#korean tal mask

[a-scary-lack-of-common-sense]

"Spiderman, Spiderman, does whatever a spider can" but make it korean flavored

Inspiration under cut:

#is this about the new spiderman spiderverse movie- absolutely #this is called a tal costume btw- and the masks are called tal masks #korean culture #my art #spiderman #spiderman spiderverse #spiderman across the spiderverse #satsv #tal #korean tal mask #korean tal #super quick doodle- might elaborate on it later

[urbannunxue]

Check out this listing I just added to my Poshmark closet: Handmade Korean Hahoe Tal wooden artisan masks. Set of two beautifully carved..

[vroooom2]

🤣 sorry I can't stop laughing at that new Academia-Military-Disneyland Tour. How much do we need to pay for that fieldwork propagandist imperialist symposium? For those who have never been to Korea, and at the DMZ, you should go, but not with those experts, as you will hear the same stuff as South Korean tour operators.

HT Mudge

You'd better go with this grassroot movement instead, which is also supported by the Americans (Koreans), but that won't sell you so-called experts knowledge, which are information that you can read online.

Or if you really want South Korean national insights, Dramas (TV series) are great. Why? Because, they depict the political powers at play in the peninsula, the role of the Chaebols (the conglomerates) in policies making. An issue that is never mentioned by the American so-called experts, who only focus on the nuclear demonization of North Korea. The Axis of Evil, the Bush administration foreign policy/national security rhetoric haunts those experts' subconscious. Honestly, were you reassured when Trump had access to the Nuke code? Do you remember when I proposed to give him a false code?

[Donald Trump insulting Kim Jong-Un as Little Rocket Man]

[Donald Trump and Kim Jong-Un Love Letters]

[Donald Trump and Kim Jong-Un In-Person Meeting]

In South Korea, Dramas screenwriters and producers have more liberty than the press. As an Anthropologist, I think it's because of the popular theatrical tradition to mock the rulers (the aristocracy, the governors, the buddhist monks, etc). Once a year in every village when TV didn't exist. This liberty is now implicit, and useful.

If you know how to analyze audiovisual storytelling, you get access to precious knowledge when watching Dramas, while being entertained. You can understand the social dynamics, the international trade agreements through product placement, the politics, the economic system: a framework invisible in foreign news outlets and foreign scholars papers, because the so-called experts are either scared to lose their seats in their ivory towers, or incapable of thinking outside the box to connect the dots, or just lazy.

[imunotes]

kroeroaeoa

kakakakaka

Korea art: shared aesthetic concepts, motifs, techniques, and forms with art from china and japan yet it also developed a distinctive style on its own. korean art lays in simplicity, spontaneity, and a feeling of harmony with nature Painting: the earliest forms of korean painting found on the fourth century in the form of murals painted on the walls of tombs and graveyards. these murals typically consisted portraits of dead master and his wife and they use the colors black, yellow, purple, green, red, and brown Minhwa: folk painting of korea, the art work of common people from bird and flower paintings to tiger and dragon and the 10 longevity symbols (tigers are depicted funny and friendly in korea in a folk painting of a magpie and a tiger) Most absurd tiger in the world: korea was once "the land of the tigers" but they are nearly extinct today (how ironic). korea used to have so many tigers that they can be found on the country's mountains. A tiger which often comes to villages to consume livestock and even harm people was considered more than an animal by ancient koreans. Minhwa Dragon: it is a sacred animal that chases away evil spirits and protects people from disaster and is a trusted image in the everyday lives of common people Hwajeopdo: it refers to paintings of flowers and butterflies each depicting the exciting natural world which would represent wealth and prosperity but also the common love between a husband and a wife on another. Sculpture(s): Pottery of ancient Korea where simple brown wares were made and decorated with geometrical incisions. its decoration typically uses plants, flowers, and wildlife and reflects the country's religious heritage with buddhist motifs and minimalist confucian designs Kilns: a domestic wares of pottery chambers. Korean Celadon Maebyeong: a maebyeong celadon (greenware) vase from the Goryeo dynasty of ancient korea. design has typical buddhist motifs of cranes and clouds . late 12th century CE Korean neolithic pot: typical pottery bowl from the korean neolithic (new stone) period with pointed base and simple incised decoration Dragon-turtle celadon: a celadon (greenware) ceramic kettle in a form of a mythical dragon-turtle creature. Goryeo dynasty 918-1392 CE Korean Onggi Jars: created since ancient times and used for a multitude of purposes and decoration. its also used to store foodstuffs like soy sauce and fish paste. they are frequently burried in ground and also used as lavatories (toilet) Buncheong Wares: blue-green ceramic covered with a white slip, most practical of korea's offerings to world ceramics Architecture: Naturalistic tendancies, simplicity, economy of shape, and avoidance of extremes. Usually structured vertically and horizontally Muryangsujeon, Buseoksa, Korea: The Muryangsujeon (Murangsu- jŏn) hall, part of the Buseoksa temple complex, Gyeongsangbuk-do Province, South Korea. buddhist temples were first constructed at this site in the 7th century CE but the hall is one of the oldest wooden architectures in korea (goryeo period 918-1392) Cheomseongdae Observatory (Silla): At Gyeongju, the sila capital has the unique mid-7th century CE Cheomseongdae observatory. 9 meters tall, acted like a sundial but also has a south facing window the sun's rays on the interior floor on each equinox. The oldest surviving observatory in east asia Seokgatap Pagoda: part of the bulguksa temple at Gyeongju (seorabeol) sila capital, construction date is 751 CE Korean masks: (question about definiton will pop out in the test) They are called tal or t'al, orginated with religious and artistic meaning, worn to express a certain character, made in a form of human or animal faces

[2-twenty2-am]

Mask Project: Brainstorm & Ideas

For the mask project, I started by looking into traditional Korean masks as well as Korean folktales to get inspiration.

These are some examples of Korean masks, and the specific one I drew the most inspiration from is the 각시탈 (Kakshi tal; pictured on the left side), or young woman/bride mask. I combined this idea with the mythical fox human creature from Korean folktales called 구미호 (Gumiho/Kumiho).

Since Kumiho is a fox, I looked for different facial expressions from real-life foxes. Especially expressions of longing and sadness.

My last source of inspiration came from blue opals and flowers. I chose blue opals because they look the most similar to something called a 여우구술 (yeowoo goosool) or fox marble, which gave kumihos their supernatural powers.

I also chose flowers as they have meanings symbolic to the story that I want to portray in my mask. The top flower is an astilbe which means "patience and dedication to a loved one". The bottom left flower is a rain lily which symbolizes "rebirth and new beginning". The bottom right flower is a heartsease "I Am Always Thinking Of You".

The story I wanted to portray is of the Kumiho’s road to become human. It was said in folktales about Kumiho that if they were able to eat 1000 humans in 1000 years then they would become human. Kumiho that I’m going to portray is of a spirit who has already eaten 999 people in 990 years. The last person she was preying on to eat, she unfortunately falls in love with. They get married on their 9th anniversary, and on their wedding night, Kumiho’s greed outweighs her love and she eats her lover. A pretty tragic end to the story but I think it creates a really interesting mask.

These are just some rough ideas, and I'm probably gonna combine elements of all of them in my final sketch.

I haven’t decided on name for my mask yet cause I haven’t been able to come up with any good names DDD: Hopefully I’ll be able to think of one by next week!

Sorry for the long post! There was so much info we had to include.

[nightiingaled-a]

As not only a vigilante, but a “criminal” wanted by several governments & Talon alike, Tea wears a half-mask version of the mask that Ana wears in her “LNY: Tal” Skin. 

Tea’s mask is a featureless white (as seen on the left), based similarly on the mask of Kaksi, the bride from Korean mask dances. The woman wears a bright red lipstick to match. 

#♜ facts ⇾ tea. #tea 🤝 ana - masked vigilantes

[rapeculturerealities]

Beauty in South Korea does not come in all shapes and sizes. It comes with a V-shaped face, a slender body, double eyelids, and pale porcelain skin.

Cis Korean women are expected to go to any length to achieve this perfect look—and they certainly do. South Korea has the highest per capita plastic surgery procedures in the world, and its beauty industry is globally ranked as one of the largest. Every major street and subway station is littered with stores selling sheet masks, Jeju volcanic creams, and the promise of perfection.

But some South Korean women, mostly those in their late teens and twenties, are declaring it’s time to “take off their corsets.” These women do not literally wear corsets; the movement references the restrictive, harmful, and gender-essentialist nature of corsets. 탈코르셋, or Tal Corset (tal meaning to take off), inspires women to cut their hair drastically short, destroy their makeup, and get rid of uncomfortable clothes. Anything that restricts how women express themselves, or asks women to conform to certain beauty standards at the expense of their own desires, is a “corset.” And these women are claiming that it’s time to throw them out.

read more

#South Korea #beauty #hostility to bodily autonomy #body shaming #racism #beauty standards #misogyny

[ladydisgustang-blog]

Kinda want to draw Wolf Monster! Silkie now hmm..

Silkie would probably be a large white wolf like beast with a pierrot Mask or Korean Tal-Mask covering her eyes. She'd feel extremely protective of Julian and would act like a guard dog as she resides in the Hanged Man's Realm. She grieves and feels extreme guilt as she thinks she is the ultimate cause of what happened to Julian. All she can do now is try to make him smile, no matter what.

After all that's the clown's job, isn't it?

#angst #Lady rambles #Apprentice Silkie #julian devorak #fan apprentice #just an idea #:( why

[joanna-squared]

It says in my description that I’m currently in the process of setting up my new BACC hood. What this actually means is that I haven’t even begun building the terrain because I’m still caught up in cleaning up my game - that is, building a new downloads folder, completely restructuring my catalog and hiding everything Maxis I don’t like. I decided to share since other people might find this useful, so here’s the first set of hiders for buy mode objects from the base game and the holiday stuff pack, 87 in total. Each hider comes as a separate file and is aptly named so you can easily throw out the ones you don’t want. A full list of items follows under the cut.

Download at SFS

Surfaces:

Counter: Chiclettina Sardinia

Counter Island: Chiclettina Sardinia

Dining Table: Exploding Dragon

Dining Table: FestiValue HoliDine 1x1

Dining Table: FestiValue HoliDine 1x2

Dining Table: FestiValue HoliDine 2x2

Dining Table: Milano Royale

Dining Table: Tablablanca

End Table: Glitteri and Co. Trieste

End Table: Merokkan

End Table: Tri Tip

Coffee Table: Centerpieces

Coffee Table: Chabadii Chabudinky

Coffee Table: Chabadii Yet Another

Coffee Table: Moor Is More

Coffee Table: Tempered Tea Table

Desk: Chiclettina Execudrone

Desk: Tibetan

Comfort:

Bed: #4234

Bed: Slim System

Bed: Soma SleepWell

Bed: Zenu Meditation

Dining Chair: Diamondback

Dining Chair: Dynasty

Dining Chair: Moderniste

Dining Chair: Plasticity NodePod

Dining Chair: Polychromed Seating

Living Chair: Mr. Bearlybutts (not having to see this utterly creepy thing any longer feels so relieving)

Living Chair: Serenity Sitter

Sofa: Baroccoco

Sofa: Baroccoco Loveseat

Sofa: Seatris

Barstool: Stiff Superfluous

Decorative:

Plant: Blue Sky Bonsai

Plant: Divine Kadomatsu

Plant: Holiday Hyacinth

Plant: Juniper Bonsai

Plant: Mystic Life Vase

Plant: Poinsettia Gift Pack

Sculpture: Arctic Santa

Sculpture: Berge the Proliferating Raindeer

Sculpture: Festive Krathong

Sculpture: Flamingo

Sculpture: Holiday Greetings

Sculpture: Holiday Lumberjack

Sculpture: Kozy Kitsch Gnome

Sculpture: Mr. Sanblovian

Sculpture: Sky Jump Frosty

Wall: The Monster Under My Bed

Wall: Dreams of a Gifted Mind

Wall: Bangpae Yeon

Wall: Chinese Opera Mask

Wall: COPG Garland

Wall: Ha Hye Tal Mask

Wall: Korean Komungo

Mirror: Obviously Modern

Mirror: St. Ajoque

Misc: Cat-A-Strophic

Misc: Chanukah Menora

Misc: Four Dead Guys

Misc: Jack-O-Hattern

Misc: Kwanzaa Kinara

Misc: Snowman Construction Set Base

Misc: Snowman Construction Set Middle

Misc: Snowman Construction Set Head

Misc: Snowman Construction Set Hat

Plumbing:

Sink: Imperial Lyon Basin

Lighting:

Ceiling: Half Shell

Ceiling: Lunatech Amber

Floor: Tornado Torch

Floor: Tulip Light

Table: Lunatech BCT

Table: Lunatech Spare Crimson

Table: Lunatech Spare Grass

Table: Lunatech Spare Ocean

Table: Shoji

Wall: GaulleVanizer

Wall: Torcher Luminescence

Hobby:

Bookcase: Double Helix

Bookcase: Novellas Nouveau

Electronics:

Audio: Funky the Snowman

Computer: Moneywell

Computer: Little Sister (I’m using Monique’s hacked versions of these two)

General:

Bar: Retro Lounge

Dresser: Dynasty

Dresser: Rob R Barron

Dresser: Su-Tove

#ts2 #sims 2 #sims 2 download #ts2cc #s2cc #download: hiders

[a-scary-lack-of-common-sense]

Yay

#spiderman #spiderman spiderverse #spiderman sona #?? ig #satsv #my art #korean tal #korean tal mask #korean culture #sorry if Im too annoying about this- i just really like tals and designing things

[sofrenchbynaty]

La nature en un mot #innisfree 🌿✨ Love my glowing skin after 3 weeks using @innisfreeofficial 💁🏻‍♀️✨ 1 💚 Green Tea Seed Intensive Hydrating Serum, Face Treatment - Replenish skin with this hydrating, lightweight serum packed with antioxidant-rich Green Tea to help protect skin from tal stressors. 2 💖 Cherry Blossom Dewy Glow Jelly Cream Face Moisturizer - This cream is powered by Jeju Cherry Blossom Leaf extract to help boost skin radiance, Betaine (derived from sugar beets) to create a breathable protective layer to lock in hydration. 3 💚 Green Tea Seed Intensive Hydrating Eye Roll-on Face Serum -> Invigorates tired eyes, it’s infused with antioxidant-rich green tea extract and green tea seed oil grown on Innisfree's fields on Jeju Island, South Korea. 4💚 Green Tea Hydrating Cleansing Foam Creamy Face Cleanser -> I Love lathering up this creamy Korean foam cleanser infused with hydrating green tea for skin that feels clean, soft, and hydrated. 🖤 Pore Clearing Clay Mousse Mask 2X Super Volcanic Clusters Face Treatment -> The airy mousse texture glides on cleanly and smoothly, removes easily. My skin is left feeling cleaner and smoother, looks brighter. Pores appear smaller. 🌟 INNISFREE is one of the hottest skincare brand. Their products are formulated with naturally-derived ingredients and high quality plant extracts sourced from hillsides, forests, and coasts from Jeju Island, South Korea. 🌟The products are also free from parabens, animal ingredients, synthetic colors, mineral oils and fragrances !! Shop now @Sephora #Sephora or @amazon #amazonbeauty #innisfreeus #sofrenchbynaty (à Florida) https://www.instagram.com/p/CVTfEI5lNUq/?utm_medium=tumblr

#innisfree #sephora #amazonbeauty #innisfreeus #sofrenchbynaty

[calci101]

I created my mask designed based off this ancient Korean face mask called “Yang-ju No-Jang” which is used in a traditional mask dance called “tal chum”. I thought that the colored dots added depth and dimension and I wanted to add that aspect into my own mask design. I was inspired to create a sad/distressed expression. I really liked the rainbow bug shown above and I am planning on incorporating the spots and the gradient design they carry. 

[mangafeeds]

TAL.

Alternative : 탈 (Korean); 탈(TAL); 탈 (Mask) English

TAL summary: They walk like ordinary people, they talk like ordinary people but in fact there is nothing ordinary about them since they can materialize an image they have on their mind... They call themselves Chachaoong which also means Shaman and they do not know how or when they came to this world. It is now a time for their current king to choose the future one and so he did by choosing Yu Jin an ordinary human...? Many of the Chachaoong can not tolerate a human ruling them and now the poor Yu Jin not knowing what suddenly hit him, is trying to avoid the Chachaoongs who are trying to kill him! #MangaFeeds.com, #ReadFreeMangaOnline MangaFeeds.Com: Read manga online the latest manga comic book, updated daily: https://mangafeeds.com/post/tal_1587919265

Read more.

[ikmall365]

Product composition and notation

Product Name: Yangban Andong Soju 12 Year Old Yangban Tal Gold

Producer: Seo Ju Hyun

Shelf Life: Permanent (Store at room temperature)

Place of origin: Andong-si, South Korea

Main ingredients: 100% rice + natural rock water, pure grain wine

Capacity: 375ml * 2

Alcohol level: 45%

Container: Hahoe Mask Ceramics Bottle

#Korean #Traditional #Liquor

#Korean #Whiskey #In #South #Korea

[nar-oh]

Cosplay goals.

I’m already thinking of Halloween costumes. I think this year, I’ll go for D.va. Next year, I’m gonna try Ana. 

The thing about Ana is that her "Tal” skin confuses me. Ana is a woman. Clearly, Blizzard was going for the hahoetal masks and I appreciate the color choice. The “Tal” skin uses a mask that looks more like yangban rather than bu-ne, halmi, or anyone else. Yangban is the aristocrat. Bu-ne is the flirtatious woman of some sort. Halmi is literally “granny” in Korean. However, on Ana’s mask, they give her coloring like as if it were bu-ne or gaksi. In terms of life experience, I feel like halmi is closer in theme. (Gaksi is a rather strange mask and I can’t seem to find a satisfactory description of what she is exactly.) But the main colors they give her “Tal” skin, blue and white, are reminiscent of that of a court official, eunuch, or some other official male role. Colors have very significant symbolic meanings in ancient Korean clothing, much as it did in other parts of the ancient world. (Not that color does not now hold symbolic meanings.) It’s an interesting thought exercise in terms of trying to figure out what Blizzard is going for. 

Anyways, I wasn’t sure if anyone in the western world discussed this yet about Ana’s skin. I’d like to think that this has been a point of interesting discussion in the eastern world. Now that I got that off my chest, on to more important things.

Also, I know I’m several months late but for everyone who is freaked out about the skin, it should be scary. A lady aristocrat who happens to be the No. 1 sniper in the world is coming to get YOU. How is that not scary?

#Overwatch #Cosplay #goals #d.va #ana amari #tal #discussion

[kynimdraws]

A little PSA: An explanation of Ovewatch Ana’s “Tal/탈” skin

I am getting tired of people hating on Ana’s Tal skin and while I have expressed my discontent over this unnecessary discourse on twitter I might as well crosspost on tumblr because of non-Koreans trying to spread misinformation about my home country’s culture.

(Ana voice): SHHHHHHHHHHHH calm down kids it’s grandma

Disclaimer: I am Korean. My mother is a Korean teacher who has taught me Korean history/culture. My uncle teaches in a University about Korean history. Chinese cultural appropriation topics will not be mentioned here, because I am not Chinese. Someone with better knowledge about that than make their own posts elsewhere (please).

A quick googling of “tal” or “탈” will give you the following definition (lifted from the all-accessible wikipedia page). I bolded the most relevant parts of this excerpt since I will go into more detail about it in the next paragraphs:

Korean masks have a long tradition with the use in a variety of contexts. Masks are called tal (Hangul: 탈) in Korean, but they are also known by many others names such as gamyeon, gwangdae, chorani, talbak and talbagaji. Korean Mask come with black cloth attached to the sides of the mask designed to cover the back of the head and also to simulate black hair.

They were used in war, on both soldiers and their horses; ceremonially, for burial rites in jade and bronze and for shamanistic ceremonies to drive away evil spirits; to remember the faces of great historical figures in death masks; and in the arts, particularly in ritual dances, courtly, and theatrical plays. The present uses are as miniature masks for tourist souvenirs, or on cell-phones where they hang as good-luck talismans.

The one Ana is specifically wearing is a type of 하회탈 (hahoetal), which describes a type of mask used during theatre (하회별신굿탈놀이) and dance (탈춤) since the 12th century. These performances consist of a cast of character archetypes, which are depicted by the masks. Many of the features in the masks are exaggerated for humorous and dramatic effect. Here are a general list of masks that commonly seen.

Fun fact, Ana’s mask is a hybrid of the Kaksi/각시 and Yangban/양반 mask. And maybe a little bit of the Halmo/할미 depending on the mask design.

These mask plays were performed in villages to ward off evil spirits and to convince the local gods to protect them and bring prosperity. A certain aspect of these performances are also comedic, and a chance for performers to poke fun of the ruling class and taboo subjects like sex. While this is not tied to the Lunar New Year specifically, such performances were done during special occasions like those holidays.

Now you may be asking “this is part of a religious thing! Isn’t that disrespectful??” And trust me, this depiction is FAR from being offensive to most Koreans.

Yes the tal was used for shamanistic rituals, specifically associated with “muism” (무교/신교). However, muism is not a popular Korean religion. While there has a recent uprise in people practicing it/being interested in it, Muism has always faced discrimination in Korean history. Confucianism, Christianity, and even Japanese colonialism has demonized this religion and it was nearly forgotten/eradicated. The most known incident of this is called the misin tapa undong (미신 타파 운동) describes a period from 19th century to the 1980s where various parties (both outside and inside Korea) tried to eradicate muism through various means, including burning down local shrines and villages that were known to practice them. People had to be in hiding so avoid persecution.

Fortunately the Korean government has indirectly protected Muism by making several aspects of their religious traditions as national Korean treasures, including the 탈 among other things. But it is important to note that whole 탈 culture is secularized now. It does not have the religious connotations that it was known for. Hell, the masks are one of the most recognizable features of Korean culture (and seen in many souvenirs). There are places in Korea that preserve this tradition and perform it to the public to spread awareness of its history (the 안동 village every September has an arts festival for all traditional Korean performing arts). FYI, Koreans who appreciate this are not muists themselves, and no one requires you to be one. Lunar New Year is largely a secular holiday, after all.

Now, do you want to see some of the reactions KOREAN FANS had about the Ana skin? Here are few I got off from twitter, with translations from yours truly:

BTW that Ana tal skin is my aesthetic - (x)

That Ana skin is really good ㅇㅁㅇ....tal is really making my heart flutter* - (x)

*간지뿅뿅 is not a really easy thing to translate since it’s a combo of a sound effect and an emotion??? It’s a positive response either way

Ana skin ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠtal is so good ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ - (x)

OMG Ana’s skin is tal LOL that is exciting - (x)

Many of these really are happy their culture is seen! And it’s not depicted in a mocking manner and the overall design is quite lovely, with Korean-design motifs in her clothes. The few relatively negative tweets about her skin are how the cloth may be too bright/gaudy compared to the mask, which is sort of true. The mask is supposed to be seen clearly to show what character the performer is playing out. But the color scheme really looks like those worn for the Bongsan talchum (봉산탈춤), another variety of tal (they are all within the same province btw). And a lot of Korean traditional color schemes are pretty gaudy too.

Alright, so I have told you all I can about the tal culture. Now the you may be asking the following question, summarized well by this tweet:

I think Ana looks awesome in general but what was the concept behind her new skin ???? She’s Egyptian so why wear a Tal? - (x)

To be fair, I was also fairly surprised by the choice for having Ana have the Korean-style skin before I became super ecstatic to see my culture be represented. I do agree it is odd to see a Muslim/Egyptian/Arabic character (two groups that don’t really celebrate Lunar New Year from what I can gather) to be chosen for a Korean skin, but that matter sort of falls into the “Muslim/Egyptian/Arabic culture is underrepresented in Overwatch and gaming media in general” topic and I am not knowledgeable enough to discuss that in detail. A Muslim Overwatch fan has written about this matter here if you want to check it out.

But back on point, is this skin an example of YELLOW FACE or CULTURAL APPROPRIATION? No! When did being Muslim/Arabic/Egyptian =/= you can’t celebrate/appreciate other cultures and their traditions? Did you only want Koreans to get the skin? I am all for D.Va getting more skins (and MAYBE more KOREAN OVERWATCH HEROES) but why restrict the Korean theme onto just one character? Cultural appropriation is when people INAPPROPRIATELY disrespect a culture by mocking them and disregarding the traditions of said culture. Ana is not doing any of this. Besides, Korean tal culture is not closed off to non-Koreans, and there are Korean cultural socities that are willing to offer classes on this and will even teach you how to do the dance/plays (i.e. Sejong University has a site for it). 

FYI because I am Korean, I cannot say how Egyptian/Muslim/Arab fans feel about Ana wearing Korean attire for Lunar New Year. I have talked to a few Muslim OW fans/friends about this and given their differing opinions on the matter (including the OP of the muslim underrepresentation post I linked earlier), I cannot really make a confident assumption on how these people generally feel about the skin. On Korean fandom’s end though, we love the skin! It’s great Blizzard took the time to research Korean culture and make a skin that isn’t mocking Koreans. And Blizzard does have some ties with Korea itself due to its HUGE gaming culture/fanbase, so it is possible BlizzKorea has gotten input there for this event. Being between two BIG Asian countries (Japan and China), Korea is often left out and this event was a really nice breath of fresh air. We are represented!! We are not some invisible culture between the big two!!!

And if you are not part of this culture, just PLEASE let other people speak out about the matter before getting on your moral high horse to talk about appropriation. 

Now, does that mean the Korean fandom thinks Blizzard is a perfect company? NO! Honestly the entire event is MOSTLY about Chinese culture (with some Korean stuff squeezed in between). Other Asian countries that celebrate Lunar New Year have been ignored (i.e. Southeast Asian cultures and some Indian cultures celebrate Lunar New Year and they are not included despite Symmetra being Indian, etc). These discrepancies are good starting points to discuss underrepresentation in media that Blizzard can learn about and hopefully include in their future updates. From what I can see, the Overwatch developers have been receptive to this feedback so it would be good to have that convo in their official forums too.

FYI, I personally feel like there could have been more Korean stuff for this event period. In America at least, it really sucks that Lunar New Year is ALWAYS called Chinese New Year despite other countries also celebrating it...RIP. But I appreciate that this game has made Korean culture more visible. Here’s hope to more visible Korean stuff in gaming and elsewhere! Where is my “새해 복 많이 받으세요” voice line for D.Va? I demand answers Blizzard!!!

Anyway, hope that has taught you something new, and Happy Lunar New Year to everyone!

#a psa #overwatch #d.va #korean culture #ana #ana amari #korea #lunar new year #year of the rooster overwatch