#emperor of all of china

[anglerfishenthusiast]

im going to bed here incredibly soon but i went ahead and got zhong huis dlc scenario started and my god im already having the time of my life i love him so much. sima yi notorious smug cunt somehow finding an even bigger, smugger cunt to put in a position of power. he will live to regret this

[sketching-shark]

It's been a while since the last time I asked you Shark

But I have a new question:

What do you think about the retellings of JTTW, where Tang Sanzang proves to be able to stand up for himself or that he literally can also fight alongside Sun Wukong, Zhu Bajie, Sha Wujing and even Bai Long Ma/Ao Lie (who lately I've noticed has started to grab more fame and recognition, being more and more dynamic and part of the group than just being a simple background character)?

I think the most famous version of this kind of retellings is "The Westward" (I like the design of that Tang Sanzang)

PS: It's good to be back

Oh hey! Good to see you again too @wiings-kwami! And in regards to your question, while I fully appreciate that this is a very inadequate answer I guess that depends on how it's used asdfrweadf. TBH the idea that Tang Sanzang can fight back against or at least somewhat defend himself against yaoguai is a potentially really neat idea! As is in the og classic he is the second most static member of the pilgrim group, and this could provide an opportunity for him to be active and explicitly grown and change instead of regularly acting as the embodiment of the "damsel in distress" trope lol. THAT SAID, I can also easily see this being used to shove the monk into the role of "badass fighter" and keep him a static character that way...I know everyone makes fun of Tang Sanzang for crying and falling off his dragon horse, and while some of this is warranted tbh I feel like a more interesting story could be told by addressing WHY he's crying so much rather than putting him in the opposite direction as a stoic fighter. So at the end of the day and as with any other trope out there, I'd say making Tang Sanzang into a warrior monk is potentially a cool idea, but it's less about him being that and more about how it's executed.

[nebulousfishgills]

The internet: Yeah you might wanna be at like, level 12 to go against Cazador to have even a fighting chance idk he's pretty hard to beat :/

My level 9 ass who beat him in two and a half tries: LITTLE BITCHES SAY WHAT

[katarh-mest]

you know, the main reason I think The Apothecary Diaries has a big ol "This is a work of fiction" slapped all over it is because once you start digging into the details the anachronisms don't make sense any other way

[lionlimb]

watching some lecture about the decline and fall of the roman empire (as in, the work of history by edward gibbon, not just the historical topic) and gibbon just got quoted as calling claudius "feeble". when it comes to the roman empire, my memory is a total sieve, and the only thing that I can ever remember is my middle-school happiness while reading i, claudius by robert graves so i have to be like wtf gibbon don't say that about my blorbo

[evermeet]

if this were old tumblr i would be posting noods of tavi right now

[myrddin-wylt]

I have been playing as Tibet for 20 minutes and already vassalized at least 7 other rulers by doing absolutely nothing oh my god. the year is 869 AD, I'm gonna see if I can speedrun rebuilding the Tibetan Empire to its 821-823 borders with Tang China.

also in these 20 minutes - less than a year in-game - Egypt already got himself killed. Hakim, you had a prowess stat of 26!! how did you die already???

[ben-the-hyena]

Now that we know with that Mulan comic in which Chi Fu finally gets a taste of respecc women juice for the first time in his life that he always was genuinely loyal to the royal family not just for his job but because he genuinely loves them and admires them (makingtheEmperorreadytofirehimonawhimquitetragical;Iguessitwasperhapsjusttomakehimreactandshuthimupandnotserious?), it has me wonder if he was part of the environment of Ting Ting, Su and Mei as they grew up. And that as much of a misogyne as he was he did love them like nieces with a distance due to respect (being royals after all) all while teaching them protocol and innocently teaching them sexist value and the oath about marriage out of duty they repeat during the sequel comes from him. Ting Ting being older was the most under his influence and the most serious about it, and most of the things the sisters want to do in their I Wanna be Like Other Girls song was things he forbid them to do aq kids when catching them doing it "a princess puts her shoes on" "a princess doesn't do grimaces, it's unladylike" "a princess doesn't eat too much, she would get fat and unfit for a husband" ALL while thinking no ill and thinking that he was helping

And now that with Mulan he learned to be finally accepting of non conventional women, he must feel guilty now that right after his redemption these girls are off to marry for duty justifying it when asked how they feel about it by parroting his words. Yes it is duty, yes he taught them well on that, but now that he can understand women better at last as more than brides and wives, he can't help but wonder if they would be happy (and of course like the Emperor would miss them as he wouls think he would not see them again and now the moment he had prepared them for all their lives seems to have come too soon)...

...Imagine his HORROR if he finds out they marry these 3 AWFUL IDIOTIC SOLDIERS WHO KEPT BULLYING HIM DURING WAR INSTEAD

[arcticdementor]

Swaying the wide world, I have but one aim in view, namely, to maintain a perfect governance and to fulfil the duties of the State: strange and costly objects do not interest me. If I have commanded that the tribute offerings sent by you, O King, are to be accepted, this was solely in consideration for the spirit which prompted you to dispatch them from afar. Our dynasty's majestic virtue has penetrated unto every country under Heaven, and Kings of all nations have offered their costly tribute by land and sea. As your Ambassador can see for himself, we possess all things. I set no value on objects strange or ingenious, and have no use for your country's manufactures. This then is my answer to your request to appoint a representative at my Court, a request contrary to our dynastic usage, which would only result in inconvenience to yourself. I have expounded my wishes in detail and have commanded your tribute Envoys to leave in peace on their homeward journey. It behoves you, O King, to respect my sentiments and to display even greater devotion and loyalty in future, so that, by perpetual submission to our Throne, you may secure peace and prosperity for your country hereafter. Besides making gifts (of which I enclose an inventory) to each member of your Mission, I confer upon you, O King, valuable presents in excess of the number usually bestowed on such occasions, including silks and curios-a list of which is likewise enclosed. Do you reverently receive them and take note of my tender goodwill towards you! A special mandate.

The Qianlong Emperor, in his 1793 letter to King George III

[nickysfacts]

Imagine actually sending somebody a letter telling them to “go die”, and they just go “I guess I’ll just die now”!

💊😂📜

[mushroom-winners-proof]

no actually i wanna know how you “disturb a dragon” and turn it into a fucking heartless like xigbar what did you do

[mcnjushcge]

since traditionally its said that the chinese are the descendants of the yellow emperor could i say that hes yao’s papa and not be yelled at

[askaceattorney]

Dear TDW,

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

That’s very touching but that isn’t how governments or Presidents work. If you’re the president, your kiddo doesn’t become the next president. That’s why they’re called Presidents. It means they’re not royalty or chosen based off of blood like kings and emperors. We already overthrew our former Emperors a LONG time ago. The next in line is the Vice President.

Maybe during the next election, I’ll think about it. But, then again, I wouldn’t be able to work for Interpol anymore. I think I’ll let my country decide its leaders.

- Shi Long Lang

[yourtongzhihazel]

You don't vote in fascism and you can't vote out fascism. hitler was appointed by Hindenburg, the SDP president. mussolini was appointed by a high council in service of the king. franco won a civil war with the support of other fascists. tojo was selected by the incumbent military dictatorship under supervision of the emperor. How many of these actions involved a ballot box?

Did the 4 million strong Red Army that entered berlin vote hitler out in 1945? Was it the ballot box that ended franco's government or his death? Did the carnation revolution end Portugal's fascist government and colonial policy or was it the carnation ballot box? Did the american and soviet offensives in the pacific and china end japan's military dictatorship or did they vote on it?

During the short days of the weimar republic, there was the nazi party, the social democrats, and the communists. Time and time again, the social democrats sided with the nazis to persecute and destroy the communists. Time and time again they would cry to "vote for the moderate candidate or the nazis would get in power" and "we can push the country left just not now because of the nazis" until they voted in Hindenburg and he put fascism in charge. This is what I mean when I say you are already voting in fascism. One day, sooner or later, you will cast the ballot that puts 21st century blue american Hindenburg in the white house. And suddenly, the lack of organizing and agitating will hit you all at once and the most vulnerable and/or left-wing people who warned you about this get shipped off to camps and all you can do is slowly wait your turn on the trains. Only this time, there will be no Red Army to end the fascism which you have abetted.

[rongzhi]

A bit about Chuanqingren, one of the unofficial ethnic groups in China.

English added by me :)

Full video transcript below the cut:

Simply because these people are so rare, on cellphones and computers, there is no option to choose them. There’s no way to input them as an option.

As a result, often times when they go out, they will be questioned over having a fake ID. They’re not Miao, nor are they Han. And they’re certainly not any of the other 56 ethnic groups. In the 90s, they were designated as an unrecognised ethnic group (official designation). Their group is classified as Other. According to Ming Dynasty historical records, in earlier times, they were called “tu ren” (dirt people), “Li minzi” (～descendants of villagers), and also “xianmin”(羡） or “xianmin”（县） (~county people). Because their traditional clothing tends to be qing* colored (*may describe blue, green, or black), they’ve since been known as “chuanqing ren” (qing-wearing people). Early on, in the 1980s, there was already the write-in option of “qing group”. The first generation of resident IDs have “qingzu” printed on them.

Later, after many years of ethnic group discernment work, it was concluded that for the time being, they did not conform to China’s independent ethnic group determination standards. Therefore, they became recognised as “Chuanqingren”. Chuanqingren are mostly found in the northwest regions of Guizhou province. They use mandrills as their totem and their clothing tends to be qing. The qing color in question is a rather deep blue, one that near black.

There ware several explanations for the origins of Chuanqing people. One saying is that they are indigenous people of Guizhou. Another, more common explanation is that in the early Ming Dynasty, Yunnan’s king of Liang rebelled and Zhu Yuanzhang (Hongwu Emperor) dispatched 300k forces to consolidate the south. Then from south of the Changjiang, many immigrated to Guizhou and settled.

Historically it’s known as “transfer from the north, filling the south”, and Chuanqingren are simply the later generations of these soldiers and officers and immigrants to the south.

Now then the question comes: why are they only Chuanqing “people”, and not qing “ethnic group” or Chuanqing “ethnic group”?

Firstly, each ethnic group in our country has its own cultural/civilisation origins. For example, the Han ethnic group are the descendants of the Yellow Emperor and Flame Emperors. Therefore, they are also called “Yan Huang Zisun”(descendants of the Flame and Yellow Emperor).

Take for example the Miao ethnic group as well: The origins of the Miao ethnic group is that Chiyou led them in the alliance of the 9 Li tribes.

But Chuanqingren can’t find their origins. Most still simply say that they are a branch of the Han ethnic group. None of their special folk styles and customs have been completely preserved, including their language, which fewer and fewer of them are able to speak. Their clothing is even less common, which has led many to think that the clothing of the Tunpu people (another Han branch) of Anshun are that of Chuanqing people. As a result, many have taken Tunpu people as Chuanqing people.

In China, there are a lot of unique communities not within the 56 [official] ethnic groups. For example, the Mosuo people, the Kemu people, the Xia’erba people, the A’ke people, the Deng people, and more. The so-called “unrecognised” ethnic groups aren’t to say that their group’s identity can’t be distinguished. Rather, it’s that they still don’t meet our country’s criteria for judging independent ethnic groups. So, it’s only in order to reflect and affirm these unique communities that they are incorporated under the "not yet recognised” ethnic group.

In the multi-ethnic household of China, no matter which ethnic group, we all have a common name, and that is ”zhonghua minzu” (the people/nation of China). Do you identify with that? (Do you agree?)

[tanadrin]

There is a great engine beneath the North American continent that drives people to insanity and spits out new religions on a regular basis. Maybe the lingering tectonic energies of Yellowstone, worrying at us just below our conscious awareness and driving us to a quiet, gibbering fear like rats scurrying about just before an earthquake. Maybe a kink in the Earth's magnetic field that affects our brains in some way. Maybe just the shock of agoraphobia, of wandering out into wide open spaces and going mad beneath the vast and starry sky.

Over in Europe they spent a thousand years fighting wars and piling up the dead in hills of gore, all to determine trivialities like the true nature of the Eucharist, or who really had the authority to appoint bishops. Muslim kings killed each other by the score over who was the rightful successor of the Prophet. The scholar-officials of China carefully composed the orthodox interpretations of the rites and laws, and then the Emperor had everybody who disagreed beheaded. Oh, there were heretics all right, but the stakes within each tradition were low--is Christ of one substance or two? Which hadith are valid? Is there a true and eternal self, or no?

In the United States, though, people sought the edge of civilization, declared that here lay the Frontier. They stepped beyond it, and then they went stark raving mad. They declared the ghost of Ben Franklin was telling them how to build a mechanical Jesus. They said an evil scientist created white people as soulless devils on the Greek island of Patmos. That all our anxieties are caused by the restless ghosts of alien political prisoners, executed by volcano. That God was once a man, and we too might become gods someday, as long as we remembered that coffee-drinking was a sin.

And it's no coincidence that every major American religious movement seems to be founded by an obvious con man. I think that's the secret to being a prophet. You have to learn to lie. To lie so nakedly and so intensely that the things you are lying about appear before your very eyes, become tangible to you and to everyone who believes. Ordinary, simple, sincere faith will not do. You must learn to lie with such intensity that you can change the world.