#douk douk

[muskmelon-enjoyer-199x]

found my old douk-douk from many years ago! that carbon steel is looking a little rough. gonna give him a little TLC.

when I bought him, these were like 25 bucks. Now they're 36 bucks.

ramble under the cut

Douk-Douks have an interesting history. A French dude named Gaspard Cognet wanted to capture the pocket knife market in the French Pacific colonies (specifically in Melanesia). He needed a marketing draw that would boost brand recognition and catch local eyes, though. This was in 1929, so he went to the library and found this in an illustrated dictionary:

...and he was like "wow, this is a thing from an island in Melanesia so obviously all of Melanesia will love my knife if I put it on there. It must be important if it's one of the only Melanesian things in the dictionary, right? Even though my target market is mainly in New Caledonia, im sure they will will all recognize this niche figure from one culture from one peninsula on one island on the opposite end of Melanesia and that this isn't going to come off weird or cause misunderstandings--"

except he totally didn't say that. The dictionary probably just said "fierce melanesian spirit thing" and had a cool drawing, and that was good enough for Gaspard. He was, after all, a white guy trying to market products to black people he had never met who lived as his country's colonial subjects on the other side of the planet. I doubt he considered the differences in their respective experiences and cultures at all. If he did, he probably would've made some different choices.

Anyways, the product flopped. It did, however, succeed in French possessions in Africa. People seemed to like them as work knives, and apparently they were sharpened into razors as well.

One promotional photo shows hunters from an unspecified "pygmy" culture kneeling around a bongo carcass with knives and a sign reading "The Douk-Douk Among the Pygmies." Most of the men look a bit disinterested. They are all wearing the same shorts and t-shirts, and the knives are shiny and new. It's honestly a very strange and contrived picture. There's a lot going on here.

During the Algerian War of Independence, the FLN supposedly would hammer the lips of the handles together to convert them into fixed-blade knives. Some French guys online say that they would cut informers' noses off and stabbed soldiers in the Casbah with them. I'm sure the war was brutal, but I don't know if this story about the douk-douks is actually true. It gets repeated a lot online (especially by sellers), but the only actual source I can find is an untranslated memoir by a French guy.

(The title of this memoir is "Il était une fois mon Algérie à moi: Biographie," which translates to "Once Upon a Time There Was My Own Algeria: A Biography." It seems to be self-published. We are clearly dealing with some reliable stuff here!)

This is a consumer product that was made to sell to lower-income people in overseas colonies. How do you even tell where the history ends and the marketing and weird colonial mythology begin? I don't know what is really true except that people bought it and used it. I wonder if there are things written about it in languages I can't read or even struggle through. That would be the really interesting stuff!

It's a neat little knife, regardless.

[mudwerks]

(via JHALAL DRUT: Jodelle)

[vinesauce-spogooter]

apparently not a whole lotta people have seen/remember clean-shaven Vin.

May I offer you: a timeless classic

[oneesanmarket]

One Piece: Douke no Buggy - Ichiban Kuji One Piece ~The Legend of Gol D. Roger Hen~ Strap

Size: 9 cm

Price: 10€/15 USD

(Shipping price Not included)

Units Available:1

(Send us a message or comment if you’re interested)

[vvelegrin]

i NEED to become a knife guy

[cherub014]

lottie smokes as many cigarette as lottie can

[frankencanon]

Honestly, I'm kind of torn on Buggy's look in the One Piece live action adaptation...

Like yeah, he does look COOL — but that's just the thing! Buggy's not supposed to look cool! Buggy is a pathetic mess, he's a complete human disaster, he tries to be intimidating but he's got a big squeaky red nose that prevents him from truly being taken seriously!

And that's his whole charm! Even in the very beginning of the series when he first appeared as the very first Devil Fruit user the amateur Straw Hats would ever face — a guy who is literally immune to swords and all other bladed weapons (RIP Zoro) — he still couldn't manage to be intimidating!

Like, sure he was a tough guy to beat and all, and the Straw Hats were genuinely worried at first about how they were going to get past his bara bara no mi — but then the next second Buggy would end up doing something stupid or ridiculous or over-dramatic, turning himself into a laughing stock and temporarily changing the genre of the series into a slapstick comedy.

And as cool as the live action Buggy looks, he just doesn't match up with the canon persona.

(That's just my personal opinion, though — so feel free to ignore me!)

...

And in case you haven't seen what Buggy looks like in the live action yet, here he is:

Meanwhile, Anime Buggy:

...

Edit: Honestly, you know what would make this great? If his very first appearance has him looking all scary and intimidating, except like two seconds later he cuts himself off because he somehow managed to slip on a banana peel (or something equally ridiculous), and poof! Buggy's intimidation factor has left the chat.

---

Update:

THAT'S MY BUGGY...!!!

[fang-revives]

The most beloved NJPW tournament is deranged because it seems to be literally every wrestler who every popped up in a G1 which is an INSANE list. So it's a lot of matchups that are like [NJPW ICON!!!!] vs [white guy you've never heard of] that's a complete ratio. But then you've got unlucky stuff like Douki vs Shinsuke which like ough ouch owww

[juney-blues]

[scottys95th]

afroswing x Kpop type shit

[smolbeanjerma]

Cant believe this is vinny... he looks so small

[kaijynx]

⚰🏳‍⚧⚰

🏳‍⚧🎀🏳‍⚧

⚰🏳‍⚧⚰

Oc stimboard collection: Akuma Yume from DOUKE THEATER!

im gonna start tagging @v0idsp3rson just because they have a interest in my ocs and she's also a AMAZING gf!!! Akuma Yume is a succubus who feeds off of sleeping men in dreams. they also use they/them! they're probably one of my fav ocs from DOUKE THEATER,,, which is weird because a lot of the first series characters are one that I really like! they're also a bi gaybian! (@boba-foxy PSPSPS COME HERE SILLY PSPSPS)

[jamiejason]

Wonderful virtual fantasy weekend getaway to beautiful British Columbia, Canada with @carolannsstuff, @dakotas-place-foru, @paularoxx, and @lonelygirlsammy. Our first stop was Vancouver, BC. The day began by walking the seawall path around Stanly Park. Starting on the east with great views of the city, then north under Lions Gate Bridge. We stopped for a picture at Douk Beach on the west side of Stanly Park. Siwash Rock and the Pacific Ocean is in the background. After our walk, at Paula’s suggestion we headed north to check out the spectacular Capilano Suspension Bridge. What a beauty. We ended our day with food and drinks on the patio of Mahony’s Tavern overlooking False Creek with the gleaming Vancouver skyline in the background. 

Our virtual fantasy second stop was on Vancouver Island. The day began with a visit to the famous Butchart Gardens. The flowers were almost as beautiful as the ladies. We spent the afternoon exploring Victoria, BC. We ended the day with food and drink at Spinnakers Gastro Brew Pub overlooking Lime Bay and Victoria’s inner harbor. We highly recommend the Okanagan Valley Pinots (but Carol still prefers Jack). 

[yesterdayandkarma]

Douk by Louis Loizides Mitsu

[livia-the-potato]

This afternoon I watched tales of the underworld and I'm so glad that we had more of Ventress, I think she is one of the more complex characters in all Star wars; she came a long way from a pawn in the scheming of Palatine and Douk, she is the proof that changing is always possible. I really liked her and Liko dynamics too, but I see it more like a goth older sister and slightly annoying but caring little brother rather than a mother and son, but the last is still cool.

[thatfuckingduke]

douk