Ki Takeaways

In this episode I'm highlighting the deep chords and notes on grief, loss, the grieving process, acceptance and grief based depression through the lens of Pokémon. We cover some of the early episodes in the Kanto and Johto arcs, the early movies and, in my opinion, Pokemon's magnum opus Mystery Dungeon Explorers of Time/Darkness/Sky.  Hope you enjoy and learn something. Stay safe yalls and see you next week.

This episode digs into the classic video game Persona 4 and the ways in which is shows its characters and their emotional and mental health struggles and the way in which the protagonist, as a kind of pseudo therapist, helps them navigate that emotional minefield towards healing.  The Ki Takeaway from this week, it is ok to ask for help. Resources are there for you and it really does make a difference. Take care of yourselves all!  Kiyaan

Delving into an absolutely underrated cult classic. The episode covers Static Shock, looking at the themes the show dives into, its role as the groundbreaking famous first, and how it does that correctly, but also how it talks about racism, respectability politics, the nature of criminality and family dynamics eloquently along the way. Finally, I do a deep dive into Virgil/Static himself and how he navigates being caught between so many social worlds, just as he is often caught between being Virgil and Static. Lots to dig into here, enjoy and hopefully it'll put a Shock to your system.

What happens to a kid that has seen "too much". Looking into the world of Harry Potter I comment on the ways that he endures and processes his trauma, how that makes him feel so alone, but also how he learns to connect and reach out to people, mentors, friends and peers, to better dig into those painful memories and emotions.  As with any discussion of Harry Potter as a series, this pod in no way condones JK's political and social stances, Trans and LGBTQ rights are human rights unquestionably. I touch briefly on last week's theme of fandom reclamation as it relates to JK, and also the deeper ways in which fandom allows exploration of deep themes, but also how it can miss the mark at times. Hope you will join me in occupying our own loving space within HP and hopefully you learn something.  See you alls next week!

I have my partner in crime on for this episode to delve deep into the topic of "diversity" and its related spheres of "representation" in media. We dig into our three cases of the week Deep Space 9, Avatar: The Last Airbender and Everything, Everywhere, All At Once and look at how each breaks important ground in putting different backgrounds, voices, faces and cultures on the screen for us to see. At the same time, there is a great deal of nuance to the topic, and more questions than answers on issues ranging from cultural politics, fetishization, valorization of oppression and the relationship with the very capitalist industry who is responsible for putting these otherwise awesome stories out there for us to consume. We even get to the point of wondering, can real diversity ever exist in any meaningful way? Stay tuned to the end for our prescribed "solution" (emphasis on airquotes). Many thanks to Yiwen for her thoughtful and well articulated points, looking forward to having her back on. Cheers everyone, stay safe!

Welcome to Social Science Fiction. In our first episode I will explore why DS9's depiction of Ben and Jake Sisko is a magnificent example of how to do single parent relationships in fiction. I touch on what makes the family dynamic compelling, powerful and strong especially as a depiction of a BIPOC single family