You ever think about Crocodile's pre midlife crisis disillusionment-with-piracy look? I think about it a lot.

I am completely normal about this.

EDIT: Hey, hey you, psst. I did some more work on this!

'after-bath blushing Tully' sketch before going to bed bye 👁️

Buggy's Early Childhood Trauma Revealed (headcanon notes)

Art by kobmamba on Redbubble

- When Buggy was very small he was sold/given to a circus. Being there is the first part of his life that he recalls, and he thinks of it as his tragic origin story.

- Because of his nose, he was a natural shoo-in for the clown act where, at ages 4-6, he would be pushed around in a baby carriage by a male clown in drag. As "Baby Buggy", he hit other clowns with an oversized mallet when they peeked into the carriage to coochie-coo him. The name Buggy stuck.

- As he got a bit older, he was redubbed "Bratty Buggy" and put in an adorable little clown suit and hat covered in multi-colored satin ruffles. He would parade around the ring while the other clowns performed stunt gags, but he was the crowd's favorite. He would suddenly appear from under a box prop, sneak around, and smash the other clowns on the head, feet, and butt with his mallet. At the end of his bit he did pinwheels and somersaults for the crowd and then bent over, stuck out his tongue, and farted. He had them rolling in the aisles.

- He remembers being ganged up on and tortured by the older kids and some of the younger roustabouts who worked at the circus. They would hold him down or sit on him while they all took turns honking his nose and laughing. They called him Big Nose, Clown Boy, Buggy the Bitch, etc.

- While this was objectively cruel and terrible bullying, Buggy forgets his own behavior at the time. Being who he was, he naturally drew attention. People always expected him to do something funny or at least make them smile. But Bratty Buggy lived up to his name. He had an imperious attitude and a bad temper, and often yelled, "I'M THE STAR! I'M THE STAR! YOU SHOULD BE THE ONE DOING TRICKS FOR ME!" Even though he was small and irresistibly cute and pinchable, he acted like he was a 6 ft tough guy always ready for a fight (I picture him as being a lot like Muffin from Bluey). This only made him even more of a target.

- His former bullies remember him fondly as being entertaining and hilarious, while Buggy only remembers putting each of their names on his Black List. He was around eight when he told his clowning mentor that he wanted to learn how to throw knives. This request was denied as not being appropriate for his age or his act.

- When Buggy was 9, some of Gold Roger's crew came to the circus, mostly for Shanks' benefit. Roger, Rayleigh, and Shanks caught the show under the big top, including the clowns, and then went to check out the midway. Shanks went exploring on his own while his dads played the games. He heard fighting behind one of the tents and found Buggy looking battered but still threatening a group of much larger opponents with his fists. Shanks tried to help Buggy out by joining his side, but Buggy assumed he was just being made fun of again and told Shanks to go get lost, which he absolutely refused to do.

- This resulted in Buggy eventually starting a fight with Shanks himself as the others cheered them on. Roger and Rayleigh heard the boys shouting and came to break up the fight. They had to tear Buggy and Shanks apart. Not knowing who he was talking to, Buggy proceeded to insult the older pirates and challenge them to fight as well. Roger laughed and praised Buggy for being such a fearless and tough little fellow, which immediately won Buggy's heart. It would take him a bit longer to warm up to Shanks, though.

- Once Buggy learned that piracy included training in knife throwing plus treasure and adventure, he ran away from the circus to join Roger's crew and never looked back, vowing never to clown again. That last part didn't stick.

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐖𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧 𝐕𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐞𝐬 𝐓𝐫𝐮𝐥𝐲 𝐀𝐫𝐞 - 𝙗𝙮 𝘾𝙖𝙞𝙩𝙡𝙞𝙣 𝙅𝙤𝙝𝙣𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙣𝙚

When Israeli president Isaac Herzog described the assault on Gaza as a war “to save Western civilization, to save the values of Western civilization,” he wasn’t really lying. He was telling the truth — just maybe not quite in the way that he meant it.

The demolition of Gaza is indeed being perpetrated in defense of western values, and is itself a perfect embodiment of western values. Not the western values they teach you about in school, but the hidden ones they don’t want you to look at. Not the attractive packaging with the advertising slogans on the label, but the product that’s actually inside the box.

For centuries western civilization has depended heavily on war, genocide, theft, colonialism and imperialism, which it has justified using narratives premised on religion, racism and ethnic supremacy — all of which we are seeing play out in the incineration of Gaza today.

What we are seeing in Gaza is a much better representation of what western civilization is really about than all the gibberish about freedom and democracy we learned about in school. A much better representation of western civilization than all the art and literature we’ve been proudly congratulating ourselves on over the centuries. A much better representation of western civilization than the love and compassion we like to pretend our Judeo-Christian values revolve around.

It’s been so surreal watching western rightists babbling about how savage and barbaric Muslim culture is amid the 2023 zombie resurrection of Bush-era Islamophobia, even while western civilization amasses a mountain of ten thousand child corpses.

That mountain of child corpses is a much better representation of western culture than anything Mozart, da Vinci or Shakespeare ever produced.

This is western civilization. This is what it looks like.

Western civilization, where Julian Assange awaits his final appeal in February against US extradition for journalism which exposed US war crimes.

Where we are fed a nonstop deluge of mass media propaganda to manufacture our consent for wars and aggression which have killed millions and displaced tens of millions in the 21st century alone.

Where we are kept distracted by vapid entertainment and artificial culture wars so we don’t think too hard about what this civilization is and who it is killing and maiming and starving and exploiting.

Where news cycles are dominated more by celebrity gossip and Donald Trump’s latest mouth farts than by the mass atrocities that are being actively facilitated by western governments.

Where liberals congratulate themselves for having progressive views on race and gender while the officials they elect help rip apart children’s bodies with military explosives.

Part 2 of 2 below:

Where Zionist Jews center themselves and their emotions because opposition to an active genocide makes them feel like they are being persecuted, and where Israel supporters who are not Jewish still kind of feel like they are being persecuted also.

Where a giant globe-spanning empire powered by militarism, imperialism, capitalism and authoritarianism devours human flesh with an insatiable appetite while we congratulate ourselves on how much better we are than nations like Iran or China.

These are western values. This is western civilization.

Ask somebody to tell you what their values are and they’ll give you a bunch of pleasant-sounding words about family and love and caring or whatever. Watch their actions to see what their actual values are and you’ll often get a very different story.

That’s us. That’s western civilization. We say we value freedom, justice, truth, peace and free expression, but our actions paint a very different picture. The real western values, the actual product inside the box underneath the attractive label, are the ones you see acted out in Gaza today.

When Israeli president Isaac Herzog described the assault on Gaza as a war “to save Western civilization, to save the values of Western civilization,” he wasn’t really lying. He was telling the truth — just maybe not quite in the way that he meant it. The demolition of Gaza is indeed being perpetrated in defense of western values, and is itself a perfect embodiment of western values. Not the western values they teach you about in school, but the hidden ones they don’t want you to look at. Not the attractive packaging with the advertising slogans on the label, but the product that’s actually inside the box. For centuries western civilization has depended heavily on war, genocide, theft, colonialism and imperialism, which it has justified using narratives premised on religion, racism and ethnic supremacy — all of which we are seeing play out in the incineration of Gaza today. What we are seeing in Gaza is a much better representation of what western civilization is really about than all the gibberish about freedom and democracy we learned about in school. A much better representation of western civilization than all the art and literature we’ve been proudly congratulating ourselves on over the centuries. A much better representation of western civilization than the love and compassion we like to pretend our Judeo-Christian values revolve around. It’s been so surreal watching western rightists babbling about how savage and barbaric Muslim culture is amid the 2023 zombie resurrection of Bush-era Islamophobia, even while western civilization amasses a mountain of ten thousand child corpses. That mountain of child corpses is a much better representation of western culture than anything Mozart, da Vinci or Shakespeare ever produced. This is western civilization. This is what it looks like. Western civilization, where Julian Assange awaits his final appeal in February against US extradition for journalism which exposed US war crimes. Where we are fed a nonstop deluge of mass media propaganda to manufacture our consent for wars and aggression which have killed millions and displaced tens of millions in the 21st century alone. Where we are kept distracted by vapid entertainment and artificial culture wars so we don’t think too hard about what this civilization is and who it is killing and maiming and starving and exploiting. Where news cycles are dominated more by celebrity gossip and Donald Trump’s latest mouth farts than by the mass atrocities that are being actively facilitated by western governments. Where liberals congratulate themselves for having progressive views on race and gender while the officials they elect help rip apart children’s bodies with military explosives. Where Zionist Jews center themselves and their emotions because opposition to an active genocide makes them feel like they are being persecuted, and where Israel supporters who are not Jewish still kind of feel like they are being persecuted also. Where a giant globe-spanning empire powered by militarism, imperialism, capitalism and authoritarianism devours human flesh with an insatiable appetite while we congratulate ourselves on how much better we are than nations like Iran or China. These are western values. This is western civilization. Ask somebody to tell you what their values are and they’ll give you a bunch of pleasant-sounding words about family and love and caring or whatever. Watch their actions to see what their actual values are and you’ll often get a very different story. That’s us. That’s western civilization. We say we value freedom, justice, truth, peace and free expression, but our actions paint a very different picture. The real western values, the actual product inside the box underneath the attractive label, are the ones you see acted out in Gaza today.

The Atrocities In Gaza Are The Perfect Embodiment Of ‘Western Values’

What are “Western Values”

Western values are a set of values strongly associated with the West which generally posit the importance of individual rights. They are often seen as related to Judeo-Christian values, and are generally associated with other sociopolitical aspects of the West, such as free-market capitalism and liberal democracy. (Link to source: Western values (West) - Wikipedia)

Top 5 Core Values Of Western Societies: Individualism-Personal responsibility-Free enterprise-Equality-Patriotism (Link to source: Top 5 Core Values Of Western Societies — CEOWORLD magazine)

The United States of Nothing: What are “Western Values”? (link to source: The United States of Nothing. What are “Western Values”? | by umair haque | Bad Words | Medium)

LISTEN & / OR READ...

879-1 https://ok.ru/video/7435726228019

READ:

When Israeli president Isaac Herzog described the assault on Gaza as a war “to save Western civilization, to save the values of Western civilization,” he wasn’t really lying. He was telling the truth — just maybe not quite in the way that he meant it.

The demolition of Gaza is indeed being perpetrated in defense of western values, and is itself a perfect embodiment of western values. Not the western values they teach you about in school, but the hidden ones they don’t want you to look at. Not the attractive packaging with the advertising slogans on the label, but the product that’s actually inside the box.

For centuries western civilization has depended heavily on war, genocide, theft, colonialism and imperialism, which it has justified using narratives premised on religion, racism and ethnic supremacy — all of which we are seeing play out in the incineration of Gaza today.

What we are seeing in Gaza is a much better representation of what western civilization is really about than all the gibberish about freedom and democracy we learned about in school. A much better representation of western civilization than all the art and literature we’ve been proudly congratulating ourselves on over the centuries. A much better representation of western civilization than the love and compassion we like to pretend our Judeo-Christian values revolve around.

It’s been so surreal watching western rightists babbling about how savage and barbaric Muslim culture is amid the 2023 zombie resurrection of Bush-era Islamophobia, even while western civilization amasses a mountain of ten thousand child corpses.

That mountain of child corpses is a much better representation of western culture than anything Mozart, da Vinci or Shakespeare ever produced.

This is western civilization. This is what it looks like.

Western civilization, where Julian Assange awaits his final appeal in February against US extradition for journalism which exposed US war crimes.

Where we are fed a nonstop deluge of mass media propaganda to manufacture our consent for wars and aggression which have killed millions and displaced tens of millions in the 21st century alone.

Where we are kept distracted by vapid entertainment and artificial culture wars so we don’t think too hard about what this civilization is and who it is killing and maiming and starving and exploiting.

Where news cycles are dominated more by celebrity gossip and Donald Trump’s latest mouth farts than by the mass atrocities that are being actively facilitated by western governments.

Where liberals congratulate themselves for having progressive views on race and gender while the officials they elect help rip apart children’s bodies with military explosives.

Where Zionist Jews center themselves and their emotions because opposition to an active genocide makes them feel like they are being persecuted, and where Israel supporters who are not Jewish still kind of feel like they are being persecuted also.

Where a giant globe-spanning empire powered by militarism, imperialism, capitalism and authoritarianism devours human flesh with an insatiable appetite while we congratulate ourselves on how much better we are than nations like Iran or China.

These are western values. This is western civilization.

Ask somebody to tell you what their values are and they’ll give you a bunch of pleasant-sounding words about family and love and caring or whatever. Watch their actions to see what their actual values are and you’ll often get a very different story.

That’s us. That’s western civilization. We say we value freedom, justice, truth, peace and free expression, but our actions paint a very different picture. The real western values, the actual product inside the box underneath the attractive label, are the ones you see acted out in Gaza today.

While working on the two spirals I completed this baby I started way before them. He’s on the AH for 100kg but I’m willing to haggle or trade for art/items ( ^w^ )

Just DM for more info! Thanks!

two bounties and an agent stuck on hutta what will they do

Lemme, lemme help you with that *pulls out napkin* 😘

Tumblr stole my 2023 send off, so here's a hello 2024. The gold and texture has me.

star wars au baby 💥💥

Commission for Lawcaldwell on Flight Rising

approaching very old stories, stories from ancestors, stories from elders

inspired by the thread "How to Read Myths and Folklore" by Mythological Africans, i'm sharing my approach to very old stories, stories from ancestors, and stories from elders.

while i hope that this might be useful to any reader, the context here is that i'm a westerner who grew up in a western family with western values. i was educated in western schools with their values.

the mainstream white western relationship with very old stories is complicated. the abrahamic stories (judaism, christianity) are well-respected, but even most of the west's own old stories (norse stories, greek stories, little old village stories, etc.) are treated as myths (in the sense of "things people used to believe as true but that are generally no longer considered true because of scientific advances in understanding about the world").

among western peoples, most of what might be called "indigenous" culture (including stories) was suppressed & destroyed a very long time ago. christianity has been dominant in europe for so long that aside from things like the old religion of ireland, very little remains that's commonly known. specific national stories might be historical epics/legends, "fairy tales", & "mythology." often pre-christian beliefs in europe are lumped into a sort of generic "nature worship" and then dismissed.

the mainstream white western attitude is that there is little of value in very old stories for people today. newer knowledge is more highly valued. there are people who still study aristotle, etc., but generally, aside from judaism & christianity, there aren't many extremely old stories that western people value today. and many westerners are not religious & don't take their peoples' religious traditions seriously either.

(i would argue that part of this skepticism comes from the triumph of science in setting itself up as the only source of truth. part of it also comes from the fact that most of the old stories are religious, from large, patriarchical, institutionalized religions that have abused the idea of "listen to your elders" to keep people down. by not being wise elders, they have made people not trust them and also not trust the idea that listening to one's elders is important. these elders tell women to submit, tell gay people they are going to hell, claim to be virtuous while abusing children, and all the other things that have shown them to be bankrupt. there is no trust.

even aside from religious elders and ancestors, other thinkers from europe's past (ancient philosophers, national heroes, etc.) were not good people who had all kinds of terrible ideas, including racism, sexism, support for imperialism and monarchy, support for slavery, support for exploitation of natural resources, etc. the western (liberal) story goes: "people in the past were barbaric and we are more enlightened now." because of the universalizing part of western culture, this is treated as true for all people everywhere, not as something that's specific to particular peoples.

in western education, we usually don't learn that among many peoples of the world, ancestors & elders are considered wise, trusted, caring, and had many gifts to share with younger generations. i believe it's important to understand this when listening to & reading very old stories. not to say that elders were *necessarily* wise, but to accept that people from different groups see their own ancestors and knowledge passed down from ancestors in different ways.)

after considering all that, here are some specific ways i approach very old stories, stories from ancestors, and stories from elders:

first, i think about the source of the story i'm reading/listening to. how did this story come to cross my path? who is telling it? are they telling a story from their own people? what are the conditions under which i am encountering this story? among many peoples, sharing a traditional story is not done lightly. as a listener, i understand that it's an honor to be an outsider hearing a story. i have to understand who i am, who the speaker/writer is, what is our relationship (are we a settler & a colonized person? are we an "educated" person and a person from the village? it makes a difference!) who is the speaker/writer's intended audience, what is the context in which i am receiving this story?

here is an example: i live on hawai'i island (i'm a white (but also jewish and immigrant) settler on hawaiian land). every year there's a large festival and competition of hula (traditional hawaiian dance) called merrie monarch. hula is an ancient art form, sacred to the goddess laka. hula is often accompanied by singing, chanting, and is a whole performance. there's a huge variety: hula can be for ritual, for entertainment, to tell/perform historical stories, to prepare for battle, to be playful, to welcome visitors, to welcome the birth of a child, and for many other purposes. there are similar dances all across the pacific, and usually groups come from all over the world to share the very best they have to offer. as such, it's an important event for hawaiians and for other pacific people.

here are some excerpts from merrie monarch 2019 to give you an idea of what it's like:

if i'm in the audience, or watching merrie monarch on tv, i have to understand that i'm an outsider spectator and that this event is mainly by and for hawaiians and other pacific people. i am an outsider who they have graciously let in to their culture in this way. i think it's important to understand all this in order to take the proper attitude towards old stories. see them as a gift from the speaker/writer/performer that one is being allowed to hear. the next thing to consider: who is the teller? in english (the only language i have experience reading stories in), we often get stories from non-western peoples as filtered through white westerners. i take all of these with a grain of salt. if at all possible, i try to find the story as told/written by someone *from the group* that the story is from. i mostly skip over retellings/interpretations by white westerners entirely. if the story is within an anthropology text, i'll try to get any historical context that the anthropologist provides, and then just read the story itself. white western interpretations of non-western stories are usually a garbled mess. translations can also be a minefield. here in hawai'i, anthropologists & folklorists have been "recording hawaiian stories" for over a hundred years. it's a complicated history of tellings of tellings, translations that have become canon, and more. (if you're interested in learning more, i recommend the excellent book Mai Paʻa I Ka Leo: Historical Voice in Hawaiian Primary Materials, Looking Forward and Listening Back by M. Puakea Nogelmeier. it discusses the formation of an english-language canon of a huge archive of hawaiian-language newspapers, which contain many serialized stories & legends.) although it may seem difficult, i encourage you, the reader, to learn about the complicated landscape around the story you're reading/listening to. in other words, how did this particular version of the story come to end up with you? the preface and introduction in a book can often provide a lot of background info on the text in your hand. you don't want to be reading the hand-me-down version of some white supremacist's version of the story, assuming that that's really the story of a certain people! if at all possible, try to get to the actual words of the people whose story it is. also, consider that like hula, "stories" are not just the words, but might include the dance, the music, the performance, how the words are delivered, etc. "the story" might be all of those things together. the listener/reader's understanding might only arise from having that whole experience...without it, you might not get the actual message the story is meant to give. a story that might seem violent and off-putting in text, it might turn out that it's commonly told around a campfire to entertain children, complete with fart sounds and jokes. knowing that is important. that kind of story is very different from a story told during a ritual, or a creation story. aside from the conditions under which the story is told/performed among a people, it's important to know how old the story is. i've seen anthropologists describe stories from the late 1800s as "very old." i would dispute that characterization. generally, the older a story is, the more carefully i listen. often the storyteller will tell you the age and context of the story. they might say "this is a story i heard from my elders. this story has been among our people for many generations." ok, so i am about to hear a story passed down for many generations...it's a story that people remember and a story that people think is important enough to pass down to their children, who in turn remember it and pass it down. how many stories do *i* have like that? exactly zero. so in my mind, when i hear "this is a story that's been passed down among my people for generations," i listen carefully because something important is about to be shared. the teller/writer will often also tell you why they're sharing the story or who it's meant for. i've heard things like "this story is important not just for

our people, or for indigenous people, it's important for people all over the world." well in that case, i better listen. sometimes they might say "we are recording this story for younger generations", to help their own people remember their peoples' stories. stories told to anthropologists can be a whole minefield. imagine you're minding your own business at home, when an anthropologist shows up and wants to ~record your stories~. why? just because they're interested and want to share them with their pals back home. now imagine that those anthropologists are of the same background and from the same people who have colonized your land, enslaved your people, driven your people from your land, and continue to marginalize your people. this anthro might claim they're "not like that", but once you've given them the story, maybe you never hear from them again and you never even see what they actually wrote in their book. it's important to remember that there's a story extraction history. white westerners have built careers off "harvesting" stories from non-western peoples. what have they given back? it's even worse when you consider that many white members of the academy are seen as "experts" on the culture they study (even if their understanding is poor!), while members of that culture are excluded from the western academy and can't get their works published. it's important to consider that history when reading stories in anthropology (and similar) books. many people have had generations of anthropologists come and go, all asking for stories. let's just say that i wouldn't blame them if they gave a silly or "fake" story to the latest generation of clueless white anthro. i have no way to know how common it is, but i've read at least one story that led me to wonder "is the person telling the story just taking the piss out of this anthro?" how many stories might subtly mock or poke fun at the westerner and the westerner doesn't even realize it? it's something to consider. which brings me to the next thing i consider: many meanings. oral traditions are often incredibly rich and nuanced. some stories are straightforward (maybe it's a story to entertain) and some stories have *many* layers of meaning, including historical, political, serious, humorous, and much more. you might have to hear the story or understand the tone the teller uses in different parts of the story to understand whether something is meant to be serious or funny. you may have to know a lot about the history, culture, and context of the story to understand all the layers. (for an excellent example from here in hawai'i, i recommend the book Ka Honua Ola: ‘Eli‘eli Kau Mai / The Living Earth: Descend, Deepen the Revelation by Pualani Kanaka‘ole Kanahele. she goes line-by-line in several important chants discussing the multiple meanings.)

anyway, these are the main things i keep in mind when approaching ancient stories, stories from ancestors, stories told by elders. i hope this helped you. if you see anything i've gotten wrong, please let me know! thank you for reading.

binghsien replied to your post “Fight the 'final fantasy' series of games”

do it

OK fine.  Why FF6 Is Best FF: 

First we got the involvement of Yoshitaka Amano, who imparted the visual proceedings with an air of melancholy stylishness that trickled down and permeated the whole vibe.  The developers looked at his concept sketches and asked Uematsu “can you do RPG music but it’s, like, weary jazz?”  Turns out he could, and everyone else followed his lead, and I don’t think the FF aesthetic will ever get more interesting than that.  It’s a game where the dungeons include “haunted private art collection”, “traumatized soldier’s nightmare of modernity” and “rafters of opera house during actual opera” - it’s clear they were shooting for Capital A Art here and everyone involved knew it.

It’s also the biggest feeling video game I have ever played, which is partially a function of how old I was when I played it, but I have this distinct memory of arriving at the end of the World of Balance arc and being sure that the game was over and then discovering there was a whole nother world to explore... I don’t know if I’ll ever get that feeling from a game again.  “Oh, this random forest I have no reason to explore is full of dinosaurs, that’s interesting” - “oh, I have to allow myself to be eaten by this one enemy on an island in the middle of nowhere to unlock this hidden character” - that kind of thing.  It has the knack of vastness, abetted by the knack of unfolding slowly so the vastness isn’t an intimidating turnoff.  The player’s path starts linear and becomes more and more open until there are so many nooks and crannies that even once the community squeezed it completely dry (which took years) the feeling that hidden corners of the world remain persisted.

Six is also one of two Final Fantasy games to date with a female main character, and when I think about the immediate aesthetic antipathy I have for the latter games in the series that plays a big part.  I am not interested in the latest adventure of Large Sword Lad with his hair like a majestic bird.  I don’t care which of his love interests will die tragically.  I am here for Terra and Celes; I’m here for their arcs, which reckon with whether their power and their femininity contradict each other, and which both conclude that the answer is a resounding no.  Terra the faltering amnesiac runs from the monster she finds within herself but realizes that that terrifying strength is the key to protecting the people she loves.  Celes the emotional cripple finds her heart by nursing an old man through his illness and then picks up her sword and puts the world back together, piece by fucking piece.  The way love saves them both but in different ways and on their own terms… it’s choice. It’s advanced.

And… yes, OK, Kefka’s an evil clown, and everyone kind of knew how lame that was even before Jared Leto got involved, but hear me out – he’s a) an evil clown who’s an actual clown, in that he has none of the scary dignity that made the Heath Ledger/Alan Moore Joker archetype catnip to edgelords everywhere, but continually takes pratfalls and makes fart jokes even while he’s murdering people, and b) an evil clown who’s a general in the imperial army.  Gestahl looked at this louche buffoon in makeup and he was like “yes, this seems like officer material”, because Kefka had The Magic and that was pretty much the sole criterion for inclusion in the upper ranks.  This is both a good joke and the sneaky key to the game’s moral heft.  FF6’s thesis statement is that power is only meaningful if it’s used for the sake of others, which isn’t particularly groundbreaking, but Kefka is a fantastic caricature of the opposing viewpoint.  Kefka is everyone who thinks that his intelligence and talent make him exempt from treating other people decently, and the empire is every power structure that enables people like that – the university, the corporation, the bureaucratic state.  

Finally there’s the sketch exploit, the metajoke that the little girl with the paintbrush is the one character powerful enough to break the entire game, which is just so beautifully congruent with what the narrative has to say about art and gender that it’s tempting to read it as an intentional gesture.  And why not?  The developer is dead; bugs are text.  A game which manages to tell its story through mechanical elements even in the speedrun is a once in a generation achievement.

I headcannon that China is more of a cultural influence as it's the only Asian country. They make anime, Chinese Dramas are very popular, and the food is well-known. Fashion is extremely unique as you see a lot of young people trying to look like their favorite C-Pop star (but some fashion trends make the elders raise eyebrows). Music is a special blend of C-pop, J-pop, and K-pop. (I want Lonnie and other girls to dance/sing/listen to the Chinese version of Miss A's I Don't Need A Man).

Hooboy, this is going to be a while, just like the Xiongnu and Youask!

Anyway,some historical parallels and details to establish here first andforemost:

Ibelieve that Mulan takes place during the 15th Century,with some obvious anachronistic elements and historical and regionalinaccuracies, such as the fact that the Xiongnu were actuallyabsorbed into Chinese culture by this point, the invention of thefireworks that feature so prominently in the movie itself, anddetails like the voice actors using the wrong accent when pronouncing“Fa” as they are explicitly in the northern regions.

Inour timeline and our China, this century was a time of greatexploration and expansion of trade deals with foreign countries,along with a fascination in exotic treasures and animals (such asgiraffes) during the former half of the period, with an isolationistperiod and an economic decline in the other half.

It’sreally interesting as it fits really well with the sort of attitudethat you would expect a country to have BGU to even been amenable tothe negotiations and extensive preparations for joining Auradon, andthe resulting reaction when the country doesn’t prove nearly asstable and perfect as it was advertised to be.

Tocompletely and thoroughly discuss all the effects Auradon’s fusionhad on the Chinese people would be a BOOK, not a long tumblr post, soI’m just going to stick with your ask and focus specifically on theculture.

Sowithout further ado, 

“Culture in China, Before and After the GreatUniting”:

Tosay that the fusion and the introduction of many foreign, andsometimes temporally advanced, ideals, cultures, andinformation shook China to its very core is an understatement.

Inits own home realm, it was already a mecca for arts and culture,which is why they have indeed become the center for all Asiancultures because of foreign artists, dignitaries, merchants, andex-patriots from countries like Japan, Vietnam, and India, and someEuropean countries like that of Spain and Portugal.

AGU,it became an even bigger focus due to the vastness of its population,the massive growth and spread of wealth to the common man as career,commerce, and education opportunities abounded, and of course, thealready existing and thriving diversity within its own regions.

Thoughthe list of arts, trends, and cultural changes that exploded from theGreat Uniting are VERY, VERY, VERY NUMEROUS, you can verygenerally classify them into two movements:

Oneis the “Mulan” Movement (named after the famous War Hero, LiMulan, nee Fa), featuring themes, philosophies, and attitudesinvolving rebellion, breaking of age-old traditions, challenging thegender and/or societal roles (they were often intertwined, as womengot more freedoms and economic influence), liberal and democraticvalues originating mostly from London and its stores of knowledge,and an emphasis on personal realization and following through onindividual passions no matter what—being “true to your heart,”as it was popularly phrased.

Thoughthe movement was seen as a very valuable period of experimentation,exploration, and empowerment of many of the working class,minorities, and those that never would have stood a chance atpursuing their crafts BGU, it was heavily criticized for what manyaccused as “irreverence for irreverence’s sake,” the cheapeningand blasphemy of sacred traditions and elements of their society suchas the Emperor, the corruption of culture, and an unhealthy affectionand love for foreigners’ culture over that of their own, the lastmostly being attributed to majority of the new artists of this perioddrawing extremely heavy inspiration from the other states, if theyhadn’t copied it outright as is the case with covers and wholestyles like Coronian lute arrangements.

Itdidn’t help that it happened beside and sometimes instigated a HUGEamount of conflict, societal disruption, and even violent run-inswith the law, as many of the performers and fans oftentimes heldtheir events in remote locations in the mountains or seedy (forAuradon’s standards) underground venues, there was quite a lot ofworking class children who tried for stardom and ended up crashingand burning when they got roped up in drugs, too much partying, andthe fickle tastes of the masses, plus a LOT of the people whoidolized Mulan were also incredibly passionate, but WAY more violentand lacking in self control.

Thesecond is was simply known as “China’s Conservationist Period”where majority of the culture-and-future-shocked citizens retreatedback to what was familiar and established in the face of drastic andtoo rapid societal change, and what they sometimes believed was anattack on themselves and everything they held dear, an attempt toerase their very history and what makes them Chinese, to adopt thecultures and attitudes of foreigners and completely become them.

Thisxenophobic attitude was very apparent with critics and punditsreferring to many foreign acts and faces of culture as “invaders,”especially the controversial ones like the “Sex, Drugs, and Rock‘n’ Roll” idols from London.

Itenjoyed its own period of success independent of the Mulan Movement,owing to the fact that there were also plenty of foreigners whowanted to see this brand new culture and were already familiar, orsick of, the twists, new elements, and foreign Chinese artists wereintegrating into their works (“foreign” and “alien” are allrelative, after all).

Thetwo movements began to wane as societal and political tensionssettled, people at large adapted to the brand new reality they had,and gradually became more open to the change and less hostile tointegrating foreign ideals.

Theartists themselves also realized just how incredibly fleeting anddifficult it was to keep an audience’s attention in thishyper-accelerated and connected world, what with its increasinglyshort attention spans and the constant spotlight on both theirpersonal and professional lives, having to keep up a good front andappearance at all times.

Athird and very important factor was that the teenagers of thatgeneration became the “old farts” they were criticizing yearsearlier, and found themselves unable to keep up, or have legitimateinterest in the latest trends and developments, as they no longerrelated to the themes.

Happilymarried individuals rather found they don’t want to hear about thelascivious exploits of a guitarist who swears she will never getattached to any one girl.

Still,they didn’t want to abandon culture, music, and their craftsaltogether, which led to the “New Horizon” movement, generallyfeaturing fusions of traditional and modern instruments and styles,modern techniques for classic arts such as legends being told throughadvanced holograms than puppets, and the integration of “pagodas”and vibrant, Royal Palace style gardens in modern, mostly concreteand glass buildings.

Independentof periods and movements, and focusing on specific styles of cultureand arts:

Theaterand live performances experienced a massive surge given that there’ssuddenly so many avenues for performers to perform in for cheaper andwith less barrier to entry, it’s much more easy to organizethemselves logistically, and they have a willing crowd that can paythrough all manner of means, and “patrons” are not exclusivelylimited to rich merchants and the ruling class.

Recordeddramas also experienced the same popularity due to the demand and theease with which they could be produced and profit, though obviouslythey have their own market, with some overlap to the former.

Literatureexploded now that self-publication and distribution wassuddenly available, and you better believe that fanfiction bloomed assoon as people got wind of it. As with Sturgeon’s Law, though, mostof it was EXTREMELY bad, especially when you consider culturaldifferences and people only getting the appeal of certain memes,jokes, and themes VERY superficially.

Animationwise, I wouldn’t call what China produces “anime,” since Idefine anime as “animation originating from Japan,” though I canunderstand with how foreign countries produce shows clearly inspiredby and mimicking many of the distinct styles and elements from iconicanime shows, you would come to describe South East Asian animation ora certain style originating from there as “anime.”

(IfI missed any specific form of art you’d like, such as that ofpainting, it’s because this is already a lot of work as is, andthey can be answered in a later ask when I’ve had time to rest.)

Backto Movements, some common themes in these works, from both the Mulanand the Conservationist:

Rebellion,evil emperors, and impossible threats being conquered by herofigures, who are frequently outcasts, eccentrics, and vilified bysociety at large until they prove that their strangeness is whatallows them to become great.

Fantasiesinvolving being trapped in heavily restrictive and unimaginativedystopias, and breaking away the metaphorical and sometimesfigurative chains that keep the populations in line, and a sense ofoptimism and idealism despite the uncertainty and chaos that awaitstheir victory.

Loveletters to the Chinese Imperial System, with Emperors often beingcast as Divine Forces of Good, or heavenly beings locked in battlewith Evil, and needing the assistance of the protagonists to bringpeace back to the land.

Idealistic,oftentimes inaccurate, and heavily romanticized accounts of theirhistory, such as that of their legendary heroes being reborn inmodern times to revive the lost traditions and ideals, benevolentfeudal lords fighting back to the invading barbarian hordes and theirradical, dangerous new ideas and ways, oftentimes by discovering orpreserving the artefacts and culture bequeathed onto them, frequentlygiven some form of personification like benevolent spirits (inspiredby Shintoism), or even the souls of their beloved ancestorsthemselves.

Ontofood: you bet your ass the food is popular!

Iactually imagine that Mulan’s China becomes a love-letter to“Cooking Master Boy” (and still is, to this day, complete withsecret techniques, mystical glows of deliciousness, and flyingingredients from the sheer speed and force of chopping) due to howimportant the culinary arts is to their culture, and how they wereall too eager to share it with the rest of the world, both to make aliving, and to make a name for themselves in the world.

Withthe Silk Trade being one of their most enduring legacies and highestpriorities, yes, fashion did explode with China, now that they had amassive audience that are constantly hungering for new designs,incredible ease with which orders could be fulfilled and shipped allover Auradon, and the creative bloom as everyone was constantlyrubbing elbows with foreign influences, citizens, dignitaries,culture, now that physical travel was easier than ever, and massmedia really got a foothold.

(Ona side note, if you thought the current congestion and traffic inmodern day China is bad, Auradon’s unexpected automotive boom wasleagues worse, whichincidentally caused a gigantic boom in services and companiesspecializing in streaming media on the go.)

Yes,China has a massive influence with their music, especially due to themany different styles and regional differences in their country, andhow easily they could experience, sample, mix, distribute, and moreimportantly, profit from them.

Auradondidn’t have as much problem with illegal pirating and downloadingas we do, and as I’ve said earlier, the recent interest in fusionof the old and the new has lead to such songs and styles like you’vementioned.

DidI miss anything or did not expound as much as you’d like, If so, Iapologize, and please ask again, I’ll get to it when I have theenergy and interest once more.

My Works

I was tagged by the talented and lovely @thejourneymaninn x

Rules: tag the person who tagged you, always post the rules, answer the questions, and add the date!  

5 Aug 2017

1. What are your five most popular works? & 2. What are your five least popular works?

I only have 6 works, whic are fanfiction (can’t draw for shit) so how ‘bout I just give them in order? Cool? Yay!

Dr Anders From Sex Ed (219 kudos)

Dr Anders, the youngest healer to receive his doctorate in medicinal magic has a side-job. He teaches sex-ed to the swarms of reluctant first years at his university as part of the new nationwide 'safer campuses initiative' and moonlights as the doctor on-call at KU (Kirkwall University) Student Health Services.

Then he gets an anonymous note in class that turns his world upside down.

How I Met Your Father: The Dragonborn Diaries (72 Kudos)

Diana could give a flying Falmer Fart about this whole 'Dragonborn' business. She's got a pocket full of coin, a mug of Riverwood ale, and that brooding cutie in the corner of the Inn glaring at her like her very existence offends him on a personal level isn't bad to look at.

Follow the (mis)adventures of Diana, a crazy, lazy, coin- and ale-driven Imperial with questionable morals and a flair for the stupid, who is a 'strong, independent woman who don't need no companion!'... but that Ranger, he cute though! Enter Bishop, a secretive, private, and broody feller who seems determined to stick around and watch the whole thing go down in flames. The two are both young, dumb, immature, but still have that wildfire in their eyes. How long before they fly too close to the sun?

Mine (52 Kudos)

“There can be no peace. There can be no compromise. Justice couldn’t speak for itself – so I did. Loud enough to finally be heard.”

That was the defense of the man who blew up the Vatican and killed the Pope, spearheading a worldwide Mage rebellion and revolution, gave the International Criminal Court as the world looked on.

But who was this man? A mage rights extremist? A terrorist? A mad man? Fenris cared little for what other called him or what they said. For Fenris, he was "mine".

A Promise to a Merman (48 Kudos)

Anders is a teenage swimaway (runaway?) who has just made peace with his solitary existence when he spots a handsome land-dweller with hard hair, moss green eyes, and pointed ears.

Army Greens (40 Kudos)

"Forgive me Anders. This is something I have to do. For those who saved me, for those like me, and those like you. Goodbye love.”

Fenris goes off to war against Tevinter, leaving the love of his life behind. A heartbreaking fic with a happy ending for Anders week.

Shattered (21 Kudos)

"Tucked away in a small Ferelden town lived a man with a very special ability. He was kind, gentle, and friendly, he always helped where he could and would never so much as hurt a fly. Only, he was a very lonely man, the only one amongst the men and women of his home not to have a soulmate, who wished for nothing more than someone to love. It is here that our story begins. "

3. Are you surprised? Why?

No? All these stories were published this year, the bottom 3 in the last month. Dragonborn Diaries is the only older one but I finished it this week; it fed off a very small remaining Skyrim fandom. The Fenders fandom of DA2 is not that big (anymore) either, but those that have still stuck around are such lovelies that I don’t mind writing for them <3 Really one good comment can make me feel a fic was worth it, I don’t need tons of notes to validate writing (although it does help)

4. Tag six people to do this next!

It seems everyone and their grandma has done this, some with their art and some with fics, so sorry if you’ve done it but I missed it! 

@chocojavaa @mago-emplumado @arisell @protect-him @social-deception @greensphynx