#cultural ideal

[sohannabarberaesque]

Just imagine Scrappy-Doo appearing out of nowhere, as the old deus ex machina even, spontaneously preparing to expose shows such as these as Frauds and Deception Upon Especially Vulnerable and Less-Sophisto Audiences Otherwise Expected to Regard the Branson Music Shows as the Exemplar and Ideal of American Cultural Heritage, Identity and Folkways, and a More Logically Natural Ideal Therefor ... with Scooby-Doo and crew left to unmask all involved and expose the broader deceit.

1950s-1960s Spook Shows

[teaboot]

God I hate scrolling through Aesthetic and Transmasc tags and repeatedly getting blasted with a neck-deep wave of "pro-ana" #hashtag #Thinspo diet culture liquid diet grapefruit cleanse hip dip thigh gap top 10 easy meals under 10 calories low-carb keto Before And After Journey lose weight FAST! self care burn-fat-fast smart-snacking flat tummy bullshit

I don't even HAVE an eating disorder and here I am scrambling to block this crap taking -10 psychic damage every time a #coquette #gothic #dark academia thigh-high sock flies past like a string of paper lanterns in a hurricane

fUCK

[k01ku]

something i've loved thinking about recently is just hunters in general and their general sort of culture bc i think it's one of the coolest things in destiny i love it

like they're sort of folksy and superstitious and probably have their own little version of guardian sea shanties and little good luck rituals they do before hunts or before missions

like i can so imagine 'you gotta slap your left pauldron three times before you leave the ship so your gun doesn't jam' or 'if your cape gets stuck on something in the first hour you're out it's bad luck' and stuff like that

imagining hunter dens in the city in little derelict weird places bc only hunters can get to them and they only tell each other about them

i have a recurring image in my head of a little gaggle of hunters in the wilds around a bonfire and one has a beat up little guitar and they're singing and having fun

idk! just hunters !

[jessicalprice]

Sorry, Christian atheists, but “Christianity traumatized me” is not a get-out-of-accountability-free card for upholding Christian supremacy through your treatment of members of minority cultures, reiterating Christian evangelism and colonialism but for your WASP brand of atheism, promoting Christian purity and hierarchy but with the serial numbers filed off, insisting that the Christian model of culture is the only one that exists and shouting down members of non-Christian cultures about their own cultures and experiences, etc.

Oh, you don’t like members of non-Christian cultures pointing out the ways in which your behaviors continue to normalize and uphold Christian hegemony?

THEN MAYBE STOP ACTING LIKE CHRISTIANS.

[qcoded]

I do NOT trust Luz Noceda haters. Some of y'all looked at this neurodivergent, teen girl and claimed she was a bad character?? and a mary sue??? LEAVE MY DAUGHTER ALONE 💔

[mid-nighttiger]

the entire leslye headland collider interview is a hot mess but this exchange especially is driving out of my mind. in what galaxy are these people living?? in any other work, someone forgiving you even as you kill them would be the ultimate expression of compassion and unconditional love. that is so, so good! it's delicious and heart-wrenching, i love it!

but to these people, it's... taking away the killer's agency?? what??? so now luke skywalker throwing away his lightsaber and telling darth vader that he won't fight him in return of the jedi (1983) is taking away vader's agency? adding insult to injury? and not, i don't know, the other third guy in the shadows making them fight in the first place?

also, IN WHAT UNIVERSE ARE KILLS SUPPOSED TO BE SATISFACTORY. THIS ISN'T A VIDEO GAME!!!

[vaguely-concerned]

the cardassian 'arguments as flirting' thing makes a whole lot of sense to me the more I think about it honestly. finding someone you not only feel safe to disagree with but can completely enjoy the company of even while you disagree seems as good a metric for chosing a life partner as any haha

[potatus-et-molassus]

what do you guys think the elves think about premarital sex

[sergeant-bucky]

Shuri makes her way down to the docks. It’s the middle of the night. She walks down to the end of the dock and takes off her sandals. Before putting her feet over the water and waiting.

She throws a pebble in. And after a moment she hears someone surface.

“Technically I am not in your ocean.” She sasses.

“And… I come bearing gifts.” She smiles. Scooting over a bit and putting the dock beside her. Before reaching into her bag.

“I bet it’s been a while since you had chocolate. And it probably tastes different than what you are used to…” she rambles bringing out a chocolate bar.

“Would you like to try it?” She asks.

@did-he-freeze

Namor sits down next to her, glad to see she's not trying to jump in without her beads this time. "Chocolate, as you call it, when I was young was a form of payment, only to be consumed by the rulers or priests... We never had any in the water, so we relied on other things to create the same system..." He explains a bit awkwardly. "Yes, I would like to try some... My mother always said the smell of it was something to soothe the soul..."

[watcherintheweyr]

desperately need people to understand that alicent is a victim but she’s also an abuser and a perpetrator

that she actively makes choices to harm other women because of jealousy and envy and the greed deep in her bones because submitting to suffering didn’t get her what those women fight to grasp for themselves.

she is absolutely a victim, in show.

that doesn’t change that she abused rhaenyra and her children, her own son, most likely helaena given how she flinches every time her mother touches her, and is actively weaponizing the patriarchy of westeros against other women- rhaenyra primarily, but also mysaria and dyana.

she isn’t the moral, righteous force of good that even she thinks she is, she’s a wounded woman directing all of the rot, pain, and fury inside her at the wrong people and forces.

[alackofghosts]

wolbert week day 3: home

where i'm meant to be - next to you

[serpentface]

Can you tell us more about the Usoma-Hibitte

The Usoma-Hittibe is a sister (typically the eldest) of the Usoma, the Wardi monarch.

((IMMEDIATE LINGUISTIC TANGENT: The phrase Usoma-Hittibe could be functionally translated "king-sister"- Usoma has been the word used for Wardi monarchs for much of their history, which does not actually Translate as 'king'. The word Usoma stems from a now obsolete concept-word referring to death as a 'catalyst of the cycle' (referring to death and birth as dualistic forces that sustain life via their perpetual cycling). This gradually became closer in meaning to 'benefactor of life' or just 'benefactor', which began to be applied to kings as an epithet, and eventually became their titles as sovereign with most other uses falling into obsolescence (though it also appears in the name of the Face Kusomache). Hittibe straightforwardly translates to 'sister', though dead literally is a feminine form of a word meaning 'of the (same) womb'.))

The modern day role is largely a remnant of traditions of the oldest Wardi monarchies and their lineage structures (most significantly the Ephenni, who developed the first monarchies and TREMENDOUSLY shaped all following models of Wardi kingship). All Wardi tribes had patriarchal systems of power (though with greatly varying intensities) throughout their recorded history, but not all have been patrilineal.

The Ephenni (and a lot of the other west-southwest proto-Wardi tribes) had matrilineal kinship structures for the vast majority of their history, with kinship passing from mother to son. This translated to a system of royal inheritance where kingship was passed from a king to his sister's eldest son, rather than to his own sons. The king and king-sister would each be wed to their own consorts, but only the king-sister's children would be potential heirs under normal circumstances.

In a societal context where power is patriarchal and inheritance is matrilineal, this system is Very effective for both ensuring inheritance remains in one family AND to prevent succession crises (which the incest approach to keeping rule within a family doesn't accomplish). A child's father generally cannot Technically be completely certain in a world without genetic testing, which in patrilineal kinship opens the door to claiming illegitimacy of heirs. A matrilineal structure where kingship passes from a man to his nephew via his sister negates this- the mother the a child is unambiguous (you can see her being pregnant and giving birth), and even if the child WAS born out of adultery, the illegitimate father does not ultimately matter to the child's status as legitimate heir. The child will bear the mother (and thus the king's) family name regardless, thus keeping power securely in one family with no avenues to dispute legitimacy.

The Usoma-Hittibe thus had profound importance as the mother of kings, outranking the Usoma's actual wife in significance. A Usoma's own sons would instead live out their lives as noblemen with no claim to the throne (though technically would be 'reserve' heirs in catastrophic failures where a Usoma-Hittibe and any other king-sisters fail to birth sons).

This matrilineal kinship structure was lost over the course of history through a combination of internal societal changes, centuries of occupation, and the assimilation of the various pre-Wardi peoples into collective Wardi identity. Imperial Wardi culture now exclusively uses a patrilineal kinship structure. However, before this change could fully occur, the Usoma-Hittibe's role had extended into numerous ceremonial and political roles and was deeply entrenched into the identity of Wardi royalty, and the position was thus retained even through her reproductive obsolescence.

The most obvious shift to the role of modern Usoma-Hittibe is that they are Not Only no longer the mothers of kings, but have absorbed the cultural 'celibate woman occupying positions of power' archetype and now remain unwed and ostensibly virgins for life, as well as having slightly 'masculinized' elements of their performance (their etiquette and some of their regalia is considered masculine, though not to the same extent as Odonii). This parallels the importance of celibacy and 'de-feminization' in Odonii, partly conceptualized as allowing a woman to retain strength in bodily and spiritual integrity that is otherwise deemed only natural to men. Like Odonii, the bodies of Usoma-Hittibe are politicized into symbols, imagined here as physical representations of the health, strength, and integrity of the royal family. She will be used as a proxy for the entire royal family in rites intending to bless and protect them. She is the public female face of the royal family, and serves ceremonial functions in most rites that would normally be taken by a family's wife.

In addition, a Usoma-Hittibe has a significant degree of hard political power. She is the default regent in case of an Usoma's early demise, has the ability to take action in his stead during absences, and can freely make appointments to the lower court (but not the council), giving her potentially tremendous influence over the court. Her power is still ultimately limited- a Usoma has absolute veto over any of her actions, she is prohibited from issuing military commands (even when acting as regent, this must be in coordination with the council), and the inner council has veto power by majority vote on actions she makes in a living Usoma's stead (though the council does not have generalized veto power over regent Usoma-Hittibe).

There has also been a significant shift in recent history to the Usoma-Hittibe gaining significant control over the state priesthood of the Face Kusomache (which is Partly assigned a role as the protector and legitimatizer of royalty). The Usoma-Hittibe is currently THE person who appoints a high priest to Kusomache as an aspect of her ceremonial roles, and the past few Usoma-Hittibe have negotiated privileges to perform rites otherwise exclusive to the priests (which is unprecedented, as this priesthood (and all other core cults to the Faces save for Odonii and Galenii) is closed and all-male). This has contributed to internal fracturing among this priesthood- cult traditions surrounding Kusomache focused on this Face representing death and safe transitions to the afterlife (as well as sacred mysteries and the movements of the cosmos), and the additional 'protector of royalty' trait was rather inorganically assigned by the merging of an entirely separate tradition. Many members of Kusomache's priesthood feel the Face is being warped and defiled, resent the Usoma-Hittibe's appointments of puppet high-priests, see tremendous insult in these royal lay-women integrating themselves into the cult's structure, and fear that these king-sisters will attempt to take over as high priests. Some have even broken off to form a separate sect to Kusomache in response, which by official decree are illegitimate, but is gaining public favor as one of many symptoms of growing distrust and dissatisfaction in the royal family.

---

SIDE NOTES ON THE QUEEN-CONSORT

The queen-consort's modern role is somewhat expanded in that she is now the mother of Usoma's heirs, but in few other capacities. Her powers are limited to those natural to her social status, and she has no hard political power whatsoever, even within the scope of the court (though some queens gain indirect power via personally influencing their husbands, sisters in law, and council). Imperial Wardi royal families have generally sought to display themselves as the ideal perfection of the familial sphere with the Usoma as the epitomical protective household patriarch, and thus a queen-consort typically lives in the utmost of feminine cloistering within the palace and is rarely (if ever) seen by the public (in the limited cases in which she travels outside of palace grounds, care will be taken to keep her out of sight within her carriage or litter). This functions to emphasize her privilege as the highest status wife within the domain, and by extension to show the invulnerability of the royal family as a whole by the unseeable and therefore untouchable nature of its Vulnerable wife/mother.

(The concept of a wife being able to exist in protection exclusively within the family home is considered an ideal, which isn't really attainable for nobility and is out of the goddamn question for the lower classes. You'll notice 'women's bodies being heavily politicized and abstracted' being a recurrent cultural theme here- the wife of a household is the vessel for a family's continued existence and conceptually the vulnerable representation of the family's survival, which must be controlled and protected. The social privilege of royalty allows for this to be utterly realized in the case of the queen).

The queen-consort is (apart from being known by name) functionally the abstract concept of the idealized wife and mother and the womb of kings rather than an individual person to most of the public. Attention is actively Drawn to her physical absence via a queen being represented in effigy in the vast majority of public appearances by the royal family (represented in statuary, and in abstraction in the form of the lotus sceptre held by the Usoma-Hittibe). Statues representing each current queen-consort are placed in major temples to Kusomache, Ganmache and Anaemache to gain the protection of these Faces and to be honored by the visiting public.

[jesncin]

So it's all the rage right now to be "superheroes don't get along" for whatever reason, but what are your thoughts about Superman and his relationship to the Justice League? it only came to my mind because Hawkman/Katar Hol was the chairman of the JSA so many times in the early comics including after superman quit (the DC label had some IP issues) so it made me wonder about that

Hm! I don't have much of an opinion on this as someone who tends to read character solos more than team comics (because I like seeing how well characters stand on their own without relying on popular characters to bounce off of with the exception of a few team comics). Generally I notice within fandom it's popular to write Leaguers as friends with each other, while in canon the Leaguers have that "I work alone" and "co-workers don't get along" thing (again GENERALLY).

The way Super teams tend to be written in canon is a larger cultural American individualism reason for why they are that way. My former comics prof would compare the Justice League to say, Sailor Moon or Power Rangers/Super Sentai. One is more collectivist and team oriented compared to the other because collectivism is inherit in a lot of Asian cultures. I was taught that Marvel teams like the Avengers or Fantastic 4 do better abroad in collectivist cultures because they're purposefully written to be more friends/family oriented.

Again! This is painting with a huge generalizing brush. A lot of story telling trends have to do with evolving cultural mindsets. We are seeing an attempt by the west to imitate some of the collectivist ideals of the east (mostly Japanese media from anime and manga) but in my opinion it's very superficially imitated without understanding the cultural context of collectivist ideals (and how that affects writing cast systems like Super hero teams).

[aboardthescheherazade]

🌹🤍🌻

(reference/inspiration under the cut)

Original illustration from "Veil" by Ikumi Fukuda/Kottori

[stuckinapril]

One of the most gratifying things about getting older is being secure in both my American and Iraqi identities. Like I used to think that I had to compromise one for the other, or that being half of each would always make me “diluted,” but I’ve never been more comfortable in my Arabness while simultaneously not caring for the western gaze & just making peace with what it means to be Iraqi American. Like I feel so lucky for my Iraqi heritage every day and I know that’s sadly not a feeling all Arabs experience……. But I cannot imagine being anything else and nor would I ever want to be

[saint-ambrosef]

wild to me that the Mediterranean diet is supposed to be based on research regarding the naturally healthy diet and lifestyle of those living in southern Europe.

but then you look at suggested eating guides and suggested meals and they always have weird crap like "put soy milk in your coffee" or "use only fat-free greek yogurt"

like bruh, have you ever been to the Mediterranean?? they consume dairy in moderation, but when they do, it's the full fat stuff! why model a lifestyle diet off these people's traditional diets because they're naturally healthy, but then ignore that it also includes full fat dairy products?