#chines history

[chinesehanfu]

[Hanfu · 漢服]Chinese Warring States period(475–221 BC) Traditional Clothing Hanfu-Life of Qu Yuan(屈原）

【Historical Artifact Reference】:

China Warring States period (475-221 BC):Silk painting depicting a man riding a dragon (人物御龍帛畫)

it was discovered in the Zidanku Tomb no. 1 in Changsha, Hunan Province in 1973. Now in the Hunan Museum

A man with a sword is riding a dragon by holding the rein. The dragon's body was given the shape of a boat. A little egret is standing at the tail of the dragon. A carp under the dragon is leading the way. The umbrella in the top middle of the picture shows the owner's nobility. The work has become associated with the Chu poet Qu Yuan’s famous verse from his poem Shejiang (涉江, Setting foot in the river), ‘Carrying a long sword with weird colour; Wearing a qieyun–styled high cap.” (帶長鋏之陸離兮, 冠切雲之崔嵬)

Western Zhou Dynasty seven-huang jade pendant with linked beads/西周七璜联珠组玉佩

About Qu Yuan(屈原）

Qu Yuan (c. 340 BC – 278 BC)was a Chinese poet and aristocrat in the State of Chu during the Warring States period. He is known for his patriotism and contributions to classical poetry and verses, especially through the poems of the Chu Ci anthology (also known as The Songs of the South or Songs of Chu): a volume of poems attributed to or considered to be inspired by his verse writing. Together with the Shi Jing, the Chu Ci is one of the two greatest collections of ancient Chinese verse. He is also remembered in connection to the supposed origin of the Dragon Boat Festival.

Historical details about Qu Yuan's life are few, and his authorship of many Chu Ci poems has been questioned at length.[4] However, he is widely accepted to have written "The Lament," a Chu Ci poem. The first known reference to Qu Yuan appears in a poem written in 174 BC by Jia Yi, an official from Luoyang who was slandered by jealous officials and banished to Changsha by Emperor Wen of Han. While traveling, he wrote a poem describing the similar fate of a previous "Qu Yuan."Eighty years later, the first known biography of Qu Yuan's life appeared in Han dynasty historian Sima Qian's Records of the Grand Historian, though it contains a number of contradictory details.

Life of Qu Yuan(屈原）

The only surviving source of information on Qu Yuan's life is Sima Qian's biography of him in Records of the Grand Historian (Shiji), although the biography is circumstantial and probably influenced greatly by Sima's own identification with Qu.Sima wrote that Qu was a member of the Chu royal clan and served as an official under King Huai of Chu (reigned 328–299 BC).

During the early days of King Huai's reign, Qu Yuan was serving the State of Chu as its Left Minister. However, King Huai exiled Qu Yuan to the region north of the Han River, because corrupt ministers slandered him and influenced the king.Eventually, Qu Yuan was reinstated and sent on a diplomatic mission to the State of Qi. He tried to resume relations between Chu and Qi, which King Huai had broken under the false pretense of King Hui of Qin to cede territory near Shangyu.

During King Qingxiang's reign, Prime Minister Zilan slandered Qu Yuan.[9] This caused Qu Yuan's exile to the regions south of the Yangtze River. It is said that Qu Yuan returned first to his home town. In his exile, he spent much of this time collecting legends and rearranging folk odes while traveling the countryside. Furthermore, he wrote some of the greatest poetry in Chinese literature and expressed deep concerns about his state. According to legend, his anxiety brought him to an increasingly troubled state of health. During his depression, he would often take walks near a certain well to look upon his thin and gaunt reflection in the water. This well became known as the "Face Reflection Well." On a hillside in Xiangluping (at present-day Zigui County, Hubei Province), there is a well that is considered to be the original well from the time of Qu Yuan.

In 278 BC, learning of the capture of his country's capital, Ying, by General Bai Qi of the state of Qin, Qu Yuan is said to have collected folktales and written the lengthy poem of lamentation called "Lament for Ying". Eventually, he committed suicide by wading into the Miluo River in today's Hunan Province while holding a rock. The reason why he took his life remained controversial and was argued by Chinese scholars for centuries. Typical explanations including martyrdom for his deeply beloved but falling motherland, which was suggested by the philosopher Zhu Xi of the Song dynasty, or feeling extreme despair to the situation of the politics in Chu while his lifelong political dream would never be realized. But according to "Yu Fu," widely considered to be written by Qu himself or at least, a person who was very familiar with Qu, his suicide was an ultimate way to protect his innocence and life principles.[citation needed]

Qu Yuan is said to have expressed his love for the ruling monarch, King Huai of Chu, through several of this works, including "The Lament" and "Longing for Beauty".

Dragon Boat Festival/端午节

Popular legend has it that villagers carried their dumplings and boats to the middle of the river and desperately tried to save Qu Yuan after he immersed himself in the Miluo but were too late to do so. However, in order to keep fish and evil spirits away from his body, they beat drums and splashed the water with their paddles, and they also threw rice into the water both as a food offering to Qu Yuan's spirit and also to distract the fish away from his body. However, the legend continues, that late one night, the spirit of Qu Yuan appeared before his friends and told them that he died because he had taken himself under the river. Then, he asked his friends to wrap their rice into three-cornered silk packages to ward off the dragon.

These packages became a traditional food known as zongzi, although the lumps of rice are now wrapped in leaves instead of silk. The act of racing to search for his body in boats gradually became the cultural tradition of dragon boat racing, held on the anniversary of his death every year. Today, people still eat zongzi and participate in dragon boat races to commemorate Qu Yuan's sacrifice on the fifth day of the fifth month of the traditional lunisolar Chinese calendar.

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Recreation Work by : @晴南

Xiaohongshu🔗：http://xhslink.com/CU2x9J

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[x-heesy]

L o v e

Crepe de Chine and silk dress "La Mascotte" from the Spanish collection of Jeanne Lanvin (1867-1946), 1925 🇪🇸

#history #historyofart #historycal #historyfacts #historylovers #historyinpictures #historymade #historygeek #historyera #historyphoto #historyclass #historychannel #historylesson #historygram #historynerd #historytour #historyofphotography #historyplace #historylover #historyphotographed #historymatters #historyoffashion #historyiscool #arthistory #historical #historicalplaces #historicalpix #historicalclothing #historicalphotos #historicalromance #historicalmonument #historicalfacts #historicalart #historicalsnapshots #historicalphotography #historicalphoto #historicalpictures #historicalhome #historicalcenter #historicaldesign #historicalfantasy #historicalusociety

White Lilies by Peder, Anne Trolle 🎵

[maylprache]

copie d'une illustration du "Livre des Clères et des Nobles Femmes" de Boccace, XVème siècle.

[mukuharakazui]

listening to a white girl give a slideshow presentation about apologetic customs in japanese (11 slides), chinese (both mando and canto combined into 1 slide), and south korean (3 slides) while just spouting generalizations should be a jarring experience but hearing this sort of thing at least once every 3 days while attending a liberal arts college makes none of this is surprising at all whatsoever.

[bonomovesinmysteriousways]

Contemplating the marvels of Yungang Caves / China

[kiddohc]

Contemplating the marvels of Yungang Caves / China

[mothacupcake]

Contemplating the marvels of Yungang Caves / China

[brother-emperors]

hi!! i’m a classics major and am so entranced by your art and how you interact with history and literature, it really inspires me and expands my brain all the time. SO spicy.

anyways, I was wondering if you’d be comfortable talking a bit about your degree (s) and how they’ve influenced your artistic/critical analytical processes??

oh man, I have exactly zero degrees. like a true jester, I went to a trade art school, so I don't even have an art related degree, I've got a certification of surviving hell completion

the way art and history interact for me is that a lot of it circles back to trying to find ways to talk about something. history doesn't necessarily repeat, but it often rhymes, haunts, and cannibalizes. some eras of history are equal parts history and a stage, and a stage serves as a place to say something without necessarily having to be in it. the bossism politics of the philippines rhymes with the faction politics of the late republic more often than it doesn't. watching the marcoses crawl back into power was like watching the medici return to florence. duterte said he was like julius caesar crossing the rubicon, and over 6,000 were murdered under his regime. somethings are the same.

a lot of it feels like a puzzle, and I like it when pieces come together. more often than not, there's something current going on that prompts me to look back into history for something comparable, either as a stage, or just to feel like I'm not losing my mind, that other people had to deal with this shit too.

I was a teenager when the original assassin's creed games were coming out, and I used to go to libraries with other fans and we'd just sit in the non fiction sections and read everything that was on a shelf, and then go outside or whatever and start talking about where the games diverged from history and try to figure out what the next game would do based on whatever we learned. and I just kind of. kept doing that even when I stopped playing the games because the story sucked ass, but because there's already a second intersection of fiction working along side historical analysis, it unlocks a bunch of other stuff in the back of my mind while I take notes on something.

the gore you read in the thebaid reminds me a lot of imperial chines torture literature, and now we've got imperial horror and while we've moved out of the ancient Mediterranean but it's a whole body of work that I'm now looking at while thinking about rome, and somewhere in there, I'll probably find some literary theme that's cool and I'll start researching whether or not someone's examined like. the renaissance from that lens. what does the gore mean. what happens when history unfairly maligns and scapegoats someone. what happens when a foundational sacrifice goes wrong.

one of the most gut wrenching things I ever read was about how rome took any record of spartacus' words and buried it, and now I spend too much time thinking about what words we put in the mouths of dead people.

[fashionbooksmilano]

Philip Taaffe

John Yau

Lund Humphries, London 2018, 144 pages,  100 colour illustrations, ISBN 978-1-848 22-263-2, Contemporary Painters Series

euro 45,00

email if you want to buy booksinprogressmilano@yahoo.it

email if you want to buy booksinprogressmilano@yahoo.it

This book presents a comprehensive view of the work of American painter Philip Taaffe (b.1955), who has expanded the parameters of painting through his use of silkscreen, linocuts, collage, stencils, gouache, chine-collé, marbling, acrylic, enamel, watercolour and gold leaf. Possessing many technical skills, Taaffe has moved decisively between unique pictorial inventions and appropriations, as well as overlaying divergent modes of representation, through cultural patterns found in ornament, and biomorphic abstraction.

John Yau's insightful text is the first to look at every part of Taaffe's artistic development, from the works he made at Cooper Union while a student of Hans Haacke, to the present. It pays special attention to Taaffe's acquisition of different techniques, as well as investigating his various sources of inspiration, which include the work of experimental filmmakers Stan Brakhage, Bruce Conner and Harry Smith, the Natural History illustrations of Ernst Haeckel, and the ancient art of paper marbling.

24/01/24

[pompadourpink]

Le Petit Prince

Le Petit Prince - Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, 1943

Chapter 1.

Once when I was six years old I saw a magnificent picture in a book, called True Stories from Nature, about the primeval forest. It was a picture of a boa constrictor in the act of swallowing an animal. Here is a copy of the drawing. 

Lorsque j’avais six ans j’ai vu, une fois, une magnifique image, dans un livre sur la Forêt Vierge qui s’appelait « Histoires Vécues ». Ça représentait un serpent boa qui avalait un fauve. Voilà la copie du dessin.

In the book, it said: "Boa constrictors swallow their prey whole, without chewing it. After that, they are not able to move, and they sleep through the six months that they need for digestion."

I pondered deeply, then, over the adventures of the jungle. And after some work with a coloured pencil, I succeeded in making my first drawing. My Drawing Number One. It looked something like this:

On disait dans le livre : « Les serpents boas avalent leur proie tout entière, sans la mâcher. Ensuite, ils ne peuvent plus bouger et ils dorment pendant les six mois de leur digestion. »

J’ai alors beaucoup réfléchi sur les aventures de la jungle et, à mon tour, j’ai réussi, avec un crayon de couleur, à tracer mon premier dessin. Mon dessin numéro 1. Il était comme ça :

I showed my masterpiece to the grown-ups, and asked them whether the drawing frightened them.

But they answered: "Frighten? Why should any one be frightened by a hat?"

My drawing was not a picture of a hat. It was a picture of a boa constrictor digesting an elephant. But since the grown-ups were not able to understand it, I made another drawing: I drew the inside of a boa constrictor, so that the grown-ups could see it clearly. They always need to have things explained. My Drawing Number Two looked like this:

J’ai montré mon chef-d’œuvre aux grandes personnes et je leur ai demandé si mon dessin leur faisait peur.

Elles m’ont répondu: «Pourquoi un chapeau ferait-il peur ? »

Mon dessin ne représentait pas un chapeau. Il représentait un serpent boa qui digérait un éléphant. J’ai alors dessiné l’intérieur du serpent boa, afin que les grandes personnes puissent comprendre. Elles ont toujours besoin d’explications. Mon dessin numéro 2 était comme ça :

The grown-ups' response, this time, was to advise me to lay aside my drawings of boa constrictors, whether from the inside or the outside, and devote myself instead to geography, history, arithmetic, and grammar. That is why, at the age of six, I gave up what might have been a magnificent career as a painter. I had been disheartened by the failure of my Drawing Number One and my Drawing Number Two. Grown-ups never understand anything by themselves, and it is tiresome for children to be always and forever explaining things to them.

So then I chose another profession, and learned to pilot airplanes. I have flown a little over all parts of the world; and it is true that geography has been very useful to me. At a glance I can distinguish China from Arizona. If one gets lost in the night, such knowledge is valuable.

Les grandes personnes m’ont conseillé de laisser de côté les dessins de serpents boas ouverts ou fermés, et de m’intéresser plutôt à la géographie, à l’histoire, au calcul et à la grammaire. C’est ainsi que j’ai abandonné, à l’âge de six ans, une magnifique carrière de peintre. J’avais été découragé par l’insuccès de mon dessin numéro 1 et de mon dessin numéro 2. Les grandes personnes ne comprennent jamais rien toutes seules, et c’est fatigant, pour les enfants, de toujours et toujours leur donner des explications.

J’ai donc dû choisir un autre métier et j’ai appris à piloter des avions. J’ai volé un peu partout dans le monde. Et la géo- graphie, c’est exact, m’a beaucoup servi. Je savais reconnaître, du premier coup d’œil, la Chine de l’Arizona. C’est très utile, si l’on est égaré pendant la nuit.

*

In the course of this life I have had a great many encounters with a great many people who have been concerned with matters of consequence. I have lived a great deal among grown-ups. I have seen them intimately, close at hand. And that hasn't much improved my opinion of them.

Whenever I met one of them who seemed to me at all clear-sighted, I tried the experiment of showing him my Drawing Number One, which I have always kept. I would try to find out, so, if this was a person of true understanding. But, whoever it was, he, or she, would always say: "That is a hat." Then I would never talk to that person about boa constrictors, or primeval forests, or stars. I would bring myself down to his level. I would talk to him about bridge, and golf, and politics, and neckties. And the grown-up would be greatly pleased to have met such a sensible man.

J’ai ainsi eu, au cours de ma vie, des tas de contacts avec des tas de gens sérieux. J’ai beaucoup vécu chez les grandes personnes. Je les ai vues de très près. Ça n’a pas trop amélioré mon opinion.

Quand j’en rencontrais une qui me paraissait un peu lucide, je faisais l’expérience sur elle de mon dessin numéro 1 que j’ai toujours conservé. Je voulais savoir si elle était vraiment compréhensive. Mais toujours elle me répondait : « C’est un chapeau. » Alors je ne lui parlais ni de serpents boas, ni de forêts vierges, ni d’étoiles. Je me mettais à sa portée. Je lui parlais de bridge, de golf, de politique et de cravates. Et la grande personne était bien contente de connaître un homme aussi raisonnable.

Fanmail - masterlist (2016-) - archives - hire me - reviews (2020-) - Drive

[meraki-yao]

I have a question since you're from surrounding regions, is taylor actually well known in china? Why do you think GQ went with him there are a lot more famous celebs, taylor doesn't even have a lot screen exposure

So for some reason, I'm taking this question super seriously.

Please note that 1, I can only speak from my observation and my position 2, I'm from Hong Kong, so there are certain things about mainland China that I might not be aware of

Regarding Taylor's notability in China:

Is he well-known? Well, and I say this with all the love I have for Taylor, not really. In fact, during his time in China, there have been several cases in the videos that I reposted that you can hear people ask in Mandarin "Who is he?" A few more recounts I read said that quite several people who ended up near the fan crowd asked "Who is that handsome foreigner?" and followed and took photos/videos of him not because they recognized him, but because they were intrigued. (but side note, even the people who didn't know who he was said that 1, he's really handsome 2, he's really friendly, so that's sweet)

The thing about Taylor's notability in China comes in two regards:

1, RWRB became one of the most popular western queer media to be distributed on streaming platforms in China (especially since most if not all of the local queer media is banned, yes I'm angry about it), so this part kind of goes without explanation

2, Taylor uses Chinese social media platforms, which is really rare for Hollywood actors. This gives him a platform to interact with Chinese fans, since because of firewall/censorship, it's a hassle (and technically illegal but shhhhh) for Chinese fans to check his Instagram/ Tiktok/ Twitter(not that he uses it)/ Threads

Regarding the reason GQ went with him:

1, it was a personal invitation from the Editor-in-chief of GQ China (so more or less the head PIC of the event). They met during the Ferrari show, the Editor, Rocco Liu invited Taylor, Taylor said he'll come if it works out with his schedule and the rest is history.

2, And this is my speculation (because I care about international relationships and thought about this a lot), but I think GQ wanted to try something new by inviting Taylor, a Hollywood actor (and thus promoting the overall image of China but that's getting too political for my taste on my own public platform), and since Taylor is (a) currently popular since RWRB is still relatively new and the Chinese fandom is still really active (b) evidently willing to try out the local ways of things as seen from him using and operating his own Little Red Book and Bilibili account.

I mentioned this before, but I think that since Taylor was so willing to try new things (which is a quality of his that I personally admire greatly), all the people/organizations/companies in China who got in contact with him saw the opportunity to experiment and see what a Hollywood actor could do in a Chinese setting/market and how much traction he can bring. That's my guess for why he was so busy and going from event to event non-stop, and evidently looking tired by the time he was going back to the States (especially for someone who appears to never be tired)

So yeah. I think they took Taylor's enthusiasm for trying new things and his currently persistent popularity in China and ran with it. Not that it's a bad thing though.

But I will say this, for the GQ event, all sorts of people were invited. The most famous ones with a considerable career already (think the equivalent of RDJ, Brad Pitt, Leonardo Dicaprio etc), the currently popular young stars (think the equivalent of K-pop stars or the "white boy of the month" trend) but there were a considerable amount of people that I completely never seen or heard, and neither did a lot of Chines audience. In fact, I don't know who the two ladies who were in the same boat with Taylor during the water carpet are. So there's also that.

[transparentgentlemenmarker]

The deepest and largest natural well on the planet is called Xiaozhai Tiankeng. It is located in Fengjie, Chonqinun Municipality, in the heart of China. This amazing well is completely natural and reaches a depth of 662 meters, with a length of 626 meters and a width of 537 meters. But what’s most striking isn’t just its dimensions or its almost-vertical walls, but the explosion of life it houses. Xiaozhai Tiankeng is what geologists call a sinkhole or ditch, a depression of the land generated, among other factors, by the effect of water. In this case, it was formed on top of a cave and houses an underground river measuring a total of 8.5 kilometers and flows into a spectacular waterfall. Its enormous size makes it the sinkhole of its kind, known as tiankeng, the largest and deepest in the world. Besides its size, Xiaozhai Tiankeng impresses by the biodiversity it houses inside. Its base is so large that it houses nearly 1,300 plant species, like ginkgo, and wild animals. Among the most fascinating "tenants" who stroll through their underground forest, stands out the nebula panther (Neofelis nebulosa), an unmistakable fur cat that reaches 1.1 meters and usually rests in trees. This tiankeng lies in a vast karstic area of 280 km2 formed by limestone. Experts believe the sinkhole, which is between 511 and 662 meters deep, has taken shape over the last 128,000 years. For much of its history, until the roof of the cave collapsed, it was a massive underground cave. There are also other remarkably sized tiankengs, such as Dashiwei, located across China. Curiously, despite its size, Xiaozhai Tiankeng began studying relatively recently, although the local people have known him since ancient times

Le puits naturel le plus profond et le plus grand de la planète s'appelle Xiaozhai Tiankeng. Il est situé à Fengjie, dans la municipalité de Chonqinun, au cœur de la Chine. Il est entièrement naturel et atteint une profondeur de 662 mètres, avec une longueur de 626 mètres et une largeur de 537 mètres. Mais ce qui frappe le plus, c'est l’explosion de vie qu’il abrite. Xiaozhai Tiankeng est ce que les géologues appellent un gouffre ou un fossé, une dépression du terrain générée, entre autres facteurs, par l'effet de l'eau. Dans ce cas, il a été formé au sommet d'une grotte et abrite une rivière souterraine mesurant au total 8,5 kilomètres et se jette dans une cascade spectaculaire. Outre sa taille il impressionne par la biodiversité qu'il abrite à l'intérieur. Sa base est si vaste qu'elle abrite près de 1 300 espèces de plantes, des animaux sauvages. Parmi les « locataires » les plus fascinants qui se promènent dans leur forêt souterraine, se distingue la panthère nébuleuse (Neofelis nebulosa), un chat à fourrure incomparable qui atteint 1,1 mètre et se repose généralement dans les arbres. Ce tiankeng s'étend sur une vaste zone karstique de 280 km2 formée de calcaire. Les experts estiment que ce gouffre, d'une profondeur comprise entre 511 et 662 mètres, s'est formé au cours des 128 000 dernières années. Pendant une grande partie de son histoire, jusqu’à l’effondrement du toit de la grotte, c’était une immense grotte souterraine. Il existe également d’autres tiankengs de taille remarquable, comme le Dashiwei, situés à travers la Chine. Curieusement, malgré sa taille, Xiaozhai Tiankeng a commencé ses études relativement récemment, même si la population locale le connaît depuis l'Antiquité

[badgermolebender]

I so desperately want a massive political history of The Earth Kingdom. If I could have any other thing from the world of ATLA/LOK — book, show, comic, game — it would be that. Bc I am so interested in it.

🚨 Spoilers for every thing — Yangchen and Kyoshi books, ATLA, LOK, Comics, etc. 🚨

The earliest we hear about an actual Earth Kingdom and Earth Royal family is in F.C. Yee’s Yangchen books. At this point, the Earth Kingdom has just gone through a civil war, wherein the White Lotus manipulated the Water Tribes and Fire Nation to sponsor a challenger to the throne, which is wild. The challenger was defeated and the Earth Kingdom entered a period of intense isolationism. There are a handful of port cities where foreign trade is allowed, with incredibly powerful governors who actively manipulate the system to build their wealth at the expense of the citizens. The Earth King is paranoid af, to the point that he is donning disguises and sneaking around to catch plots against him. And some of these governors are actively plotting against him and inventing new weapons of mass destruction (combustion benders) in order to usurp him.

The next we see of the Earth Kingdom is in the Kyoshi novels were it’s a devolved mess of warlordism. Various daofei groups had taken over parts of the inner provinces and the Earth Monarch was incredibly weak. There’s also the whole Wars of Secrets and Daggers scramble for the throne, which is only mentioned.

According to the Wiki, in the online comic Escape from the Spirit World, Kyoshi pressured the ineffective 46th Earth King to adopt a constitutional monarchy in order to prevent further oppression. This occurred in the aftermath of a peasant revolt that occurred after the death of Chin the Conquerer.

Avatar Legends then gives us a King Jialun, who reversed many of the progressive changes of this constitution and murdered the sages who agreed with Kyoshi in “The Night of the Silenced Sages.” The government was recorrupted, but no other successor had the same power as Jialun. So the Earth Kingdom monarchy was corrupt but weak.

Then we next see the Earth Kingdom with King Kuei (the 52nd Earth King). According to the old website, he ascended to the throne at the age of 4, which is why Long Feng — who served as regent — was able to essentially takeover.

But based on what we see in the show, the Earth Kingdom has completely splintered. The Earth King only has power in Ba Sing Se, and that power is only ceremonial. He is unaware of the 100 year war and completely inept to rule. Then it’s Azula and the fire nation takeover.

In the comics that come between ATLA and LOK, King Kuei, without the influence of Long Feng, takes an active role in the governance of the Kingdom. He is willing to go to war over the colonies in “The Rift,” but is also willing to be shown wrong. He was instrumental in the peace after the war and fully restored the monarchy as the full power of the Earth Kingdom government.

Then we get to LOK. Hou Ting is a fairly powerful, incredibly corrupt monarch. She tried to exert more control over the people, especially the outer provinces. She’s then killed by Zaheer. The power vacuum is ultimately filled by Kuvira, a non-dynastic dictator who rules by force and sponsors brain washing and the forced removal of Fire and Water nation descendants. The next dynastic ruler is Wu (whom Kuvira had usurped). He is Hou Ting’s great-nephew, and at least third in line from her. He is the only surviving member of the dynasty and seems unprepared to rule at his coronation, after three years of living in Republic City.

After the whole Kuvira thing is taken care of (Book 4 of LOK), Wu then decides to abdicate and democratize the Earth Kingdom. The post-canon comics (Ruins of Empire) show the struggles and setbacks of this, but ultimately reaffirm this path.

And I am so obsessed with this whole history. There are, according to the Wiki, at least 2 dynasties, the Hao and the Hou Ting. It resembles Chinese history, but doesn’t just follow it. There’s dynastic decline and really interesting incidents that I wish were more fully fleshed out. Not to mention as the centralized monarchy weakens, you see the rise of local powers, like the King of Omashu. I just find the whole thing so fascinating and I wish I had a comprehensive book.

[usafphantom2]

Today is the SR -71's 59th birthday as a birthday present I would like to share a part of Paul Crickmore’s (a humble yet highly, intelligent English gentleman) summary of the SR 71 from his new book Lockheed Blackbird: behind the Secret Missions the Missing Chapters (it can be found on page 498.)

The SR 71 with cameras in the chine bay and SLAR sideways-looking airborne radar our SR 71 boasted the ability to provide simultaneous optic coverage of the target area.PHOTINT and RADINT ( photograph, and radar intelligence) which the A-12 could not do.

It was the SLAR system was continuously upgraded throughout the life of the program accumulating in an operational development of Loral Advance synthetic aperture radar system a SARS. This advance, digitalized radar system with a resolution of less than 1 foot at NADAR enabled, imagery to be transmitted and real time /near real time direct to the end user.

This capability was demonstrated at Det 2, and could have been deployed operationally much earlier if the program hadn’t been starved funds by the so-called “fighter mafia” that held the balance of power in the Pentagon during the late 1980s early 1990s and that ultimately allocated Air Force funding accordingly the same generals as well as senior officials of other US intelligence agencies were the ones who argued that the aircraft was far more expensive to operate than any other aircraft in the inventory.

🌟OF COURSE IT WAS. THAT’S BECAUSE NO OTHER AIRCRAFT IN THE INVENTORY COULD DO ANYTHING LIKE WHAT THE SR 71 AND ITS SENSORS COULD DO. AS HABU PILOT, MAC McKENDREE OBSERVED “IT’S NOT AN AIRPLANE. IT’S AN AIR-BREATHING MAN SUBORBITAL SATELLITE. EVERYTHING ABOUT IT WAS UNIQUE: FUEL, HYDRAULIC FUEL, TIRES SCREWS, FASTENERS, TITANIUM CONSTRUCTION IS UNIQUE IF YOU WANT TO COMPARE THE SR TO SOMETHING THEN COMPARE IT TO THE SPACE SHUTTLE “

Air Crews selection, for the SR-71 program was always hotly contested as they were all unquestionably at the top of their game. They had to be….The demanding mission, the complexity of the aircraft and its systems…

Consequently, crewmembers entering the SR-71 program with the rank of major were usually promoted to Lt.Col among completing their tour. However, all of this changed with the arrival of General Larry Welch, as Air Force chief of staff, and his cohort as a result, the last six crews that entered the program as Majors, were all passed for promotion, the rumor was that their personal folders were never passed the promotion board and NOT surprisingly. This had the demoralizing effect on their pride, and a detrimoralizing impact on their salary and pension. There is no doubt that those involved with the Blackbirds were of the highest caliber and real team players… totally focused on ensuring that the mission whatever it may have been was a success. as Pratt and Whitney‘s Arnie Gunderson recalled” Everyone I encountered on the program was proud of the role. From the commander of the wing to the airman who mopping up the JP seven from under the wings everyone demonstrate the highest degree of respect for their teammates “

And it’s final analysis it can be argued that the SR-71 program was terminated at least five years earlier than necessary. Indeed, it had received the technology packages that already existed and were demonstrated during the period which it was briefly reactivated during Det 2 at Edwards from 1995 to October 10, 1997

Kelly Johnson would have been bang on the money when he predicted in 1964 that his platform could perform its duty to the intelligence community and national leadership until 2001 and beyond.

If history teaches us anything it is that we should never take democracy for granite and that dictators should never be appeased.

Thank you, Paul Crickmore a honorary member of the Habu family. We all appreciate what you have done to tell the story of the unique SR 71 program Linda Sheffield a proud Habubrat.

@Habubrats71 via X

[like-a-masquerade]

Coord Breakdown: July 1st, 2023

Now that I've got a dedicated lolita blog, I'll be posting and discussing some of my coords, starting with a few from the past. This one's one of my personal favorites, and very meaningful to me.

JSK: Handmade

Blouse: Offbrand

Waist cincher: Handmade

Headbow: Handmade

Veil: Fanplusfriend

Choker: Handmade (sort of)

Necklace: Offbrand indie

Bracelets: Offbrand

Socks: Offbrand

Boots: Offbrand

Full breakdown under the cut.

This coord is a big milestone for me. It's my first handmade JSK (not counting a failed attempt from years earlier), and my first time using my own custom fabric!

I designed the fabric in the summer of 2022, and had it printed via Spoonflower. It's themed around Castlevania, a favorite game series of mine (and one that has quite the interesting history with lolita! Did you know Mana composed a ringtone to promote Harmony of Dissonance that is now lost media?). Each of the stained glass windows depicts one of the subweapons used throughout the games (plus wall chicken), which are also repeated as a motif inside the stripes. If you look closely, you can also see the modern and retro Castlevania logo incorporated into the surrounding glass. Beneath the windows are gravestone-like blocks, each with the name of a game's protagonists and the year the game takes place. At the hem is a quote that has been attributed to a number of people, including Winston Churchill, but is notably said by Alucard and Richter at the end of Symphony of the Night. Finally, above the border print is a pair of wall-mounted candles, which can be found throughout Castlevania and destroyed to gain ammo or other upgrades. According to IGA, these candles contain the restless spirits of Dracula's victims, who drop upgrades as thanks for freeing them from the castle.

Here are some closeups, one of which is in the black colorway! I've got four different colorways available on Spoonflower, each inspired by a different character (Richter, Alucard, Juste, and Maria). You can find them here. The fabric I chose for my JSK is poly crepe de chine.

But enough fabric talk. Have at you!

The cut of the JSK is based on Bodyline's Skull in Wonderland JSK, which I've owned for years now; It's simple and fits me well, so I figured using it as a template would be the most effective way to make a good JSK for myself without too much hassle. Making clothes based on existing garments you own is a tried-and-true method in fashion design and home sewing.

I actually debuted the JSK about a month earlier while on vacation, with a different coord:

However, I couldn't help feeling that it was a bit lackluster. After much thought and advice from friends, I decided to spruce things up and give it another try at the then-upcoming renfaire.

This time I used one of my summer blouses, an offbrand peasant top I got at Rainbow forever ago- I think the brand is Ambiance? I also bought a set of bracelets (also from Rainbow, and they've now become a staple of my wardrobe), and a pair of black lace-topped OTKs in place of the plain black tights I'd worn before. For the rest of the jewelry, I wore a glittery purple bat necklace I'd bought from a renfaire vendor years ago (I wish I knew the name!! If anyone recognizes it please let me know!), and a scrap of black lace with a small safety pin through the back as a choker.

Finally, the remaining accessories. I made a wired headbow out of leftover fabric from the dress, with a beaded chain in front. I wore this over a veil from Fanplusfriend. As for the waist cincher, I made it out of stretch pleather and lace, along with black fabric to tie in the back. I used gold acrylic paint to add a nice patina to the leather, and hand-painted our pal Simon Belmont in a coordinating color scheme. My parents said it looks like a wrestling belt, lol.

Regarding the boots, I know damn well that the renfaire grounds are muddy and uneven, so I wore a pair of riding boots I originally bought for a Joseph Joestar cosplay way back in the day. Sometimes you gotta sacrifice a little bit for practicality's sake.

All in all, I'm very proud of how this coord came out. It was really amazing seeing something I designed come to life, and working hard to make it truly beautiful. I hope this inspires other folks to try their hand at designing and making lolita!

[dreams-ji]

Jinnie (NCT) Profile

Jinnie (NCT) Profile and Facts

Jinnie is a meber of the South korean co-ed group NCT under SM Entertainment.

Stage Name: Jinnie

Birth Name: Bin Ji-Ah

English Name: Jenny Bin

Position: Lead Vocalist, Female Visual, Sub Rapper

Birthday: June 30th, 2001

Zodiac Sign: Cancer

Chines Zodiac Sign: Snake

Height: 167 cm (5'6")

Weight: N/A

Blood Type: A +

Jinnie Facts

She was born in Jeju but moved to North Carolina when she was 4

Her stage name is a play on her English name Jenny

Education: School of Performing Arts Seoul

She had won a bet with her mom in order for her to agree to let her audition.

She had to audition 3 times before she passed.

She passed when she was 13 in 2014.

Specialty: Modeling, Brass Instruments

Her hobbies including playing the trumpet and binge watching dramas.

She dislikes mint chocolate.

She loves picnics.

Favorite subject in school: Math, while the subject she hates the most is History.

Favorite Food(s): Watermelon, Mangos, Fried Chicken, Indian Food

Her favorite color is dark cherry red.

Her favorite season is autumn.

Her favorite number is 16.

Her favorite pet is a cat.

Her favorite fruits are watermelons and mangoes.

When she was younger she wanted to be a movie star.

She's a sucker for a good Disney Channel Original movie, especially the musicals.

Her favorite artists are: Girls Generation, Ariana Grande, Bruno Mars, EXO

She was a model for 2 years before she started training.

Song that made her want to become an artist: Dance Me If You Can by The Cheetah Girls, I Got a Boy by Girls Generation

She was added to the NCT Dream line up in 2018 during the 'We Go Up' release.

Do you Like Jinnie?

❑ She's my ultimate bias

❑ She's my bias in NCT

❑ She's among my favorite members in NCT but not my bias.

❑ She is ok

❑ She is among my least favorite members in NCT

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