#all characters are trans unless proven otherwise | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

puhpandas · 1 year

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(Sorry, I have a lot of thoughts on this.)

Personally, him (or her, heh (not a jab at trans people)) being 46 is too out of the blue. To my knowledge, there’s nothing in the game that suggests he was ever controlled by William. While Gregory does smash up the band, he cries at Freddy’s death and is shown to be scared multiple times. In the tapes, 46, is an all out psychopath. And Was he under Afton’s influence? How did that happen? If so, how did he escape? Because if he was the one who hacked the bots, he must’ve gotten free. The band wouldn’t be after him otherwise. Gregory certainly was surprised to see him in the basement. And why would Afton need Gregory to hack the place? Vanessa did something similar in the AR emails, unless they are t canon anymore. The story raises more questions then answers, IMHO.

Also, there’s the line of “you HAD great parents, and a normal childhood”. It doesn’t make sense to say something like that to someone who’s still a child. Furthermore, just thinking about it now, I just find it unlikely that Vanessa would be assigned school therapists.

I do like the idea of Gregory and Vanessa bonding over Glitchtrap PTSD, but I prefer Gregory just having regular orphan-child-on streets trauma. I feel him having a whole different battle to fight makes his and Vanessa’s relationship that more interesting.

theres for sure tons of holes in the Gregory/patient 46 plot just as there is with Vanny/Vanessa. there are the same amount of questions asked than answered with this reveal.

I definitely prefer the average homeless kid Gregory with his own struggles separated from the normal fnaf story. I feel like it's a lot more interesting especially with Vanessa having the exact same 'possessed by glitchtrap and forced to kill people' plot that Gregory would have as patient 46. it saves the story from having two characters with the exact same, I guess, character.

and Vanessa, Gregory and Freddy would all have their own versions of losing their family. which makes their found family dynamic so good. Freddy losing his friends to the glitch, Gregory losing his parents and being homeless, and Vanessa losing her family after being controlled by a serial killer for years and being forced to cut off all contact with people in her life.

all their characters are so different, and one thing that Gregory and Vanessa would have in common is just two average people being dragged into the freddys mess, but in different ways.

Gregory, Vanessa and Freddy being different from eachother and having their own plots and narratives is what makes them so interesting! I hope that patient 46 gregory is proven wrong just to keep the 3 star ending interesting the way it is.

#that was a lot #i love talking about these three and how they contrast and compliment eachother its so fun #i could talk for hours #pandas.txt #pandas asks #pandas talks #long post

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vrisrezis · 2 years

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All the characters you write for in amphibia and toh, but just ur lgbt hcs cuz I’m curious

OK :D for the record my hcs do not effect any rqs (if I hc a character as a lesbian and u ask for a male reader irs ok, cuz it isn’t canon). I love making all my favs genderqueer and gay 😊👍

Anne is a trans (she/her) lesbian ! Marcy I see as being non binary they/she and bisexual, and Sasha is canonically bi, but I see sasha as genderfluid (she/he) sprig and ivy I see as bi and trans, Darcy as aroace and non binary (they/them) barrel, Leif and andrias, as bisexuals, Leif also being trans, Olivia and yunan as lesbians, dr Jan as a non binary bisexual (she/they), and grime as gay.

Eda as trans and bi, hunter I don’t have a specific sexuality for, I used to hc him as gay but now I like the bi hc, I also see him as trans, lilith is canonically aroace, but I see her as a aroace lesbian, amity is canonically a lesbian, but I see her as a trans lesbian Luz is canonically bi, but I see her as non binary as well, (she/they) Darius I see as gay, I like the non binary hc for him (he/they), Raine is canonically non binary, and I could see them as bi or being a non binary lesbian but I don’t have a hc for their sexuality, Willow I see as trans and pansexual, I could see her being aroace tbh, Gus is bi and trans imo, and I like he/they and ace hcs for him as well, Viney and boscha I see as trans lesbians, skara as a bisexual trans girl, Mattholomule I see as gay and trans, but the gay sexuality could change to bi if the show proves otherwise, kings too young for romance and to know those things abt him I think? I would say that abt any kid that’s 8 btw lol hit in the future probs bi bc it’s the clawthorne bi gene, and Hooty gets the aroace hc, Steve I see as trans and either gay or bi, and I can see him being aroace but I’m not die hard on that hc .. especially since I wanna date him LOL, alador is bi, the collector canonically uses he/they pronouns, he’s rather young but I could see him being pan but I don’t want to rlly give a sexuality since he’s a kid who’s probably too immature and young to be into romance (I say this abt king too) eberwolf I see as a non binary lesbian unless proven otherwise, adrian I see as gay, Edric and Emira I see both as trans, and being gay and lesbian.

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pingwen · 2 years

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All fictional characters are trans and autistic unless proven otherwise (and even then it's kind of a gray area) that's just the rule

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rosedom · 4 months

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"any game needs its instruction sheet, after all."

game objective:

✦ㅤㅤ make a pretty boy cum !!

gameplay rules :

✦ㅤㅤ18+ interaction only on my NSFW posts; i literally could not care less about minor interaction exclusively on my SFW posts, and i cannot be arsed to pick you guys out on a good day. just don't be caught snooping where your nose doesn't belong, kids, or you will be blocked.

✦ㅤㅤminors and ageless blogs do not follow; fujoshis, fetishizers (of mlm, trans, etc.), pedo/zoophiles, and bigots of any kind are not welcome anywhere here. i can and will block you: you fucking disgust me.

✦ㅤ��this should go without saying: do not copy, translate, or otherwise steal my work without my permission.

✦ㅤㅤprimarily genshin oriented, but i do engage with SDV/TLOZ. i also write general thirsts and thoughts that can be applied to a wider & broader audience.

✦ㅤㅤexclusively 【 ♂ 】 character x 【 ♂/gn 】 reader and 【 ⚣ 】 character/character blog.

✦ㅤㅤidrc if fems/women interact on my SFW/gn!posts, but i will block you if i find you in areas of my blog meant for trans/men. i don't own a gun, but i am a trigger happy blocker.

✦ㅤㅤNO NSFW OF MINORS !!

because hoyoverse ages are so vague, there may be some characters that i personally view as adults (eg., the traveler) who you do not—and vice versa. i do not do age-ups: if i view a character as a minor, then i will not write NSFW of them unless, somehow, they are canonically proven to be adults.

as of rn, these characters are: bennett, razor, mika, chongyun, xingqiu, freminet !

"you will notice that many matches are labeled. here are commonly used tags and their meanings:"

✦ㅤㅤ amab!reader / reader has a dick

✦ㅤㅤ male!reader / reader has a dick and is referred to as a man

✦ㅤㅤ ftm!reader / reader has a vagina and is referred to as a man

ⓘ THE TRANSMALE BODY will be assumed to be on testosterone/HRT and having had top surgery unless otherwise specified or asked for.

✦ㅤㅤ gn!reader / reader's genitals nor gender are specified

5 APR. 2024, @rosedom, rosey .

#ㅤ✦ 【 GAMEPLAY 】#aka rules and tags #and goddamn idfk my kinks ?? what else

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thegoombadrafts · 11 months

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schrödinger’s lgbtq+: when a character is straight, gay, lesbian, bi, pan, mono, poly, demi, cis, trans, masc, fem, neutral, romantic, aromantic, sexual, asexual, and every other gender identity, sexuality, and romanticity(?) all at the same time unless proven otherwise (exceptions may apply results may vary)

#lgbtq #gay #lesbian #bi #pan #demi #trans #aro #ace #me as a multishipper #and when all my headcanons contradict themselves #poly

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dfnkt · 1 year

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oh yeah that dave is me lol. i was also the dave that got told my modifier was "pedophile-y" by some dirk roleplayer with rocks in their brain, so between that and the sheer amount of trans fetishization and now disappointment upon people finding out im not playing my character with a pussy for them, it's been a rough couple of fucking days. to be clear i'd love to play him as a transman but people refuse to be normal about it (especially ooc) and its made me so uncomfortable that im taking a maybe permanent break from playing any character as anything other than cis with the expected anatomy that comes with that

Yeah I mean, totally fair. If you want to play him cis for whatever reason then by all means. I just move along when it's not what I'm looking for and filter out the modifier. I've heard a few people mention people being weird OOC about trans characters and I just have never really had that happen hardly ever lol. Except people just using language that wasn't quite right so its interesting to hear that it's happening for some people at such a frequency that it's a problem when I only have people be weird like. Once in awhile when I'm playing trans male characters. People are admittedly a little weirder on dreambubble imo and you can't block but on mxrp proper I would just block and move on.

Regardless, I think it's dumb that people assumed he'd be trans by default even though it's a popular headcanon. I think it's obvious that the general decorum is cis until proven otherwise unless the character is canonically trans or an OC or something.

I wish we had a tagging system where you could indicate your willingness to play your character as trans or cis because sometimes I don't put the modifier because I don't intend to focus on smut and then I get into an rp and it develops that way but i already established him as cis sigh. I'm never brave enough to ask if the person cares if I play him as trans so I chicken out and leave instead usually lol. But if I could filter only by people open to being or playing with trans characters then it would literally never be a problem again.

#ask #this is why i just dc if theres no ftm modifier since i assume by defaukt that hes cis if not #only when im looking for smut though idrc if its more plot focused except that i wont do smut if theyre both cis lol

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eredins-a-king-aint-he · 3 years

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Happy Pride Month!!!🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈 Here’s your friendly reminder that if you’re phobic or exclusionist against any part of the LGBTQ+ community, you can stay tf away from me and my content✨ (used a ref from this page)

#pride #geralt of rivia #trans geralt #gaunter o'dimm #gaunter/geralt #gaunralt #the witcher 3 #cedar doodles #these bitches gay #good for them #i hc all characters as bi unless proven otherwise #and yeah at this point i think ive made it pretty clear where i stand #everyone is allowed their hcs #but if youre an asshole about it you can leeeaaave

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taz-writes · 5 years

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happy pride most of my ocs are gay

it’s the truth and I’m not sorry

#taz talks #ofc it doesn’t MATTER very much? because i don’t write romances #but please assume all my characters are bi unless proven otherwise #sayara is bi... aelia is pan #violet is a trans icon #lavender is an ace lesbian and quality friend #dusk is aro but may or may not fuck #amalie is also somewhere on the ace/aro spectrum but idk exactly where #ofc no one fucks in book 1 because they are baby teens but like. in the hypothetical future #re: paladins they’re just p much all bi and/or pan #just like. all of them #also vlad MIGHT be a trans dude but i honestly have not decided #it’s an idea i have toyed with in the past?#like i know he has a dick because he fucks and i have drawn it before (ONCE!!!) but. he WAS a greenmage #and then became an actual shapeshifter #so nothing is real anyway

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majimasleftasscheek · 2 years

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Hey idk if you're doing these rn, and I'm sorry if you aren't, but i was wondering: do you have any head canons for trans!kiryu? If that's even one of your head canons.

no worries, I'll take headcanon requests anytime! I don't particularly have trans hcs for characters since it's not an experience I personally relate to/have thorough knowledge about other than my trans friendos but I don't mind giving it a try!

I think he's super trans positive obvs but for the longest time he wasn't necessarily that kind to himself. He's often the bearer of burdens and feels the need for self punishment so I feel like he would struggle with such a concept that he can change himself and feel better about it. A man who struggles to self practice what he preaches in a sense, self doubt and all that

he's also prolly super ignorant of things. Like, doesn't know the meaning of terms or the nuances of it all. Not necessarily a bad thing of course, just when he's talking to other people about it he'll sound confused or get things wrong with the best intentions of course. He was raised very simply and I highly doubt Kazama was a fountain of knowledge for him. I would think he'd support Kiryu cuz that's his fav boy but outside of that he's like aight do whatever you gotta do kiddo, anyway keep beating up people with stop signs

Kiryu leans heavily into masculine behaviors and idealisms since his whole worldview has been brought up by these tough, manly yakuza dudes that he at one point idolized and that's just how he thinks men should be. So he becomes overly stoic, flatly emotional and strong. Values fights and muscles and manly shit like gut punching. Maybe it takes him a long time to realize things aren't so black and white but it makes it hard for him to open up and express himself. He's terrified of people finding out in such a hypermasculine community so he's easy to clam up and treat things with his fists over conversation unless proven otherwise

Nishiki would totally be the supportive best bro, helping him with confidence and day to day living n all that. Lil stuff that makes Kiryu feel normalized and cozy. Kiryu can be one for exaggeration but he likes to take things slow and feel like he's just another person. Nishiki could definitely keep things light hearted

because I can't NOT mention Majima in 99% of what I do, he would be super supportive of Kiryu. He treats everything so casually that Kiryu is actually taken off guard many times, not used to someone who doesn't really give a damn about how someone lives their life. It's comforting to know someone as wack ass as Majima would be outright accepting and very likely violently protective

Haruka! I think at some point he'd have to explain everything to her - after like, really educating himself without fumbling over words or terminology and ends up doing that anyway but she gets the gist. Frankly she prolly understands more than he does and she helps him out, being really forthcoming and accepting. He's her dad in the end and that makes him happy. This also makes him pretty familiar with feminine issues n things so that’s a unique perspective for her growing up

I think he’d be really proud of that facial hair he has. He keeps it nice n groomed and was quite happy when it first came in. Same goes for his body. He likes to keep toned in that masculine way he wants to be. He probably was a lil unsure about things when he first started transitioning but Nishiki could have been there to help out and really encourage him

I hope this was good! I can't speak for the trans experience personally so I had a lil help from some of my pals. I like to talk about feelings and acceptance which really resonates with me so I hope I got that across

#hope it's aight I don't mention things like surgery n stuff #I don't particularly have any strong hcs for that so I'll leave it to yall #I'm about that genderfluid life but this was fun to think about!#long post #my art #my hcs #yakuza #ryu ga gotoku #kiryu kazuma #majima goro #nishikiyama akira #trans!kiryu

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bumblebee-moreno · 3 years

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LGBT EDUCATION EVENT

I posted a bit ago to see who might be interested in an event for anyone to ask me any question they want about my LGBT identities, or the LGBT community in general, and there seemed to be quite a bit of interest, so here we are!

Event goes from midnight to midnight March 30 (starts in 5 minutes, lasts for the full 24 hours).

For those of you who don’t know me (you can skip this part if you already know who I am):

My name is Bumblebee, but you can call me Bee. I am white and use he/they pronouns. I am FTM nonbinary, queer, demisexual, and polyamorous. I work part-time at a non-profit targeted towards trans youth. At the non-profit, I moderate our 24/7 chat (I’m not the only moderator, don’t worry, I do sleep), am a facilitator for our middle school support group (When one of our high school facilitators cannot make it, I also step into that group occasionally). I also help create and present workshops (We are currently in the process of creating a presentation for Microsoft). My other job is as a receptionist for a Veterinary Clinic. (For safety reasons, I will not be sharing which nonprofit I work at, or which veterinary clinic I work at. If, for some reason you find out where I work, please keep this information to yourself). I was diagnosed with ADHD in February, and was diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder two years ago. I have lived in the USA my whole life, and was raised in a non-religious household. My extended family is mostly Christian, with a few relatives who are Norse Pagan (we are originally from Norway). I am agnostic.

The purpose of this event:

Education. That’s literally it. I’ve noticed a lot of misconceptions about the LGBT community, and want to combat that with a good ol’ fashioned Q&A.

Here are a few rules before we start:

(I do have a TL/DR at the bottom, but if you have the time, I encourage you to read the full thing)

- This is a safe space.

This means a few things: You can ask any question you like and I will not be offended. Nothing is to be taken personally, it will always be assumed that you are trying to learn, unless you’ve clearly proven otherwise. If you’re hurt by something someone (including myself) has said, you’re free and encouraged to say something about it. All identities are welcome. Everything will be tagged with appropriate content warnings (If I don't tag something you need tagged, let me know and I will happily tag it!)

- Who can participate:

Anyone wanting to learn about anything LGBT, including but not limited to:

Cisgender/heterosexual people who want to become better allies, Writers who want to learn how to be more inclusive, People questioning their gender/sexuality, literally anyone prepared to be respectful to anyone else participating

(I do want to note: this event is open to NSFW conversations. If you are uncomfortable with this, please filter the tag “adult conversations”.)

- Any question is okay to ask.

This is a space for everyone to learn, regardless of their prior knowledge. I will never get offended by a question. I will not be offended by the phrasing of a question. If I am not comfortable answering something, I will explain why, but I will not be annoyed. Part of learning is making mistakes, and I want to be courteous to that.

I am super open, so I will answer almost every question, regardless of how personal it is, with a few exceptions (see the “my boundaries” point.

Yes, this means you can ask questions that you’ve been previously told never to ask. I want to clarify though: I will make it clear when a question is inappropriate to ask in normal circumstances. Since I am telling you beforehand that it’s okay to ask personal or private questions, it is acceptable to do so in this context. However, I will always add a note explaining why you shouldn’t ask people this in other circumstances so that it’s still clear which questions I am making exceptions for.

- My boundaries

I’m not going to share identifying information. That includes: My legal name, where I live, where I work, photos of myself, etc.

I’m not going to share my deadname either, though I am willing to have conversations about deadnames themselves.

I’m not going to share what my plans for bottom surgery are. I am fine to talk about bottom surgery itself, I am fine to share where I’m at right now, and have next to no boundaries about top surgery. But I’m not going to share what my plans for whether or not I’m getting bottom surgery are.

I’ve worked as a receptionist and trans advocate for long enough that I take nothing personally. Because of this, I ask that if you need to get upset or aggressive about something related to this event, please come to me directly instead of attacking a participant. I’d rather you send me hate than sending it to someone who is trying to use this safe space as a learning opportunity. This includes if you’re frustrated with a participant. I’m happy to facilitate a healthy conversation about a disagreement, but I will not tolerate anyone attacking others.

- Hate will be blocked.

When you’re talking directly to me, I’m going to assume you’re well-intentioned. HOWEVER. If you’re directly attacking others who are involved in the conversation, you will be blocked. If you have a problem, please come to me and I will work to resolve it. Sending hate to people other than myself is in violation of the safe space.

- My intention is never to speak over anyone

I don’t know everything about every identity. As a white person, I experience white privilege. As someone who passes as male about 80% of the time, I experience male privilege. I am able-bodied. I try my very best to educate myself, but I am still learning (and always will be).

If I speak on an identity that is not my own, I will always add a note to clarify this. I will only be speaking from the stories shared with me by people who have that identity, and from the additional research I have done.

MY WORDS ARE NEVER THE ONLY TRUTH. I cannot say this enough. Don’t take my words over those of someone who uses a specific label. Even if I also use that label. Everyone experiences the world differently. My words are a STARTING POINT. Please be aware that other opinions and experiences exist. I will try my best to have resources paired with every conversation so you can further your learning, but please be aware that I cannot teach you everything.

If I don’t know the answer, I will do research as well as provide you with sources.

- No question will go unanswered

Yes, this includes questions that come across as “disrespectful”. I have said this already, but I will always assume good intentions unless it’s proven that you’re coming from a place of malice. If a question is phrased in a way that comes across as harmful in any way, I will still answer it AND explain why you should ask it differently in the future or not ask it at all going forward.

If I don’t respond within 2 hours, please message me again: I either didn’t receive it or I am still writing my response. I don’t want to miss anyone just because you think I’m ignoring you, I promise I’m not.

The ONLY time I won’t answer a question is if you’ve made it clear that you’re only here to attack the people using this safe space (I will have already asked you to leave).

- If something upsets you, don’t ignore it.

If you’re hurt by something I, or someone else said, please let me know. My intentions are never to hurt or upset anyone.

You can disagree with people, including me, as long as you’re polite about it.

If you need me to talk to someone for you, I’m happy to do so. If you want a private conversation with me, my DMs are open. If you want to stay anonymous but don’t want your questions posted, use this 🌙 emoji (or just say so), and I’ll make a post trying my best to answer your question without sharing the contents of the ask itself.

I don’t expect you to educate me as to why you’re upset by something: that’s not your responsibility, I can educate myself. I do appreciate anyone willing to talk about differing views or why something upset them, but that is not the purpose of the event and you are under no obligation to educate anyone else. I will do my research the moment someone says something bothered them.

- Please don’t weaponise my words.

Please don’t use anything said here as a way to attack people. This event is to educate people. I hope there’s nothing said here that can be manipulated to hurt people, but I didn’t want to leave this unsaid; the point of this isn’t to attack people who are uneducated, it’s to help educate them.

- Most importantly: Please come into this with a desire to learn

This event won’t be helpful if you’re determined to not learn anything. The purpose of this is to ask questions and learn something. I can’t decide for you that you want to learn. I can’t force you to learn. You have to be willing, or this may seem very pointless to you. I’m not trying to change opinions or beliefs, I’m just trying to spread a little education. If you’re unable to take my words and really think about them, this may not be the space for you, but that’s up to you to decide.

Any topic is okay!

This includes (but isn’t limited to):

- Writing LGBT characters (such as how to incorporate same-sex representation without fetishizing gay people, writing for gender-neutral or non-female readers, making content trans-friendly, etc.)

- What to do when someone you care about comes out

- Coming out

- Transition-related questions (HRT, surgery, binding/tucking, deadnames, etc.)

- Defining terms or labels you’re unfamiliar with

- Working out your feelings about something (such as something you saw in media and need to talk to someone about)

- Various laws (questions about laws may take up to 3 hours to answer, as I would have to research your particular area, depending on the question)

- Literally any other question you can think of that has to do with the LGBT community in any way, these are just some ideas off the top of my head to get y’all started.

TL;DR: This space is open to anyone, any topic, any question just please be open-minded and respectful!

(Just like my first post, I’m including tags for the Pedro fandom because I’ve seen a lot of issues within that community, but this is open to anyone that wants to participate, regardless of what interests you have.)

@phoenixhalliwell

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underbardk · 3 years

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The Bronze Bird Terrace Tile Inkstone of the Matsumae Domain

It’s not everyday that I come across a historical tidbit that manages to connect several areas of my interest. The Matsumae clan based in southern Hokkaido, in charge of the northernmost domain of Japan until the modern period, claims to possess an inkstone made from a roof tile from Cao Cao’s Bronze Bird Terrace in Ye.

According to the Bunmei 17 (1485) entry of the Fukuyama Hifu (1780), the official clan documents of the Matsumae clan:

In this year, the northern barbarians presented an inkstone made from a roof tile. This is a tile from the Bronze Bird Terrace built by Cao Mengde [Cao Cao] of Eastern Han. Later people inscribed seal script on the inkstone, the words which say: “The Providence of Heaven grants me with this disc of Cao. The time was Qingming when it presented itself to man. This ceramic disc is of considerable antiquity and quality, and I write to tell of its provenance.“

On its underside are the five characters “Jian’an Year 15 [210 CE]“. From then to An’ei 9 (1780) now in Japan is 1570 years. The Register of Inkstones says Bronze Bird Tiles often came from the Bronze Bird Terrace, then chiseled into inkstones. The antiquity of such artifact is evident. The inkstone is now stored in the treasure vault.

And sure enough, the Matsumae Castle has the inkstone on display:

(Image source)

Seeing this, two questions naturally arise:

“Is this real?“ and “How did it get here?“

Inkstones of the Terrace

The Bronze Bird Terrace, or Tongquetai, is an iconic structure in Cao Cao’s base city Ye built in 210, the 15th year of the Jian’an era. Ever since Cao Cao invited his sons Cao Pi and Cao Zhi to write poetry atop the terrace, the place has been surrounded by a poetic tradition that far outlived the physical destruction of the city in 580, such that the words Bronze Bird themselves would immediately evoke in the minds of the literati images of Wei’s former glory, of the women continually condemned to perform for the dead, of the impermanence of human life, and of the rise and fall of dynasties.

Writers and poets began to collect memorabilia of the Bronze Bird Terrace by the Tang dynasty. They would go to the ruins of Ye to look for roof tiles and carve them into inkstones where they can grind inksticks and dip their brushes. The inkstones made from the Bronze Bird Terrace tiles were apparently “quite well made“ and can “hold water without drying up for days” according to a Song dynasty guide to writing implements. It also describes what sets these inkstones from others:

In the past, when the terrace was being built, the tiles were made by pottery workers who would filter the clay with fine linen and then add walnut oil to it before firing; therefore they were different from ordinary pottery tiles.

Su Yijian (958-97), The Four Lineages of the Study (trans. by Tian Xiaofei)

The Southern Tang minister Xu Xuan tested it out to his amusement:

As soon as water was poured in, it infiltrated the inkstones; however much water was poured into them, they were dried out right away, and the wet surface made a sort of sucking sound. Xuan said with a chuckle: “Ain’t the Bronze Bird thirsty!” In the end the inkstones could not be used; they were no different from any ordinary broken tile and brick.

Yang Yi (974-1020), Yang Wengong tanyuan (trans. by Tian Xiaofei)

Regardless of their utility (or lack thereof), the allure of “owning a piece of history“ was attractive enough that the demand created a market for fake Bronze Bird Tiles:

The authentic ancient tiles from Xiangzhou [Ye] are decayed and useless. The world merely values their name. People nowadays purify the clay and then mold it in the shape of the ancient tile and bury it underground. After a long time they [dig it out again and] make it into an inkstone.

Ouyang Xiu (1007-1072), Lineages of Inkstones (trans. by Tian Xiaofei)

Some locals would fake such inkstones in the shape of ancient tiles, and have sold a great many of them.

Su Yijian (958-97), The Four Lineages of the Study (trans. by Tian Xiaofei)

It would seem that the Bronze Bird Terrace tiles commonly found were mostly fakes, since authentic tiles from the Wei period would likely have been disintegrated in the centuries, not least because the whole city had been razed. Even if an intact tile was found, there is no guarantee that it came from Cao Wei since the pavilions atop the terraces had been remodeled and rebuilt several times, including during the Later Zhao in 337 and the Northern Qi in 558. This is why a fake tile would have to include obvious features that would link it to Cao Cao’s time, such as a year number, despite there being no indication that Cao Cao required the tiles to his buildings to have year numbers (though the practice exists in Chinese buildings like the Great Wall, where bricks would be marked with the date of their production and the name of the supervisor in charge).

Ultimately, unless proven otherwise by techniques like carbon dating, it is most likely that the Matsumae inkstone did not originate from Cao Cao’s Bronze Bird Terrace.

Mass-produced Appraisals by a Thirteen-year-old

The description in the Fukuyama Hifu does not fully transcribe the words on the Matsumae inkstone. It leaves out some details, including the following words on the bottom which gives some clues on its true origins:

Gotten from the depths of the Zhang River bank for 39 copper coins. Calligraphy added for the amusement of the cultured and aficionados of antiquity. Appraised by Dixian on Chongjiu day, Xinwei year of the Hongwu reign (October 7, 1391)

There is a tradition of literati adding words onto artifacts, works of art, and natural landforms. But instead of adding his name onto an ancient artifact, in this case Dixian seems to be trying to add value to a piece of clay dug out of the ground sold on the market. Dixian (翟仙) may be a variant of Quxian (臞仙), the courtesy name of the Ming dynasty Prince of Ning Zhu Quan, a man of literary pursuits. However, Zhu Quan was only 13 years old in 1391. If the identification is correct, one must question the value of the appraisal or if someone else was using his name to add value to the tile.

In fact, the Matsumae inkstone isn’t the only tile to bear this inscription of Dixian’s appraisal on October 7, 1391. Similar Bronze Bird Terrace Tile Inkstones with this exact inscription (including the price of 39 copper coins) show up in museums in China, Taiwan, and even Japan (and some ended up on auction sites), suggesting that these inkstones may have been mass-produced in the early Ming dynasty. So the Matsumae inkstone is not unique in this regard. What is unique is the way the inkstone reached Matsumae.

The Bronze Bird Flies Northeast

The Fukuyama Hifu says the inkstone came via “northern barbarians“, which means the Ainu in this case. The later source Matsumae Kaki (1878) elaborates that the “barbarian chiefs from Karato presented the Bronze Bird Terrace Tile Inkstone“, where Karato (Karafuto) is the Japanese name for the island of Sakhalin. If this is true, then it means that the inkstone began its journey from China around 1391, went northeast to Manchuria, crossed the Tatar Strait to Sakhalin, then went south from there to Hokkaido where it reached Japanese hands on the southern shores in 1485.

The Ainu’s role in the inkstone’s transmission is interesting, since the Ainu wasn’t known for their appreciation for Chinese literary culture. On the other hand, foreign goods were often emblems of Ainu wealth and prestige, which makes it plausible as a item they would present to the Japanese regardless of whether they recognized the alleged history attached to the inkstone. It is not entirely clear how the Ainu came across the inkstone. It could have been bestowed by the Ming court to the Tungisic peoples of the Amur Estuary as part of the so-called tributary trade in return for local goods (though Ming records show no evidence of inkstones being given), and from there ended up in the hands of the Ainu as part of a regional trade connecting Sakhalin, Hokkaido, Manchuria, and Kamchatka. Otherwise, they could have taken it from Manchuria, as the Sakhalin Ainu were in the habit of crossing into Manchuria when the sea ice froze over. In this scenario, the inkstone would be part of the stationery set of a Ming scholar-official sent on business to Manchuria, likely the headquarters in Nurgan (today Tyr, Russia); and somehow got left behind when the Ming abandoned the area after the Tumu Crisis of 1449, only to be picked up by the Ainu or one of the indigenous groups in the Amur Estuary.

The retreat of the Ming from the Amur Basin had a ripple effect on Ainu-Japanese relations. According to the Hokkaido researcher Kazuyuki Nakamura, the Ainu depended on trade for metal products, and as the Chinese left the area they had to look to Japan. Increasing contact and trade disputes were a contributing factor to Koshamain's War of 1457, where Takeda Nobuhiro, ancestor of the Matsumae clan, made a name for himself defending the Japanese outposts in southern Hokkaido from the Ainu. In 1475, Ainu chieftains from as far as Sakhalin presented tribute to Nobuhiro as a sign of nominal submission. One would imagine that the inkstone ended up in Matsumae through similar efforts.

Map of relevant locations

Engagement with the North

Interestingly, there is another record of how the inkstone reached Matsumae, which has nothing to do with the Ainu at all. According to the Toukai Santan written by shogunal inspectors on tour to Matsumae in 1806, their hosts explained the inkstone as part of a dowry given to the Matsumae by the court aristocrat class (kuge) in Kyoto. If this is the case, the inkstone would have entered Japan through the usual Ming-Japan trade routes by sea. The Matsumae had close marriage ties to the kuge, so there were ample opportunities for the inkstone to be included in a dowry to the Matsumae.

On the surface, this explanation sounds more plausible than the Ainu route, but researcher Yasushi Kubo casts doubt on this simpler explanation. The Matsumae hosts had reason to lie to the shogunal inspectors, considering this was the time when Russia began to encroach upon Japan’s northern borders, and the shogunate was sensitive about where Matsumae stood. (There was a misunderstanding in 1799 where oversensitive shogunate inspectors saw a plaque on a shrine that read 降福孔夷 and interpreted it as “Fortune to the red barbarians”, when in fact it was a line from the Classic of Poetry that means “greatly blessed by fortune”. If not for the Confucian scholars in Edo, Matsumae domain would have been abolished then and there.) According to Kubo, the Matsumae had to play down their ties to the north to not rouse suspicion, so instead they made up an excuse for the inkstone that emphasizes Matsumae’s ties to central government. Otherwise, it would be difficult to explain why the earlier Fukuyama Hifu did not have the dowry story and instead has a less plausible-sounding origin story involving the Ainu. After all, Fukuyama Hifu was written by the well-learned Matsumae samurai Matsumae Hironaga, and it is hard to imagine that he would be unaware of the kuge dowry or had any reason to conceal it.

Remarks

Of course, there is the possibility that both routes described above are made up, since both descriptions are published hundreds of years after the purported event. The earliest independent eye-witness account of the inkstone being physically in Matsumae possession is an appraisal dated 1669, close to two centuries after 1485.

The Matsumae Castle Museum supplements the inkstone with a 1594 document stating that a Nakarai Shunran went to Ming China in the Zhengde era (1506-21) to learn medicine and returned to Japan with a Bronze Bird Terrace Tile Inkstone, gifted to him by his Chinese teacher. However, I wasn’t able to find out whether this is the same inkstone (as there is a number of such inkstones in Japan), or if Nakarai Shunran went to Hokkaido.

Regardless of how the inkstone came to Matsumae, it remained there as heirloom until it was sold off around 1922. For most of the 20th century it was considered missing until it was rediscovered in 2007. While not the finest specimen of a Bronze Bird Terrace Tile Inkstone - and most likely not from Cao Cao’s time - the Matsumae inkstone is nonetheless special for all the roles it might have played throughout its journey from China to Japan. From stationery to plaything to merchandise to emblem of prestige, the inkstone now rests as an exhibit in a display case in the Matsumae Castle Museum.

Selected sources

Kubo Yasushi [久保泰] (2008), 松前家の家宝「銅雀台瓦硯」について

Nakamura Kazuyuki [中村和之] (2008), アイヌの北方交易とアイヌ文化 : 銅雀台瓦硯の再発見をめぐって

Tian Xiaofei (2018), The Halberd at Red Cliff: Jian'an and the Three Kingdoms 　　

#three kingdoms #cao cao #matsumae #ainu #chinese history #japanese history #hokkaido #inkstone

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possiblyjad · 3 years

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So I noticed that I have had a bunch of new followers over the last month or so and I haven't taken the time to send you guys love and a proper intro! So here we go:

Hi! My name is Jade, but you can also call me Jad. I'm 27, Canadian (I live in Niagara Falls), and super queer. I use both she and they pronouns. I have two conflicting aesthetics of super cutesy pastel stuff and emo renaissance. I love fashion, makeup, and body modification as outlets of expression. I go to school VERY soon to be an esthetician, and I'm currently looking into the possibilities of getting a piercing apprenticeship.

Under the cut will be 25 random facts about me. Click to see them:

1. I grew up in a smallish town called Bowmanville, which is about an hour east of Toronto. It's rapidly expanding but in the heart of it is a bevy of picture esque historic neighborhoods lined with centuries old mansions. If you ever go, the one place I highly recommend food wise is Norm’s Deli downtown. The handmade pierogis and cabbage rolls are unmatched. Also, if you’re a tattoo fiend like me, some of my all time favourite artists are in Bowmanville/Oshawa.

2. I currently have 4 tattoos and 12 piercings, with the strong desire to get more.

3. My favourite colours are pastels mainly, baby blue, mint, lavender, and millennial pink.

4. I have a caffeine addiction which is usually fueled by coffee (mainly iced) and sugar free energy drinks.

5. I don't really care for alcohol too much, I like the occasional beer at Taps or a cocktail on a hot day, but I hate getting drunk and I'm also not fairly comfortable around drunk people unless I'm also drunk. (I don't really do parties anymore for that very reason)

6. I've been pescatarian since Feb 2020 and I've been trying my hardest to use cruelty free personal care products since the beginning of 2020.

7. My favourite CF makeup brands are Colourpop, Milk Makeup, Sugarpill, and Anastasia Beverly Hills.

8. Even though I'm trying really hard right now, I am USELESS when it comes to hair. I don't really know how to curl hair, I don't know how to braid, and I cannot be trusted with bleach (I won't fry your hair, it'll just be very uneven). I'm trying to learn hair curling now, though!

9. I smoke weed almost everyday. Depending on what I smoke with, it actually levels me out anxiety wise and allows me to focus and think like a normal person. I also smoke before bed to help treat my insomnia. On occasion though, I DO like to get mind numbingly stoned.

10. I actually have a hard time getting close to people, predominantly because of my past relationships with toxic people. My broken brain automatically considers most relationships temporary until proven otherwise, in an attempt to protect myself from further heartache. I always want to make new friends, I swear! Just keep interacting with me and I'll open up at some point.

11. I don't shut the fuck up. Ever. I'm either talking my friends' ears off or I'm complimenting a stranger because I can. Let’s just say that I’m a hit with my friends’ parents or family.

12. I LOVE TTRPG, it’s likely my biggest creative outlet right now. I play both DnD 5E and Pathfinder 1E. I partake in 5 games right now.

13. I’m a first time DM! I started a campaign for a bunch of people who are relatively new to DnD a few months ago and it’s been a hit so far! I absolutely love flexing my creative muscles and writing for my friends!

14. I also write as a hobby as well. Mainly fantasy drabble based on my TTRPG characters, but it’s still something.

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18. I LOVE animals! I have a senior cat, Willow, who does not look or behave like a senior cat. I also have a lionhead/dwarf rabbit named Theodore, or Theo. I’d get more pets if it weren’t for the fact, we don’t really have the room for other animals in our apartment, and also the fact that Willow hates other cats.

19. I’m TERRFIED of bees/wasps. I understand their importance to the world and they can vibe and save the planet as far away from me as possible.

20. My favourite food is sushi. I’m also a massive sushi snob and I have strong opinions on many of the places I’ve been to in my lifetime. The best I’ve had is still this place in Freehold, NJ that I don’t remember the name of. In Ontario, thus far, is tied between Oishi Maki in Whitby, ON, and the St Catharines location for Wind.

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23. I marched in a pride parade once! It was the Durham Pride Parade in Oshawa in 2014! I was still very much in the closet at the time, but I did get photographed by the news and everything! I would LOVE to go to Toronto Pride once in my life with a bunch of my other Alphabet Mafia fiends when things die down.

24. I am a shameless collector of Pokemon and Alpacasso plush.

25. Back when we could, I used to go to conventions a lot! I’ve been to Anime North, Fan Expo, and Con Bravo thus far. My favourite out of all of them is easily Con Bravo, but I would LOVE to check out other Ontario conventions when things open up!

#personal #about me #hi!!

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