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mmriesoftvat · 9 months

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i have wanderer character analysis under the cut. please watch this trailer for reference!

so we have this angle in the beginning of the trailer. i really like the mood around them, with the storm signifying the trouble that's about to come. either representing him bringing the trouble, or the fatui giving him trouble. but regardless, the environmental storytelling is really good!

i also really like his pose here. the bird isn't a source of irritation for him. his main irritation with the bird + wind is that it almost knocked his kasa off. but right now ultimately, he's nonbothered.

but then you have this. his head is angled, and even without eyes showing, you can see that he's more annoyed over having his path blocked than being harassed. the stance is a very clear "you're annoying me, move" type of stance. and the way he just goes "two big strong fatui, asking me to be their chaperone. is this some kind of joke?"

because now we can see his whole face. he hasn't lifted a hand to either of them yet. he hasn't done anything except glare. which means he's not going to act unless directly threatened. which is, interestingly enough, what happens next!

a bullet is fired at wanderer here. because the two fatui aren't actually interested in a guide, they're lookign to pick a fight, and they think wanderer is an easy target. but here we have his first display of strength: he effortlessly uses the agent's weapon to block the bullet. and i'm pretty sure that expression is more resignation than actual anger or irritation. more like "ugh, i have to waste energy on these guys?"

and when we see this in the next scene, this is really interesting to me. i don't know if the light reflected in his eyes is from an outside source (the flash from the gun, him activating his anemo powers), or if it's internal. Because the way his eyes are glowing are purple. my thoughts on this are that there's still some traces of his former self in there, OR MAYBE it's a result of him being ei's creation. she's the electro archon, and electro, at least mainly, is colored purple for convenience sake. part of me thinks that the god he aspired to be never fully died when he was reincarnation, and maybe he relied on electro for too long for it also to be completely erased. he's essentially two people in one body, both halves learning to come to terms with each other. i just thought this shot was really interesting, because it's clearly the harbinger we're expected to see, and not the wanderer.

this is the second display of strength. because while yes, wanderer is using his anemo here, he's barely touching the weapon to keep it at bay. this tells me his anemo is just as strong as he is. and i wonder what exactly is giving him that strength. is it being a puppet? or is it the previous incarnation of his god self coming into play here? or is the anemo enhancing what strength he already has? because this shot has me wondering just exactly how strong wanderer is. he's barely using any force behind this defensive move, while the agents are putting their all into it.

i mostly liked this shot for the jab to the throat before he was grabbed by the throat. power move, wanderer.

the next display of strength. this is my favorite part and the whole reason i wanted to analyze the trailer. because it took zero effort for wanderer to grab him by the throat and yoink him high into the air. he's using only one hand to not only hold the guy up, but hold him higher than his own height. his own body is very still and even relaxed, i'd argue, while the fatuus is clawing at wanderer's arm and shaking.

there's no doubt that the fatuus is strong, considering he was using a hammer as a weapon, but the difference is astounding. because it doesn't even look like wanderer is using his full strength. he's still very unbothered by the whole thing. still doesn't care enough.

and then you get this shot where his eyes glow a very vivid blue. i don't know if this is just a trailer visual for the audience to see him using his vortext ult, or if it's in game. but if it is in game, i find it very interesting to note, because to me it means he's fully embracing his new lease in life, embracing the anemo that he was given. personally i'd like to think it's an inverse/canon bit, to demonstrate how powerful his anemo really is.

but also interestingly enough, in the following shots, we get this quick frame:

it's really hard to tell what color his eyes are glowing, but i'm going off of context clues and saying his eyes are shining purple again. the glitching, the black and white with traces of purple? to me that screams balladeer/scaramouche. so he HASN'T left behind that side of him. this, to me, says he's embracing both sides of that personality within him and melding them into one. he's still the ruthless balladeer he spent ages of his life being, and he's also the innocent wanderer that worked at a fruit stand. this series of glitchy frames ALSO tells me that he's weighing his options and deciding on the right course of action. should he be the balladeer and kill the fatui? or should he be the wanderer and leave well enough alone?

cause through this all, he was acting in self defense.

this is the sternest he's looked through the entire trailer. the crossed arms and the mini lecture of "you were looking for trouble and got what you asked for."

this is both scaramouche and wanderer speaking. he didn't hurt them too badly, he just gave them a lesson the fatui are unlikely to forget anytime soon. and even in this image he doesn't look entirely that mad, either. annoyed, yes. but it also vaguely looks like he's still smiling.

because through the entire fight, wanderer was laughing. he was laughing, because this was a game to him. a chance for him to test out his abilities on people. the fatui got a fight, and he got to show them why that was wrong. of COURSE he'd laugh.

which is probably why he left them alive at the end and continued on his way. because he didn't need to murder to prove a point, he'd already made it the second they started antagonizing him. wanderer knows he's strong and can outlast anyone in a fight. he barely has to lift a finger in order to make some devastating blows to his enemies. if wanderer wanted to obliterate someone, he would do it easily.

but i also wonder where that strength comes from. does it come from being a puppet, from having an anemo vision, or does the blood of that mecha-god still pump through his veins even after erasing himself? regardless, he's still very clearly one of the strongest characters.

also i'd like to point out real quick, that i feel like his fight with cyno in the recent darshan championship was a callback to this. because back then, wanderer didn't care enough to take a fight seriously, and with cyno he was clearly holding back and not taking it seriously. probably out of a need to not actually kill his opponents, especially since they weren't enemies to begin with.

#ᴮᴿᴮ ᴱˣᴾᴸᴼᴿᴵᴺᴳ ᴼᵀᴴᴱᴿ ᵂᴼᴿᴸᴰˢ / ooc #( CHARACTER ANALYSIS: WANDERER'S DEBUT TRAILER. )

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foolishsweet · 5 months

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White Day AU but with Dragon Kasa where:

Tsukasa always wanted to be a knight in order to, at first, protect his family and His childhood best friend Toya (who just happens to be the youngest prince), which later evolves into the entire kingdom, wanting to be the best knight ever. He climbs the ranks till he becomes captain, but his years of training make him forget his initial goals and now he is just a loyal dog to the crown.

This is bad bc Toya starts a rebellion to try convince the king to change his ways for the good of the kingdom. It backfires spectacularly. Now the kingdom is at war against the Imperial Knights, the resistance lead by Toya. Rui joins out of a desire for freedom to research magic, Mizuki by his side, a half monster, decides to infiltrate the knights using magic. He also has Akito as a second spy on the knights of white who helps Mizuki get in without suspicion, but they can't get a hold on Tsukasa, leaving these two to try turn him to their side as carefully as possible without being found out, with no results.

But things take a turn when Saki decides to join the resistance, which shakes and confuses Tsukasa. Wasn't the kindness of the king that gave her the chance to cure her sickness? why would she betray them, betray him! like this? Confused, he goes to the king, and is told that the only way to bring his family and friends back to reason he is to make sure the kingdom wins by any means necessary, and when he asks what exactly can he do...he disappears.

For months, almost years, the captain of the knights of white is gone. Neither Akito nor Mizuki have any answers when Toya asks where? how? non of them know. The official statement of the king is that the rebellion kidnapped him, but even knights like Shiho and Len, who were on the crowns side find this weird. Toya, on his side, hires a mercenary duo of Miku and Kaito to infiltrate the castle, since Akito has more attention put on him now that he is the captain, and Mizuki is their ace of cards and can't afford to lose them. They give him the hint that there is a secret dungeon far north from the kingdom, where magic experiments are being carried out under the kings orders.

So Toya made plans for a raid, one that won't go unnoticed on purpose so that Akito and Mizuki are sent to them by the king attempting to trap them. In the underground dungeon is deep, with tall, tall walls, and lays corpses in cells, ancient marking on the walls and weird tattoos on the ones that still have flesh. They find the king and some people in cloaks in front of a cell containing the figure of a person breathing heavily, more of those weird tattoos in their arms and torso, chains binding them to the walls and the floor, their long, gradient blonde hair covering their face...

Gradient blonde...?

In that moment, all entrances are sealed off, the king takes one last look at his son, claims to lament that he couldn't make him half the royal his siblings are, before starting an incantation that makes the person in the cell scream as if they were being burned alive. smoke seems to pour out of their tattoos before engulfing their body into a cloud of smoke, a giant cloud that only gets bigger, and bigger. The sound of the chains breaking. The screams turn to roars as the smoke dissipates, revealing the figure of long thought extinct beast. Revealing a drangon.

The silence in the room doesn't last, as the king orders the dragon to attack them and finish the rebellion once and for all...

...But the dragon doesn't listen.

it only looks at the king for less that a second before going on a rampage, breathing fire at random and moving erratically, the king's screams of frustration turn to panic as the movement of the dragon crushes the cloaked figures and makes the walls around them collapse, it's tail sending him directly against one of them.

The Imperial Knights and the kings forces are now both stuck dealing with a dangerously destructive monster that targets whatever catches it's eye, attacking everything like even colors are a threat. It's overwhelming power makes it hard just to stay out of it's path of destruction, and the fire in a dungeon so deep makes the place so hot it's like it's cooking them alive. there doesn't seem to be a way to calm the dragon down enough for Rui and Mizuki to teleport everyone to safety, when suddenly.

"BIG BROTHER!!!"

A shout rings thru what's left of the dungeon, the dragon seems to slow down in surprise, before a second shout stops it completely.

"BIG BROTHER. I KNOW IT'S YOU. IT'S ME. SAKI!!!"

the dragon's eyes are unfocused, it's breathing heavy, looking around as if it couldn't understand, confused, afraid.

Saki, slowly, not making any sudden movements, gets closer.

"Over here, big brother!"

the dragon cautiously turns as well, only now noticeable the way it seems to tremble, like a fragile thing.

Saki now faces the dragon, her hands gently approach it's face, letting it take a few breaths of her smell before resting them on it's nose.

She proceeds to talk to it, softly.

"You were here all this time. you must have been so worried, so afraid. I can't believe they did this to you... But don't worry. I won't let them hurt you anymore. I won't leave you this time nor ever again. Because You are, and will always be, my big brother, Tsukasa."

As Saki spoke the smoke started pouring out of the dragon, before dispersing once again to reveal a man on his knees, with partial scales around his face, his back, his arms; horns coming out of his head, his long long hair covering him, his teary slitted eyes looking directly at Saki's face as if trying to recognize her, searching for something he couldn't completely understand, filled with distress, anxiety and relief at the same time somehow. He opened his mouth as if he were speaking for the very first time, fangs shining as he said

"Ssha-kiii...?"

Saki couldn't contain herself anymore and hugged her brother, and although he didn't seem to know what to do, he raised his clawed hands and carefully put them on her back.

Or so he would have, if not for the shouting of the king startling him as the king ordered his remaining soldiers to attack them, arrows coming their way before Rui and Shiho deflected them, the fighting restarting as Saki tried to calm her brother back, who was acting animalistic, almost feral, hissing and squirming on her hold as smoke started coming out of him again. Knowing what they knew now, Len and Shiho joined forces with the rebellion, helping Akito and Toya fight of the soldiers as Rui and Mizuki Rounded them up and activated the teleportation spell, which took them to the Imperial Knights hideout.

It took a while for them to calm Tsukasa down enough for Rui to examine his tattoos. He didn't seem to recognize them fully, acting like a wild animal, not being able to talk properly other than calling Saki's name for help. According to Rui, these tattoos must have been an ancient curse that the king somehow got a hold of, since dragons had been extinct for century.

At first, Tsukasa didn't trust anyone but Saki. hiding under the bed and hissing. Refusing to eat without seeing them eat first. But over time he became more open. Now he even let's them comb his hair and purrs while they do it. He has small moments where he seems like himself or like he remembers, so they haven't lost hope on a cure.

Since then they also found out he can turn into a dragon at will without the emotional outburst, and always follows them to battle even when they try to leave him home. He is specially protective of Toya, and Mizuki jokes that it must be bc he recognizes him as the leader. Since they can't stop him from coming, they do take him to battles too. Plus they look rad as hell riding into war on a dragon.

#wrote a whole as fanfic and I'm not even gonna tag it properly #I'm sleepy it's 1:40 am wth

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erabundus · 5 months

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@12pirit &&. said... why are you such a pessimist ? (hi hello!! 👋)

he scoffs at that — as if the notion that he might be a pessimist is meant to be an ABSURD THING. in ren's mind, it most certainly is. ❝ i'm not. ❞ the wanderer is quick to insist. ❝ i'm just being REALISTIC. ❞ but of course, no one ever wants to look the inherent unfairness of life in the face — it's too ugly, too unpleasant to confront directly. the idea that the world they live in is not obligated to show its prisoners kindness, that there is no guarantee things may ever get better ( and in fact are just as likely to get WORSE ) is more than most people can bear. instead, they drown themselves in optimism — mumbling hollow platitudes with a saccharine smile, as if trying to ease their own pain as much as they are that of those around them. he tried to follow that line of thinking, once. in some ways, the wanderer is even GLAD that he did — if only for the way that it taught him how empty the happy thoughts truly are with nothing left to back them.

❝ if you were smart, you would feel the same. ❞ he's perched himself on a thick tree branch. the bark is rough beneath his hands, though not in a way the wanderer dislikes. his legs sway a bit, suspended from the ground as they are — it's such a childish gesture that it feels JARRING contrasted with what abysmal words spill from that acerbic mouth. ❝ setting your expectations too high is a recipe for disappointment. it's smarter to brace yourself for the worst life has to throw at you. ❞ he exhales a soft huff — something that tries to resemble A LAUGH, yet doesn't quite make the cut. ❝ at least then, you can be pleasantly surprised whenever things actually do go your way. ❞ and numb oneself to the pain whenever it doesn't. ❝ call it pessimism if you want. that isn't how i see it at all. ❞

it's UGLY, but so are most of the things out of his mouth — or so he's been told. he doesn't actually speak with the intent to offend, but the wanderer also doesn't particularly care if his words come with that as a CONSEQUENCE. although, these days he's at least trying to be a touch less domineering with his opinions — inviting debate, even if he still feels quite confident in what he thinks. ( call it the akademiya rubbing off on him. or perhaps just an intrinsic love of arguing. ) to that end, ren glances down and tilts his head. kasa chimes softly from the movement; it almost sounds a bit inquisitive. ❝ why are you so confident that i'm WRONG? ❞ call it a question for a question.

MORBID CURIOSITY

#12pirit #( hello hello!! 👋)#( ren: i'm not a pessimist )#( also ren: i expect the worst in every situation -- )

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landscapelightingma · 1 year

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Make your home smart with these lighting system

Bright lighting is a great place to start if you want to make your home smarter. These systems are easy to set up and use and could completely change any room in your house. However, they are more expensive than regular LED light bulbs.

The manufacturers below offer a wide range of sizes and shapes, so you should be able to find suitable intelligent bulbs for your smart home among them. But before you buy a system, you should look at the fixtures you already have in your home to see if the system you're thinking about will work with them.

Ikea Tradfri

Ikea's Tradfri smart light bulbs cost as little as $20 each, and a starter kit with two bulbs, a wireless dimmer switch, and the gateway you need to connect the lamps to your router costs less than $100. In addition to the attractive Edison-style bulb with an artificial filament, the line includes motion sensors for LED countertop lighting, smart plugs, and a variety of bulb fitment options.

If you already have a Philips Hue system and want to add more lights without spending much money, you could buy color bulbs from Ikea. In addition to the Ikea Home app for iOS and Android, you can now control your Tradfri light bulbs with Alexa, Google Assistant, or Apple HomeKit.

Like other intelligent lighting systems, the app lets you group the bulbs into rooms. This enables you to control the lighting in a whole area with the swipe of a finger. You could also tell your voice assistant, "Hey Google, turn on the kitchen lights," or "Alexa, turn off the bedroom lights." In addition, you can customize your system with features like motion detectors and floating light panels.

Sengled

Connectivity Standard Alliance's Zigbee intelligent home standard, Bluetooth Mesh, and Wi-Fi are all supported by the Sengled line of intelligent lights. A single warm white light costs about $10, but a bulb that looks like a candle and has different colors costs $45. Sengled has bright outdoor lights that can withstand the weather and have built-in motion sensors. It also has smart plugs, wall switches, and sensors for doors and windows that sound an alarm when they are opened. Zigbee hubs are needed to connect devices that use the Zigbee protocol, so keep that in mind. On the other hand, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth bright lighting from Sengled don't need a central hub to work.

We tested the company's motion-detecting Smart LED bulb and liked how easy it was to set up. In the performance section of the app used to control the bulbs, you can see how much energy each one uses. This is great for people who want to save money on their monthly power bills. The outdoor motion-detecting light bulb costs $29.99, and so does the hub. But since you only need one corner, your initial cost goes down as you add more lights.

TP-Link Kasa Smart Lights

In 2019, TP-expanded Link's Kasa intelligent home device catalog was a good choice for people who want to set up a smart home system but don't want too many options. This company makes all kinds of light bulbs, from LEDs with many colors to filament lights that look old.

You don't need a hub or Bridge because these lights connect directly to your Wi-Fi router and can be set up and managed with the free Kasa app for iOS and Android smartphones. The bulbs can be controlled by voice through Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, and they have a mode called "circadian" that makes minor changes to the light and temperature throughout the day to make it feel like daylight.

Philips Hue by Signify

Philips Hue from Signify, widely seen as the market leader, has a wide range of bulbs with different bases to ensure they work with your current lighting system. There are also LED light strips, ceiling fixtures, and lamps for sale, some of which can be moved around and run on batteries.

The Hue product line also includes dimmers, motion sensors that turn on lights when you walk by (applicable in the bathroom at night), and waterproof lights made just for the garden.

Remember that you need the Bridge for your Hue lights to work. This is required to set up and use in the mornings, but only one is needed per home (or for every 50 lights and accessories). So, it would help if you got a Hue starter pack, which comes with bulbs, a bridge, and sometimes a wireless dimmer switch.

C by GE is now Cync, GE Lighting's Smart Lighting System.

The GE Lighting smart bulbs were first called "C by GE." Since Savant Home Systems bought GE Lighting, the company has changed the name of its innovative lighting products to Sync.

Over the past year, Cync has added more intelligent lighting products, such as smart switches that let you change the brightness of your lights, turn them on and off, and cycle through different lighting scenarios. In addition to intelligent light strips, switches, and plugs, they also have smart thermostats and security cameras.

With Google's help, the company's lights can now be controlled directly by the Google Home smart speaker and the Google Nest Hub bright display. They are also easy to set up with your Google Home or Nest device.

Ikea Tradfri

Sengled

TP-Link Kasa Smart Lights

Philips Hue by Signify

The Hue product line also includes dimmers, motion sensors that turn on lights when you walk by (applicable in the bathroom at night), and waterproof lights made just for the garden.

C by GE is now Cync, GE Lighting's Smart Lighting System.

The GE Lighting smart bulbs were first called "C by GE." Since Savant Home Systems bought GE Lighting, the company has changed the name of its innovative lighting products to Sync.

Sync intelligent bulbs can be linked using Bluetooth and Wi-Fi wireless connections. You only need a set of Cync Direct Connect bright lights to connect to Wi-Fi. These lights can connect wirelessly to your home's Wi-Fi network using voice-activated assistants like Amazon's Alexa or Google Home. You can contact the best Outdoor Lighting Boston service, for your help.

#lighting #decoration #home #lights #landscape lighting

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gaiashiift · 2 years

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a stranger was one that auntie was not fond of ( — at least ones that came way too close to their home. ) usually , she was the one who had to scare them away , if they were not sick && looking for help , ah — of course. auntie was not selfish ! but she was away. && it was about time kasa could show her she was capable of keeping people away from their home as well.

coming down from atop one of the thickest branches , kasa stops the stranger in their tracks. she landed directly in front of them , holding a stick firmly in her grip. such an innocent girl — the stick itself was completely harmless , with a single leaf clinging to the tip.

❝ why are you here ? ❞

#❀ open ❀#❀ kasa ❀#// good job kasa there was an attempt at being scary

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takadasaiko · 2 years

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OTP Prompt Challenge: Clois and Pet Names, please! 😁

That prompt is too perfect for them <3

Smallville

He could still remember the first time she'd dubbed him Smallville. It wasn't momentous by any means, or at least the surrounding circumstances weren't. They didn't have a break in their story that day or even a new lead. They had been out interviewing so many shop owners that Clark was starting to lose count, and when Lois had stepped to the side he'd assumed that she had found someone else with a story until she shouted at him. "Hey, Smallville? You drink coffee, right?" He had looked over to where she was standing at a small, Persian coffee shop with an expectant look. The new nickname had caught him so off guard that he hadn't even answered. Lois had just bought him a coffee to go with hers and teased him about needing help to focus.

The joking Smallville and Kasas nicknames stood on their own for a while, but others made their way into her vocabulary. Hon. Dear. Babe. Love of my life. Sometimes teasing, sometimes intimate, and sometimes both. One time she'd even tried Kal-El on for size, but that perfect nose of hers had scrunched up as she'd wrapped her arms around his neck, tipping up on her toes so that she could whisper directly in his ear. "You'll always be Smallville to me, no matter where you were born."

For years, it had been a term of affection that the woman he loved used for him. It was part of him. Part of them. Which made the fact that they were seriously considering this even more ironic.

"Second thoughts yet?" he asked as he met her at the railing that encircled the deck just outside the house he'd grown up in. He handed her a mug of steaming tea as he set his own on the wood that was in desperate need of a repaint. Another thing to add to his list.

Lois pulled in a deep breath, her eyes focused on the fields in the distance as she wrapped her hands around the mug. "It's a change," she said carefully. "But one I think we need." Clear blue eyes flickered over to focus on him. "All of us."

He knew the grin was goofy, but he couldn't help it around her. Sixteen years of marriage and he still felt the need to pinch himself every once and a while. "I think so. But, you do know…."

"Oh no," she sighed, amusement dancing in her eyes even if she feigned exasperation.

"... I won't be the only Smallville resident in the house now."

Lois barked a laugh, pulling back instantly from her mug so she wouldn't spill hot tea all over herself. "Oh, babe. I love you, you know that, but we're just going to live here. You are Smallville."

He blinked owlishly at her from behind his rimmed glasses, working through exactly what she meant. His hesitation only seemed to amuse her more and she tipped up on her toes, pressing a kiss against his scruffy cheek. "And I love you for it."

Clark set his mug down so that his arms were free to circle around her waist, pulling her in close. She leaned up and in so that she met him halfway in the kiss and he felt her fingers wrap around the fabric of the back of his jacket. He had to force himself to break the kiss to give her a moment to breathe, and as she pulled in steady gulps of air he leaned his forehead against hers, letting his eyes drift close. "I love you, Lois Lane," he murmured softly and found himself tugged back into the kiss.

OTP Prompt Challenge

#Superman & Lois #Superman & Lois fic #Clois #Clark Kent #Lois Lane

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kassies-take · 3 years

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Super Shadowed (Finale)

Summary: Kasa finds herself and shows her true colors in the face of death, unafraid of the monster in front of her.

Warning: cunning, lies

A/n: I have nothing else better to do than to continue one shots that I actually have ideas for. Also I will probably not be writing any other parts to this.

Tag list for Pt.2 @becka107 @bluerey8a

Kara Danvers x sister!reader, Alex Danvers x sister!reader, Baby Danvers

Word Count: 2144

Part 1 || Finale

For Kasa, hiding her powers came easily. However since the Nazi’s arrived she held herself back from smashing her sister’s doppelgänger’s head into the metal of the Waverider, their version at least.

The younger Zor-El rolls her eyes at the handcuffs power dampeners that are placed on her wrists. She follows this tyrant closely.

“I know you know that Kryptonian promises are not meant to be broken, so these handcuffs are unnecessary.” Kasa spoke to Earth X Kara.

“It’s a safety precaution.” Führer growled.

The walk is long and cold. Kasa knew this wasn’t her sister. Her sister, her Kara, had hope and compassion for all. But a part of her couldn’t help but feel like this Kara was a mirror image of her.

Broken, alone, no place to call home. So she takes it out on power, to make herself a home where everyone loves her.

“Kara.”

Führer stopped and turned towards Kasa. He breathed down on your face, unbothered by the rotten smell coming from his mouth. “You don’t get to call her that.”

“And as you know I’m the one saving your wife. I don’t know about your Kasa.” Kara-X stopped. “But I was training for the Warrior’s Guild.” You lied.

“Just remember that we need your heart not you.”

Führer moved out of the way. In a blink of an eye the older blond marched towards Kasa.

“Leave us!” Kara-X commanded and pushed you into the MedBay.

Führer and Kara-X shared a kiss and the MedBay doors closed behind him. The room turned red after. Kara-X rids Kasa’s handcuffs off. Kasa took her place on one of the MedBay beds.

“We’re going to be in here for a while, before your skin is soft enough to cut into. Why don’t you tell me about what my sister has been up to.” Kara-X crossed and gestured for her sister to speak.

“Well that depends, do I call you Kara? General? Sister? Ooh better yet can I call you ie (sister)?”

“General, is preferred.”

“I have a question, General.” Kasa continued without Kara-X’s approval. “You were shocked to see me protecting Kara earlier,no? You aren’t 100% sure that my heart can save yours. Thawne doesn’t know that.” Kasa hopped off the bed and paced around the room.

“Yet you agreed to a Kryptonian promise. I have to say it doesn’t make sense to me, the Girl of Steel, SS General to the New Reich, ruling over with an iron fist! Submits to an outdated Kryptonian promise.”

“I DONT SUBMIT TO ANYONE OR ANYTHING!” Kara-X stood abruptly.

“Your actions say otherwise,” You smirked and winked. “You still need my heart and you can’t kill me right now knowing my heart would not be useful if I was dead and my skin not soft enough. Plus no powers for either of us.”

Kara-X huffed and glared back towards you.

“See I think you were so quick on accepting a Kryptonian practice after growing in the Fatherland because it reminds you of a home you once had. And seeing that neither of us wears our family’s crest, easily tells me you didn’t feel at home with Uki (dad) and Jeju (mom). The only one you felt at home with was Kasa.”

“She was weak! She stayed behind like a coward. She wanted to stay with Jeju and Uki, when they were the ones who brought our planet to it’s destruction! They favored her! Loved her! Even Aunt Astra loved her! Love is for the weak!” Kara-X was triggered.

“And yet you are married? Or do you only love him because he chooses you? Do you only rule this world because they value you and see you? The all powerful said, normally anyone who surrenders is weak but anyone who faces their death with no fear is honorable.” You mocked.

Kasa stalked closer to Kara-X. The almighty clutches her fists. She shakes violently replicating an earthquake that roars in pain.

“You only honor it because not only did my promise save my dear sister’s life but it saves yours. And for a split second, you remembered how it felt to be truly loved.”

Kara-X headbutts Kasa causing her to stumble backwards. “ENOUGH! I am the most powerful being on Earth! I am a god! And I will not be bullied by WEAKNESS!”

“You are no god! Just meat with bones!” Kasa ducked under a punch. “Under a red sun, you are nothing!”

Kasa smacked aside one of Kara-X’s arms and lowered the other by heading into a squat. Quickly twirling her around and pushing Kara-X onto the ground with a heavy growl.

The younger El ran to the control panel on the wall, smashed it with her elbow pulling the wires out so the door locked in place. Kryptonian technology and the futuristic ship were very similar. A hiss and white smoke erupted from the ceiling, pressurizing the door.

Kara-X charged towards her sister. To counter Kasa threw a punch. Kara-X smacked the punch downwards, snatched Kasa’s punching arm with her left, and turned counterclockwise into her sister to wrap her arm around Kasa’s neck and threw her onto the metal ground.

Kasa tripped Kara-X and locked her in a painful bone crushing hold. A crack echoed in the room. She didn’t hesitate to throw a few punches at the blond.

With a heavy breath Kasa raced towards the prism.

“There’s a difference between you and me Kara. We have a very similar background. Everyone loved Kara. But where you stand in love as a weakness, I see now that it is my strength. And where you a not yet ready for death, I am.” Kasa raised her the prism over her head.

“no,” Kara-X whispered. “No, NO!” She cried.

Kasa smashed it into the ground.

“For as long I live I will make sure you don’t get another heart, and I assure you I would not let you get another prism to finish the procedure either.”

“You promised!”

“That’s another difference between you and me dear sister,” Kasa moved the hair away from Kara-X’s face. “Krypton is dead! And so are it’s customs! It has been dead to me the moment I saw it’s debris floating in the phantom zone! But there is one thing I keep from the dead planet. And it’s a blood bond you no longer understand.” Kasa whispered emphasized each syllable of the last word.

“Open the door!” Führer urged. You both turned towards the shut door.

Kara-X pushed Kasa onto her side and twisted her knee. The agonizing scream echoed around the ship once the door opened.

Führer pulled an arrow at Kasa.

“No, we leave her to torture when we get Kara. I want her to see her little sister die before I RIP OUT HER HEART!”

“The prism.” Führer checked on his wife.

“Don’t worry about that, well use Kryptonite! Ready the troops to attack!”

“What do we do with her?” Führer nodded toward you.

“You strap me to the bow,” Kasa laughed.

Kara-X stepped on Kasa’s broken knee and earned a groan.

“She gets a front row seat to a new mausoleum.”

Kara-X and Führer shared another kiss. An arrow pierced through your hand.

“Son of a bitch!” Kasa yelped her veins glowing green.

Führer and many other soldiers walked off the ship as Kara-X dragged her sister by her hair.

The yellow sun began to regain your powers, unfortunately that included Kara-X. She broke Kasa’s left arm to prevent her from pulling the Kryptonite out faster.

“You’re as weak as they come.”

“I came into this knowing I’d die. But your clock is running out too.” Kasa’s whole body glowed sickly green. “No one hurts my family and lives. No one.” Kasa weakly chuckled. “You’ll get what’s coming to you Kara. Jeju would be so disappointed.”

Kara-X hovered over the control panel.

“KILL ME YOU COWARD! PROVE TO ME YOU’RE THE GOD YOU SAY YOU ARE!” Kasa taunted.

Kara-X only turned her head towards her sister, a flash of longing left as fast as it came. She marched towards Kasa and squeezed her throat. She stared into the eyes of her sister, released her grip and harshly pushed Kasa onto her side.

Kasa chuckled to herself. “So you do have mercy left... too bad you’re dying soon. You’re right though, this planet makes people soft, and that includes you.”

“General,” a soldier caught Kara-X attention.

“Any word of this I will rip your tongue out and feed it to you!”

“We’ve got inbound.” The soldier placed his hand behind his back.

“Then fire countermeasures!”

“We can’t it’s hovering directly off our bow.”

Kara was here. Kara’s here to save the day.

“General, care to step outside.”

Kara-X flew out towards Kara.

The ship vibrated and whined, splitting out deadly seeds to the city below. Seeds that took the nutrients from human beings and drove them into the ground. The screams and multiple tiny explosions amplified like wildfire.

It became hard to distinguish the hell fire and the thumping of her own heart. The smell of gunfire burned her nose. The red and orange flashes transported her back to Krypton.

Holding Jeju’s hand Kara and I ran onto the platform. Explosions came from the right, Kal-El’s pod had already launched. Tears threaten to fall from my eyes.

“Your pod’s coordinates are interlocked with Kal-El’s. You will follow him to Earth.” Uki addressed Kara.

“I’m not afraid, father.” I heard Kara say.

Me. I was so afraid. What if this new world was not so accepting as Jeju says.

“The trip is long, but you both will sleep most of the way and we will be with both of you in your dreams. You’ll journey to Earth to look after your baby cousin and your little sister. Because of the Earth’s yellow sun you both will have great powers on this planet. You both will do extraordinary things.” Jeju explained.

“I won’t fail Kal-El, Kasa or you.” Kara smiled.

Jeju kissed Kara’s forehead. I hugged onto Jeju’s leg. An explosion went off in the distance.

“Will I ever see you again?” I asked quietly.

“Rao will let us meet again, but not for a long time. Promise you’ll have great stories okay.” Jeju kissed my temple and carried me into the foot of the pod.

Kara and Jeju hugged a long while as Uki turned away with tears in his eyes. When Kara got in the pod doors materialized. The pod picked up speed and launched into space.

Jeju had taken Kara and I to other planets before but the launch was so much scarier than any before. The planet flashed an orange and yellow.

Anger grew inside of me since that day. Kara had it all. But on the brink of death I knew that Family is Power and Kara was the hero everyone needed.

I was ready to share my story with Jeju with the new realizations from telling them. To see the things I couldn’t see before.

“Amaya! It’s Kara’s sister, Kasa” A girl in dark leather and a red necklace came to Kasa’s side.

“Ladies the ship is going to explode!” Cisco shouted.

Kasa was consumed by the blue portal. Her eyes hazed and tried to adjust to the difference of lighting.

Frosty pulled out the arrow and froze over the wound.

“You’ll be okay.” Frosty smiled.

“I’m detecting dangerously high radiation levels.” A robotic voice spoke over the speakers.

“Computer voice lady’s right Supergirl-X is about to go supernova.” Cisco warned.

“Supergirl you doppelgänger is about to have a meltdown.” The man piloting the ship said.

“Kara?” Kasa managed to pull herself off the gurney.

“Wait hey, you are in terrible form to even stand.” The brunette with the yellow suit guided the kryptonian back towards the gurney.

“Nate caught your sister, she’s gonna be fine, kid. We don’t need another death on the ship.”

“Zari...” The yellow suit lady scolded.

“(Y/n)!” Your D.E.O sister ran towards you with Kara behind her.

“Is she gone?”

Kara nodded and caressed your cheek. “(Y/n)! I’m so glad you’re okay.”

“I’m okay with Kasa too. I feel really tired.”

“We found your sister on their Waverider. Broken arm, leg, kryptonite arrow in her hand.” Caitlyn said.

“That was so dumb of you! We don’t trade lives!” Kara scolded.

“Liar, you were willing to put your life aside to save everyone on this Earth. Earth needs their hero, and I need my sister alive. El Mayarah.” You smiled up to both your sisters.

“Hey you stole my line.” Alex kissed your forehead.

“I’ll tell you all about it after my nap.” Your eyes shuttered.

“Heal up, we will get you home.” Kara kissed your forehead. “Jeju would be so proud. I’m proud of you too!”

“Home is where you and Alex are.”

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thelunarreadingnook · 3 years

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room makeover!

hey moonbeams! i feel like i've finally finished turning my room into the way i want it! let me just start by saying:

none of the products here were anyway endorsing me or asking me to review anything! all new products here are from research and good faith on my part :)

now for the before, taken on July 28th, 2021:

(honestly, i'm a little nostalgic for how clean those outlets look.)

and for the after, taken on September 6th, 2021:

Now, for some quick notes on all major items I purchased/used:

1 box of 32ft Govee LED lights, as seen on my tiktok

1 box of curtain string lights, purchased off of amazon

2 boxes of multicolored wire lights, from amazon

4 Kasa smart bulbs, purchased directly from the KASA store

4 Kasa smart plugs, purchased directly from KASA store

1 box of LED lights, purchased from amazon (not shown, but strung on the closet door on the first wall)

1 three tier rolling IKEA rack, purchased from IKEA

1 pillowcase/blanket set, purchased from IKEA

1 Green base-model iMac, purchased from Apple directly

and now for some overall thoughts!

I wanted to display my favorite books around the room, but I ended up selecting my favorites and storing them on top of my bookshelf and displaying my album collection instead. The only book I’ve really kept out of place is Carry On by Rainbow Rowell, which is my current read.

The only real thing left for me to do in my setup is to add my Nintendo switch dock behind my iMac monitor, so I can use my capture card to play on my iMac instead of using the admittedly small handheld screen.

this is my new workstation! My laptop and tablet are stationed off to the side for use once my in-person classes open again, but for now I’ll do the majority of my work on my iMac where I have the benefit of a much more powerful processor and better screen. My classes and work aren’t very labor intensive, but using messaging services, gaming, and the occasional programming project for my compsci classes are a bit too much for my Intel-chip MacBook. However, it’s more than satisfactory for my note-taking, so I decided not to sell it. I’ve kept my iPad for recipes and streaming while I bake, cook, or I’m on the go.

I decided to use the wrapped string lights instead of a lamp because I plan to wrap an LED backlight behind my monitor once I begin using it more intensively. Once that’s done, I’ll move the string lights elsewhere. I’ve also decided to keep my Apple Watch stand here because having to get up across the room to turn off my alarm is unfortunately necessary for mx. heavy sleeper over here 🤧

The cords behind my monitor are a bit unorganized because I’ve had to charge my keyboard and mouse, but I do love how the power adapter and USB cable included with my computer are color coded to the monitor of the iMac. It’s little things like these that make me such a dedicated apple customer 😊

finally, I've kept some supplies in the three drawers next to my desk, pictured above. on top I've placed my MacBook for charging. (While I kept the laptop open, I placed the darker sticker included in my iMac on the cover since my model doesn’t have a backlight anyways) In the drawers, we have my favorite sweater, some snacks and water, art supplies, a port hub for my iMac and connectors, my Apple Pencil, some skincare products, headphones, and an extra keyboard and mouse just in case mine have an issue :)

thank you all for reading thus far! as I continue to update my living space for my classes, I’ll show off some more :)

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collectsfallenstars · 4 years

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Azaleas for Lt. Jeong Taeeul: A close reading of Kim Sowol’s poetry in “The King: Eternal Monarch”

Korean Literature is divided into the Classical Period and the Modern Period. Literature under the Classical Period is heavily influenced by Confucianism, Buddhism, and to some extent, Taoism. The earliest form of literature came about in the 8th Century during the Shilla Kingdom.

The break-off point between Classical and Modern Literature is found in the Choson Dynasty which lasted from 1392 to 1910. Modern Korean Literature flourished when the Chinese writing script took a backseat to Hangul, the Korean alphabet. It was developed by King Sejong, or Sejong the Great, who ruled between 1418 – 1450. If you watched the first episode of The King: Eternal Monarch, that huge statue of a seated king in the middle of Gwanghwamun Square where Lee Minho hugged Kim Goeun without any warning? That’s King Sejong. Thanks to him, Korean language and Korean literature flourished.

Now, during the Choson Dynasty, two kinds of poetic forms came about— Shijo and Kasa and some of the most common subject matters from these poetic forms can be found in the Kim Sowol poems that were used in the kdrama, “The King: Eternal Monarch.” These are the themes of nature, grief, and the loneliness of traveling. However, when used against the backdrop of the drama, the poems, written during Kim Sowol’s lifetime between 1902-1934, take on a new life.

Let’s take a look at the poet’s life first and see how it informs our understanding of some of his poems. He was born in 1902 in an area that now belongs to North Korea. He suffered from a troubled childhood with a father who was mentally ill and beaten up by Japanese construction workers and therefore was unable to provide for his family. Kim Sowol was then raised and supported by his grandfather and his aunt. It has been said that it was his aunt who sang folk songs to him and told him traditional stories during his childhood and that it was this that stirred his love and talent for poetry.

But aside from poetry, he also loved a woman named O-sun. However, during their time, love rarely played a role in marriages and they were soon married off to different people. O-san then committed suicide at a very young age and losing her led to the first and last poetry collection that Kim Sowol ever published— “Azaleas.” His poetry carried the quality and rhythm that could be found in old Korean folk songs, possibly the ones his aunt had sung to him when he was a child. However, Kim Sowol found it hard to find his place in the world with just his poetry but without O-san. He committed suicide in 1934 at 32 years old. He remains, to this day, the most beloved Korean poet.

INVOCATION OF THE DEAD Kim Sowol

O shattered name!  O name parted from me in mid-air! O name without owner! O name I’ll call until I die!

The words left in my heart,  In the end, I wasn’t able to utter all. O you whom I loved! O you whom I loved!

The red sun is hanging from the western summit. The herd of deer also cry sadly.  Atop the mountain that has fallen off to the side, I call your name.

I call your name til I can’t bear the grief of it. I call your name til I can’t bear the grief of it. The sound of my call sweeps forward but sky and earth are too far apart.

Though I turn to stone standing here O name I’ll call until I die!  O you whom I loved!  O you whom I loved!

This poem is largely different from the rest of the collection because it is loud in its grief while the rest in the collection are like “Azaleas,” quiet, subdued and dignified in their sadness. In this one, the persona calls out to the beloved directly with lines that begin with an expulsion of breath and grief in “O,” and punctuated with exclamation points. But even in this intensity, the persona still can’t call out the beloved’s name.

There are several reasons for this. It pains the persona to even say the beloved’s name. Or it could be that the beloved’s name is as lost to the persona as the beloved is. Or it could be a staunch denial of the beloved’s departure. I’m going to go with the last one.

This poem is closely linked to the Korean pre-funeral custom called the Chohon, which involves calling out the name of the dead 3 times by the Sangju, the chief mourner who is usually the closest family member of the deceased. They go to the roof of their house, face north, and wave the deceased traditional shirt or blouse in the wind.

This stems from the Confucian belief that the human being is made up of the Hon (ethereal soul) and the Baek (corporeal soul) and the union of both is what keeps humans alive while their separation means death. The Chohon is then performed to keep the Hon from leaving the world because they hold on to the hope that they can bring back the soul to the dead. It is only when this ritual is finished that they can confirm the death of the person and then they can begin with the funeral rites.

Now, in the first stanza, “O name” appears 4 times in 4 different ways that can’t be called a repetition. The second stanza only contains 2 of the same lines with “O you” in it. The third stanza has one line with “your name” in it while the fourth stanza has only two lines with “your name.” The fourth stanza contains 3 lines but 1 has “o name” and the 2 have “o you.” The persona avoids the Chohon, even though the beloved is gone. By refusing to turn this into a Chohon, the persona evades thinking of the beloved as completely lost.

“O shattered name!” is a reference to the separation of the Hon from the Baek, resulting in the death of the beloved. “O name parted from me in mid-air” speaks of someone being gone too soon, someone who is only in the middle of his or her life. This could also mean that they are gone before the persona could even hold them, like a ball thrown in their direction and disappearing before it can be caught. “O name without an owner!” is especially painful because even though the name belongs to no one now, it’s still in the memory and on the lips of the persona.

The second stanza has many different translations but the gist of it means that even at this point when the beloved has been lost forever, without any hope of return, he still can’t bring himself to say the beloved’s name and complete the Chohon. He refuses to accept her death. Undoubtedly, this sentiment comes so close to Kim Sowol’s loss of his own beloved, O-sun.

The third stanza speaks of the setting sun and the lament of animals— it is grief found at the end of something. The top of the mountain replaces the roof of the house the persona should be on top of because they did not belong to a house, to anywhere, really. They probably belonged to other people too, like KSL and O-sun.

On the fourth stanza, the persona stands on top of that mountain, calling out the beloved’s name and hoping to bring back their soul, knowing it is impossible. The grief of this practice in futility comes to him in the realization that the sky and the earth are too far apart. No matter how long he stands there calling out her name, or how loud he can be, she will never hear him, nor return.

But even under the light of his sad epiphany, he remains steadfast in his love for her. He says he will call out her name until he dies, loving her and only her, for the rest of his remaining life and possibly even after death. It isn’t too far off to think that this may have been exactly what Kim Sowol felt at the death of his beloved.

Now, how does its use within the world of The King: Eternal Monarch add another layer to the poem. In the third episode, Lee Gon (Lee Minho) stood in the middle of a bamboo forest arguing with Jeong Taeeul (Kim Goeun) about his name. He’s trying to convince her that a parallel world exists alongside modern day Korea and in that parallel world, Korea is spelled with a letter C and operates as a Parliamentary Monarchy. He is also trying to convince her that he is the king there. Jeong Taeeul, being a police officer, insists on asking for his identification, his name, and he refuses to give it because there is a rule in Corea that no one is allowed to use the king’s name. At this, JTE makes fun of him and asks him if he is Kim Sowol, quoting the second stanza of “Invocation of the Dead” to him.

Spoiler alert, they eventually fall in love. But this moment leads LG to a bookstore in search for Kim Sowol’s one and only poetry collection, “Azaleas.” He finds it and opens it to the poem that JTE quoted to him. In the background, we hear Lady Noh, whom he eventually gifts the book to, reciting the poem. It switches to LG’s voice at the last line, indicating that he had read the poem as well. On screen, the frame is split between JTE and LG, directing the viewer to relate the poem to the pair of lovers.

The poem then acts as, of course, a foreshadowing of the events to come. Spoiler alert, no one died. So obviously, the poem does not act in its original capacity as some form of elegy for the dead. What it does do is drive home the point that LG and JTE are going to have a love that will be threatened by separation. Love between two people from parallel worlds with a ticking time bomb for a gate between them will not be easy. It will also be painful, should the separation be permanent.

Now, if one were to ask you, if you knew how painful this love was going to turn out to be, would you still have allowed yourself to fall in love?

LG’s answer will be a quick yes. He’s been in love with JTE for most of his life, and has literally held on to her name, by her ID, since he was 8 years old. JTE, on the other hand, took longer to gain access to, and use his name. He gives his name to her on the 5th episode, and she uses it to him on the 6th episode. She now has his name and will now know what to call out and hold on to, when she loses him in the future. Spoiler alert, she gets him back on the last episode.

So even though they don’t exactly lose each other like the persona and his beloved in “Invocation of the Dead,” or even Kim Sowol and O-sun, who lost their beloved to the sky while they remained on earth, the poem points us to a different kind of physical separation— that of two parallel worlds. While the persona in the poem vowed that he would defy time and space by loving her until his death, and even beyond, in the world within The King: Eternal Monarch, that vow was fulfilled. They found a love that could defy time and space.

(from Episode 10, The King: Eternal Monarch) *if anyone can help me find the title for this poem, I shall be eternally grateful to you ^_^ ---------------- by Kim Sowol

When the sun goes down over the white rapids, I shall wait by the gate. Between the shadows of the birds singing at dawn, I see the world brightening up In its still calmness. With my eyes fixated on the traveler passing by At the break of dawn, “Is that you?” “Is that you?"

By the tenth episode, LG and JTE have redefined and upped the game for long distance relationships. Much like the Kasa poems from the Choson Dynasty, the 2nd and 3rd poems used in “The King: Eternal Monarch” have grief and loneliness in travel as their subject matter. Long distance relationships have it easy now with plenty of choices for communication and travel (except now, with the ongoing pandemic). But one can only imagine what it was like for a lover to leave during the feudal Choson Dynasty. There is no assurance of a safe return, nor of an actual return. The waiting would seem endless without any word, just silence for months or even years. One can’t just text, “Where u?” every five minutes, or mark oneself safe during a village siege.

LG and JTE had to contend with this aspect in their relationship as both held important positions within their own worlds. Cellphones bought in one world would not work in the other. There’s no magic two-way mirror, faces in fireplaces for a Fire-call in the Floo Network or even owls, crows, or pigeons. Do despite being lovers in the 21st Century, LG and JTE’s temporary separations and the subsequent waiting in between visits feel like those from the Choson Dynasty.

This poem is a prime example of that with a persona who vows to wait for the return her beloved. She positions herself by the gate by sundown and stays there until dawn. She stays in the shadows of the birds who see the dawn before she does. This image is especially powerful in its quiet strength and fierce loyalty. The persona vows to wait for her beloved even through the darkness of the night. No matter how difficult or painful it is to wait, she will. And even if she doesn’t see the light of the dawn, or the end of this long night, she will still wait. She survives the nights of waiting by holding on to hope, despite the dire circumstance.

And life rewards her with the safe return of her beloved. It seems only fitting that this poem is read aloud during their brief reunion under a moonlit night in the bamboo forest. They are a long way from dawn, but hope and strength are there.

Note the way that Kim Goeun, who plays Jeong Taeeul, delivers her lines, “You’re finally here. Did you just get here?” as if they are the same line even though one is a statement and the other is a questions. Her inflections do not change. This echoes the last two lines of the poem, “Is that you?/ Is that you?” The repetition allows for a slight change in emotion— the first is a question, an expression of disbelief, while the second is filled with relief.

(from Episode 12, The King Eternal Monarch) *if anyone can help me find the title for this poem, I shall be eternally grateful to you ^_^ ---------------- by Kim Sowol

What is your reason for doing that? You were sitting alone by the stream The green grass was sprouting And the water was splashing From the spring breeze You promised that even if you go, You won’t be gone forever.

That is what you promised I sit by the stream each day And think about something endlessly

When you promised that even if you go, You won’t be gone forever Were you asking me not to forget you?

This poem plays on memory and remembrance. In the first stanza, the lovers are in the beginning stage of their relationship when everything is like spring— new, full of hope and potential for growth. While at this stage, it is easy to make promises like, “Even if I go, I won’t be gone forever.” It is meant to comfort the one who could be left behind. In the middle of bliss, that promise might sound comforting.

But as the poem progresses to the second and third stanzas, the persona is now alone on the same stream. No longer in spring nor the middle of bliss, the persona is left only with the vow that her beloved made to her. And it provides no sense of comfort. Instead, it makes her realize that the vow had been made as foresight. Her beloved must have known of his imminent departure and it was the only way he could ask her to wait for him— because every act of remembering him is an act of loving him. And when there is love, surely there must be hope for a return.

This poem is read by Lady Noh in background while LG and JTE are getting their picture taken— an act of remembrance, of keeping something frozen in time so that one can always remember the moment. Ironically, this is also the time when the world freezes. This is the side effect of one half of the Manpasikjeok crossing over into the parallel world. This is the moment that Lee Gon is made even more aware of their impending separation. The gate between the worlds is beginning to crack and the amount of frozen time keeps increasing with every crossing. Pretty soon, he will have to choose between righting the wrongs that Lee Lim created and staying with JTE. He is the King of the Kingdom of Corea— there is no question what his choice will be and he knows it.

He goes through all of these emotions in the hour that JTE and the rest of the world spends frozen in a smile. JTE is still in spring but LG is already far off into the future. But when the world unfreezes, LG slaps a smile on his face and has his picture taken with JTE. This is the perfect adaptation of the third and last Kim Sowol poem used in “The King: Eternal Monarch.”

AZALEAS Kim Sowol

When you leave, weary of me,  without a word I shall gently let you go.

From Mt. Yak  in Yongbyon  I shall gather armfuls of azaleas and scatter them on your way.

Step by step  on the flowers placed before you tread lightly, softly as you go.

When you leave  weary of me,  though I die, I'll not let one tear fall.

“Azaleas,” the titular poem of the Kim Sowol poetry collection, is not included in “The King: Eternal Monarch” but I think it is still important to discuss it as it relates greatly to the character of Lt. Jeong Taeeul.

Outside the context of the kdrama, the poem “Azaleas” has a persona who is the embodiment of dignity and strength in the face of utter devastation. The persona, by saying “When you leave,” shows her awareness of his inevitable departure. She knows in the future that he will leave her because he will get tired of her. And yet, she continues to love him.

And when that dreaded by unavoidable day comes when he leaves her, she vows to let him go as gently, and as lovingly as she can.

She promises to decorate his path away from her with flowers from her hometown. This is seen as an act of blessing. And although it’s tearing her apart in the inside, she refuses to let him know that him leaving is killing her. So it’s an even classier way of saying, “To the left, to the left, everything you own in a box to the left, don’t you ever for a second get to thinking you’re irreplaceable.”

Now, while Lee Gon doesn’t get tired of Jeong Taeeul in the drama, he does eventually leave her in order to save both worlds and right all the wrongs his uncle made. And in the 15th episode, when she finally realized that Lee Gon had made his choice and it did not include her in his world, she actually says the words, “I don’t think I can stay here and endure it alone…I think I’ll die.” Spoiler alert, she did not die. She does get stabbed though, but she did not die of waiting.

Instead, she found a way to get to him. Although it was unsuccessful, she did manage to kill Lee Lim of the present while Lee Gon killed Lee Lim in the past. She’s definitely not the type to spread flowers on the feet of the man who leaves her and then goes to cry quietly in the corner.

But the thing is, the azalea flower is the key to all of this. Azaleas are wildflowers that can be found in the deepest areas of forests that were previously destroyed due to deforestation or wildfires. According to “The Plant Book of Korea,” azaleas are known for their endurance and long lifespans.

So when the persona in the poem “Azaleas” spreads the flowers in the path of her beloved, she is reminding him that she will survive his departure. And when used within the world of “The King: Eternal Monarch,” Lt. Jeong Taeeul is the wild and resilient azalea flower. She will not stay in her place and simply wait for him to come back. She tried to find a way to get to him. And when that did not work, when being strong meant loving him even in his absence and waiting for him even if there was no hope in his return, she still mustered up enough courage and strength to love him and wait for him. And in the end, her strength and resilience were rewarded with the return of her beloved.

REFERENCES:

“(485) Poet Kim So-Wol.” Koreatimes, 10 Jan. 2008, koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/opinon/2008/01/137_17042.html.

Foundation, CK-12. “12 Foundation.” CK, flexbooks.ck12.org/cbook/ck-12-chemistry-flexbook-2.0/section/2.1/primary/lesson/matter-mass-and-volume-ms-ps.

“In the Midst of Death, Let's Have a Party.” Korea JoongAng Daily, koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/2007/10/28/features/In-the-midst-of-death-lets-have-a-party/2882042.html.

Klaudia Krystyna Writer. “Korean Funerals: Traditions, Customs and What to Expect.” Cake Blog, www.joincake.com/blog/korean-funeral/.

Korean Literature (Character of Korean Literature, Korean Classical Literature, Modern Literature of Korea), www.asianinfo.org/asianinfo/korea/literature.htm.

“The Most Beloved Poet of Korea, Kim So-Wol.” The Yonsei Annals, annals.yonsei.ac.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=1896.

국립민속박물관 . “Temporary Spirit Tablet.” Encyclopedia of Korean Folk Culture, folkency.nfm.go.kr/en/topic/detail/537.

#thekingeternalmonarch #tkem #kim sowol #azaleas #theinvocationofthedead #leegon #jeongtaeeul #leeminho #kimgoeun #poetry

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mmriesoftvat · 8 months

Note

it's a bird! it's an unlicensed wind glider! it's ... a half-melted popsicle comprised entirely of hot dog water soaring through the air — headed directly for cyno!

cyno's instincts are SHARP today. he can sense something coming at him from a DISTANCE, and as a result, doesn't even need to glance behind him to reach back to grab the object before it can smack him in the head.

"what's this?" he muses to himself. it looks like a popsicle. his FIRST thought is that it belongs to that exorcist, but no, that young man from liyue would never. they're too polite and kind. that young man also would not be CAPABLE of making something this... foul. half melted? ugh, GROSS. a sniff has cyno recoiling in distaste. "what foul play has occured here?" cyno bellows dramatically. this is... this has someone else's name all over it.

cyno glances up and spins around to face the direction this... thing had come from. the culprit is easy to spot. cyno KNOWS those recognizable features anywhere. that obnoxiously oversized kasa, that smug expression...

"REN."

#erabundus #( ANSWERED. )#( CRACK POST. )#( SELF | CYNO. )#( IC. )

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arthurwxtts · 4 years

Text

"Ah, there you are. I had a feeling you had been hiding in your lab again." Kasa spoke with a chuckle at the end of his words, slithering over to wrap his tail around the doctor's waist. Hands coming up to hold onto Watts' shoulders as the snake Faunus tried to get a better look at what he was working on. "What are you working on, my dear? Looks a bit complex..." ( from @snakesofmistral )

“Hmmm? Oh hello Kasa, dear.”

He yawns as the other wraps his tail around his waist, pausing in his fiddling so as not to accidentally snap something in his hand. “It’s not all that complex. It’s just an upgrade for Tyrian’s tail. Helps with venom regulation, and all that. I’m going to see if we can give him artificial venom that can have Dust properties. Imagine... Ice injected directly into your enemy’s veins. Marvelous.”

#snakesofmistral #Mechanical lullaby ( Parent AU )#(( Kasa's his partner tbh not his kid. ))

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racefortheironthrone · 5 years

Text

Thoughts on House of X #5

Time for the issue where HoX/PoX horniness kicked off!

Society Comma We Live in One:

Time to talk about an issue that definitely merited the coverted red issue status. The issue starts with Magneto and Polaris having a dialogue on society that comes off as a bit writerly, more about Hickman creating an opportunity for him to talk about his ideas about society than what Magneto and Polaris would actually be saying to one another (unless Polaris just arrived on Krakoa and is being given the tour, but that doesn’t quit fit her dialogue).

To start with, Magneto is making an argument that “the one good thing humanity taught us was society,” but attaches this to the concept of human beings shifting from settler-gatherer to agrarian cultures. Notably, in Magneto’s version, this shift also has implications for national identity, what with the whole “this is a good place - it is...ours, and from this land we will not be moved.”

At the same time, it would be highly inaccurate to suggest that hunter-gatherer cultures don’t have societies or engage in (what Magneto is really getting at here) cooperation. The main difference between hunter-gatherer and agrarian modes of cooperation is that, by creating substantial surpluses that allow more people to not engage in food production, the agrarian mode enables a new form of cooperation based on specialization.

All of this applies pretty directly to Krakoa and the resurrection ceremony that Magneto and Polaris are witnessing: as long as mutantdom was constantly fighting for survival (the time when “the greatest necessary traits in mutantdom” would be “strength and aggressiveness”), it was essentially stuck in a hunter-gatherer paradigm. But once mutantdom established themselves on Krakoa, “intelligence, ingenuity, and creativity” started to come to the fore: the Krakoan flowers and medications, Doug’s interface and the resulting Krakoan systems, KASA, Cerebro, and now a new one. Contrary to certain implications from the Librarian in Powers of X #6, rather than simply relying on their “natural” mutant powers, Krakoan society is technologizing them.

The “Five” are a great example of this process at work. I’ll get more in detail on how this particular Krakoan biomachinery works when we get to the infographic (which brings together all of the information into one place), but there’s some more subtle details at work here:

I love how the (Fab) Five’s social/cultural status is prefigured by their on-page introduction, which looks like nothing so much as the slow-motion group shot from Resevoir Dogs combined with a supergroup pose complete with spotlights.

As many people have pointed out, Hickman’s reinterpretation of Goldballs’ “seemingly benign and pointless power” shows how a different social and technological context completely changes the way we think about the value of different x-genes.

As someone who’s spent their fair share of time studying the history of science, I do like how much the Five’s introduction re-emphasizes themes of cooperation and specialization rather than the Lone Genius myth: even with Goldballs’ limitless “eggs,” he still needs Proteus to make the eggs viable, and so on and so forth. As Magneto puts it, ““separate...they are great mutants, but only significant, not transcendant. Together..."

An interesting commonality in Krakoan biotechnology is the use of psychics and other mutants - in this case, Hope plays a similar role to the Cuckoos in KASA - to allow the group to work in unison without the need for the literal hiveminds of the machine consciousness. Something to keep one’s eye on.

At the same time, the Five’s biomachine relies on two other forms of technology of varying levels of technology. As the red diamond on the syringe confirms, Mister Sinister provides the DNA to grow the husks and (and this is one of the Big Reveals of the issue) Cerebro downloads the mind into the body.

Playing her role in the Socratic dialogue admirably, Lorna raises the vital question of whether these clones are “just their bodies...not them.” What’s really interesting about Magneto’s response is that he’s not just talking about downloading the mind of the mutant, but also “the essence..the anima...[the] soul” of the mutant, which implies a pretty strongly spiritual conception of Cerebro’s primary purpose. (It’s an interestingly monist approach to the question of the soul as a form of data that can be copied, uploaded, downloaded, etc. I wonder what Nightcrawler thinks of this?)

Xavier’s statement that “even knowing I could bring you back...a part of me dies when any of you do” really backs up what I was talking about re: Xavier’s motivation for changing his worldview. Resurrection doesn’t change the emotional impact of death, especially since the system requires Xavier to be psychically linked to the X-Men he’s sending into harm’s way, so that he’s experiencing all their pain and suffering. This also reads quite differently in the wake of Powers of X #6, because it suggests that (quite aside from his broader plans for Krakoa), Xavier’s shift to being even more of a pragmatist has a lot to do with years of compounding trauma.

BTW, a clear sign that there is a high degree of continuity of consciousness going on is that Scott’s first thought after being resurrected is “did it work?” For all intents and purpsoes, this is the Scott Summers who died on Sol’s Forge.

We See Them, Do We Know Them?

I’m going to take this opportuntity to get on my high horse for a second and take parts of the X-fandom to task. While I wouldn’t go so far as to accuse anyone of arguing in bad faith, I do think there has been a tendency to not grapple with the text in an honest way when it comes to certain characters or themes, with the Resurrection Ceremony as Exhibit A in this tendency.

Rather than being about cults or nakedness (more on both of those soon), what this scene is actually about is the coming together of the foundational aspects of Krakoan society/culture, and how two groups of heroes - the five and the strike team - will be treated in this new world.

As we might expect, there are both parallels and differences in how the Krakoan masses treat and are expected to treat these groups: as we’ll learn later from the Resurrection Infographic, the Five are “universally revered...as cultural paragons [something sacred to be treasured].”

Storm’s exhortation provides the text that is supposed to shape and give purpose to this popular attitude, that the Krakoan masses should “love them...for they have righted the wrongs of men and defeated our great enemy death.” As with many RL human cultures, historic grievances are used to define in-group and out-group, but at the same time, the Five’s “miracle” is defined as a victory over “our great enemy death,” (which neatly ties together anti-mutant violence, mutant-specific epidemic diseases, all the forces of the “on the brink of extinction” stories we’ve seen for almost twenty years).

Given that the Five are responsible for A. reversing mutant genocides which have directly and indirectly affected all mutants in profoundly traumatic ways B. making mutants functionally immortal, it would be utterly unprecedented if a cultural and social change of this magnitude did not have some element of spiritual or religious feeling behind it. World religions have been founded on far less than this.

By contrast, the Strike Team are described in more secular terms. For removing the existential threat of Mother Mold (let alone Nimrod) which had loomed over mutant society, Storm describes them as “heroes of Krakoa,” but not so much cultural heroes as secular military heroes who have made the ultimate sacrifice for their nation: “through their deaths...a great victory was won for our people.”

Another sign of difference is that the Strike Team’s public reception is conditional, requiring a further ceremony where the community asks “we see them, but do we know them?” I love the way that Hickman turns the meta-question of whether these resurrected mutants are the real thing or “just clones” into a cultural question.

Thus, he has Storm act as the Master of Ceremonies for a ritual that’s all about recognition and confirmation of individual and social identity, and uses X-comics continuity nods that readers will recognize in the same way that Storm does as the clues:

Cyclops remembers losing the leadership to Storm in UX #139, and I like this particular deep cut because it’s a great contrast to their present-day respect and affected, and because Scott’s inability to commit to his marriage to Madelyn Pryor will help kick off Inferno.

Similarly, Jean recalling line-for-line what she said to Storm in UX #242 works especially well because it’s a line about asserting your identity in the wake of death, resurrection, and the existential questions of cloning, and because once again it recalls Inferno. I’m not sure whether it’s a good sign or a bad sign that Hickman gets Jean’s voice better here when he’s quoting earlier authors rather than writing original dialogue.

And finally, in a great Rule of Three joke format, Monet breaks the pattern by going for a character beat - Monet has strong personal space boundaries - rather than a deep continuity callback.

Having done my close-reading due diligence, let me get to the point: this is not a cult, and you don’t need to take much in the way of Anthropology coursework to see that. Call-and-response between an officiant and the congregation are incredibly common across many religions, as are ceremonies in which the individual’s membership in the group is confirmed, and so on and so forth. If you want to describe this as a cult, or cult-like, you need to point to qualities that are specific to cults as opposed to other forms of religious activity.

Similarly, I find it quite strange to describe Storm as acting out-of-character in this sequence. Storm, who’s all about giving speeches at the top of her lungs, who’s been worshipped as a goddess in multiple countries, would have a problem with giving a sermon and carrying out a basic ritual? This is the sort of thing that makes me think that a lot of these comments are just people trying to disguise personal preference as story critique.

The scene ends with pulling back to see Xavier and Magneto reacting to all of this, and their feeling of tempered joy is a pretty good synecdoche for how things stand at the end of HoX/Pox: while the “good work” is clearly a cause for joy, it’s clearly at a very early and vulnerable stage, and there’s a feeling of determination that it has to continue “until it is done.” Interestingly, both Charles and Erik view this aspect of Krakoa as more “foundational” than any other element, and I wonder whether this could be part of why they don’t quite see eye-to-eye with Moira any more.

Another sign that things are not as secure as they’d like is that Krakoa still hasn’t gotten over the hurdle of UN recognition, which requires getting around a veto from a permanent member of the Security Council.

Resurrection Infographic:

So let’s talk about the Resurrection process, now that we have all of the information in front of us.

The Infographic really confirms that Mister Sinister is absolutely crucial to the Genetic Base working - “without this, we have nothing.” But given that we learn in Powers of X #6 that this was very much in opposition to Moira’s wishes, I wonder how the original plan envisioned this working. I wonder whether Magneto’s statement to Emma Frost in Powers of X #5 that “we are not ahead of ourselves...we are woefully behind” suggests a motive. Mister Sinister already had a comprehensive DNA database on the go, they might have gone to him because they wanted to accelerate the time table for reversing the Genoshan genocide.

At the same time, you can already see how Sinister has become the snake in the garden. At the moment, Xavier and Magneto have “limited...current mutant modifications...to “optimal aging,” but we can already see Sinister’s influence in the line “it is believed that in the future, designer modifications will be possible.” Unless they are very, very careful, this is how the chimera singularity could topple all of this into the abyss of the singularity.

The Five:

As I discussed above, each of the Five are a crucial element of the overall process.

Fabio Medina (Goldballs): produces limitless eggs for limitless husks. Without Goldballs, the resurrection process would be extremely limited in how many people could be brought back at any time by all kinds of resource constraints; with him, the process can be turned into one of mass-production.

Kevin MacTaggart (Proteus): turns unviable eggs into viable eggs; without Proteus, Goldballs’ innovation would be effectively stillborn. Kevin’s presence here is also a strong indicator that this was part of Moira’s plan, so as with so much in HoX/PoX what we’re talking about is a question of means vs. ends.

Joshua Foley (Elixir): “kick-start[s] the process of life, initializing cell replication and husk growth.” Without Elixir, the DNA might sit dormant within the egg; with Elixir, you have a bridge between the raw building blocks of life and the end product of a viable husk.

Eva Bell (Tempus): “temporally mature[s] a husk to a desired age.” This is potentially an under-appreciated aspect of the whole process: without Tempus, you’d still have to wait decades for resurrected mutants to come to maturity and all throughout that time, the process would be incredibly vulnerable; with Tempus, mutants are brought back to life as fully-grown adults capable of doing their part for Krakoan society.

Hope Summers (Hope): has the more nebulous task of “enhancing and synergizing...to ensure the success of each resurrection.” As Magneto explains, resurrection is “delicate, almost impossible work.” Hope’s unique power set allows her not only to boost the powers of the rest of the five, but also to improve coordination and thus quality control, so that the overall process has a success rate of 100%.

As we can see already, this is a system with a lot of irreplacable parts, which means a bunch of potential points of failure. No wonder, then, that Krakoan minds are at work trying to overcome these problems. We already see that “Synch or Mimic” have been floated as “upgrades/extensions/stand-ins” for the Five, which suggests that they’re already thinking about ways to improve functionality by adding to the “circuit” or about ways to maintain service if one of the Five needs to be replaced.

Similarly, I love how the “Proteus problem” shows how Resurrection is changing our perceptions of so many things in Krakoan society. From his introduction, Proteus has been shown as inherently dangerous because of the way that his powers damage his body - but with the Resurrection system, Proteus is just a mutant who happens to have a chronic illness that can be treated. One interesting question...why is Proteus’ “backup mutant husk” based on Charles Xavier? Charles isn’t his father, so it’s not a question of genetic compatibility.

The Mind:

Here’s where we really get into the philosophy of identity. Hickman gets really emphatic here that these are not “just clones,” because the backups include “the essence of each mutant, how they think, how they feel, their memories, their very being.”

I’m personally inclined to agree with Hickman. Even without transference of consciousness as a real thing, I don’t think a strict view of continuity of consciousness can really hold, given the fact there are plenty of breaks in said continuity - we don’t consider people who get knocked out or blackout drunk or just have a nap to no longer be the same person, so what’s the rationale for saying that any of the Strike Team aren’t the same people who they were before?

I also love how the Cerebro part of the system adds all kinds of new problems: there’s the technical complexity of scanning every mutant mind on the planet and then storing and copying that datat to “multiple redundant “cradles,” as well as new philosophical and ethical issues about what happens when you put someone’s mind in someone else’s body, etc. More on this in a bit.

Scale:

So at least at the time that this document was written, it looks like the mutant population is back to 100,000 (although how much was the Five isn’t clear), but that there are 1 million de-powered mutants (many of whom might want to use the system to regain their powers), and 16 million mutants who were murdered and whose resurrection is a key ideological drive for Krakoa.

As Hickman points out, this brings up issues of productivity and efficiency that we’re used to seeing in industrial and technological processes. The Five’s initial rate of 200 a day would take 300 years to accomplish the goal of reversing Krakoan genocide, which is way too long a timeline.

However, it turns out that there’s a mutant version of Moore’s law: the more the Five do this, the better they get at it (with a nice nod to Wolverine, so “its estimated that capabilities could possibly reach around 30,000 a week” (or 6,000 a day), bringing the timeline down to a far more manageable decade.

A final bottleneck: Charles Xavier “is not capable of” 6,000 daily downloads, and we already seen Krakoan minds thinking about “a workaraound or a team of telepaths” to supplement someone who’s also busy attending U.N meetings, Quiet Council sessions, plotting world domination, etc.

On a policy wonk side note, I was trying to figure out how Hickman worked out these numbers, and I realized that his math assumes that Krakoa has a five day work-week. As we’ll see in House of X #6, there are major open questions about what kind of economic policy (and thus, what kind of society) this new nation-state will have. Good to see that Actual 19th Century Robber Baron Sebastian Shaw isn’t getting his own way.

One particularly odd thing about Krakoan biomachinery, according to “extensive testing,” the Five don’t actually experience “exertion,” but rather a “blissful experience” of self-actualization. This suggests the psychological equivalent of a perpetual motion machine - rather than requiring more and more labor, the damn thing requires less and less and produces “total fulfillment” as a byproduct. Weird.

Another interesting side effect is that the Five have become “an inseparable family unit” who are undergoing a process of symbiosis - given all the discussion of mechanical hiveminds, it’s worth wondering whether we’re seeing a biological one forming and to what extend is individuality being maintained.

A final, slightly odd note: this Infographic describes the Five’s socio-cultural status as that of “cultural paragons” rather than “something achievable through works,” even though the Five are explicitly described as having carried out “good works.” So what gives?

Resurrection Protocol:

One last bottleneck: the whole process seems to take at least 42 and as much as 52 hours to complete. Although they can clearly work on multiple eggs in one batch, getting that figure down would no doubt be useful in further increasing productivity.

An interesting sign of the cultural/philosophical impacts of the system: Krakoan society now has “fears regarding duplication” of an explicit moral character, and thus requires an elaborate system of confirmation to bring someone back from the dead. Thus, we start to see the formation of mutant law-enforcement entities to deal with “mutant missing persons and suspected deaths and murders,” which is presumably going to be X-Factor rather than X-Force as initially believed (since X-Force turns out to be the intelligence service instead).

A Grateful Nation:

Speaking of the burdens of statecraft, the scene shifts to the aftermath of the U.N recognition vote, where it emerges that Emma Frost used her telepathy to push the Russian ambassador to abstain rather than veto, which Xavier is ok with. Krakoa is now an internationally-recognized nation-state in good standing, something that previous mutant nations never quite managed.

This gave some parts of the fandom a good deal of trouble, but let me say as someone who’s taken a couple courses in diplomatic history, this is really quite mild stuff compared to the usual run of vote selling, wiretapping, blackmail, threats of economic or military retaliation, and other kinds of skullduggery and corruption. The world of nation-states is not one of moral purity.

Also, if we’re talking about characters being in and out of character, as much as Charles Xavier has been described as an idealist when it comes to his ultimate ends, he’s always been a pragmatist when it comes to his means when it comes to psychic powers. Mental compulsion, altering or erasing memories, mind-wiping people into mental vegetables - as long as it’s for the greater good.

I’m curious what Emma Frost’s reward will be. This scene explicitly comes after she made her bargain with Xavier and Magneto for a fifty-year monopoly for the Hellfire Trading Company and three seats on the Quiet Council, so I wonder what this bonus will be.

Mutant Diplomacy Infographic:

Speaking of the moral ambiguity of international relations, we learn from this infographic that “all current mutant diplomacy...is dependent on relationships with human nations centering on their need for mutant pharmaceuticals.” On the one hand, it’s better than basing your diplomacy on military aid. On the other hand, it’s notable that Krakoa isn’t building its diplomacy on the basis of human rights or cultural exchange or other elements of “soft power,” it’s all very transactional. (It’s also not a good sign that “nations that have rejected a trade treaty with Krakoa are considered to be naturally adversarial.)

We then get a list of non-treaty nations. Some of these inclusions make sense, others are a bit puzzling, and I have some questions about why certain nations didn’t make the list.

Asia:

Why just Iran in the Middle East? OPEC should be losing their minds about the potential for Krakoan portals to undermine the value of oil. Likewise, plenty of Middle Eastern regimes might be worried about other ethnic minorities using the Krakoan precedent to redouble their own pushes for national independence. And if it’s religious ideology, why is it only a Shia issue and not a Sunni issue?

Madripoor: given where Krakoa is located, this is probably an issue of being afraid of a new power in their sphere of influence. Also, Madripoor has tended to get up to a lot of mutant-related crimes, so they’d probably be worried about this.

North Korea: this being listed as an ideological issue is a bit strange. The official state ideology of North Korea is really peculiar, even among putatively Communist regimes, so it’s hard to tell

Europe:

I imagine the E.U’s role in negotiating trade deals probably is responsible for the relative lack of European nations on the list, but I’m surprised that none of the right-wing populist governments that have sprung up in central/eastern Europe in recent years who aren’t particularly friendly to real world minorities wouldn’t have an issue with a powerful nation of mutants.

Latveria: probably because Doom is a paranoid, egomaniacal autocrat who pursues economic autarky generally. I am curious, however, about other Marvel-specific nation states - we know that Namor isn’t going to go to Krakoa, but what is Atlantis’ foreign policy on this issue? What do the Inhumans think? Etc.

Russi: as we’ve seen from House of X #1, Russia fears a new global superpower. What’s interesting is we don’t see them exerting any successful influence on Central Asian or Baltic or ex-Soviet eastern European nations.

South America:

Brazil: is this Bolsanaro's cultural conservatism at work or something else? Because...

Venezuela: is kind of on the opposite end of the spectrum from Brazil’s current government, so it would be odd to see them on the same side of this issue. The only thing I can think of is that this might be due to Chavezista anti-imperialism. Because...

Santo Marco: contrary to what Magneto said in House of X #1, mutants have not been entirely free of the sins of conquest and imperialism, and in one of his first appearances, Magneto conquered the Republic of Santo Marco and ruled it in an extremely brutal fashion. That’s the kind of thing people remember for a long time, so I’m not surprised that you see some South American countries taking a negative view of Krakoa as a result.

Terra Verde: Similarly, Terra Verde’s government was briefly overthrown by the supervillain Diablo, and although mutants were not involved, they may be generally wary of superpower-led nation states.

Central America:

Honduras: it’s not that I think it’s implausible, but what makes Honduras different from other Central American countries on this issue?

Africa:

This is where we get a potentially really juicy plot hook. As late as X-Men Red, Wakanda has been generally positive towards mutants, especially since not only does T’challa have a personal relationship with Storm, but in the current run of Black Panther, Storm has been popularly worshipped as Hadari Yao, the Walker of Clouds.

Given that Wakanda is seen as a threat because “they do not need mutant drugs,” this may be a case of Krakoan/Moira’s paranoia that Wakanda’s advanced technology and self-sufficiency might mean that the post-human revolution might start there.

At the same time, the fact that the rest of the “Wakandan economic protectorate” also reject a trade treaty might suggest that we’re just seeing a simple story of nation-state competition for spheres of influence.

Krakoa Is For All Mutants:

In a very straight-forward example of X-Men dissenting from Xavier’s plan, we see Wolverine - who’s about to take up a significant post in Krakoa’s national security infrastructure - has a big enough problem with the amnesty program that he mentions wanting to beat “Chuck” to death for general smugness and condescension.

A whole bunch of supervillains cross-over, but while some of them will become significant as members of the Quiet Council or Captains, Apocalypse is framed as the most significant one, because he’s the only one with a pre-existing connection to Krakoa

Indeed, he goes full Disney Princess on page 27 because Krakoa “knows me, and I Krakoa,” which might be a big problem later on if Krakoan’s earlier and deeper connections to Apocalypse come into conflict with its more recent alliances with Cypher and Xavier.

At the same time, at least for the moment Apocalypse is the most ideologically on board with Xavier’s broader project, seeing it as the culmination of his life’s work.

Thus, he’s happy to say the words: “we submit to the laws of this land, be what they may, and acknowledge from this day forward, we all serve a higher purpose than want or need. One people from this day forward.” It’s an oath of citizenship, but it also speaks to the conditionality of the amnesty. And there are penalties for breaking it.

#xmen #xmen meta #house of x

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eng-hypnosismic · 5 years

Text

DEATH RESPECT (JPN/ENG/ROMAJI)

「三人纏めてあんたの病院にぶち込んでやるよ」

“Let me send you three flying into your hospital” 「笑わすな。君如きでは私に届かない」 “Don’t make me laugh. I am out of league for somebody like you.” [Chorus]:

最終決戦！ Saishuu kessen Ultimate final battle!

お前はベストフレンズじゃない Omaewa BEST FRIEND janai You aren’t my best friends

Know your enemy

置き去りのリスペクト Okizari no RESPECT Abandoned respect

てっぺんから見下ろせ Teppen kara miorose Looking down from the very top

さぁ堂々とこきおろせ Saa doudou to kokiorose Come now, dis like a boss

ラストバトル LAST BATTLE Last battle

ヒプノシス痺れさすマイク HYPNOSIS Shibiresasu MIC Hypnosis paralysing mic

Mad Trigger Crew in the place to be ラストバトル LAST BATTLE Last battle

ヒプノシス痺れさすマイク HYPNOSIS Shibiresasu MIC Hypnosis paralysing mic

麻天狼 in the place to be Matenrou in the place to be

Juto:

職質以来のひさしぶりかな Shokushitsu irai no hisashiburi kana It’s been a while since our last questioning

透けて見えるぞそのチキンの鳥肌 Sukete mieruzo sono CHICKEN no torihada I can see it all, those goosebumps of a chicken

突然キレるタイプは危険 Totsuzen kireru TYPE wa kiken The type to rage suddenly is a hazard

対策本部(こっち)の基本は理詰め Kocchi no kihon wa ridzume For us *the crime control department* we are the type to reason

Hey! ネゴシエーション Hey! Negotiation

投降しなさい Toukoushinasai Surrender

瞳孔が開いたラップは所詮マスターベージョン Doukou ga hiraita RAP wa shosen MASTURBATION With those dilated pupils your rap is but masturbation

威圧は通じません Iatsu wa tsujimasen Intimidation doesn’t work here

私にはつむじ風軽くふるいにかける Watashi niwa tsumujikaze karuku furui ni kakeru To me it’s just a whirlwind lightly brushing across

Doppo:

ああそうかいアンタらしいな Aa, soukai atarashiina Yea right, it’s so you

後悔なんて気持ちはないんだろうなその脳内 Koukai nante kimochi wa naindarou sono nounai There’s no such thing as regret in that head of yours, is it?

権力の傘の中のバランサー？ Kenryoku no kasa no naka no BALANCER? The balancer in the midst of power?

玉乗りピエロにゃ解らんさ Tamanori piero nya wakaransa A clown on a ball won’t understand

うまくやって利用し利用され Umaku yatte riyoushi riyousare [You’re] Totally fine with using others and being used

俺には確かにその器量はねぇ (アーイ) Ore niwa tashikani sono kiryou wa nee (aai) I honestly don’t have that big of a heart to do that (aiight)

わかるかい？ Wakarukai? Get it?

褒めてんじゃねぇんだ Hometen janenda It’s not a compliment

汚職野郎をおちょくってんだこんにゃろー Oshoku yarou wo ochokuttenda konyarou I’m just messing with your corrupted ass, fucker Riou:

無理してシャンパン Murishite CHAMPAGNE You’re trying too hard, Champagne

ジャンクな頭 JUNK na atama Head full of junk

規律もなく流されてくカルマ Kiritsu mo naku nagasareteku KARUMA Without discipline, karma will flow out of you その止められないダウントレンドに Sono tomerarenai DOWNTREND ni In that unstoppable downtrend ヨコハマ圧倒の確かな感触 Yokohama attou no tashikana kanshoku I sense Yokohama will absolutely conquer

CrazyMの前に敵前逃亡するか CRAZY M no mae ni tekizen toubou suruka Run away from Crazy M or

ヤワな男に叩き込むリリック Yawana otoko ni tatakikomu ririkku Have lyrics drilled into you soft boy

小官はいつでも一つの人格 Shoukan wa itsudemo hitotsu no jinkaku I’ve always had only one single personality

貴様も保て品格 Kisama mo tamote hinkaku Spare me your grace Hifumi:

わっわーくさいね男臭いね Waa waa kusai ne otoko kusai ne Wa, it smells, smells like men (1)

見た目の通りギャップなど無いね Mitame no doori GAP nado nai ne You’re just like what you appear to be, without surprise

そうそうあなたはそれで良い Sou sou anata wa sore de ii Yea yea, be that way

だが少し現実をしかと見てみ Daga sukoshi genjitsu wo shikato mitemi But just for a bit, look at reality

ビシッとスーツ着りゃクール Bishitto suutsu kirya COOL Wear a smart suit and be cool

Welcome 19からオバサマまで夢中にさせる新宿 WELCOME jyuukyuu kara obasama made muchuunisaseru Shinjuku Welcome to Shinjuku, enthralling(2) the nineteens to aunties

スキルは一流 Skill wa ichiryuu whose skills are top tier

勝手に言ってろお前の言い分 Katte ni ittero omae no iibun you think you could win, but that’s just you

[Chorus]* Samatoki:

Mr.ハーコーヨコハマ BAD BOY Mr. HARDCORE Yokohama BAD BOY Mr. Hardcore Yokohama BAD BOY

貴様にロックオンしてるぜ寂雷 Kisama ni LOCK ON shiteruze Jakurai I’ve locked on to you Jakurai

俺のサグライフ要はダークサイド Ore no THUG LIFE you wa DARKSIDE My thug life is all about the darkside

喰うか喰われるかそう甘くない Kuu ka Kuwareruka sou amakunai To eat or to be eaten, it’s not rainbows and butterflies (3)

貴様は洗脳俺様は行動 Kisama wa sennou Oresama wa koudou You play mind games, I’m all about action

特に暴いてやる Secret code Tokuni abaiteru SECRET CODE Especially in exposing your secret code

その呪文を封印 So no jyumon wo fuin Sealing that mantra

牙のない狼に皆ブーイング Kiba no nai ookami ni minna BOOING Everyone boo at the fangless wolves

Jakurai:

そうさ君はそんな男 Sousa kimi wa sonna otoko Right, you’re that type of guy

だがすでに張り巡らされたクモの糸 Daga sude ni harimegurasareta kumo no ito But I’ve already lay out the spider webs

操るやり甲斐がある単細胞 Ayatsuru yarigai ga aru tansaibou Single-minded people (4) deserves to be controlled

その深い井戸の闇まですくおう Sono fukai ido no yami made sukuro I’ll save (5) even the darkness in a deep well

人を束ねさらに動いてご苦労 Hito wo tabane sarani ugoite gokuro Good job leading people while you’re also working

私は石になり正解へ導こう Watashi wa ishi ni nari sekai e michibikou I'll be their anchor (6), leading them to the right answer

リーダーの哲学で展開するストーリー LEADER no testugaku de tenkaisuru STORY With the philosophy of a leader, bring on the story

麻天狼が手にするグローリー Matenrou ga tenisuru GLORY In the hands of Matenrou is glory

Samatoki:

哲学なら負けてねえぞ Tetsugaku nara maketeneezo If we’re talking about philosophy, I won’t lose

偽善にゃ辟易さ Gizen nya hekiekisa I’m getting tired of hypocrites

Riou:

我が軍のトリオが撃破 Waga gun no TRIO ga gekiha Our army’s trio will defeat you

Juto:

裏をめくりゃ胡散臭い Ura wo mekurya usankusai Look inside yourself, you’re shady

お前らをルーペで拡大 Omaera wo ruupe de kakudai Zoom into yourself with a magnifier

Jakurai:

君等の闇とは質が違う Kimira no yama towa shitsu ga chigau Your darkness is light compared to ours

いや次元の違う理性を保つ Iya jigen ga chigau risei wo tamotsu But we maintain sanity on a level different from yours

Hifumi & Doppo:

両サイドに破天荒な暴れん坊 Ryou SIDE ni hatenkou na abarenbou On each side he got a crazy son of a gun (7)

天まで伸びる俺らが麻天狼 Ten made nobiru orera ga matenrou Stretching into the sky, we are Matenrou (8)

[Chorus]*

MTC:

MAD TRIGGER CREWが勝ち上がる MAD TRIGGER CREW ga kachiagaru Mad Trigger Crew will keep advancing through victory

ボコボコ麻天狼にクリティカル Bokoboko matenrou ni CRITICAL Critical hit to Matenrou one right after the other

そう場違いさこの場を去りな Sou bachigaisa kono ba wo sari na This place is not for you, begone

Sama:

「くたばれ」 “kutabare” “Die”

Juto: 「しょっぴくぞ!」 “Shyoppikuzo!” “You’re under arrest!”

Riou: 「眠っとけ」 “Nemuttoke” “Go home and sleep”

MTR:

そうくれば後悔する叩きのめす崩壊 Sou kureba koukaisuru tatakinomesu houkai If you do that you’ll regret, get the shit beaten out of you

無鉄砲になってこの大海原を揺蕩(たゆた)え Muteppou ni natte kono oounabara wo tayuta e Mindlessly loitering in this vast ocean

Hifumi: 「沈んどけ」 “Shizun doke” “Sink”

Jakurai: 「これで最後だ」 “Kore de saigo da” “This is the final”

Doppo: 「終了ぉお」 “Shyuuryooooo” “Eeeeeeeeend”

[Chorus] [Chorus]* : the first line is slightly different from [Chorus], just “決戦/kessen” instead of “最終決戦”. So instead of “ultimate final battle”, it’s “final battle.”

TL Notes:

The og text is "男臭い", which also means "manly" or "masculine", therefore it could also be translated as "You're so manly...I can smell it." So instead of attacking Riou directly it could be bit more petty.

Here I used “enthralling” for simplicity; the og text is “夢中にさせる”, which literally means something like “make you feel as if you’re in dreams”. So this could translate to something like “Shinjuku is the dream/fantasy of 19-year-olds to aunties.”

The og text is “そう甘くない”, meaning “it’s not easy/innocent/simple”, and to capture all that I used an idiom instead of a more literal translation.

“単細胞/tansaibou” means a single-minded or simple-minded person, but literally it means “single cell”. It’s like how the person has only one brain cell, or that he’s a unicellular organism.

Here on the lyrics sheet from the CD, it says “すくおう(sukuou)” which could be “救おう” or “巣食おう”. The two words in this line could mean either Jakurai would “save” or “nest/take root in” the darkness of a deep well. Depending on your impression of Jakurai...

On the lyrics sheet it says “石”, which reads “ishi” and is the same pronunciation as “医師”, doctor.

They’re referring to themselves; as in they’re the rogues standing by the sides of Jakurai.

In case you don’t know already, Matenrou is also the pronunciation for “skyscraper” in Japanese, so it’s a wordplay that can also mean “we’re the skyscrapers that scrapes the sky.”

#t:lyrics #death respect #matenrou #mad trigger crew

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