ovaries in de la Chapelle syndrome. There’s very limited data about this specific variation, and things will vary from person to person, but it’s usually caused by congenital adrenal hyperplasia, which causes significant health issues. If Benítez has de la Chapelle syndrome, it would most likely be due to CAH, and he’d be quite unwell without treatment. Though again, it’s under-researched and reported, especially variations that don’t cause major health issues. Much rarer and more complex, but certainly possible that this is his situation- potentially from exposure to certain hormones in utero. It’s complicated. Thanks to everybody that helped me explore this subject/syndrome further!) Because the uterus and ovaries have been proven beyond a shadow of a doubt to exist, I’m assuming the mention of chromosomes was a mistake/misunderstanding and Benitez is supposed to have PMDS, but that condition is pretty damn rare- not that this writes it off, but it’s something to consider. Still, unless I’m overlooking something that seems to be the best fit?

It’s probably just details being muddled by the writers, but I think it’s interesting. And the ambiguity is kind of nice, because people can tailor their headcanons how they see fit. Lots of potential for representation in this one character. (No matter what body your Cardinal Benitez has I love him. Forehead kisses muah muah)

[spock-adoodledoo]

they did this for me /j

also the caption (loosely) says "she's here, he's here, the wage laborer duo's wallpapers are here! another day of 'going to work willingly'..."

hmm so they're one of those people who have lost connection with why they're doing the work they've been given, icic

ok also go watch this amv i love them

[pocketgalaxies]

sometimes i will be forced to read the most insanely bad take ever and have to be So brave about not losing my total shit over it

[wavesoutbeingtossed]

Fuck it, I'm doing the poll even though I know what I feel and I'm not changing my mind about my own interpretation, but I've seen people interpret it both ways on social media so I'm curious.

[luck-of-the-drawings]

so REVENGE, HUH? or justice, if that makes you feel better. it tastes the same when cooked just right. 'I REALLY WANTED A BROTHER.' such a shame to burn a bridge you so desperately wanted to keep, especially when it wasnt even you who started the fire. especially when you hope that not a single fragment of that bridge ever washes ashore.[MAY IT ROT FAR FROM MY SIGHTS] an unfortunate loss! atleast he has his friends.

[quibbs126]

I’ve seen some people suggest the idea of TF One Starscream and Megatronus Prime having been a couple, and while I’m not entirely sure whether I ship it (the potential skystar here has a grip on me), I will say the sheer comedy of the situation makes me strongly consider it

Like I just love imagining Megatron’s reaction to this information being this

He is mortified and really doesn’t want to believe it’s true

But also in some seriousness, I do like the idea with how it relates to Megatron. I remember some months ago someone having a ficlet on here with this ship, where basically Starscream feels like he has to be responsible for and protect Megatron because he failed Megatronus, and because he sees Megatron sort of like a son they never had (or at least I think, it’s been a while since I read it and I don’t know how to find it again), and I like that idea. It’s interesting and also works with the concept that this Starscream is significantly older than Megatron

[helvidius]

damn it has homing arrows