Cultural context of the theme candidates
Cosmologicon on 2013/04/09 23:58
of Universe Factory 16
— edited on 2013/04/10 21:10
Here's my take on the cultural context of the theme candidates. The common theme is superhero fiction.
Secret identities are occasionally used in real life to avoid discrimination or for artistic purposes, but in adventure fiction they're extremely common. Alter egos serve many purposes, such as evading authorities, protecting loved ones, and blending in to keep a job or associate with people. They're often maintained using extremely transparent pseudonyms or terrible disguises. A secret is something hidden, private, or mysterious. Your identity is your sense of self, how you see yourself, including your characteristics and personality.
A nemesis is an opponent or obstacle. Classically, the nemesis would cause the hero's downfall, but modern fiction prefers nemeses to be evenly matched arch-enemies, leading to frequent encounters and a longstanding, personal rivalry. Nemeses commonly complement each other: they're either very similar or completely opposite in certain important ways. The Greek goddess Nemesis was responsible for inflicting divine retribution on guilty mortals, and was seen as a force of justice and balance. The debunked Nemesis Theory involved a dwarf star named Nemesis orbiting the Sun and causing mass extinctions on Earth.
A sidekick is a companion in a secondary role. Sidekicks serve many functions with respect to their primary character: protégée, assistant, accomplice, comic relief. They may embody the audience point of view, have their own unique skill set, highlight the primary character's eccentricities by virtue of their own normality, or cause conflict through their own incompetence. The side kick and flying side kick are martial arts moves involving sideways kicks. Sidekick is the brand name of a series of mobile phones.
A bat cave is a cave where bats live. They exist all over the world. Bats are winged mouse-like animals, the only mammals that can fly freely. Culturally, bats are often seen as frightening. They're known for clinging upside-down to cave ceilings, being active at night, and using sound to navigate via echolocation. They're associated with vampires and witches. The Batcave is the secret headquarters of the comic book superhero Batman. It's a literal cave containing high-tech equipment, including a supercomputer, a crime lab, and vehicles.
Kryptonite is a fictional material in the DC comics universe. There are many kinds of kryptonite with different properties, depending on the needs of the plot, but most famously it removes Superman's superpowers, and poisons and weakens him. It was formed when Superman's planet Krypton was destroyed, and pieces of it fell to Earth. It's often used by Superman's enemies (or allies) against him. Metaphorically, your kryptonite is your weakness, your Achilles' heel. Kryptonite is also the name of a brand of bicycle locks, and a 2000 song by American band 3 Doors Down.
Secret identities are occasionally used in real life to avoid discrimination or for artistic purposes, but in adventure fiction they're extremely common. Alter egos serve many purposes, such as evading authorities, protecting loved ones, and blending in to keep a job or associate with people. They're often maintained using extremely transparent pseudonyms or terrible disguises. A secret is something hidden, private, or mysterious. Your identity is your sense of self, how you see yourself, including your characteristics and personality.
A nemesis is an opponent or obstacle. Classically, the nemesis would cause the hero's downfall, but modern fiction prefers nemeses to be evenly matched arch-enemies, leading to frequent encounters and a longstanding, personal rivalry. Nemeses commonly complement each other: they're either very similar or completely opposite in certain important ways. The Greek goddess Nemesis was responsible for inflicting divine retribution on guilty mortals, and was seen as a force of justice and balance. The debunked Nemesis Theory involved a dwarf star named Nemesis orbiting the Sun and causing mass extinctions on Earth.
A sidekick is a companion in a secondary role. Sidekicks serve many functions with respect to their primary character: protégée, assistant, accomplice, comic relief. They may embody the audience point of view, have their own unique skill set, highlight the primary character's eccentricities by virtue of their own normality, or cause conflict through their own incompetence. The side kick and flying side kick are martial arts moves involving sideways kicks. Sidekick is the brand name of a series of mobile phones.
A bat cave is a cave where bats live. They exist all over the world. Bats are winged mouse-like animals, the only mammals that can fly freely. Culturally, bats are often seen as frightening. They're known for clinging upside-down to cave ceilings, being active at night, and using sound to navigate via echolocation. They're associated with vampires and witches. The Batcave is the secret headquarters of the comic book superhero Batman. It's a literal cave containing high-tech equipment, including a supercomputer, a crime lab, and vehicles.
Kryptonite is a fictional material in the DC comics universe. There are many kinds of kryptonite with different properties, depending on the needs of the plot, but most famously it removes Superman's superpowers, and poisons and weakens him. It was formed when Superman's planet Krypton was destroyed, and pieces of it fell to Earth. It's often used by Superman's enemies (or allies) against him. Metaphorically, your kryptonite is your weakness, your Achilles' heel. Kryptonite is also the name of a brand of bicycle locks, and a 2000 song by American band 3 Doors Down.
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Comments
Python Jedi on
2013/04/12 13:24:
richard on
2013/04/10 01:24:
Wow again, thanks Cosmo!I'll just add that the bat cave is often a place of solace for Batman and a place that others are rarely invited (I was going to use "fortress of solitude" but already had kryptonite and the bat cave has more interesting dark aspects.)