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Post by Beth on Mar 2, 2013 12:19:42 GMT -5
Does anyone else follow Urbanite on Twitter? @urbaniterls If so what do you think of him? I really can't get a read! |
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Rhi
Cat People
every story tells a picture, don't it
Posts: 68 
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Post by Rhi on Mar 2, 2013 15:24:03 GMT -5
I think my immediate take is 'dude's got issues'.
MANLY ISSUES FOR MEN, potentially.
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Post by Beth on Mar 2, 2013 15:32:32 GMT -5
Haha, yeah I can see that! I was talking to Will about him a while back and I said I found it really hard to knowing what to say in reply to Urbanite on Twitter. Part of that was definitely the uber-masculine thing he's got going on (ex-boxer or whatever he is, vigilante, etc.), and the SHOUTY CAPS. I found it, not aggressive as such, but definitely off-putting and really uncomfortable.
It wasn't actually until I saw the conversation between Urbanite and Will that made me write that unintentional slash was being written on my Twitter feed that I felt more comfortable responding to him. I think it helped, me at least, if I read the hyper-masculinity as a parody and something that I shouldn't take seriously because Urbanite is taking it so seriously that it's not serious anymore (if that makes any sense!). So now when he tweets things like STAYING HARD FOR GLORIA it just makes me lol and my reply is more of an innuendothan it would have been at the start.
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sophie_ali
Cat People
Twinkle Twinkle Little Bat, How I Wonder What You're At
Posts: 129
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Post by sophie_ali on Mar 3, 2013 9:43:05 GMT -5
The hyper-masculinity makes for an interesting point. I read him as almsot the polar opposite of Cat in that Urbanite seems to be all about the physical powers whereas Cat is more about intellectual powers.
Also Cat can be seen as highlighting that superpowers don't have to be about physicality and Urbanite reprenting the 'traditional' superhero who is more physical based.
The age old 'brain vs. brawn' debate
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Post by Beth on Mar 3, 2013 14:39:58 GMT -5
I read him as almsot the polar opposite of Cat in that Urbanite seems to be all about the physical powers whereas Cat is more about intellectual powers. I hadn't even thought of that but it makes so much sense! |
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Rhi
Cat People
every story tells a picture, don't it
Posts: 68
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Post by Rhi on Mar 3, 2013 17:25:43 GMT -5
Having thought a bit more about it, I'd agree Urbanite's sort of a pastiche/parody of the hypermasculine renegade cape archetype. I see him as very much a growly Bale!Batman I AM THE NIGHT kind of dude, crossed with the Palahniuk Fight Club ethos of the angry young white cis guy.
I may be pulling this all outta nowhere, mind.
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Post by Will on Mar 3, 2013 17:49:30 GMT -5
I DON'T THINK URBANITE EVEN KNOWS WHAT CIS MEANS #soundslikesissy #SOBUTCH #RUFFRIDERZ
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Post by horhotep on Mar 3, 2013 22:17:56 GMT -5
What makes you all assume that Urby is white? or even male? One of my friends was convinced Urby was f/m from the 'gender neutral' (his words) of his STAYING HARD blog. Has anybody seen that? It's pretty ridiculous. #tryhard
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Post by Beth on Mar 5, 2013 15:33:18 GMT -5
That's a very good question actually. I assumed he was male because of his tweets - and reading them again there's this one from February 4th:
IT'S YOUR BOY!!! #gloriacity #reallifesuperheroes #urbanite #iamgloria
Though that doesn't necessarily mean anything in terms of his gender. He does sound like all the male gym-heads I used to work with who were obsessed with protein and shakes and reps and other such things though, and I don't know of any women who are. So going off my experiences that's why I assumed he's male.
I haven't figured out a race for him though. I kinda assumed he was white in the mold of Batman, etc. who are all rich, white males with more money than sense. And that's the reading I got off him.
What do you think?
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Rhi
Cat People
every story tells a picture, don't it
Posts: 68
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Post by Rhi on Mar 5, 2013 18:34:40 GMT -5
That was my assumption as well, Beth, just because of the nature of the archetype!
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Post by poetryghost on Mar 31, 2013 11:22:11 GMT -5
He may not be CIS - see the stuff in the latest pages. He's supposed to be involved with the other superhero isn't he?
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Post by poetryghost on Mar 31, 2013 11:27:42 GMT -5
Also in the light of what Cat says about him, how much of the raaah man-dom is deliberate? It's interesting. You could see it as a sort of reverse Superman where instead of Clark acting extra wimpy, Urbanite acts super-aggressive. But we also see that he has not got a real secret identity, so perhaps all of that is a cover, and his real identity is something else?
Also, are there any more Cat People on twitter?
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Post by Will on Apr 1, 2013 8:08:17 GMT -5
It is very possible to be a cis man but also gay! I think we must assume so far that Urbanite is a cis man. Bear in mind that the 'he's not gay' is only Cat's sudden thought -- though I suppose we do assume Cat is generally right  |
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Post by Beth on Apr 1, 2013 8:40:27 GMT -5
Also in the light of what Cat says about him, how much of the raaah man-dom is deliberate? It's interesting. You could see it as a sort of reverse Superman where instead of Clark acting extra wimpy, Urbanite acts super-aggressive. But we also see that he has not got a real secret identity, so perhaps all of that is a cover, and his real identity is something else? Yeah I'm wondering now how much of that ME MAN! thing is deliberate. The idea of Urbanite as a reverse-Superman is a really interesting one too. I want to know more about his 'RL' identity now - how different is that to his Urby identity? But yeah, given how not-secret his secret identity is I am wondering whether his real identity is something else entirely and if so what is it. Bear in mind that the 'he's not gay' is only Cat's sudden thought -- though I suppose we do assume Cat is generally right Given how good Cat is at putting things together and making connections (it is her superpower after all *g*) I think we're supposed to assume she's right. Or at least that's what I've done (and I'm now wondering whether this is some cunning authorial double-bluff too). It certainly adds to the wondering about Urby and who or what he really is though. |
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Post by Beth on Apr 1, 2013 8:41:55 GMT -5
Also, whether there are more Cat People on Twitter do you mean characters or Team Cat? Will, Sarah, Suze, Me, Riv, Lucy and Karra are all on Twitter, though in terms of characters there's only Urbanite and to some extent Cat. I think Will had mentioned something about liking there to be more characters on there but whether that'll happen I don't know.
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