Why is Hephaestus a GOD in a WHEELCHAIR?

[סוויפטי]

can someone explain to me how and why a god is in a wheelchair? i am at a loss for words.

[CadaveR]

Origineel geplaatst door jconner1984:

Origineel geplaatst door 𝐂𝐚𝐝𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐑:

It can easily be, and most likely it is. After all, the development of a game is the result of reasoning and analysis of the market and the public. The choice to represent Hephaestus in a wheelchair is no coincidence.

These people miss the part where maybe it isn't just market analytics and "virtue signaling". Maybe it also just so happens to be what the devs want to do. And it's almost entirely likely to involve all three. Virtue signaling is just people saying good things and not meaning them. That's Homelander stuff.

If I wrote a story in a videogame where the lead character is a hero but also deals with coming to terms with their bisexuality and they work through their demons to undo the trauma of closeted living; that isn't virtue signalling. That's just a lived experience that ended up in media.

Maybe. But is this always the case?

[Lord Adorable]

Origineel geplaatst door 𝐂𝐚𝐝𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐑:

Origineel geplaatst door Lord Adorable:

That's their own problem then. And another reason why education is important.

This has nothing to do with education.

It literally does. If people screech and have problems with the fact that Heph is in a wheelchair when he has a wheelchair in actual Greek mythology and the game is being consistent with that mythology, they're plain ignorant and should educate themselves before talking/typing.

It's not a matter of "virtue signaling"-whatever that means-, it's ignorance-weather it's malicious, willful or not is irrelevant- VS knowledge. Heph has a wheeled chair in Greek mythology. There is no ifs or buts and no argument against it. He has it, weather one likes it or not. It is-plain and simply- entry-level knowledge. Supergiant knows this and depicts him accurately in this manner.

If people don't want to accept that fact, that's their own problem and they should stop making their ignorance of Greek mythology everyone else's problem.

The End.

[jconner1984]

Origineel geplaatst door 𝐂𝐚𝐝𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐑:

Origineel geplaatst door jconner1984:

These people miss the part where maybe it isn't just market analytics and "virtue signaling". Maybe it also just so happens to be what the devs want to do. And it's almost entirely likely to involve all three. Virtue signaling is just people saying good things and not meaning them. That's Homelander stuff.

If I wrote a story in a videogame where the lead character is a hero but also deals with coming to terms with their bisexuality and they work through their demons to undo the trauma of closeted living; that isn't virtue signalling. That's just a lived experience that ended up in media.

Maybe. But is this always the case?

...So what? Why does it matter so much? Yeah, corporate cynicism profits off of what a large portion of consumer values may be at the time.

You don't find it weird that people want to prosecute virtue signaling at every moment a piece of art accurately reflects the world?

Besides... even though virtue signalling is shallow opportunism on something good or worthy; the best that can happen is that it pushes people to care about an issue or look into things and might learn something new. The worst that can happen is that the signaller of said virtues gets exposed for being a liar about their virtues. It doesn't make the virtue bad. That's why good things are considered virtues. *shrugs*

[CadaveR]

Origineel geplaatst door Lord Adorable:

Origineel geplaatst door 𝐂𝐚𝐝𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐑:

This has nothing to do with education.

It literally does. If people screech and have problems with the fact that Heph is in a wheelchair when he has a wheelchair in actual Greek mythology and the game is being onsistent with that mythology, they're plain ignorant and should educate themselves before talking/typing.

It's no a matter of "virtue signaling"-whatever that means-, it's ignorance-weather it's malicious, willful or not is irrelevant- VS knowledge. Heph has a wheeled chair in Greek mythology. There is no ifs or buts and no argument against it. He has it, weather one likes it or not. It is-plain and simply-entry-level knowledge. Supergiant knows this and depicts him accurately in this manner.

The End.

This is your opinion, a bit naive if you ask me.

[Freely]

People tend to take inspiration from Mythology, whether Greek, Roman, Egyptian, Norse, Chinese, and take creative liberties to inject personal flair. There's a line in which you simply do not cross, however, much like with GoW Ragnarök or Hades II in the case with Hephaestus.

Not so much the fact of him being bound to a wheelchair, of his own design, but the design of the character, as a whole. This ain't even Thor "fat" from Ragnarök, this is just straight up obesity, and why would you virtue signal this? Why would you pander health risks? Not to mention, as he has always been depicted as a man with upper body strength, as comes with his profession.

The wheelchair is very on the nose, but I can understand from a creative perspective, given that he is lame. The issue I take with the design is Hephaestus being obese, to which everyone and anyone bound to a wheelchair is automatically obese? Perhaps look beyond the States, and that won't always be the case.

Other character designs, while some are clearly pandering to an audience which does not exist, are far less "problematic" when compared to Hephaestus. I'm not sure what it is the media is trying to push with this? That it is okay to be morbidly obese?

[CadaveR]

Origineel geplaatst door Lord Adorable:

Origineel geplaatst door jconner1984:

You don't find it weird that people want to prosecute virtue signaling at every moment a piece of art accurately reflects the world?

It's called cancel culture, which is -allegedly- a bad thing.

It is.

Origineel geplaatst door Freely:

why would you virtue signal this? Why would you pander health risks?

I don't know where you have been in the last years, but this is called body positivity now.

[Freely]

Body positivity? So, being positive over health risks? cardiovascular disease, breast cancer, colon cancer, severe type of diabetes? Kidney disease, gallbladder, pancreatic cancer, being hooked up to an oxygen tank? How is any of this body positivty - That is some backwards thinking by anyone claiming otherwise. Should be promoting healthy lifestyles, healthy bodies, not obesity.

[jconner1984]

Origineel geplaatst door 𝐂𝐚𝐝𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐑:

Origineel geplaatst door Lord Adorable:

It's called cancel culture, which is -allegedly- a bad thing.

It is.

Origineel geplaatst door Freely:

why would you virtue signal this? Why would you pander health risks?

I don't know where you have been in the last years, but this is called body positivity now.

Hey... mate. Maybe people dont wanna be ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥? Maybe it's okay for folks to wake up one day and decide to be more intelligently sensitive to others?

Which do you think is more accurate. Body positive people wanting to be nice and undo stigmas against different body types... or you actually caring about medical health?

Something tells me you don't care about the health of others whatsoever.

This is tiring. I'm gonna go be a productive member of society today. Maybe I'll give out nice compliments to coworkers and pick up the slack where some might need help. Then hit the gym and cook dinner for my wife. That sounds much better than grappling with people who want a callous and severe world.

Go with God, stranger.

[CadaveR]

Origineel geplaatst door Freely:

Body positivity? So, being positive over health risks? cardiovascular disease, breast cancer, colon cancer, severe type of diabetes? Kidney disease, gallbladder, pancreatic cancer, being hooked up to an oxygen tank? How is any of this body positivty - That is some backwards thinking by anyone claiming otherwise. Should be promoting healthy lifestyles, healthy bodies, not obesity.

I full agree with you on that, that's the problem with wokeism. They don't want to see all of this, you're just being aggressive to them.

Origineel geplaatst door jconner1984:

Origineel geplaatst door 𝐂𝐚𝐝𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐑:

It is.


I don't know where you have been in the last years, but this is called body positivity now.

This is tiring. I'm gonna go be a productive member of society today. Maybe I'll give out nice compliments to coworkers and pick up the slack where some might need help. Then hit the gym and cook dinner for my wife. That sounds much better than grappling with people who want a callous and severe world.

Its just a futile discussion to kill time, have a happy evening.

[lyralady]

Origineel geplaatst door Hurkyl:

Origineel geplaatst door lyralady:

lol yes....ancient greece depicted hephaestus in a winged chariot chair -- that is, a chair with wheels. and wings. because he had a limp. we have a vase painted example, c.a. 525 BCE https://www.theoi.com/Gallery/K7.6.html Attributed to the Ambrosios Painter. Description on Theoi reads: "Hephaestus returns to Olympus from his exile on the shores of the river Oceanus riding a winged chariot-car or chair. The chair is decorated with the heads, wings and tail of a crane. The god carries a double-headed smith's mallet."

FWIW, this description -- and other descriptions I've seen attached to the only two ancient depictions I could find find showing Hephaestus in a wheeled chair (which includes the one you link) -- suggest it's being used for travel, not for personal mobility. (one was Hephaestus traveling, one he was testing something he was building for Dionysus)

And fwiw, the other depictions are FREQUENTLY of him riding a donkey. which is...a great means of transport for someone who has difficulty walking. That's sort of the emphasis here. Like yes, he is traveling riding a donkey and is known to have a disability.

And again in context, the description does suggest travel! Long distance travel!

Hephaestus has legs in a lot of this mythology, but is crippled and they are often described as twisted.

But literally in the verses I quoted the descriptions are inclusive of a spectrum of mobility! Which is not unusual for people with disabilities. Like I pointed out, the wheeled tripods are for travel to the homes of other gods - i.e. longer distances, outside of his own home. He is described as briefly walking. Then he uses a cane to walk less smoothly before his gold servants begin to assist his walking a short distance in the room itself.

People can be sometimes wheelchair users with prosthetics (and that's even with the best top of the line prosthetics out there! Prosthetics are heavy and can hurt. abled people like wheeled transport for longer distances also? I can't imagine why the most perfectly godly prosthesis would change that). and they can also sometimes walk unaided, aided with a cane, or aided with a person. The wheelchair is great for longer distances! (Which since Hephaestus is beaming in, that makes total sense lol).

It's actually ironic that people thing the wheel chair is virtue signalling but the badass metal above-the-knee prosthetic leg went unmentioned lol. Like...weird behavior where people basically just only treat prosthetics as "cool" and "superhuman" and not...also a disability aid, but a wheelchair is virtue signalling that disability can....exist? The virtue of...transport for people with mobility issues? The virtue that people can have mobility issues that aren't purely cyberpunk "cool"?

Idgi. and over Greek mythology too, like.

Babes, Daedalus wasn't real and also didn't build an actual working set of wings for people. That's definitely anachronistic because it doesn't exist. Also in the last game we got a gun.

Why does a wheelchair make everyone so fussy?

[lyralady]

Origineel geplaatst door Freely:

People tend to take inspiration from Mythology, whether Greek, Roman, Egyptian, Norse, Chinese, and take creative liberties to inject personal flair. There's a line in which you simply do not cross, however, much like with GoW Ragnarök or Hades II in the case with Hephaestus.

Not so much the fact of him being bound to a wheelchair, of his own design, but the design of the character, as a whole. This ain't even Thor "fat" from Ragnarök, this is just straight up obesity, and why would you virtue signal this? Why would you pander health risks? Not to mention, as he has always been depicted as a man with upper body strength, as comes with his profession.

The wheelchair is very on the nose, but I can understand from a creative perspective, given that he is lame. The issue I take with the design is Hephaestus being obese, to which everyone and anyone bound to a wheelchair is automatically obese? Perhaps look beyond the States, and that won't always be the case.

Other character designs, while some are clearly pandering to an audience which does not exist, are far less "problematic" when compared to Hephaestus. I'm not sure what it is the media is trying to push with this? That it is okay to be morbidly obese?

Just say you don't know what lifting and strongmen looks like. Seriously google strongman physique. Like Brian Shaw. (Or strongman vs body builder physique lol). Those dudes are massive and world champion athletes, and are probably more in shape than most of us. Certainly more in shape than me, and my BMI is underweight lol.

Help me out here people:

Is this design virtue signalling (signalling what? I don't know) from corporations who only care about making lots of money

OR

Are they "clearly pandering to an audience which does not exist"

Which is it. Is there pandering to an audience that doesn't exist or is there virtue signalling purely for the sake of greed and profit to an audience that would make them lots and lots of money?

...also third option: they're making a cool game because they are passionate about making games and it's their livelihood so they do want to make money, but as an indie company they don't have to appease shareholders so the designs are what they want.

And it's me, I'm the one they're "pandering" to. I'm the audience for all of these character designs, out here buying and supporting games and GOTY sequels that have a made up audience. My demands for designs that look badass make you quail at the thought of a brickhouse blacksmith god in a wheelchair.

I think the designs look awesome and all the gods reveals are cool and interpret mythology in fun and clever ways.

[lyralady]

Origineel geplaatst door Lord Adorable:

Origineel geplaatst door lyralady:

Why does a wheelchair make everyone so fussy?

Ableism is-unfortunately- alive and well in the world.
A problem that COULD be easily solved with healthy & eager applications of Cainism if we truly put our arms into it.

Ahh see I get this is supposed to be a joke and funny & this isn't a criticism of you or anything — but I've developed this policy of like... "actually imitating their mindset of extremes by joking about solving the problem forcibly probably isn't healthy for me, or even cathartic, and also might further radicalize them into feeling they're being reasonable in the face of the terrible mob or whatever. It just makes me feel bummered."

And I like, I WISH I could just bonk these ideas out whack-a-mole style but. Ugh. None of this is about facts or evidence or like...reality, it's all a bunch of fear talking. Let's just get them a nightlight or something, lmao.

[STBiLL]

Because the modern audience demands it.

[CadaveR]

Origineel geplaatst door STBiLL:

Because the modern audience demands it.

Awesome avatar

[Lord Adorable]

Origineel geplaatst door STBiLL:

Because the modern audience demands it.

Or it's because Heph has a wheeled chair in Greek mythology. You'd know this if you've dealt with it before at all.