A Pathfinder Miniature in Extremely Poor Taste

AnthonyRoberson · May 11, 2015, 03:51:02 PM

Quote from: Ratman_tf;830985http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pickled_punks

I'm just trying to get this straight. Are you saying that the biology lab was a carnival attraction? Or that they used carny terminology in the lab? Or is wiki incorrect?

The term 'pickled punk' may have originated in carnivals but I know for a fact my lab friend used it for the preserved fetuses in their lab as well. I don't know how widespread it was or is.

Ratman_tf · May 11, 2015, 03:56:50 PM

Quote from: AnthonyRoberson;830986The term 'pickled punk' may have originated in carnivals but I know for a fact my lab friend used it for the preserved fetuses in their lab as well. I don't know how widespread it was or is.

Ok. Well. Yeah. Poor taste. Rock on Pathfinder. I have a gross sense of humor so I can dig it.

Raven · May 11, 2015, 04:04:27 PM

I think you're overreacting. It is unlikely Paizo would knowingly base a mini on a term with the modern connotations you claim. Probably they just haven't spent a lot of time hanging out in biology labs learning weird lingo. That your "modern examples" amount to to "what a friend of your said" doesn't add a lot of weight either.

All that said I think it's a poor monster name.

I don't have any Pathfinder books. Is this a creature that's appeared in one of their beastiaries?

Bren · May 11, 2015, 04:24:28 PM

Quote from: Raven;830990All that said I think it's a poor monster name.

If you don't like lithopedion then go with Tiyanak an actual Philippine baby monster said to come from aborted fetuses.

Armchair Gamer · May 11, 2015, 04:33:20 PM

I first encountered 'pickled punks' in 1998, in the TSR Ravenloft supplement Carnival. From the log of the Product Spotlight chat on TSR's old website

Quote[Designer John W. Mangrum]: The pickled punks are a classic sideshow exhibit. I took that, inspired by a visit to the Mutter Museum in Philadelphia, and added a touch of Cronenburg.

I feel fairly certain that the Pathfinder version comes from the same source, either directly or through Carnival. (F. Wesley Schneider was a big Ravenloft fan.)

So what's the backstory on the Pathfinder version? Ravenloft's monstrous version had a sort of 'budding' origin off of a cursed NPC.

Quote from: Necrozius;830960That's actually kind of funny considering how much Paizo is like "look how socially progressive we are: we have so many openly gay, bi, trans and non-white characters! See? SEE?" and then they have an aborted fetus monster toy figurine for PCs to murder.

EDIT: not passing judgment, or anything. It's just funny.

I could say something about 'social progressives' and the fanatical devotion that many of them seem to have to abortion ... but I'd want to know more about the backstory about the PF version.

S'mon · May 11, 2015, 05:14:27 PM

Quote from: Armchair Gamer;830995I could say something about 'social progressives' and the fanatical devotion that many of them seem to have to abortion ... but I'd want to know more about the backstory about the PF version.

Yeah, aborted fetus monsters are not officially un-PC, and D&D has had the Atropal (deific abortion monster) for a long time.

I don't think calling it racist will cut the mustard, but I guess if you could somehow convince Paizo that aborted fetus monster minis were offensive to the transgender community, they might recall it.

Philotomy Jurament · May 11, 2015, 06:39:24 PM

Don't care.

danskmacabre · May 11, 2015, 06:59:29 PM

Yeah, not bothered.
Lots of monsters, creatures, whatever in Fantasy and Myth have gruesome backstories/origins.

Seems to me a fuss is being made over nothing.

Ephemerer · May 11, 2015, 07:00:17 PM

Quote from: Flashman;830961Never heard the term until today. The article you reference gives the origin as a carny term and not a reference to black women's aborted fetuses. In fact, despite you saying the modern understanding is racial, you don't point to anything that this is so. Finally, for a company (Paizo) that bends over backwards to not offend any minority groups, you've got a high mountain to climb to show that this is intentional on Paizo's part.

It's a high mountain, but SJW's get triple the XP when they bring down one of their own. That makes it worth it.

Spinachcat · May 11, 2015, 07:15:00 PM

Awesome! Pathfinder finally produced something useful to me.

Quote from: Bren;830968The tale of Mme Colombe Chatri the "Stone-Child of Sens" is kind of creepy.

Absolutely! That baby's going into a CoC event.

The best part is the Stone Child of Sens has been missing since the late 19th century!!!

Who took it? Why? Did it leave on its own? What does Professor Reinhardt really know?

Lord Hobie · May 11, 2015, 07:38:47 PM

I have to have one of these.

Lord Hobie

James Gillen · May 11, 2015, 08:18:36 PM

The real question of course is:

If a Pickled Punk picked a peck of pickled peppers,
how many pickled peppers did a Pickled Punk pick?

jg

crazyfunster · May 11, 2015, 09:06:33 PM

Quote from: Bren;830992If you don't like lithopedion then go with Tiyanak an actual Philippine baby monster said to come from aborted fetuses.

To put things into context; Philippine culture has traditionally been incredibly conservative and overwhelmingly Catholic-influenced.

So, abortion is considered a HUMONGOUS sin which taints the baby. Go figure.

To be fair, its not just aborted or undead babies that turn out to be tiyanaks: in some stories, they're actual beasts in the shape of babies that lure unwary travelers into taking it home then devouring them in their sleep.

Bren · May 11, 2015, 09:34:31 PM

Quote from: crazyfunster;831043To put things into context; Philippine culture has traditionally been incredibly conservative and overwhelmingly Catholic-influenced.

I freely admit I don't know what the genesis or folk history of the Tiyanaks is. I suspect that the Tiyanak has an origin or underlying myth prior to the Spanish conquest of the Philippines. Abortion monsters are not a commonly seen thing in Catholic countries world wide which we would expect if Catholicism was the root cause of the aborted baby monster myths.

And if people eating fetus monsters were not enough, the Philippines also features monsters that eat fetuses like the Aswang, Matruculan, and Manananggal. Some of these Asian and Austronesians monsters are seriously weird and creepy.

Doughdee222 · May 11, 2015, 10:02:23 PM

Never heard the term until today. Doesn't sound racist to me.

Yeah, I only have so much outrage to spare and most of that goes to stupid politicians and silly beliefs. I can't spend any on game figures.

Good looking miniatures though. I owned and painted hundreds back in the 80's. Mostly Grenadier and Ral Partha 25mm but some others too. I had to abandon them during a move however. Still breaks my heart. Someday I'll want to rebuild a collection again.