The Drab Compliants Of Occasion

Greetings, I am Alaksandus (He/Him)! Or you can call me Alexandros or Alexander or just Alex. I’m a nerd of the social studies variety and will willingly talk or complain or post about all that comes to mind (even the unrelated) on occasions!

[alaksandus]

There’s something so spiritual sickening about reliving love lost

[alaksandus]

I just had a thought about Asgore and an implication about the abundance of Japanese aesthetic in his dark world:

For starters, we know from Undertale that anime was a product solely of human creation and that some of the monsters who interacted with it (e.g., Undyne) saw it as more than fiction but as human history itself. There is then this idea that attaches anime and by extension Japanese cultural aesthetic to “human-ness” in Undertale (in a subconscious sense, not something to impactful in the story).

In Deltarune, while this implication is not readily present, we see Alphys still geeks out about anime and that anime and as such Japanese cultural aesthetics are not very omnipresent within Hometown but evidently more imported and outside. That is, in harsher terms, they are not “monster elements” but are “human elements.” To draw a simplistic dichotomy, hometown architecturally and culturally resembles a western (American) small town rather than anything that would be considered Japanese, suggesting any in game influence may not be formed out of the general monster cultural milieu.

We also know that in this universe, unlike in Undertale, Asgore has actually gotten into the comics and anime that Alphys likes and has suggested for him. It is likely for this reason that, per the trailer, Asgore’s dark world is so “anime” (so to speak).

With those observations established, I would like to suggest that Asgore’s “appreciation” for anime and the influence it has upon him is, at least implicitly, likely drawn from an attempt by Asgore to connect himself more with human (i.e., Kris’) culture. That is, Asgore potentially views anime as being distinctly human, and either as a personal consolation or an actual attempt at bonding, as taken to it to feel more connected with Kris following what is no doubt extensive intervals of lacking in contact.

Perhaps this is also one of the reasons that Kris is shown to disdain Anime unlike Frisk in Undertale. Kris might view anime and how many monsters interact with it as forming harmful and misinformed stereotypes about humans, or likewise was semi-constantly told how anime they are or compared to anime characters.

Anyways, that’s just a silly hypothesis that will probably have no bearing on chpt 5. I can’t wait for the 24th!

[alaksandus]

Hugh Morris

[alaksandus]

I've continued to have thoughts about ICE, DHS, and the various acts of murder and general cruelty that it has committed, but the most recent murder of Alex Pretti has made clear to me the most important matter that comes in, at least, defending oneself from murderers.

Currently, the continued strategy of DHS-operatives has been to isolate and mob individuals. This, of course, is not a new tactic, but it is clear that in instances of direct acts of murder, ICE agents outnumber and surround the individuals. To that, we must remember to not isolate ourselves and to continue to act as groups in unity. If ICE wants to harass and kill us as individuals, we must never let them split or fracture us. Our strength will always be in our numbers and ICE recognizes that.

So, as much fear as we have, we must continue to organize together and, at a personal level, ensure that those in whatever action we are doing do not get picked off or isolated. And we must be conscious that this is merely a defensive member. The fight against fascist overreach is a multi-faceted one, and we need to continue to have courage and to stay united until ICE and DHS is destroyed and in the dustbin

[alaksandus]

The Soviet Union

The anniversary of the collapse of the Soviet Union recently passed, and like many things, a whole bunch of people had a whole bunch of things to say about it (especially on the cesspool that is Twitter)

With that being said, it is clear that the left (that is, the hodgepodge of progressives, social democrats, socialists, communists, and anarchists) are still very deeply divided on what the legacy of the Soviet Union should be. Of course, that isn't really a surprise. Though as with anything, there is an abject refusal to engage with the nuances of the legacy of the Soviet Union. It either was the worst thing ever and a total betrayal of the left or it was the best thing ever and achieved a socialist utopia on the earth until (a single man) brought it down.

The unfortunate issue is that, as a political movement, we must not stake ourselves within the legacy of an unsuccessful project. We can learn from it, but we have to reckon with where it failed and reckon with the fact that ours ought to be a forward thinking movement and not one that predicates itself on the worship of the past.

[chellustrates]

wow... it's a kerdly-mas miracle..

my zine piece for @kerdlyzine ! thank you so much for having me on !!! i had so much fun being a part of this project, these losers mean the world to me 🥹💞

[socialistexan]

US Senate Republicans have included language in their new must pass spending bill which would ban abortion and gender affirming care NATIONALLY.

This is a ban for HRT and all gender affirming surgeries for Americans of any age federally and a near total abortion ban. In all 50 states, it doesn't matter your local or state laws shielding these procedures, federal law will always supercede.

[randumbkatt]

cracking a cold one

[alaksandus]

I was reminded of the Dialectic brothers… so I did something a little different

[typhlonectes]

[manuciruja]

PLEASE if you're gonna write a character that speaks a different language don't just slap a sentence into google translate and call it a day. You guys are making Cicerón roll in his grave:

•Languages aren't list of words that directly parallel each other. They are the result of human beings assigning groups of sounds to feelings, experiences or objects. Therefore:

•Not every word has a direct translation

•Sometimes words have more than one translation, and these are used in different contexts (in english there's only the word "fish", while in spanish there's pez for when the fish is alive and pescado for when it's dead)

•Sometimes a word is a direct translation on it's own but when it comes to phrases a different word is used ("What's up?" If translated literally would be "Qué hay arriba?")

•A phrase or saying that exists in one language may not exist at all in another, or only have a cultural equivalent

•Sometimes the same sentence translated literally can mean two completely different things ("It's a steal" in english to mean something's cheap/"Es un robo" in spanish to mean something's expensive)

•A word may have a direct translation but have a completely different connotation in the other language or simply not work in a determined context (I once read someone using "compañero" to mean "mate" as in couple -_-)

•STRUCTURES ARE DIFFERENT. In one language the subject may go before the verb, in another it's backwards, in other it may change depending on the sentence

Do research!! Pleaseee

[sealdev]

Seal of World Peace

[silky-selkie]

Much to think about

[alaksandus]

Can’t. Too peaceful.

[pinniposting]

just saying anything

via

[finns-gifs]

[alaksandus]

Vro

[finns-gifs]

[alaksandus]

10 years of Undertale

As many people may be well aware, Undertale, the archetypal quirky, earthbound-inspired RPG (I kid), is celebrating its 10th anniversary.

So, while I know that Toby has had plenty of opportunities for fans to share their love and experience for the game (believe I wrote for that flower), I thought that I would just share my feelings about Undertale.

I can't full remember the first time that I had heard of Undertale. I was young enough that the days sort of blended together, but if I were to put a definite time phrase on it, I'd say that I was certainly made aware of Undertale around November 2015. However, with certainty I can say that I was absolutely infatuated by the story, the characters, and all the beautiful creations made by fans by early 2016. I was so infatuated that, on the playground, i would even call myself "The Great Papyrus" when playing with my friends (trust me, they reminded me of this).

Admittedly, I hadn't played the game as far back as 2015-2015. It was tough enough trying to convince my grandpa (whose computer I'd use play non-console games) to download Minecraft, and I don't think I'd have had any success with Undertale. So, my first experiences with it were through the various lets players playing the game. Regardless, I was enraptured. I would watch my favorite LPers play it and hope that more would. I would watch all the routes, and I would search for compilation videos of all the secrets. I would watch theories. And beyond that, I became engulfed in the flurry of fan content. I loved those silly little vine comps where they'd past Undertale characters over the actual Vine-artists (you know what I'm talking about). I watch fan animations and music parodies and those funny comic dubs. Hell, it was through the Undertale community that I got my first exposure to websites like Tumblr (ask Chara, I'm looking at you), although it would be several years before I would join any of these sites.

In fact, I was so deep in love with Undertale that I even had roleplayed Papyrus on PixelGun 3D servers (yes, I know, ridiculous). For time, honestly, I thought I could do a stellar Papyrus (and by that, I mean Skeletor).

This pattered away for a while, until again, I was reignited with the flame as Undertale released for the switch. This time, I would actually get to play it, not just be a passive observer. I could forge my own story, and, although I knew what I knew, the experience wasn't any less magical. I explored both neutral, pacifist, and eventually the genocide route. And in those moments, I felt a sense of satisfaction as I was able to fulfill something I hadn't been able to do.

Not that shortly after, Deltarune came out. I think for Deltarune it may be harder to describe the impact that it has had on me. Both because of its recurrency, but also cause the story ain't over. There really is so much more to come.

All in all, (though I know he may never see this), I thank Toby again for the beautiful experience he crafted with Undertale. I am glad to have spent (relatively) 10 years enjoying the game and growing with all the other fans of this amazing game. Here's to another 10 years and many more thousands to be inspired by such a wonderful work of art.