Hsien-ko My Beloved

my step mom was asking me more questions about the nonbinary thing and after talking to me for a bit, she said "oh, so youre a rosé! not a chardonnay transitioning to a merlot, just your own unique type" which was such a middle aged white woman way to frame it, but i cannot lie gang. it did make me want to cry

I’m not sure if you’ve done an analysis on Luigi’s first time in the dark lands but I’d love to hear your take! I love all your essays on the film and was just curious what your thoughts were in this scene. I wish that scene was a bit longer in the film to build more character and show Luigi’s strengths a bit more in my opinion.

Thank you anon! I have mentioned before that Mario has good fighting instincts while Luigi has good survival instincts. The scene of Luigi in The Darklands perfectly encapsulates these survival instincts– as well as his clumsiness– and how they coexist.

After getting his bearings in The Dark Lands, the fist thing Luigi does is gather his tools and sling the bag over his shoulder. His impulse is to cling to familiarity: he's in charge of carrying the tools, so he picks back up where he left off, as though he's trying to tell himself "This is fine! Just a quick hiccup... can't go back to Brooklyn without these. Tools are expensive. No need to panic."

The second thing he does is call for his brother. Even though he saw Mario go in a separate direction in the warp pipe, he's hoping despite everything that he's somewhere nearby. That he isn't alone.

"Mario?... Mario, where are you?"

Then, Luigi's shirt gets snagged on a branch, and this is when his clumsiness + his survival instincts become apparent: He gets his shirt caught in a branch, and tugs a little too hard, throwing him off balance – clumsy. When he's off balance, he nearly falls into a stream of lava, but his feet intuitively find just the right stepping stones to get him safely across without injury – good survival instincts. Still reeling from his close call, Luigi backs into a hollow tree full of bats – clumsy. As the swarm flies toward him, Luigi immediately turns away, hands flailing in self defense until he gathers himself into a solid protective position: crouched down, one hand waving the bats away while the other holds his hat as a shield against his face – good survival instincts.

At this point, Luigi's on high alert. Continuing forward, his gaze darts in all directions, following every little rustle and footstep. He spots something in the shadows just as his flashlight flickers out out. He hits it to knock the battery back in place, and there's a dry bones... inches away, eyes alight, rushing forward to attack.

Luigi turns on his heels in an instant when the enemy rushes at him. He immediately tosses the tools aside, lightening the load so he can run away faster... good survival instincts... ... Then the clumsiness kicks in. He looks back at just the wrong moment, and throws himself stomach-first into a low hanging branch.

He is flung back into his pursuer, knocking him to pieces. Luigi is a little unsteady on his feet as he gets back up, but seeing the motionless bones on the ground before him he believes himself the victor, and gets a little cocky.

"HA HA! Yes! You just got... a'Luigi'd!" Protect him.

The victory lasts roughly 8 seconds. The skeleton returns to life and the bones slowly join back together. The dry bones moves toward Luigi again- far more slowly this time. Luigi, wisely, does not immediately go into a full sprint. He is placed in a bad spot– enemy in front of him, pool of lava at his back. Turning around is dangerous, and trying to rush forward risks reigniting the chase. Right now, the best option is slowly backing away in a large circle...

On cue, just as he's acting with good survival instincts, the ole clumsiness does him in again. While backing off he trips on a rock, leaving him prone as hoards of other dry bones break to the ashen surface of the wasteland with their sites set on Luigi.

Luigi is surrounded by the time he clamors back to his feet, the mob slowly moving in, close enough now that they can grab at him. There is no long an option to continue slowly backing away. Luigi zig-zags around the encroaching hoard and makes a break for it, reigniting the chase.

Running for his life with undead at his heels, Luigi takes aim for the nearest possible sanctuary: a castle in the distance. He is now in full survival mode as he flings himself over the jagged stones jutting precariously over the surface of the lava. He's a prodigy in the art of a rapid retreat, rapidly flicking back and forth between fight and flight whenever needed as he scampers and scurries and climbs with equal parts desperation and impressive athleticism.

Mario may be the most physically adept of the two, but Luigi's got some innate skills that come to the forefront when death is on the line, and though he lives in a constant state of anxiety he does not freeze up easily. Whatever the danger, he is levelheaded enough to find the best available method of escaping the threat, even at the height of his terror.

At last he reaches the castle doors. They are heavy, but he finds the strength to push them apart just far enough to throw himself through. He's almost too late in shutting the doors behind him; clawing hands reach through the gap, gripping at his face and clothes, just before Luigi summons the last bit of strength needed to slam the door shut and bring down the latch.

For a moment, he remains on edge. Luigi searches his surroundings, almost tripping again as he looks about– vaulted ceilings and dilapidated hallways, covered in debris. It looks like nobody's been here in ages, and the door– pounded against by hundreds of angry fists– holds strong before his pursuers give up, and all goes quiet save for the rolling thunder outside.

By all accounts, he seems to be in the clear. Letting out a long sigh of relief, Luigi sits down for a well-deserved rest, unaware of the audience of masked strangers that has silently gathered behind him.

I, for one, don't think that Luigi would've been captured so easily if they hadn't snuck up on him from behind and overwhelmed him with numbers. Not after a performance like that.

Luigi is scared– unashamedly scared– but his ability to keep a level head when all hell breaks loose is nothing to sneeze at. He is a total klutz, but at the end of the day he is a survivor, not because he knows how to fight, but because he knows how to flee.

It just so happened the cards were not in his favor this time around, but there is a lot of potential in the guy once he gets his footing.

Hey man we're here for you

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH HOUHUHHHH HO OHHHH AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH AGAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHOHHHHHHJHH

YES! GOOD! I’m going to just going to analyze the whole dinner scene, because it’s one of my favorite parts of the movie. 

Mario and Luigi walk in, and immediately the whole room lights up to greet them. Despite everything that follows, one thing is clear: The Mario Brothers are happy to see their family, and the family is happy to see them. 

The whole family confirms that they watched their commercial. Everyone except their mom insists the commercial was a bad idea, but the fact that they all watched it speaks to the fact that there is no indifference regarding Mario and Luigi’s dream. They’re eager to see where this endeavor leads, even if they think it’s going to end in failure. 

The moment Mario and Luigi sit down at the table, their uncles begin laying into them like it’s open season on financially struggling plumbers. Just full blown, no-holds-barred roast mode on their nephews.

Mario is on the defensive, but he doesn’t get angry, he’s just trying to argue his side. Clearly this is typical behavior for Uncle Tony and Uncle Arthur. They’re loud, overly honest, and obnoxiously confident in their opinions. Uncle Arthur, thankfully, has his wife to keep him in check. Uncle Tony, however, who is seated next to poor Luigi, is an absolute menace.

Luigi ignores all the teasing. He is only interested in getting food, but this is not an easy task. Tony’s verbal arguments are all directed at Mario, but Luigi is the one who gets prodded and shoved around, and that makes getting dinner next to impossible.

Luigi attempts to serve himself salad, attempts to ask for a roll, attempts to eat the mushrooms being put on his plate, and at every turn he’s either pushed away or talked over. He is clearly very soft spoken compared to the other men in his family, and never quite had the strength to stand up for himself… after all, everyone means well, they just lack self awareness. It isn’t worth the fight. 

Thankfully, Luigi’s mom comes to the rescue, and puts a bowl of soup in front of her boy. She’s the queen of the caretaker role, making sure all the loose ends are tied up and that everybody eats.

But on the flip side, it’s interesting to note that once the uncles start tearing into Mario, Mario’s Dad serves him up a plate of food. He may have just been serving the person next to him because that was the polite thing to do, but I have a theory…

I think that this wasn’t the first night that Mario and his uncles went at each other. I think Mario’s Dad read the room, and figured that if Mario was going to spend dinner playing defense, he should at least remember to eat while doing so.

It also speaks volumes that Mario’s Dad doesn’t voice his disapproval until Mario asks for his opinion. Before then he avoids the subject and lets everyone else do the talking, but so long as he’s being questioned directly, he can’t help but be honest.

“I think… you’re nuts. You don’t quit a steady job for some crazy dream.” This sounds like a voice of experience. Mario’s Dad has the figure of someone who has worked physical labor for a good portion of his life (look the size of those arms). He may have had dreams of his own when he was younger, but he had a wife and kids to worry about, and family took priority. 

Speaking of family taking priority: “… and the worst part? You’re bringing your brother down with you.” That settles it. The conversation has gone from a casual roast session to dead serious. The entire room falls quiet as Mario puts down his fork and storms off. 

“What’d I say?” Everybody at the table (except the niece, she’s long since checked out) gives Mario’s Dad different versions of the look™. Uncle Tony and Uncle Arthur have the same “Jesus Christ bro, you didn’t have to go there” expression, and Luigi just looks hurt on Mario’s behalf. His Dad, however, is just confused.  

He didn’t get the gravity of what he said. His relationship with his own brothers– loudmouthed schmucks who call their own shots – is completely alien to what Luigi and Mario have. He probably knows Mario is protective of Luigi, but he doesn’t realize the depth of responsibility Mario feels for him. Anyone can see that Luigi is loyal to his brother, but Mario alone knows how loyal he is, and the implication that he’s betraying that loyalty is intensely painful. 

I doubt Uncle Arthur and Uncle Tony truly relate to Mario and Luigi’s relationship either, but they’ve probably teased Mario enough to understand one thing: bringing Luigi into it is a line you do not cross.

Conclusion:

There is a lot of love in the Mario family.

Uncle Tony and Uncle Arthur are definitely the most insufferable of the bunch, but there is no malice in their teasing. While they are brash and overbearing, it’s all in good fun, and they get visibly uncomfortable when things go too far and someone actually ends up hurt. 

Luigi seems to take after his mother; kind, nonconfrontational, and happily invested in a supporting role. While his Mom cares for and assists the family, Luigi cares for and assists his brother, both emotionally and in his business ventures.

Mario, in the meantime, takes after his Dad, who appears to be the oldest of the three brothers. He doesn’t always think before speaking, but he isn’t constantly running his mouth like Arthur or Tony, and acts with the gravity of someone who bears a lot of responsibility. He doesn’t quite “get” his sons, but he knows enough to see that Luigi follows his brother everywhere, Mario does not always think before jumping into things. Despite what Mario may believe, his Dad doesn’t see him as a “joke” so much as he sees him as an impulsive young man who doesn’t grasp the consequences of his actions. But Mario does understand the consequences of his actions, he just dreams big, and… thanks to Luigi… actually has the support he needs to pursue those dreams. 

A bit of insight into the Israeli terror that palestinians have been suffering because for years.

"yeah gender is infinite and all but you can only have 1 of 4 sexualities and if you label your sexuality in a way i deem wrong you're a bad person" genuinely how some of you sound sometimes.

THEY'RE ALSO OLDER THAN TREES

The worst part, the worst part? They're attacking Gaza City, which is the most populated city in the northern part of the Gaza Strip, and many are unable to get out without significantly risking their lives.

Strange, isn't it?

Israel now tells Gazans who refuse or are unable to leave the North that they'll be considered "partners in a terrorist organization" & thus legitimate targets for carpet bombing.

Just a reminder that forceful displacement is a war crime, and targeting civilians is a war crime.

This is genocidal language.

And Israelis have been saying it and planning it since 2014. Here's what the IDF said about evacuating civilians and creating “sterile combat zones” in that year:

From document A/HRC/29/52 found here:

The United Nations Independent Commission of Inquiry on the 2014 Gaza Conflict | OHCHR

the decrease in costuming quality over the last 20 years has been soooo precipitous & nauseating. i’m not even talking abt marvel’s cg supersuits or anything this time, look at the fabric quality, structure, layering, character, and craftsmanship of older costumes in 102 dalmations (2000) vs cruella (2021)

ever after (1998) vs cinderella (2021)

lord of the rings (2001-2003) vs the rings of power (2022)

this trend should upset you not just because it looks cheap, but because it suggests a strong anti-art and anti-labor movement in film and tv making. don’t forget costumers are unionized

I am losing my mind

Convoys of ambulances taking the injured out of Gaza to get treated in Egypt (as agreed and coordinated between all parties) got targeted by Israeli warplanes

The convoys were in three separate parts of Gaza and all of them were targeted and bombed.

15 killed so far and tens are severely wounded.

I literally just posted a couple of hours ago about Israel deliberately targeting civilian cars fleeing the north in response to death threats and now this

This is as deliberate as can be

Israel is literally revelling in its impunity. This is exactly what happens when cunts run around in circles when Israel's crimes are brought up. Literal massacres against medical convoys. Just like there were massacres against refugee camps and massacres in hospitals and literal schools.

Keep advocating, keep posting, talk about this and call israel what it is: a terrorist state.