Compelling Characters: Character Analysis With Cartoons to Boot

34 Months in Victorian Whitechapel: Ripper Archetypes, Soldiers & The Unseen Killer . Gruesome Comic Book Art Disclaimer: this post covers unpleasant themes, discretion is advised.  6 to 7 min read Ripper Archetype in Historical Fiction Jack the Ripper became a mythical figure and I dunno why I'm covering it to be honest, it’s a case so cold it's as frozen solid as one of Keir Starmer's pensioners! Missing evidence, lost files, and insufficiently trained police all contributed. Much like Robin Hood, Jack the Ripper is an alluring archetype depicted through quite a few compelling characters, though none as embarrassing as Kevin Costner’s smug American Lord Loxley. In this blog, I've decided to share 'From Hell' with you before writing my own shit fan fiction, before subjecting you to my thoughts on who the Ripper actually was and why. 'From Hell' Public House Alan Moore's graphic novel, ‘From Hell,’ offers a fresh perspective, adding a rich di...

Marieha Hussain: The Controversial ‘Coconut’ Placard Case Fact: When a person of colour behaves in a way perceived to be associated with white people, they could be called a 'coconut' by non-white individuals, because the flesh of a caucasian person and a coconut are both called white. Is this racism?  The Case: Around the time of the Palestine marches in 2023 - 2024, Marieha Hussain, a teacher, faced legal action for holding a placard up showing Rishi Sunak and Suella Braverman as coconuts. Regardless of any humour which she insisted it was, the racial context was flagged as pejorative or derogatory. Although Hussain was acquitted, she lost her career and faced online abuse, but still defended the placard as satire throughout. It can appear petty to be put on trial over a placard, but is it always so? Marieha Hussain's protest board does pale in comparison to modern celebrity acts of racism.  The Placard It was unfortunate that the Hussain family faced such harsh t...

An Examination of Court Proceedings: Is Letby Definitely Guilty?  Everyone Saw The New Reports  Disclaimer: this post covers unpleasant themes, discretion is advised.  6 to 7 min read The nation was captured right from the first news report. It was a case that got under everyone's skin; familiar TV reporters all told us of the rising death toll among babies and infants in the Countess of Chester Hospital. The wider media would speculate, were these deaths negligence? Maybe there was a criminal element or incompetence? The knock-on effect for the police was the tremendous public expectation to catch someone. It was 2017 when coverage began and the news story itself created intense 'turn the telly up' moments, amplifying the daily need to find out if they had uncovered that one evil person.  The Early Media Coverage Was Attention Grabbing: Initial Reports It was quite speedy how the focus turned to Lucy Letby. However, people were saying the young nurse was pre...

Alternative Narratives of Christ: The Crucifixion.  In the Famous Gospel Stories... 12 to 18 min read Jesus of Nazareth is said to be the son of God who chose to take up his divine mission to save mankind by dying on the cross for all sins. For me this sounds ridiculous. The  religiously obsessed  and the literalist tend to believe it! Anyway, despite Jesus being a mesmeric persona, he is shrouded by countless years of mythological bollocks and religious symbolism, which may not be relevant to what really happened.  People bullshit, exaggerate. They lie. Now, Critical Scholars and literalist evangelicals are still arguing on what parts of the New Testament are authentic or not. Doesn't that say something? Verily, verily I say unto thee, the prevailing belief among scholars is that they don't really know what is one hundred percent historical. For instance, conservative scholar Craig L. Blomberg said, 'Strictly speaking, the gospels are anonymous.' According t...

Alternative Narratives Of Christ: How Can We Really Know The History?   Did Jesus decompose on his cross? -Did Jesus decompose on his cross? - Did Jesus decompose on his cross?  Did Jesus decompose on his cross? -Did Jesus decompose on his cross? - Did Jesus decompose on his cross?  Was this a historical possibility?  7 to 10 min read The traditional Christian story of the crucifixion is deeply ingrained in our Western consciousness. Crucifixes hang from gold chains, beautify our skin and stand central on t-shirts. However, to be honest, I love to offer an alternative theory showcasing a historical, human Jesus, because these accounts mostly serve theological, and not historical purposes! We know Roman aristocracy considered early Christian's to be anti-state criminals. We can reasonably hypothesise, that if Jesus was crucified by Pilate for somehow committing crimes against Rome, he would have decomposed on his cross on display to dissuade others. Th...

Alternative Narratives of Christ: A Socratic Saviour?  Did Jesus Enjoy the Sages?  7 to 9 min read   Did Jesus embrace the ideas of the great Greek philosophers? To understand how Hellenistic philosophy may have influenced his teachings, we should try to appreciate these influences, let's consider the following: Alexander the Great introduced Greek culture making Israel a cultural synchronicity, it lasted well beyond his era! Jewish communities were also living in Greece since those times! However, around 160-170 BCE in Israel, Judas Maccabeus fought against Greek assimilation, succeeding and finally establishing his family dynasty called the Hasmoneans. Unfortunately, after internal conflict, it all ended. Roman conquest happened. Pompey Magnus in 63 BCE marched in and Greek and Roman culture planted itself firmly, yet still resisted. Greek Settlements in Galilee  During the Jesus years, cities like Tiberias and Sepphoris existed in Galilee. Sepphoris was...

The Difference Between Being Clever and Being Wise The Uni Boffin vs. Handy Man Joe...  6 to 8 min read Let's try and nail this one down for good, shall we? The difference between an intellectual character and an individual with practical skills, comes down to the nature and application of their respective talents.  The family intellectual will usually indulge in a few academic ideas, anything, be it philosophical, theological, the sciences, or politics; material which is usually evidence-based or well sourced. They think. Intellectuals develop opinions and strengthen them by finding parallels from valued sources. It's an academic thing.  Yes, critical thinking, analysis, and synthesis of information all factor into their disciplined approach to seeking truth. Why? Well, the intellect is usually associated with academic pursuits, and the intellectual might also be familiar with research and scholarly material and methodology. It fits their world view and habitual ...

Muscular Christianity: Saviour or Spoiler for Europe? Unusual Gatherings at Speakers Corner 7 to 9 min read Bob the Builder Speaker's Corner is situated in Hyde Park, London. It has long been a place for open debate and free expression. Here we can expect to find Bob Soco, who seems like a nice man. However, some may find him distasteful when he raises his volume in his debates and uses sneaky sophism. Butting in and demanding evidence is comical before the brief moment of wordless bible page turning.  It is an unusual gathering to watch.  Bob really is a compelling character who could fit beautifully into a novel or film. Everyone should see the dialogue heat up; respect and self-restraint are called-for in that place, it can seem like it's balancing on a knife edge!  Soco Studio captures all the footage of Bob as he dismantles Islamic views from his right-wing Christian paradigm. The videos are edited before being uploaded onto YouTube.  Bob 'the Builder' Soco ...