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I just hope the show gets finished however many season it shall take.
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May 12, 2017 00:56
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I haven't read a single negative review of it so far, so here's hoping
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May 12, 2017 01:05
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I felt Anansi's introduction was far more predatory than his personality in the book. It makes sense for Odin to thrive on bloodshed since you sacrifice lives to him in war and on the gallows. But Anansi thrives on songs and dancing and storytelling. It would have made more sense if Anansi the Spider whispered into the slave's ear telling him what to do, and the slave then engineered a bloody uprising using everybody else as his pawns while he manages to escape in a rowboat. Anansi is like Bugs Bunny, a trickster and survivor. I don't think he would have screwed over his own worshiper. He's supposed to encourage cunning. I felt one slave should have made it to shore, bringing his loyalty to Anansi with him. If all the Old Gods demand blood sacrifice, and Technical Boy and Media just want our time and attention, then this narrative is skewed in favor of the New Gods. They are more benign compared to this bloodthirsty version of the Old Gods. In the books, a lot of the old ones were more likable and less parasitic, which made the New Gods seem more sinister. What if this show is Media's propaganda retelling of the book designed to smear the Old Gods? That would be very meta.
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May 12, 2017 03:18
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Steve Yun posted:
Thinking about a kitten's comment about Bast and cat videos, plus Bilquis using online dating, it does look like they're going for a theme of old gods using new technology, maybe setting up a conflict of interest in the war. In theory Anansi could be another example given cell cameras and social media being utilized civil rights activists. They're not pulling any punches when it comes to racism in America so it wouldn't surprise me if they address this in-story.
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May 12, 2017 03:24
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I mean, spiders do spin webs. Maybe even worldwide ones 
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May 12, 2017 03:34
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Escape Addict posted:I felt Anansi's introduction was far more predatory than his personality in the book. It makes sense for Odin to thrive on bloodshed since you sacrifice lives to him in war and on the gallows. But Anansi thrives on songs and dancing and storytelling. Well, he was insulted by the enslavement of his people, so he had to retaliate (note also how Wednesday also later says how just because he's not fuming doesn't mean he's not pissed at Technical Boy for lynching Shadow, and that there will be repercussions) Also, the wreckage propelled him to the mainland, which was convenient. Also it's funny that you compare him to Bugs Bunny, as one of the primary supposed origins of Bre're Rabbit is a transformation from the Anansi stories the slaves brought with them from Africa. One of the driving forces as to why the bunny was popular in their traditions, is that his wily cunning symbolized the attempts to revolt against the white slavers. Like all trickster deities, not all of these attempts were successful (in fact most weren't), but the motivation, rebellious nature, and overriding cleverness were still a major symbolism for the movements. Considering the amount of work Fuller puts into research and symbolism, I'm sure this connection is not lost on him.
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May 12, 2017 03:40
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Escape Addict posted:It would have made more sense if Anansi the Spider whispered into the slave's ear telling him what to do, and the slave then engineered a bloody uprising using everybody else as his pawns while he manages to escape in a rowboat. Anansi is like Bugs Bunny, a trickster and survivor. I don't think he would have screwed over his own worshiper. He's supposed to encourage cunning. If there's one thing Anansi hates more than anything though it's to be confined, trapped and chained. A good chunk of the stories where he's the butt of the joke involve him getting trapped into something and even a few of the ones he's the hero of too. The life of a slave is anathema to Anansi, in his mind he's gifting the believer with a true reward. Death is nothing to a trickster, they do it all the time and are quite good at it. I mean, sure he could free him and get him to America, but what then? The slave doesn't know anyone or speak the slightest bit of the language. It's only a matter of time before he's back in chains and his children will suffer for 400 years no matter what he did. Better to die on your own terms than live on someone else's. Edit: Also, bear in mind that a lot of trickster stories that get told have been heavily sanitized. Especially the African ones that were transcribed by the English. There are a ton of stories out there that would've made the Brothers Grimme blanch. Macdeo Lurjtux fucked around with this message at 03:50 on May 12, 2017 |
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May 12, 2017 03:48
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If the show goes meta and has Media speak to us, the audience, I think that would be the best thing ever. e: and there has GOT to be a Media scene where Shadow walks by a TV playing an old X-Files episode, right? Right?
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May 12, 2017 03:49
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Macdeo Lurjtux posted:If there's one thing Anansi hates more than anything though it's to be confined, trapped and chained. A good chunk of the stories where he's the butt of the joke involve him getting trapped into something and even a few of the ones he's the hero of too. The life of a slave is anathema to Anansi, in his mind he's gifting the believer with a true reward. Death is nothing to a trickster, they do it all the time and are quite good at it. This is a good point. Thanks for explaining it. I was a little put off by how malicious Anansi seemed, but in this interpretation, he's still the good guy since death is freedom. Also the book Anansi Boys goes to show how little he cares about dying himself.
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May 12, 2017 06:22
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Escape Addict posted:I felt Anansi's introduction was far more predatory than his personality in the book. It makes sense for Odin to thrive on bloodshed since you sacrifice lives to him in war and on the gallows. But Anansi thrives on songs and dancing and storytelling. the magical black man wasn't pure good, and it destroyed this poor goon's mind.
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May 12, 2017 07:05
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Escape Addict posted:If all the Old Gods demand blood sacrifice, and Technical Boy and Media just want our time and attention, then this narrative is skewed in favor of the New Gods. They are more benign compared to this bloodthirsty version of the Old Gods. In the books, a lot of the old ones were more likable and less parasitic, which made the New Gods seem more sinister. In addition to what Macdeo said, think of it this way; the old gods will take your body as sacrifice. The new gods (or at least Media so far) want to ruin your soul.
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May 12, 2017 07:06
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Normal Adult Human posted:the magical black man wasn't pure good, and it destroyed this poor goon's mind. omfg
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May 12, 2017 08:18
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Escape Addict posted:If all the Old Gods demand blood sacrifice, and Technical Boy and Media just want our time and attention, then this narrative is skewed in favor of the New Gods. They are more benign compared to this bloodthirsty version of the Old Gods. In the books, a lot of the old ones were more likable and less parasitic, which made the New Gods seem more sinister. Have you never read a single story that featured a technological Dystopia?? Seeming more benign just makes it more insidious. In the long run its just as bloodthirsty. Macdeo Lurjtux posted:Edit: Also, bear in mind that a lot of trickster stories that get told have been heavily sanitized. Especially the African ones that were transcribed by the English. There are a ton of stories out there that would've made the Brothers Grimme blanch. Yeah plus, Anansi isn't exactly super nice guy happy times. Think of Spider in Anansi Boys, and that's just one part of Anansi. He can be a right rear end in a top hat. Zaphod42 fucked around with this message at 08:25 on May 12, 2017 |
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May 12, 2017 08:23
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I think there's probably a criticism you can have of the Anansi scene without it necessarily coming from a place of "I don't like this angry black man." I'll agree with many of the points above that this was both a hell of a scene and a great depiction of Anansi the trickster god in this context. It was not, however, a depiction that at all resembles the way Mr Nancy is depicted in the novel American Gods by Neil Gaiman. I think that is a fair criticism of the TV show American Gods from a fan of the novel who wanted to see a silly old magical black man who only shows up to tell fun stories and save the main character from danger. The TV show's depiction seems to be pretty obviously the better, more powerful choice though. It makes the character a lot more interesting, more faithful to the spirit of the Anansi myths, and has a lot of resonance in this time and place a decade and a half from the writing of the novel.
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May 12, 2017 08:57
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I think the fact that everyone here has sacrificed at least ten bucks and countless hours to this forum is proof that goons are firmly in Technical Boy's camp. Participating in a discussion of this show is a tribute to Media and doing it on the Internet is feeding Technical Boy. The New Gods don't need traditional prayers or rituals. Just sitting down to watch a cool TV show is worshiping Media. Being a goon means sacrificing minutes of your life on Technical Boy's altar. No matter how much we condemn the New Gods as characters in a TV show, our actions show that really, we're totally fine with the sacrifice. Are our souls ruined by consuming media and using technology? It seems like the New Gods' demands of humans are pretty reasonable compared to the old school bloody sacrifice.
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May 12, 2017 12:43
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One suspects that part of that Old God / New God split is just how many people there are kicking around now. In terms of raw devotion, an hour of television doesn't possibly seem on par with having your own eye put out with a knife. But consider the tens of millions of people offering that up every moment of every day. I'd be curious about two things. First, if we'll see any new New Gods. Gaiman was pretty broad in the original book with the main trio of Technical Boy / Media / Mr. World (and the Spookshow). But I'd be curious to see if the show adds anyone to that roster, and what they may represent. Aside: If they already are and I missed it in a teaser somewhere, I stand corrected. Second, if any of the Old Gods will be adamantly Anti-Wednesday. Apparently Vulcan is going to feature in this season. He had the trailer line "The power of Fire is Firepower", American gun fetishization has to be worth some worship, right? EDIT: Regarding Goon God Technical Boy. Remember that every time you hit Post here you're reminded "We all pray to god it doesn't suck." ...Just saying.
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May 12, 2017 14:35
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I never did manage to finish the novel as I found the concept and premise to be way more interesting than the actual contents. Im curious, as an atheist and sports fan, if there is a sports-related new god considering the prevalence of Americans who watch football on sundays instead of attending church. Also, if there is a food related god. It makes me think of a quote from The Wire where the russian hitman tell the drug dealer, "In this country, supermarkets are cathedrals." Anyway, the first two episodes were pretty interesting and im hoping they are better than the novel was for me.
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May 12, 2017 15:12
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Escape Addict posted:If all the Old Gods demand blood sacrifice, and Technical Boy and Media just want our time and attention, then this narrative is skewed in favor of the New Gods. They are more benign compared to this bloodthirsty version of the Old Gods. In the books, a lot of the old ones were more likable and less parasitic, which made the New Gods seem more sinister. The Technical Boy thrives on Liveleak and Worldstar.
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May 12, 2017 15:29
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TommyGun85 posted:I never did manage to finish the novel as I found the concept and premise to be way more interesting than the actual contents. Of course there's a food god. He wears a yellow suit and has cherry red hair, and we indoctrinate our children young to love him.
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May 12, 2017 15:58
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Escape Addict posted:
Well, yes, I think the loss of identity through homogenization is a big theme of the book. Whether you buy into that tautology is another thing but that's certainly a central aspect of the book and something that in Gaiman's work is a matter of course as much as gravity pulling things down - that something essential is lost in the move from the old to the new. The Walrus fucked around with this message at 17:55 on May 12, 2017 |
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May 12, 2017 16:59
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Escape Addict posted:Are our souls ruined by consuming media and using technology? The poison is in the dosage now isn't it.
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May 12, 2017 17:16
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Escape Addict posted:I think the fact that everyone here has sacrificed at least ten bucks and countless hours to this forum is proof that goons are firmly in Technical Boy's camp. Participating in a discussion of this show is a tribute to Media and doing it on the Internet is feeding Technical Boy. Like Wednesday says, better to die than be forgotten. Vikings may have died in bloody sacrifice to Odin, but they presumably live forever in Valhalla? We don't know. Meanwhile those who worship technical boy are just mindless, faceless goons, totally anonymous, and may as well not even exist. (Like us  )
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May 12, 2017 20:45
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ZorajitZorajit posted:One suspects that part of that Old God / New God split is just how many people there are kicking around now. In terms of raw devotion, an hour of television doesn't possibly seem on par with having your own eye put out with a knife. But consider the tens of millions of people offering that up every moment of every day. Yeah the idea is Vulcan has more power than the other old gods because he's managed to transform himself into something like a new god, he's gone from the god of forge to the god of guns, and american loving worship guns. The point you put out about a few hardcore believers vs a toooooon of people who just do small acts of worship is pretty interesting and valid. As for new gods, we already talked about casting showing that there's going to be several flavors of Jesus-i. (Jesuses?) Those are new old gods though, not new new gods. We'll see if there's any new new gods, but considering they're expanding the book across like 5 seasons and linking in side-stories, I think its extremely possible. TommyGun85 posted:Im curious, as an atheist and sports fan, if there is a sports-related new god considering the prevalence of Americans who watch football on sundays instead of attending church. That sounds very possible. poo poo, look at this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7Sj4uHp0s4 This may as well take place in the same universe as American Gods.
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May 12, 2017 20:48
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I can't imagine being invested in this show for five seasons if that's how long it'll take to cover the one book. That's going to be some loving horrible pacing no matter how much they pad it out. Like, can anyone imagine a world in which you aren't bored shitless by hour 30 of this pacing?
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May 12, 2017 21:44
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Personally, I would be pretty happy just staring at the visuals and watching the cast do their thing for as many seasons as they want to drag it out
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May 12, 2017 21:52
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Keep in mind that A) these seasons are 8 episodes long, and 2) Fuller's original vision for seasons 3 and 4 of Hannibal had to get condensed into one season because he couldn't come up with enough material, so things might change with American Gods as well.
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May 12, 2017 22:31
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Crow Jane posted:Personally, I would be pretty happy just staring at the visuals and watching the cast do their thing for as many seasons as they want to drag it out Yeah, that's the whole design of the show.
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May 12, 2017 22:31
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So this spoiler thread is the only place to talk about American Gods? That sort of sucks.
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May 12, 2017 22:38
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Gaunab posted:So this spoiler thread is the only place to talk about American Gods? That sort of sucks. Hm? There's a show-only thread too. This one was created because, well read the title of this one. https://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3818200
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May 12, 2017 22:46
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Gaunab posted:So this spoiler thread is the only place to talk about American Gods? That sort of sucks. There's two threads for that whole reason. This is actually the second one made, the other one came first. Besides, how do you think SA works? If you want another thread to talk about american gods just go make one?? But there's no need.
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May 12, 2017 22:55
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Posting from the awful app makes it easier to glaze over the titles of tv show threads. It's my fault. Please forgive my transgressions.
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May 13, 2017 01:21
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Gaunab posted:Posting from the awful app makes it easier to glaze over the titles of tv show threads. It's my fault. Please forgive my transgressions.
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May 13, 2017 01:31
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Mr. Wednesday's talk about our collective faith in aviation makes me think there ought to be a New God of Airplanes. Like the Railroad God of the 1800's. He tells Shadow never to take the highways, because that's the territory of a Transportation or Freeway God, maybe it's just the God of Cars. Automobile fatalities are one hell of a vehicle for human sacrifice, so Car God is probably really strong. Think of how car enthusiasts fetishize the latest models, or fawn over classic cars. Lots of blood and money for the Car God. I bet there is a Spectator Sport God, like some NBA/NFL/NHL/NASCAR/WWE hybrid superfan. Maybe he's Media's brother.
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May 13, 2017 02:12
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Shoot, Media IS the god of sports entertainment. Media is exactly why sports are such a big deal today, because she tells us it is.
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May 13, 2017 03:18
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I definitely feel like there's some kinda overlap going on, but the people begging for blood at hockey games are probably summoning something else altogether.
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May 13, 2017 03:26
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I'm not sure the God of Sports should even be a New God- that kind of worship's been around for centuries. The Nika riots killed tens of thousands in the 6th century, and that started over some drat chariot races.
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May 13, 2017 03:43
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Escape Addict posted:Mr. Wednesday's talk about our collective faith in aviation makes me think there ought to be a New God of Airplanes. That speech hit a real personal note for me. There is a very strong accent in the region I grew up, Northeast PA, think almost like a Chicago accent but with a proclivity to ignore diphthongs i.e. "Huh many you'se want, couple two, tree?" Thanks to a middle school science teacher with the accent a chunk of my class thought airplane could fly if they had enough trust.
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May 13, 2017 03:53
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Escape Addict posted:Mr. Wednesday's talk about our collective faith in aviation makes me think there ought to be a New God of Airplanes. Like the Railroad God of the 1800's. There are car gods mentioned in the book, and it's specifically mentioned that the sacrifice they accumulate is "tens of thousands each year, a human sacrifice unheard of since the Aztecs" or something along those lines.
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May 13, 2017 07:20
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TommyGun85 posted:I never did manage to finish the novel as I found the concept and premise to be way more interesting than the actual contents. sports probably fall under the realm of johnny appleseed aka totally worthless and valueless worship that feeds nothing
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May 13, 2017 12:41
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It's pretty good for cities when their teams are doing well, though, so maybe it's not completely worthless.
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May 13, 2017 13:43
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