#people are multifaceted creatures that contain multitudes

[seeyouspacecoyote]

People who demand more lgbt representation and then complain about ships with a two year age gap or a character being revealed to have said something problematic 10 years before canon or a bisexual woman dating a man at some point are part of the reason why there's not enough lgbt representation out there to satisfy the people who want to see it.

[xtarotdollx]

Attempting one of those long ass literary analysis posts because my friends have told me I should please enjoy this long ass ramble

Okay so like Jekyll creating Hyde is itself a crime right? Like it is it’s a horrifying event filled with body horror and pain like Jekyll creating the potion and creating Hyde is an objectively Bad Thing ™ but like why??? Jekylls motivations for doing so are both sympathetic and relatable (and intentionally so) so why are his actions considered the literal original sin of his story?? Anyway I was bored and fucked around and found an answer and I need to share it because fuck me I can’t be normal about Jekyll.

Anyway review time our buddy Jekyll is sad gay and alone and comes to the conclusion that people contain multitudes. And I say multitudes because Jekyll himself admits in his own research that there’s more to his theory and than just good and evil,

“I say two, because the state of my knowledge does not pass beyond that point.”

“… I hazard guess that man will be ultimately known for a mere polity of multifarious, incongruous, and independent denizens.”

and that he splits himself into good and evil because that’s what he’s most familiar with (aka it’s the split that he can use for his own benefit.) But like, homeboy was kinda on to something. The idea that humans are complex and multifaceted with multiple conflicting ideas and identities has been a thing across psychology and even whole cultures for like forever, and considering that Jekyll and Hyde was written around and about the the creation of the psychology as a scientific field, Jekyll is has (for lack of a better word) discovered something very profound, important, and massively influential to the world around him. And positivity influential to!! It’s that iconic quote “if each could be housed in different Identities, the world would be relieved of all that is unbearable” I think he’s getting ahead of himself here and kinda self projecting but there is very real truth to the idea that studying the difference facets of human identity could improve people and society. And even if he’s dead fucking wrong still putting out the information would end up benefiting societies collective knowledge. Kinda like how Freud was so influential to psychology because some of his theories were so buck wild and wrong that people had to come and correct him, widening the scientific field as a whole.

And Jekyll doesn’t do that. This life altering information is kept to himself, for his own personal use, benefit, and pleasure. And that’s so fucking wild and horrific for so many fucking reasons. Like it goes against so many rules of behavior it’s FOUL. First of the selfishness and gate keeping is inherently just cruel, but this man is a DOCTOR, and a SCIENTIST. This motherfucker took an OATH BEFORE GOD to provide the best care to the people, and now that care, or at least information that could lead to better care, is being squandered for personal gain. That’s fucked. That’s criminal activity right there.

But also I dare you to find me a scientist that doesn’t want to share their research and passion THERE IS NONE. I may be basing this analysis off of a stereotype but I believe it’s a stereotype based in reality but isn’t this the very thing people who go into fields of science and research do??? Like, they are unified by their desire to explore and SHARE knowledge??? Even if like the Jekyll wasn’t a professional doctor with his Hippocratic oath just doing things for shits and giggles, how is the goal not to tell people about this?? This doctor isn’t doctoring the way doctors should. Jekyll keeping his discoveries to himself is also just borderline non human behavior to me because who actually in real life does that. Again how is the end goal not to share this discovery? Humans are social creatures we want to share things. Swapping stories around a campfire is like the oldest human tradition ever. If you’re out in the woods and see a cool frog the immediate reaction is to call your friends over to look, or take a picture, or something similar. WHEN I THINK OF NEW WAYS TO VIEW AND INTERPRET JEKYLL ANS HYDE, THE IMMEDIATE THOUGHT IS TO SHARE IT WITH MY FRIENDS. I cannot FATHOM how secrecy is Jekyll’s immediate desire as a fellow human who lives on this earth.

And this actually slots in with really well with Jekyll and Hyde as a social critique of the upper class. Keeping super important info to yourself is NOT a human activity in any capacity, but it is an institutional one. The best thing I can think of to describe and compare it to is oil companies history of actively suppressing information about climate change to stay in business. It’s a modern example but I feel so deeply that there is an 1800s equivalent that I just can’t think of or don’t know in this moment. But the point is, Jekyll isn’t a person (metaphorically speaking), he’s a institution of wealth and power doing what large institutions do best, profiting off of the the control and suppression of the people below them, in this case the control of information.

But of course, Jekyll literally speaking, is a person. He’s just some guy, and seeing a very very human character act without any human instinct so casually is freaky and 10/10 horror. Jekyll’s creation of Hyde isn’t a crime or a sin because Hyde is an evil thing that will do evil things, it’s horrifying because Jekyll’s choice to do so is inhumane in every definition of the word thank you for coming to my TedTalk have a nice day

[graphitist]

Looking for a children’s book about defying gender roles, multifaceted identities and being your whole, wonderful self? Check out Princess Ninja!

Two years ago, my friend Topper had a brilliant idea, and went looking for an illustrator to help bring it to life. The story was based on a conversation he had with his daughter:

Her: Dad, give me two things to draw, together. Me: Uhm... doctor Tyrannosaurus. Her: I drew that already.  Something else. Me: Uhm... princess ninja. Her: DAD! I said two things that are DIFFERENT! Princesses are ALREADY ninjas!

(Tumblr has a habit of butchering the image quality, but bear with me!)

Topper found himself imagining a typical royal family from a fantasy realm contending with the challenges of raising a princess who was a little different from the rest of the family, and Princess Ninja was born. He would print out copies of the text with lots of whitespace for his kids to draw the illustrations, and then eventually began to toy with the idea of turning the story into a book. 

When I found out that he was running an Indiegogo fundraiser to hire an illustrator, I drew up some sketches and begged him to let me be that illustrator, because I had thoroughly fallen in love with the text. Why?

Princess Ninja is a character who finds herself in an unfortunate but not unusual position: she was born into a little patch of world that wasn't ready for her. She has an identity that isn't at all complicated from her perspective - she's a princess, she likes pink, she's silly and joyous, she loves spending time with her sisters, and she's also a ninja, and she's wild and bold and messy and skilful with a throwing star, and she wants a pet dragon, and she's basically not afraid of anything. 

Her parents really just wanted and just expected a princess, and the story is partly about what happens when your family needs to do a little catching up in order to understand your identity.

Nearly everyone around her, as soon as they start really paying attention and getting to know her, can see that Princess Ninja is fantastic just as she is. Her sisters understand her and they go to bat for her, the Royal Advisor realises what's happening and makes space for her and trains and teaches her in combat and strategy games - but her parents take a really long time to get the message. 

And she goes on a quest through a dark forest to find a pet dragon, encountering all sorts of fearsome creatures along the way.

And finally she meets a dragon who - well, without spoiling the whole story, Princess Ninja is not the only kid in this book who is surrounded by folks who have been imposing some unrealistic and pretty harsh standards. 

I love Princess Ninja because it says something that seems really important to say to kids: you get to be big and complicated, you get to be lots of things at once. People aren't necessarily going to understand that at first; sometimes you are going to defy expectations and it's going to make people upset. And that's their problem, not yours, and in time, the people who matter are going to get on board with that. You contain multitudes, and there are a lot of different ways to be that are more than ok, that are brilliant. 

Want to pick up a copy of Princess Ninja for one of the children in your life? You can find the link here.

We hope you love reading about Princess Ninja and her adventures!