#I just don’t know in depths about ancient Asian culture | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

cienie-isengardu · 3 years

Note

Not only do I not regret asking you to "RELEASE THE RAMBLES!", I'm sending you requests for more. Below is a list of questions that I asked @bihansthot , and enjoyed their answers, but because you are so thorough, and answer in such depth, I'm re-asking them to you.

Brace yourself, it's a list. I didnt have time to sort thru them, I just copied and pasted, so if any are questions you already answered before, please feel free to include the links.

"LET US BEGIN!"

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In the spirit of potential future writing, I'm trying to find a building that would make a good substitution for Lin Kuei temple.

I've tried looking up ancient Chinese military barracks/forts, and have found some stuff, but is all exterior. Anyone know of any locations (or several I can cobble together) that would make good inspiration fodder?

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So, uhm, religion? What's the Lin Kuei's take on that one? I know they are aware of Gods, they team up with/ encounter Raiden all the time, and have literally worked for/against Shinook, so I know they recognize higher powers... but I guess the question is, do they care?

Do they have a religion, or spiritual practice that resembles religion? Or do they have a more practical approach "gods exist, but we just consider them very strong people"?

Which segues into... do they recognize and participate in holidays, or things like birthdays? Or are all their celebrations work related (I.E. successful missions or levels of combat mastery)?

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Food. What foods do they normally eat? What foods do they like? What foods don't they like? What foods do they absolutely love so much they'll stop what they're doing to get it?

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If you had to match the Lin Kuei with a dynasty, what one would it be? (I know the 2021 movie has the opening in the Ming dynasty, so the Lin Kuei is at least that old, but given that movie Bi Han hasn't aged in 400 years, and was taken is a child, its probably much older) (and also know the game probably cherry picked random Chinese things it liked).

What do you think the Lin Kuei's view on artistic culture (probably not the right word) is? I know they are heavily militaristic, but in the game, Kuai Liang offers Hanzo tea and he properly prepares it the Japanese way, that says they have something of an education other than just related to fighting?

Lastly, in the movie, everything Bi Han does is "for the Lin Kuei", but the Lin Kuei is on Earth (assumedly), and he is working for a guy who wants to enslave Earth, so what do you think the deal is?

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Question about the Cryomancers. I know the game lore says that they are supposed to be rare, but I also know that the Lin Kuei have had at least 5 (grandpa, papa, older, and younger Sub Zero, and Frost). 4 of which are part of 3 generations that inherited it even with mixed blood (I'm assuming Mama Sub Zero wasn't Cryomancer since they left her alone).

That's a lot of generations in a row for a rare trait... So do you think the Cryomancers as a group have figured out they're being hunted and have chosen to live in hiding?

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Lin Kuei society question? I like writing so I also like world building and I think about these things.

Is Lin Kuei society ever covered? I know there is a Grandmaster, a handful master assassins (Sub Zero's, Sektor, Cyrax, etc) and the movies always have a bunch canon fodder lesser assassins.

And they live in the very isolated Lin Kuei Palace/Temple in Arktika (or wherever it used to be)

But is Lin Kuei (we'll call it "village") ever covered? Do they have willing servants, kidnapped slaves, or a mix of both? Are there women (non fighter women, I know there's Frost) or do they employ strictly male help? If there are women, what's their role, and are there children born there? What about Elderly? What about resources, is everything (from food, clothes, weapons, and the raw materials to create them) grown or manufactured on sight by skilled laborers or do they import/interact with the outside world? How vicious or civil is this society, could you be killed for looking at Sektor wrong or do they value your services to a degree? What's the degree? This is obviously a combat culture, but is everyone expected to know martial arts of some variety, is it optional, or do they prohibit it among the servants/slaves? How strict are they on things like clothing, food, alcohol, drugs, "luxuries", or pleasures? Money? If they interact with the world do they recognize and use $$ currency, commodity currency, or a mixture? Internally are the Lin Kuei payed or just provided for? What about illness or injury, if you're not a master and it a serious injury/illness are you taken care of or do they just give you a quick death?

Etc. That's all the questions I can think of, but please feel free to answer questions I didn't ask, if you think of anything else.

Thank you for this wonderful list to talk about! I’m gonna split the answer into smaller parts, for better focusing on each aspect but also so I don’t feel bad for keeping you waiting for ages, lol. For now let’s focus on asks about the religion!

So good questions! I do think they have some spiritual practice(s) because in martial arts the state of a mind is as important as the physical body and religion is one of many ways to shape someone’s mindset from a young age. I do, however, think that Lin Kuei does not worship the gods. They are aware that the gods exist (with Raiden as the thorn in the side) and may even respect their supernatural powers and battle skills but it never has stopped Lin Kuei from desecrating holy places, murdering people and stealing stuff for the best price. So, it seems to me that whatever religion the members of the clan follow, by nature it is rooted in nontheism.

Of course, there is also a chance that Lin Kuei worships some forgotten deity or deities (as a remnant of their ancient connections with Outworld / realms conquered and destroyed by Shao Kahn?) or may even practice ancestor worship which seems like a good way to uphold a widely understood tradition that plays an important role in the discussed community.

The closest thing to religious practice was seen in Mortal Kombat X, when Sub-Zero and his warriors seemed to pray together before statue of god / deity / ancestor / legendary warrior / personalized thing they value the most (sadly, my knowledge about Asian religious practices or faiths is very limited so I don’t have idea if the statue is supposed to represent any real god/religious symbol).

At the same time, it could be just a bluff since Grandmaster was aware of Cage’s team infiltrating the Lin Kuei territory and used this moment to lure them into a trap. Additionally, Mortal Kombat X comics presented once Kuai Liang sitting before the same statue albeit in a completely different (devoid of reverence?) position.

Of course, if we take into account Mortal Kombat Armageddon, the game states that Lin Kuei Temple placed in Arctika was actually once the Temple of Delia (the great sorceress & wife of god Argus) that at some point get abandoned and re-used by Sub-Zero’s clan.

(In the background, we can see a statue of Delia that Lin Kuei does not worship but did not remove for whatever reason. Mixing both old and new games, we can only wonder if MKX!statue is also the remnant of someone else's faith/religion?)

Beside that, Kuai Liang was pretty vocal about Lin Kuei not worshipping the Elder Gods, what was seen in MK11’s intro dialogue with Cetrion

Sub-Zero: The Lin Kuei do not worship the Elder Gods.

Cetrion: We seek gratitude, not worship.

Sub-Zero: I see no distinction.

and personally did not have any reason to pray to the goddess:

Sub-Zero: Why should I pray to you?

Cetrion: Why does a bird flap its wings?

Sub-Zero: I asked a simple question.

In all fairness, in MK11 Kuai Liang seems the most passive-aggressive toward the Elder God while Frost is focused on her ambitions and Noob!Bi-Han just wants to be left alone when bothered by Cetrion. Similar thing happens toward Raiden. Despite gratitude for saving him, Kuai Liang does not spare the god criticism (can’t serve both Elder Gods and Earthrealm, isn’t fit for his role of protector) and in MKX outright says he does not fear divine beings:

Raiden: Sub-Zero...

Sub-Zero: I fear no gods, Raiden.

Raiden': That's why you shall lose.

Surprisingly, Kuai Liang’s interaction with MK11!Fujin sounds less accusing than with Raiden and Cetrion and it is connected closely to their ties with Bi-Han. And maybe Kuai Liang did seek in the past Fujin and other elements to make a peace with them, like he planned to do so in Mortal Kombat 4 Limited comics?

"I came here to make peace with the gods of the elements that you fought [...]"

Anyway, the accusingly behaviour toward Raiden and Cetrion could be just Kuai Liang’s personal dislike for gods and serious authority issues, which makes sense considering how much he suffered because of their meddling and conflicts.

But honestly?

The available examples of Lin Kuei attitude toward gods, demigods and supernatural beings suggest how little the warriors - especially cryomancers - care for them.

Like, we have Bi-Han in Mythologies, who asked Quan Chi about details of mission:

Sub-Zero: If it's so precious, why don't you get it yourself?

Quan Chi: I cannot enter the temple until the four elements within its walls have been defeated. And I am not on the best of terms with the gods of your realm... especially your god of thunder.

Sub-Zero: Tell me about these elements.

Quan Chi outright said he and earthrealm gods weren’t friends and Bi-Han, reading between the lines, could get the idea that he may end on bad terms with Thunder God. Yet he was interested only in elements (lesser gods than protector of realm?) guarding the temple.

Then Bi-Han beat down four demigods and met a displeased Raiden after Quan Chi got the Shinnok Amulet. His reaction? No fear, like meeting an angry god was a normal occurrence.

Rayden: Do you realize what you've done??

Sub-Zero: I was just earning my living.

Rayden: Your clan's ignorance and greed will cost this entire realm. You must now set things straight.

Sub-Zero: Quan Chi could simply be a lunatic sorcerer. I've never heard of an elder god named Shinnok or of a place called the Netherrealm.

Rayden: Well, you'd better start believing in both, because you're going to the Netherrealm and you're going to bring the amulet back. We must act quickly. I have no dominion in the Netherrealm... You are reality's only hope.

Sub-Zero: I'll do it, Thunder God... but only because I have no choice.

And once he came back from Netherrealm, where he was fixing what he messed up in the first place on Raiden’s order, his abrasive attitude did not change much:

Sub-Zero: Here... the amulet.

Rayden: Impressive, Sub-Zero. Perhaps you will reconcile your reckless past after all.

Sub-Zero: That's it? Not even a thank you?

Of course, to some degree Raiden’s words did have an impact on Bi-Han but even the god’s warning about his soul tainted with evil did not stop him from coming back to Lin Kuei. Bi-Han’s attitude and/or approach to gods seems to change somehow once he was reborn as Noob, but that is a different matter for different times.

Anyway, Mythologies!Bi-Han and MK11!Noob act less aggressive toward gods than Kuai Liang. But then we have Sub-Zero from from the MK novel by Jeff Rovin, who not only is not afraid of gods but outright insult them:

“Wait! Be warned, Shang Tsung. He is cursed!”

“Cursed? By whom?”

Ruthay wailed, “By the immortal Yu.”

Shang Tsung felt cold spiders crawl up his spine. “The demigod Yu?”

“Yes… he who is said to dwell in the underground caverns of Horse Ear Mountain… which is sacred to the goddess Kuan Lin. He who protects the canals… and the tunnels… and looks after all who use them, human and animal.”

“What did our brash friend do to Yu?”

“He… killed a man,” said Ruthay.

“What man?”

“A toll-taker… one who had given up a life of crime… one who had been a partner of the man… you… seek.”

“And how did that crime come to the attention of the spirit of Yu?” Shang Tsung asked.

“The man was killed… slowly disemboweled with a sword… while accomplices forced his wife and his son to look on! After his murder… the man’s remains… were dumped into a canal!”

Shang Tsung raised an eyebrow. “Is that all? I was expecting something truly terrible!”

“It was!” Ruthay shrieked. “When he disposed of the body… in that way … he profaned one of the sacred waterways… of Yu!”

Shang Tsung smiled now. “Then he is definitely the man I want,” he said. “Anyone who is impudent enough to insult a demigod won’t be afraid to attack a member of the White Lotus Society, or the gods who watch after them. I will send Hamachi, Ruthay. When he nears his goal, see through his eyes and guide him!”

Book!Sub-Zero was impudent enough to insult a demigod which is why he was one of Shang Tsung’s favorites. And to be clear - book!Sub-Zero did not regret insulting the demigod at all. Even more! He found humor in it!:

He dwelt in a cave two hundred feet up the face of a cliff by the sea. The mouth of his home was barely wide enough to accommodate a slender adult, and was accessible only by climbing the sheer wall of rock, a feat that was impossible for most adults and daunting even to the few arachnids and marsupials that tried it.

Maybe some of them were even sent by Yu, he thought with a smirk, little assassins who would chastise me for having spilled blood in his precious canal.

The less abrasive attitude toward gods was shown by Cyrax, who talked a bit with Raiden over Bi-Han’s remains. He wasn’t outright antagonistic but wasn’t overall respectful either. He talked with Thunder God like he would talk with any other human being that wasn’t actually Scorpion. Frankly, from the named Lin Kuei only MK9!Smoke actually addressed Raiden in respectful manner, with proper bow and the name of lord

albeit did he do so because he respects the divine beings or just out of gratitude for saving him, hard to tell for sure.

So yeah, it seems like no matter what kind of timeline or age or medium of the story, Lin Kuei does not fear gods nor pray to them. And the clan has a long history of dealing with Raiden, so the Lin Kuei had first-hand experiences with supernatural beings. Somehow, cryomancers are the most impudent warriors when it comes to dealing with or criticizing the gods.

Interestingly, as much as Lin Kuei warriors don’t care for gods, most of the known to us named characters believe to have - and to care - for their own souls. Sektor and MK11!Frost embraced the Cyber Lin Kuei idea but Kuai Liang, Cyrax and Smoke were opposed to C.I. project out for concern for their souls among other things. Even Bi-Han, to some degree became concerned about his soul after trip to Netherrealm.

Believing in souls is usually a sign of belief in the afterlife, albeit after all of them went through (the change into cyborgs, death and change into Revenants) this is less a matter of faith (religion) and more first-hand experiences. And let's not forget that regularly dealing over the centuries with Shang Tsung who steals people's souls on a daily basis makes it really hard to not believe spirits are real.

Also, an interesting matter of Lin Kuei practices that could have a religious/spiritual ground and/or be an example of ancestor worship is the clan’s funeral rites. I don’t think we actually saw any Lin Kuei to bury their own (especially after warrior’s failure?) and for sure MK9!Cyrax and Sektor did not bother to take care of Bi-Han’s remains. However the sources provide examples of Lin Kuei keeping corpses, most likely of their own leaders or warriors.

And so, we could see human remains:

put in two coffins on each side of statue

hidden / kept in a block of ice(?) in chamber of Fallen Lin Kuei in which Frost’s frozen body was also laid, but on the altar

Cyrax’s cyber body was kept and guarded by Sub-Zero (and this is like the only thing that Kuai Liang and Cyber Sektor so far agreed on)

and even Cyber Sektor’s remains, even if just for pragmatic reasons, are kept in what seems to be respectful manner:

It could be just Kuai Liang’s good nature to honor fallen of his clan (I’m still not sure if Lin Kuei Palace is the new place for Sub-Zero’s clan or the ancient hideout) but even in MK Conquest TV series, after Grandmaster was killed by then-currently-Sub-Zero, there was the farewell ceremony with clothes on display (cause there was not much left of body after freezing and shattering) while new leader gave the speech promising to punish the guilty.

Which makes me think that Lin Kuei did honor their fallen warriors (especially those exceptional, deserving). Such custom and apparently common belief in soul could also support the ancestor worship - both as some ancient, mythical ancestor(s) connecting warriors into one clan (family) and tradition to follow in the footsteps of forefathers (Bi-Han taking place of his father [old timeline] or grandfather [current timeline] or Kuai Liang taking Bi-Han’s place as Sub-Zero).

My general conclusion about Lin Kuei is that its members believe in souls, have respect and use of spiritual matters (meditation?) and maybe ancestor worship. Whatever the religious / spiritual practices they have over the centuries, it is not something they will share, as the Lin Kuei by nature are secretive people who keep personal things mostly for themselves. The people that joined the clan (Cyrax and Smoke) maybe kept their old, eventual religious beliefs but overall, Lin Kuei warriors did not fear, care for nor pray to gods. They may respect god (Raiden, Fujin) as a person but not because of their divine nature. And even that would not stop them from criticizing said god. Which is pretty much how Kuai Liang and Raiden’s relationship looks like. Grandmaster is grateful to Thunder God for saving him but he won’t blindly follow his authority.

(Kuai Liang has serious authority issues, hasn't he?)

As for holidays, I can’t really see Lin Kuei to follow any specific religious (theistic) special day cause they don’t care much for gods in the first place. Unless they worked undercover and needed to act as normal human beings, religious holidays would mean nothing to them. The warriors may however celebrate their mission success, combat mastery or promotion between themselves or in secret, I think. Like, Lin Kuei did forbid friendship because it was considered warrior’s flaw yet we know some members either were blood-related (Kuai Liang, Bi-Han, previous Sub-Zero - father or grandfather, depending on which timeline is correct) or considered each other a family (Kuai Liang and Tomas Vrbada) and most named characters worked in duos so they have both opportunity and knowledge about each other to celebrate important matters. If they managed to remember anything from previous life, that is. Because from ancient to at least Great Kung Lao’s times most(?) adepts were kidnapped from biological families at a really young age (something around 6 years old). And Mythologies: Sub-Zero takes that even further:

Its warriors are chosen at birth to be raised apart from the workings of day to day civilization and are stripped of their former lives. Only the clan knows their existence. Each of them posses certain skills and abilities that set them apart from normal men. These abilities are passed on from generation to generation and honed throughout the experiences of life.

So, celebrating birthdays doesn’t sound like happening much, unless those with family around could allow themselves such luxury. The clan may however celebrate the day of becoming a fully trained and sworn warrior? Or the fallen warriors? Who knows.

Also, something worth thinking about: in Mortal Kombat Conquest TV series, when the Grandmaster presented newly appointed Sub-Zero to the rest of the clan, he “celebrated” the cryomancer's first official performance as the execution of two men who failed their mission. So, yeah, celebration of something special in (old) Lin Kuei does not necessarily mean anything nice.

(The next part of answer most likely will be focused either on food or architecture / origin of Lin Kuei. Let's hope I will get it written sooner than later)

<><> EDIT <><>

RELIGION <> ORIGINS / ARCHITECTURE <> FOOD <> FOR THE LIN KUEI <> ART <> CRYOMANCERS <> LIN KUEI SOCIETY <> MONEY & MATERIAL GOODS

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theparanormalperiodical · 3 years

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Everything You Never Knew About Dragons: Folklore, Fossils And Praying For Rain

Ever heard of the Monster of Troy? Didn’t think so. Go look up the “Monster of Troy vase” on Google.

Most of us wouldn’t be that excited by this ancient Greek ornament.

Yeah, no, it’s really cool that it was made in 600BC, and like, I don’t hate the aesthetic but it just won’t go with my new mustard shag rug.

But there’s something rather special about this vase.

What you can see here is a typical mythological scene: it’s Hercules rescuing Hesoine from this great, lurching sea serpent. But what makes this accent piece quite so interesting is how the large head of the ‘Monster of Troy’ is detailed with a tongue and lizard-like eyes.

But this isn’t any old defeat-evil-be-heroic-and-become-disney-cult-classic vase.

We think this vase is one of the first records of a fossil discovery.

The ancient Greeks didn’t know about the dinosaurs. They didn’t know that just beneath the soles of their sandals (yes, I checked that they wore sandals) were the bones of distant worlds that in this case had been wiped out 7 million years ago.

So, when those living around the Aegean Sea and Turkey started finding these strange, unknown, beast-like skulls…

I mean, I’d be worried.

They were convinced it was a sea serpent, a creature that has slithered into its folklore and was ruling its resulting myths. But these days, we know that they probably unearthed a Samotherium - an extinct, mid-size Giraffe.

If the Greeks stumbled across the skulls of these adorable creatures, finding bigger, more terrifying dinosaur skulls enriched with sharp teeth, sweeping claws, and deep, deep eye sockets must’ve convinced them that dragons really existed.

It was a short leap to the fully-fledged, fire breathing, satan-repesentin’, emperors-only dragons that still soar the skies of our fantasy lands. Today, I’m giving you the lowdown on the history of dragon folklore across the world, the cultural significance of the mythical beasts, and why we believed in them once upon a time.

Ok, let’s just guess this out there.

Dragons do exist.

*Technically.*

This is a komodo dragon.

They can grow to 2.6m (8.5 feet) long, release venom which can paralyse you, and the females can even reproduce without the males.

‘Draco’, the latin name for ‘dragon’, is still applied to several lizards. But unfortunately they aren’t as exciting as the beasts soaring through Dragonstone or terrorising the good people of Skyrim.

What Are Dragons?

A dragon is a legendary creature that typically takes the form of a large serpentine beast often adorned with wings and the ability to breathe fire. They are a staple of fantasy fiction and are normally associated with the medieval age - when folklore that featured them reached its peak of popularity in Europe - or with Chinese New Year.

When we think of dragons, we think of a cookie cutter image of a lizard-dinosaur hybrid. But in East Asian cultures, the snake-like dragon free of wings (and sometimes endowed with facial hair) is the main character of festivals.

There has been a wide range of dragons reported and described in folklore across the world since 3000 BC, but there are significant features and tropes that draw them together across borders.

Some represent evil, some bring luck; some are symbols of gods and kings, some are to be defeated by them. As with all mythical and paranormal creatures, they reflect the world in which they were created.

A Brief History Of Dragons

Due to the significance of dragons in East Asian history and culture, I’ve segmented this section into non-Eastern and Eastern history.

Our story starts 5000 years ago, in ancient Egypt. But it doesn’t start with a dragon. It starts with a snake.

According to tradition, every time the sun goes down it's because the sun god, Ra, is descending to the depths of the underworld to battle Apep. Apep was a giant serpent that came in at 8-men-long with a roar so powerful it could send storms and earthquakes to the living realm. But Apep ain’t the only giant snake slitherin’ round Duat.

Sometimes, Nehebkua (a snake so big the earth was thought to rest on its coils) would help Ra in his daily battles. And then there was Denwen, a snake made of fire that nearly destroyed all of the gods.

Denwen was defeated by a pharaoh, a victory used to established his right to rule. This was the first battle between a proto-dragon and a king. It would set a precedent for thousands of years.

This was not the only legacy of ancient Egypt for dragon folklore: protectively enshrouding Ra was an ouroboros: a serpent that swallowed its one tale. This would prevail as an iconic image of a dragon chewing on its own tail and has featured in numerous belief systems over the years.

800 miles down the road in ancient Mesopotamia, a more familiar image of a dragon emerged. In Sumerian poetry, kings are being compared to giant serpentine monsters, an association with the divine and power that would grip mythology for centuries. But we start to see a more familiar dragon-like creature appear around 2300 BC.

It’s the front half of a lion, and the back and wings of a bird. Known as the nā’iru, it was a "roaring weather beast". Throughout history, dragons are typically associated with storms, wind, and crappy weather, and this was one of the first dragons to be directly linked to it. A few other dragons also appeared, such as the mušḫuššu, which was associated with deities and even considered a protective emblem.

So far, there were no strong lines demarcating whether dragons or giant serpents were good or bad.

Then, the Bible was written.

In the Old Testament (estimated to have been written around 1200 BC), we encounter one of the most famous dragons featured in folklore: Leviathan.

In the Book of Psalms, the sea dragon is slain by Yahweh, the god of Israel and Judah as a part of the creation of the world. By claiming victory over the beast, this verified the beginning of a new world.

But to me, Leviathan also heralded a new era of dragons as his form took on the features of a modern beast: he breathes fire and smoke as well as representing the battle between Yahweh and the nations that stand against him.

Shone under the spotlight of good and evil, the dragon then began to take on association with sin. According to Sufi literature (Islamic mysticism), the dragon represents greed and lust and needs to be overcome in a spiritual battle. This was immortalised in the battle between Rostam, an Iranian monster, who needed to slay an invisible 80m dragon. Rostam slayed this dragon amongst others, including one notable feat from which he is swallowed by a dragon and kills it from the inside.

Indo-European mythology bears similar burn marks with the story of a hero slaying a dragon/serpent being copy-and-pasted across folklore.

Ancient Greece and Rome was apparently littered with serpents bursting with paranormal powers, many of which had more than one head. From the gods taking on these monsters themselves to one of their favourite heroes defeating them in a trial, this tradition cemented that dragons were to feature as a part of a hero’s tale for eternity.

This would go on to influence the bible yet again, but this time in the New Testament: according to the Book of Daniel, the Great Red Dragon is the culprit for knocking some of the sun, moon, and stars out of the sky. Then, there was a war in heaven.

This ended with the dragon being tossed down to earth, confirming that he represented the Devil.

As we enter Norse mythology, we see a more medieval approach to dragons form. Take Beowulf: in this old English epic, a slave steals a cup from a sleeping dragon. The dragon wakes up and goes on a rampage. In steps Beowulf - but he doesn’t get that far into battle before he gets hurt.

Then Wiglaf gives it a go and he succeeds! The dragon is slayed!

*Hooray*

But what really matters in this story is that Wiglaf is told by Beowulf to bury the dragon’s treasure. Yep, enter the Tolkein trope: dragons have and hoard large amounts of treasure. I don’t know how they get it or why they want it, but it probably speaks volumes of the excessive power associated with having lots of cash. It parallels them with the gods and kings they are typically associated with.

We then arrive at the 12th century - when belief in dragons in Europe is at its peak. This is when we have the legendary battle between the red and white dragon to symbolise the victory of England over Wales, and of course the legend of St George and the Dragon.

First popularised in mainstream English culture in the 11th century, it's’ a typical tale of a brave hero overcoming a horrific beast - but he only promises to kill the dragon if everyone agrees to become Christian.

This medieval approach would be immortalised by fantasy books, films, and of course the other timeless legends that inspired them. But the dragon in Eastern Asian culture takes a far more significant position.

Dragons In East Asia

China

According to Chinese tradition, it is the highest-ranking animal in the animal hierarchy. It was first detailed on Neolithic pottery (we’re talking 10,000-4000 BC), and the word ‘dragon’ actually sounds like thunder in Cantonese.

Most Eastern belief systems and traditions depict dragons not necessarily something to be defeated but something one is descended from. In fact, many of the oldest stories detail how people had dragons like pets, including the emperor Kongjia and a man named Dongfu who could tame dragons.

One of the most interesting tales, however, is that of the sighting of lung ma by Fu Hsi. This horse-dragon had dots across its back, so Fu Hsi drew a picture of it as he was mesmerised by its form. This drawing - namely the dots - was used to invent Chinese writing.

Around 500BC a new tradition emerged: the belief that people were being impregnated by dragons. The Miao of southwest China still supposedly believe a dragon created people by breathing on monkeys.

Many of these tales tap into the shared belief that dragons are associated with rain and drought - that is, if a dragon is lazy, there will be a drought. Rainmaking rituals in these nations revolve around dragons.

As we entered the Han dynasty (200 BC), dragons began to be associated with deities. And then, they became associated with emperors. They claimed to be incarnates of the beasts, having imagery of dragons on their goods, houses, and clothing. Any commoners that dared wear a dragon’s image were swiftly executed.

After 1911, when the last emperor was overthrown, many Chinese people considered themselves descendants of dragons. This is still a common belief, but few literally believe they descended from mythological beasts - it is a metaphor for the creation of the universe and the nation.

Japan

Inspired by chinese myths, Japan closely follows the lore of dragons. But they emphasize that dragons are water deities often residing in wet locations.

They can also be exorcised or appeased with metal. The association with deities was intensified when it was adopted by Buddhism; many Buddhist gods are shown sitting on dragons.

To this day, in the village of Okumura, the villagers still make an effigy of a dragon during times of drought to encourage rainfall.

Korea

Again, the Korean dragon bears a similarity to other Eastern dragons. But for some reason they tend to have facial hair and sometimes carry an orb. Those that carry it have the power to create at will.

Just like other dragons, they are associated with water and storms, and reside in lakes and oceans. The dragon also became a symbol of the monarch here and the imagery was used exclusively by their rulers.

But unlike other myths, Korean dragons have a long lifecycle documented by folklore: most dragons start out as imugis (serpents). If they caught one of the orbs that fell from heaven, they could take the title. Another version claims imugis must survive 1000 years to become a dragon.

As they live in caves, a sighting is considered good luck, chiming with the belief across East Asian cultures that dragons symbolise good fortune.

Does Anyone Still Believe In Dragons?

Dragons are still heavily utilised in East Asian festivals, such as dragon boat races or dragon dances. But few actually believe that they exist.

This lack of belief, even amongst hardcore paranormalists, for example, is pretty rare when it comes to mythical creatures or supernatural entities. But this is because of their size: if they existed, you’d probably often see a great, hulking dinosaur flip-flappin’ past your bathroom window.

They don’t have many places to hide like ghosts or other entities can.

But some belief systems do have a special place reserved for dragons.

The Bible, amongst other religious texts, does mention dragons as stated previously. Of course, very few believe these beasts are real. They consider them, much like East Asian communities, a metaphor or a symbol.

Some devout believers will believe they exist, but we aren’t talking about them today.

We’re talking about draconic wiccans.

Now, this group of people are pretty underground, by the looks of it. They’re kind of mentioned in passing and no one really talks about what they do or why they do it. So, I did some digging.

Draconic wicca is a branch that believes in the power of dragons. They work with dragons a bit like other wiccans work with gods and entities: they believe there are lots of different dragons to pick and choose from but at the top of the hierarchy there is The Dragon that they believe has the combined powers of the God and the Goddess.

If you want to practice draconic wicca, just invoke a dragon and ask them to assume your spiritual body. Through this, you can use their power for your magic. There are a range of dragons to choose from including guardian dragons, faery dragons, elemental dragons, and chaos dragons.

If you want to learn more about draconic wicca, check out this really helpful blog post I discovered!

Why Did We Believe In Dragons?

So, we know that not many people believe in dragons anymore. But why did we all those centuries ago?

Firstly, we have to consider that dragons aren’t that alien from the creatures we contend with on a daily basis. Scholars claim dragons are a hybrid of our instinctive fears. The creatures we fear the most were basically amalgamated into one terrifying beast: snakes, birds, and big cats.

But scholars also believe a big influence on belief was the discovery of fossils. In 400 BC, one chinese scholar found bones we now know were that of a dinosaur. But he recorded them as the bones of a dragon.

There are numerous cases of such discoveries, all of which would’ve helped build a picture that wasn’t that far off the creatures detailed in their religious texts.

There is also evidence to suggest that we might’ve gotten them confused with other animals, like the Nile crocodile or goannas. Either way, I don’t blame ‘em for thinking dragons might’ve existed.

If I unearthed one of the T-Rexes that ended up in a museum, I’d be terrified, too.

We also have to consider where these dragons reportedly lived. Most mythical creatures were associated with places like forests, caves, lakes - places associated with danger. These were places people didn’t go, didn’t know much about, and with limited visibility. They were as mysterious as the dragons rumoured to be swimming ‘round them.

We might now know dragons don’t exist, but their power and significance is still very real today.

Do you think dragons could exist?

If you liked this post go ahead and like ‘n reblog this post! And if you can’t wait to hear more spooky shizz, make sure you hit follow.

Byyyyyyyyeeeeeee.

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cobra-diamond · 4 years

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The East Asian Origins of the Fire Nation and Its Villains

Introduction

Over the years, many volumes of fandom blood have been spilled from discussions concerning the Fire Nation’s main villains, Ozai and Azula. Paralleling this have been arguments over their relationships with Zuko, Iroh, Ursa, Mai, Ty Lee, with each other, even with themselves. Since Ozai and Azula are the figureheads of the Fire Nation that Zuko must peacefully restore the honor of, it is worthwhile understanding why people “like them” are considered proper leaders of the current Fire Nation.

Most of these discussions have sought to create “theories” that explain these characters as exclusively combinations of mental illness, personality disorders and various emotional traumas.

A couple examples of these discussions are the essays “Azula, the Embodiment of Jealousy and Neglect,” and “Three Pillars Theory of Azula.” These two essays are just examples, but they capture the widespread strategy the fandom has employed in trying to understand the motivations and goals of Ozai and Azula and their various relationships with the other characters. In addition, the shouting matches between Azula “fans” and “haters” also illustrates these discussions. Since the franchise has yielded so few hard answers, these importance of these discussions has not waned.

What these discussions focus on, as represented by those essays, are the characters’ apparent emotional problems, theoretical moral compasses and perceived inadequacies in the eyes of their families. Typically, the “lens” these discussions view these villains through is one that tries to relate them to present day spousal and domestic abuse narratives, namely as being both “abuser” and “victim” in a cycle of abuse that can be related to the modern, real world.

What these conversations do not provide are adequate explanations for how the historical, political, military and cultural aspects of the Fire Nation molded these military leaders. You would think that people with “Lord” and “Princess” in their names, who train daily for warfare and hand-to-hand combat, would make their responsibilities take center stage in their lives.

While there is a place for “nitty gritty” psychological examinations for understanding certain behaviors, trying to depict the Fire Nation villains as purely allegories of modern day domestic abusers, empathy deficient bullies and people afflicted by personality disorders eliminates Avatar’s most unique and defining characteristic: its East Asian origins.

You don’t need beautiful animation, martial arts-styled bending and immersion in a fantasy world to explain how families in the modern era can hurt their children for petty reasons. We have that in our own lives. We have friends and families who have experienced that. It can be addressed in any other setting. It can be addressed in Avatar but it doesn’t need Avatar to address it.

What we don’t experience in our modern lives is ancient China 2000 years ago, or feudal Japan after the takeover of the Tokugawa Shogun, or religious monks living in their temples in the mountains untouched by the modern world, and so on.

The setting of Avatar is one of both beauty and relative detachment from the real (and modern) world, but it is one that is based on a period of history and human civilization that most of Avatar’s audience (North America and Europe) have little exposure to. If the characters’ motivations are too detached from the fictional world in which they live (i.e. by ignoring the historical, political, military and cultural context), then you begin to lose the world’s depth. At the same time, if their motivations are too connected to the present world, then all Avatar is is a visual motif of ancient East Asia.

By seeking to explain the Fire Nation villains as embodiments of modern psychology’s understanding of “bad” people, you erase the opportunity to apply East Asia’s very real history of warfare, monarchical domination and oppressive cultures to a fictional world that is trying to say something about that warfare, monarchical domination and oppressive cultures. Note that the show did in fact achieve this with the Dai Lee’s corruption and manipulation of the Earth King; it depicted loosely the very real occurrence of Chinese Emperors being “kept in the dark” by their advisors so as not to interfere with the “real” governing of the states.

If your goal is to view Avatar purely as an allegory for modern dysfunctional relationships and domestic abuse, you lose Avatar’s uniqueness as a fictional dive into an East Asian-inspired world, especially one that is ravaged by warfare and feudalism.

In this article, I describe an alternative model for understanding the Fire Nation’s culture and history, and how its politics and military molded its heroes and villains.

What We Know and Might Know

In order to fill the gaps in our knowledge of the Fire Nation, we first have to understand what is both known about the Fire Nation and what can be reasonably presumed about it.

First, what do we know about the Fire Nation?

1. The Fire Nation is an archipelago with a history spanning thousands of years.

2. The Fire Nation was originally the “Fire Islands” and was not initially governed by a central power.

3. The Fire Islands had a unified cultural and religious authority in the form of the “Fire Sages”.

4. Eventually, the Fire Islands were unified by a single power—the “Imperial Government”—and afterward became known as the “Fire Nation”.

5. The Imperial Government is headed by a supreme ruler: the “Fire Lord”.

6. The Fire Lord is a hereditary monarch whose family is considered the “Royal Family”, both of which are separate entities from the Fire Sages.

7. The Fire Sages remain a distinct entity from the Imperial Government.

8. Both the Fire Lord and Royal Family are military and administrative rulers.

9. The Fire Lord and their Royal Family are not sacred and everlasting; their power can be “challenged” by rival leaders.

10. Fire Lords are expected to “show their worth” and be competent fighters in their own right; prowess in military arts and control of subordinates are valued traits.

11. Agni Kais are a longstanding component of Fire Nation culture.

12. The Fire Nation experienced an “unprecedented time of peace and wealth” during the era of the Fire Nation, not during the era Fire Islands.

Next, what can be reasonably presumed given what we know?

Something necessitated the Fire Islands becoming unified, but this unification did not result in the Fire Sages taking power, nor did it yield a peaceful, democratic government.

The Imperial Government that resulted from this unification is rooted in military control and maintaining the fealty of its subjects; in Avatar and the Fire Lord, Sozin put on his “ruler persona” to Roku initially before acting friendly, only later to demand loyalty from him as if Roku was any other subject.

The culture of the Fire Nation values strength and bravery from its firebenders, as explained in an official description of Agni Kais. Presumably, the Agni Kai predates the era of the Fire Lord and has been used to settle disputes of various kinds. This could be interpreted as a “non-destructive” means of avoiding war and greater loss of life given how easily firebenders could wreak havoc to wooden buildings and crops (among other flammable components of society). Since nobody recognized Zuko on Ember Island in The Beach, despite his obvious scar, severe scars from burns must be common enough in the Fire Nation that a teen boy having one on his face is not horrifying nor particularly unattractive.

Presumably, the Fire Nation/Fire Islands used to hold its religion and spiritual ties in higher regard, but Sozin’s start of the war required this aspect of the Fire Nation to be suppressed, as implied by dragon hunting and the divided loyalties of the Fire Sages at Roku’s temple, and the fact that various generals and admirals have defected. At the same time, vast enough swaths of the country and its leadership did follow Sozin’s path, considering that he and his family remained in power for over a hundred years. If Fire Lords can have their power challenged, then either nobody tried to stop Sozin, or they were defeated. Azula’s comment about “rumors of plans to overthrow him (Ozai)” in The Avatar State implies betrayal of the Royal Family is not a dormant threat. Though she was technically lying, it must have been a credible lie since neither Iroh and Zuko thought it was preposterous; his brother being “regretful” is what puzzled Iroh, not that there would be plots against the Fire Lord.

Notably, the Fire Lord’s throne room changed between the start of the war and the present day. Prior to Sozin, it did not have the imposing wall of flame as it does now. Certainly it had to be rebuilt after Roku destroyed it, but the wall of flame is much more imposing than the old.

The Fire Sages still pay a role in the Fire Nation, but this role is not known. Presumably, they play some part in the succession of the Fire Lord since they preside over coronation. Perhaps the relationship between the Fire Lord and Fire Sages is similar to the relationship between the Japanese Emperor and the Shoguns, where the Shoguns held the true power in the country (military and administrative) whereas the Emperor maintained a facade of power as a cultural and religious symbol. What is known about the Fire Sages is that they have a temple in the capital and are divided between their loyalties to the Avatar and the Fire Lord.

Finally, the Imperial Government’s capital is located in an isolated, fortified city inside a volcano’s caldera, where coming-and-going is strictly controlled. The city is large, full of nobility, physically disconnected from the external port city (versus directly being the hub of economic activity) and contains numerous underground bunkers.

Why would the Capital require such extensive bunkers and fortifications? Presumably because the Fire Lord and Royal Family can be “challenged” and the bunkers are a defense mechanism against both external and internal threats. The Fire Nation did have a “darkest day” tied to solar eclipses, which suggests that the loss of firebending had profound military consequences. Whatever the reasons, the Imperial Government is so concerned about its survival that it has constructed massive fortifications around its capital, implying that warfare is a major concern.

Areas of Confusion

But what does all of this mean?

Was the Fire Nation previously peace-loving and compassionate while Sozin is responsible for all of its “evils”?

Have Agni Kais been performed for centuries and so Zuko being challenged to one was neither unusual nor particularly grotesque for the Fire Nation’s culture?

Did Sozin face massive opposition to starting the war or was everyone humbly obedient to the Fire Lord?

How is a Fire Lord’s rule challenged?

Why wasn’t Sozin overthrown if he had to “impose” the war upon the country?

Why did the Fire Lord come to existence in the first place?

Why has the Imperial Government not been replaced by the Fire Sages?

Why does the Fire Nation need a national government?

What is a more compelling explanation for the Fire Nation’s villains other than mental illness and personality disorders?

As it turns out, there is a way to understand the Fire Nation that adequately fills in the gaps, explains its heroes and villains and provides a lesson on East Asian history.

A Brief History of Ancient Japan’s Unification

The islands of Japan have been populated for tens of thousands of years, but the “modern” era of warlords and emperors did not begun until the past 1500 years or so. While the Japanese people were not united under a single state, there was an “Emperor” who was believed to have been descended from a goddess. Despite this first emperor having control over a certain portion of Japan, it did not take long until the country split into separate feudal states.

While the Emperor never went away, their power over the country waned. The real power in Japan laid in the hands of the various feudal lords (daimyo), who used their armies to defend their territories and capture new ones from other lords.

Since the Emperor represented a shared cultural connection among the people, their power was not completely absent. In the earlier parts of history, before the Emperor became completely subordinated, the Emperor would appoint a Seii Taishōgun, or supreme commander, of the Emperor’s armies. Eventually, this “supreme commander” became the actual ruler of the Japan since they controlled the military. By appointing them “shogun” they more or less had the public approval of the Emperor despite the Emperor not actually being able to control them.

Various shoguns came and went, but through it all were the daimyo using their samurai to battle for control of the country. Ruthlessness and murder were common. Building alliances only to later betray them were often wise tactics. For a thousand years, the rulers of Japan lived by the sword, died by the sword and used it to maintain their power. Things got particularly bad during the Sengoku Period, which is considered the “Warring States” period of Japan. That tells you all you need to know.

It was during this time that one of these feudal lords rose to power, a man named Tokugawa Ieyasu (first name Ieyasu, last name Tokugawa). Using a combination of political tact, military genius and European steel breast armor, he defeated all other daimyo during the Azuchi–Momoyama period and installed himself as the shogun of the Tokugawa Shogunate. This marked the end of over a thousand years of continuous violence and social turmoil in Japan.

The Tokugawa Shogunate represented Japan’s first unified national government. The country’s existing daimyo were placed under strict control to ensure they did not rebel. The military was nationalized and the existing feudal governments rearranged to ensure centralized control by the Shogun in his capital at Edo. Notably, Edo became modern day Tokyo.

National laws were written, along with cultural and religious standards to ensure social cohesiveness, stability and control. The economies of Japan also flourished, especially in the cities. A consequence of the Tokugawa Shogunate, however, was closing off Japan to the outside world. The Shogun wanted to ensure their rule and control of the populace. Allowing other countries to influence them and provide assistance to competing powers within the country was viewed as destabilizing.

A particularly unique aspect of the Tokugawa’s politic strategy was requiring the daimyos’ families to live in the capital while the daimyo themselves had to go back and forth between their homes in their territory (called a domain) and their homes in the capital every other year. The Shogun essentially held the daimyos’ families hostage to ensure they would not rebel or work against him, although they lived in the comfort and relative freedom of a modern city, not as actual prisoners.

Another tactic the Shogun utilized to quell rebellion was to keep careful control of who entered the city of Edo and its surroundings. Guards were at all entrances and major roads and registries were kept of all people. Essentially, if you weren’t suppose to be somewhere, you weren’t allowed to be there.

Bushdio also developed during this period as way of controlling the warrior class, and was much more complicated than most Western depictions. With war and feudal fighting no longer a constant threat, the samurai class became enforces for the new government. Naturally, the Shogun was particularly interested in controlling them.

Control is a common theme of the Tokugawa Shogun’s government.

The Tokugawa Period was one of peace and stability, prosperity and enjoyment of the arts, but Ieyasu Tokugawa was not a nice person. He hunted down and executed the families of rival clans, including kids, during the takeover. He held families hostage and made sure his subordinates feared him and never stepped out of line. He enacted strict laws to control the populace and made sure no one could challenge him and his government’s reign. And it worked. Japan did not experience another war until the end of the Tokugawa Shogunate 278 years later, when the Emperor regained control and ended the era of isolationism. There’s a reason why modern day Japan doesn’t view this period with derision and loathing; given the context of the time, it was a proud moment for a region racked by warfare and division.

A pattern is beginning to emerge: an island nation ruled by feuding lords with no central power to direct them; a religious and cultural figure with no real power; a period of intense warfare and turmoil followed by a lasting period of unification and prosperity; a powerful central government headed by a hereditary monarch who took power using ruthlessness and military might; a hereditary monarch who rules through fear and demands fealty; a capital city with strict control of who comes and goes.

Themes of control and subordination from a central power.

This is sounds very familiar.

The Military and Political History of the Fire Nation

The history of ancient Japan provides a real-world model for understanding the origins of the Fire Nation’s Imperial Government, the Fire Lord and why they rule through fear and military domination. Keep in mind that the Fire Nation is not Japan, but warfare, centralized control and a desire for peace and stability are universal. Ancient Japan’s experience with feudalism, warfare and the eventual peace that came from having a competent central authority can go a long way in applying Avatar’s “East Asian origins” to the Fire Nation and its villains and heroes.

Using the rise of the Tokugawa Shogunate as a template, the history of the Fire Nation looks like this:

The Fire Islands were ruled by various feudal lords. These feudal lords engaged in warfare with each other as they vied for ever increasing control. Firebending was the primary source of these lords’ military might. The Fire Sages were recognized as spiritual and religious leaders by the Fire Islands people, but they did not have the practical power necessary to enforce peace upon the lands.

At the same time, firebending was recognized as being fundamental to the influence of the Fire Sages and the power of the feudal lords. Since fire can destroy houses, burn fields, melt iron and lay waste to non-bending armies, whoever can control and weaponize firebending for their own purposes will attain the most power. On the other hand, this also makes warfare particularly destructive as even small rebellions could lay waste to cities given how much fire a single firebender can unleash.

At some point, in order to put a stop to the fighting, a central authority came to power, either as one of those warlords or a Fire Sage acquiring enough military and political power. Maybe an avatar helped them. Without a doubt, military might had to have played a role in ending the “Warring States” period of the Fire Islands.

In order to make sure the Fire Islands did not fall back into fighting and remained peaceful and stable, this new central authority created a sweeping national government to control them. Thus are the beginnings of the Fire Lord and Imperial Government.

Because the Fire Nation is full of people with ”desire and will, and the energy and drive to achieve what they want” (in the words of Uncle Iroh), the destructive capacity inherent to a nation full of firebenders must be kept under strict control; if the goal is to create a prosperous, flourishing society, you cannot allow it to be destroyed periodically by walking flamethrowers.

As a result, the Imperial Government is not a “friendly” entity. It controls the nobility and lords who act as the local “vassals” in their home territories; it amasses a large, overwhelming military to quash any attempts at rebellion, and to send a clear message to its people to not even try; it uses fear and threats of violence to control the people who might feel the “drive and willpower” to try their hand at acquiring wealth and power through force.

The Agni Kai exists as a means of settling conflict without the destructive consequences of firebending. Perhaps a Fire Lord enacted this to further tamp down on firebenders’ destructive tendencies. It may also be an example of how the Fire Nation’s “warrior class” handles internal disputes in a similar manner as bushido.

Bravery, ferocity and a willingness to fight are valued in the leadership of the country because the Imperial Government is supposed to be a military entity first; how can the Fire Lord, their family and government inspire fear in the people if the people don’t believe they will be crushed if they step out of line?

At the same time, since the Fire Nation is much smaller than the Earth Kingdom, the Fire Lord must ensure they can defend the Fire Nation from invasion; you need a large, devoted, competent military to go up against an enemy multiple times your size.

In order to further control the country, the Fire Lord requires the families of the lords and nobility to live in the closed-off, guarded capital inside the caldera in a similar manner as the Tokugawa Shogunate required. This is why the capital is so guarded and closed-off, yet beautiful and comfortable; it is both a defensive measure for the administrative officials and a means of holding the nobility “hostage”.

The Fire Lord and Royal Family views themselves as presiding over, and maintaining the peace and stability of the Fire Nation. Their responsibility is to ensure that the peaceful Fire Nation does not fall back into the chaotic Fire Islands. Being nice and democratic is not their means of achieving this; making sure everybody subordinates themselves to the Imperial Government is.

After hundreds of years of peace and an unprecedented era of prosperity, the Fire Nation began to lose its internal enemies. The lords and nobility were under full control. The Imperial Government was vast and efficient. Nobody was trying to invade the Fire Nation. Everyone was happy and proud of their culture and government.

This allowed Sozin to begin looking outward. Using the all-powerful Imperial Government apparatus developed over the centuries, plus the sweeping loyalty to it ingrained into the public, he was able to get the country to go to war against the world. The militarism inherent to the Fire Nation’s leadership was not crafted out of whole cloth but simply cranked up and sent down a dark path.

The military being so willing to go along with it was because of their inherent loyalty to the Imperial Government and their culture of aggression and lust for battle necessary for warriors. This is actually where the 20th century Imperial Japan connections come in, but that’s a separate topic.

In summary, the Fire Lord and Royal Family view themselves as stewards of the peace and order of the Fire Nation. They see their responsibility as doing whatever it takes to prevent the “bad old days” from returning and that the Fire Nation is never weakened by foreign invaders. They rule through coercion and fear in order to ensure a country full of people who can shoot fire out of their hands remain subservient to the Imperial Government’s will. They embrace a culture of fighting because their primary goal is to prevent fighting by deterring those who might want to try.

An Alternate View of the Fire Nation’s Villains

Viewing the Fire Nation’s culture, government and leadership through the lens of Japanese history paints a more coherent picture of the Fire Nation’s villains, versus the M.C. Escher-like theories that result from focusing entirely on mental illness and personality disorders.

Look at it like this: the Fire Lord demands fealty and obedience from the people yet Azula’s emphasis on controlling people through fear is a result of Freudian Excuses and personality disorders?

No way.

Ruling through fear and coercion is necessary from the viewpoint of a soldier-princess who is supposed to command obedience from subjects, or else.

Agni Kais are expected events in Fire Nation culture, so common that child-Zuko is perfectly happy to face the general over mere “disrespect”, but the Fire Lord challenging his son to one is uniquely out of line? It’s awful, I mean, really awful, but it’s not out of line and it says a lot about the ingrained culture of the Fire Nation; Ozai didn’t think it would be viewed as shameful by everyone watching. Keep in mind that the tale of the 47 Ronin started with one member of the nobility insulting the other (essentially) and being asked to commit suicide simply for drawing a weapon inside Edo Castle (strictly forbidden). If Ozai can have his power challenged as any other Fire Lord can, then nobody was willing to oppose him because everyone else supported him.

Iroh spends a lifetime invading the Earth Kingdom, no doubt killing tens of thousands, and he can joke about burning Ba Sing Se to the ground? Of course he can, because it’s what Fire Nation generals do and part of the terrible culture that must be changed, as horrible as it was. The prince-general is supposed to be a military leader and enjoy what he does. He better not be squeamish.

Zuko is expected to be “loved and adored” for having firebending talent, courtly manners (to quote official descriptions of Azula) and intelligence in a similar fashion as his prodigal, early-blooming sister? Yes, because she bloomed early as the type of princess the nobility and leadership want and expect. It’s unfortunate they were so hard on Zuko, but now we know why he wasn’t “adored” like his sister; she was what others wanted Zuko to be.

Ty Lee is strong-armed by Azula into leaving the life she loves, even having her life threatened, when Ty Lee is a family member of the nobility that the Imperial Government seeks to control? Of course she is strong-armed. Can you really imagine this scenario playing out:

Those lines are taken from the show. Sounds a lot different, doesn’t it? Ignore the smirking and smugness for a moment and think about what is actually happening: a supreme military leader and heir to the throne is bullying a subordinate in order to get what they are entitled to; unwavering loyalty from a subject. Doesn’t make it good. Doesn’t make Ty Lee’s fear and loathing of Azula any less justified, but it puts it in a much more relevant context than vague theories of sadism and personality disorders. It also tells us something about the real ancient world: this how military rulers in East Asia’s history behaved and now you’re getting to see it in a fictional setting.

Fire Lord Azulon orders one of his sons to execute their son? That’s bad. Really bad. Did you also know that Ieyasu Tokugawa ordered his own son to commit suicide over suspicion he was conspiring against him? He didn’t want to but those were the wishes of the lord he was working with to win the war. That’s really bad too, and not shocking for the era, unfortunately. The leaders of the ancient world valued human life a lot less than people do now. It’s sad they didn’t value it more.

Manipulating subordinates (i.e. playing them off each other) and being ruthless were not frowned upon, but legitimate tactics. Murder and backstabbing were useful means of getting rid of an opposing leader. What mattered was winning, and the blood on your hands could simply be washed off, and if people didn’t like you for it? Well, were they in charge?

None of this is “good”. None of this is moral, or righteous, or anything close to how people should act in the modern era. However, these were not kleptocratic dictators like we see around the world today. These were legitimate administrative rulers by their day’s standards, and we (you and me) will never truly know what they were feeling when they woke up in the morning with the responsibilities of warfare and politicking.

We will never be able to completely relate to what these ancient leaders did. Do you know what it’s like to be the law in the land who can order people to commit suicide, and who will do it? Do you know what it’s like to prosecute a political and military war against multiple opponents across a vast country? Do you know what it’s like to manage an ancient authoritarian government after hundreds of years of warfare and chaos? None of us will, but that’s the kind of situation that a fictional country like the Fire Nation can take inspiration from, and should take inspiration from.

These were all very real problems of the ancient world and problems which Avatar, as a fictional work, can allow us to explore in the safety and comfort of not actually having to be there (and without having to open up huge history books).

Summary

The Fire Nation’s political and military history can be modeled on ancient Japan’s, in particular the rise of the Tokugawa Shogunate, where the Fire Lord represents the shogun and the Fire Sages the emperor.

The Fire Nation capital is both the head of the administration and home to the nobility’s families, who are held as hostages (in comfort) to prevent the various lords from rebelling.

The Royal Family and Imperial Government rules through fear and threats of force because they have to keep a country full of walking flamethrowers in line.

As military leaders who can have their power challenged, firebending talent and military prowess are highly valued and necessary for Fire Lords. At the same time, the rest of the country’s leadership wants leaders who appear worthy of that power and authority, hence those who have all the right qualities (Azula) are viewed in higher regard than those who have less (Zuko).

Azula’s emphasis on using “fear to control people” is not a psychological hang-up but a natural tactic of the Fire Lord, military, and Imperial Government to maintain obedience; as a teenager with limited life experience, she has internalized her role as a princess and warrior to the detriment of her personal relationships and emotional maturity (this is where the “child soldier” narrative has relevance).

Ozai represents the pinnacle of self-interest, authoritarianism and militarism that the combination of Sozin’s War and the longstanding nature of the Imperial Government have combined to create. In the ancient world, lords waged warfare for two reasons: to acquire power or pre-emptively wipe out rivals. Ozai wants power.

Ozai challenging Zuko to an Agni Kai is awful but not unusual, hence why he felt he could do it at all. Agni Kais are a fundamental aspect of conflict resolution in the Fire Nation, most likely because the Fire Nation’s leadership values bravery and a willingness to fight very highly. As Zuko was a prince and future leader of the warrior class, those values applied to him as well, but they got applied to him far too young (again, this is where the “child soldier” narrative has relevance).

And finally, by modeling the motivations of the Fire Nation’s villains and heroes on the military leaders of ancient Japan, you have the opportunity to learn about and critique that ancient society while also giving it a fictional flare.

As a final remark on applying the history of ancient Japan to the Fire Nation, the Tokugawa Shogunate ended when the Emperor forcibly took control of the Tokugawa government in order to end the forced isolationism. If ancient Japan hadn’t been pressured to adapt to more advanced European civilizations (say, if it existed in a vacuum) then the Tokugawa Shogunate might have continued to be the longest and most stable period in Japanese history; post-World War 2 Japan is only 70 years old while the Tokugawa Shogunate lasted for 278. When the Emperor wrested control of the country from the Shogunate, there was already enough peace, stability and government bureaucracy in place to lead a rapid transition of the country into modernity. That was the ultimate value of the Tokugawa Shogunate.

If the Fire Islands had not unified under a central authority, then they might have never industrialized so rapidly during that “unprecedented time of peace and prosperity” and may have eventually been conquered by the Earth Kingdom (should an EK conqueror have found a way of killing the Avatar, or taking advantage of their absence).

Conclusion

Think about ancient Japan for a moment. All of the warring lords. The conquest and ruthless political maneuvering. The ruling through fear and totalitarian control. What is a more reasonable explanation for the behavior of that society: mental illness and personality disorders, or universal concepts of ancient nation-building?

What makes more sense for furthering Avatar’s East Asian themes in terms of the Fire Nation: sociopathy, personality disorders, lack of fundamental human qualities, petty bullies and insecure abusers? Or universal concepts of ancient nation-building in the context of people who can shoot fire out of their hands?

Was Ieyasu Tokugawa suffering from a personality disorder? Was ancient Japan swimming with people who lacked fundamental human traits? That would be and absolutely extraordinary anomaly of human genetic variation.

When discussing the evils of the Fire Nation, you have to start with the in-world context that created them, and in order to understand that context, you have to apply some East Asian history. Why “decent” or “normal” people end up doing terrible things is a question as old as humanity itself and should not be erased from Avatar.

In order to understand why Ozai and Azula seem like “bad” people to us, it’s because the rulers of ancient Japan acted like bad people. Zuko can’t be soft and fumbling. Azula can’t let people say no to her. Iroh can’t abandon the siege with no consequences. Ozai can’t let Zuko refuse to fight. As bad as many of these things are, they are driven by the fact these people are the most powerful entities in their country and must show their fire-wielding subordinates that they deserve their power and should not be challenged. There is no room for weakness, only strength and competence.

When you resort to psychological theories or genetic anomalies to explain the Fire Nation’s villains, you erase the opportunities to tie the Fire Nation to critical elements of East Asian history, namely the rise and success of the Tokugawa Shogunate. By relating the main villains of Avatar to the very real “villains” of the ancient world, you preserve the East Asian themes that make Avatar unique and informative to a Western audience and help shed light on what drove them to be what they were.

#Avatar The Last Airbender #atla meta #fire nation #Azula #ozai #Zuko #iroh

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spiralbrainstuff · 3 years

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Commonly mispronounced and/or misused South Asian(SA) origin words

A lot of SA origin words have an “a” at the end (ex. mandala) and this is due to how the words are normally pronounced in spoken language and how the alphabet works in Hindi. South Indian languages operate very differently and I don’t mean to exclude South Indian languages, it’s just that most examples I came across used Hindi. The way the words are written vs pronounced is different because its hard to work with the linguistical rules of English, Hindi, etc.

Mispronounced

Mandala - Should be pronounced ‘Mandal” Rhymes with the English word ‘bundle’

Avatar - Should be pronounced ‘Avtar’ Av- rhymes with the English word ‘shove’ and ‘tar’ is the same as the English word ‘tar’

Chakra - Should be pronounced ‘chuck - ruh.’ ‘Chuck’ is the same as the English word chuck(like chuck a ball). And ‘ruh’ makes the same sound as the ‘ra’ in the English word ultra’

Misused

Guru - This word does mean teacher but it’s meaning is much deeper than that. This person is your mentor, they are with you through thick and and thin. They coach you through a particular skill or through life in general. Mentor is an overall better description. They are extremely knowledgeable about many topics or an overall expert in one particular topic. They usually know about philosophy, religion, ancient scientific practices, law, government, ethics, and more. Also, there is a huge religious component to this word. In Hinduism, it is considered that a guru is even above God, so if a SA person has the privilege of having a guru in their life they should be very grateful. There are religious/cultural ceremonies to honor a guru and the impact they have on your life.

Pundit/Pandit - It’s commonly used in politics in America to mean ‘someone who talks about politics’ or ‘does political commentary.’ Wikipedia says this word means ‘knowledgeable man.’ The wikipedia definition is more closer to the actual usage of the word, the way it is used in American politics is a real head scratcher and I’m sure it makes a lot of SA origin people cringe. Pundit/Pandit are both the same word, and it is essentially a job title. In modern day SA it means a person who performs Hindu religious ceremonies. In the olden days, this person would perform religious ceremonies and also have knowledge similar to a guru as described above. They use this knowledge to give advice to people in their towns and often worked with town leaders to govern the people.

Both words are religious and cultural in nature and they definitely aren’t used that way. This is the problem with just taking and running with culture or cherry picking culture because it removes any/all context. Due to the breadth and depth of cultural context these words have, I don’t think it should be used to refer to people who aren’t South Asian and people who aren’t South Asian shouldn’t use it to refer to themselves.

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I think most people don’t even know they are misusing or mispronouncing these words. They just heard someone else who isn’t SA say these words and continued saying the words in the context they originally heard it in. When something is semi-well known, people just assume that everything is ok and they don’t need to research further which makes perfect sense but they are inadvertently wrong.

Unfortunately, in some cases, SA origin people also have to use these words incorrectly while speaking to non-SA origin people because other people don’t know the context or pronunciation and it will just cause confusion. To be honest, I think people in the spiritual and witchy communities should’ve had a better understanding of the first three words because you all (I hope) researched the spiritual/religious doctrine surrounding those words and practices. Is it because you are only reading articles and books about these topics and not actually hearing the words being pronounced on video? I honestly don’t know, but this should be a lesson on learning about culture and spirituality from the people whose culture and spirituality it actually is. Let the people of the culture be in charge. There are many many discussions communities need to have.

All this to say, don’t just take things from other cultures, there have been tons of conversations about appropriation and there will be many more. Though I don’t think this is all a cut and dry case of appropriation. Yes, words can mean things in different languages but when it’s wrong, it’s wrong and it gets ingrained incorrectly as well.

#asian #indian #indian american #intersectional feminism #culture #witches #spirituality #ATLA #avatar: tla #poc #asian american #appropriation #bipoc #feminism #left #art #twitter #religion #meditation

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alatismeni-theitsa · 4 years

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You know what pisses me off about fancasts of greek mythology that use poc? They only care about the representation of random Americans. If they had actually bothered to talk to a greek person they would have easily found a bunch of greek poc to fancast the gods as. It's so transparent that they don't care about actual representation at all and only do it for #woke points

Big Post coming, I couldn’t resist :P

The US is the only country in the world and Greek culture is just a prop, with Greece not being a real country - except when we ship cheese :P Only the US exsits for them. They actually do what racist people do: they ONLY see colour. They don’t understand that a Black person in Canada and a Black person in Saudi Arabia couldn’t be more culturally different.

And yes, if they want to cast the gods or demigods as poc, it would be great if they casted people of Greek heritage! For example if Zeus has a child with a woman of Taiwanese heritage living in Greece then the child will be “biracial“, as they call it. There would be no issue for an Asian looking demigod in Greece. And even the gods, if they want, can appear as a different race, but I will elaborate a bit on that:

Now, as you know, I am against racebending in general (for all cultures). But I don’t have such a big issue when someone says “I feel comfortable worshipping gods as my own race” (something they bash Greek people for :P) or “I want to imagine what this god would look like if he lived for many years in Ghana“ or “This model of color gives me vibes of this goddess. Perhaps she could be one form of a goddess” etc. Because, as we know, the gods can take any form they want. If they go to Somalia they will be the only one white as milk in a radius of five kilometers. So they may want to transform and blend in.

But here comes my genuine question: How much could and how much should the Greek gods blend with other races and cultures when there is not this need to blend in? I don’t mean as a matter of worship but as characters on the media. Gods that in their depiction have been repeatedly depicted as White Mediterranean suddenly decide to go to Nigeria and pass as Nigerians because??? Isn’t that a type of appropriation of race? Like, using the appearance of another race because of aesthetics?

And what about the difference in culture? The Greek gods represent a set of values and habits from Greece. What do they have to do with the Korean values? (Obviously there are universal values and ethics but each culture prioritizes different stuff and sees virtue differently.) What do they even have to do with the local Korean pantheon?? People say “Greek gods are universal” and this means that, yes, everyone can worship them. But they also use that argument to say that those gods, their stories and values would fit in every society of the world. In a fictional work, that means going to Somali Muslim culture and telling them “your god is not real, you are actually praying to a set of gods your culture never knew”. Like, how much Persephone represents Somali culture and philosophy, ancient and modern? Does she even belong in this culture? And can she only belong there if you make her Black? If no, why do you change her race?

Let’s go for the opposite scenario. Let’s say a native Greek becomes a Hindu. Does that mean that they have the right to present Lakshmi as a white mediterranean and change her innate Indian values to Greek ones, in order to make her fit the Greek mindset? So, her Indian regalia should go and be replaced by ancient Greek ones or traditional Greek clothing?

I mean, if someone is to support race bending, it has to go both ways. But because Americans have equated the Greeks to white colonizers (bc they are light skinned) their gods are free real estate. They have created their own scale of what should be altered and what should not, even when it comes to deities and figures from other cultures. And because they have worldwide influence their system is imposed on us, too. And if we don’t like how they depict our figures, we are in the wrong.

Anyways, my point was: As you said, they are so desperate for woke points that they only change a superficial characteristic - skin tone / race - and then suddenly, supposedly, this Hellenic deity is part of another culture ?? Like, you put Hawaiian native clothing to a man, you name him Poseidon and it’s “representation for Hawaiians, yey!“ ??? Why would they even need Poseidon? They have Kanaloa but even if he has the same domain as Poseidon they are not the same. They are not interchangable, as those fancasts often suggest.

I don’t see any depth in those fancasts because they are so superficial, only taking appearance into account if they want to be labeled progressive. More than that, it’s a system “to set things right” by doing this coloring mix and match (notice I only said “color”, not “culture” or “set of beliefs”) in a naive attempt to stop discrimination.

If you want to elevate poc and be inclusive to other cultures, look to other cultures with non US American lens and learn how they view this difference in appearance. Then, you can talk to the poc of this culture and understand their needs. And of course those Greek poc could be cast as Greeks in movies, since this culture is part of their lives.

Finishing this infinite Τed Τalk, I would like to say that I really enjoy the mixing of cultures and I would be delighted to see stories where Greek gods/people visit other cultures or non Greek gods/people visit Greek culture. One of my fave posts in this blog is when Cretans and Nahuas joined in a song about freedom. So, in case someone didn’t get it, I didn’t say we couldn’t celebrate or take part in cultures that aren’t ours.

#racebending #fancasts #answered #greek mythology

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tlbodine · 4 years

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Let’s Talk About Folk Horror

Folk horror, both as a term and a concept, is seeing a resurgence recently. It’s been widely used to describe Ari Aster’s film Midsommar, which may be the first time you’ve seen it. But the sub-genre, like the traditions at its heart, is quite old and rich with examples.

What is Folk Horror?

Folk horror is a type of religious horror concerned with Pagan or pre-Christian religion as opposed to Christianity. Instead of demonic possession or devilish influence, the supernatural elements of folk horror (if they're present at all) will be rooted in other, older traditions. There's still plenty of overlap between Christian occult horror and folk horror, though, and aesthetically some stories featuring Christian mythology and tradition could fall under the folk umbrella.

Folk horror will often draw on several or all of these tropes:

An isolated setting, most commonly a rural community that's a big "backwards" by modern standards and often populated by unsettlingly eccentric locals.

Cults or cultish behavior, either overtly or suspected.

Blood sacrifice, violent rituals, and other types of murderous mayhem enacted by aforementioned cult members.

A slow-building, atmospheric type of horror rich in detail of the strangeness of the setting/its people.

Ideas drawn from mythology or historical religious practices, especially those of Pre-Christian Europe

An aesthetic that might incorporate Pagan (or pseudo-pagan) motifs, whether or not they’re portrayed accurately or historically - masks, dances, sex, rituals, blood magic, etc.

Some folk horror is supernatural or overtly occult -- there might be a monster or monstrous god posing a very real and physical threat. But most folk horror is most commonly rooted in fears of the Other, and what happens when an outsider encounters believers of a faith that appears confusing, frightening, dangerous or immoral.

Folk horror taps into a number of potential primal fears:

Fears of “otherness” and the unknown

Fear/distrust of religion or organized belief structures and their power/influence

Fears of social isolation or faux pas; the anxiety of not knowing or adhering to the rules (and being punished for it)

White guilt, or related anxieties regarding colonialism, lost history/identity, and fear of being punished for the same

In many ways, folk horror is “kissing cousins” with the murderous hillbilly genre: both often tell stories about outsiders who go to a place they don’t belong and suffer the consequences at the hands of the locals.

More modern iterations of folk horror often side-step the xenophobia by placing the main characters within the culture instead of outside it. These tales are frequently told as historical pieces and may or may not ultimately position Christianity or white imperialism in the villainous role (but not without heavily leaning on the symbolism and aesthetic of the folk elements to provide creepy atmosphere first).

Another reason folk horror may be enjoying a modern resurgence is because it deals strongly with identity, especially the lost (and reclaimed) identities of old religions and cultures. As “whiteness” as a concept undergoes growing pains and tries to define itself, reaching back to the “old ways” of European folklore (or even early colonial America) can provide a richness and depth of history fraught with potentially horrifying perils and deeply interesting opportunities. Which is not to say that folk horror must by default be about white people...just that white people should probably let other groups handle their own folk horror stories (see previous rant re: wendigo).

Difference Between Folk, Occult and Gothic

Occult, by definition, means "supernatural or paranormal.” Stories about magic, demons, witchcraft and possession fall under the occult umbrella. Quite often, occult films default to a Judeo-Christian mythological framework (in the West, at least, Asian occult horror of draws on a different set of cultural influences). Regardless: in occult horror, the occult is front-and-center, and it’s a very real influence.

Folk horror, by contrast, requires no supernatural elements -- merely a stalwart belief. At the end of the day, it doesn’t really matter whether the blood ritual actually summons an old god, only that the cult members earnestly believe that it will.

Gothic, meanwhile, often shares a lot of aesthetic territory with folk horror. But as we’ve discussed before, the defining characteristic of gothic is decay -- locations that were once opulent but have fallen into ruin, beliefs that were once sacred but since have been abandoned (for better or worse). Folk horror is very much alive, and often extremely vibrant.

A Taste of Folk Horror Media

Ok: So you’ve got a basic understanding of what Folk Horror is about. Now where should you start with studying it?

The usual recommendation is to start with the so-called "Unholy Trinity" of folk horror films, which really cemented the genre in cinema. Michael Reeves' Witchfinder General, Piers Haggard's Blood on Satan's Claw and Robin Hardy's The Wicker Man were released in the laste 60s/early 70s and laid out a number of the tropes you'll grow to find quite familiar later on -- theology, human sacrifice, rural communities, and lots of British weirdness.

Now armed with the basics, you might be better equipped to appreciate more modern films -- let's try a sampler of different flavors.

Try The Witch, directed by Robert Eggers, and follow it up with The Wind, directed by Emma Tammi, for a pair of women-centered historical pieces rooted in early America (colonial and frontier eras, respectively). They draw heavily on the folk side of Christian tradition and are both atmospheric marvels.

Or, here's a trifecta that's fun to watch for compare/contrast: Ari Aster's debut, Hereditary, which combines pagan cults with family drama; David Bruckner's film The Ritual, where a night in the woods is interrupted by an ancient Pagan monster-god; and Apostle, directed by Gareth Evans, where Christian apostasy and creepy cults collide. Finish up with Midsommar if you’re not sick of Ari Aster yet.

If you're looking at books, Stephen King occasionally dips his toes in folk horror. Pet Sematary dabbles in it, and Children of the Corn takes a proper full plunge. Both were adapted into films, too, if that's your preference.

Incidentally, The Ritual was also a novel, written by Adam Nevill, and by all accounts it's even better than the movie. If you like that, also pick up his new novel The Reddening. You might also enjoy some of the work of Douglas Clegg, such as The Halloween Man.

If you're done with white dudes for a while, cleanse your palate with some Asian folk horror: The Wailing, directed by Hong-jin Na, combines folk beliefs, Christianity, and virology. Kwaidan, directed by Masaki Kobayashi, is itself a sampler anthology of Japanese folk tales.

If animated features are more your speed, try Over the Garden Wall from Patrick McHale.

Folk horror even shows up in video games. Fatal Frame straddles the occult/folk line pretty well, especially Crimson Butterly, which delves deep into some cult-gothic territory. Alternatively, try out Unforgiving: A Northern Hymn, a wonderfully creepy game about Swedish and Norse mythology that you will love if you enjoy Adam Nevill's writing.

And, because I can never plug it enough, Chandler Groover’s short interactive fiction game Taghairm is a magnificent example (warning: playing involves text-based simulations of roasting cats over a fire).

#horror #horror movies #folk horror #horror stories #reading recs #film recs

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recentanimenews · 4 years

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IN-DEPTH: How The God of High School Revealed the True, Weird History of Taekwondo

If, like me, you found yourself yearning for some physical activity and breaks from the tedium of schoolwork as a kid, you might have found yourself wanting to learn some martial arts. Watching action stars like Jackie Chan and Bruce Lee, as well as anime, playing fighting games and more, left me with an interest in learning a martial art myself. I found myself at the door of a local Taekwondo school and was instantly hooked. Sadly, like many things, time and obligations got in the way and I had to give up my pursuit of martial arts, but I always found the subject interesting. When I started reading The God of High School, I was instantly hooked by the idea that Jin Mori used Taekwondo, but suddenly, I found myself questioning things: What did they mean, that there were multiple types of Taekwondo? Wasn’t all Taekwondo the same? What was “Renewal Taekwondo” and was it a real thing? The answer to that question is... sort of. Also: There are some light spoilers here! Be warned!

In The God of High School, the revelation that Jin practices “Renewal Taekwondo” serves as a shock to the cast, particularly the Judges and Park Mujin, as it reveals the fact that Jin’s grandfather, Jin Taejin, was not only still alive, but that he had passed on the incredibly powerful skills of Renewal Taekwondo to someone else. At this point in the anime, the reveal has played out far differently, although there’s no telling whether this might change as the anime progresses. We do know that Jin uses Renewal Taekwondo, but we don’t get the same backstory and discussion revolving around Jin’s grandfather, and the past regarding Taekwondo itself. In the WEBTOON series, Park Mujin reveals that “Renewal Taekwondo” was created by South Korean leaders following a defeat at the hands of North Korean “ITF” Taekwondo. And, suddenly, my childhood came back to me: I had learned “WT” Taekwondo, so what was “ITF?” Was it just something the web comic made up, like “Renewal Taekwondo?” As it turns out, this particular rabbit hole went a whole lot deeper, and weirder, than I ever imagined.

Perhaps the first, and most shocking, fact regarding Taekwondo is that it is less than 100 years old. Many historians agree there is some fluidity to a solid date, but as 4th Dan David Lo notes, Taekwondo likely began formally in 1955, when General Choi Hong-Hi named it after developing the first basic forms of the martial art. While many other popular martial arts, such as Karate, Tai Chi, or Kung-Fu often discuss their proud, long lineages, Taekwondo is often mistakenly assumed to be ancient; in fact, it is only perhaps somewhat related to Taekkyeon, which was nearly wiped out during Japanese occupation. After World War II, the Japanese occupation of Korea came to an end. During the occupation, Japan was particularly cruel to Koreans, suppressing their language, culture, and identity — extending this treatment to martial arts practitioners were forced to quit or go into hiding while Japanese Karate was taught instead. Taekwondo would come from the confluence of various martial arts, having more in common with Karate, mostly due to the violent banning of Korean culture.

Combining their knowledge with new techniques in Shotokan karate, Kung-Fu, and others, would begin to create schools, or “Kwans,” which would give rise to what we today recognize as Taekwondo. Scott Shaw, one of the eminent English authors and students of Taekwondo, explains the genealogy of the first 5, and subsequent 4, Kwans; these Kwans were fairly diverse, with nine divergent approaches and teachers developing their own takes on martial arts. In many cases, historians consider Song Moo Kwan the Kwan most responsible for eventual Taekwondo, with Byung Jik Ro called by some as the “father” of “modern” Taekwondo (more on that later) the original five Kwans — Song Moo Kwan, Chung Do Kwan, Moo Duk Kwan, Ji Do Kwan, and Chang Moo Kwan — were the birthplace of Taekwondo, but it would take another war, and social and cultural upheaval for Taekwondo to really emerge.

Song Moo Kwan and Chung Do Kwan were founded in 1944, with the other 5 founding Kwans appearing in the following 2 years. If we start Taekwondo’s timeline there, that means Taekwondo is only 76 years old (meaning there’s a good chance your grandparents might actually be older than Taekwondo!), but the “real” birth of Taekwondo would come a fair bit after these Kwans were founded. For that to happen, Korea would be forced into another protracted battle that would decide the course of its modern fate, and the dispersal of Taekwondo to the rest of the world: The Korean War.

Separating the country along the 38th parallel into what are today known as North Korea and South Korea, this civil war shaped Korea’s modern history in cataclysmic ways, separating family members, friends, and cultural identity. Like many aspects of Korean life, Taekwondo found itself straddling an uncomfortable and unclear line: The original Kwans were spread out across the Korean peninsula, with Song Moo Kwan being in what would now be North Korea. Following the Korean war, this would lead perhaps the most controversial figure in Taekwondo history to emerge: General Choi Hong Hi, the true “father” of Taekwondo.

Alex Gillis' A Killing Art reveals the life, warts and all, of General Choi. Born in 1918 in Hwa Dae (located in now North Korea), General Choi Hong Hi was sent to Japan by his father to study, ending up in the tutelage of Han Il Dong, a master of Taekkyeon, one of Korea’s oldest martial arts. Forced into military service by the Japanese, Choi would eventually find himself continuing to serve in the Korean military following the end of World War II and Japanese occupation, earning the title of major general in 1954 (and thus earning him both his title and nickname, “The general”).

Choi’s mastery of Taekkyeon and Shotokan karate led him to develop what he titled “Taekwon-Do,” or “foot, fist, art.” Choi is, as far as historians can tell, the first person to use the word “Taekwondo,” and rightfully seems to deserve the title. The controversy, however, comes from the disagreements between Choi (who, some authors note, was somewhat disagreeable and even deceptive) and other Kwan leaders and Taekwondo practitioners. This would lead to the eventual creation, and split, of Taekwondo into ITF and WT schools, among many other offshoots.

Whether Choi was or wasn’t a deceptive and deceitful person seems to be based on who you ask, and the most common perception of him was that he was complicated (as are we all). What authors and historians such as Lo, Gillis, Shaw, and others agree on is that without General Choi, there would be no Taekwondo, and the subsequent power struggle nearly destroyed, as Lo calls it, the “family” of Taekwondo. While it is perhaps more palatable to consider martial arts as monastic and scholarly, the reality is that they are practiced, created, and influenced by people, and Taekwondo’s somewhat ugly and public schism is a great reminder of this. Choi originally founded the ITF, or International Taekwon-Do Federation, in 1966; however, Choi’s attempts to control all aspects of Taekwon-Do, and the South Korean government’s insistence on “owning” Taekwondo, would create the split that saw Choi flee from Korea to Canada and South Korea creating the KTA (Korean Taekwondo Association), which would eventually give way to the World Taekwondo Federation (WTF, now known as WT), under the governing body of the Kukkiwon.

In the ITF version of this story, Choi simply decided to go “on tour” in 1959, before eventually creating the ITF in 1966. The WT version of the story is just as revisionist, claiming that Taekwondo has roots that supposedly go back 2000 years and that the WT was created in 1973 as the first governing body of Taekwondo. No mention of Choi or the ITF exists in the WT version of Taekwondo. Udo Moening, author of numerous papers about Taekwondo’s cultural and social significance, helps explain the disparity between these two stories by noting that Taekwondo is as much an object of political importance to the identity of Korea as it is a form of martial skill and discipline. Simply put, Moening argues, Taekwondo became a piece of the struggle for identity between South Korea and North Korea, and the eventual race to Olympic recognition would become a major victory in this battle for the WT and South Korea.

The schism in Taekwondo (or Taekwon-Do, in ITF’s usage) is perhaps even more interesting in the sense that one did not immediately replace the other; instead of the WT supplanting the ITF, the two schools of Taekwondo went about their own paths. Yet, Kukkiwon managed to obtain a significant victory over Choi and ITF Taekwondo: inclusion in the Olympics. In 1982, Kukkiwon was able to arrange a demonstration of Taekwondo for the IOC in 1988 and became an official event during the Asian Games in 1986. In 1994, Kukkiwon “won” the competition for Taekwondo legitimacy by being selected by the IOC as an official sport of the Olympics, joining Judo as the only other Asian martial art in the Olympic games, and debuting in the 2000 games in Australia.

Choi, however, had won in another way: his ITF Taekwondo spread across the world, and his somewhat ingenious method of sending Taekwondo “acolytes” to various places to form their own schools helped make Taekwondo popular and profitable. There are other forms of Taekwondo out there, including ATA (American Taekwondo Association), Jhoon Rhee Style, and the GTF (Global Taekwondo Federation), a split from ITF. Chuck Norris, during the height of his popularity in the '90s, even formed his own school that blended Tang Soo Do and Taekwondo called Chun Kuk Do!

While Choi was successful in spreading Taekwondo around the globe, and South Korea was able to claim “ownership” of the sport through political engineering and historical revision, Taekwondo in the United States would owe much of its growth and popularity to a different individual: Jhoon Rhee. Rhee, learning Taekwondo at the Chung Do Kwan in his childhood, came to America in the '60s to study engineering. Needing some extra money, Rhee began teaching Taekwondo, and through luck and hard work, launched the popularity of the martial art in the United States via television and Hollywood. Like all good and weird success stories, Rhee gained fame from his “viral” '70s commercial jingle, written by Nils Lofgren, guitarist for Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band!

Rhee’s unconventional approach to success worked, taking his Taekwondo to both of America’s hearts: Hollywood and Washington DC. Rhee would go on to teach and demonstrate Taekwondo to various celebrities including Chuck Norris and Bruce Lee — even writing a book, Bruce Lee and I, in 2011. He also met with President Reagan and famously demonstrated Taekwondo to the United States Congress in 1965. There was even a sparring match between Republicans and Democrats!

But what do all of these different types of Taekwondo actually mean? When I was practicing, did I learn “the wrong” type? Well, the answer is… no! The major difference in schools seems to come down to forms, ranks, and some other small administrative differences — such as who can spar, and why, or what types of focus there is in learning Taekwondo in general. Perhaps due to the odd nature of Taekwondo’s spread outside of Korea, the sport is also highly “commercial;” the ATA and Jhoon Rhee schools, for example, were founded on the idea of both teaching the sport and also establishing chain schools that would funnel profits back to the original founders, essentially creating a business instead of the somewhat monastic idea of a martial art like the Kung-Fu or Karate that appear in movies and media.

As noted by Doug Cook, the forms, of Poomsae, are constantly changing, due in part to the various types and hybrids of Taekwondo, but also due to the somewhat infant nature of the sport compared to other forms. It would be hard, as many authors point out, to find a “true” strain of Taekwondo these days. Instead, the various approaches, forms, and inherent teachings all help create different, unique ideas of the original created by Choi in the '50s — itself a hybrid of various types of martial arts.

It's fairly common in martial arts stories to hear epic tales of the history and longevity of a martial art, but Taekwondo provides us with the unique and interesting experience of seeing that historical mythology evolve in real time. From the controversial Choi to the roots of the Korean search for identity following Japanese occupation and later civil war, Taekwondo serves as a mirror for Korea’s own evolution. While Taekwondo may not be an “ancient” form of martial arts, it is a uniquely Korean one, and one that has a complex history and personality, and thanks to The God of High School, I found myself falling into the rabbit hole of its story. “Reclamation” Taekwondo may not actually exist, but in many ways, Taekwondo was a form of reclamation for Korea: an attempt to create something new and unique in the face of years of brutal occupational rule and civil strife.

Did you know about the history of Taekwondo? What's your favorite style to practice? Let us know, and while you're at it, tell us your current fave WEBTOON series in the comments!

➡️ Watch The God of High School today! ⬅️

Nicole is a frequent wordsmith for Crunchyroll. Known for punching dudes in Yakuza games on her Twitch channel while professing her love for Majima. She also has a blog, Figuratively Speaking. Follow her on Twitter: @ellyberries. Here's that serotonin you ordered.

Do you love writing? Do you love anime? If you have an idea for a features story, pitch it to Crunchyroll Features!

By: [email protected]

#Anime #News #Latest in Anime News by Crunchyroll!

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the-desolated-quill · 5 years

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Doctor Strange - Marvel Cinematic Universe blog (as requested by 1000+ followers)

(SPOILER WARNING: The following is an in-depth critical analysis. If you haven’t seen this movie yet, you may want to before reading this review)

Before I start, I just want to say thank you again to all one thousand of my followers (still can’t believe it. That number just doesn’t seem real. LOL). And, as promised, here’s my review of Doctor Strange. I chose to review this movie to mark getting one thousand followers because people have been wanting me to do this review for a long time now (nearly three years in fact) and also because it was this movie, or rather my harsh criticism of this movie, that arguably cemented my reputation on this site. So here we go. Hope you feel it was worth the wait. Enjoy :)

2016. A year of ups and downs to be sure. While it will forever be infamous for the Brexit referendum result, Trump’s victory in the presidential elections and many much beloved celebrity icons dropping dead like fruit flies, it was also the year where two of my all time favourite comic book characters would finally make the jump to the big screen. The first was Deadpool. The second was Doctor Strange. Two characters I thought would never get movie adaptations on account of them both being somewhat niche products. Deadpool was a violent, anarchic parody of antiheroes like Wolverine and the Punisher, while Doctor Strange was a psychedelic fantasy story focused on existentialism and Zen philosophy as well as having its themes and influences deep rooted in various Asian cultures and mythologies. Not exactly mainstream. And yet, against all the odds, both movies found great success at the box office. The difference being Deadpool managed to stay true to the tone and themes of the source material, whereas Doctor Strange... oh dear.

Now my long term followers will be very much aware of my stance on this movie. At the time I refused to watch it due to the casting of Tilda Swinton as the Ancient One, viewing it as not only racist erasure, but also demonstrating a severe lack of understanding on the filmmaker’s part. East Asia isn’t just used as window dressing. It’s vitally important to the story as a whole, so discarding it would be incredibly moronic as well as deeply offensive. Now I’m not going to go into all the reasons why the whitewashing of the Ancient One is racist and why all the excuses Marvel gave at the time was bullshit as I’ve already explained these reasons ad nauseum various times before. If you’re curious, read Doctor Yellowface And The Bullshit Machine, where I explain it all in excruciating detail. Here I’m just going to say that this movie is racist. That’s not my opinion. It’s demonstrably, objectively, scientifically, factually and literally true. If you think otherwise, you’re an idiot. Period. Full stop. End of discussion. Do not pass Go. Do not collect £200. With this in mind, when I sat down to watch this for the first time, I expected to be angered and outraged by it throughout. But I wasn’t. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a bad movie and a bad adaptation of Doctor Strange, but honestly the most remarkable thing about this movie is how unremarkable it is. Which is a problem in more ways than one, but now we’re getting ahead of ourselves.

Lets start with the things I liked. Don’t worry. This won’t take long. There really isn’t that much to like about this film frankly. Even the bits I like have massive caveats to them.

My first shiny gold star has to go to Benedict Wong as Wong. Now as much as I love the comics, I’ll be the first to admit it has massive problems when it comes to how it presents Asian characters. So I’m pleased to report that Wong is the only aspect of the film that’s actually better than the source material. Whereas comic book Wong was Doctor Strange’s manservant, movie Wong plays more of a mentor role in Strange’s story. He’s the librarian of Kamar-Taj, guarding the sacred tomes, and is actually at a higher rank than Strange, which I love. It’s a good shift that refreshes the dynamic between them, and Benedict Wong’s deadpan delivery is exceptional. I just wish we could have spent more time with Wong and Strange. Maybe see Wong actually teach him something.

The second praiseworthy element of the film is the visual effects. This film was nominated for an Academy Award and... yeah, can’t argue with that. The CGI is fairly good for the most part. My favourite part of the whole film was when the Ancient One shows Strange the multiverse for the first time. The visual effects team clearly had a lot of fun coming up with weird and wonderful worlds that we only get a short tantalising glimpse of. (the dimension of hands gave me the shivers). This sequence came the closest to realising Steve Ditko’s vision in my opinion. Beyond that all we see for the rest of the movie is the poxy mirror dimension, which admittedly is cool at first, but quickly becomes dull and repetitive each time its trotted out. There’s even an entire fight sequence between Strange, Mordo and Kaecilius in a distorted version of New York, which would have been impressive if Christopher Nolan hadn’t done it first in Inception. And the less said about the technicolor monstrosity that was the Dark Dimension, the better.

Finally there’s Benedict Cumberbatch as Strange himself. I know some people were disappointed that Marvel didn’t racebend the character and I would have preferred that to, but if we must have a white guy in the role, I’m glad it’s Cumberbatch. He does a decent job in the role and there are moments where Strange almost leaps from the page and onto the screen.

Almost.

Because that’s the problem. Cumberbatch does the best he can, but he’s ultimately let down by the script. This film has a lot of issues, but by far the biggest is the title character. He may be called Doctor Strange, but he’s really Doctor Strange in name only. I was a massive fan of the comics growing up and I’m telling you this guy isn’t Doctor Strange. At least not the Doctor Strange I remember. And the weird thing is this seems almost by design. In order to show him to a mainstream audience, Marvel seem to have felt the need to completely sanitise the character, removing everything about him that made him unique and interesting in order to fit the expectations of the lowest common denominator.

Let me explain.

People often compare Strange unfavourably to Iron Man, and I can understand why to a certain extent. Both represent the epitome of white privilege and materialist obsession and their origin stories focus very heavily on criticising and deconstructing these inherently selfish and unlikable characters. Iron Man is about forcing a capitalist industrialist to take responsibility for the consequences of his actions, whereas Doctor Strange is about forcing an egocentric man to care about the wider world outside of his own bubble of privilege. Both may sound similar, but there’s a key difference between the two. Iron Man’s origin revolves around responsibility whereas Doctor Strange’s origin revolves around relativity. This needs to be understood if you’re going to attempt to adapt Strange and director Scott Derrickson doesn’t seem to understand that at all.

The fatal mistake Derrickson makes with this movie is that he’s trying to make Strange like Iron Man without fully understanding what made the first Iron Man movie good and what sets Strange apart. He’s clearly hit upon the arrogant, egocentric thing, but the problem is people exhibit arrogance and egocentricity in different ways. The comics understood this. Iron Man’s arrogance takes the form of this charismatic, devil may care kind of attitude, whereas Strange’s arrogance was more along the lines of an Ebenezer Scrooge type figure. Someone who’s cold and uncaring. Someone like...

Yeah! Someone like Dr Gregory House from the TV series House M.D.

See, if Iron Man is like Elon Musk, Doctor Strange is like House. Both are arrogant, but in different ways. So to see movie Strange acting all smug and making quips and one liners just didn’t feel right. Which is not to say Strange can’t be funny. The comics had their humorous moments, but it’s not the same kind of humour as Iron Man. Strange should be more cutting. More snarky. He needs to have more of a bite to him. Instead we get the poor man’s version of Robert Downey Jr.

But wait, because it’s actually worse than that. It’s not just Strange’s personality that’s different. Our perception of him is different too. The first Iron Man movie was extremely clear in how we should view Tony Stark. The gambling, the drinking, his lack of responsibility and the way he takes his friends and co-workers for granted. We’re clearly not supposed to like him. That’s why his character arc works. We’re seeing this selfish individual realise how selfish he is and try to make amends. Strange should be similar. He’s a callous arsehole who won’t lift a finger to help someone if the case isn’t interesting enough, seeing it as beneath him. So when the car accident occurs, him getting nerve damage in his hands feels less like a tragedy and more like karma. The universe punishing Strange for his selfish behaviour and forcing him to change. In the movie however, he doesn’t seem like that at all. In fact kind of the opposite. He doesn’t object to helping his ex girlfriend get a bullet out of a patient’s head and he seems to get on well with most of his colleagues, including his ex. Sure he’s a bit of a dick, but he still seems nice enough. The only time we see his Scroogeness come out is after the accident, at which point it’s hard to hate him even after he berates his ex because he’s a decent guy who’s understandably frustrated, which absolutely should not be the case. Strange is a bastard who cares for no one but himself. We’re not supposed to like him. But Marvel and Disney are so preoccupied about getting bums on seats that they’ve actually managed to strip away all the elements that make Strange Strange.

And then there’s the origin story itself, which the film gets completely wrong. Sure the basic elements are still there. Strange, in a last ditch effort to save his hands, travels East to see the Ancient One (except the Ancient One is now in Nepal instead of Tibet because of the Chinese market, but apparently they still can’t cast an Asian person as the Ancient One even though the film no longer has anything to do with Tibet and therefore there should be no issue. Marvel are racist dicks. Case closed), but beyond that everything is changed. In the comics, the Ancient One refuses to heal Strange’s hands because he’s a selfish arsehole who deserves no pity or help from anyone, but then when Baron Mordo tries to assassinate the Ancient One, Strange does the first selfless thing he’s ever done in his miserable life and tries to warn the Ancient One despite having his mouth magically sealed shut by Mordo. Then it’s later revealed that his mouth wasn’t sealed shut at all, and that the Ancient One knew all along Mordo was planning to assassinate him and was merely testing Strange, at which point he invites the good doctor to practice magic in order to stop Mordo in the future. In the movie however, Strange gets kicked out by the Ancient One only to then promptly get let back in after banging on their front door for several hours and gets taught all these spells despite showing no sign of selflessness or willingness to change whatsoever. Oh yeah, and Strange and Mordo are now total besties.

Do you see what I mean about this being a bad adaptation? There’s no longer any conflict. No character arcs. No one learns anything. Everything is just hunky dory and Strange is just magically a good person now. This is truly shit writing.

Everything about this movie seems to have been designed to be as bland and uncomplicated as possible. All the Asian influences and philosophies have been surgically removed to make way for a generic, knock-off Hogwarts for Dummies. The interesting plots and themes have been replaced with a by-the-numbers save the world plot. Even the lore has been simplified to an almost insulting degree. Take the Eye of Agamotto for instance. A powerful magical artefact created by and named after the most powerful sorcerer that ever lived.... reduced to a fucking Infinity Stone.

Oh and the Cloak of Levitation now has a mind and personality of its own because why the fuck not? Who wants to watch something intelligent or philosophical? Lets just make a shitty cross between Harry Potter and Mr. Bean.

And then... there’s the white saviour stuff.

Now I confess I haven’t read the comics for quite some time, so correct me if I’m wrong, but I’m pretty sure Strange didn’t have a photographic memory. Yet in the movie, that’s the convenient explanation we’re given for why Strange is somehow able to learn complex spells in a matter of days. Spells that are apparently meant to take years to learn, like astral projection and time manipulation. Now the comics had this problem too, what with proclaiming that Strange is not only the Sorcerer Supreme, but the most powerful Sorcerer Supreme that’s ever lived, as though his white skin were like the star power-up from Super Mario Bros, but the movie seems to go out of its way to double down on this bollocks. Oh sure, we see him struggle to create magic portals every now and then, but it doesn’t hide the fact that he’s somehow able to create mirror worlds and time loops despite having little to no training whatsoever. He’s like Rey from Star Wars. He can just pull any random super power out of his arse when the script requires him too.

So having completely botched Strange’s characterisation and journey, how are the rest of the supporting cast? Well like I said, I like this new Wong, even though he’s criminally underused. As for the other characters, it’s a pretty forgettable bunch.

Lets start with the elephant in the room. Tilda Swinton. Having heard all the excuses under the sun as to why Marvel and Disney simply had to cast a bald white woman wearing a bathrobe in an Asian role, I was expecting something pretty spectacular from Swinton, especially after all the praise critics gave her. Instead we get... well... a pretty dull character actually. In fact I’d go as far to say that this is the blandest and most uninspired performance I think I’ve ever seen Swinton give. There’s just nothing there. Now admittedly the Ancient One wasn’t all that complex or well developed in the comics neither, being little more than a racial caricature, but I thought the whole reason they whitewashed the character was to make him/her ‘enigmatic and ethereal.’ Instead we just get the same generic mentor figure we’ve seen dozens of times before. All the stuff about her tapping into the powers of Dormammu to increase her lifespan could have made her more interesting, but the film never fully capitalises on this revelation before she kicks the bucket.

Baron Mordo is pretty much just dead weight, with the great Chiwetel Ejiofor utterly wasted in the role. He’s essentially reduced to being yet another black sidekick for the white lead. Again, the comic book version isn’t all that great neither, but the movie replaces this camp pantomime villain with absolutely bugger all. We don’t get to see any real conflict between him and Strange until the very end and even then it doesn’t really make sense. Mordo is a stickler for rules and so gets pissy with Strange when he breaks the rules in order to save the world, to which I can only ask... what else could he have done? I didn’t see you come up with any bright ideas Mordo, you fucking moron.

Rachel McAdams... exists.

Seriously, why is she in this movie? Why does Doctor Strange need a love interest? Why not just wait and introduce Clea? I could get behind using an ex girlfriend to display how selfish and narcissistic Strange is (a bit cliche I admit, but this is an MCU film we’re talking about. I’m not exactly expecting Citizen Kane here), but as I said before, the two seem to get on quite well. And other than stitching up a stab wound, Christine Palmer pretty much does nothing throughout the majority of the film. So what is she even doing there?

Also it appears the film’s racism doesn’t just extend to Asian people because it turns out Christine Palmer is actually Night Nurse in the comics. The same mantle Claire Temple has, who appears in Marvel’s Netflix shows. Not only does this come off as quite alarmingly racist, it’s also just plain weird. For all their boasts about wanting to create a shared universe, Marvel seems to spend every opportunity it can find to keep the Netflix stuff at arms’ length, to the point where you question why they’re even in the same continuity in the first place. If Strange must have some human connection, why couldn’t it have been Claire Temple? For one thing, Claire’s character is much more interesting than Christine’s (and Rosario Dawson is a much better actor than McAdams. Sorry, but it’s true), and it would be a great opportunity to bridge the gap between the movies and Netflix shows without having to bog the narrative down with exposition. But as I’ve said numerous times in the past, Marvel are more interested in creating a BIG shared universe than a coherent one.

Finally there’s the villains. Nearly always the worst aspect of any MCU film and Strange is no different. We have Kaecilius, played by Hannibal’s Mads Mikkelsen whose performance is more wooden than Pinocchio, and Dormammu, played by Benedict Cumberbatch who seems to be competing with Andy Serkis as to who can play the most CGI/motion capture characters. Both, unsurprisingly, are shite. Kaecilius wants to save the world from death by allowing Dormammu to destroy it.

I don’t get it either.

So you’re probably wondering who was Kaecilius in the comics. I mean I’ve explained everything else, haven’t I? And honestly, I haven’t the faintest idea. Turns out he was a henchman of Baron Mordo who I completely forgot about because he barely ever shows up in the comics. So... they turned Baron Mordo into the black sidekick so that the villain could be played by a white guy. Oh. And guess what race Kaecilius is in the comics.

YYYYYep. He’s Asian. I guess all the Asian actors were sick that day, so they had to cast a white guy.

Oh and you’ll never guess what his backstory is. You’re right! He has none! Other than references to some tragedy, we know absolutely fuck all about him. Critics actually liked this movie?!?!

Oh and don’t get me started on the humour.

Kaecilius: “Mr...?”

Strange: “Doctor.”

Kaecilius: “Mr. Doctor?”

Strange: “No, it’s Strange.”

Kaecilius: “I guess so. Who am I to judge?”

Dear God, someone was paid to write that.

Then there’s the Big Bad Dormammu from the Dark Dimension. (Yes, the same Dark Dimension from Agent Carter and nope, that’s never referenced. In fact this doesn’t even look like the same Dark Dimension as the one from Agent Carter. Although, to be fair, I’d want to forget Season 2 happened as well considering how fucking terrible it was, but come on guys!). In the comics Dormammu is a mystical entity that has a quote ‘unnatural obsession with our material universe’. Could be interesting to explore. Oh but I forget, this is an MCU film. They don’t want interesting. They want safe. So instead we get a purple, floating CGI head and the generic destroyer of worlds archetype. (In fact Dormammu weirdly has more in common with Galactus than the actual Dormammu. Sometimes I wonder if anyone at Marvel Studios have ever even so much as glanced at one of their own comics before).

In conclusion, is this the worst film I’ve ever seen? Admittedly no. It’s not that bad. If you switch your brain off, I can imagine someone having a good time with this film. But you see that’s the problem. You shouldn’t have to switch your brain off to enjoy Doctor Strange. If anything the opposite is true. The comics, despite their faults, were intelligent, surreal and thought provoking, asking questions about our universe and our place within it. Steve Ditko (and only Steve Ditko. The late Stan Lee may have put pen to paper, but it was ultimately Ditko’s ideas and vision, which makes the gratuitous Stan Lee cameo in this film particularly galling to me) created something truly captivating in Doctor Strange. Despite the racial caricatures and white saviour tropes, I still love these comics because of how it explores the world and our relation to that world. How we are just small cogs in a massive and intricate machine. It’s truly groundbreaking and would influence many other comics to come. The Doctor Strange movie doesn’t even begin to do that. It won’t influence anyone. It won’t make anyone think or question their role in the cosmos. In fact, three years later, despite being a huge box office success, it’s largely been forgotten. And that’s a crying shame because Strange deserves so much more.

Doctor Strange may not be the worst comic book movie ever made, but it’s a terrible adaptation of the source material. Anything that made it unique or interesting was carefully removed with surgical precision under the guise of making it more progressive, when in reality they just wanted to make it profitable. But profitable doesn’t mean good, and Doctor Strange doesn’t even come close to being a good movie. I would love to have seen what a director like David Lynch or Ang Lee would have done with this psychedelic material. This movie could and should have been the most intelligent and surreal comic book movie that’s ever been made. A perfect opportunity to allow a visionary filmmaker to go wild and express themselves artistically. Instead it’s just another MCU movie. It’s such a shame.

And people wonder why I’m worried about Deadpool joining the MCU.

#doctor strange #marvel cinematic universe #review #spoilers

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lahdolphin · 5 years

Text

I’m missing Stars Aligned today and can’t stop thinking about this universe so I went through a lot of my notes and found a bunch of information I’ve never shared. Thought I’d dump it into the tag I have for the fic.

Inarizaki, Niiyama, and the Wastelands -- Inarizaki aesthetic and Niiyama aesthetic

On a continent to the south, there is the kingdom of Inarizaki and the Niiyama Empire. There may be smaller kingdoms and what not as well, but these are the major two. To the east is Inarizaki and to the west is Niiyama. Separating the two is a place known as the Wastelands, a stretch of desert that receives no rainfall (even the desert kingdom of Inarizaki receives some).

The Wastelands is characterized by cracked dry earth, dead foliage and lots of tumbleweeds. They say no civilized, sane person would live there and crossing this place is a near death sentence. The Wastelands is home to the second kind of changeling, though they don’t call themselves that. They prefer the term “shifters.” Unlike the changelings of Fukurodani, who can all turn into birds, shifters in the Wastelands turn into dogs. If Kyoutani, a shifter, was ever to met up with Iwaizumi, Oikawa, and co., it would be here. (Currently, a major clan in the Wastelands is run by a woman who is married to the god that created the shifters, though most people don’t know he’s a god. They have a son, Kyoutani, who will not be reborn like the Colored Mages, but who does have special powers and otherworldly skills.)

Niiyama is a matriarchal society with architecture and aesthetic based loosely on Aztec or Mayan culture (think Road to El Dorado) paired with every stereotypical rainforest aesthetic. Niiyama is home to lush rainforests, “exotic” animals like leopards and tigers and colorful birds and poisonous frogs, and female mages that worship the moon goddess. These women are trained as priestesses though people in Inarizaki like to call them “witches.” The current Black Mage is part of the royal family (specifically, her eerily old great-grandmother is the empress and she will give the throne to the Black Mage, the first royal female by blood since her). This is Niiyama’s captain in canon and at this point she doesn’t have a name. I like to call her Jun. She has a long title like Danerys in Game of Thrones, something like “[Name], Rightful Heir to the Niiyama Empire, High Priestess of the Moon Goddess, the Black Mage reborn, Daughter of the Forest, Bringer of Storms, etc. etc.” (Gods and goddesses can be found in the forest. They take on the shapes of giant animals, or humans. It’s best not to go too deep into the forest alone.)

Inarizaki is a patriarchal society and is a mix of a ton of aesthetics--Dorne in Game of Thrones, your stereotypical Arabian Nights, ancient Egypt, Gerudo from LoZ, and a few others. It is known as a land of summer, a sandy desert kingdom with large cities at coastal ports and internal oases and along rivers. People travel by camel across the sand or by boat along the coast and rivers. It is a very wealthy kingdom, but also a very poor kingdom. Only a few are wealthy and they control the poor to the point where the poor enter contracts, essentially selling themselves as slaves, to get a large sum of money in return which they can give to their family. Of course, not everyone enters a contract and some are taken by force. Here, there are many gods, but the people mainly worship the sun god and their economy is based on their massive export industry and trade in general. (Similarly, there are gods that roam the desert. One likes to sit at your campfire at night; you should give him food. Others will guide you through the desert, others led you to death. Do not trust a stranger in the desert.)

Essentially, Inarizaki is the antithesis of Niiyama (desert vs. rainforest, sun vs. moon god/goddess, patriarchal vs. matriarchal, etc.). Despite their differences, both kingdoms share ancient ruins with similar imagery and architecture. In Inarizaki, these ruins are buried beneath the sand. In Niiyama, they’re hidden in the depths of the jungle, some even underwater. Even in the Wastelands, there are crumbling ruins inhabited by the shifters to escape the sun. Treasure hunters search for these ruins and steal their treasures, often hiring guides and curse breakers. These places are very dangerous and no one knows what civilization built the ruins.

Three Empires/Triple Islands -- aesthetic

To the west, there are three islands either known as the Triple Islands or the Three Empires. Each island is about a day’s boat ride away with favorable winds and they’re roughly placed in a triangle, equidistant apart. There is the Nohebi Empire, the Itachiyama Empire, and the Mujinazaka Empire.

Long, long ago (to the point where it is just a story and not a known fact), these three islands were one land. However, three groups fought and the gods decided to split the land to stop the fighting. To this day, those gods are alive, hidden away on the islands to stop violence from breaking out between the current empires. (Perhaps in the story it was three siblings? Or maybe just three groups. I don’t think the current empires were established at that point in history. It was a really long ago.)

Mujinazaka is loosely based on the aesthetic of Tibetan monks and whole Air Nomad thing in Avatar the Last Airbender. The major god here is a frog. A lot of monks here are warrior monks, though they are generally peaceful. Most of them actually use magic but don’t use staves, preferring beads and such to amplify their magic, allowing them to fight with their fists but produce bursts of air.

Itachiyama is loosely based on some other ancient Asian culture (tbd). This is the place I know the least about, other than the emperor has many children, including a daughter that was rumored to be Oikawa’s potential bride after he came of age. The major god that resides in Itachiyama takes the form of a salamander.

Nohebi is based loosely on feudal era Japan. The major god residing in Nohebi is a snake. Second to Nekoma, they have the most mages based on percentage of the popular than any other kingdom/empire. They are also known for their academics. The capital, which is surrounded by cherry blossoms that last year round thanks to magic, is the home of the emperor. He has a vast network of spies/ninjas and personal samurai-like guards. The Green Mage has been said to live in Nohebi and I’ve mentioned in author’s notes that this is Daishou, who likes to take on the form of a snake but is not the god I mentioned before. I don’t know if he would be an advisor to the emperor, or maybe the head of his spy network, or perhaps serves some religious role for his ability to turn into the snake they worship. His presence in Nohebi is well known, and the emperor has some bit of control over him (but how much can you control a Colored Mage, really?--something I think Daishou takes advantage of).

Like with Niiyama and Inarizaki, gods like to roam. There are the major gods on each island but also more minor gods that you can find traveling. Some are good, some are bad, some are neither and simply exist.

#stars aligned fic

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leave-carol-out-of-it · 5 years

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Honestly dr strange seems like, really fucking cool as a character. Like, yes, he is white and his backstory is inherently pretty racist, but you have to remember this was the 60s during the height of when America got really, really into east asian cultures and ideologies- hes a product of his time, and actually, pretty easily remedied if you just made him asian himself. Seeing the mcu RUIN everything about him is honestly disgusting and pathetic, especially in terms of their whiteboi fav tonky.

funny thing is that the MCU didn’t ruin anything about his character. i dunno why people are blaming them when it was the stans who butchered his character into being unrecognizable. they certainly didn’t take any STRIDES with him, but they didn’t change anything.

the man who directed the film almost bankrupted himself because he wanted to make an honest and beautiful adaption of the original doctor strange comics. he wanted to so something that touched up the weirdness and out of this world blacklight mayhem of the og stories.

HE was the one who was given ultimatums, ones that he did his best to go around. “can’t have the ancient one be tibetian” “okay, then i’ll make him a woman and do my best to flip the switch” “you can’t do this” “then i’ll do this” “this won’t work” “then this will have to do”

could he have made strange asian? i don’t know. i don’t think a lot of white people actually realize how much that trope is racist. is that an excuse? no. we all know that marvel is full of racism, that’s why the director did his best to get rid of wong as the chinese servant and made him more like the wong that was in Strange Origins (one with agency, with personality, who wasn’t a servant and was also a fighter/powerful sorcerer in his own right).

he even gave baron mordo more personality and turned him into a character with more depth than just “ahha! i’m evil!”. mordo has personality in the movie, he has reasons, he’s a good guy until he feels like he was the one betrayed.

and i know that the racism is there. it’s always in the background of doctor strange books. it’s in the history that the newer writers are trying to fix.

omg but holy shit does BC look like strange.

like, it’s actually fucking uncanny how much he looks like strange

so, in short; could they have made him asian? sure. i would have actually really liked to see an indian doctor strange. it would make his climb to the top of the neurologist field from poverty all that more inspiring. it would have made his fall from grace heartbreaking. it would have been a step in the right direction.

but the mcu (and marvel) isn’t run that way and, Stephen Strange’s two creators were also still very much in charge of how he was depicted on the big screen.

could we get less racism in the future? i hope so. there’s a rumor going around that Clea is going to be cast as an asian woman. but i don’t hold much stock into rumor and the director has gone off social media for almost a year now to work on DS 2

#ask #Anonymous

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spaceshipkat · 5 years

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Since hearing this Xian SJM thing I just KNEW that “name” was familiar re: Chinese history. So I confirmed it online and there was an ancient Chinese dynasty called XIA. Didn’t sjm study cultures or history or something? There’s NO WAY she hasn’t heard of this dynasty before. There was also a Xin dynasty. I’ve taken some Asian art history and history courses & have heard it in mention, not even as the focus, and even I remembered it!! You’re not fooling anyone Sarah Janet.

in all honesty? i’ll bet sj/m has heard of it and that’s why she chose it, or chose a name similar to it, bc that’s how sj/m chooses literally every named thing in her books (i mean, she named a male fae Eris, plonked the Myrmidons into t0g, included a disrespectful interpretation of a Naga, etc). but i really don’t know anything about Asian history/culture, so @discountalien-pancake could provide you a more in-depth answer regarding this, like they did earlier today on the post. :)

#ask #anonymous #anti sjm #anti acotar #anti tog

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buri-art · 5 years

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If you don't mind me asking, how come you're able to live and work in Japan (and China?)? Where did it al begin? I'm just really curious! Thanks!

I don’t mind, thanks for asking! Turns out I’ve been doing some advising on this topic lately. (Scroll to the bottom for specific advice!)It all began with Digimon…

I’ve always had a history of moving from one obsession to another, starting back with Barney the Dinosaur. Then when I was 11-years-old I found myself very curious about that weird Japanese show on Fox Kids, which looked so different from the Western cartoons I was so fond of. What I caught of it kept me surprised–my stereotypes about it were wrong, the characters and their situations were complicated, and plot had depth? What was this and why did it make me care so much??Well, once I decided I was hooked, I was hooked. Obsessed overnight. I needed to know everything there was to know about it, including the country it came from. Guess I better learn Japanese, I thought.

That thought didn’t go away. I generally got obsessed with anime and Japanese culture, anything I could get my weeby little hands on. Wanting to know everything about Japan led to curiosity about China too, because if you’re going to stretch far back in the origins of Japanese culture, eventually you’re going to get interested in the big collection of nations and time periods known as Ancient China. (Stuff like Fushigi Yuugi and the anime rendition of Condor Hero sure helped drive that interest.)I stayed obsessed with Japan all through my teen years (and started Japanese study in earnest when I was 16) and I chose a college where I could start studying Chinese. It seemed like the natural progression in my studies by that point, but I guess other people thought it was surprising. Or they called me a traitor. (I can tell you now that lots and lots of people wind up studying both.)

Anyway, I went in to college with a pretty wide knowledge of East Asia, but studying it from all sorts of angles, getting good advising in school from nerdy professors, and studying abroad certainly made my understanding more nuanced. Going to a small school where it was easy to stick out also helped me get a good handful of work-study experiences and special attention for my particular passions. (It helps that a couple teachers were enamored with traditional Chinese culture, another loved Heian aesthetics, another wrote a dissertation about the production of shoujo manga, and another loved to give students free food. Now those are my people.)What most people find surprising was that even though I had a heavier course load in Asian studies, my major was Economics. I was concerned about finding work with only nerdy Asian studies, and I felt like I needed to save the world by working at an NGO and sacrificing my personal happiness for the sake of the poor and underprivileged. (I still feel like that, but thankfully there are more ways to support NGOs than only by working in them.) In my research topics I usually had a special focus on developing nations in Asia, and I made sure to get a good understanding of the whole region, not just, like, Edo period gay samurai fanfiction (yeah, that was totally a thing).Well, anyway, I never worked at an NGO. I went to grad school to keep working on my Chinese while keeping up independent Japanese study (including the JLPT), then I worked for the one international company in my hometown doing stuff for their Asian side of business. It was cool if you had any interest in engineering, but I didn’t. I like culture. The weeb shit, as it’s known. All according to keikaku, I became a Coordinator for International Relations on the JET Program (it’s not all English teachers!), and had the time of my life in Matsue (my love for that place is seeeeerious). That’s when I took my wide knowledge of Japan and started getting deeper knowledge, by doing anything and everything, especially practicing naginata, tea ceremony, and competitive kimono dressing. (I like to say I broke the weeb scale a long time ago.) Even among CIRs, who all speak Japanese fairly fluently, I guess I was noteworthy for my nerdy knowledge of obscure pieces of local culture, and my enthusiasm for sharing it. That’s just me being my obsessive self, folks. But yeah, lots of JET Program participants are obsessive and eager to go out and experience things. Aaaahhh, my people. After that, I felt I needed more experience in China, so I got a teaching job (which is relatively easy to do, if you’re a native English speaker). Due to my work schedule and living in Shanghai as opposed to like, Wuyishan or even Hangzhou, I didn’t devote as much as to cultural classes as I originally planned on, but I did practice tea and martial arts throughout my time there, and I continued to work on my Mandarin and gaining obscure cultural knowledge, but especially gaining experience melding with society there. Although it was more overwhelming, I do feel much more competent with my Chinese skills now, and I still love a lot of the culture and have so much more traveling I want to do there. I can still nerd out so hard for so much there.Moving back to Japan felt like a very natural course of things. I know a lot of people who have been happy to be Japan-nerds from a distance, or do the JET Program for a while and then just go back to visit, but at least for now, I don’t see myself happy with only visiting. I have personality flaws, like being very inflexible, that make me work very well in a rigid society like Japan. I’m too used to good convenience stores to live happily without them. I enjoy speaking Japanese all the time instead of taking occasional opportunities. Also, my niche skill set is kind of useless in my part of the US. I did try to find work here, really. That being said, having niche skills means that when I’m useful, I’m super useful. Job searching from outside of Japan was a lot more challenging than applying for the JET Program (which any JET applicant can tell you is not a simple process, but once you’re in, you really appreciate how much they handle for you in matters of moving abroad). It was really, really nerve-wracking to turn down two very good corporate job offers in favor of a somewhat new hotel chain. I really wanted to enter the tourism industry because this feels like the only place (outside of academia) where I can use all my obsessive studies of mainstream and obscure but especially traditional culture, and where my gushing about how much I love stuff is actually useful. Plus, it’ll make use of all three of my languages, not just one or two at a time. I hope this will work out for at least the next few years, if not forever. I also hope that if I live in the US in the future to be closer to family*, then I’ll have enough industry experience to work in hotels here or start a tour company targeted at Asian clients. (*Family is the primary reason I still consider long-term life in America, and it’s a big one, and worrying about them is the hardest part about living abroad. Excessive humidity in a lot of Asia is another reason I might choose to live in the Western US.)But like, now my hobbies are my job. While it won’t be the bulk of it, wearing kimono and performing tea ceremonies is no longer something that makes me cool and special and unexpectedly useful, it’s going to be what I need to be professionally competent in (eeeeeeep). This is the kind of stuff that obsessive teenage Buri would have swooned to know, but also totally expected. Career-Buri is a little more level-headed about it and also very grateful to have these opportunities. So anyway, advice!!—If you think you want to do anything in China or Japan, START STUDYING THE LANGUAGES NOW. Yes, I know they’re difficult. No, there’s no perfect program. Whatever you’re going to use, just do it consistently. Fluency is not actually required for a lot of jobs, but hot damn, some language skills will help. (For reference, I passed N1 of the JLPT before starting JET, and passed HSK5 while I was in grad school. I studied for HSK6 while I was in China and would have had a 50/50 chance of passing, but chose not to because it’s not actually that useful for the price I’d pay for it.)–To get a work visa in either country, 99 times out of a 100, you’re going to need a Bachelor’s degree. Your major is not usually as important as simple proof of graduation. Many places will care about your grades, though, so try to keep them up. –Teaching is still the easiest way to get there. There’s a wealth of programs to recruit you, but I suggest trying to steer clear of places that only provide a stipend instead of a salary, or small dispatch companies with questionable reputations. The JET Program is probably the best way to teach in Japan because of the level of support you get, but I’ve known people who had good experiences on the larger dispatch companies like Altia or Interac as well. For more direct hires, there are English tutoring companies (like English First (EF) or Coco Juku) where you might have students of all ages, as well as companies that focus on very small children (where you’ll basically be a glorified preschool teacher). On that note, many kindergartens and other for-profit education companies (like what I did in China) will hire directly, but your experience can vary widely. Finally, you can also look into international schools, but your teaching credentials will be much more important. Any background in teaching, or TESOL certification, will be a boon to your application (and at some places, your paycheck). –All of these places will want to see that you are a dependable, flexible person. Getting experience abroad, being able to speak frankly about challenges you’ve dealt with, and showing a willingness to go anywhere and do whatever is needed will look really good on your interviews. I say this a JET Program interviewer; the people who displayed the most patience and maturity were the people we felt best about giving a high score to. Those are the people we like to send out into the communities. –As we like to say in the JET Program, every situation is different (ESID for short). That applies to every teaching situation you might yourself in abroad.–You don’t have to be a teacher (after all, I only did JET because of the CIR position, I loved it!!). But you’re going to have to be really competent in whatever else it is you’re doing. Headhunters, such as at Pasona Global (which has branches in many Asian countries), are really, really good to work with, but they are most likely to hook you up with corporate jobs in big cities. If that’s what you want, awesome. (I wound up finding my hotel through a Japanese job searching site specifically for tourism related work. Other industry-specific fields may have their own job hunting sites, possibly in English, possibly not.) Language competency will be a lot more important if you take this route. –If at all possible, STUDY ABROAD!!! Many people will get the experience they want doing this instead of dealing with the frustrations of working and residing abroad. It’s a good way to see how much you love it and decide if the frustrations are worth it. Plus, it really helps your job applications. –Even if you can’t work abroad due to your personal situation, PLEASE TRY TO TRAVEL THERE!!!! When you’re interested in another culture or a foreign language, it means so, sooooo much to be there, even if it’s temporary. I don’t just say this as someone who has chosen tourism as my calling (though I am more than happy to give travel advice), I say this as a passionate nerd. I feel you. I get you. You need this. –Back to studies and stuff though, if you’re going to major in some form of area studies or foreign language, it is difficult to get jobs with that alone. Consider double-majoring in something that will play into that, or which will open other career options. Money is kind of important, especially if you’re going to have to pay for flights across the Pacific.

–That being said, study what you care about too. You know how oddly useful my elective class about Non-Western Theater has been!?!? And if something in anime catches your attention, for goodness sake, you’re on THE INTERNET. If you liked Jubei-chan, go study samurai, if you like Fruits Basket, go learn to make onigiri, if you like Mob Psycho 100, then go—well—um—go work out, being physically healthy is also important!!

Well, anyway, that’s long enough. Good luck to all you nerds out there!! KEN TANAKA LOVES YOU and all that good stuff!!

#wow this got long #tl:dr #I'm a nerd and that might help you too

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per-ineptia-ad-astra · 5 years

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Star Trek Gold Key #26: The Perfect Dream

Our issue begins with a bang. A planet-sized bang, to be precise.

[ID: A comic splash page showing a ringed planet exploding in space. The title in the upper left corner reads Star Trek—THE PERFECT DREAM Part 1. Narration box one: “Federation board of inquiry: Stardate 30:20:4! Investigation into possible Federation involvement in annihiliation of neutral planet body! Recorders log: Testimony of Captain James T Kirk...” Second narration box: “Members of the board, the issues at point are of delicate diplomatic balance! Therefore, so that you may understand the Enterprise’s position, I must carefully reconstruct the events that took place upon Rifas-L...”]

Evidently Kirk is in some trouble about this, since he’s explaining it to a Federation committee. Y’know, they’re supposed to seek out new life and new civilizations, not blow them to smithereens. Bit of a faux-pas, that.

In flashback, Kirk describes how they found this weird planet, or at least something that looked like a planet, but was a bit lacking in some typical planet characteristics. Such as being in a solar system. Or being in orbit. Instead it’s just moving across space in a straight line, Great A’Tuin style, with all its light and heat apparently being provided by its rings.

Well, what’s a crew to do when confronted by a mystery planet but beam down to it and check out what’s going on. Kirk beams down with Spock, Sulu, Chapel, a redshirt, and...Uhuru?

[ID: A landing party consisting of [left to right] Kirk, Spock, Uhura, Sulu, a balding redshirt man, and Nurse Chapel, partway through beaming into a grassy space with some trees and rocks at the edges. Kirk’s narration: “The landing party I took down with me for observation purposes included Spock, Helmsman Sulu, Medical Officer Chapel, Communications Lieutenant Uhuru [sic] and Security Officer Manning!”]

As they start to look around the landscape, Kirk reminds everyone to be careful since they don’t know much about their surroundings, and Spock is like “lol humans can’t just appreciate something beautiful can they.” Immediately after he says this, the group is attacked by a wild mountain lion. Let that be a lesson to you, Spock.

[ID: Four square panels arranged in two rows of two. First panel, Uhura is saying, “Captain—it’s beautiful! I’ve never seen anything like it!” while Kirk, in the foreground, says, “Yes, stunning! Still, all the beauty could be hiding something—be alert!” Second panel, Spock, Kirk and Uhura are on the ground while the viewpoint shows a beige mountain lion-like creature poised in a tree branch above them. Spock: “Captain, I fail to grasp why humans cannot face beauty without doubting or destroying it...or both!” Third panel, the creature pounces onto the redshirt man with a “RRRROOOWWRR!” Sulu, in the foreground, is saying, “Manning! Captain! A carnivore attacking Manning!” while from offscreen Kirk says, “Set phaser on stun, Sulu, fire on my command!” Fourth panel, Sulu and Kirk fire their phasers onto the creature with a shout of “Now!” from Kirk, knocking the creature off of Manning.]

As if alien mountain lions weren’t bad enough, a giant flock of SPIES OF SARUMAN black birds also shows up. Uhura is somehow able to identify them as ‘like Earth ravens, but carnivorous’ from a distance.

Luckily, before our hapless crew can get Hitchcock’d, they’re rescued by a crowd of...Japanese people…? They yell at the Enterprise crew to drop to the ground while they take care of the birds.

[ID: Three people in samurai-like armor and one in a short tunic fighting off birds and lion-creatures with katanas. In the foreground Sulu is saying, “Captain, I’m not quite sure of what I’m seeing! If I’m not mistaken, they’re using a variation of samurai technique used in ancient Japan!” and Kirk is replying, “Whatever it is, it’s working!”]

Ah yes, the ancient Samurai technique of ‘hitting birds with swords.’

Once all the birds have been driven off, the newcomers politely invite the crew back to their city, where they can treat their injuries with healing balm. Chapel gets unnecessarily hostile about this and snaps that, “I’m quite sure I have the proper supplies to care for my own patients, thank you!” Calm down there, Chris, they don’t know you’re a doctor.

So the crew take a hike back to this city with the mysterious Anachronism People. On the way, Spock and Kirk note that there are farmlands nearby, but they’re only cultivating wild growth instead of developed land, which they find odd since a planet this plentiful isn’t where they would expect to find nomadic farming. After all they’ve been there like, a whole five minutes, which is definitely enough time to do an in-depth analysis on local agriculture possibilities.

But the farming ruminations will have to wait, because they soon arrive at the city.

[ID: A large panel showing the Enterprise crew along with their armored guides approaching a Japanese-styled city by a river. In the background are indistinct shapes of buildings beyond an arched bridge over the river, with mountains in the distance; in the foreground is a while building with red roofs, where a woman in a short pink tunic is standing on the steps saying, “Welcome, travelers! I am Oshino of the Third Dan! This the imperial city of Shondo Ho! Come! We have quarters waiting—Yamoto saw your arrival!” Uhura is saying to Kirk, “Captain, it—it’s perfect! It’s like those enchanted cities I vid-sorbed as a child!”]

Like the what that you what now

Oshino introduces them to a guy called Ekoe of the First Dan, who’s supposed to ‘see to their needs,’ which he does precisely none of in this story but never mind that. Once installed in some guest rooms, Kirk and Spock talk over the situation. Spock thinks this is all weird because the people seem to be living in total perfect harmony with their surroundings, which he’s quite sure humans aren’t capable of. Really? That’s what you find weird about all this?

Kirk has a slightly more salient point: he’s noticed that of all the people they’ve seen so far, he’s only seen six distinct faces. It’s rude to call out the artist like that, Kirk. Anyway Kirk says he’d think maybe that meant everyone around here is an android, but they all show up on the scanners as human. Hm.

Oshino shows the group around the city some. Uhura notes that they all seem very relaxed and not rushed, and asks what their lifespan is. At this Oshino acts confused and says she doesn’t understand what this ‘lifespan’ thing is because they are ‘of Yamoto and the moment.’ Ekoe jumps in and says that maybe they should be thinking more about what happened before and what will happen after, for which he gets chastised for asking questions he’s not supposed to be asking. How, exactly, these people have managed to build up a society with agriculture and a developed city when they have no concept of past or future is...well, that’s, uh, that’s quite something.

But apparently asking “what happened before right now” is a hanging offense around here, because Oshino rats Ekoe out for incorrect thinking to some guy she calls ‘clan father’ who says that Ekoe’s going to have to be ‘dealt with’ for that. But not right away. We can have some dramatic passage of time first.

[ID: Sulu talking to Oshino, an Asian woman wearing a short pink tunic with flowers in her hair, inside a building with yellow walls. The narration box reads, “Oshino tended to spend more time with Sulu. Because of the similarities of their cultures there seemed to be intellectual identification between them!” Sulu is saying, “Can you tell me anything of your history—your planet’s development?” Oshino says, “History? I don’t understand! I—I...lakes?”]

LAKES?

Oh yeah, sure, Sulu’s from 23rd century Earth and she’s from an alien planet vaguely emulating ancient Japan, but their cultures are just alike!

Turns out this whole ‘lakes’ thing is Oshino getting a vision of something happening previously—aka ‘remembering’--specifically a bunch of people rising out of lakes. Huh. Weird. She shrugs this off and asks Sulu to tell her more about where he came from, so he tells her about concepts like ‘night’ and ‘stars’ and ‘other planets’. I’d fear for the Prime Directive, but I think that got busted quite a while back.

Meanwhile, Spock sees Ekoe constructing a cute little model house, but when asked about it Ekoe says that obviously he couldn’t be constructing anything because he’s a First Dan and his functions don’t allow for that. Then he destroys it in a rage. A...weird rage.

[ID: Ekoe, an Asian man in a belted green tunic with a green wrap tied around his hair, sitting at a table and angrily knocking apart a model house, saying, “What is this? This is merely a semi-quadrainial, psi-sided convertional nothing!” Behind him, Spock is standing with one hand thoughtfully on his chin, thinking, “Curious! Ekoe is unlike anyone we’ve met here...”]

A semi-what what-sided convertional what now?

Spock notes that Ekoe stands out around here, not just because he speaks in weird gibberish, but because he alone seems to be unsatisfied with his role in life and is questioning the whole society. When questioned Ekoe reveals that he also has the magical skill of ‘seeing the past’ but his memories don’t make any more sense than the lake thing.

Kirk takes Uhura and Sulu out to scout around for a bit. And he’s giving a captain’s log...during a flashback? Sure, okay.

[ID: Kirk, in the foreground, and Sulu and Uhura in the background, exploring a grassy wooded landscape. The narration box reads, “Stardate 30:19:15...continuing with our data collecting on Rifas-L...We have set out to explore surrounding wild areas!” Kirk is saying, “Sulu, I want samples of that glowing ore over there sent up to the Enterprise for analysis!” and Sulu replies, “Aye aye, Captain!”]

Sulu, I wouldn’t get too close to that glowing ore if I were you.

While poking around, Uhura notes that nearly all of the flora around here has food value, which allows for the prosperity the local people enjoy. Kirk also mentions that he hasn’t seen a single child anywhere around, causing Uhura to posit the existence of some kind of child storage institution.

Spock, meanwhile, is off somewhere else, wiping out the local wildlife.

[ID: Spock standing in grass, shooting his phaser at a lion-creature leaping towards him while another one snarls in the foreground. Spock is thinking, “The ferocity of those creatures would seem to contradict the environment of this world! However, I have a theory...I believe they’re guarding something!”]

Leaving a trail of dead carnivores in his wake, Spock eventually happens onto an isolated building which is giving off weird ‘life force emanations,’ so naturally he goes inside to take a look. Evidently someone went to the trouble of getting a bunch of lions to guard the place, but didn’t think to put a lock on the door.

Back in the city, Kirk is talking about wrapping up this whole venture soon, when Ekoe comes in with another model house and asks if the Federation might have a place for him (and his little houses) somewhere, because he doesn’t fit in around here. Before Kirk can respond to this, a bunch of armed guys (whom Ekoe refers to as ‘collectors from the Garden of Eternity’) burst in to arrest him. Turns out Ekoe doesn’t fit in so much that he’s going to be executed for being a ‘mental deviant.’ The crew tries to save Ekoe, but sadly they’ve misplaced all their phasers—apparently--because they’re forced to resort to whacking the armored guards with their bare hands, which doesn’t work out so well.

[ID: Sulu ridiculously chopping a man in samurai-like armor with the back of his hand while exclaiming, “She’s right, Captain! We’ve got to stop them long enough to make them listen!” In the background, Uhura is pushing over another man in armor.]

Eventually Oshino bursts in and gets huffy at them for interfering in something they know nothing about, and tells them that if they don’t stop fighting they’ll get executed too. So the Enterprise crew just has absolutely no choice but to watch Ekoe, along with some other ‘deviants’ and the elderly, get hauled onto an execution platform and, well, executed.

[ID: Three figures, one of them Ekoe, holding their hands up and crying, “Noooooooo!” while being incinerated with “swurrrrrrrr! Ziiiiiiiiittt! Ziiiiitt!” sounds.]

swurr ziit ziit indeed

Poor Ekoe! We hardly knew ye, and yer little houses. Also that execution platform seems mighty high-tech for this society. Does anyone make a note of that? Of course not.

Well, so much for this whole ‘perfect society’ thing. Uhura tries to explain to a confused Oshino why they disapprove of killing the unusual and elderly, prompting Oshino to have another attack of memory. This is observed by the clan father (I think—it’s pretty hard to tell who anyone is in this art style), who notes that Oshino is starting to get all deviant-y too.

Meanwhile, Spock, exploring the mysterious building, makes a shocking discovery—a cloning lab! That’s right, the identical people with no children are all clones! Man, who could’ve guessed.

While he’s looking around, he’s interrupted by Yamoto himself, who introduces himself as the creator and overlord of this world, which actually isn’t a planet but a giant spaceship (there are a surprising amount of those knocking around the galaxy). Evidently this is all just some big socio-scientific project of his, the reasons for which we are left in the dark about. He just wanted to make a planet, I guess. Anyway, he shows Spock around, talking about how he’s genetically programmed all these clones into three perfect ‘classes.’ Then he zaps Spock with a paralysis ray and says he’s gonna take samples from him to make a whole new, even better class of clones. I dunno how well an entire society of Spocks would function, but I guess Yamoto hasn’t known him very long.

Back in the city, the guards have burst into the room once again, this time to take away Oshino and those dang Federation newcomers who have been causing unrest. Fortunately this time Kirk and his crew have their phasers on hand and are able to take them all out in about two seconds. Kirk tries to call up Spock but can’t get an answer, so he proclaims that they’re going to find Spock—going to, one might even say, search for Spock—and then get the hell off this weird not-planet. Oh, and Oshino can come too if she wants.

Oshino thinks Spock might have gone to the ‘Palace of Life’ so she leads the crew there, taking out yet more lions on the way. Geez, those things must be respawning somewhere. In the lab, Yamoto has successfully taken all the cell samples he needs, so now it’s time to get rid of Spock. Luckily for Spock, Yamoto is distracted in the nick of time.

[ID: Spock laying on a table looking up at Yamoto, a man wearing a green tunic with very large yellow sleeves and a black flat cap, holding a phaser. Narration: “Suddenly...” Yamoto: “Intruders!” Spock, thinking: “He’s distractred—my Vulcan healing abilities have overcome the paralysis! I must act now!” A screen in the background is flashing and going, “woo-ah woo-ah woo-ah.”]

WOO-AH WOO-AH WOO-AH

The crew have found the Palace of Life and make their way inside, where they discover the Terrible Secret. Oshino reacts...not super well.

[ID: Oshino attacking and destroying machinery with one hand. Sulu, behind her, is saying, “Captain! She’s berserk! She’s tearing the place apart!” Kirk, looking offscreen, is saying, “We’ve got bigger worries right now! Look!”]

Yamoto sends some security robots after the intruders, but they’re easily dispatched. Spock shows up and suggests they perform an expeditious retreat—but before they can, Oshino grabs Sulu’s phaser and runs off deeper into the compound on a quest for vengeance. Kirk is reluctant to let her go, but she blocks the doorway behind her (with a bunch of giant boulders that conveniently fall from the ceiling), so they have no choice but to leave her behind. They run outside, where the collectors have caught up to them, but a quick beam-up solves that problem.

The Enterprise runs away, and Kirk narrates to the board what he thinks happened next: Oshino found Yamoto, kills him, and then presses a button that makes the whole not-planet blow up. Yeah, just one button. Evidently this place was designed by Dr. Doofensmirtz.

Kirk tells the board that clearly, Federation intervention can’t be responsible for what happened to the not-planet, even though Federation intervention was directly responsible for what happened, because it would have happened eventually anyway. The board is like “cool” so everyone leaves, but on the way out they’re interrupted by a space janitor.

[ID: Two panels. In the first, a man in a blue shirt and green cap is approaching Kirk, Spock, Uhura and Sulu as they exit a room, holding out a small model building to them and saying, “Captain Kirk, will you look at this! The space scooper picked it up as it was cleaning up Rifas-L...survived the holocaust like a straw in a tornado! You wouldn’t know what it is, would you?” Spock replies, “I think I can answer you, sir!” In the second panel, Spock, in the foreground, says, “It’s quite probably a semi-quadrainial, psi-sided, convertional nothing!” while the man looks shocked in the background. THE END is written in the lower right corner.]

Space...scooper?

I’m not sure if Spock’s end comment there is supposed to in some way be meaningful or pithy but it...it...yeah. One would expect something like “oh, a fragment of a civilization now lost, the last remnant of a man who had great hopes and dreams but is now gone and remembered by almost no one, let’s keep it as a reminder of this great tragedy” but no, Spock just smirks and spouts out a comment that seems snarky but doesn’t actually mean anything and walks off. At the risk of actually seriously analyzing these comics—most certainly a hopeless venture—this is a strong example of how shallow the writing in them is. There’s a sense to me here of someone trying to mimic good writing without any idea of how it actually works, so instead of actual emotional beats you just get this sort of weird nonsense. “Oh, it’s really clever to end a story with a smart call-back, right? This is clever, right? Right?”

I do love the space janitor’s mustache and look of comical surprise there though. And the idea that a straw surviving a hurricane is anything like a tiny model house surviving AN EXPLODING PLANET.

So that’s the end of that story. It’s probably racist? But to be honest I’m so confused at this point I wouldn’t even know where to start on that one. The moral of the story is, uh...don’t...make clones? Sure. Let’s go with that.

#star trek #star trek Gold Key #recap tag #star trek Gold Key recaps #GK 26 The Perfect Dream #GK 26 The Perfect Dream recap

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bombquail79 · 3 years

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Muscat Sightseeing City Excursions

Need to know extra information about Egypt earlier than traveling from Oman, right here we're provide the whole information about greatest locations in Egypt, best time to visit Egypt and rather more. Get an actual desert experience by 4WD vehicle driving across the rugged terrain to search out the nomads with camels and a Bedouin house in the middle of the desert. You will embark on your journey from the Marina Bandar where you will board the unique boat and set off in your journey to spot dolphins and whales. Every morning the area is checked to plan accordingly the trip to ensure the chance of spotting the dolphins. This journey is a nice way to witness these animals up shut of their natural habitat without disturbance. We'll introduce you to one of the best of Muscat, revealing the hidden magnificence and cultural highlights of this Arabian gem throughout our partaking sightseeing tour. Explore with ease from 10 stops, conveniently located near key landmarks and sights. I enjoy this city,it's an awesome place to stay for older folks and youngsters it’s so quiet and every little thing you need is around the nook. Oman is sizzling so everyone will want to take a dip within the sea. Our carefully designed route showcases key Muscat landmarks, together with Mutrah Suq, the Historic Old Quarter, 16th century Al Mirani Fort and the trendy Parliament constructing. You'll additionally get to take pleasure in panoramic views of Muscat's gorgeous craggy mountain vary and winding coastline. Mangalore Today Is Exclusive Good Information Network For Gulf Information Web Page Qurum Located at the foot of Oman’s Al Hajar Mountains, the backyard will be 35km from the capital of Muscat and shall be among the many largest botanic gardens on the earth when it opens in 2023. Oman is ready to interrupt floor on a US$175m (€148.7m, £126.9m) botanic garden - the most important of its kind within the Arabian Peninsula. At the InterContinental Muscat, concierge Issam Al Balushi has spent three years guiding guests on what to do, see and eat in Oman’s capital metropolis. To Olmsted, nature had a religious factor – a view influenced by his household minister, Horace Bushnell. It is an attraction spot for those who are willing to take pleasure in strolling and fishing. The site would require 2-4 hours of time, together with a visit to the Frankincense Land Museum . We had an amazing expertise with a clear view of the stars, several large turtles and bioluminescent plankton . Be certain to visit the Three Soldiers Detail, a bronze replica of the Vietnam memorial statue in Washington, D.C. Having an idea of the parks mentioned above, you can plan a greater family bonding or a soothing weekend so that you just can take pleasure in. Oman Kek Lok Si is considered one of the largest and most impressive Buddhist temples in Southeast Asia. It is a sprawling complex that draws pilgrims from throughout Southeas Asia and combines parts of both Mahayana (primarily Chinese/Northeast Asian) and Theravada Buddhism, the 2 major branches. The greatest time to go to Inle Lake is during the dry season between November and March. The Phaung Daw Oo Pagoda Festival, which takes place in round October, is an actual highlight for those who do not thoughts the burgeoning crowds. So the central place of this date stretches back over almost thirty-five hundred years of non secular history. Among the ancient Greeks and Romans, temples represented this concept of centering and connecting with the realms of the sacred. You need to complete the quest referred to as "Shrouded Shrine" to disclose its location. Light a torch and search for the bird-shaped braziers - comply with the path of their beaks. Korsh O'hu - "Korsh O'hu's Blessing" - This one lies within the East Gerudo Ruins, east of Palu Wasteland. Speak to Rotana exterior Gerudo Town to start "The Seven Heroines" quest (he'll provide you with some Snow Boots). Head to the circular formation on the backside of the mountain southwest of Wasteland Tower. 7 Superb Hot Springs Near Mammoth Lakes There’s a central carpark at the customer centre, and various smaller car parks scattered around city. We visited this place in the night, when the soft orange lighting created a warm ambience. Moving past the reuse of the Greek and Roman baths, Islamic bathhouses have been often constructed as annex buildings of mosques which had been part of bigger complexes acting as each group centres and homes of worship. Hammams continued to be a significant part of city life in the Muslim world till the early twentieth century, after which point the spread of indoor plumbing in personal homes made public baths pointless for hygiene. People have added nozzles to some so that you can regulate if it is too sizzling. Zhonghualong Hot Spring has over 70 varieties of micro-elements, together with sulfur, calcium, potassium, and magnesium. Known because the No.1 hot spring in southwest China, it's a sulfur-based medical mineral spring, maintaining an average temperature at 42°C all 12 months spherical. An essential factor to remember; there's a time restrict for each sizzling spring session for two hours. When one session is over, everybody should filter out and the next group of bathers to return in. Treat your self to some well-deserved pampering by soaking in our Indian Springs geyser water with a chardonnay twist. Some scorching springs produce fluids which are intermediate in chemistry between these extremes. For instance, mixed acid-sulfate-chloride sizzling springs are intermediate between acid sulfate and alkaline chloride springs and will kind by mixing of acid sulfate and alkaline chloride fluids. They deposit geyserite, however in smaller portions than alkaline chloride springs. National Museum Oman There are gradual will increase in significance for each event; whether from winning a good deal at public sale to watching a group enhance in worth over time. My journey started advising a collector for small regional artwork auctions, and I had a tough time establishing sales for gallery items. After small successes at auctions over the previous two years and digging into the global movements within the art world, I was in a place to safe my first gallery buy for a collector on the end of 2017. Contact by the museum's curator is the point at which I decided that my path is lastly set. The Greater Ithaca Art Trail and Downtown Ithaca provide nice resources for extra information about the artwork scene in Ithaca, NY. The new building in Old Muscat is fashionable, mild and ethereal, and there is sufficient selection and depth in the display and interpretation across the quite a few gallery spaces to keep the visitor engaged and enthused. Unlike many different museums within the Gulf area, the NMO has a bountiful assortment of attention-grabbing, important and oftentimes lovely objects. In Muscat, attractions like The National Museum of the Sultanate of Oman, Bait Al Baranda and Bait Al Zubair supply a glimpse into the country’s past with well-preserved artefacts from every day life and a variety of other artistic endeavors. Bait Al Safah is situated in Al Hamra, in certainly one of Oman’s best-preserved old cities, and is a dwelling museum. Visitors can expertise locals demonstrating conventional methods of creating Omani espresso, bread making and more. No museum can absolutely share with travellers its responsibility and the historical past of the nation by which it is located, however the National Museum of Oman does come quite close. Starting with The National Museum, a complete day may be spent soaking within the country’s vibrant and thrilling history. Omani jewelry and other artefacts are gaining popularity with collectors and is rising as a speciality for us. Accordingly, we now have simply visited Oman’s new National Museum in the capital Muscat. Many examples of native conventional dress & jewelry are on show in a powerful, new, purpose-built building. From a kingdom that after spanned from Africa to India, to the thriving frankincense trade that left merchants high on hopes and aromas, Oman boasts each a storied and rich history, but oddly enough, it has long been a history with out color, that is, art has been missing—until now. Last in Muscat, I was fortunate sufficient to sit down down with Hassan Meer, an Omani artist and proprietor of the Stal Gallery, to higher understand the clever Omani burgeoning. One of Muscat’s galleries, the Bait Al Baranda, hosted the Opera Gallery, where Arab artists had been featured amongst numerous well-known worldwide artists. A gallery centered on the influence of man on the panorama contains shows on historic cities, architectural and urban planning, in addition to agriculture. ALIA GALLERY is a personal gallery, presents art work of artist Alia Al-Farsi, Alia has been awarded from totally different international organizations. Alia focuses via her artwork Oman's wealthy tradition, she merges colors of Omani costumes to create artwork presenting Oman's culture. Right now it appears to be a pretty wholesome mix of a little bit of every thing, but I would say the focus seems to be the newer mediums. We don’t have a huge history of art clearly, which, in a cool method, permits us to not be boxed in by the traditional mediums. We are using these new tools to create, and we aren’t essentially influenced by certain methods of needing to do this or that. Tablets, computers, smartphones, everyone has one, and now they're beginning to unlock the inventive powers of those instruments and it’s fantastic to see. Camping Journey In Oman The wadi lies within the Ash Sharqiyah Region and has a number of water swimming pools as properly as a spring that circulate inside the wadi all 12 months long. Wadi Bani Khalid is also residence to a quantity of villages and colourful plantations. With its spectacular panorama, including unique pink rock formations, the wadi resembles a painting. Oman is well known not only for its cultural allure, but additionally for its history and architectural gems. Although a brief go to is not going to do the nation justice, if you only have a few days, focus on these must-see points of interest. Exclusively Private, Tailor Made, Personalized Travel Services in Oman. Fantastic day out with a information who actually understood the local space. This is quite a protracted day with numerous journey into the desert so do be prepared for a lot of journey. Throughout this all the guide, informed us lots of tales about the nation. A long day, with lots of driving however very highly really helpful for a visit to Oman. The wadi is an attractive fairly straightforward 45-min stroll together with many emerald green water swimming pools. Two nights is perfect to see many of the main sights whereas additionally allowing some down time to chill out and benefit from the surroundings. We recommend spending one night time in Nizwa and a second in the gorgeous Al Hajar mountains. We extremely suggest an early night trip to the scenic Yitti Beach which is round 25 minutes south of Muscat. The drive alongside the coastal highway is gorgeous and watching the sunset at Yitti seaside is well-liked with locals and tourists alike. Kids will love the novelty of driving onto the seaside and gathering with the locals. This is a more relaxed day with time to explore Old Muscat and the enduring Al Alam Palace within the morning adopted by a visit the Shatti Al Qurum seaside in the afternoon/evening. There are guided night excursions obtainable for vacationers to realize a greater understanding of the preservation efforts. The country additionally has a number of remarkable mountains the place you'll be able to take pleasure in trekking, like Jebel Akhdar within the city of Nizwa. A part of the Al Hajar Mountain Range, it has conventional rose water extractions and agricultural crops. Onam The Luban makers I spoke to on the competition defined to me that the aromatic resin is also used for healing purposes to ease everything from infected joints to congestion and anxiety. Some are gentle, others more evident, while some are significantly potent, but every one drew me in with a pure sense of inquisition as I discovered which ones would suit me best. 台胞證過期 -day celebration showcasing 500 artists & exhibitors, wildlife consultants, guides and more. The traditional elements of the show—such as “The Living Nativity” and “Parade of the Wooden Soldiers”—remain crowd favorites in Radio City Music Hall’s annual showcase. New York City’s many ice-skating rinks are synonymous with winter and the primary glimpse of the vacation season. Across Oman, textile represents one of the valuable financial contributions that girls made to their society. It additionally performed a central function in the social lives of conventional girls. It takes Al-Quraini, who has been perfecting her art since was 12 years, as a lot as two and a half months to weave a two-meter lengthy rug. Like the unique array of scents, the festival’s wide-ranging stalls, points of interest and events beckoned my attention in many alternative instructions. Another deal with for my senses got here within the type of a sticky, brown concoction made with almonds and farina, caramelised sugar, rose water, saffron and butter. This yr, Muscat competition recorded slightly below 1,000,000 visitors in accordance with Muscat Municipality, the pageant organiser. Men and girls come from far and near to look at and cheer the snake boat race through the water. This occasion is especially featured on the Pampa River, considered sacred and Kerala equal of Ganges River. This festival has been bringing a number of the world’s most ingenious cinema to New York City since 1963. This is the place to see cutting-edge films earlier than they hit it big—in the past, the competition has showcased the likes of Jean-Luc Godard, Pedro Almodóvar and Martin Scorsese. Adventurous cineastes will want to try the Projections sidebar, a selection of new avant-garde movies. Fashion Week promises per week of star-studded soirees showcasing the most recent types for the upcoming spring season. The world’s prime designers debut their collections on the runway, as style-conscious celebrities and industry insiders look on. Pack your lunch and head to Bryant Park for these noon, hour-long concerts, carried out by solid members from Broadway’s most popular musicals. Oman Souvenirs And Sights Of Muscat Other than souvenirs and decorative home goods, there are additionally products for day by day use similar to handbags, wallets and jewelry. It is located close Sultan Qaboos Mosque in Al Batinah North Province and two hours north of Muscat City. The art outlets listed here are well-known for trading silver, gold, nectar, herbs, wool and honey. It was built to encourage small-scale businesses in Oman like leather-based, silver, pottery, ceramics and palm leaf hand works. Don't miss likelihood to visit our reward store located in Royal Opera House Galleria building 1st Floor. Besides, you may be lacking out if you fail to put aside ample time to scour Muscat, nearby cities, and small towns for traditional gadgets and native products to deliver back to your house. https://www.chinavisa.com.tw/china-visa/ in the capital of Oman is not a lot completely different from western shopping facilities, but it's somewhat smaller in measurement. The Sultanate of Oman is ancient and exquisite - a secure and safe haven within the Arab peninsula. Oman has a long shoreline, and consequently it has a few of the most skilled shipbuilders anywhere on the earth. They are additionally identified to breed a fine ungulate specimen, the Arabian horse. It boasts of having the longest serving leader within the area. [newline]Oman provides vacationers a rich and enthralling tradition, and an interesting choice of souvenir gadgets. Be affordable; don’t leave the sultanate with nothing more tangible than fond memories. The Ten Greatest Restaurants In Muscat, Oman Chefs, carefully chosen because of their allegiance to genuine Chinese delicacies, present regional dishes from throughout China in a refined setting. Set on the sand at the fringe of the ocean, this romantic restaurant highlights recent seafood and grilled meats, and contains a tantalizing beachfront Friday brunch in season. At Al Bustan Palace, a Ritz-Carlton Hotel, each restaurant focuses on experiences that commemorate the flavors of Oman and past. We go to here with my family yesterday.Staffs had been very pleasant.Mr. Taner is accommodated us to favor Doner House particular shawarma platter.It was fabulous.Sauted shawarma with capsicum and mushroom was wonderful me and my household enjoyed our dinner with this hygienic restaurant and affordable prices. Although the complex is made by modern standard of eating however the core of its origin continues to be Omani. Omani tradition and traditions usually are not missed; there are shops selling souvenirs representing Omani cultural heritage. Saveur journal calls “Omani meals too good to ignore,” and I even have to agree with them. It’s an beautiful blend of flavors, paired with distinctive Omani and Gulf tradition and magnificence. As we welcome you again, we continue to prioritize the health and security of our visitors and employees in a protected setting with a seamless dining expertise following the Supreme Committee Council, Ministry of Health & Hyatt measures. Discover hotel dining beyond breakfast, lunch and dinner with chef-led experiences, personal eating, brunches and different special occasions and offers. Light meals, snacks and refreshing drinks are served at this poolside bar overlooking the sea. The restaurant’s proficient Chinese culinary staff are firing the woks for an authentic menu impressed by the kitchens of China. Your most dependable probability of getting fed is to discover a café serving Indian vegetarian meals, though a good few Lebanese-style meze are also vegetarian. Alternatively, you'll find a way to always put together some sort of a meal out of a bowl of hummus, a plate of bread and a few salad. Look out for our newsletters with journey suggestions and particular offers. Muttrah is the political and administrative area of Muscat, and there are many issues to do and see in that space. If you fly into Muscat, you’ll land at Muscat International Airport, which is a small and kind of sleepy airport located right within the metropolis. I flew into Muscat on Air India from Mumbai, on my around the world journey ticket with Star Alliance. Muscat is an incredible, spacious, clear, and pleasant metropolis, with so many issues to give you whenever you visit. Walk to the tip of the street where you possibly can attempt some candy confections at a Halwa manufacturing facility. Search Engine Market Share Oman With our research companions in Oman, Edison has full-time analysis employees and supervisors in Muscat and the power to conduct market and survey analysis all through the country. Enel's sustainability-linked bundle loved spectacular support and this week's wider calendar shows the growing range of credit utilizing the mechanism successfully. Having mandated banks for a syndicated 10-year sale on 7 June, Italy placed EUR10 billion of December 2031 bonds at 0.95% on 8 June. The issue is priced at 6 basis points above Italy's August 2031 bond, versus a nine-basis point indicated margin, with demand reported to have reached EUR65 billion. Italy had obtained EUR68 billion of interest when the August 2031 issue was sold on 16 February, also through syndication, with the deal having been priced at zero.604%. Brazilian meat producer JBS bought USD1 billion of 10.5-year sustainability-linked bonds, pricing the deal at 3.75% versus preliminary steering of low to mid-4% space. Its KPIs are primarily based on the firm's aim of achieving net-zero greenhouse gasoline emissions by 2040. The main reasons behind this contract have been the lower oil prices and the unfold of COVID-19 the world over. Stay up to date on how a number of the world’s most promising markets are being affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, and what actions governments and personal businesses are taking to mitigate challenges and guarantee their long-term progress story continues. The European Union has approached banks for proposals regarding the first debt sale beneath its Next Generation EU program. The initial deal is anticipated to be sizeable, with the program looking to increase EUR800 billion between now and end-2026, with a mean funding of EUR150 billion annually. Include extra segments and nations to customise the report as per your requirement. Speak to our experienced analysts for insights on the present market eventualities. This is an enterprise license, permitting all employees within your group entry to the product. This is a web site license, allowing all users within a given geographical location of your group entry to the product. This is a 1-5 user license, permitting as a lot as five users have entry to the product. Finest Family Resorts In Oman Even if you don’t fancy shopping for something, these souks are great places to take photos, discuss with the locals and get a real sense of Oman. Muttrah Souk in Muscat Governorate and Nizwa souk in Al Dakhliya Region are the most famous local souks in Oman. Oman’s widespread deserts are famous for their golden sand dunes. Whether Al Wahiba Sands in japanese Oman, or Al Rub Al Khali Desert in southern Oman, visitors can take pleasure in sand-boarding, tenting and unbelievable stargazing. Did you realize that Oman has a natural reserve for green turtles? Ras Al Had just isn't only a reserve for these endangered creatures, it witnesses the arrival of the green turtles every year to its seaside to put their eggs. Several tours are organized for visitors to see the turtles, and watch the infants hatching from their eggs and returning to the sea. There are also the attractive dolphins by the seashore of Musandam Governorate in northern Oman, which should be included in a visit to the nation. Let us expertly guide you deeper into this majestic land and create your perfect vacation to Africa. Find out about my favorite locations, hotels, tours and more by clicking here. As with most of Oman the dearth of tourists and the welcoming hospitality of the Omani folks makes for an experience you wish to each share and shield and maintain as your own personal secret. Oman Present Tapestries This tour is obtainable by Desert Flower Tours, a accountable Omani-owned tour operator with a ardour for creating unforgettable holidays for visitors. The tour is performed by skilled Omani guides solely, as a result of we imagine that only Omani guides can deliver you to expertise the native hospitality, conventional values and lifestyle. In the south-east of the Arabian Peninsula, on the entrance to the Persian Gulf, lies the Sultanate of Oman, a rustic that a lot of people have hassle discovering on the map, even after studying this sentence. To be fair, though, not like its neighbor of Saudi Arabia, Oman has never beheaded scores of harmless individuals, or had one of their sheikhs kidnap Liam Neeson’s daughter, so information channels and popular culture haven’t actually paid much attention to it. Members of the impartial Omani Group of Human Rights have been harassed, arrested and sentenced to jail. There have been quite a few testimonies of torture and other inhumane forms of punishment perpetrated by safety forces on protesters and detainees. The detainees had been all peacefully exercising their right to freedom of expression and assembly. Although authorities must obtain courtroom orders to carry suspects in pre-trial detention, they don't regularly do this. The penal code was amended in October 2011 to permit the arrest and detention of individuals with out an arrest warrant from public prosecutors. Indigenous mammals embrace the leopard, hyena, fox, wolf, hare, oryx and ibex. Birds embrace the vulture, eagle, stork, bustard, Arabian partridge, bee eater, falcon and sunbird. These result as much from geography and history as from tradition and economics. Oman's cultural range is bigger than that of its Arab neighbours, given its historic enlargement to the Swahili Coast and the Indian Ocean. Prior to Islam, Central Oman lay outdoors of the core area of spoken Arabic. Possibly Old South Arabian audio system dwelled from the Al Batinah Region to Zafar, Yemen. The Persian empire then tried to take possession of the coast of Oman till 1747. Explore one of Oman’s ‘wadi’ river gorges—Wadi Shab—without doing any off-road driving or navigation yourself. With this non-public tour from Muscat, simply benefit from the surroundings as you hint the east coast to the wadi to discover its pools and paths. Ride a ship, trek the canyon floor, bathe in the swimming pools, and swim via a cave to waterfall, all with a information to share local information and handle the driving. Clubbing & Nightlife Events In Rest Of Oman, Eventseeker The present-day name of the country, Oman, is believed to originate from the Arab tribes who migrated to its territory from the Uman area of Yemen. Dereaze, located in the metropolis of Ibri, is the oldest known human settlement within the space, courting back as many as 8,000 years to the Late Stone Age. Archaeological remains have been discovered here from the Stone Age and the Bronze Age. Many such tribes settled in Oman, making a living by fishing, herding or inventory breeding. In addition, the Muttrah Souk is the most well-known market inside Muscat, so be prepared to buy. In the Muttrah Souk, you’ll see every little thing from native clothes, food, rugs, incense, and more, and don’t overlook to bargain! Most outlets will settle for credit/debit cards, however having cash is your best wager. This is among the finest locations to grasp out with your friends within the night, as you will get pleasure from drinks in addition to some leisure. A stylish establishment, the Piano Lounge is situated within the upscale Shangri-La hotel and includes a long terrace with a sea view and light snacks in addition to a every day happy hour. Oman is a really beautiful nation, and the good metropolis of Muscat lies in a valley surrounded by mountains and the sea. Oman has some of the region’s finest beaches out of the nearby coastal countries, and Muscat itself has many points of interest for foreigners to go to and discover. The beaches are saved very clean, and the encircling mountains make for an impressive view. From high-class bars within the Muscat’s unique motels to more moderate British-inspired pubs in some of the upper-class to mid-class city motels and reside Indian or Arabian music performing bars, you might have glorious options for nightlife in Oman. Nevertheless is drinking inexpensive, and within the fanciful bars of the town that look much more appealing, you're more likely to empty your pocket very quick.

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Difference Between Yoga Cultural Appropriation and Cultural Appreciation

Unsure of the difference between cultural appropriation and cultural appreciation? Read on to find out.

When I began contributing to yoga research five years ago, I was invited to a meeting to discuss how to bring yoga and mindfulness practices to university campuses as wellness initiatives. Thirteen out of 15 American administrators and researchers at the conference table happened to be white, the only exceptions being me and another Indian-American woman. The person in charge had thoughtfully invited both of us; though newer to research, we were experienced in yoga teachings because of our South Asian culture and decade-long practices. Entering the room was both moving and intimidating. On one hand, I was honored to share my cultural and personal understandings of yoga. On the other hand, I was one of only two nonwhite people in a group gathering to talk about a practice that originated in India.

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Conscious of my identity, I used yogic principles to set aside my conditioned fears and preconceptions and opened my mind to discussing yoga—the practice of self-realization that has transformed my life.

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See also The First Book of Yoga: The Enduring Influence of the Bhagavad Gita

I soon found myself in respectful conversation with everyone at the table: Yoga and mindfulness-based practices can provide what we call “healing” in Eastern tradition, and what we call psychological and physiological “benefits” in Western research. Although we used different words, we were saying similar things.

Until the middle of the meeting.

One of the administrators said, “We’ll need to create a set of guidelines to ensure absolutely no Eastern symbols, bells, or words are used in yoga classes. We can’t make anyone uncomfortable or offend them by suggesting spirituality.”

I don’t believe that Indian words or symbols are required for people to benefit from yoga, but this leader, who was in favor of creating an inclusive yoga experience “for all,” wanted to remove any sign of the land where the practice originated. She overlooked the fact that two yoga teachers with Indian heritage sitting right across from her were the ones left to nurse our exclusion and offense.

See also The Debate: Teach With English or Sanskrit Pose Names?

Invisible oppression is something many Indians have been forced to endure in quiet pain for centuries. Like when you learn about a popular yoga movement and book jarringly titled No Om Zone: A No-Chanting, No-Granola, No-Sanskrit Practical Guide to Yoga. The title itself normalizes ethnocentric views of yoga, India, and people who chant. The irony of a movement like this is that it renders fear of foreign words while allowing itself to brand and use the Indian practice of yoga, a Sanskrit word signifying “unity” or “yoke.”

Those without access to an in-depth history education might lighten this to a question of political correctness or cries by minorities for cultural recognition. But it goes so much deeper.

Yoga is an ancient spiritual practice of self-realization that originated in India, but, in addition to Indian devotional practices such as sacred dance, it was perceived as threatening, ridiculed, and banned among its own people in its own land under British colonization, beginning in the 1700s and lasting until the mid-1900s. Today, yoga is often marketed by affluent Westerners to affluent Westerners—and Indians, ironically, are marginally represented, if at all. While this multibillion-dollar industry is offering much-needed well-being to Western practitioners, it’s re-inflicting the same violation on India and Indians: invisibility and misrepresentation.

See also A Beginner’s Guide to the History of Yoga

Cultural appropriation is the taking, marketing, and exotification of cultural practices from historically oppressed populations.

What is Cultural Appropriation?

In recent years, conversation has begun around the “cultural appropriation” of yoga. Cultural appropriation is the taking, marketing, and exotification of cultural practices from historically oppressed populations. The problem is incredibly complex and involves two extremes: The first is the sterilization of yoga by removing evidence of its Eastern roots so that it doesn’t “offend” Westerner practitioners. The opposite extreme is the glamorization of yoga and India through commercialism, such as Om tattoos, T-shirts sporting Hindu deities or Sanskrit scriptures that are often conflated with yoga, or the choosing of Indian names.

Yoga teachers and students are starting to ask the questions, “What is the difference between cultural appropriation and cultural appreciation?” and “How can I still practice yoga without being offensive?”

See also Do You Really Know the True Meaning of Yoga?

According to Rumya S. Putcha, PhD, a scholar of postcolonial, critical race, and gender studies, we’re still asking the wrong questions. “The terminology ‘cultural appropriation,’ in and of itself, is a way of diluting the fact that we’re talking about racism and European colonialism,” she says. “It undermines what is happening as only ‘culturally inappropriate’ so as not to disrupt mass yoga marketing, leading us to ask surface-level questions like ‘I don’t want to be culturally inappropriate, so how can I show cultural appreciation appropriately?’ It’s not about appreciation versus appropriation. It’s about understanding the role of power and the legacies of imperialism.”

Shreena Gandhi, PhD, a religious studies professor at Michigan State University, and Lillie Wolff, an advocate with Crossroads Antiracism, emphasized in their 2017 article “Yoga and the Roots of Cultural Appropriation” that the goal of these conversations should not be for white practitioners to stop practicing yoga, but rather for them “to please take a moment to look outside of yourself and understand how the history of yoga practice in the United States is intimately linked to larger forces”—such as colonization, oppression, and the fact that a devotional practice that was free of cost for thousands of years is now being marketed and sold.

See also The Timeline and History of Yoga in America

As an Indian-American teacher, practitioner, and writer, I often ponder why this means so much to me and why I can’t offer simple bullet points for what makes something “appreciative” versus “appropriative” of yoga. I just know when I start to feel sick or hurt—like at a conference table when an administrator suggests that Eastern elements, such as bells used to train the mind to focus on the present (dhyana), will threaten the comfort of white American practitioners. Or when the young CEO of a new yoga organization asks me where she can get her 300-hour yoga certification done the fastest, missing that yoga is a lifelong process of balanced living. Or when I see social media celebrities and yoga advertisements promoting athletic, model-like bodies in sexy apparel, potentially encouraging more attachment to items and creating insecurities rather than relieving people of suffering. Or when I’m walking by a shop with my parents, only to see their confusion over why holy Hindu scriptures—which my father can read, being literate in Sanskrit—were printed on a hoodie and tossed into a sale pile.

“I think they don’t realize that these are not just designs. They are words that carry deep meaning for people,” my father says.

See also Sanskrit 101: 4 Reasons Why Studying This Ancient Language Is Worth Your Time

Ask these questions to deeper your understanding around cultural appropriation.

Questions to Ask about Cultural Appropriation

His sentiments make me realize that many Western yoga companies and consumers are unaware of what they are branding and buying. And that’s what we need to change together, by asking deeper questions such as:

“Do I really understand the history of the yoga practice I’m so freely allowed to practice today that was once ridiculed and prohibited by colonists in India?”

“As I continue to learn, am I comfortable with the practices and purchases I’m choosing to make, or should I make some changes?”

“Does the practice I live promote peace and integrity for all?”

Educating ourselves, like the practice of yoga, can be seen as an evolutionary process. Start where you are. You may have already developed a lot of awareness that is becoming more finely tuned. And for some—Indian or not Indian, experienced yoga practitioners or not—this article is a first-time exposure to something you never realized.

See also The Wake-Up Call Yogis Need to Bring ‘Real Yoga’ Back Into Their Practice

Rina Deshpande is a teacher, writer, and researcher of yoga and mindfulness practices.

Christopher Dougherty

About our author

Rina Deshpande is a teacher, writer, and researcher of yoga and mindfulness practices. Having grown up with Indian yoga philosophy, she rediscovered its profound value as a New York City public school teacher. For the past 15 years, she has practiced and shared the benefits of yoga across the globe. After studying yoga and mindfulness as self-regulation at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, she designs curriculum for science research and K–12 education. She is the author of Jars of Space, a new book of handwritten and illustrated yogic poetry. Learn more at @rinathepoet or rinadeshpande.com.

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#History of Yoga #philosophy #Yoga 101 #yoga asanas #yoga exercises #Yoga Exercises

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