Hello

i. the monster's body is a cultural body

ii. the monster always escapes

iii. the monster is the harbinger of category crisis

iv. the monster dwells at the gates of difference

v. the monster polices the borders of the possible

vi. fear of the monster is really a kind of desire

these are all direct quotes from jeffrey jerome cohen's "monster culture (seven theses)" (full pdf linked) i highly encourage you to read it yourself!

that said, while i think cohen's writing is evocative, it can be a little dense, so while i'm here, here's my capsule summary (you can also hear me talk about this in the first episode of my podcast) (listen to @ghostswerepeopletoo)

i. the monster's body is a cultural body - The monster is a work of fiction to be analyzed through tools of literary and sociological theory.

ii. the monster always escapes - As long as the cultural fear from which the monster stems persists, the monster will reappear in retellings, reimaginings, and sequels.

iii. the monster is the harbinger of category crisis - Monsters defy binaries and challenge easy comprehension or categorization.

iv. the monster dwells at the gates of difference - The monster represents the Other.

v. the monster polices the borders of the possible - Tales of the monster exist to discourage unacceptable or taboo behaviors.

vi. fear of the monster is really a kind of desire - Subjects can vicariously participate in the disruption of the social order through the monster.

cost of education acting as class barrier

exploitation of graduate workers

colonialist past and present

ties to military industrial complex

danger of power structure entrenching and justifying orthodox views on social issues

criticisms of academia that get made:

Look at my trolley operators dawg my humanity is cooked

getting together/first times

three simple rules by learnedfoot that specter smile by too_salty good morning new york by selinawrites walk the line by laughter_now the intamacy of knowing by butdaddyilovehim before you go by torched22 unforgettable by aprilinparis92 i care (i need you to know) by brokeperception

holidays

when in boston by turnyourankle finding the way by smartalli magic touch by hellbellfirera i just want you for my own, more than you could ever know by redtrospect comfort and joy by eadunne2 midnight fireworks by specterross to not be phased, to just be fine by asphodelon a wonderful, wonderful life by rose_sk

prison era

counting on by smartalli until the morning comes by specter_ross beautiful boy by fangirlflailings end of the line by pace37 bleeding through by blackashbluephoenix fresh out of the slammer by vanderloo ring ring by mindy_hektus things with feathers by KCKenobi

fluffy stuff

59th street chronicles (series) by liketwotiedships family man by novemberhush little notes by sal_si_puedes you can call me honey if you want by crimescenesandcoffee the shape of this longing by bluegoldflames moving day by purple_pansies warm hands on my heart by flamyshine gloves and a cap by cowandcalf safe in my arms by air_conditioner813

sick/injured fics

a sick puppy by alexanderxbetsey feel better by blaked untouchable by marveys the angel and the fool by thekindworthreading constant knot by mockturtletale little black dots by aspiringauthor29 if you have to die, don't let it be in my arms by mossylogs all that's left of yesterday by Iikaa15 fracture point by liketwotiedships

major character death

the empty corner office by aspirateurkilleuse I say to him once; I say to him one last time by acxsmist_inc and my name was on you by veritas_st but a whimper by beelove shutting down by skyenapped better not look him too closely in the eye (orphaned)

hurt/comfort

I love the fact that “professional” is the first reason and “platypus” is the second, because this is extremely plausible for Perry.

1.Doofenshmirtz isn’t evil anymore,allowing Perry to date him

2.Romance betweet animal/human isn’t frowned upon in the Dwampyverse

‘‘our boy is all grown up’‘ ‘‘why is he a panda bear’‘

@deenalloh you have to watch milo murphy’s law season 2 to know what’s going on with Doofenshmirtz life.He stopped being evil to commit to his future self: ‘’Professor Time’’ inventor of time-travel and a public figure.

and he is trying to be a good guy now

also there’s 2 more time lines where he ends up good

1.Science teacher

2. O.W.C.A agent (The OWCA Files)

Perry getting trapped isn’t a sign of some intellectual folley - it’s a sign of his incredible problem-solving skills that he can escape them so easily, and a sign of his social intelligence that he knows to politely wait until his nemesis is ready to stop venting and start fighting.

‘’You probably look at Perry the Platypus and me and think it’s a match made in heaven. But it wasn’t always this way. Back in the day, O.W.C.A. assigned agents willy-nilly, with no regard for personality conflicts or basic compatibility issues … like a bad blind date!

Why, when I first met Perry the Platypus, I didn’t even know what kind of an animal he was. Who’s ever heard of a teal platypus?! And I gotta tell you, he got on my last nerve … always staring at me, judging me. You know how he is.

Well, I was ready to call it quits. I even called Major Monogram to see if I could get another nemesis assigned. Something a little less semiaquatic. But thank goodness, Francis said to give it a little more time to see if things could work themselves out. And you know what? They did!

Now I wouldn’t trade my nemesis for anyone in the world. Oh, sure, he still infuriates me and I try to eliminate him on a daily basis, but that’s just what I do.

So, if your first encounter with your mortal foe isn’t perfect, don’t despair! It gets better … usually.’’

(Not pictured: the whole Peter the Panda’s arc)