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mariacallous · 1 year

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As the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 tournament kicks off, China is once again notable by its absence. Team China failed to qualify for the 22nd World Cup, extending its absence to 20 years since its sole appearance at the Japanese and South Korean co-hosted edition, when the team was knocked out in the group stage, losing all three games and failing to score a goal.

But even without China on the pitch, the country’s soft-power push continues on the sidelines.

The showpiece will be held in the China Railway International Group-built Lusail Stadium, which appears on Qatar’s new 10-riyal bank note, and Chinese fans will be among the crowd: FIFA announced before the tournament that between 5,000 and 7,000 tickets had been sold to Chinese nationals. Beijing has sent two pandas—Jing Jing and Si Hai, renamed Suhail and Soraya for the occasion—to Qatar, the first Middle Eastern nation to receive Chinese giant pandas, while Chinese companies Hisense, Mengniu Dairy, Vivo, and Wanda are among the World Cup sponsors.

But while Chinese power might be present, Chinese fans mostly aren’t. Ticket sales would have been higher, but China’s zero-COVID policy has restricted travel, limiting most of the country’s soccer fans to viewing the event on television. A prominent advertisement pitchside from Hisense says in Chinese, “China first, the world second.” It’s probably intended to refer to sales rankings—No. 1 in China, No. 2 in the world—but it carries an unfortunate message in the COVID-19 era.

“I think the World Cup will kind of add to the sense of otherness, the sense of isolation that China has put itself in,” says Cameron Wilson, founding editor of the Wild East Football website.

“It’s shut itself to the world because of the pandemic. To all intents and purposes, it’s closed, and with the World Cup, basically the biggest party in the world, China’s not there again. From an international point of view, that’s quite poignant,” he adds.

“We’re not going to see all these stories about there being loads of Chinese fans but China not being there. Most Chinese people can’t travel.”

For the 2018 World Cup in Russia, FIFA sold 40,000 tickets to Chinese fans, while Chinese media reported 60,000 had traveled there. According to Russian figures, about 100,000 visitors came from China during the tournament.

“I think the World Cup is poorer for that. I think it was good that Chinese people got to share the party atmosphere with other people from around the world. I think that’s something that is badly needed now, but it’s not going to happen to the same extent as it has in the past,” Wilson says.

Make no mistake, China wanted to be at this World Cup—the first full qualifying campaign since the country’s great shift toward its goal of becoming a “world football superpower” by 2050. It gave itself every chance to qualify, pursuing a controversial naturalization policy that saw several Brazilians represent China and also pausing the Chinese Super League (CSL) to allow for national training camps.

Qualification hopes ended with a 3-1 defeat to Vietnam in February, which netizens branded a national embarrassment. It was the first time China had ever lost to its Southeast Asian neighbors, and Li Xiaopeng, China’s fourth head coach of the qualifying campaign, apologized afterward.

If anything, Chinese soccer has gone backward since the 2018 World Cup.

Only two players from CSL clubs (South Korea’s Son Jun-ho who plays for Shandong Taishan and Cameroonian striker Christian Bassogog of Shanghai Shenhua) will be in Qatar, down from nine in Russia—a clear indication of how progress has stalled.

The CSL has seen an exodus of foreign talent, which started even before the coronavirus pandemic struck.

Some CSL players at the 2018 World Cup were among the influx of star names that followed the flow of investment into Chinese soccer that began in 2016.

“Over the last five or so years, we’ve seen really the boom of Chinese football and everything surrounding Chinese football, in 2016, 2017, and maybe even 2018, with a huge rise in soccer and the Chinese Super League and the money,” says China sports observer Mark Dreyer.

“Then very quickly, we have unfortunately seen the bust as well, with teams including Super League teams, not just lower-division teams, going bankrupt, which is on an unthinkable level compared with other footballing countries, the numbers of teams that have gone out of business in such a short space of time.”

Champion Jiangsu Suning, bankrolled by the eponymous e-commerce giant, folded just months after winning the 2020 CSL title over its owner’s financial struggles, while Tianjin Quanjian had already disappeared, with owner Quanjian embroiled in accusations of a pyramid scheme.

Just this month, it was reported that Hebei FC may be the next CSL team to withdraw amid financial woes that have seen players complain of not getting paid.

Even before COVID-19, money was beginning to drop out of the game, and club owners such as Evergrande Group have seen their pockets hit.

“There is no longer the same political priority that we saw in 2015 onwards. Yes, [President] Xi Jinping is known to be a football fan, but we haven’t heard him even mention football for as long as I can remember,” Dreyer says.

Teams that had been backed by local governments and major real estate companies, as well as state-owned enterprises, “suddenly no longer have that support,” he says, “because it’s not seen as being a political priority, and so there is no political benefit to supporting and propping up a football team.”

“So then you pull out that money, and what you’re left with is a failing business, and that’s why a lot of these clubs have gone under.”

To make matters worse, CSL games have been played almost exclusively behind closed doors since 2020, with only a handful of games open to a limited number of fans. Teams and officials have largely been confined to bubbles to allow truncated seasons to be completed. Some players have left over these conditions, while FIFPro, the global players organization, has warned against signing for Chinese clubs.

“Unfortunately, football in China is really moribund. It’s hard to describe without using clichés. I wouldn’t say it’s dead, but it is definitely in deep hibernation,” Wilson says.

“There’s no football league in the world which can survive three seasons without fans in the home stadiums without making significant long-term damage for progress for the game, without progress for the CSL. The sad thing is that this does not look like it will change,” he says.

“The league next year is not going to be very exciting, if [it’s] there at all. It’s just so hard for people to keep up with it. Football without fans is nothing. It’s not a cliché—it’s true.”

Wilson also says it will be interesting to see how Chinese fans will react to “seeing the rest of the world partying—in the stadiums with no masks, no COVID, everyone having a good time.”

“They are going to be sitting there wondering not only, ‘Why can’t we be there?’ but ‘Why can’t we watch football in stadiums like people can everywhere else in the world?’”

Outside of soccer, though, China’s quest for soft power through sport continues apace. It sent its largest athlete delegation outside of the 2008 Beijing Olympics to last year’s Games in Tokyo, where China finished second to the United States in the total medal count, and then Beijing hosted this year’s Winter Olympics. In 2018, Beijing announced it would build a $813 billion sports industry by 2025, while in September 2019, the State Council announced its “Outline for Building a Leading Sports Nation,” with a target date of 2050. Soccer remains at the heart of that.

“The progress in popular big events such as soccer is the top concern of not just the general public but also the country’s top leadership, so to build the country into a sporting power, we have to improve levels in these events,” Li Jianming, a deputy director of the General Administration of Sport, told media at the time.

“To host the World Cup and one day become a winner stays in line with our ambition to build world-leading sporting prowess outlined in the plan,” Li added.

Before that, though, China needs to qualify.

Could that be at the expanded 2026 tournament in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, where Asia will have more places?

“Even then, it’s far from certain,” Dreyer says. He believes China “has a lot to do to course-correct” and be in contention to qualify.

“There is no excuse for China not being one of the top teams in Asia, but right now they are miles away from that.”

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tonkibutton · 2 years

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Hemispheric defense zone date

Counter-drug flights were made from these locations even as improvements were being made. Both CSL locations required minor construction improvements to include aircraft parking ramps, maintenance, and operations buildings. The formal 10-year access agreement with the Kingdom of the Netherlands was signed in March 2000 and the Netherlands` parliament ratified the agreement in October 2001. The CSL is at two locations: Curaçao`s Hato International Airport and Aruba`s Reina Beatrix International Airport. standards for safe operation by deployed aircraft and personnel (airfields must be night and all weather capable, have an air traffic control facility, and an 8,000-foot runway with the capability to support small, medium and heavy aircraft).Įach CSL at a glance Caribbean CSL (Aruba-Curacao, The Netherlands Antilles) Some CSLs required extensive U.S.-funded modifications and upgrades to ensure that airfield/support facilities and force protection measures meet U.S. aircraft to facilitate in-flight coordination with host nation authorities during operational missions. The operations out of the CSLs now yield more counter-drug surveillance “coverage” - at less cost - than previous efforts out of Howard Air Force Base.Īgreements with the host nations specify which missions may be flown from the CSLs and also authorize Host Nation Riders to fly aboard U.S. and allied nation interdiction aircraft to be forward deployed closer to cocaine departure points in the source zone. ability to implement the National Drug Control Strategy. With the closure of Howard Air Force Base in Panama in 1997, the establishment of CSLs within what officials call “source zones” (Andean Ridge) and “transit zones” (Caribbean, Eastern Pacific and Central America), was critical to the U.S. aircraft and to coordinate communications and information. Coast Guard and U.S Customs personnel operate from the CSLs to support the U.S. law enforcement agencies lead interdiction efforts in international waters.) (Note: Host nation officials are responsible for decisions to interdict suspected traffickers within their borders/airspace, and U.S. The unarmed aircraft offer unique surveillance capabilities that support and compliment the counter-drug efforts of partner nation law enforcement agencies. detection and monitoring aircraft fly missions to detect, monitor and track aircraft or vessels engaged in illicit drug trafficking. aircraft usage and operations.įrom these locations, U.S. The Key West, Fla.-based Joint Interagency Task Force South coordinates U.S. Southern Command oversees the operations from the CSLs. They are tenant activities on existing airfields whose purpose is to support CTOC missions ( see more on SOUTHCOM's role in Countering Transnational Criminal Organizations).

#Hemispheric defense zone date

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suzyqrara · 2 years

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9/17/22

It. Over. Goodbye first school counselor job, goodbye hating children, Goodbye Saleh, goodbye fakeness. I hope I don’t need to be fake again. Goodbye annoyingly mean children. With their attitude. Nevaeh Burke went crazy yesterday and really made me happy I was leaving. I thought if I came near her, she would stab me or something. Savannah’s dad got upset I dress coded his child and wrote me an email saying don’t talk to savannah on my last day. My breaths seem less heavy. He intentionally misspelled my name to get me upset. I don’t know why I have this effect on people. I honestly do not understand. I am so grateful this is over. I am sure I will experience other things that will make me feel insecure, but I don’t think I will experience these same things with crazy kids and parents, at least not in the school counselor capacity. I remember the dream I had. I was crying so hard and begging myself to please leave this job. The last time I cried like that in a dream was when I dreamed Mason got hit by a car. I was crying so hard to the point where I began making crying noises awake. I told myself,”Alla, please leave this job. Please take Lasalle. I don’t care how much less you are getting, please just take LaSalle.”

I listened. The next day or two I couldn’t help but just cry all day. I did not get Lasalle’s offer yet. I was nervous what if I must be stuck at this place again. I cried all day to the point where I had a huge headache in the afternoon. That was the day my mom, mason and I went to walk around the museum. I was so exhausted that day. Now its over. I got accepted an offer with Drexel and I am hoping this will be job I stay at. I pray this will be it.

It was sweet yesterday. CSL gave me a card. Dr. Bonner genuinely looked sad. Mr. Hackney hugged me. Some people did say I will be missed. Ferrero was very sweet. Whelan acknowledged me. All new teachers, Rowlands, Sabetta, Monterusso, Kondos I think, Niwiniski twice. I am grateful for their well wishes. Marc from k/s was very sweet and said sweet things. It could have been less people. I am surprised so many were sweet about this. The last two weeks was nice. I felt acknowledged and because I was leaving, I had an easier time being ok when students were assholes and I spoke with students I’ve never spoken too. I’ve thought about maybe what I am doing isn’t good. But I knew the only reason was because I felt the freedom I had because I was leaving. None of this would have happened if I felt like I needed to be there another year. My heart tells me I did the right thing. My brain tells me I did the right thing. I am so grateful I am going to Drexel. What an amazing opportunity I landed. I am so happy to say goodbye to the office. I am so happy to not be working with Saleh. I am grateful Dr. Bonner said he would be reference for anything I decide to do. I am very grateful for that.

I went out to dinner with Patty, Saleh, Donna and Seigle. I am grateful that Patty set this up for me and I thanked her a lot. But boy, was it the most uncomfortable dinner I’ve had. I worked hard to be social and try to make Seigle feel as included as possible. Patty was very chill; I would hang out with her on our own because I don’t feel any tensions with her. I felt terrible tensions between Seigle and Saleh, I felt tension with Donna and I felt weirdness with Saleh because I hated how she was acting towards Seigle Saleh is a bully. She has told me in confidence that she is highly annoyed with siegle. Ok, your annoyed, why does she choose to act on that feeling every day?

I felt so bad for seigle. Every time Seigle spoke, saleh would begin a side conversation with Donna. I feel like because Donna is closer to Saleh, she also chose to be rude with Seigle by engaging in the side talk. Seigle was interrupted by their sudden side banter like 3 times during dinner. I made sure I kept eye contact with her. To show her that I am still listening. Patty would sometimes go into Saleh conversation, but I know it wasn’t on purpose. I tried my best to be there for Seigle when she tried making eye contact. I showed her I am still listening even though these bitches made it obvious they stopped. Did seigle care that I was still listening…no lol. As soon as she was dismissed by Saleh and Donna, she would stop what she was saying and listen to their convo and gets into their convo. Lmao. But I was there in case she had the strength to keep saying what she had to say. The dynamic between Seigle and Saleh was super sad to me. Seigle is a people pleaser. Especially people who know other people and are social like Saleh. She urges to figure out how she and Saleh can have a good relationship. She literally takes a lot of disrespect from Saleh just so they can be cool. It reminds me of me. I walked on eggshells all year making sure there was no tension because I needed her skills for crisis situations. I was lucky that it worked, and we had a tension free year…kind of…

You can tell Seigle just wants to get along with Saleh. Saleh is being such a bitch with Seigle. She talks about seigle to other people. Sabetta, donna. She went around pretty much asking how they felt about her, and she learned that Rylak and Sabetta were also annoyed with her?

She made Donna annoyed with her. She would come into donna’s office and rant about how annoyed she is with seigle. To the point where we are all hanging out and donna is engaging in side talk while seigle is trying to say something. It just reminds me of childish, juvenile behavior. Its bullying. Saleh is trying to isolate seigle in slow speed, but it is still happening. She is showing seigle that she is not interested in having her in the group. I felt terrible for Seigle. I was getting super angry with Donna and Saleh. It made me feel I am happy I am leaving this. One day its Seigle, another day it will be me. Then my quiet self will get the silent bullying treatment and it is worse for me because I share an office with this girl. I knew from day one, she not someone I can trust. Once she turns on people, she will be quick to throw them under the bus. I just feel it in my core. She will on the side tell hackney something, plant a false seed in his head. Once that plant is placed, she will nurture it with a little lie here and there. Maybe manipulate a situation a bit to show him the lie has a possibility to be true. I would be pretty much screwed. I don’t trust her. I see how she talks about seigle and I can see her turn on me any day. I saw how easy it was for her to get so mad about the smallest thing. I see how she talks about seigle to everyone and how she sees things in completely different way and speaks about it in the worst way possible or best way possible to make her point sound like it is the truth. For example, after bag check, she says “did you see how seigle is looking at me. She gives me this angry stare.” I remember seeing this moment and I literally just saw seigle look at her one time for one second. But she would describe it in a way where if I didn’t know better, I would think Seigle had an issue and make a judgement on her. I remember one time; all Saleh did was say one sentence to a student. When she describes the incident to another professional, she describes it in a way where it sounded like she made the biggest impact, the conversation went so well that the student was helped in the biggest way. I remember thinking….that is not what happened. She student just said ok and asked to go back to class. She emphasizes everything in a good or bad way. That is why she is scary. She talks very nice and when she wants to emphasize an interaction as a bad thing…she will succeed and if you are introverted or have a self-esteem problem, you are fucked. After listening to her, people will leave that convo with a negative judgement on whatever person she was talking about. I was in conflict yesterday because when Saleh hugged me she told me “Can we please continue to be friends.” She convinced me that she really likes me but then I start thinking about this and I just want to do whatever I can to not see her again. The type of person she is when she doesn’t like you is the ugliest thing I have seen thus far. She is exactly the person I thought she would be if I showed I had high esteem and felt confident in my work. She is intimidated and she will do everything she can to put the person down on their ideas. If I had confidence where I could care less what she thought about my ideas. There will be so much heavy tension in the room. She will make sure to be cold, distant, a silent enemy. In her manipulative way, try to see what other opinion about you is and as soon as she finds someone who feels the same, she will nurture that opinion to grow. Maybe say a little lie here to make me look worse. I told her Natasha will be applying for the role. Her ugliness started pouring out. She started cursing at her name and threatening saying if she gets hired, she’s out of there. Natasha has the real confidence type of appeal. Saleh told me herself, “When I interview the people I’m going to say, Can you do whatever I want.” She pretended like she was joking but I knew that’s why she was liking me because I did whatever she wanted. At first, I had a strategy to do that so she will be available to help me during these ridiculous crisis’ moments. Then it started feeling like she demeaned my work. Undermined me. She took advantage. There were so many times I wanted to tell her how I felt about her comment or whatever, but I decided not to because I didn’t want her to get mad. Cuz once she was mad, the WHOLE day is shot. The energy in the room would be so uncomfortable. I don’t want her in my life. She is an ugly,ugly soul to me. Toxic. I am so happy I left. I am mad I told Donna about Drexel I literally should have kept my mouth shut. I am nervous she will tell Eman. Since she is Eman’s follower. She is a grown women and she explained to me rudely, “ this is not my news to tell.” Ok keep it that way. I will keep my connections with them until my first month at Drexel to make sure no one puts any curses on my new job. I should have just kept my mouth closed. But I get it I was excited. I was about to tell Saleh but I saw how annoyed she was when I got happy and I decided to not. But I needed to tell someone and for some reason I told Donna….*eyes rolled* I won’t see them but I will answer texts or say something like “Hey thought of you! Hope you have a great day!” Move on. This includes Donna to. She gave me a really sour taste yesterday. When I told her about Drexel, I told her please don’t tell eman. I haven’t told her yet. She said no she wont. That was Wednesday. Thursday I left it alone and I was planning on telling her Friday why I want Eman to remain not knowing. I was going to tell her how Eman seems to always get angry when I am happy or if I have good news. I am so happy I did not have a chance to do this. Luckily for me Donna did not work on my last day. I did text her saying, “Donna I don’t want to jinx anything with Drexel. Can you not mention Drexel tonight at all..” She wrote, “Alla why do you feel you you need to keep telling me? I promised you I would never say a word and never did anything to break that trust.” The tone was so rude. You’re a grown women you know trust is not just given, you have to earn it and I nervous I told you because I don’t know if you have earned it yet obviously. Wtf? Her response made me even more nervous. I explained to her, “Just I know lasalle will come up tonight. I don’t want you to be confused since I will be still talking about lasalle (if it comes up).” She still came to the dinner but I felt weird vibe from her. I felt like she did not like that I was making her keep a secret. IDK but it convinces me to stay the fuck out of this group more.

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serialreblogger · 3 years

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What do you think of character game: Susan

Pevensie from Narnia?

character: hate them | don’t really care | like them | LOVE them | THEY ARE MY PRECIOUS

ship with: nobody, because in concert with @malewifelester i have decided Susan is aro (and bi). I ship her with badass femininity

friendship them with: her siblings :(( i’m just a sucker for family bonds, found or otherwise

general opinions: deserved better than getting blamed for trying to conform to the only option for feminine value she was presented with. I honestly do think that if CSL had lived 50 years later he would have had a very different take on the matter (bc as a human being, he was very genuinely well-intentioned and worked hard to avoid bigotry in his thinking. At the same time, it was the 1940s and there were a lot of fundamental precepts of racism/sexism/homophobia/transphobia/ableism etc that just weren’t ever challenged, or even explicitly mentioned, in most social circles. So, despite his best efforts, there were a lot of things it straightup never occured to him to question - like “gay is bad,” and until he met his wife, Joy, “women are inferior.” I’ve talked before about how much growth he did in the last few years of his life, when it comes to sexism; until Joy pointed it out, he literally never realized it was maybe a bit not good that the highest compliment he knew to give a woman was saying “she has the mind of a man.” Once Joy was like “hey this sucks actually” he went “o h. wow you’re so right” and never did it again, which honestly makes me respect him a lot despite disagreeing with pretty much everything he believed, because he really was that dedicated to examining every idea presented to him and pursuing that which was good and true no matter where it led, and honestly that makes him a better person than some modern-day liberals I’ve met).

That said, he did live in the 1940s, and kids today are still reading and internalizing the messages of The Last Battle, and i think that’s pretty awful so I’m gonna go ahead and make Susan a more complex and compelling character than Lewis ever intended for her to be. Aro bi in the 1940s who was raised being told she was The Pretty One, treated as more valuable than her younger sister by everyone (including her parents) for that reason, and so naturally did everything she could to cling to that label, even at the expense of everything she herself loved and valued. She wasn’t vain, but she was scared, and isolated from her siblings by the socials and special favours she received from the people who liked her for her face. Her brothers looked down on her for the same reason everyone else put her on a pedestal, and Lucy--Lucy didn’t see her either. Lucy envied her, but she didn’t really know who she was anymore.

Susan had no one.

She was expected to settle down and find a nice husband to fall in love with, but she didn’t do that, she’d never really understood what the appeal was in finding a single soul to dedicate your life to, give everything up for. She’d never fallen in love, and she didn’t want to. But she was running out of time.

And what would happen when she wasn’t young and beautiful and perfect anymore? Nobody saw Lucy, who wasn’t ugly but she was just ordinary-looking; Lucy, the sweetest person Susan ever knew, who was constantly talked over and shuffled off to spend summers with the insufferable insect-collecting cousin. What if that happened to Susan? Who would she be, if she wasn’t the beauty of the family? Would she be anyone at all?

And gosh, imagine Susan’s life after her entire family - including the only people who knew about the magic they’d had in childhood, the magic she’d taken to scoffing at because she was so afraid of what that lion who’d abandoned her would say about her now - imagine what she’d be left with after they all died in a train wreck. Imagine how entirely alone she’d be. What would her life become, when she had nothing except a face that would only stay perfect for a few years more, and no one who cared about her except the people who wanted things she could never give?

Dang it, I made myself sad.

#ask game #narnia #cs lewis #susan pevensie #she deserved better :(#thank you so much for the ask!! i love talking about susan pevensie tbh #sexism #character ask game #ask linden

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getreadytosmash · 3 years

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Future Smashers: Coral "Caridea"

- Coral Thalia Sterns, daughter of Phil Sterns and niece of Samuel Sterns

- Result of a late night stand where she was then passed along to Phil when Coral showed signs of being a gamma mutate and her mother said "fuck that"

- Technically an Abomination but no one knows what reptile just yet

- Powers came in around birth and caused a lot of difficulty - especially with Coral's "horns" aka her spikes

- Special interest in marine biology after she found old books left from Mila and Coral's similarities when no one else looked like her at times

- Underwent experiments for years including early trips to the Green Door

- Lacks armour and has a mixture of scales and skin when she's in Hulk form

- Original power included a sort of vocal affect that could cause pain and a feeling of sickness in people - much like how sperm whales can cause pain with their clicks and songs

- Selectively mute and partially physically mute when Phil tried to stop said power. Coral has a lot of damage to her throat from mainly strangulation and mental truama of "Daddy wanting her to stop talking" at all costs

- Phil died at some point and Coral was then moved to Mila Sterns (grandmother), her new husband and daughter for a short while before decisions were made when theh couldn't cope with her truama and abilities

- Samuel was contacted by his mother for the first time in years and it was Mila asking him to take in his six year old niece

- Awkward at first but holy shit they clicked fast when they had the same interests and same abuser

- Samuel caught onto Coral being trans REAL quick and fixed her up with the best he could

- Often clings to Samuel as a child for comfort on her senses but also when she's more happier later on just. Uses Samuel as a personal charging station

- Fast learner that started for survival and grew into her genuinely wanting to be like Samuel

- Knows ASL, BSL and CSL

- Starts to speak it she's really upset and that causes more damage which further upsets her

- Wanted to be called Sea Dragon but Annie found out about a shrimp species and Caridea stuck >:(

- 5'6 when an adult and 6'9 when a Hulk. She's crying why are Sterns genes like this

- Has a tail when a Abomination! Wags a lot

- LOVES Rick and anyone who Samuel really likes her and Rick often butt heads affectionately when they see each other

- Makes fun of Samuel for being a nerd and lack of self care but she is. Just as bad

- Passes out in the middle of the day when she overworks herself and Annie just. Sighs and heaves her up mid walk

- L o V E S the X Files. Big special interest with marine biology. Knows every line off the top of her head. Watches the whole series with DD, Rick and Samuel every few months and had a massive crush on Mulder and Scully....still does

- Wants to find every deep sea creature and hug it

- Really loves dancing and often bobs her head when working

- Owns a experimental raptor Samuel created called "Dumbo" which was infused with the genetics of an orange for her protection after Phil attacked her once. Bobo is baby.

- Gets nightmares often and sleeps mostly in the early morning to late morning

- Does extreme sports. Gives Samuel fifty heart attacks a day when she gets Hiro-Kala and Caiera to use rock powers to make a mega roller blade lane. Samuel asked her to pls maybe stop endangering yourself, Sweetshrimp??? And she told him she was becoming a stuntwoman in return

- Skateboarded down Avengers tower when Aydan dared her to

- So many science rants with Samuel oh god they need care so badly or they will die info dumping each other

- Grows up and still does so many free deep dives but also works on the deep water gamma base

- Audibly laughs and it's like a hamster gargled nails. Sometimes will say the people she loves most's names for the affection alone

- Paws at her throat when having panic attacks or flashbacks

- collects ocean themed stuff, seashells and cool patterned sunglasses

- ear fins flap when she's excited or happy

#future verse #he swims in a sea of regret (samuel)#deep sea genius (coral)#my FAVOURITE GIRL IS BA C K PEOPLE #and i transified her #i purposely made her exactly like Samuel #cause she just. does reflect him in every way

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potahun · 3 years

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Some more Qin Shen Shen moments translations (Part 11/?)

2020 S2 Reunion Edition 2/?

Link to other translations so far.

a. S2E10: After Zhang Xin Zhe and Tai Yi’s performance of “Gun Gun Hong Chen | Rolling Red Ashes” by Sarah Chen:

MC: With two men singing this song, what kind of feeling has this performance brought us? Let’s start by hearing from the ones with the least pressure: Qin Shen Shen.

ZS and LKQ just wordlessly point at each other, each waiting for the other to speak first.

Unsurprisingly, LKQ gives in first.

LKQ, picking up his mic: It’s very good. (ZS laughs) Um...so first of all, it’s a really iconic song. And regarding the brand-new arrangement, I just have to look at Shi Tou next door going *imitates Chang Shi Lei’s waving dance during the song* to know that the arrangement was really, really good. And...of course, Zhe Ge, I have nothing more to say: I - I - I’ve been listening to your songs since I was small. *rubs knees* (ZS burst out laughing)

ZXZ, laughing at LKQ: Don’t use that on me!

ZS (to LKQ): Hey, why steal my line?

LKQ: *starts singing a few lines from one of ZXZ’s song* (to MC) When I go to KTV, I sing his songs. (ZS makes a shocked face) Yeah. *sings some more* Really! Really! So as soon as I heard his voice, I was just...whoaaa...

ZS, nodding: Just right.

LKQ: And Tai Yi is just...First off, the impression he gave me, just through watching a show like “Wo Men De Ge”, is that he doesn’t talk a lot. But as soon as he picked up that instrument, the imposing air came on immediately. *suddenly looks at ZS* Am I right? (ZS: Yeah!) Eh. Talk a little.

ZS: Oh, I just think...because earlier on, Teacher A Zhe very courteously said that we (QSS) are a group coming from legends, but actually, it’s his voice and his person (LKQ: Right) that have consistently existed in the legends I’ve heard. Yeah, because I think it’s the first time I hear Teacher A Zhe’s live. So as soon as he opened his mouth I was just *gasps before singing* I love you~~ *laughs* Instantly, all the images - including from cartoons and dramas I’d watched, cassettes and CDs I listened to - all those memories came back. It’s a uniqueness that cannot be replaced.

ZXZ: Thank you.

ZS: I also want to talk about Tai Yi. *imitates TY’s usual brevity* Very good! *puts down mic* (ZXZ: *laughs*. TY: ....Ok.)

MC, correcting: It should be *imitates TY’s talking style* “The... ...you sang is...”

LKQ pushes ZS’s shoulder.

ZS: Oh, OK! (to MC) Ask me to comment on Tai Yi. (MC complies and asks again) *forcefully articulates each syllable* Rolling Red Ashes is very good.

TY, hesitating: Should...I reply?

ZS, squawking: I’m not listening!!

(...)

When asked to comment on the same performance, WY gives a very wordy and elaborate explanation as to why he always felt sleepy when he listens to ZXZ’s voice, and how it’s because his voice reminds him of the peaceful sounds he listens to before sleeping, like flowing water, and TY’s voice is like sand lifted by the wind etc etc.

LKQ (to ZS): Lo...look at how nicely he’s speaking! (i.e. learn from it!)

ZS, at a loss for words: I...I also miss my bashful days ;;;. *chuckles*

b. S2E10: After Wang Yuan and Chang Shi Lei’s performance of “A Bloody Love Story”. The other artists are asked to comment:

RZE, struggling a little to pronounce the word: I was left “speechless”. (...)

ZS: I have something to say. Just, after listening to teacher Zu Er talk, I think, teacher Keqin... *turns to sing to him* “You Are Not Alone~"

LKQ, a little miffed, cross-legged and staring at him sassily: So you’re saying right now that our Mandarin is very ordinary, aren’t you?

ZS: I am saying that I can just feel that your relationship is very good.

RZE: Did I say “speechless” wrong?

ZS, being a little shit and imitating her, while LKQ continues to stare at him: It’s very correct~~

RZE, being a very good sport: Thank you~~

ZS: Alright, teacher Keqin, you comment first.

LKQ, still extremely sassy: You talk first.

ZS: No, no, because teacher Keqin kept on talking next to me-- (LKQ, sassily to ZS: I’m very angry, you can talk first) *laughs and holds onto his arm* he kept on talking about the arrangement, (to LKQ) I know you have a lot to say.

LKQ, instantly recovered: No, I just felt like I watched a musical. There was everything. And there’s another point I want to talk about, it’s that...perhaps some of the audience don’t know, but every week we have to prepare 3 songs for this show. Last year, when I came to this show, every week I had a really, really bad headache. (ZS instantly giggles like a little shit because LKQ’s intonation on the “ache” was incorrect - “tou2 teng4″ instead of “tou2 tong4″ or “tou2 teng2″ ) Picking songs.... and then thinking about what to do with it...

CSL, whispering to WY: Our heads never really hurt (tou2 teng2), huh? (WY: He said “tou2 teng4″)

LKQ, continuing while ZS is still holding his laughter: It’s just...a lot of hassle, and a lot of struggle (ZS giggles again because he says “zhou1 jie2″ instead of “jiu1 jie2″ for struggle) But when I look at your performance today, there was really everything. And also, you performed really well. (ZS laughs once again because he pronounces “perform” as “biu yan3” instead of “biao3 yan3”) I was watching Shi Tou’s expression when he was singing, and he had acting in it. (ZS, agreeing: He was very much engrossed in it) It wasn’t just carefree singing, he was going *imitates CSL’s dancing and expressions, making ZS laugh* He had acting in it! And I also saw Wang Yuan. Um. I’ve seen you dance when you were in your group. This is the first time I’ve seen you dance alone. I can feel the efforts you’ve put in. Really. (WY: Thank you, teacher Keqin, thank you)

MC: You were just saying that they had everything, but let me correct you. There’s one thing they didn’t have. (ZS: What?) Dry ice.

LKQ: Haaaa!

WY: We did! We did! There was dry ice in the beginning!

ZS, instantly: Do you have to fight over this too? Can’t we even have dry ice???

LKQ (to ZS): Dry ice prince. Come on, talk.

ZS: No, it’s just, first off, “Fei Chang Yuan Man”. I knew they’d be good, because Shi Tou is a very good producer. But what surprised me more is that, based on our earlier chat, it seems that this song was written - uh chosen by Yuan. You chose it, didn’t you?

WY confirms but says CSL is indeed the one who is really good, and explains something about the lyrics that CSL has modified to give it more story.

ZS: He (WY) is just being polite/modest. Actually, he was really good.

CSL: Yeah, well, he has to be polite/modest until the end, right? Otherwise, we’d have been polite/modest for nothing in the first half. *laughs*

c. S2E10: After Rong Zu Er and Xilinnayi Gao’s performance. Xilinnayi Gao says something about how she will look back on the memories of “Wo Men De Ge” fondly and that coming to this show will be a beautiful memory.

ZS: Actually, my feeling is the same. Namely, that it’s “beautiful”. Because, truthfully speaking, everyone’s lives nowadays are very busy, or tiring, or something else...It’s very hard to find a sense of security. But through our show, it’s two generations of singers who, through music, get to know each other, and will start to exchange this feeling of security with each other. Just now, when I turned around, and I found teacher A Zhe and Tai Yi, both quietly listening like this...and then you’d see this group (Chang Shi Lei and Wang Yuan), when I saw them, they were both listening with their eyes closed... You’ll find that they gradually feel more and more secure with regard to each other. I think that’s the charm of “Wo Men De Ge”.

CSL (to ZS): I also congratulate you very much on having found your sense of security. (ZS laughs) Otherwise, you wouldn’t have been able to say those words...

ZS: So earlier on I was looking at that group there on stage and thinking, ohh! How wonderful! Looking over there at you guys and thinking ohh! and then looking over here (at LKQ) and thinking... *clicks tongue* “....what are you doing??”

ZS laughs, while LKQ grabs him by the arm.

ZS, sassily and using the polite form of “you” to LKQ: It’s your turn to speak now.

LKQ: I think..... um....

CSL: ....that being with Zhou Shen brings you no feeling of security? (ZS laughs)

LKQ: Actually, it’s been a very long time since I last saw Zu Er. Last time I saw you, I think it was at your concert last year. I feel like you’ve grown over the last year. When I was doing concerts with her, I felt like I was the big brother, and she the little sister, that kind of feeling. But now, when I see you today with Xilin, there’s a feeling of “ah, I am the elder sister, I have to look after her, I have to...” Whether it’s about the sound, or the looks, everything........it’s like me and Zhou Shen. *leans meaningfully towards ZS while the latter backs away*

LKQ, protesting at ZS’s denial: Hey!!

ZS, laughing: Alright! It’s about time that I cooperate with you. (LKQ: That’s right!)

LKQ (to RZE again): I feel like you’ve really grown up now.

d. About Qin Shen Shen’s performance of “Fu Shi Shan Xia | Under Mount Fuji”.

LKQ (about ZS): I told him, “ey, actually, that song, I already sang it before (on Masked Singer). What do you think?” (and he replied) “No worries, no worries, we can sing it differently, as a duet”. Ok, ok. So I thought we were going to sing it in Mandarin. But he kept up with the Cantonese.

ZS, standing up to bow to RZE: Teacher Zu Er, later when I sing in Cantonese, please be lenient on me.

e. About Qin Shen Shen’s “Fu Shi Shan Xia | Under Mount Fuji” - post-performance:

XLNYG, immediately after the song ends: They match so well!

MC: Let’s hear everyone’s thoughts fresh out of the pan. As to Yuan, I already read it on his lips when the song ended: “They sing too well!” Right?

WY, confirming: Six words. “Qin Shen Shen are crazy people”. (QSS laughs) They’re too...... *can’t finish the sentence and just does a thumbs up*

MC: Wang Yuan has six words. Let’s see how many Tai Yi has.

TY, counting on his fingers: *decisively* Seven. “I want to go to that place” (Mt Fuji). Because...because... after listening to it, I really found it very romantic. Because I’ve never been there...I...I’ll definitely go there. And when I go there, I’ll put on the version of this song that you sang, and I’ll listen to it on the mountain. Thank you.

Qin Shen Shen, bowing: Thank you, thank you.

LKQ: When you buy your plane tickets, please invite me and I’ll sing it for you there.

ZS, correcting the pronunciation: Plane tickets ( “fei ji piao” instead of “fei ji piu”, but honestly, it’s fairly imperceptible)

MC: Zhe Ge.

ZXZ: What else is there to say about this? *points at QSS* It’s just like the tales from underground, taking place over there.

ZS takes the opportunity to thank ZXZ for helping him, I guess, advertise a song in another show. He sings a few lines of the song at issue, and ZXZ replies with the title: “Wo Shi Zhen De Ai Ni | I really love you”.

MC (to ZXZ): I thought you’d sing a few lines with him.

ZXZ: Huh? No, I already knew there’d be a trap like this. I won’t fall into this kind of trap again!

ZS: No, no, who knows, maybe in the third season of “Wo Men De Ge”, *looks intently at LKQ and stresses the words* I’ll get an opportunity to sing a duet with teacher A Zhe!!

LKQ (to ZS): What do you mean by that?

ZS, holding his arm: No, no, I have no such intention. *bows* Thank you teacher A Zhe.

MC: Xilinnayi, this kind of Cantonese, does it put any pressure on you for your upcoming song?

XLNYG: I was looking at the lyrics earlier on (for ZS), and it only had the characters, no alphabetical letters (pin yin).

MC: So will your screen have alphabetical letters?

XLNYG: Ummm.

ZS: It’s really no big deal (to have pin yin)! Because Cantonese seriously is HARD. (LKQ: Yeah)

XLNYG: Yeah, when you look at the characters only, you wouldn’t be able to guess that it’s pronounced a certain way.

ZS: Yeah, people can’t imagine how hard Cantonese is.

LKQ (to ZS): We get it, Cantonese is hard, you already sang it really well.

ZS, laughing: No, I actually sang it wrong at the beginning just now.

WY: This is already Versailles.

ZS: It’s not...!

ZS helplessly tilts his head to the side and LKQ playfully knocks into his shoulder.

MC, referring to RZE: And here comes another very certified Cantonese teacher.

ZS, probably trying to make up for his jokes earlier: Teacher Zu Er, you’re seriously beautiful. Teacher Zu Er, I really like you.

RZE, smiling: ................Very good! (ZS, laughing: Well-received!) One male singer’s song, and they could make such a seamless collaboration out of it, I find that really awesome. (ZS makes a thanking motion with his hands) And I think the degree to which their two voices match, their reputation is not just baseless rumors.

ZS: Thank you teacher Zu Er. (RZE: Is my mandarin still okay?) It’s GREAT.

LKQ (to RZE): Hey, how come you grew up but your Mandarin became....

RZE: I am working hard.

ZS (to LKQ): Actually, no! I think teacher Zu Er’s.......... Mandarin *looks at LKQ* is.....why am I digging this hole for myself? (LKQ starts to stare at him) *finishes while looking at LKQ*........is better than Keqin’s. *laughs*

#zhou shen #li keqin #qin shen shen #wo men de ge #wmdg2 #ngl each time zs jokes about lkq's mandarin im thinking its very borderline but this time #in particular #he s lucky he didnt get smacked #Qin Shen Shen are just chatter boxes #qss trans #wmdg trans

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songxiaolin · 4 years

Text

quiet assurance

summary: just some teaching xiao xingchen CSL fluff

rating: general word count: 638

“Is this right?”

Xiao Xingchen’s brows were pulled together in concentration, mouth thin and serious as he held his hand up for Lin Ming to inspect. Reaching out, she adjusted his thumb, straightening it just a bit and moved it up and down twice in the correct motion. Then she leaned back and rang her bell once.

“Good,” he said with a smile before flexing his hand. “Let me try again.”

This time when he made the sign for ‘thank you’, it was correct.

“Was that better?”

He held out his palm for her.

It was perfect, she wrote.

“Show me the next one,” said Xiao Xingchen, beginning to pull his hand away.

Lin Ming held onto it. His mouth twitched slightly in confusion but held still as he waited for her to spell out the words into his skin.

You don’t have to this.

There was no reason for it. He couldn’t see. It wouldn’t benefit him in anyway but he had been insistent and Lin Ming hadn’t been able to say no to him. She wasn’t sure that she had ever been able to say no to him and the gentle smile that was on his face now was the reason why.

“I know but I’d like to, as long as you’re willing to teach me.”

She wrapped her fingers around his hand and squeezed. A simple gesture that he knew the meaning of.

“Alright,” he said, still smiling as he pressed his lips to her knuckles. “Then the next one.”

The room was large and well lit with the glow of many candles but it felt cold, too formal, and Lin Ming couldn’t relax. Her shoulders were tense and she fiddled with the hems of her sleeves, glancing around nervously. To her right sat Xiao Xingchen and Song Lan, both sitting straight though not out of place, speaking in a low voice to someone who had paused by their low table.

She was very obviously out of place.

Other guests of the banquet would glance her way, sometimes whispering, and she felt her cheeks go hot. All Lin Ming wanted to do was reach out and grip Xiao Xingchen’s sleeve – he was closest and she felt so alone – but she knew how that would look, what impression that would give of her and them. When the person they were speaking to left, Song Lan glanced her way, catching her eye.

He smiled, subtle and soft. The smile she gave in return wavered and almost immediately Song Lan’s expression became concerned. He leaned over to Xiao Xingchen, whispering in his ear, and the man in white stiffened.

Turning towards her, Xiao Xingchen began to speak only to be cut off by the sound of a cup being knocked against the wood of a table and a call to a toast. He frowned.

Xiao Xingchen lifted his hand, holding it to his temple, fingers straight, thumb pulled in slightly, before bringing it down to his chest in one motion as he pulled all his fingers except his pinkie together. Sorry. Next he pressed his hand flat against his chest before bringing it down and pulling it back towards himself over his other hand that he held in a fist, thumb on top. Then he pointed at her. I love you.

Each motion was fluid, taking only a few seconds. Lin Ming smiled and it didn’t waver this time; he had been practicing without her. The last sign was not one she had taught him. Her chest tightened as she realized that Song Lan must have been the one to teach him it.

The chime of her bell, only once, was soft enough that it was almost lost beneath the noise of the room, but Xiao Xingchen heard and he smiled.

She didn’t feel so alone anymore.

#drabbles #songxiaolin #the signs in this are correct btw #i have been teaching myself CSL #anyway i've had this idea for awhile

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imaginaryelle · 4 years

Text

Wei Wuxian, Mutism and Non-Verbal Communication

I am making a fresh post because I’ve been having issues with asks and especially read mores in asks, and this post is definitely going to require that. So. (edit: this is now also available to read on AO3!)

@tamyourue asked:

For the prompt request thingy - I'm a Sign nerd, and I've read quite a few mute!lwj, which is not that surprising. But what about a mute!wwx? I think it would be interesting to explore that with the way his family and lwj would handle it, if he was either born this way or acquired a disability later in life. How would HE handle it, being such a lively and talkative person? I planned on writing a fic of the sort but you do awesome meta, and another person's pov would be really fascinating to me.

Thank very much for asking! This immediately grabbed my brain and yanked me face-first into headcanons and possibility permutations. I’m going to try to focus on something more meta-style since you mention that (and aw <3 thank you! I have lots of fun writing my meta so I’m glad you like it!), but if you write fic on this topic I would love to see it. I am 100% certain you know more about sign language than me (I know very little but this whole thing has rekindled my interest in learning, if you have suggestions for resources!) so please do correct me if I make some erroneous statements or assumptions here. Also, I feel like I should note here that I got a little carried away (this is ~7k folks) and some of the things here are probably ideas you’ve already thought about as general concepts of non-verbal communication. I’ve included them anyway because they helped me process all my other thoughts. As always, I welcome additional input on my meta.

Okay so first off, I did some research, because I love research. (Possibly this should go without saying, and I’m sure you yourself already know this, but just in case, for general context and because this is a public post: I do think it’s important to treat things like this—any form of disability or illness or othering—with respect for the real life people who deal with it every day. Let’s not romanticize these things, right? Or just use it to woobify or infantilize characters or write disability tragedy porn? And let’s do make sure we’re doing our research and consuming media (essays, blog posts, videos, etc) created by those people about their experience? Good? Good.) Some non-comprehensive sources I consulted:

This masterlist of resources (includes deaf, mute and blind character writing resources compiled from real life experiences—trigger warning on the “21 People Reveal” link: trauma, depression, rape mention)

This I Am Mute AMA on reddit

This British Psychological Society Research Digest on adults who experience selective mutism (in their own words)

Wikipedia’s Mutism page (I promise the link is there), which lists various conditions that can lead to someone not being able to speak

I also attempted to research a bit about the history of sign language in China, but most of what I found was either comparison to ASL (here’s a video on family terms) or the fact that there are two different sign languages: a literary sign language that reflects written Chinese, and a natural sign language. Also most of what I found was focused more on the Deaf community. The history of mute people in China turned up even fewer results, unfortunately, so if anyone knows good sources for that, let me know!

Jumping off all of that, things that matter for writing a Wei Wuxian who is mute: is Wei Wuxian the only mute person he knows? Are there other mute or deaf people around who use any kind of sign language? When did he become mute? How? Is it physical or psychological? Full-on cannot speak at all or selective based on environment? And is this more novel-verse, or more drama-based? (This meta is going to reference the drama more than the novel, primarily because we get to see body language and some relationships are more fleshed out, but I believe most points should work for both canons.) Questions to be answered on an individual fic basis, of course, but let’s consider some possibilities.

Character-wise, one of the biggest things here for me is that Wei Wuxian hates being ignored. It’s not exactly that he needs to be the center of attention at every single moment, but he’s a showman. Even if the protagonist of the story was someone else, he’d still be there, attracting attention and calling people out on unfairness and generally being that combination of nuisance and talented genius that we love. And he already lives in a world where he can be silenced and isolated—people drown him out, talk over him and dismiss him on a regular basis in canon, and of course there’s the Lan Clan silencing spell.

Multiple people (especially various Jin family members, but also Madam Yu and a few others) use social class and rumor and perceptions of power to shut him down throughout the story, even though he is entirely capable of speaking and often doesn’t keep quiet when it might be beneficial for him to do so. Being mute is only going to exaggerate that ability for others to disregard him, but he’s still going to be that dramatic, fiercely opinionated guy, even if he can’t communicate verbally. He tries to talk through the silencing spell practically every time it’s put on him as it is (and really, what is the Lan Clan going to do to him if he already can’t speak? That spell now becomes a totally useless punishment for him). He’s still going to disrupt Lan Qiren’s class and volunteer to show off and make noise and draw attention to himself. He might be ignored more easily, and consequently get frustrated more often, but he’s still going to do it, because being dutifully silent or nonreactive for more than a single conversation pretty much means just not being Wei Wuxian. So how does he communicate?

I do think it matters here, when he becomes mute and whether it’s selective or not. If he’s born unable to speak, or develops muteness in early childhood (say, after his parents die but before Jiang Fengmian takes him in), I think he’d develop his methods of communication in different ways than if it were to happen later. In the case of childhood mutism I think he’s more likely to use (or develop) actual sign language, and to depend on other people (such as his siblings) to speak aloud for him in some situations. I mostly base that on 1) the trust-building between him, Jiang Cheng and Jiang Yanli in those early-life flashbacks 2) how much more often he talks to merchants than anyone else (more on that later) and 3) how much nonverbal communication he uses already (it’s a lot. He’s very expressive). If he becomes mute as a teen or adult, I think he’ll deal with a lot more like he deals with the loss of his golden core: deflection of worry, insistence on independence as much as possible, and lots of inventive solutions (but still lots of body language, of course).

Okay, with those trends in mind, here are some general possibilities (in no particular order) that mix real world tactics and mdzs setting specifics and can be applied to a variety of situations:

1. As mentioned above, he might use expressions, body language, generally understood gestures or actions. Wei Wuxian tends to be pretty physically expressive in canon already, so this is likely to be his first instinct when he reaches for communication tools. Let’s look at another silencing spell gif.

Wei Wuxian is extremely expressive every time this is used on him. He makes faces. He waves his arms. He stomps and grabs at people. Where other people hit with this technique frown and look confused and touch their lips or neck, Wei Wuxian complains. He pouts. He makes a production out of how much he hates it. His moods, in general, tend to involve his entire body. So I take that as pretty strong evidence that gestures, facial expressions and miming are going to play a pretty big role in his communication style. Here is a fun youtube video for CSL of the Tortoise and the Hare story, which I think has bearing on how much he could get away with just using his face and miming. Making faces and grabbing Lan Wangji’s wrist or sleeve isn’t going to change here, and he might in fact get even handsier, if that’s possible. As a cultivator, Wei Wuxian would have access to a level of physical adroitness that most people don’t, which could also tie in to how he uses his body to communicate. In general, these are things that are going to make it difficult for him to hide his identity after his resurrection if he’s mute beforehand, but they help a lot with conveying basic ideas so they’re definitely going to be involved somehow, no matter what else he does. Something of a contrast to stories about Lan Wangji and muteness, perhaps.

2. He might communicate through his siblings/other people. Jin Zixuan gets by with saying extremely little because he almost always has other people around who are more than willing to speak for him. Jiang Cheng, pre-Sunshot Campaign, does some of the same (he’s so surprised to be called on and have to speak for himself during that first victory banquet), and of course we sometimes see this play out between Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian in canon already: Wei Wuxian will voice things that Lan Wangji is feeling or agrees with, but is unwilling to actually say. So it’s conceivable that Wei Wuxian could get a lot of communication done by having his siblings or close friends (depending on where in the timeline the story takes place) speak for him, as he communicated with them via some other method (at its most basic just an understanding of his pov and what he would want to say, extending into body language, personal signs or sign language, notes, etc.). The best candidate for this is going to be Jiang Yanli, as we do see her stand up and speak for him in drama canon, when people start questioning whether their being alone together is appropriate. I think Jiang Cheng would do his best, but he’d also be inconsistent about it sometimes in situations where he didn’t think it was important or didn’t agree with Wei Wuxian, because he can be a moody dick when he wants to be and he’s not that great at talking himself. I forsee lots of brotherly shoulder punches and slaps upside the head. So many. More than usual. Jiang Fengmian might do a little, as might other Jiang Clan disciples (they certainly seem to like Wei Wuxian well enough to try).

As you might be able to tell, I think this method of communication is much more likely to be used if he’s mute while growing up. If he’s injured as an adult, or loses the ability to speak after he’s resurrected, he’s going to have to build all this context from scratch and it’s going to be much more difficult for this method to work smoothly. It could still work to a certain extent, but it probably won’t be as fluid. On the other hand, if Wei Wuxian was mute as a child, he’d likely be almost immediately recognizable to anyone who regularly interacted with him before his death, especially in the drama, where he has the same body. Jiang Cheng won’t have a moment of doubt when Zidian fails to banish Wei Wuxian’s invading spirit from Mo Xuanyu’s body, because he’ll have had that particular flick of two fingers or turn of a hand with accompanying scowl, etc., acted out in front of him every day for over a decade, and Wei Wuxian will have a much more difficult time hiding that, because it’s muscle memory as well as a form of communication. Which could be a very interesting plot development!

Another possible plot divergence is that if Jiang Yanli starts speaking for her brother at a younger age that might influence her to speak up more just in general, which could hugely affect the story. If she gets used to speaking for Wei Wuxian and herself (and even Jiang Cheng!) rather than letting Wei Wuxian step in as we often see him do, she might involve herself more actively in Sect politics. Which means that she’d likely be attending cultivation conferences more often. Which means that she could be in an incredibly powerful position when stuff starts going down with Wei Wuxian and the Wens. Jiang Cheng is young and stressed and insecure about his place. He doesn’t know how to say “yes, these people helped us, and they don’t deserve what you’re doing to them.” His instinct is to curl around what’s his and protect it, which is exactly what he was raised to do as the future Sect Leader of Lotus Pier. But Jiang Yanli cares about people because they’re people, in much the same way Wei Wuxian does (see: her treatment of Wen Ning during the wedding dress visit, as one example). If she’s at that conference and used to speaking out? She’s going to make a difference, because she has an excellent relationship with Jin Guangshan’s wife and his heir. Jin Zixuan is actively pursuing her at that point. She’s gentry, from a good family (unlike MianMian). She is right on the cusp of marrying into the Jin clan. If nothing else, she has enough influence that if she speaks out, Jiang Cheng will support her, and possibly others (such as Lan Xichen, sitting there looking uncomfortable but not saying anything as long as Wei Wuxian stands on his own). That could be a fun ripple effect to see played out.

3. He might communicate through music. This would be a fantastic place to use the Chinese literature technique of poetry allusions. Different songs or melodies might be associated with different lyrics, or plays, or poems, and so just a short musical phrase could convey a fairly complex (if sometimes more allegorical or symbolic) meaning. This particular method of communication might be most effective in conjunction with the Lans and Nie Huaisang just because they’d be more likely to make quick connections and respond to them without further explanation necessary, but in the right circumstances it could work for most cultivators, since they seem to pride themselves on their literacy. I’m still just barely dipping my toes into this stuff so I don’t have any concrete examples here, but I think it could be a lot of fun to incorporate more music into Wei Wuxian’s life before Chenqing, since he certainly learned to play the dizi somewhere before that whole coreless-in-a-death-trap adventure, and also I think travels with Lan Wangji and the juniors might be fun with some musical references peppered in. Which I might keep in mind even for fics where Wei Wuxian is not mute.

This next song compares Jin Zixun to all the fools of history and legend and finds him lacking.

4. Talismans! Wei Wuxian, being Wei Wuxian, seems to like to use talismans both to get attention and to convey meaning even when he doesn’t have any particular difficulty speaking in canon (I adore the butterfly talisman, okay, I will never be over it). And using talismans doesn’t necessarily mean conveying ideas in words, even though magical glowy writing can very cool.

[insert image of Wei Wuxian writing on his palm, clapping his hands together and then separating them reveal a glowy orange insult to Jin Zixuan’s ego held between them because he’s blunt like that sometimes]

Again, symbols and poetic allusions could be used. Whole landscapes, steaming bowls of soup, he could run wild with his artistic talents. Also he’d probably be able to figure out a sort of magical white-board situation with writing and erasing and re-writing script easily, though it would consume spiritual power of one type or another so it might be more difficult for him to pull off for a longer conversation, or after he’s lost his golden core (there’s another fun plot hook to play with: figuring out new ways to communicate as well as necromancy during the Sunshot Campaign). We do see him erase a talisman in the drama during the Yi City stuff, so that’s very nearly canon already. Basic writing would also be an option here (as we see Song Lan use) but I think the frustrations of needing ink and a brush or writing on the ground and everything would get to him pretty fast—Wei Wuxian is not a very patient person most of the time, so unless it’s actual letter-writing or a book of pre-set phrases he carries with him (probably a good idea for emergencies anyway) I don’t think that’s going to be his go-to.

Another talisman option is: let’s not forget that Wei Wuxian is a genius inventor! He could do so many things with cultivation. To pull from a real world technology example: Maybe he makes a talisman he can wrap around his throat that will convey the vibrations of his vocal chords (provided he has fully developed ones of course). Maybe he combines talismans and fireworks to get attention and write sparkly messages at the same time. To pull from things already in the canon: Maybe he uses Empathy for really important situations. Maybe he can literally steal other people’s voices momentarily, as he does control of bodies, or, post-Burial Mounds, maybe he can speak through the voices of spirits and fierce corpses. How freaking creepy would those be? One is like the reverse of the Lan Clan silencing spell: you can’t speak, but I can use your voice, potentially out of your own mouth. The other is just going to make traditional cultivators break out in hives: Wei Wuxian showing up to the war and every time he wants to speak he summons a fierce corpse or a ghost to scream his thoughts into annoying people’s faces.

Those last two aren’t going to win him any friends but oh wow do they look fun.

Imagine Wei Wuxian roasting Su She and exposing his whole plan in Su She’s own voice.

One last thing here that just occurred to me: Wei Wuxian has on at least one occasion in the drama used the paperman to talk to someone. He does it with Wen Qing, to ask if there’s any way she can arrange a break for Lan Wangji when he’s walking on a broken leg. Is that a telepathy thing? Or a voice thing? And would his ability to do it be affected by his relationship with spoken words? Food for thought.

5. Context or partner-based signs. These would be signs he makes up or develops in conjunction with friends and family, but which are based on shared experience and reference points rather than a full sign language. Could be pretty much anything as long as they mean something to his audience, but are going to be useful mostly for those cases where he’s having a one-on-one conversation or trying to get someone else to verbalize for him in a larger group. Counting on fingers, waving, summoning, the three-finger swear Wei Wuxian uses on that rooftop during the Sunshot Campaign etc. would be examples of generally socially known gestures so this is mostly just an extension of that. I would like to think that he would have personalized sign nick-names for people, probably related to puns or in-jokes. This is a fun place to play with context and relationship complexity, because different people are going to have different levels of fluency in “Wei Wuxian.” Perhaps that’s part of the wedge that drives itself between him and Jiang Cheng even: after months on end with the Wens, Wei Wuxian has mannerisms and signs Jiang Cheng doesn’t know, which just make him feel even more distant from his brother.

6. He might use an actual established sign language of some kind, probably one usually used in trade contexts (because there are many dialects and languages in Ancient China so trade sign could very easily be a thing) unless you build more of a social network (and more general social acceptance) for mute and deaf people into the world. Which could totally happen! But if you don’t tweak the world-building then sign language as a language beyond trade sign is going to be minimally useful to most individuals who would need it, because they’re mostly going to be communicating with people who don’t use it (as can often happen in the real world, of course). I think a general-use sign language or trade sign + personal signs could be a lot of fun, especially between close family and friends (how much would especially drama!Wen Ning love that added level of connection and communication?)

Look at them. Look at this ridiculousness.

But outside of that it’s probably not going to be something anyone but especially kind souls will actually use with him beyond actual monetary transactions. This is not a canon that’s generally kind to people who are marked as different. Most of the big cultivators probably wouldn’t even learn much trade sign, especially not the Jins and Wens, because they have servants to negotiate prices for them if necessary, but the Jiangs might learn both because they’re closer to their trade-port commoners and for Wei Wuxian’s sake. Anyone who travels alone would want to know some, at least. Lan Wangji might know a little and learn more specifically to communicate with Wei Wuxian? Could go a lot of directions.

7. Clapping, tapping things together, stomping, whistling, and maybe laughter, vocal crying or screaming, humming and whispers. These methods of communication will depend a lot on why a character is mute and whether it’s physically or psychologically-based. Clapping, tapping, stomping and whistling should be generally possible; the rest depend on vocal chord development and certain nerves being functional. Interestingly, this means that Wei Wuxian still has total control over simple fierce corpses and spirits even if his vocal chords don’t work or are damaged. Which is cool. Clapping/tapping/stomping would allow him to engage in morse/chinese telegraph/tapping code styles of communication too, if such a thing exists in Ancient Fantasy China (Why not? They already have chilies and potatoes and fly on swords). A whistle code for night hunting would just be a useful thing in general, for everyone. Limited speech might also be a thing. In some cases of selective mutism people can speak with certain people (a feeling of safety seems to be a big factor, though sometimes I saw reports of people saying they could speak just fine if it was on stage/part of a theatre production but not for day-to-day stuff too), or at low volumes. This might be more taxing than other forms of communication, or not, depending on the specific situation. It might lead to things like Wei Wuxian being able to talk to his family and possibly close friends like Lan Wangji, but not in large groups or to “outsiders,” which might in turn lead to more resentment on some people’s parts and more accusations that he’s just being rude or arrogant, etc.

8. Fan code. Because it should exist, why is Nie Huaisang the only person in this canon with a fan. Should be remedied, obviously.

Think of the things he could be saying if he had anyone to talk to this way!

9. The telepathy spell from fighting the Tortoise of Slaughter. This is a drama-exclusive thing, and I love it! So much! But. Telepathy is a very common workaround for characters who are unable to use verbal language and personally I think it’s often used to just totally erase that non-verbal communication or any of the difficulties actual mute people experience. So. It might be more interesting, and more respectful for real people’s lived experience, to introduce some further obstacles. What are the spell’s limits? Distance? Duration? Can it involve more than two people? Does it consume energy from all parties or only the person who initiates it? Who knows it? Is it a Lan Clan specialty? Is it only for highly ranked disciples? Did Lan Wangji invent it? Do the Lan juniors know this spell? If they do, would they use it? If yes to both those last two questions, that eliminates a lot of barriers for resurrected Wei Wuxian. Both Lan Sizhui and Lan Jingyi seem like they would willingly (with varying levels of sass of course) take on the task of relaying Wei Wuxian’s thoughts, at least sometimes. But again, it matters when Wei Wuxian becomes mute, because language and how you communicate shapes how you think. What if one of them or Lan Wangji uses the spell, and Wei Wuxian’s thoughts don’t come across as direct words? How does that impact their ability to communicate in this way?

Also, I invite you to picture: Wei Wuxian is back from the dead. He has been reunited with Lan Wangji. He can’t talk, verbally, but he can speak with Lan Wangji telepathically. This is a new development related to his resurrection. Lan Wangji is now faced with a dilemma, because he kind of depends on Wei Wuxian to do all the talking in a number of situations as the plot moves forward. How do they maneuver those situations now? The confrontation of the second Burial Mounds siege? The reveal of Jin Guangyao’s crimes? Also, depending on how the spell works and their communication style before Wei Wuxian died, it’s totally possible that he now just has Wei Wuxian chattering at him inside his head rather constantly, to make up for the fact that he suddenly can’t speak aloud. How does that affect their changing relationship as they go on adventures?

A possible example of this scenario.

Okay, time for some character implications. You know that thing Wei Wuxian does where he has to prove that he is at least as good and usually better than everyone else at whatever he can manage even though he’s an orphaned child of non-gentry parents? Yeah. That’s probably going to get cranked up all the way past 11 to like, 17 or something. A lot. Because if Wei Wuxian can’t verbally speak in a culture where oratory is such an ingrained part of daily life and cultivator culture, a lot of people are going to use that to assume he’s also stupid or unskilled. We see repeated examples of Wen Ning and Jiang Cheng being disregarded or manipulated through their inability to give speeches the way other people do, and the ability to speak well is mentioned as a distinct and admirable ability in reference to both Jin Guangyao and Ouyang Zizhen. It’s something cultivator politics pretty much requires, after a certain point: the ability to speak, clearly and with authority. Not being able to is going to tick Wei Wuxian off to no end. Frequently. And also (I believe) add even more fuel to his “I’m better than you” antics.

He’s still going to be this dramatic asshole, and he’s still going to be better than Jin Zixuan.

Speech doesn’t affect any of those gentlemanly skills he’s learned (provided we assume he still ahs the opportunity to learn them). It doesn’t affect his archery, or his swordsmanship, or his cultivational power. I don’t think it would affect horsemanship, but it might depend on how the horse was trained and what sounds Wei Wuxian is able to make. But either way, with the skills he does have I think it’s possible he would flaunt them even more, especially in front of people he thinks look down on him. He might also get into more physical fights, since he already has a tendency to do that as is when he’s offended enough (most obviously illustrated by his Cloud Recesses confrontation of Jin Zixuan). He might just walk out of more conversations, as we saw him do during the Sunshot Campaign, even before he loses his gold core. He might get even more unconventional in his ideas even more quickly, because he doesn’t fit in as well from the start and never will. The appeal of becoming a rogue cultivator or trying to seek out Baoshan Sanren on his own might be pretty strong. Lots of canon divergence and AU possibilities there.

As far as inter-character relationships go, if he’s mute from childhood I don’t think his relationships with his adopted family would change a whole lot. Madam Yu is going to throw his muteness in his and everyone else’s faces on a regular basis because it’s another handle she can grab onto. Jiang Cheng and Jiang Yanli might be more protective of him, but I think their personal dynamic with him would remain largely the same. Same with Jiang Fengmian. Jiang Yanli might speak up more often and Jiang Cheng might be forced to develop more patience and eloquence at a younger age, which could certainly ripple out into bigger things over time if you wanted to go that direction. Similarly, Lan Sizhui might have vague memories/ an increased ability to pick up the meaning behind “Mo Xuanyu’s” gestures and signs, which in turn could lead to his own identity being revealed sooner as well. It really depends on how deep you want to go, and how far you want to spin things.

Wei Wuxian’s relationships with the rest of the cultivation world, on the other hand, might be drastically different from a younger age because there’s always going to be that hint there that he’s lacking something, even more than he already gets with his birth status. I could absolutely see it being used in a very similar way to how mentions of Jin Guangyao’s parentage are used. In addition, Wei Wuxian’s going to have a harder time charming his way through situations, because the pacing of his conversations is going to be different. A lot of people are going to avoid him even before he turns to demonic cultivation because they don’t want to deal with learning new ways to communicate, which might contribute to his desire to show off more often and more drastically. (Some people of course are going to hate him even more because of this, and say things that involve phrases like “despite his shortcomings” but they hate him anyway. So how much that increase in irritation affects plot would depend on how far you wanted to take it.) Many relationships (especially more superficial ones) might have to be built a little bit slower, or a little more indirectly. A single first meeting will make less of an immediate positive impact unless he develops some specific strategies. Is he going to be remembered? Absolutely. But he’ll have to work harder to be remembered as “that charming, skilled Wei kid” instead of “that mute guy from Yunmeng Jiang.” It’s definitely a challenge.

This pun-and-flirting-based conversation, for example, would be very difficult to pull off.

With Lan Wangji specifically… I think it could go a lot of directions. I do like to think that one of the things that he finds attractive about Wei Wuxian is that Wei Wuxian makes it obvious he wants to be around, and be friends, but he accommodates Lan Wangji’s moods and actions without the need for very many verbal cues. He pays attention. All the time. He reacts to everything Lan Wangji does, whether Lan Wangji is talking or not, and he wants Lan Wangji’s attention in return. They actually have a lot of non-verbal communication going on already. They click, on a certain level, especially in combat situations, and can convey a lot of communication without very many words. So I don’t think that part would change much. Maybe more whistles and gestures and music, but it already involves a lot of touching. Nor would that aspect of Lan Wangji trying to figure Wei Wuxian out change a lot—the puzzle part might even be intensified, which could be fun to play with and lead them to be closer from an earlier time, especially in the novel setting. What might change is that Lan Wangi might start picking up more of Wei Wuxian’s ways of expressing himself, because another part of what I personally see in their relationship is that Wei Wuxian is often a catalyst for Lan Wangji realizing he can approach a problem from a totally different angle. If Wei Wuxian uses music to communicate as well as in cultivation, Lan Wangji might pick that up, or he might pick up certain gestures (signs can sometimes be more efficient than spoken words, especially if someone is used to them, and I think that would appeal to Lan Wangji’s economy of expression), or ways to use talismans (as we see him use one of Wei Wuxian’s talismans as a distraction in the drama). So yeah, if Wei Wuxian is mute when they first meet I think they would develop some slightly different lines of communication, but overall the shape of their relationship would remain largely the same. (Exploring those slightly different lines could be a lot of fun, even so :D)

A lot of the things I’ve written here are primarily based in the idea that Wei Wuxian is mute in childhood. If Wei Wuxian lost the ability to speak as a teen or adult, that would be pretty different. His frustration levels would be even higher than if he was dealing with it most of his life, especially since, as I noted above, I don’t think he would have as much of a chance to build a working knowledge of signs with very many people, if anyone at all. If his reaction to being trapped at Burial Mounds and becoming first a war hero and then a social pariah are any indication, he’d be dramatic and angry about it, and probably actively use it as a blind to disguise his lack of a golden core as much as possible. I think in any case where he became mute after growing up speaking, his chosen methods of communication would be a lot more direct and voice- or writing-based, whether through use of resentment-fueled voice-borrowing or talismans and glowy writing, or inventions like the vocal chord vibration thing. He’s going to be much more resistant to relying on other people if he can at all avoid it, and much more impatient about round-about methods of communication like music. He’d probably also employ a lot of exaggerated facial expressions and emphatic (and probably often rude) gestures. His adulthood is pretty stressful to begin with, and this is only going to make it moreso.

For character reactions in that situation—I think there would be a lot of concern from his siblings and Lan Wangji, and depending on when it happened there might be a lot of connections drawn between his inability to speak and his adoption of demonic cultivation. (I see four major points where he might become mute as a teen/adult before his death, and they’re all pretty close together: 1) during the Wen indoctrination camp, 2) when he wakes up from his coma after fighting the Tortoise of Slaughter 3) when Lotus Pier is invaded and destroyed, 4) When Wen Chao captures him and throws him into the Burial Mounds. Potential option #5: in a battle during the Sunshot Campaign.) On the one hand, in these situations Wei Wuxian already has established relationships based mostly in respect with a lot of people, so he might meet with more patience (but also more pity) for a while. On the other, people like Jin Guangshan are absolutely not above using something like this to shut him out of politics entirely.

But okay, among people he actually likes: I think Jiang Yanli and Lan Wangji would put in the most effort for actually communicating with him and helping him find ways to cope, as we see them do in the drama with the golden core situation. They and Jiang Cheng might possibly also narrow in focus pretty hard on finding a cure, if possible, since that falls in line with their reactions to his giving up the sword (something to be careful about in writing, as the difference between “magical cure” and “recovery through speech therapy” can be pretty important on a sensitivity level).

In a case of selective mutism—I think only Jiang Yanli would react well at first.

I cry over their relationship so much.

At this point Jiang Cheng is well and truly into his “why are you making my life harder” phase so Wei Wuxian being able to speak with him in private but not in public might start as a relief and then quickly become annoying as fuck. It might take Lan Wangji a while to figure out it’s even happening, especially if he’s one of the people Wei Wuxian still speaks aloud with. He might just think for a while that Wei Wuxian is trying to be better about controlling his mouth in public settings. But once he did figure it out, he’d probably adjust pretty quickly because he can relate to it a bit—we see him speak in small groups or one on one way more often than in more public stage situations, even though he is generally fully capable of speaking. I do think there would still be an undercurrent of worry there though, especially since at that point in his life Wei Wuxian is pretty close to spiraling out of control at the drop of a hat.

This sort of thing might be a lot more common.

Post-resurrection, Wei Wuxian himself would probably be really, really confused to suddenly be alive again but unable to speak. I think he’d spend some time going “wtf??” and then shoving his way into situations with wild hand gestures and body language and facial expressions. Think about that first confrontation in Mo Village, where he’s acting “mad”? That sort of exaggeration, and deliberately provocative physical contact maybe. He might play really annoying noises on grass or his poorly-made flute to get people’s attention. Whistling is highly probable. There’d probably also be some related depression, too. All of these things are obviously possibilities for if he developed mutism earlier of course, but I think if it came with the resurrection he’d have a lot more questions about it, and focus a lot more on being able to make noise at first.

I will make everyone else aware of my personal annoyance in any way possible.

He might end up doing more instead of trying to lead the Lan juniors to the correct conclusions, because he’s going to have way fewer communication tools than he would under other circumstances. He’d be less able to immediately insult Jin Ling at their first meeting, and less recognizable to Jiang Cheng. And once he met up with Lan Wangji, I think Lan Wangji would worry a lot about his silence in this case, because it’s so unlike him and they don’t know why it’s happened (unless Mo Xuanyu was already known to be mute). Finding a cure or a way to practice and build up speech again would be pretty high in both their priorities, I think, and Lan Wangji would watch Wei Wuxian a bit more closely, to make sure he stayed safe (because if this has changed, what else has changed?).

That oversight could influence the plot a fair amount. It might mean that they don’t catch Nie Huaisang at the Tomb of Blades. It might mean that Wei Wuxian tries to run away more often, or more determinedly, because he feels like he’s being smothered. It might significantly impact their ability to communicate during the Yi City fights in the fog, unless they’ve developed or adopted a whistle or clapping code by then. Wei Wuxian picks up on A-Qing’s tapping quickly enough that he’d probably come up with something a little more sophisticated, given time. They might spend a lot more time in the evenings and while traveling working on ways to communicate. Writing. Music. Empathy-the-technique. Establishing gestures and tapping codes, designing new talismans, etc. but for a while there Wei Wuxian is going to be extremely dependent on Lan Wangji (and possibly sometimes Lan Sizhui) to interpret and speak for him, which is a major change in their relationship that could be really interesting to explore. Does Lan Wangji start speaking out more often? Or does he employ intimidation or position or the silencing spell to make others wait for Wei Wuxian to communicate in other ways? How does that effect Wei Wuxian’s hidden identity? Does this experience resolve their friendship-to-lovers plot faster, or does it provide just provide even more opportunities for miscommunication?

The possibilities for fic are very nearly endless, I think, but my personal favorite options would be either something with the voice stealing and fierce-corpse-yelling (the consequences would be huge but individual moments could be very satisfying) or a fic focused on Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian working together, building new communication tools and deepening their relationship through shared context, because I am a Wangxian sap at heart <3.

#wei wuxian #the untamed meta #mdzs meta #the untamed #mo dao zu shi #chen qing ling #lan wangji #jiang yanli #jiang cheng #alex writes #alex writes meta

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spacetimewithstuartgary · 4 years

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SOLAR ORBITER’S FIRST IMAGES REVEAL ‘CAMPFIRES’ ON THE SUN The first images from Solar Orbiter, a new Sun-observing mission by ESA and NASA, have revealed omnipresent miniature solar flares, dubbed ‘campfires,’ near the surface of our closest star. According to the scientists behind the mission, seeing phenomena that were not observable in detail before hints at the enormous potential of Solar Orbiter, which has only just finished its early phase of technical verification known as commissioning. “These are only the first images and we can already see interesting new phenomena,” says Daniel Müller, ESA’s Solar Orbiter Project Scientist. “We didn’t really expect such great results right from the start. We can also see how our ten scientific instruments complement each other, providing a holistic picture of the Sun and the surrounding environment.” Solar Orbiter, launched on 10 February 2020, carries six remote-sensing instruments, or telescopes, that image the Sun and its surroundings, and four in situ instruments that monitor the environment around the spacecraft. By comparing the data from both sets of instruments, scientists will get insights into the generation of the solar wind, the stream of charged particles from the Sun that influences the entire solar system. The unique aspect of the Solar Orbiter mission is that no other spacecraft has been able to take images of the Sun’s surface from a closer distance. Closest Images of the Sun Reveal New Phenomena The campfires shown in the first image set were captured by the Extreme Ultraviolet Imager (EUI) from Solar Orbiter’s first perihelion, the point in its elliptical orbit closest to the Sun. At that time, the spacecraft was only 77 million km away from the Sun, about half the distance between Earth and the star. “The campfires are little relatives of the solar flares that we can observe from Earth, million or billion times smaller,” says David Berghmans of the Royal Observatory of Belgium (ROB), Principal Investigator of the EUI instrument, which takes high-resolution images of the lower layers of the Sun’s atmosphere, known as the solar corona. “The Sun might look quiet at the first glance, but when we look in detail, we can see those miniature flares everywhere we look.” The scientists do not know yet whether the campfires are just tiny versions of big flares, or whether they are driven by different mechanisms. There are, however, already theories that these miniature flares could be contributing to one of the most mysterious phenomena on the Sun, the coronal heating. Unravelling the Sun’s Mysteries “These campfires are totally insignificant each by themselves, but summing up their effect all over the Sun, they might be the dominant contribution to the heating of the solar corona,” says Frédéric Auchère, of the Institut d’Astrophysique Spatiale (IAS), France, Co-Principal Investigator of EUI. The solar corona is the outermost layer of the Sun’s atmosphere that extends millions of kilometres into outer space. Its temperature is more than a million degrees Celsius, which is orders of magnitude hotter than the surface of the Sun, a ‘cool’ 5500 °C. After many decades of studies, the physical mechanisms that heat the corona are still not fully understood, but identifying them is considered the ‘holy grail’ of solar physics. “It’s obviously way too early to tell but we hope that by connecting these observations with measurements from our other instruments that ‘feel’ the solar wind as it passes the spacecraft, we will eventually be able to answer some of these mysteries,” says Yannis Zouganelis, Solar Orbiter Deputy Project Scientist at ESA. Seeing the Far Side of the Sun The Polarimetric and Helioseismic Imager (PHI) is another cutting-edge instrument aboard Solar Orbiter. It makes high-resolution measurements of the magnetic field lines on the surface of the Sun. It is designed to monitor active regions on the Sun, areas with especially strong magnetic fields, which can give birth to solar flares. During solar flares, the Sun releases bursts of energetic particles that enhance the solar wind that constantly emanates from the star into the surrounding space. When these particles interact with Earth’s magnetosphere, they can cause magnetic storms that can disrupt telecommunication networks and power grids on the ground. “Right now, we are in the part of the 11-year solar cycle when the Sun is very quiet,” says Sami Solanki, the director of the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research in Göttingen, Germany, and PHI Principal Investigator. “But because Solar Orbiter is at a different angle to the Sun than Earth, we could actually see one active region that wasn’t observable from Earth. That is a first. We have never been able to measure the magnetic field at the back of the Sun.” The magnetograms, showing how the strength of the solar magnetic field varies across the Sun’s surface, could be then compared with the measurements from the in situ instruments. “The PHI instrument is measuring the magnetic field on the surface, we see structures in the Sun’s corona with EUI, but we also try to infer the magnetic field lines going out into the interplanetary medium, where Solar Orbiter is,” says Jose Carlos del Toro Iniesta, PHI Co-Principal Investigator, of Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía, Spain. Catching the Solar Wind The four in situ instruments on Solar Orbiter then characterise the magnetic field lines and solar wind as it passes the spacecraft. Christopher Owen, of University College London Mullard Space Science Laboratory and Principal Investigator of the in situ Solar Wind Analyser, adds, “Using this information, we can estimate where on the Sun that particular part of the solar wind was emitted, and then use the full instrument set of the mission to reveal and understand the physical processes operating in the different regions on the Sun which lead to solar wind formation.” “We are all really excited about these first images -- but this is just the beginning,” adds Daniel. “Solar Orbiter has started a grand tour of the inner solar system, and will get much closer to the Sun within less than two years. Ultimately, it will get as close as 42 million km, which is almost a quarter of the distance from Sun to Earth.” “The first data are already demonstrating the power behind a successful collaboration between space agencies and the usefulness of a diverse set of images in unravelling some of the Sun’s mysteries,” comments Holly Gilbert, Director of the Heliophysics Science Division at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and Solar Orbiter Project Scientist at NASA. TOP IMAGE SET....Solar Orbiter’s first view of the Sun The Extreme Ultraviolet Imager (EUI) on ESA’s Solar Orbiter spacecraft took these images on 30 May 2020. They show the Sun’s appearance at a wavelength of 17 nanometers, which is in the extreme ultraviolet region of the electromagnetic spectrum. Images at this wavelength reveal the upper atmosphere of the Sun, the corona, with a temperature of around 1 million degrees. EUI takes full disc images (top left) using the Full Sun Imager (FSI) telescope, as well as high resolution images using the HRIEUV telescope. On 30 May, Solar Orbiter was roughly halfway between the Earth and the Sun, meaning that it was closer to the Sun than any other solar telescope has ever been before. This allowed EUI to see features in the solar corona of only 400 km across. As the mission continues, Solar Orbiter will go closer to the Sun and this will increase the instrument’s resolving power by a factor of two at closest approach. Even before this, however, these images reveal a multitude of small flaring loops, erupting bright spots and dark, moving fibrils. A ubiquitous feature of the solar surface, revealed for the first time by these images, have been called ‘campfires’. They are omnipresent minuature eruptions that could be contributing to the high temperatures of the solar corona and the origin of the solar wind. The colour on this image has been artificially added because the original wavelength detected by the instrument is invisible to the human eye. The extended grey shape visible in the top left part of the central image is not a solar feature but is caused by a sensor artefact. Solar Orbiter is a space mission of international collaboration between ESA and NASA. Solar Orbiter/EUI Team/ESA & NASA; CSL, IAS, MPS, PMOD/WRC, ROB, UCL/MSSL LOWER IMAGE SET....The Sun and its magnetic properties The Polarimetric and Helioseismic Imager (PHI) on ESA’s Solar Orbiter measures the magnetic field near the Sun’s surface and allows the investigation of the Sun’s interior via the technique of helioseismology. In these images, PHI reveals the breadth of information it can unlock. The top left hand image was taken on 18 June 2020 using the PHI Full Disk Telescope. It shows the Sun as it would appear to the naked eye. Currently our nearest star is magnetically quiet, which means that there are no visible sunspots. This is not to say that there are no magnetic fields threading the solar surface and atmosphere. The bottom left image was taken on 28 May 2020 with the PHI, High Resolution Telescope. It is a magnetogram that spans an area of approximately 200 000 km x 200 000 km on the solar surface. The small structures seen are magnetic regions of both north and south polarities, some of which have sizes of a few 1000 km. The bottom right image shows an extrapolation of the magnetic field lines emanating from the magnetic structures into the upper solar atmosphere, which the EUI telescope images. The top right image shows the visible appearance of this patch on the sun’s surface. The granulation pattern represents the up and down flows of hot, electrically charged gas, known as plasma, that occurs under the Sun’s visible surface. Solar Orbiter is a space mission of international collaboration between ESA and NASA. Solar Orbiter/PHI Team/ESA & NASA

#space #science #Astronomy #physics #news #solar orbiter #ESA

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