#mana contemporary

[2001hz]

Mana Models x Takato Yamamoto: 'Fermentation of a Hermaphrodite' 3D Collaboration Figure (2018)

[soracities]

[I] tried to imagine what [my grandmother] was like as a girl. I had seen only a single photo from before she was married; already by then her eyes were those of a woman, an island in rolling ocean.

Dima Alzayat, from "Daughters of Manāt", Alligator & Other Stories

[artwwdesign-blog]

MIAMI ART FAIR 6-10 December 2023

Booth 100 Artavita and World Wide Art

Mana Wynwood Exhibition Center 2217 NW 5th Avenue & NW 22nd Street Miami, Florida 33217 Show Hours VIP/Press Review: Wed. Dec.6, 5- 6pm

A Video Display curated by Circle Arts Including artwork by wwdesign

[artbyblastweave]

I've never made any connections between Worm and the Captain America mythos before. Spill some ink?

Okay, so from a purely aesthetic perspective, the gimme is Miss Militia. She's the most obvious "Captain Patriotic" in the roster, she has the power of GUN, she's the only one who actively buys into the mythology of America specifically. She's a Kurdish woman occupying an aesthetic niche generally held by a rugged squinty white guy. She's an output of the melting pot narrative. She's sort of a rendering of what a grounded superhero who somehow became very aesthetically into America might look like. Not in the craven marketing-driven way of Homelander or Comedian, not in the jingoistic maniac way of USAgent or Peacemaker. She buys it in the broadly left-liberal (USamerican connotation of that term) safe, friendly, reclamative way. Why, what a great rehabilitation of the archetype!

She's also deeply, deeply afraid of rocking the boat. She's got a deepseated childhood trauma related to the bad things that happen when she puts herself in a leadership role. She goes along to get along. When she's proactive, it's usually to point a gun at Tattletale to stop her from upsetting the status quo. She sits through a lot of situations where Steve Rogers, as commonly modeled, would probably plant himself like a tree by the river of truth and go, "Hey, this is fucked up." She more or less capitulates to Undersider domination of the city, in a way that predisposes us to think of her as a voice of reason after all these total nuts that Skitter's been up against- but would Taylor "to relinquish control is a form of ego death" Hebert really be willing to leave someone in charge of the local Protectorate branch who she thought couldn't be corralled? She looks like a beacon, but doesn't- indeed, probably can't- ever truly behave like one. I mean, you can debate the on-the-spot morality of any given one of her judgement calls, that's actually one of the less exhausting Worm Morality Debates to have- but in aggregate, a person in American flag garb who actually meaningfully criticizes the paramilitary organization they're part of is not gonna survive long in that role!

So again, she's the gimme from an aesthetic standpoint. But what I don't really see a lot of discussion of is how Cauldron plays into the riff.

Captain America is institutional, but in a comically morally uncomplicated way. The serum was originally mana from heaven, granted to a living saint, conveniently divorced from any nitty-gritty sausage-making process and even-more conveniently divorced from the horrible consequences of giving the, uh, the U.S government a replicable super soldier process. And in fairness to Captain America, this is 100 percent something the overall mythos eventually patched to my satisfaction; the sausage-making process eventually revealed as prototypical government fuckery driven by human experimentation on black servicemen, the overall Marvel Setting littered with failed attempts by the U.S. Government to recreate that golden goose so they can have their fun new jackboots. (In Ultimate Marvel, this is how almost all contemporary superhumans were created, and this is a state of affairs with a body count in the millions or billions.)

Cauldron draws you in with the same noble rhetoric about greater goods, the same one-off proprietary irreplicable formula- but you don't get the luxury afterwards of representing nothing but the dream. You aren't partnering up with a plucky crank scientist with a heart of gold. You're selling your soul to an organization with an agenda. The narrative makes no bones about the fact that everything you do is fundamentally tainted by the fact you opted into an end product created through torture, kidnapping and human experimentation. You don't get to pull a Kamen Rider by going rogue or opting out or making good use of the fruit of the poisoned tree; you are owned, and everything you do has this Damocles sword hanging over your head- when are the people who bankrolled this going to come to collect?

So that's the question of "who would willingly dress like that" covered, and the question of who creates a serum like that. What about the question of who takes a serum like that? I'd argue that Eidolon is the examination of that. Pre-Cauldron David reads to me like pre-serum Steve Rogers viewed through a significantly bleaker lens. They're both sickly kids desperate to serve, rocketed to the pinnacle of human capability by an experimental procedure. But for Steve Rogers, the crisis was that he had a specific vision of the world and was frustrated by his inability to carry it out. Before the serum he picked fights over what was right and wrong and got his ass handed to him; afterwards he picked those same fights and just started winning instead. The serum neatly solved a problem he had, and to the extent that his mindset is influenced by his pre-serum experiences, it's generally constructive; a desire to protect the weak, help the helpless, an appreciation for people who stand up for what's right even when they're clearly gonna get pancaked for their trouble. So ultimately there's no dark side, downside, or underlying neurosis ascribed to his initial impulse to take that serum.

But with David, it's not a tragic case of the spirit being willing but the flesh being weak. He isn't a preternaturally-noble soul, out to represent the best elements of the American ideal- he kind of represents the inverse, a guy who's been failed at every level while utterly convinced that he's the problem. He's actively suicidal because he's a wheelchair-bound epileptic in an economically-depressed socially-backwards rural town in the 1980s, and he's spent his 18 years of life internalizing the idea that he's worse than useless unless he can somehow find a way provide value to something larger than himself. Doctor Mother finds him in the aftermath of a suicide attempt spurred by his rejection from the army- and he didn't even want to join the army specifically, necessarily, he just needed his situation to be literally anything else, and he took what he thought he could get. And then he finds himself in a position to become a superhero, so he does that, molds himself into that, subordinates himself to that, builds his entire sense of self and values around the value he can provide in that role. No grand design or sacred principles carried over through the metamorphosis. Just relief at finally, finally having something that looks like an answer to the question of what he's supposed to do.

And you know, you know that if Steve Rogers was facing down the barrel of being depowered, he'd smile and nod, he'd Cincinnatus that shit. It's happened before. But for David, the emotional trauma and self-worth issues that caused him to roll the dice on a Steve-Rogers treatment never really went away. When would it? He's been Providing Value as a ten-ton Hammer Against Evil for thirty years. No family, no social life. Certainly, no incentive on his handler's part to lance his Atlas complex. So he barrels towards atrocity in the name of remaining useful. Admittedly, this is where the comparison breaks down in a significant way; Captain America is much more of a symbol than he is an irreplicable powerhouse, so it's not catastrophic if he's taken off the board. Eidolon is so unbelievably powerful that his myopia and self-centeredness actually do align with a real problem everyone else is gonna have if he loses his powers. But in terms of the starting points- I think that Steve Rogers embodies the myth about why you'd want to join the army that badly. Eidolon is, I think, much more closely modelling why you'd actually want to join the army that badly.

[samimarkart]

My piece “Packstone Excavation” was just dropped off yesterday at Mana Contemporary in Chicago for their show Fuzz! Located in the Purple window gallery room, with a day in the space dedicated to sound art. Information and dates in the photos!

[keikotwins]

Mokumokuren

Birds of different feathers flock together

Noticed online by head-hunting publishers, Mokumokuren hasn’t waited very long before polarising the attention of Japanese readers. With strange The Summer Hikaru Died, horrific bromance dealing with body dispossession, the mangaka signs a series of sophisticated oddity, that sets itself apart from the predictability of current fantasy productions.

Interview by Fausto Fasulo. Original translation: Aurélien Estager. English translation: “Keikotwins”. Bibliography: Marius Chapuis. Thanks: Camille Hospital & Clarisse Langlet (Pika), Yuta Nabatame, Mayuko Yamamoto & Mana Kukimoto (Kadokawa), Chiho Muramatsu (Tohan)

(T/N: Interview given to ATOM in winter 2023; 2 volumes were out in French.)

-

In an interview given to the CREA website in November 2022, you confided inventing stories since very young. Did your first fictions resemble the ones you draw nowadays?

It’s true that there are quite a lot of common points between the stories I imagined when I was a child and the ones I tell nowadays in my mangas. Especially a specific motif, that has been haunting me since the time when I wasn’t really aware of the world surrounding me: the presence amongst us of “non-human” beings, that nonetheless have a perfectly normal, ordinary appearance…

And how was this “obsession” born?

Precisely identifying the origins is complicated, my memories are too blurry, I think… What I can tell you is that I’ve always been fascinated by “creatures”. For example, I remember being very impressed by Peter Jackson’s bestiary in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. By the way, still in a fantasy register, I am also a big fan of Harry Potter adaptations… (She thinks.) And I’ve always liked yōkai stories, you know. I think that what I like in all these mythologies is the idea of species classification: each has its own characteristics – physical, biological – its own way to apprehend its environment.

In Japan, yōkai are integral part of regional folklore. Did the place you grew up in have some specific beliefs?

I was born and grew up in Tokyo, and, as you must know, yōkai are mostly associated with rural areas. I was thus never really bathed in this type of regional fantasy folklore. There are all kinds of yōkai and we can perhaps see in some more contemporary urban legends the echo of certain past beliefs? (She thinks.) I am a bit frustrated, because I believe that I could remember a legend that would have impacted me, but nothing comes to mind immediately, sorry!

You have already said so in an interview and it’s quite obvious when reading your work: you are a big amateur of horrific fiction. What has been your first contact with the genre, all medium included?

It was television that introduced me to horror: special shows, television films, series, I was watching these programs with a mix of fear and enthusiasm, a confused sensation that particularly delighted me! (She thinks.) And amongst all the aired shows, I will remember two titles: Hontō ni atta kowai hanashi and Kaidan shin mimibukuro*.

* Inspired by the homonymous manga magazine published by Asahi Shimbun, Hontō ni atta kowai hanashi (lit. “Scary stories that really happened”) is a series produced by Fuji Television that has been airing more or less weekly since 2004. Derived from literary material (a series of compilations of hundreds of short stories by Hirokatsu Kihara and Ichirō Nakayama, published from 1990 to 2005) Kaidan shin mimibukuro is a series made of several short movies depicting ghost stories based on real testimony.

Did you read horror mangas when you were young?

Let’s say that I was more interested in live-action productions. Nowadays, I obviously appreciate some horror manga authors, without pretending to be any expert in the subject. For example, I like Junji Itō’s work, but I am far from knowing it for a long time… (She thinks.) I could also talk about Shigeru Mizuki, who I also appreciate a lot.

The mechanics of fear aren’t the same in occidental and oriental fictions. You like American horrific productions – like Ari Aster movies – as much as ones from Japanese origin – you notably quote Ichi Sawamura novels and Kōji Shiraishi feature films. Can we say that you are tying these two perspectives with The Summer Hikaru Died?

My relationship with horror is more imbued with oriental sensitivity. But what I find remarkable in occidental horrific productions is work on image. In The Shining like in Ari Aster movies, for example, there is real research made on frame composition and choice of colours. I also try to follow this aesthetic reflection in my work as a mangaka.

In Ari Aster’s work, beyond the very precise staging, there is this permanent desire of ambiguity. Do you try to dig this same equivocal trench?

Absolutely. I try to tell complex feelings as well in The Summer Hikaru Died, like fear dyed with nostalgia or attachment, repulsion mixed with fascination, with attraction…

How do you “sort out” the shots that inspire you in cinema?

I don’t draw while freeze-framing during specific scenes. I would always rather watch a movie as a “focussed” spectator. However, I pay a lot of attention to the way the director composes their frame. I sometimes take some notes, but I most often simply keep it in a corner of my mind.

Could you tell us when and how the story and characters of The Summer Hikaru Died appeared to you? Have they matured a long time within you?

I’ve started thinking about this story when I was preparing university entrance exams. I was aspiring to join an art uni, and I was drawing every day. I can’t really say I made my characters “mature”: back then, I wasn’t thinking that the drawings I was making would one day end up being published, way less being serialised! I innocently created characters close to me, without guessing that one day they’d become manga protagonists.

One of your foundational reads was Sui Ishida’s Tokyo Ghoul manga. Can you tell us how you discovered it and what effect it had on you?

I don’t really remember how I discovered this series, but what I know is that I became crazy about it at first read. What I liked – and what I still like – is this idea of telling a story that confronts humans to these “different” beings while following the point of view of a character that represents alterity. Beyond this strictly dramatic aspect, Sui Ishida’s storyboarding and character design have had a strong impact on my work. However, I want to add that Tokyo Ghoul isn’t the only title I took inspiration from, I obviously have other references…

Do you do a lot of researches to define the design of your characters? You seem to draw them easily, in a very natural gesture…

I haven’t spent a long time defining my protagonists. First, there are few in the manga, then, they evolve in a rather realistic universe. My goal was rather simple: they had to look believable in the reader’s eyes. I wanted people to be able to imagine crossing them in the street, you see?

It’s after seeing illustrations posted on social media that depicted the future characters of The Summer Hikaru Died that the publishing department of the Young Ace Up magazine noticed you. How have you reacted when approached?

I was very surprised, because I absolutely wasn’t trying to become a mangaka. I would have never projected in such a future, you see. And, very honestly, if they hadn’t suggested working on this series, I don’t think I would ever had pushed the doors of a publishing house… I am then very thankful towards the persons who have allowed me to enter.

And what would you have done if you hadn’t been solicited?

Back when I’ve been contacted, I was considering – still vaguely – working in the video games field. But I wasn’t really proactive, I wasn’t contacting anyone, wasn’t sending resumes…

Did you want to do chara-design?

Why not, yes. What I like in video games is the range of possibilities they offer. You can then create an entire universe and this is rather exhilarating.

So you’re a gamer…

I have dropped my controller since I’ve started drawing manga. But yes, when I had more time, I played rather regularly, especially Nintendo productions…

Even if you play rather little nowadays, do video games influence your work?

I can’t say whether it really is an influence, but the Undertale game has left a big mark on me. I felt its creator’s strong will to surprise players, to make them feel unprecedented sensations…

Horror manga only relies on art and storyboard to provoke fear, whereas cinema and video games can also rely on sound. Is it from this observation that you have decided to particularly work on your sound effects?

Absolutely. I have thought a lot about the way to introduce and stage sound in The Summer Hikaru Died. The sound effects that you can find in the manga are indeed the result of this approach.

In an interview given to the Realsound website, you mention the use of the シャワシャワ (“shawa shawa”) sound effect. Knowing that occidental readers are way less sensitive to these graphicoustic details, can you explain its meaning?

“Shawa shawa” expresses the song cicadas make in western Japan. It’s a very special noise because in the different regions live different species that make specific sounds. So when I choose this specific sound effect, I convey a geographic and temporal piece of information to the reader, who can then guess the location and season the action takes place in. (She thinks.) When using this sound – that we especially find in the beginning of the manga – my goal was to play with silence, particularly when the song stops. I thus had the idea of representing this sound effect with an easily readable font, so the reader would make no effort to decipher it, as if the sound was asserting itself naturally, you see? I hoped to suggest a saturation they couldn’t avoid and that, when it’d stop, would immerse them in absolute silence.

The Summer Hikaru Died transcribes very well this particular atmosphere of Japanese summers…

Yes, I really wanted to signify this languor in my manga. And the cicadas’ song we discussed earlier contributes to creating this atmosphere: it’s an overwhelming sound, sometimes irritating, you cannot escape from in summer – Japanese readers obviously know what I’m talking about. (She thinks.) I also gave special attention to shadows: summer light being very bright, shadows are very sharp, very deep.

Do digital tools allow you to get this result more efficiently than traditional?

I work on Clip Studio Paint, and it’s true that it sometimes allow me to save time. Consider the work on shadows: I never apply solid black because I like saturating space with hatches and, with digital tools, I can obtain the desired result faster because I can duplicate each of my lines.

Your use of hatches is sometimes reminiscent of Shūzō Oshimi’s…

I don’t know his mangas very well, but it’s funny that you mention him because I recently read his latest series, Okaeri Alice. In any case, I really like his style and I perfectly understand how you can bring his universe and mine together.

The Summer Hikaru Died relies on the concept of body dispossession, that obviously takes back to the Body Snatcher novel by Jack Finney and its movie adaptations. Did you think about it?

I don’t know this book very well, but I know its theme has been approached often, especially in movies. As I was saying at the beginning of this interview, my idea was to adopt the point of view of a non-human and tell his indecision, his moral questions…

We also find this idea in Hitoshi Iwaaki’s Parasite…

I haven’t read the manga fully, but I’ve watched the anime adaptation that was released a few years ago (R/N: in 2014). I remember rather liking it, even if I think I offer something different with The Summer Hikaru Died. What interests me is sounding the inwardness of my non-human character out and expose all his dilemmas. What is his place amongst men? Is he legitimate in our world? Here is the type of questions that pushed me.

One of the impacting scenes of volume 1 of The Summer Hikaru Died is the one when Yoshiki penetrated Hikaru’s body by shoving his arm into his torso. It’s a sequence that is both very sensuaI – to not say sexuaI – and also very horrific. How did you get this idea?

I wanted to put the readers in an uncomfortable position. A stressful situation that could take several forms because, according to your sensitivity, you can feel very different emotions in front of this scene: sexuaI arousaI, fear or disgust. For me, it was supposed to put the reader in some kind of catatonia, you see?

Do you chat a lot with your tantō, especially around these slightly “complicated” scenes?

I have free rein, you know, I can draw everything I want. My editorial supervisor has never asked me to temper some sexuaIIy connotated parts. My discussions with him don’t revolve around this kind of things, but rather around the structure of the scenario itself: where to place this scene in the narration? Is it better to put this sequence before this other one? Nowadays, I am more at ease with all the scripting layout but, at the beginning, I needed support.

What allows you to get, from a dramatic point of view, the mix between bromance and horror?

I wanted to show the differences in sensitivities and values between a human being and an “other than human”, and tell the misunderstandings this can cause when both meet. When Yoshiki “scratches” under the appearance of the one who is supposed to be his best friend, it creates a first point of conflict in the story. I then hoped to make his relationship with Hikaru – or rather with the “entity” that pretends to embody him – a kind of undefinable bond, that wouldn’t be friendship, nor love.

Do you know today where this strange relationship between your two heroes will lead you?

I know more or less how all of this will evolve, yes. I have decided on my story’s general plot since the beginning. I can only tell you that The Summer Hikaru Died won’t be a long series.

How do you explain the almost instant public plebiscite of your series in Japan? You perhaps cannot have perspective on it but, in a saturated publishing landscape, you have managed to stand out…

Hm… Indeed, I don’t really have precise explanations to give you about this success. Maybe the covers’ design has been in favour of the manga? I asked the person in charge of graphics to make sure that the visuals would be noticeable in bookstores. That’s why the books have this monochrome aspect, with the title discreetly placed. I didn’t want obvious advertisement banners, but something simple, like this blue background for the first volume, on which the character stands out. I also wished to create contrast between the jacket’s and the inner cover’s drawings. I thus had requirements that didn’t quite go alongside what we can nowadays see on the shelves of Japanese bookstores.

[ryin-silverfish]

Chapter 14: The Mind Monkey Cometh!

-This chapter begins with a poem by Zhang Boduan, a Daoist master of the Quanzhen Sect whose theory of internal alchemy heavily inspired that of JTTW's, and would appear later in the book as an immortal guest star.

"The dharmakaya has no shape or form…"

-Hmm, what is a dharmakaya? The Yu translation doesn't have a footnote for that, so here's my brief explanation: in Mahayana Buddhist beliefs, there's the idea of the Trikaya, the Three Bodies of the Buddha——three facets of existence for an enlightened being.

-Dharmakaya, "Body of the Law"(法身), is the bits of pure existence and universal Buddha-nature in all living things that is immutable and eternal.

-Sambhogakaya, "Body of Benefits"(报身), is the miraculous body a practitioner attains after countless trials and cultivation that receives all the good karma they have accumulated over the years.

-Nirmanakaya, "Manifested Body/Body of Transformation"(应身), is the physical form a Buddha/Bodhisattva takes in order to assist and educate the masses, and can be anything, from a holy statue to a person to a plate of food.

(Very unserious analogy: if Buddhahood is water, dharma-kaya is like H2O molecules, sambhoga-kaya is like the ocean, and nirmana-kaya is the convenient cup of drink nearby that can quench your thirst.)

-Boqin mentioned that SWK was trapped under the mountain during the time of Wang Mang's usurpation(9-23 CE), between Western and Eastern Han dynasty. Which, if we are to be chronologically accurate, would be 600-something years before Tripataka's pilgrimage instead of 500.

-The 100 years off may post a problem to people who wanna calculate SWK's birth year and age for fun; I, however, am more interested in the fact that he was either born in the Spring-Autumn or Warring States period, and the earlier option would make him a contemporary of Confucius(551-479 BCE).

-Just imagine him going "Confucius? Really tall guy, lotta students, wandered from state to state lookin' for work? Yep, I think I ran into an old man like that while seeking immortality!"

-Allegorically, the Six Robbers represent the six senses, something the footnote has pointed out. However, I feel like this warrants a more in-depth explanation.

-The Yogacara School——not the Ming administrative division, but the tradition of Buddhist thought the historical Xuanzang followed, has a theory of consciousness that divides the mind into eight layers. The first five layers are the five senses, and the inputs they receive are sent to the sixth layer of Thought for processing.

(Reference to these six also appears in the Heart Sutra: "None is shown by eye, ear, nose, tongue, body nor mind"——无眼耳鼻舌身意)

-Beneath the sixth layer is the seventh layer, Manas, which sends the processed information to the eighth layer, and is the layer responsible for the illusion of selfhood + all the woes that stem from said illusion. The final layer, Alaya-vijnana, is the consciousness that stores all information in the universe, and contains the bits of inherent Buddha-nature obscured by regular human cognition.

-The historical Xuanzang had a poem that referred to Alaya as the "Master/Head of Household", and the Yogacara theory of consciousness was also taken up by later Daoist thinkers, who believed that Alaya was the same as the internal alchemy concept of "Spiritual Mind"(元神).

-That's why SWK refers to himself as the Six Robbers' proper master, the True Mind who is supposed to dominate these senses. However, my personal reading of the allegory is that he isn't the True Mind yet, and his killing of the Six Robbers is akin to someone who uses extreme means to free themself from worldly distractions.

-Like, sensory pleasures and experiences can be very distracting and serve as a serious obstacle to getting things done, but you don't free yourself from those distractions by blinding your eyes and cutting out your tongue and engaging in self-imposed sensory deprivation.

-Thus, Tripataka's chastisement isn't just about SWK committing multiple homicides and violating Buddhist laws. The way I see it, it's also a subtle way of telling you that the mastery of heart and mind cannot be forced, and a truly powerful practitioner is one who can triumph over the distractions of the senses without cutting themself off from the world.

@journeythroughjourneytothewest

[amazingarchitecturewebsite]

Symbiotic Architecture by Manas Bhatia @manasbhatiadesign. Read more: Link in bio! Manas Bhatia, an Architect and computational designer from India, has been using the potential of the artificial intelligence (AI) tool Midjourney to create surreal architectural concepts. In this project, he imagines a surreal future that has ‘symbiotic’ architectural apartment towers that look like giant hollow redwood trees. Inspired by the Hyperion tree, the architect seeks to go beyond the realm of physical architectural design to present a series of AI-generated images, and drawings of the apartments that really makes one question the idea of such symbiotic buildings.. #ai #india #midjourney #архитектура www.amazingarchitecture.com ✔ A collection of the best contemporary architecture to inspire you. #design #architecture #amazingarchitecture #architect #arquitectura #luxury #realestate #life #cute #architettura #interiordesign #photooftheday #love #travel #construction #furniture #instagood #fashion #beautiful #archilovers #home #house ‎#amazing #picoftheday #architecturephotography ‎#معمار�� (at India) https://www.instagram.com/p/Chv288YsTiA/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[jovial-gender-jester]

i never laid back down so this is me connecting dots where they're zaniest but im gonna make a case that hilson has some fun comparisons to farcille.

like... ok so. the first fun thing is since both pairs effectively work out of the same department, they can trade insight & knowledge of the other's abilities the easiest within their group, not /just/ cuz they've lived the past indefinite years orbiting each other [& feel beholden to their mannerisms,,] but cuz their specialties branched off from the same baseline of knowledge.

similar to marcille being able to break down how falin heals people 'harmlessly' but unwilling to attempt to do that herself, house Knows the basics of bedside manner & analyzes how wilson performs it, but doesnt treat his paitents with the same breadth of comfort.

marcille & house are both practitioners of hard truths. they also dont really want death to carry the finality that it's supposed to, hence one of their reasons for practicing medicine is to research workable ways to repair people in the most extreme situations

[y'know, cuz despite falin being the main healer & marcille having full faith in her {and not really caring for the full scope of work that healers are supposed to prepare for} but still memorizing some healing spells {set bones, glue back limbs, fix internal damage, etc} cuz redundancy is better than "oh no our healer's low on mana and it would be dangerous for her to fully deplete herself". also marcille's specialty is a much more experimental field]

[adding to house's side of 'extreme situations', i just really wanted to talk about marcille more: yeah he works at a teaching hospital, and serves time at the clinic because Every doctor has the basic skill-set required to diagnose bad breath vs halitosis, but house perfers only taking care of paitents that he Knows have a mystery about them, aka, his specialty he can turn into a pet project]

i also find it especially funny that marcille & house enjoy specializing in such dubious & experimental fields. like, yes it relies on research of the past, but no one's still trying to /apply/ those practices alongside contemporary remedies.

meanwhile they have their conflict-avoidant personable healers who everyone likes because they work so hard to stay on people's good side at expense to their own peace of mind. but taking care of people & seeing their relief is its own peace of mind, so they'll be fine!

[i do want to draft something about falin & wilson but if i do that i don't know where i'll stop. if drawing house & marcille's similarities took 20 minutes then i'll be here for hours over those two walking

[shararan]

Visual kei, Anime & Arlecchino: a (light-hearted) design analysis.

While I haven’t talked much about it, Arlecchino has driven me crazy since the trailer for A Winter Night’s Lazzo dropped. Not only is she a welcome breath of fresh air to Genshin’s female cast, but her entire design and every single element of it speaks to one of my greater joys in life, that joy being Visual Kei. And so with the Fontaine trailer out I thought I’d do an attempt at going through what aspects of Arlecchino can be compared to common styling elements within visual kei, but also how they can be potentially attributed to the influence visual kei has had on manga/anime as a whole.

‼️ I want to proceed with the disclaimer that this whole post is only intended to point out elements of Arlecchino’s design which are common style elements in visual kei. I’m someone who has been into visual kei and its other related branches for about two decades, wore the style myself (among other japanese street styles) for a very long time, but ultimately I am also just one nerd raving about why this character design brings me joy. Visual kei as a style is by definition very hard to define as being any singular thing, and so my only intent is to compare for fun’s sake!

(I also want to point out that any potential errors, be they spelling or just wording, might escape my notice as an ESL-speaker with eye problems.)

➻ With all that out of the way, let’s start with a brief rundown for anyone who might not be familiar with the heart of this entire analysis: What is visual kei?

‘Visual kei’ as a term encompasses many things. While there are disagreements regarding the validity of calling it a musical genre, visual kei can nonetheless be summarized as an alternative musical genre and movement from Japan dating its origins back to the 80s. Influenced by contemporary glam rock, visual kei has since grown into its own distinct thing over the years with many various sub branches flourishing alongside it.

The ‘visual’ part of its name is the simple concept which defines it: The style is all about conveying the utmost possible of theatrics and extravagance, and it’s in fact just as important as the music itself. Combined these two things turn into the ultimate visual performance, an experience never to forget.

The factor which makes visual kei stand out from many other subcultures and genres is the way it deals with gender presentation. Given its theatrical nature, many looking in from the outside might be shocked by just how chaotically gender and expression is displayed.

Back in the old internet days you would occasionally stumble into memes poking fun at how you could never guess the gender of a performer at first glance; If it looks like a man it’s a woman, if it looks like a man it’s a woman and any other variety of that kind of notion. And it’s true! In fact, some of the most famous artists within the genre are also known for effortlessly turning gender expression on its head (Mana, Hizaki to name but two).

➻ So how does this relate to Arlecchino?

Not only has manga and anime sought inspiration from visual kei bands and artists for a very long time (and thereby influencing a lot of stylistic choices we typically associate with those forms of media), Arlecchino is also designed with that exact type of gender nonconformity all over her!

Let’s start with her hair:

Her hair is THE most obvious example to trace to visual kei. Not only is it one main color together with separated black sections (a very common dye combination), it’s also asymmetrically styled with typical spray straightened spikes and V-shaped/spiked bangs covering only half of her forehead.

Some were discontent to find out that she has a long ponytail, describing it as “feminine”. To me this only further strengthened her visual kei vibes, as it’s pulled back and down the back, separated from the shorter parts like a mullet. It’s not uncommon to see artists wearing hair extensions (both matching and mistmatching to the main hair color) in this exact manner, and the few but dramatic accessories she wears around the knot tying the hair on itself only serve to further enhance it.

Moving onto her face, Arlecchino might at first glance look just like any other anime styled character. However, I want to note that there’s a lot to the details here worth highlighting!

First off, she wears eyeshadow with very dark and sharp lashes and thin, upturned eyebrows. While there isn’t any one specific way of doing visual kei makeup, the fact remains that her eyes does resemble the typical key features that’s become commonly associated with the style since 00s. Her cross shaped irises also resemble the types of contact lenses some artists use.

As for her outfit, there are clear and obvious similarities to bands of the late 90s/early 00s: Ornate outer coat with ruffled sleeves, long pants with similar ruffle gathered around the shoes, waistcoat and fancy collar, as well as the highly decorated heels and claw-like nails on her gloves + rings.

While I couldn’t locate a specific picture unfortunately at the time of writing, gloves with metal claws or outright clawed gauntlets aren’t an unknown sight among very flashy visual kei bands.

This type of overall outfit silhouette displayed is, within the genre, obviously related to Elegant Gothic Aristocrat and western style Romantic Goth. Bands with this type of look might choose (but not always) to incorporate classical instruments and opera like vocals into their sound, as well as put a lot of emphasis on stage performances through the use of props, dancers and choirs. The first major bands to come to mind are Malice Mizer and Versailles, but I’m also reminded of ones such as Megaromania, Art Cube, Phantasmagoria etc.

However, in the case of Arlecchino there’s a somewhat “rugged” air to her overall look, which brings to mind bands during the mid 00s who would opt for a slightly trashier look, as well as a more chaotic heavier, sceamier sound. Leather and latex, shredded sleeves, chains, you get the picture. Bands coming to mind are the GazettE, (Old school) Dir en Grey, D’espairsRay, Born, Saruin, Exist Trace etc. If you combine the two types of flavours mentioned, I also want to mention UnsraW.

We also gain a peek of her ears between the spiked sections of her hair. While she has very simple style earrings, this of course is another common deliberate choice when styling the hair, particularly for artists whose ears are quite literally fully covered in jewelry.

While no particular look has any bearing on someone’s role in a band, this specific type of look is one I personally associate a lot with singers and front men. Highly fitting for Arlecchino whose presence demands your attention!

➻ Conclusion

Arlecchino mostly reminds me of bands that emerged and flourished during the mid 00s, but with strong 90s vibes as a cherry on the top. It’s also worth mentioning how aesthetically similar she is to the band Exist Trace, aka the arguably most famous female band in the genre.

It’s an extremely good mesh with the Fatui as the Tsaritsa’s theatre troupe, and its only more than fitting that Arlecchino debuts alongside Fontaine!

Obviously I cannot say for certain whether or not any of these points I made where deliberate design choices on Hoyoverse’s side (not just for Arlecchino but also other characters in Genshin who all have various degrees of the same influences) or if they’re simply a result of unknown influence. The influences visual kei has had on manga and anime cannot be understated, with many mangaka having drawn inspiration from visual kei bands and artists throughout the years (as well as other related but technically not visual bands such as BUCK-TICK and Guniw Tools) .

Many people assume that visual kei and other alternative japanese fashion subcultures drew inspiration from manga and anime, but it’s rather these styles that have served as the influence instead! Numerous bands have even lended their talents to create opening and ending songs to anime series. Kuroshitsuji/Black Butler is an obvious example of a series inspired by visual kei/ouji/lolita/aristocrat fashion and with visual kei bands performing for it.

All in all, this entire analysis is once again only meant to point out the various elements which makes Arlecchino so enjoyable to me personally as a character. Her look with the large coat in the trailer for A Winter Night’s Lasso made me super nostalgic to when I myself dressed that way on the daily, and when I styled it with a very similar jacket I had at the time. I don’t think people realize just how much contact they may have had with visual kei at first, and I tend to point this out often to people I meet when the topic comes up. I guess this was the essay format of that HAHAHA.

All in all, Arlecchino really speaks to me, both from a fashion but also (bi)gender point of view, and I literally cannot WAIT to finally meet her ingame once and for all!

[oddnub-eye]

Fanservant Profile: Cao Cao

“Cao Cao. Rider. I don’t feel like bothering with any courtesy shit, so don’t even think of calling me Mengde. Now, mind introducing yourself?”

Cao Cao - The Hero of Chaos

Class: Rider

True Name: Cao Cao

Gender: Male

Source: Chinese History

Region: China

Alignment: Lawful Evil

Height: 182.88cm

Weight 75.7kg

Parameters

Strength: C

Endurance: B+

Agility: C

Mana: C

Noble Phantasm: A

Luck: A+

Class Skills

Riding B

It was often for generals of the Three Kingdoms period to lead their armies into battle themselves, and they often did this from horseback. Cao Cao often joined his forces on the battlefield (albeit not to the extent of the likes of Sun Ce or Lu Bu), so he possesses a high rank in this skill.

Magic Resistance C-

While Riders typically possess reasonably admirable levels of magic resistance, due to Zhuge Liang’s use of magic contributing to many of Cao Cao’s defeats, Cao Cao’s rank in this skill is lowered. He can defend against all magic lesser than Greater Rituals, but cannot truly nullify it like those whose magic resistance is unhampered.

Personal Skills

Charisma A+

Although he may not have been the greatest warrior, the greatest statesman, or the greatest strategist, Cao Cao was undoubtedly the greatest leader in the Three Kingdoms era, perhaps in all of Chinese history. His charisma borders on the supernatural, and all who fight for him will gain a great boost to their abilities.

Tactics B

Cao Cao was a great leader, and often directed his troops on the battlefield. He was deeply read on military strategy, so even if he was not as excellent a strategist as some of his contemporaries, he can still direct forces expertly.

Hero of Chaos A

A hero who excels in chaotic, unpredictable times. This acts as something akin to an “overcharged Instinct” skill. While it does not work as well as Instinct in a direct battle, in terms of managing his resources, positioning, and intuiting the capabilities, positions, and strategies of his opponents, Cao Cao is unmatched.

In essence, this skill could be described as one that “allows the villain to remain one step ahead of the hero at every turn”.

Noble Phantasms

Cao Wei: Now Is The Time To Welcome HeroesRank: EX

Classification: Anti-Army

Noble Phantasms such as [Ionioi Hetairoi: Army of the King] and [Athanaton Ten Thousand: Immortal Ten Thousand Soldiers] can be described as “Noble Phantasms that summon Armies”, [Cao Wei: Now Is The Time To Welcome Heroes] can be described as a “Noble Phantasm that builds an army”. 

Cao Cao’s army was infamous in the Three Kingdoms era. So large that not even Shu Han and Eastern Wu fielding their armies together could match it, so competent that it took a stratagem as ingenious as the Burning Ships to overcome it. Yet it was not merely size that made the army of Wei so formidable.

Talented people flocked to Cao Cao’s banner, perhaps more so than any other in the Three Kingdoms. For every Zhou Yu, there was a Guo Jia flooding the city of Xiapi. For every Zhuge Liang, there was a Sima Yi matching the man wit for wit. For every Zhao Yun, there was a Dian Wei fighting so fiercely not even death could stop him from defending his lord. For every Guan Yu or Lu Bu, there was a Zhang Liao routing an army of 10,000 with a vanguard of 800. For every Sun Quan or Liu Bei there was one Cao Cao hovering over their shoulders like an invincible king of demons.

And talented people continue to flock to Cao Cao. Those who accept his offer of camaraderie and accept him as their leader will gain all the benefits of being one of the men of talent working under the Lord of Wei. Servants will gain a rank in all parameters, and those who are not heroic spirits who agree to fight on Cao Cao’s behalf will gain the properties of one, their personal parameters being forcefully raised to a bare minimum of E. And should Cao Cao’s soldiers perform well, they will be rewarded, growing ever stronger.

Needless to say, this Noble Phantasm is horrendously mana inefficient, yet, provided it is given the opportunity to build up power, it will become a nigh unstoppable force of victory.

Such is the bare minimum expected from the greatest army in all the Three Kingdoms.

Personality

Ruthless.

Ambitious.

Evil.

A Demon.

That is the reputation Cao Cao has developed since the Three Kingdoms era, and indeed, within it. But only two of those are definitely true.

Cao Cao is certainly ruthless, and there is no denying his boundless ambition. But to call him evil would be a mistake. Cao Cao is no righteous paladin or holy king, but he is not despicable.

Intelligent, witty, and determined, Cao Cao did not win talented men and women to his side merely through power. No, it was his iron will, charisma, and dreams that led them to him. Those with potential were always offered a chance by his side, even if they were his enemies.

Heartless to his enemies yet always willing to make an ally of them. Knowing neither good nor evil, Cao Cao merely walked the path towards his goals until he could not anymore.

Motive and Attitude towards Master

Cao Cao treats his master roughly and as a partner rather than a superior. There is a sense that he sees himself as more deserving of the superior position, but is endeavoring to see you as an equal on purpose. This is something Cao Cao will try to maintain as long as possible, but should circumstances force his hand, it is likely he will try and take command rather than submitting to his master's will.

Cao Cao keeps his reasons for fighting somewhat close to his chest. If pressed, he will answer with token sentiments such as “conquest” or “to assert my superiority”, but there is always the sense that the Hero of Chaos is hiding something.

Historical Depiction

The Hero of Chaos from Chinese History, and founder of the State of Cao Wei. One of the most - if not the most - successful generals in the Three Kingdoms Period, Cao Cao was born in Qiao County (modern day Bozhou) in late Han China. He was rowdy as a child. Cao Cao was noted to be companions with Yuan Shao, and the two often got into childish mischief alongside each other -- such as abducting a bride from her wedding (they returned her quickly enough).

As he grew up, he entered into service both civilian and military, and once again, however, he frequently acted like a vigilante and shirked his duties, so few recognized his true talents. However, when Dong Zhou seized control of the capitol, that is when Cao Cao truly began to come into prominence. This initially manifested in an upfront and somewhat bullheaded assassination attempt, which failed, causing Cao Cao to flee the capital alongside a man known as Chen Gong.

Eventually, Cao Cao joined up with the coalition that had united to dethrone Dong Zhou, and fought in many battles on their behalf. Soon after Dong Zhou was slain, Cao Cao allowed some surrendering Yellow Turbans to join his army, beginning to truly lay the groundwork for his future dominance.

Soon after, Cao Cao would be the one the young Emperor Xian would fall into the hands of. While Cao Cao treated the young emperor well, it was clear to anyone who held the real power.

Cao Cao would pick up momentum quickly thereafter, winning battles against Liu Bei, Lu Bu, and Yuan Shu in turn. He and his army would play a tantamount role in the final defeat of Lu Bu, especially his strategist Guo Jia. After the defeat of Lu Bu, Cao Cao would set his sights on his old friend Yuan Shao.

Cao Cao’s conflict with Yuan Shao would culminate in the Battle of Guandu, where Cao Cao decimated his once friend, securing his position as the most powerful man in China at the time.

However, Cao Cao’s string of successes would end at the Battle of Red Cliffs, where an ingenious stratagem would see the united forces of Liu Bei and Sun Quan overcome Cao Cao’s forces, forcing him to make a brutal retreat back up North. 

Crucially, however, not even the Battle of Red Cliffs was enough to dislodge Cao Cao, and he remained a giant threat looming over both Shu Han and Eastern Wu. In the year 215, Cao Cao finally dropped the pretense of working on behalf of the Han, and declared himself King of Wei.

Cao Cao died on March 15, 220A.D.

Bond 1

A man named Qiao Xuan once told Cao Cao, “Soon, All Under Heaven will fall into disarray, and only one with prowess like you will be able to fix it.”. Seeing as Cao Cao was still in the habit of shirking his duties, he only paid mind to the quote because it was a compliment.

“Just the rambling of some old official.” The young man grumbled, before returning to watching a passing group of women, endowing the most attention onto the most endowed.

That night, Cao Cao dreamed that he stood before a great sea of blood. It was churning as if it had just flooded, with its waves crashing like thunder. Cao Cao awoke from the dream with a cold sweat.

…

But then came the failed assassination of Dong Zhou, and the ensuing flight from the capital. After fleeing, Cao Cao felt the bitter sting of failure in his chest for the first time. His first time attempting anything of real importance, and he had monumentally failed.

That old official’s rambling burned in Cao Cao’s mind. The idea that someone had put their faith in Cao Cao and he had failed. It only grew worse as Dong Zhou burned Luoyang, as he and his armies looted, pillaged, and abducted women. In Cao Cao’s mind, these were all the products of his failure to kill Dong Zhou when he had the chance.

…

When next Cao Cao dreamt of the lake, it had risen to consume his ankles. Cao Cao awoke in a cold sweat, swearing that he would never fail again, that he would pursue the dream of a secure China flawlessly and without error.

And the Hero of Chaos was born.

Bond 2

Cao Cao established an initial group of supporters. Xiahou Dun and Xiahou Yuan, the powerful Dian Wei as a bodyguard, and Guo Jia to act as an advisor. His fortunes were high, and he even became the “guardian” of Emperor Xian.

Around this time, Cao Cao took over Wenchang, and stayed there for a while with his bodyguard Dian Wei to accompany him. Dian Wei was perfect. Friendly, strong, and loyal above all. Loyal to Cao Cao and his dream. Zhang Xiu, who had previously held the province before surrendering to Cao Cao, rebelled suddenly, and Cao Cao was forced to flee the city. However, Dian Wei was forced to stay behind to hold off pursuing forces while Cao Cao ran, and while the man fought fiercely, he ultimately died. Cao Cao wept at Dian Wei’s funeral.

However, soon enough dried his tears, and turned with a stern look in his eyes, “My only fault was that I did not earn the man’s loyalty immediately after his surrender. That is what led us to our current situation.” 

Cao Cao left before Dian Wei was buried, and his soldiers admired their leader's steely determination.

…

When next Cao Cao had the dream, he was striding forward into the churning waves, the blood now staining him up to his knees. Cao Cao tried his best to ignore the corpse of Dian Wei floating behind him, face down in the crimson liquid.

Bond 3

Cao Cao had become invincible. The strongest warrior in the Three Kingdoms, Lu Bu, fell to Guo Jia’s strategies. Yuan Shao fell to Cao Cao’s armies, and Cao Cao’s old friend was soon claimed by illness.

Cao Cao neglected to mourn Yuan Shao. One should not mourn their enemies like they would their comrades after all.

 He secured his hold on the north with ruthless efficiency, and crushed any opponents within his territory. Zhang Liao, taken from Lu Bu’s armies, had replaced Dian Wei as Cao Cao’s strongest warrior. Guo Jia had passed from illness, regardless of Cao Cao’s efforts to save him, but it was fine -- for Cao Cao had more strategists than any other working under him.

Not to mention, Cao Cao was a talented strategist himself.

All that remained was to crush Liu Bei and Sun Quan, and finally China would be united. Finally, China would be at peace.

…

Cao Cao had walked so far into the waves they were beating against his chest now. The Hero of Chaos was surrounded by as nearly as many corpses as he was blood. The corpse of Dian Wei was still recognizable, but it had been joined by the corpses of Yuan Shao and Guo Jia. They swirled among a new infinite mass of skeletons - skeletons of those who had fought for Cao Cao, fought against Cao Cao, those caught in the crossfire.

Although their bones were still stark white, Cao Cao could only see the red bloods churning.

Bond 4

Cao Cao was not invincible. He had lost at Red Cliffs, and never bothered attempting to conquer Shu Han and Eastern Wu again. Better just to shore up his defenses and manage his state as best he could. He made it official that he was in charge, and his sons competed for the title of heir (it was never in any doubt that Cao Pi would win). It would help that Cao Pi was close with Sima Yi, a rising star within Cao Cao’s ranks. Cao Cao saw the ambition in Sima Yi’s eyes, an ambition much like his own, and he knew the strategist would not be content to simply aid Cao Cao’s family.

It mattered not though. Cao Cao simply continued to put the right people in the right places, doing everything to keep things as organized and efficient as possible. He made sure his officers were talented, he made sure his scholars never lazed about, and he made sure his army was the most well trained there was. For a brief period, for an amazing, brief period, Cao Cao could think he at least had brought “perfect peace” to his corner of China, even as the signs that it would not last built around him.

But he could do nothing but maintain his peace while he could.

The Hero of Chaos did all he could to maintain his peace until he couldn’t.

Bond 5

For one final time before everything turned black, Cao Cao found himself in the sea of blood. It was still and he was floating atop it. The countless skeletons floated around him. Although Cao Cao refused to turn his head, he could see Yuan Shao, Dian Wei, Guo Jia, Cao Ren, Xiahou Dun, and Xiahou Yuan floating alongside him, face down while he was face up. He knew that Sima Yi and Zhang Liao and Cao Pi were standing at the edge of the blood red sea. Some waded into it, some swam towards the center where Cao Cao lay.

Cao Cao lazily lifted a hand towards the sky.

Why would anyone be swimming towards him?

His forces were not held together by brotherhood like Shu Han, nor by family like Eastern Wu. Cao Cao had always thought they were held together merely by the force of his dream.

He had done all he could to ensure they would not need him.

So it must not be him they’re attached to.

It was not.

They treasured the idea the Hero of Chaos espoused and the dedication he pursued it. They treasured the unwavering soul that won them battles, the almighty spirit that saw them through the chaos.

Or perhaps they had valued Cao Cao. Perhaps they had seen him as more than just an ironclad dream worth fighting for.

It didn’t matter.

Because Cao Cao had only ever seen himself as an ironclad dream. And an ironclad dream can only see everything else as a vehicle to achieve itself.

What a foolish man, this Hero of Chaos. What a foolish man, this Cao Cao.

Cao Cao found himself no longer reaching towards the sky, but towards the bottom of the bloody sea. He was not merely face down like everyone else, but actively sinking.

For the last time, Cao Cao smiled. A fitting fate if he could ever think of one.

The Hero of Chaos shed a tear as his fingertips brushed the pitch black seabed that began to engulf him.

I think, only if just once, I’d like to live like that fool Xuande. I’d like to return the affection of those who fight with me honestly. I want to share my dream as a friend, not as a ruler.

Yeah, dreams are best shared at dinner tables, not in feasting halls…

Relationships

Iskandar

A man Cao Cao gets along with as a fellow conqueror. However, they do not get along as well as one might expect. While Cao Cao claims it's just from the incompatibility that comes with each of them trying to convince the other to join their armies, a flash of jealousy can be seen in Cao Cao’s eyes whenever Iskandar speaks of his Noble Phantasm.

Sima Yi/Reines

Cao Cao is puzzled as to why Sima Yi chooses to manifest as a pseudo-servant, but has resolved to not press the issue too much. Instead, he has decided to take advantage of Sima Yi’s choice in vessels to tease them both in retribution for Sima Yi overthrowing Wei to replace it with Jin. 

Zhuge Liang/Lord El-Melloi II

Cao Cao has nothing to say to Shu’s Top Strategist. Their states are long gone and their rivalry long rendered meaningless. That does not mean Cao Cao entertains being friendly with the strategist or his host, so he ignores them.

Chen Gong

Although Chen Gong’s dying words once shamed Cao Cao, Cao Cao enjoys taking digs at Chen Gong wherever he can, particularly regarding Chen Gong’s final defeat, and how much better utilized Zhang Liao was under Cao Cao than Chen Gong. Their verbal duels are mostly on even ground, but Cao Cao finds himself on the backfoot just often enough that he has to invoke the “Well, I won and you died” card more often than he’d like.

[lingyunxiang]

Mana Contemporary

With Director Kele McComsey &Spanish Artist Antonio Murado

[thewitcheslibrary]

Kök Tengri - Mythology and information

In Old Turkic, Tengri signifies God or Sky. Tengri, also known as Gök God or Kök Tengri, is the ultimate spirit of the sky, according to Tengricism. The Orkhon Inscriptions, where Tengri is the earliest deciphered term, give early proof of the significance of this notion.

Tengri, the great sky god, is the most revered Turkish divinity. While the majority of Turkish history has been polytheistic, Tengriism has existed as a monotheistic religion for millennia. Tengri, also known as Kök Tengri or Gok Tengri, is the first primordial deity and creator god. We don't know what he looks like, but he's all-powerful and fair. Later beliefs of the deity, no likely inspired by more contemporary philosophies, saw him as the force of good in opposition to Erlik's evil.

History-

Tengri was the Göktürks' national god, also known as the "god of Turks" (Türük Tängrisi). Tengri's mandate established the Göktürk khans' authority. These monarchs were widely considered as Tengri's sons, representing him on Earth. Tengrikut, kutluġ, and kutalmysh were titles given to monarchs who were believed to have gained kut, a spiritual energy provided by Tengri.

Prior to foreign intrusions, the Turkic idea of tengri was viewed as the heaven or the will that controlled the heavens, most likely a force. This resulted in the notion of a personal being. Initially, when Turkic people took over other religions, the term tengri became the name of a (personal) deity or "higher being"

Engri was the primary deity worshipped by the ruling elite of Central Asian steppe peoples from the sixth to ninth centuries (Turkic peoples, Mongols, and Hungarians). It lost significance when the Uighuric kagans declared Manichaeism the state religion in the eighth century. The Huns and early Bulgars spread Tengri religion over Eastern Europe.

Engri is thought to be the supreme god who created everything. In addition to the heavenly deity, they had smaller divinities (Alps) who served Tengri's objectives. Gök Tanrı was the father of the sun (Koyash) and moon (Ay Tanrı), also known as Umay, Erlik, and occasionally Ülgen.

Mythology-

Tengri was the most important deity in the Turkic pantheon, in charge of the celestial realm. Tengri is said to be related to the Indo-European sky deity *Dyeus, and the organisation of the reconstructed Proto-Indo-European religion is closer to that of the early Turks than to the religion of any Near Eastern or Mediterranean nation. In Christian Turkish, Tengri refers to Jesus' father, who is known as "Tengri Oghli" (Son of God) and "Mshikha Tengri" (Messiah God). Tengri is likened to both Allah and Khuda. Apart from foreign religious influences, as far as is known today, the original Turkish understanding of Tengri was "heaven" or a spirit governing in heaven. This spirit was most likely conceived as a power, similar to "mana" in contemporary ethnology.

The most important current evidence of Tengri worship is contained in the Old Turkic Orkhon inscriptions from the early eighth century. These inscriptions, written in the so-called Orkhon script, provide information about the Turks' legendary beginnings. The inscription dedicated to Kul Tigin includes the following paragraphs (in the translation supplied by the Language Committee of the Ministry of Culture and Information of the Republic of Kazakhstan): "When the blue sky [Tengri] above and the brown earth below were created, between them a human being was created." My forefathers, Bumin Kagan and Istemi Kagan, ruled over humanity. They controlled the people according to Turkish rules, led them, and prevailed" (face 1, line 1); "Tengri causes death. The Old Turkic phrase "Öd Teŋri yasar kisi oγlu qop ölgeli törürmis" (face 2, line 9) and "You passed away (lit.: 'went flying') until Tengri gives you life again" (face 2, line 14) refer to the creation of humans with the intention of death. The ancient Turkic people believed that Khagans ruled by Tengri's will, as stated in the Orkhon inscriptions: "I, Tengri-like and Tengri-born Turk Bilge Kaghan, succeeded to the throne at this time" (Old Turkic: Teŋiriteg Teŋiride bolmuš Türük Bilge Qaγan bü ödüke olurtum).

Tengri, according to one Turkic story, is a clean, white goose who always hovers over an unending stretch of water, representing time. Ak Ana ("White Mother") screams out to him "Create" beneath the ocean. To alleviate his loneliness, Tengri produces Er Kishi, who is not as pure or white as Tengri, and together they build the universe. Er Kishi transforms into a demonic figure who attempts to deceive and entice others into its darkness. Tengri adopts the name Tengri Ülgen and withdraws into Heaven, where he attempts to guide humans through sacred animals he sends among them. The Ak Tengris inhabit the fifth level of Heaven. Shaman priests who want to achieve Tengri Ülgen never get beyond this stage, where they communicate their aspirations to the divine guides. Returns to Earth or to the human level occur on a goose-shaped vehicle.

What he's associated with/his symbols-

 the sun, the moon, the top of yurts, the wolf, and the deer. The wolf and the deer are the common ancestors of most of the populations that participate in the Tengri religion.

[markrosewater]

I very much enjoyed your podcast on Green and its contemporary role in the color pie with Megan Smith. Very informative, intriguing and fun stuff! I totally agree with her that green should be able to make Treasure because it's the defacto mana production color. Can you please invite the other members of the council of colors for similar discussions in future Drive to Work episodes? I especially would like to hear from Blue's representative because as a Commander player, it feels to me like blue hasn't been getting as much new design space to explore in recent years while some of its classic abilities I feel its been sharing or giving up to blue more recently.

It's a six-part series with the representative for all five colors and colorless.

[srbachchan]

DAY 5234

Kheu, Hyds                       June 11,  2022                  Sat 11:24 AM

The night was disjointed , inclined to ignore the test of writing , to drive away into the confines of the self less , to be un enthusiastic , to avoid , to just allow the temperament to ride before , to feel compelled to be un compelled .. to just ..

SHUT UP .. !!! 🤐🤐🤐

But the morn has been alive .. drifting through the library of books behind me and randomly did pick one that has letters of Babuji collected and printed by them that have been able to gather several from several sources .. and for a while spent time in rushing through its pages , until after many that gave reason, sense, learnings , I found messages that gave reverence to Hanuman, just when I received images on my mobile of the deity , and quite by coincidence, came across this portion of a letter Babuji had written in response to a query by a letter writer .. 

Apart from the religiosity of the matter and content, which really is not the intention - has never been on this platform - there were some aspects which were universal .. 

The moments in his life when he was a non believer , an atheist , a nastik  and then a change again .. 

“Destiny has a brighter side to it as well .. religious belief is a gift of your upbringing your ‘ संस्कार ‘ sanskaar , the parental or generational up bringing .. it is difficult to get rid of it .. even when I was an atheist , I was a theist in some form or the other ..  what we believe in, quite honestly, we ourselves do not know ..”

“Hanuman is the devta ‘देवता ‘  a divine presence , of will power .. nothing is impossible in the power of his will .. he is humble in front of God .. ‘मैं सेवक सचराचर’ .. mai sevak sacharachar .. I the server of the universe ( is the quote in his mention of him )  ..  I believe in Hanuman .. on the Tuesday’s, the day of Hanuman, I do not eat , I fast .. in his  ‘उपासना’ .. upasana , his worship his reverence , I believe I find strength and increased will power .. he is humble in front of God .. he sees the presence of the Almighty in ‘चर-अचर’ char-achar ..  the moveable and the immoveable .. there is a very exalted sateek ‘सटीक’  description of him - Hanuman - in the Ram Charit Manas .. ‘रामचरितमानस’  .. ‘the lake of the good deeds of Ram’ “

(Ramayana was written by sage Valmiki in Treta Yuga in the Sanskrit language. Sage Valmiki was a contemporary of Lord Ram.

RamCharitManas was written by great Awadhi poet Goswami Tulsidas in Kaliyuga in Awadhi language. Tulsidas lived in the 15th century AD (1511–1623). The word Ramayana is made of two words — Ram and Aayanam (Story), thus the meaning of Ramayana is Ram’s story.

The word RamCharitManas is made of three words — Ram, Charita (good deeds) and Manas (lake), thus the meaning of RamCharitManas is Lake of good deeds of Ram.)

“In this World, for a struggling person like me , there is ever the need for will power .. and at the same time , humility ..really, how much there is to respect and praise the ‘मनीषा’ - thought , wisdom, intelligence .. of an Indian a Bharatiya .. he created or made the बानर ‘baanar’ , the animal monkey, a symbol, a प्रतीक prateek  of will power .. his, the baanar , will power is the power strength that is  ‘pashwik’ , पाशविक - pertaining to or characterising animals, bestial .. but he, Hanuman, was deputed in the service of Ram, Lord Ram ..” 

“There was will power in Hitler and Gandhi too .. but Gandhi’s will power was designated, assigned for higher principles ..” 

 “Each one of us should choose our उपास्य upaasya ..  that which is worthy of adoration, reverence , according to our nature .. perhaps our reverence bends towards it , on its own  ..” 

“I do not know why I found myself closer to Hanuman ..” 

                            ~ Harivansh Rai Bachchan

                               👣👣👣👣👣👣👣 .. 🙏🙏🙏 ... 🚩🚩🚩

In the mode of rest and moderation ..

Amitabh Bachchan

[asrisgratitudejournal]

Yellowface

Hola, ku kemarin menjanjikan ini di instastory sih. Gaada yang akan nagih juga tapi pengen nulis aja. Tulisan di bawah ini ditulis dari Jumat sore dan kemudian dilanjutkan lagi Senin sore ini jadi mohon maaf kalau super-fragmented dan amburadul. Let’s go! 

Kita mulai dari histori kenapa bisa beli dan baca ini: 

Waktu itu sempat ada Amazon sale 50%? Lupa pas Oktober apa ya kalau gak salah. Tiba-tiba aja ini buku hardcover yang harga aslinya 16pon jadi cuma 8.5 (barusan ngecek amazon ternyata sampe sekarang masih 8.5). 

Terus juga ada the hype when it was first out. Kayanya hampir semua toko buku di Ox pasang ini di etalasenya. Dan ya emang menarik mata juga sih karena warnanya kuning nge-jreng kan... Books are the biggest things in Oxford, there are 2 bookshops that are my fave in Oxford: Blackwell’s dan Waterstones perempatan. Most of the time tapi beli buku masih online sih sejauh ini selama di Oxford, mahal abisan. MAHAL BANGET YA BUKU TUH. Si dua toko buku ini akhirnya jadi tempat “window shopping” aja. Ada juga toko yang aku suka kunjungi: The Bookstop, Last Bookshop, sama the posh Daunt Books di Summertown. 

Si RF Kuang sebetulnya ku sudah dengar dari tahun lalu karena flatmate-ku dikasih hadiah ulangtahun Babel yang betul-betul baru keluar (her bf pre-ordered the book and so on the release day she received the fresh-from-the-oven copy). Waktu itu tapi persepsiku adalah bahwa Kuang adalah historical fiction writer, not some contemporary chick-lit writer? *(Yang mana I would consider Yellowface as “almost” chick-lit). 

Mulai baca karena habis nyelesein The Sixth Extinction-nya Elizabeth Kolbert, terus mau lanjut baca si Dinosaurs Rediscovered tapi baru 2 pages aja udah capek mata (fontnya kecil-kecil banget). Yaudah memutuskan untuk baca fiksi lagi. Udah lama banget ga baca fiksi btw. Bahkan udah lupa fiksi terakhir yang kubaca apa… Hank Green kah? Buset itu tahun kapan. 

First impression sampe tengah 

Mayan ringan (ga terlalu banyak berpikir keras karena bahasanya juga bahasa sehari-hari) tapi tetap seru karena belajar banyak tentang publishing. Buat normies yang ada di end of the consumer line seperti aku ini, ku cuma tahu buku dipajang di etalase aja lalu kubaca. Gatau gimana prosesnya dari author bikin pengonsepan cerita, nulis, pitching ke publisher, going through rounds of editorial works, sampe release day dan promosi. Well, sebenarnya sejak PhD dan nulis manuscript paper ini sedikit banyak sudah mengetahui hulu-nya sih. Tapi tetap aja di tengah-tengahnya itu adalah hal yang baru ku ketahui dan jadi seru aja bacanya kayak “ooo gitu toh ternyata, rempong juga ya mayan”. No wonder penulis-penulis selalu nyebut banyak bener orang di acknowledgement pagesnya, ternyata karena ini. Bagian release date dan promosi (reading and signing tour) kurleb juga lumayan familiar karena 3 tahun terakhir ku sangat terekspos dengan kehidupan idol dan comeback-nya (yang intinya adalah kegiatan promosi). 

Awal-awal juga masih seru karena adaptasi ke setting, terus mulai tahu karakter, siapa itu Athena, siapa itu June, dst. 

Mulai annoying sebetulnya di halaman ke-3/4(?) pas kebanyakan teksnya adalah internal dialogue dari June (dan I really needed to brace myself from this point on because this will be the dominant mode of the rest of the book). 

Kayanya yang bikin annoying mostly adalah… karena susah banget relate to whatever June is thinking??? I mean, aku sendiri personally talk A LOT in my mind. Kalau setiap hari ada script yang printing my-thoughts-of-the-day, bisa ada 10 pages A4 font 12 single spacing sepertinya. Jadi fair. Fair banget kalau kita sebagai reader perlu tahu what is going on inside her head. Tapi ya karena si June ini konsepnya sakit aja, sebagai orang yang (relatively lebih) sehat, jadi agak sulit mau relate sama yang dia pikirin. Tapi gak juga?? Ku baca semua ceritanya John Green masih baik-baik aja? Apa karena se-despicable itu ya si June? 

Mungkin juga ya emang Kuang bikin character June se-aneh itu untuk comedic effect to make a point to her satire… 

OH IYA, ku belum bilang di atas ya, intinya premise buku ini adalah June, a white woman, stealing her Chinese-American’s friend’s manuscript and then published the ms as her own. Terus the whole book is a first pov of June. Which is super meta karena Kuang (the author) is a Chinese-American, yang mana jadinya dia di buku ini “speak” as a white woman. Ku tahu di Indonesia kita belum yang peduli banget sama ras dsb, walaupun recently on twitter (reminder: twitter is not real life), kita banyak disuguhi diskursus ras/nationality: ya Rohingya lah, Papua, Israeli occupation (yes I call it occupation not a war)… Tapi kalau mau didekatkan ke case Indonesian, premise buku ini hampir mirip kalo seandainya aku (VERY privileged, although woman, javanese Muslim) wrote a story in the pov of say… Chinese-Indonesian man whose parents got killed in the ‘98 riot. Tahu apa saya. Pas ‘98 literally baru 5 tahun... Tapi inget dikit sih sampe sekarang entah dari verbal cerita orang apa nonton tv gitu kalau GORO dekat rumah dibakar dan dijarah. Imejin... buat orang yang nggak kena efek langsung aja ku sangat trauma, apalagi keluarga cindo... 

Anyways, tapi iya... Kalau ku nulis buku seperti itu ya probably gaakan ada  yang peduli juga sih kecuali warga di literature community, dan mungkin for some people, they would thank me because I could tell their stories (and with my privilege too I could censor myself less). Tapi akan ada juga orang-orang yang ngerasa storinya dirampas dong: “lah mangnya siapa dia, bisa-bisanya bikin cerita soktau tentang perjuangan kita di sini” in a way I would also be angry if a white man tries to write a story in my voice. 

Tengah sampe belakang 

Tengah sampai belakang sebetulnya better sih. Ku juga bacanya mulai enak dan ngebut, karena udah mulai adaptasi sama gaya ngomongnya si June kali ye. Jujur tapi di akhir ku merasa TAKUT BANGET?? Kaya lagi baca/nonton filem horor setan gitu. Mana aku bacanya malem-malem lagi kan. Ku nyicil spare 1 jam dari jam 10-11 sebelum tidur tiap hari buat ngebaca ini. Beneran ada part di mana I feel very uncomfortable rasanya pengen skip aja tapi gatau juga harus mulai lagi dari mana kan, si bagian June ngeliat “hantu” Athena ini sampe mana gitu. Tapi yaudah akhirnya aku persevere dan lewat juga bagian horornya. 

Endingnya meh banget sih. Mungkin emang itu tujuan dari Kuang, dan betulan ngasih efek satire-nya, tapi kayak pas baca tuh aku yang “wtf ????” after all those tortures on the horror scenes, this is how it ends??? Super anti-climax aja sih. But probably that’s the point, the whole point of the book talking about vicious cycle and systemic toxic culture. 

Final verdict-nya adalah: this is an entertaining book. Kalau mau baca yang casual dan ringan dan ga banyak mikir, go read this. This book would be the right book to take with you on plane, bisa dibaca di boarding room, di pesawat, di rumah. Tapi yaudah that’s how far it can go. Ga yang thought-provoking atau gimana, you cannot even have a proper discussion about it karena hampir semuanya udah di-spell out sama Kuang (thank you I guess?). The black and white is painted all over the characters. Well, Athena is a bit of a grey(?), but also very difficult to say because the whole time we were ONLY inside of June’s mind anyway. 

Terus beres baca ini aku yang “oh this is exactly why I stopped reading fiction. They make the characters so despicable and unrelatable that it is almost impossible to meet people like this in real life”. Itulah mengapa sekarang ku mulai kembali ke buku-buku science-pop non-fiksi ku... Lebih pusing tapi at least everything is neutral, or at least in between, not that black and white... 

HHHHH. Udah deh itu dulu aja bacot-an Yellowface-nya. I gave it rating 4/5 di Insta kemarin, and I still stand with it. It is good, but that’s how far it can be being good. 

Office desk & Radcam 8&11/12/2023