#post round analysis

[nicejewishcharactershowdown]

Nice Jewish Character Showdown 2023 - Round Two Eliminations

Another round has passed, one I'd liken to a bloodbath, and we're down to 8 competitors in the race for the NJCS 2023 title. Before the quarterfinal votes go live, let's check in with those disqualified contestants and discuss what makes them such Nice Jewish Characters.

Match One Elimination: Cristina Yang, Grey's Anatomy Probably the most well-known Asian Jew in television, Cristina Yang is canonically Jewish, thanks to her step-father who raised her in it (her mother converted). Grey's has a weird relationship with Judaism, like a lot of medical dramas, but it definitely gets points for the rare and definitely appreciated look at how diverse the Jewish population is.

Match Two Elimination: Tevye, Fiddler on the Roof It's the quintessential Jewish musical, it's one of the main reasons we've seen a shtetl-core resurgence, it's Fiddler! It was definitely the match-up of the dads this time around, and as much as I love this man, his success rate in reference to loving and supporting his daughters is, well... not a perfect score. Thank you Sholem Aleichem for the original stories, thank you Chaim Topol for your iconic portrayal in the movie, alongside Zero Mostel, Leonard Nimoy (yes, Nimoy played Tevye for a bit!), Alfred Molina, Harvey Fierstein, Danny Burstein, and many, many more. Nothing truly hits like being a Jew in the diaspora and watching Fiddler. Still bummed I haven't had a chance to see Yiddler, the Yiddish remount. (Oh, and Fiddler tends to be free on Youtube, so if you haven't seen it before -- or want to revisit Anatevka, treat yourself!)

Match Three Elimination: Rebecca Bunch, Crazy Ex Girlfriend *hits top of a car* this baby can fit so many song titles from CEXG in it When looking for representation, it can often feel like no one else is singing your song. Sure, there are the characters whose Judaism is restricted to reminding you that we've suffered, or who become props for some Christmas Special. But then we get a gem in the rough, a girl in love, a Jewish American Princess who moves across the country to follow a former summer camp crush. Crazy Ex Girlfriend was a rarity, and the four season run blessed us with a lot of quality television, and something even rarer -- a multidimensional Jewish lead. If you haven't had a chance to meet Rebecca, the entire show is available to stream on Netflix. And yes, when I realized how much she was losing this round, this song was on loop in my brain. Apologies to Rachel Bloom and the rest of the CEXG team, I seriously thought you'd sweep this thing. What a twisted fate.

Match Four Elimination: Lily Moscovitz, The Princess Diaries Oh, Lily, I think the internet misunderstands you more often than not these days. But to ignore your Jewishness is an absolute faux pas, whether you're looking at the movies or the much more blatantly Jewish representation you get in the books. Seriously though, I can think of at least a handful of Jewish girls I grew up with who remind me of the headstrong public access host. Side note -- to all the girlies who grew up hating their curly hair because of the nightmare of a makeover Mia got, I'm right there with you, and we'll get through this together. Honestly, I think there's something to be said about Jew-coding's relationship with makeover scenes, but we don't have the time for that right now.

Match Five Elimination: Francine Frensky, Arthur I've mentioned before how I grew up on public access television, so is it any surprise when I say that Francine was (probably) the first time I saw myself on television? Even if it didn't come up a lot outside of holiday episodes (at least in the seasons that aired when I watched), Francine's Judaism felt recognizable. Plus, if you told her she was just token representation, she'd probably sock you in the face. Oh, and something I found while researching -- THE GOLEM IS A PLOT POINT IN A HALLOWEEN EPISODE?! Seriously, props to PBS.

Match Six Elimination: Ferris Bueller, Ferris Bueller's Day Off Finding good representation in any 80's movie is going to be an uphill battle, considering well. The 80's-ness of it all. So when looking for a good Jewish character, it's much easier to default back to the transitive property of Jewish media (art made by Jews being Jewish by way of their perspective being translated into the text). Since Matthew Broderick, Ferris himself, is Jewish, who's to say the most beloved delinquent of his era isn't too? Plus, he's a stock standard rebel against restrictive institutions. Listen, I have the original Footloose on my coded Jewish representation Letterboxd list, I have no room to judge. *Points to Ferris* That's a NJB right there.

Match Seven Elimination: Truman Burbank, The Truman Show Speaking of my coded Jewish representation Letterboxd list, this movie SCREAMS Judaism to me. Come on -- it's so critical of Christianity that it almost falls backwards into Judaism. Free will in spite of a higher power? Disagreeing with authority so much that you flee your home, your world, your reality? Helps that his hometown is so heavily designed after post-war 50's suburbia, which has its own relationship with being Jewish. So is Truman Jewish? I think he can be -- watch the movie and make the call for yourself. It's a classic for a reason, and I won't rob you of the experience.

Match Eight Elimination: Wall-E, Wall-E Wall-E, my robot blorbo, the most Guy of any Pixar protagonist -- what makes him Jewish? He loves Barbra Streisand, collects tcotchkes, and is relentlessly working to make the world better, even if he's the only one still doing it (tikkun olam has NEVER seen a cuter mascot).

[onchyart]

So Will in the ladder scene puts a boundary with his body language (arches his back, so Hannibal has to stop closing in on him)

and he checks again with putting his torso forward and Hannibal recoils back a little bit (but stays put)

It shows that he is sensitive to Will's lead in their bodily geography. Will becomes more comfortable after the second check (maybe even aroused a bit, cause he feels in control)

All Will's dreams that include Hannibal, have an element of putting him in place permanently and Hannibal feeling okay with it, comfortable in Will's restraint, under his control.

Some may say that Will's s2 dreams are erotic, full of suggestive imagery.

well, so if we go all the way with this logic

On his knees, pinned, okay

Meeting Will for the first time in three years, freedom of movement only in his memory palace, glass wall, practically no agency at all. Greeting Will with his back and ass first okay

and hmmm

hmmmmm so yeah, Hannibal's cell was a perfect seduction set up for Will Graham and Will Graham only

[sapphire-weapon]

fucking Obsessed with the dialogue in the RE4make ending showcasing just how layered one sentence can be. when Leon turns down Ashley’s offer to put him on security detail, he’s not actually suggesting that the president’s fucking daughter doesn’t need security detail. there’s so damn much going on in that one line of dialogue alone.

what he says: “You don’t need me.” what he means: “I’m not even here under my own free will; there’s no chance in hell they’d transfer me. But even if there is the slightest possibility that you could actually help, I don’t want you to worry about it, so I won’t say anything.”

what he says: “You don’t need me.” what he means: “If I take my eyes off of bioterror for even a second, I’ll never be able to bring myself to go back. And I can’t afford to do that.”

what he says: “You don’t need me.” what he means: “Sherry needed me after we escaped together, and I’m pretty sure I fucked that up. I couldn’t bear to ruin the life of another tiny blonde girl.”

what he says: “You don’t need me.” what he means: “I’m probably fucking worthless outside of a life-and-death bioterror situation.”

what he says: “You don’t need me.” what he means: “The more you feel that you need me in order to cope with what’s happened to us here, the more you actually will need me, and I don’t want that for you.”

what he says: “You don’t need me.” what he means: “I genuinely believe you can heal from this and go on to live a normal life. I couldn’t.”

what he says: “You don’t need me.” what he means: “I wouldn’t have made it out of here without you, either.”

what he says: “You don’t need me.” what he means: “I’m so fucking proud of you.”

[misstrashchan]

DENNIS:

(Suddenly a little unnerved)

So wait, did I hear that right? A, uh, sacrifice.

PAIGE draws a knife.

PAIGE:

(Deadpan)

Well, why do you think I let you come out here with us, Dad?

DENNIS:

(Startled)

You wouldn’t-

You’re joking. Aren’t you?

PAIGE:

PAIGE chuckles at him as she walks straight past him.

Limited but meaningful, was it?

We hear her gasp as she cuts her palm. We hear the blood dribbling down as she walks, spreading it across the monument in some kind of pattern.

(She stops, bandaging her hand.)

(Chapter 23 I'd Howl and Scream In Victory)

There's something oddly fitting to me about Paige using her own blood as a sacrifice instead of her father's to birth a new god that she can believe in. Paige said to Carpenter in the previous season that she never found a god to believe in, but her relationship with her father and how she describes it does (to me at least) reflect the other characters relationship with their respective gods.

"And when I tell you yes, you'll praise me, in a sweet and loving voice, and ask me for just a little more, a little more for something else that needs to be taken care of. I'll tell you yes, more often than not. I feed your love, because I need to hear it, even if I can never quite believe in it."

(Chapter 7 It Carries Few it Drowns Many)

How she needs her father's approval, his praise and love to be certain of herself, how much control she felt like he had over her life, and needing to "feed" his love with money, and it never being quite enough to ever satisfy him because he'd always ask for more eventually, much like how the gods constantly demand sacrifices to feed them. It definitely clicked when Paige's dad Dennis himself said it

"gods, people, we all need to feed on something!"

And why he specifically is present in chapter 23 and openly opposing Paige's idea of a new god. He represents the status quo of the gods and their system to Paige specifically that she wants to challenge.

"You give so you can take. You help so you can hurt.

You’ve never done a single thing for me that you didn’t make me pay for."

So, using the blood of herself is like bleeding an old god to birth a new one. One that Paige can actually believe in, as she believes in herself. She as a person is meaningful as The Many Below's first sacrifice, but limited, and wants to grow beyond that through the god she's trying to create and what she wants to accomplish. It's something she wants to be apart from her father and everything other god that exists in this world.

[dsmp-analysis-showdown]

The first round of Analysis Showdown is now open!

Your prompt for the round is:

Analyze a single interaction between any two members of the Dream SMP.

This could be anything: a conversation, a fight, or even a rare moment of silence. Different participants are allowed to submit meta regarding the same scene and/or character pairs. Scenes where other characters are present are okay so long as the focus of the analysis remains the dynamic between two specific characters.

Many relationships on DSMP have a long and complex history, so including context and references to other things is fine - and encouraged. But try to keep the spotlight on one particular scene without going on too many tangents.

Don’t limit yourself to popular pairs or topics! There is a lot to explore, so feel free to go wild. Creativity in the analysis and uncommon interpretations are very much encouraged!

Feeling stuck? Have some (completely optional) suggestions for where to begin!

“What did each character seek to obtain out of this interaction? Did they get it?”

“How did this interaction affect the characters’ future feelings, thoughts, and actions?”

“Are there any hidden layers to the interaction? Did their actions reflect their words accurately, or is there an evident disparity between the two?”

“Analyze the interaction through a specific lens.”

“How are the two characters’ perception of this interaction the same/different?”

“How does this interaction showcase conflicting aspects of the two characters involved?”

“How is this interaction evidence of a pattern of behavior between the two characters/how does this interaction show a break in some otherwise established pattern?”

Submission guidelines:

Submissions must be between 300 and 2000 words.

The analysis must sufficiently answer the prompt.

The analysis must not have been published somewhere before.

The claims in the analysis must include sources.

No inflammatory language or overt negativity about a character. Being critical is fine, bashing is not.

Absolutely no negativity or hostility towards any group of fans.

Submissions for the first round close on November 8th. To enter the competition, just submit an analysis that meets all the submission guidelines to this blog.

Submit your entry here! Still confused? Check out our FAQ. The sourcing requirement seems intimidating? Join our discord where we’ll help you find the clips you need!

[101flavoursofweird]

Layton & Katia: Kindred Spirits

This moment where Layton firsts sees Katia and they have a stare-off always felt odd to me. And not just because Layton’s eyes are HUGE For the player, Katia is being introduced as a main character here, much like how Flora and Clive are in their games. But Layton’s fascination towards those two feels more understandable; Flora is disguised as a ‘mysterious girl’, different from the other villagers, and Clive is disguised as ‘Future Luke’. Both of them either seek Layton out, or call upon his help.

But what connection could Katia Anderson have to Hershel Layton? 

When they’re investigating Dropstone, Layton and Luke learn of the Andersons— a beloved founding family of the village. They hear about how Mr Anderson has fallen out with his daughter, Katia, since Sophia died. The family’s servants are very fond of Katia, so much that they all come to see her off on the train, behind her father’s back. Layton muses that Katia must be beautiful and refined. 

Moments before they board the train, Mr Anderson begs for Layton to pass on a message to Katia: Her father wishes she’d come home. Katia is his only child and she means everything to him. He’d be forever in Layton’s debt if Layton could help.

So, here, Layton could be looking at Katia with Mr Anderson’s plea in mind… But what if it’s more than that? 

I think Katia reminds Layton of his younger self.

Layton’s Miracle Mask profile describes how, as a 17-year-old, he was ‘pampered and adored by the people of Stansbury’. This changed, however, after Hershel returned from Akbadain without Randall. 

While I’m sure the residents of Stansbury didn’t all believe Layton murdered Randall,  Layton was still consumed with guilt over Randall’s death. He agreed to accompany Randall to the ruins, after all, and he couldn’t save Randall from falling in the end. When Layton returned home, his parents ‘gave him the hardest scolding of his life’ and then ‘the warmest hug’. 

Dalston notes how Angela ‘drove Layton out of town’ (though, Layton wrote in his journal about how Angela ‘never left the house’)… Whatever the case, Hershel felt so guilty that he decided to leave Stansbury to attend university in London. In the years following Randall’s ‘death’, Stansbury became a ghost town as the residents moved away…

I wonder if Layton thinks of Stansbury— over eighteen years later— when Mr Anderson confides in him about Sophia and fears for the fate of Dropstone? ‘Dropstone must never be allowed to die and wither like so many other villages…’

A rift has formed between the Anderson family, since Sophia’s death. Perhaps Mr Anderson fears this rift will affect Dropstone… (Much like how Randall’s death devastated Stanbsury…)

With Katia suddenly setting out on an adventure, against her father’s interests, it’s easy to see how Layton would be concerned too. Layton and his parents are very close, but his mother constantly worries over him— much like Mr Anderson with Katia. Layton suffered a loss as a teenager and he chose to leave his hometown— much like Katia. If you want a more recent ‘death’, Layton thought Dr Scharder had died and jumped on a train a few days later to find out why.

Both Layton and Katia are well-liked, but they’re quiet, solitary characters who keep their intentions close to the chest. When Inspector Chelmey comes to investigate Dr. Scharder’s death, Layton decides conduct ‘his own investigation’ behind Chelmey’s back. At the hotel in Folsense, Katia implores Layton to give her the Elysian Box, but Katia refuses to tell him why. Both Layton and Katia struggle to accept the help of others…

But, that doesn’t mean they will ignore other people in need! Layton’s always helping random people with mysteries or puzzles. On the road to Herzen Castle, it’s implied that Katia leaves lanterns for Layton and Luke to light the forest path. Plus, Katia is willing to guide Luke and Layton out of Herzen Castle. 

Katia is frightened when they encounter Anton and he mistakes her for Sophia. She trusts Layton enough to hide behind him.

(Huh, Layton also must have had an identity-crisis when he took on Randall’s legacy as an archaeologist, or when he learned he’d inherited his name from his older brother…)

It always bugged me how Layton interrupted Katia when she was trying to explain everything to Anton… but it is kind of understandable, if he’s worried Anton might lash out at Katia. It’s even kind of sweet, when you remember Layton is watching out for Katia, as Mr Anderson asked. Katia is missing her father and Layton is missing Flora, his adopted daughter.

When the gang escape from the castle and Anton is revealed to be an old man, he finally acknowledges Katia as his grandfather. 

The look on Katia’s face here… my heart… reminds me of THIS:

Hershel was able to find out the truth about what happened to Randall, and the truth about his birth family— just as Katia found out about her family’s history.

They’ve reunited with lost loved ones and their respective journeys are over, for now. 

[burn-throughout-eternity]

One of the many oddities in this year Hugo nominations is how many works have low point totals compared to their number of nominations.

For those not familiar with the Hugo nominations the basics are that "First, the total number of nominations (the number of ballots on which each nominee appears) from all eligible ballots shall be tallied for each remaining nominee. Next, a single “point” shall be assigned to each nomination ballot. That point shall be divided equally among all remaining nominees on that ballot. Finally, all points from all nomination ballots shall be totaled for each nominee in that category."

Nominees are then eliminated and points reassigned until the finalists are determined. While I haven't seen anything mathematically impossible there has been a lot of discussion of works points total being unusually low compared to nominations.

One interesting example is the fancast Worldbuilding for Masochists which has been nominated for three years running. In 2021 it had 34 nominations and 26.83 points on the final round or 0.789 votes per nomination.

In 2022 it had 42 nominations and 30.87 points on the final round or 0.735 points per nomination.

This year in 2023 it had 56 nominations and 11.30 points an average of 0.2017 points per nomination. The theoretical minimum number of points it could have gotten was 11.20 (56*0.2).

This is some quick math below so feel free to correct me if I've gotten anything wrong.

If 55 people voted for Worldbuilding for Masochists and had all 4 or there nominees in the final round and a single person only voted for Worldbuilding for Masochists it would have gotten more points than that.

If 54 people voted for it and had 4 other of their nominees still in the last round and 2 voted for it and had 3 of their other nominees in the last round it would have the 11.30 points shown ((54 * 0.2)+(20 * 0.25)).

I think at most two voters could have voted for Worldbuilding for Masochists and not had 4 other of there nominees still in the final round.

I know I have some Hugo voters following me and I'm sure there's more on tumblr. I'm curious if any of you nominated Worldbuilding for Masochists and didn't nominate four of the five below works:

Hugos There

Octothorpe

Hugo Girl

Coode Street Podcast

Kalanadi

FANAC Fan History Videos

[absolutebl]

You have a lot of great meta posts, are they catalogued anywhere? Or any specific tags I should look at? I've been looking through your "history of BL" and "BL tropes" so far. Fantastic work BTW

Meta Post of My BL Master Posts! 

Thank you so much! I keep a spreadsheet offline (because I have a spreadsheet for everything, I LOVE THEM with a pure untainted devotion), but that's not super helpful for you, now is it? A lot of my master posts have links to other posts in them or at the bottom so I hope you’ll forgive me for just directing you mostly at those? That way, if you’re intersted, the rabbit hole awaits. Ready? Here we go! 

Top Tear Master Posts

BL MASTER POST - WHAT IS BL? + more links to all the important stuff 

BL Foundations Syllabus Master Post - BL 101 Film Course - An Introduction to the Genre (if I were to teach a course on BL) 

Intro Level BL Starter Pack Master Post - specific BL shows I would recommend to someone just getting into the genre

BL Breakdowns By Country - master post country by country analysis, a broad overview designed to manage watcher expectations, not as a socio-critical pop-culture analysis 

History of Asian BL - Form of… PHD THESIS! Why is there a big industry in many Asian countries for gay romance shows but little in the US, Canada, or UK? 

THAI BL MASTER POST - So this is a master post about Thai BL. It’s long. I’ve divided it into parts. Skip to the bits you’re intersted in. 

BL Directors - Overview - training to spot the different directors and their BL styles 

BL Language & Culture Master Post (mostly Thai) - round up guides to linguistic & language posts I’ve done over the years

Welcome to Tumblr BL Fandom - Here’s Your Primer

Meta Post - All My Stuff on the BL Industry

Other Useful BL Generalist Posts

Heat & Angst in BL + Terms Explained (dubcon, HEA, etc...)

Defining Seme/Uke (MORE seme/uke discussion including some coaching from P’AbsoluteBL on your sex life....)

Defining Chemistry - Giving Good Kiss in BL

WHY SO MUCH DUB CON IN BL? Fantasies Seme/Uke (AGAIN) Cultural Biases 

BL - The Second Coming - Your favorite BL is getting a second season! Should you be scared or excited? Let's look at data.

How long does it usually take from an announcement to getting more info on a BL being made?

BL Review & Information Content Providers/Blogs OFF Tumblr

The History of the Genre Series 

Top 10 BLs Out of China + history of the genre

Top 10 BLs Out of Japan + history of the genre 

Top 10 BLs Out of Korea + history of the genre 

Top 10 BLs Out of Taiwan + history of the genre 

Top 10 BLs Out of Thailand + history of the genre

My Top 60 BLs - The Elite 10% of 600 Watched (as of mid 2023)

Chef de Smooching - Recipes for BL 

Let’s Play Frankenstein’s BL! (best worst production by country) 

If You Dated BL - country by country amusement 

BL Master List of 415 BLs as of mid 2022

Queer Stuff

BL Linguistics & Queer Identity - I Am Gay versus I Like Men 

Will BL Get More Honestly Queer? 

Actually gay, not BL gay - the idea of "by queers, for queers, about queers," the BL bubble, sanitized gay, and a queer lens

Queer lens (from the director) and chemistry (from the actors) in BL (A Tale of Thousand Stars)

Touch & Daisy in Secret Crush On You - Queer Coded Language and 3rd Gender Identity

BL in Taiwan & Gay Marriage

Debating Queerbaiting in BL ( + Devil Judge... is it queerbaiting?) 

BL Actors and the Assumption of Queerness - outing actors, coming out, being out, more:  Is that BL actor actually queer?

So is it really fetishization? straight women loving bl 

Some BL fans are sasaengs, and it’s a problem in this fandom 

BLs That Highlight How Society Treats Queers

10 BLs That Are Honest to a Queer Experience 

10 GREAT Chemistry BLs to Binge 

BL Actor Pairs - Meta Guide (this is a marketing tactic - no, really, there are no exceptions, not even your favorites, sorry honey, welcome to the fandom), my term for this tends to be Cobranding

About Me Personally

BL FAQ - personal favorites, beginnings, how I got started, what I like best, where I find shows

My Journey to BL via SFF, Yaoi & M/M Romance 

fan psyche and capacity for nostalgia

My Absolute Top 15 Best (and Worst) BLs 

Favorite BL Nuggets of Narrative 

400 BLs, My 40 Favorite Moments 

All My BL Series Watch Alongs and Epic Trash Watchings 

Top 10 Most Underrated BLs 

because I, weirdly, get these ones a lot: 

this is basically what I do 

I hold multiple citizenships & passports 

currently I lurk on the left coast of the USA 

I travel a lot for work & pleasure, so when I vanish it’s just I lost internet access (I’m not dead yet) 

my (too many) degrees are in (among other things) anthropology + maths (focus on stats, history of pop culture, etc... look, it made sense at the time and it seems to have worked out for me) 

my gender is: working in theory terrible in practice, I genuinely do not care what you wanna call me 

sexually I identify as omnivorous 

I swear a lot and I will eat absolutely anything, including very spicy food NO LIMITS! 

i am a fan of Kpop but i consider myself a dilettante and not active in that fandom (TOO CRAZY) if you push me though: GOT7 (b. Jinyoung bw. Jay B) and BTOB (b. Minhyuk) more here, that said if your blog is too Kpop heavy I won’t follow back (sorry, I’m here for the BL)  

I tend to be under pretty heavy NDAs so due to that + my queerness and involvement in kink I’m highly protective of my own safety, location, and IRL identity, so that’s all ya get. 

My MDL profile (all my reviews of shows are also put on MDL, and I only review BL) 

Memes & Silly Shizz 

5 Love Languages of Thai BL 

ABCs of Thai BL 

BL Couples as my High School Friendship Group

BLs as K-pop groups

Honest Elevator Pitches for Thai BL 

University Gayness Ranking via Thai BL

Your Favorite Thai BL Couples = What to Watch Next? 

Not Just BL

Explaining Thai to the Casual BL Watcher - It Has Registers 

Thai Honorifics Between Ages in BL and real life 

Linguistically fascinating BL couples 

I’ve a lot more on the Thai language and BL, mostly cross linked int he above posts

ASIAN GL History of GL - Popularity Struggles 

Favorite Noona Romance Recs!

Also, you are so right I should come up with a better tagging system but... I never thought this would all get so big and take off so much. So, yeah, my bad. Too late now. 

Please ask if I forgot anything or there’s something specific you are looking for. My ask box is open (not a euphemism) and I check my notifications regularly. 

(source) 

[dw-companion-bracket]

Bit late now but I think separating classic who and new who would have been a good idea and a bit fairer.

well yeah, but also that would have been kinda less interesting, i've loved watching certain classic companions narrowly gain victories from what i thought would have been obvious nuwho sweeps (thinking especially about the ian/clara match) and also seeing which classic characters have ended up being winning and iconic (hi ian). tbh if there was one thing i'd change going back to the start, it would be not putting four characters from any category through, because that's what made it possible for there to (technically only potentially but probably certainly) be an rtd-only semifinal and final, although that's also in part a problem of assuming equality across nuwho eras and classic who eras as two broad categories, and then splitting every group across the four corners of the bracket rather than, say, putting two rtd characters into two of the semifinal feeders. idk, there's lots of ways it could have been done differently, but the "unfair" results are also part of the interesting bits for me

[mashmouths]

is it an adhd thing to need to reinvent the concept of a study space so you have any chance of actually studying or just a facet of being alive that no one warned me about

[nicejewishcharactershowdown]

NJCS 2024 Round One Eliminated Contestants (Part 1/2)

Toby Ziegler Status: Canon Jew Oh, Toby. I just can’t quit nominating you. Eagle eyed voters might remember his round one defeat last time he competed back in 2022, where he went up against Bucky Barnes. What do we think, folks? Would Josh Lyman make a better Aaron Sorkin-verse nominee? Or is my favorite turn of the millennium political escapism drama just not cut out for the high-stakes world of Tumblr tournaments? If you haven’t had a chance to watch The West Wing before, do yourselves a favor and watch it. Still bitter it’s not on Netflix anymore, but what can you do.

Han Solo Status: Transitive Jew Fun fact, Harrison Ford is Jewish! I love this one quote he said at an interview for Inside the Actor’s Studio a few decades back, “as a man, I’ve always felt Irish, as an actor I’ve always felt Jewish.” There’s something so cathartic about knowing a Jewish man gets to beat up Nazis in Indiana Jones. So why Han Solo? I’ll leave that up to you, dear readers, to deliberate. Note to self: watch Frisco Kid.

Richie Lipschitz Status: Coded Jew Riiiiiichie………. He’s not canon, but with a last name like Lipschitz, it would have to be proven otherwise. Go Nighthawks!

Ella of Frell Status: Coded Jew She questions authority. She longs for her freedom from a restrictive system. And she’s written by a Jewish woman (Gail Carson Levine!) What’s not to love about Jewish Ella? And there’s something so Jewish about the movie… maybe it’s the musical numbers. And while Anne Hathaway isn’t Jewish (and has played Jews in the past, like in Armageddon Time, making her one of the subjects of the Jewface debate in Hollywood right now), the coding inherent in any story written by a Jewish author is enough to validate any Jewish reading of this story, in print or on screen.

Professor Hershel Layton Status: Practically Canon Jew HERSHEL!!! I mean, how could he NOT be Jewish with a name like that?

Barney Guttman Status: Canon Jew So canonically Jewish that it’s practically screamed from the mountaintops! I absolutely adore this quote from Hamish Steele, the creator of the series. “… I actually think a lot of Zack’s mannerisms and personality influenced Barney. And when I just filled out the role in the comics, it just made sense to make him Jewish — in each version of the show, the characters become more like real people and more set in the real world. … All of the representation on the show, it never came from box-ticking. The show is set in the real world. It’s disingenuous not to represent the real world by representing all the people.” Plus, his last name is Guttman. Guttman!

Grace Adler Status: Canon Jew Check out this interview Kveller did with Debra Messing! There’s some great details about the Judaism of Will & Grace at the top, but the whole thing is worth a read.

Lexi Howard Status: Canon Jew Played by Maude Apatow, Lexi would already qualify based on the transitive property. And that’s where it would be left, that is, if not for a short conversation featured in the season two premiere, where she talks to Fez at the New Years Party. Here’s an excerpt:

When I first heard this exchange (while watching a YouTuber react to the episode), I grinned so hard. Doesn’t hurt either that Euphoria is based on an Israeli program of the same name. Which I’m realizing I reeeeeally should try and stream.

[mafaldaknows]

The things you find on the internet 😜

[juusasu4evagrrl]

Genuine question, does anyone want to hear about naruto from the prospective of a Liberian person grappling with the generational trauma of a brutal civil war or is that too heavy??

Like there's, I like sasuke cause he's a cool dude, very wholesome do tell, and then there's, I like sasuke cause the government also tried to eradicate my people group that one time and holding empathy for that dumbass kid teaches me to examine a my own experiences with compassion, honestly what a downer like who cares.

I don't know thoughts???

[dsmp-analysis-showdown]

The second round of Analysis Showdown is now open!

The prompt for the round is:

Analyze an ending on the Dream SMP.

This could be about one of the finales but isn't limited to them. An ending could be a season or an arc finale, the ending to a chapter in a character's life, a turning point after which nothing is the same, or other things which could be argued to be an ending of some kind. However, if you choose to write about one of those non-obvious endings, you should provide a justification as to why you consider the target of your analysis an ending in the analysis itself.

The analysis can focus on various things regarding the ending. Anything from what happened in the ending itself, to the implications of it, how it connects to the rest of the story, the meta aspects of the ending, how it influenced the rest of the story, what made the ending work/not work.

Don't limit yourself to what's popular and widely discussed as an ending! There is a lot to explore, so feel free to go wild. Creativity in the analysis and uncommon interpretations are very much encouraged!

Feeling stuck? Have some (completely optional) suggestions for where to begin!

“What did the ending try to achieve? How did it do so? Did it succeed?”

“What about this ending is final? What is the point of no return that means things can't go back to normal after it happens?”

“What does the ending tell us about the narrative it concludes? What does it say on the themes? Is there a plot twist which recontextualizes everything which came before it?”

“What was the buildup to this ending? Was there any foreshadowing towards it? Did the ending conclude the buildup well?”

“How does the ending affect the stories of the characters involved differently?”

“Analyze the ending through a more technical lens. For example, how is it shaped by the medium? Were there any OOC considerations that affected the way the ending unfolded?”

“How are different characters' perception of this ending the same/different?”

Submission guidelines:

Submissions must be between 300 and 2000 words.

The analysis must sufficiently answer the prompt.

The analysis must not have been published somewhere before.

The claims in the analysis must include sources.

No inflammatory language or overt negativity about a character. Being critical is fine, bashing is not.

Absolutely no negativity or hostility towards any group of fans.

Submissions for the second round close on December 19th. To enter the competition, just submit an analysis that meets all the submission guidelines to this blog.

Submit your entry here! Still confused? Check out our FAQ. The sourcing requirement seems intimidating? Join our discord where we’ll help you find the clips you need!

[vamptastic]

society if they let me write danganronpa.........