Thinking about what it means for a character to be 'Mack-coded' rather than just big and buff and it's taking me to some interesting places as I ponder on what Jaida Rosaline Lucille Mack actually is to me. Hm.
I think I've finally got a handle on it. So, what is 'Mack-coded?' What is it when seeing a character in a game, a piece of media, or some other source that makes one think, 'Mack!'? What strange urge is it that drives a person to screenshot something and send it to me, pointing frantically and cackling, "It you! It you!" This feels indecently self-indulgent, but hear me out:
1.) A Mack is larger than life: A Mack is big. Sometimes that's literally, sometimes it's in the way they fill a room or sit in a chair just on the verge of looking ridiculous, or sometimes it's by sheer volume. I've joked about it in the past with pictures of Brian Blessed, but that really is a man who is extremely Mack-coded: unapologetically vibrant, and completely impossible to imagine sitting quietly in a corner. Being a Mack is utterly juvenile wish fulfilment, and I don't care! Big.
2.) A Mack should be kind: Kindness is something different to niceness. Generally speaking they should go hand in hand, but at times in our lives I'm sure we've all heard kindness with a bit of bite: either as a warning against future danger, or a reminder of the interconnectivity of all things. Good-natured and kind does not equate to being a pushover - my favourite comparison is, as ever, with Star Trek. Starfleet explores the universe to find new life and new civilizations, always aiming for peaceful and fruitful first contact with new cultures... but they go armed for a reason. There's some holes in that simile but I still like it.
3.) A Mack has fun: There are a few characters I can think of that are big, polite, powerful... but a little staid and sedate, or too haughty to put that boundless energy to use. At their best, a Mack should embody that sensation of watching a big cat at the zoo tearing the everloving shit out of a cardboard box. Anything worth doing is worth doing past the point of reason. Limits are there to be exceeded - until somebody's not having fun! See point two! A weird data point on the comparison chart here would be Tigger. Always just a little too much if you can imagine a situation where you couldn't get away from him, but an utter riot if that's what you're in the mood for.
4.) Sometimes a Mack just wants a little cuddle: Not every day is a big day. Not every moment is an active riot of colour and sound. Now and then you've gotta recharge, and sit on that box you ripped to pieces. Yes, a Mack can and will occasionally loaf (both in the sense of being idle, and to tuck those bappers up and loaf as a cat does).
So... truth be told, I think I've just slowly reinvented the himbo, but with tits. Give Kronk cat ears and a sports bra and I'm pretty sure you've got a Mack.
