#Chase Liao

[grapefruittwostep]

ANYWAY my phone is working again so here’s my worst werewolf boy, I love him. I meant to give him new tattoos but I forgot oops

[rainyday-23]

╰ (´꒳`) ╯again very work place romance

[milliondollarbaby87]

Presumed Innocent (Season 1) Review

A horrendous murder will shake everything up in the Chicago Prosecuting Attorney’s office, innocent until proven guilty? ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Number of episodes – 8 Streaming Service – Apple TV+ ***May contain potential spoilers*** Continue reading Presumed Innocent (Season 1) Review

[the-bi-library]

Here are bisexual books out in November 🩷💜💙

Books listed:

I Am the Dark That Answers When You Call by Jamison Shea

Back in the Rain by Elen Chase

Witch Queen of Redwinter (The Redwinter Chronicles, #3) by Ed McDonald

Make Room for Love by Darcy Liao

Just Like Christmas by Annabel den Dekker

Lady Hell by Alyssa Page

Rani Choudhury Must Die by Adiba Jaigirdar

The Anonymous Letters of C Forestier by Felicia Davin

Hearts and Stars by Phoenix Kathryn Time and Tide by J.M. Frey

Merry in Moose Falls by Emily Silver

Plagued Lands by Nikki Brooke

Leap by Simina Popescu

A Hard Fit by Jennifer Moffatt

I'm Sorry If I Scared You by Mae Murray

The Twice-Sold Soul by Katie Hallahan

The Last Hour Between Worlds by Melissa Caruso

Of Hoarfrost and Blood by Scarlet Tempest

Our Deadly Designs (This Dark Descent, #2) by Kalyn Josephson

Monsoon Queen by Jo Carthage

Afterglow by Emily Antoinette

[trans-axolotl]

this is a shortened works cited from my thesis, pulling out the sources about American intersex history and activism from the past 30 years. i have pdfs for most of the sources there, if there's something that isn't linked send me a message and i can try to find it!

just thought i'd try to put a lot of intersex history sources in one place.

Works Cited: 

Amato, Viola. “The Intersex Movement of the 1990s: Speaking Out Against Medical and Narrative Violence.” In Intersex Narratives: Shifts in the Representation of Intersex Lives in North American Literature and Popular Culture, 55–102. Transcript Verlag, 2016. http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctv1xxrsz.6.

Bauer, Markus, Daniela Truffer and Daniela Crocetti. “Intersex Human Rights.” The International Journal of Human Rights. 24, no.6. (2020):724-749.https://doi.org/10.1080/13642987.2019.1671354 

Brown, Lydia X.Z., Erickson, Loree, da Silva Gorman, Rachel, Lewis, Talila A., McLeod, Lateef, and Mingus, Mia.  “Radical Disability Politics.” In Routledge Handbook of Radical Politics, edited by A.J. Withers and Liat Ben-Moshe, 178-193. Routledge, 2019. 

Cameron, David. “Hermaphrodites With Attitude.” Newsletter. 1994. https://isna.org/library/hwa/ 

Carpenter, Morgan. “Fixing bodies and shaping narratives: Epistemic injustice and the responses of medicine and bioethics to intersex human rights demands.” Clinical Ethics. 2024;19, no. 1. (2024) :3-17. doi:10.1177/14777509231180412

Chase, Cheryl. “Hermaphrodites with Attitude: Mapping the Emergence of Intersex Political Activism.” Journal of Lesbian and Gay Studies. 4, no.2, (1998): 189-211. 

---, Hermaphrodites Speak! 1997; Rohnert Park: Intersex Society of North America. Video tape. 

Cohen, Julie, dir. Every Body. 2023; United States: Focus Features, DVD.

Denny, Dallas.  "Chrysalis Quarterly, Vol. 2 No. 5 (Fall, 1997 / Winter, 1998)."  Periodical.  1998.  Digital Transgender Archive,  https://www.digitaltransgenderarchive.net/files/7s75dc39s  (accessed April 08, 2024).

Davis, Georgiann. “Introduction: Normalizing Intersex: The Transformative Power of Stories.”  in Voices: Personal Stories from the Pages of Narrative Inquiry in Bioethics: Normalizing Intersex, edited by James DuBois and Ana Iltis. 1-4. John Hopkins University Press, 2016. 

Dreger, Alice. “Rejecting the Tranquilizing Drug of Gradualism in Intersex Care.” Alice Dreger (blog). November 2015. Accessed April 9, 2024. https://alicedreger.com/dsd_human_rights/ 

Dreger, Alice and April Herndon. “Progress and Politics in the Intersex Rights Movement: Feminist Theory in Action.” Journal of Lesbian and Gay Studies. 15, no. 2. (2009): 199-224.

Fausto-Sterling, Ane. Sexing the Body: Gender Politics and the Construction of Sexuality. New York: Basic Books. 2000. 

“A Framework for Intersex Justice.” Intersex Justice Project. 2021. Accessed April 8, 2024. https://www.intersexjusticeproject.org/intersex-justice-framework.html 

"FTM Newsletter #37."  Periodical.  1997.  Digital Transgender Archive,  https://www.digitaltransgenderarchive.net/files/kd17cs89j  (accessed April 08, 2024).

Hegarty, Peter, Marta Prandelli, Trove Lundberg, Lih-Mei Liao, Sarah Creighton, and Katrina Roen.”Drawing the Line Between Essential and Nonessential Interventions on Intersex Characteristics With European Health Care Professionals.” Review of General Psychology. 25, no 1. (2020): 101-114. 

Hermaphrodites With Attitude.  "Hey AAP! Get Your Scalpels Off Our Bodies! Flyer."  Ephemera.  1990.  Digital Transgender Archive,  https://www.digitaltransgenderarchive.net/files/qj72p712h  (accessed April 08, 2024). 

“Hermaphrodites With Attitude,” Intersex Society of North America. 2006. Accessed April 8, 2024. https://isna.org/library/hwa/ 

“How To: Organize an #EndIntersexSurgery Protest in your hometown--a toolkit created by Intersex Justice Project (IJP.” Intersex Justice Project. 2019. Accessed April 8, 2024. https://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20191111232744/https://docs.google.com/document/d/1EgYy2jfSO04HF_FGv-8RXYEgWW422L-RB7oxMOaIiBc/edit 

Hughes, Ieuan, Christopher Houk, Syed Faisal Ahmed, Peter Lee, and LWPES1/ESPE2 Consensus Group. “Consensus Statement on Management of intersex disorders.” Disease in Childhood. 91, no.7. (2006): 554-563. doi: 10.1136/adc.2006.098319

“I Want to Be Like Nature Made Me: Medically Unnecessary Surgeries on Intersex Children in the US.” Human Rights Watch. InterACT. July 2017, accessed April 8, 2024. https://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/report_pdf/lgbtintersex0717_web_0.pdf 

“InterACT Statement on Intersex Terminology.” InterACT: Advocates for Intersex Youth. 2015. Accessed April 8, 2024. https://interactadvocates.org/interact-statement-on-intersex-terminology/#:~:text=interACT's%20use%20of%20terminology%20and,of%20the%20term%20%E2%80%9Cintersex%E2%80%9D. 

Lindhal, Hans. “Is PCOS an Intersex Condition? Here’s 5 Reasons Why Some Say Yes.” HansLindhal.Com (Blog). February 2023, Accessed April 7, 2024. https://hanslindahl.com/blog/is-pcos-an-intersex-condition 

---., “9 Young People on How They Found Out They Are Intersex.” Teen Vogue. October 2019. Accessed April 10, 2024. https://www.teenvogue.com/gallery/young-people-on-how-they-found-out-they-are-intersex 

“M.C v. Aaronson.” Southern Poverty Law Center. 2017. Accessed April 8, 2024. https://www.splcenter.org/seeking-justice/case-docket/mc-v-aaronson

Merrick, Ten. “From ‘Intersex’ to ‘DSD’: A Case of Epistemic Injustice.” Synthese 196, no. 11 (2019): 4429–47. http://www.jstor.org/stable/45220035.

Orr, Celeste. Cripping Intersex. University of British Columbia Press, 2022. 

Pagonis, Pidgeon. “#EndIntersexSurgery Protest At Lurie Children’s Hospital Recap + 5 Ways To Get Involved.” Intersex Justice Project. 2018. Accessed April 8, 2024. https://www.intersexjusticeproject.org/blog/endintersexsurgery-protest-at-lurie-childrens-hospital-recap 

Pagonis, Pidgeon and Sean Saifa Wall. “Open Letter to AIS-DSD Support Group.” EndIntersexSurgery. Intersex Justice Project. February 2018. Accessed April 8, 2024.  http://www.endintersexsurgery.org/ 

Redick, Alison. “What Happened at Hopkins: The Creation of the Intersex Management Protocols.  Cardozo Journal of  Law & Gender. 12 (2005): 289-296 

Reid, Graeme, and Minky Worden. “Caster Semenya Won Her Case, But Not the Right to Compete.” Human Rights Watch. July 2023. Accessed April 10, 2024. https://www.hrw.org/news/2023/07/18/caster-semenya-won-her-case-not-right-compete  

Reis, Elizabeth. Bodies in Doubt: An American History of Intersex. John Hopkins Press, 2021.

---, “Did Bioethics Matter? A HIstory of Autonomy, Consent, and Intersex Genital Surgery. Medical Law review. 27, no.4, (2019):658-674. https://doi.org/10.1093/medlaw/fwz007 

Rios-Espinosa, Carlos, Koomah, Syrus Marcus Ware, and Sean Saifa Wall. “Liberating All Bodies: Disability Justice & Intersex Justice In Conversation.” Webinar at the Crip Camp Impact Team and Human Rights Watch Film Festival, United States, October 2020.  

Rubin, David, Michelle Wolff and Amanda Lock Swarr. “Creating Intersex Justice: Interview with Sean Saifa Wall and Pidgeon Pagonis of the Intersex Justice Project.”  Transgender Studies Quarterly. 9, no. 2. (2022): 187-195. https://doi.org/10.1215/23289252-9612823 

Sharman, Zena. “Intersex Justice and the Care We Deserve: ‘I Want People to Feel at Home in Their Bodies Again.’” Ms. Magazine. 2022. Accessed April 8, 2024. https://msmagazine.com/2022/02/03/intersex-justice-the-care-we-dream-of-queer-trans-healthcare/  

Sharpe, Sam. “No one-size-fits all: Myths and Misconceptions about PCOS.” InterACT: Advocates for Intersex Youth. Advocates for Informed Choice. October 2022. Accessed on April 7, 2024. https://interactadvocates.org/no-one-size-fits-all-myths-and-misconceptions-about-pcos/ 

Spurgas, Alyson. “(Un)Queering Identity: The Biosocial Production of Intersex/DSD.” in Critical Intersex edited by Morgan Holmes. 97-122. Ashgate Publishing, 2009. 

Tamar-Matis, Anne. “ Advocates for Informed Choice, Newsletter Fall 2007.” Newsletter. 2007. AIC Legal .https://aiclegal.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/fall-07-newsletter-final.pdf

---. “Advocates for Informed Choice: Newsletter Spring 2008.” Newsletter. 2008. AIC Legal.https://aiclegal.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/spring-08-final.pdf

---. “Advocates for Informed Choice: Newsletter Summer 2009.” Newsletter. 2009. AIC Legal.https://aiclegal.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/aic-2009-summer-newsletter-pdf.pdf

---. “Advocates for Informed Choice: Spring 2010 Newsletter.” Newsletter. 2010. AIC Legal.https://us1.campaign-archive.com/?u=f8291560ebb2dafc25097480f&id=5803ec8c71

---., “June 2011: Promoting the Civil Rights of Children Born With Variations of Sex Anatomy.” Newsletter. 2011. AIC Legal. https://us1.campaign-archive.com/?u=f8291560ebb2dafc25097480f&id=cec68ddac 

---.. “June 2012: Promoting the Civil Rights of Children Born With Variations of Sex Anatomy.” Newsletter. 2012. AIC Legal. https://us1.campaign-archive.com/?u=f8291560ebb2dafc25097480f&id=b4d4dd90cf

---. “ 2012 Annual Report.” Newsletter. 2012. Advocates for Informed Choice. https://interactadvocates.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AIC-2012-Annual-Report.pdf 

---. “2013 Annual Report. “ Newsletter. 2012. Advocates for Informed Choice. https://interactadvocates.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/2013-annual-report-FIN1.pdf  

“US: Anti-Trans Bills Also Harm Intersex Children.” Human Rights Watch. October 22. Accessed April 10, 2024. https://www.hrw.org/news/2022/10/26/us-anti-trans-bills-also-harm-intersex-children 

Vecchietti, Valentino. “A Journey to the Intersex-Inclusive Pride Flag.” Global Inclusive Pride Flag. Intersex Equality Rights. 2021. Accessed April 7, 2024. https://www.globalinclusiveprideflag.com/ 

Wilchins, Riki Anne.  "In Your Face No. 5 (Spring 1998)."  Newsletter.  1998.  Digital Transgender Archive,  https://www.digitaltransgenderarchive.net/files/vq27zn45k  (accessed April 08, 2024).

Withers, AJ. Disability Politics and Theory. Fernwood Publishing, 2012. 

Woo, Elaine. “David Reimer, 38; After Botched Surgery, He was Raised as a Girl in Gender Experiment.: Los Angeles Times. May 2004. Accessed April 8, 2024. https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2004-may-13-me-reimer13-story.html 

[chinesehanfu]

[Hanfu · 漢服]Chinese Song Dynasty(960–1279AD)Emperor Traditional Official Hanfu

The official uniform of the Chinese Song Dynasty emperor in "Serenade of Peaceful Joy"

【Historical Reference Artifacts】:

Portrait of Emperor Taizu  (21 March 927 – 14 November 976)of Song Dynasty, kept in the National Palace Museum

Portrait of Emperor Yingzong  (16 February 1032 – 25 January 1067) of Song Dynasty, kept in the National Palace Museum

Many people may curious about why the emperors of the Song Dynasty did not wear the classic yellow, but instead wore white or red round-necked robes.

During the Han and Tang dynasties, yellow was exclusively associated with imperial authority. According to the theory of "the Wuxing (Chinese philosophy)"which is Fire, Water, Wood, Metal, and Earth, yellow represented the center and symbolized the legitimacy of imperial power. However, during the Song Dynasty, due to political changes, Emperor Taizong decided to shift this tradition and adopt red as the new symbolic color for the dynasty. The court officials supported this change and provided various justifications, such as the theory of fire's virtue and the idea of red being a color of celebration, among others.

During the Han and Tang dynasties, yellow was exclusively associated with imperial authority. According to the theory of "the Wuxing (Chinese philosophy)"which is Fire, Water, Wood, Metal, and Earth, yellow represented the center and symbolized the legitimacy of imperial power. However, during the Song Dynasty, due to political changes, Emperor Taizong decided to shift this tradition and adopt red as the new symbolic color for the dynasty. The court officials supported this change and provided various justifications, such as the theory of fire's virtue and the idea of red being a color of celebration, among others.

【Emperor Taizu of Song Dynasty<Zhao Kuangyin/赵匡胤>】

Emperor Taizu of Song (21 March 927 – 14 November 976), personal name Zhao Kuangyin, courtesy name Yuanlang, was the founding emperor of the Song dynasty of China. He reigned from 960 until his death in 976. Formerly a distinguished military general of the Later Zhou dynasty, Emperor Taizu came to power after staging a coup d'état and forcing Emperor Gong, the last Later Zhou ruler, to abdicate the throne in his favor.

During his reign, Emperor Taizu conquered the states of Southern Tang, Later Shu, Southern Han, and Jingnan, thus reunifying most of China proper. To strengthen his control, he lessened the power of military generals and relied on civilian officials in administration. He was succeeded by his younger brother, Zhao Kuangyi (Emperor Taizong).

Early life

Born in Luoyang to military commander Zhao Hongyin, Zhao Kuangyin grew up excelling in mounted archery. Once, riding an untamed horse without a bridle, he knocked his forehead on the wall above the city gate and fell off, but got right back up and chased the horse, eventually subduing it while going unharmed. In the mid-940s, he married Lady He on his father's arrangement. After wandering around for a few years, in 949 he joined the army of Guo Wei, a jiedushi (military governor) of the Later Han dynasty, and helped Guo quell Li Shouzhen's rebellion.

Career under Later Zhou（后周）

In 951, Guo Wei rebelled and created the Later Zhou dynasty. Because of his brilliant combat skills, Zhao Kuangyin was promoted to a palace guard commander. Chai Rong (Emperor Shizong of Later Zhou) frequently met Guo Wei and noticed Zhao Kuangyin's potential. Under his command, Zhao Kuangyin was made into a commander of the cavalry units. Under Chai Rong, Zhao Kuangyin's rise to power had begun.

Zhao Kuangyin's career started at the Battle of Gaoping, against the alliance of the Northern Han and Liao dynasties.

This rivalry started when Chai Rong ascended the throne and Liu Chong decided to work with the Liao dynasty. In the initial confrontation, the army's right flank, led by Fan Aineng (樊愛能) and He Hui (何徽), was defeated. Looking at the situation, Zhao Kuangyin and Zhang Yongde (張永德) led 4000 elite Palace troops to counter the Liao army. Zhao Kuangyin's exhortation for the loyalty to the emperor quickly strengthened morale. The small force held off the larger Liao army until reinforcements arrived. In the end, the successful counter repelled the Northern Han back to Taiyuan.

The victory raised Zhao Kuangyin up to the post of the grand commander of the palace guards, as well as reorganising and training them. More importantly, he developed the relations with other generals and officials related to the Chief of Palace, including Shi Shouxin, Wang Shenqi (王審琦), Yang Guangyi (楊光義), Wang Zhengzhong (王政忠), Liu Qingyi (劉慶義), Liu Shouzhong (劉守忠), Liu Yanrang (劉延讓), Mi Xin (米信), Tian Chongjin (田重進), Pan Mei, his brother Zhao Kuangyi, Shen Yilun (沈義倫), Lu Xuqing, Zhao Pu (趙普), Chu Zhaofu (楚昭輔). Within a few years, Zhao Kuangyin completely controlled the palace guards and even developed a set of officials under him with the people mentioned above.

Soon, he was promoted to a jiedushi (military governor), controlling most of the military power under Chai Rong. Nevertheless, he still had two rivals – Zhang Yongde (Guo Wei's son-in-law) and Li Chongjin (Guo Wei's nephew). In 959, after a trap[clarification needed] set by Zhao Kuangyin, Zhang Yongde was demoted. After the death of Chai Rong, the Later Zhou throne was left to his seven-year-old son Guo Zongxun, and the second rival, Li Chongjin, soon found himself lacking the political backing. As a result, Zhao Kuangyin was able to use his influence to transfer Li Chongjin to Yang Prefecture as a jiedushi.

Chenqiao Mutiny/陈桥兵变

Main article: Chenqiao Mutiny20th-century illustration of Zhao Kuangyin being proclaimed emperor by the army of the Later Zhou dynasty.

In 960, word reached the chancellor Fan Zhi that Northern Han and Liao dynasties were once again allied to invade them again. Without verifying the reliability of the hearsay, Fan Zhi sent Zhao Kuangyin to combat the alliance. After traveling 40 li, there was a clamour that a "prophet" saw two suns fighting, and that this meant the transfer of the Mandate of Heaven to Zhao Kuangyin. The story effectively spread around the army: there came discontent of the "command" of the young emperor and a shift of loyalty to Zhao Kuangyin. A few days later, when Zhao Kuangyin was drunk in his tent, all the troops had not slept the whole night; they got their weapons and started yelling. Zhao Pu and Zhang Kuangyi, who were guarding the tent, saw the situation and went into the tent to wake up Zhao Kuangyin. When Zhao Kuangyin came out, all the troops yelled, "The army is without a master, we are willing to make the general the new emperor." Allegedly, Zhao Kuangyin took the power reluctantly, only under the urging of his soldiers. The midnight mutiny of officers forcibly urged Zhao Kuangyin to the throne; but, when the officers presented him to the troops as their new commander-in-chief he refused the imperial nomination until they swore unconditional obedience to him as leader.[6] News of the rebellion soon reached the court and chaos erupted. The only person who thought about a resistance was Han Tong, but he was killed by one of Zhao Kuangyin's generals when he reached home.

Upon entering the capital to take his seat on the throne, Zhao Kuangyin made an executive order prohibiting the troops from looting the city or otherwise violating the rights of the population.

This coup would allow Zhao Kuangyin to become emperor in 960.With the gates opened for him, he became emperor with no resistance. Before the chancellor Fan Zhi could say anything, one of Zhao Kuangyin's generals pointed a sword at him and said, "We are without masters. Today, we must have an emperor." After the officials looked at each other and knew it was hopeless to resist; they all bowed down. With the court under control, Zhao Kuangyin was officially proclaimed emperor. The new dynasty's name, Song, was inspired by the army Zhao Kuangyin commanded in Song Prefecture.

After the declaration, Zhao Kuangyin sent the dethroned young emperor Guo Zongxun with his mother to the Western Capital (西京). He personally ordered the Zhao family to receive the Chai family into their family's care for generations.

As emperor

Emperor Taizu playing cuju with Zhao Pu, by the Yuan dynasty painter Qian Xuan (1235–1305)

In 960, Zhao Kuangyin helped reunite most of China proper after the fragmentation and rebellion between the fall of the Tang dynasty in 907 and the establishment of the Song dynasty. The plan set during Chai Rong's reign was to first conquer the north, then the south. During Emperor Taizu's reign, there was a change in strategy. He would conquer all the smaller states such as Later Shu, Southern Han and Southern Tang. The exception was the strong Northern Han in the north at Taiyuan supported by the Khitans of the Liao dynasty. Emperor Taizu's strategy was to win over the independent southern states[8] as the south was weaker than the north as the Liao dynasty supported Northern Han.

In 968, Emperor Taizu personally led the army against the Northern Han. At first, his forces tore through the defences and placed Taiyuan under siege, but was ultimately forced to retreat after he struck against the defences of the Northern Han with the Liao cavalry coming in to support.Portrait of Emperor Taizu, who founded the Song dynasty

Emperor Taizu established the core Song Ancestor Rules and Policy for the later Song emperors. He was remembered for his expansion of the imperial examination system such that most of the civil service were recruited through the exams (in contrast to the Tang where less than 10% of the civil servants came through exams). He also created academies that allowed a great deal of freedom of discussion and thought, which facilitated the growth of scientific advance, economic reforms as well as achievements in arts and literature.

Emperor Taizu is well known for bringing the power of the military under control, ending the era of the warlords, centralizing the state over regional commanders and so preventing anyone else rising to power as he did.[8] Upon becoming emperor, he invited the general officers to a lavish banquet, where he convinced them all to retire as military leaders or accept minor posts, in favour of enjoying extensive estates and generous retirement funds and benefits which he then offered them.At a certain point during the feast, the new emperor made a speech to the military officers assembled there, which he began by expressing his deep gratitude to each and all of them for placing him on the throne, and that now that he had the power to do so, he wished to reward them to the utmost of his ability; then he went on to say that he thought the present company would all understand that he could not feel at ease on his new throne, with them continuing in command of their various armies of troops: and, he said, that if they duly considered the ramifications of the matter, neither would they. He then sincerely promised that they and their families would live in happiness and harmony, if they accepted his offer to retire with the stated benefits: eventually, none of the generals refused his terms, and thus began a period of relative internal peace within the realm for the duration of the Song dynasty which he thus founded, also better securing the military forces for involvement with the rival surrounding empires.

Many Song and later sources record the story of the "Taizu's Oath", which forbade his successors from killing scholar-officials. However, this story might be a later construct.

Death and succession dispute

Tomb of Emperor Taizu in the Yongchang Mausoleum, Gongyi, Zhengzhou

Emperor Taizu reigned for seventeen years and died in 976 at the age of 49. Curiously, he was succeeded by his younger brother, Zhao Kuangyi (Emperor Taizong), even though he had two grown sons – Zhao Dezhao, the Prince of Yan (951–979), and Zhao Defang, the Prince of Qin (959–981). The traditional historical accounts place emphasis on the role Zhao Kuangyin's mother played in the decision which was made shortly after the Song dynasty was proclaimed (around 961). So for nearly his entire reign, it was known and accepted that Zhao Kuangyi would succeed him.

In folklore, the story known as "shadows by the candle and sounds from an axe" is very popular and suggests that Emperor Taizu was murdered by his brother, who was after the throne.After his death, Taizu was interred at the Yongchang Mausoleum, near Gongyi.

After Emperor Taizong, the line of succession passed on to his son and descendants rather than those of Emperor Taizu. However, when Emperor Gaozong (1127–1161) failed to produce an heir, he selected a descendant of Emperor Taizu to be his adopted heir to succeed him in 1161. After 1161, all the subsequent Song emperors were descended from Emperor Taizu through his two sons, Zhao Dezhao and Zhao Defang.

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📸Photo：:©胶宗模玩jiaotoys(Chinese manufacturing historical figure model merchant)

🔗Xiaohongshu App：https://www.xiaohongshu.com/user/profile/5659f093589de33cb53e0083

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[battyaboutbooksreviews]

💙💜💖 Bi Books Released in November 2024

💖💜💙 Hey there, beloved bookish bats, and happy December! I know it's a day late, but here are a few bisexual books released in November that would make fabulous additions to your never-ending TBR! Happy reading!

💙 I apologize for any discrepancies. Publishing days are subject to change.

💖 Rani Choudhury Must Die - Adiba Jaigirdar 💜 Our Deadly Designs - Kalyn Josephson 💙 Merry in Moose Falls - Emily Silver

💖 I Am the Dark That Answers When You Call - Jamison Shea 💜 Afterglow - Emily Antoinette 💙 A Wild and Ruined Song - Ashley Shuttleworth

💖 Of Hoarfrost and Blood - Scarlet Tempest 💜 Time and Tide - J.M. Frey 💙 Back in the Rain - Elen Chase

💖 Witch Queen of Redwinter - Ed McDonald 💜 The Last Hour Between Worlds - Melissa Caruso 💙 The Twice-Sold Soul - Katie Hallahan

💖 Hearts and Stars - Phoenix Kathryn 💜 Leap - Simina Popescu 💙 The Anonymous Letters of C Forestier - Felicia Davin

💖 Just Like Christmas - Annabel den Dekker 💜 A Hard Fit - Jennifer Moffatt 💙 Make Room for Love - Darcy Liao

[lmk-oc-competition]

LMK OC COMPETITION - ROUND 2

click to see full image

Yahui Liao belongs to @shepherd-to-the-stars (art credit: @vegalocity)

Blossom belongs to @blossomnightshade

Learn more about them below the cut!

Yahui Liao:

Yahui Liao is a young college student with a little sister who got possessed by a certain Lady Bone Demon. In her efforts to search for her missing sister, she ends up becoming a student for Macaque (in a "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em" approach after failing to "steal" Xiaotian from Sun Wukong), teaching her how to defend herself and fight demons as she uncovers clues about what happened to Baihe.

She's taken on most of the brunt of being a parent to her younger sister as her parents were more focused on work and showing off their kids rather than being good parents to their daughters. As such, she feels a lot of regret in her sister going missing, and her parents only thought she ran away from home rather than anything more dangerous.

After her sister was rescued, she was left affected by the possession, and a bit more susceptible to demons, prompting Yahui to continue training under Macaque for the foreseeable future.

Blossom:

In summary, (Kāihuā) Blossom is a powerful but introverted huli-jing who has the potential to bring peace and prosperity to the universe and has yet to find out more about the greater aptitudes that await her…

(Kāihuā) Blossom, a young Huli-Jing, was once a symbol of balance, order and power. The celestial sky was filled with moonlight, and the scarlet moonflower emerged, symbolising the potential for those willing to eat its petals. However, the flower's power was cursed, and it was hidden from evil and darkness.The moondrop's immense power and rich history led to stories of its relationship with the celestial body above and its potential to bring justice and prosperity to all people.Thus, leading to the emergence of numerous demons and bad entities hunting for the flower's recent harvest by its host.

The story begins with Blossom, who and her father were chased by bad entities throughout their childhood. One night, Xiangliu cornered them in the East Sea, and Blossom's father threw her into the sea. Ao Lie and Ao Guang saved her, and she was transported to the celestial bars of the Celestial Realm. As the Moondrop's incarnation, Blossom faced fear of becoming a threat due to her traumatic past. The celestial court and Jade Emperor agreed to erase her memories, allowing her to create new ones in the Celestial Realm.

Blossom was raised by Miss Chang'e and Princess Iron Fan, the residents of the Celestial Realm, and the heavenly minister. She has grown to be a calm, selfless, and skilled individual, mastered in healing powers, golden vision, crystal manipulation, and shapeshifting. She is also a soft-spoken and comforting figure to the Monkie Gang, but may become intimidating if she witnesses her loved ones being threatened.

[wildwinterlunas]

heyhey!! i love your page so much and your analyses of characters.... when you posted cassidy and mysteriousness and how he would only share the most with mina, it could be interesting to expand on that with echo being the closest person and personality to her as a result. it could be a grief amplifier but also it could close up cassidy even more and make him so much more reluctant to share anything real at all,, i've been thinking about this all day!! this is why i love your thoughts!!

Oh trust me I think about this a lot.

The way Declassified described Mina and Cassidy's realationship reminded me so much of something that was mentioned in Deadlock Rebels. That being that Cassidy had walls up, a line that not even Ashe could cross. Those walls being his mask, his persona, something that not a lot of people could see past, let alone break though, but Mina is described as seeing through it instantly, and even breaking through it. She did something that no one else, not even Ashe could do, she saw who Cassidy was without the persona, without the mask. She's the one person we see that Cassidy probably fully opened up to, and the way she died probably altered Cassidy permanently. He was just outside the building when the explosion happened, he raced to where Mina was and was the only person with her in her final moments. That would change anyone, and we see that it changed Cassidy, making him more hostile in the beginning but then he just began building those walls again, stronger this time. Hiding behind the mask even more so he wouldn't be hurt like that again.

One of my biggest HC's is that Cassidy and Echo have a father-daughter relationship, as some of Echo's personality wouldn't have come from Mina, but would have definitely come from Cole. Such as her outwardly sassing people like Ramattra, that and the way she teases people along with how she empathises with people and comforts them. We also know from her short story that the first people Echo could copy were Mina, Cassidy and Jack, Mina and Cassidy being the people she was around the most. That doesn't detract from the fact that Echo is still very similar to Mina, having similar behaviours and mannerisms.

Considering how we see Cassidy interact with Echo, it's very obvious that he isn't as open to her as he was with Mina. To me, Cassidy isn't the type of person to treat Echo as just a copy of Liao, she's her own person. However considering his history with her and Liao, it would be hard for him to not see the similarities. Also I would like to point out that the way that Echo and Cassidy talk about Liao feels like child asking an alive parent what their deceased parent would have thought of them.

Something else I would like to add is that Cassidy was so focused on revenge he wasn't able to attend Mina's funeral. Which probably adds another layer of grief on an already steaming sess pool of shit, because on top of all of that, Gerard gets injured and Reyes shoots a guy out of a window, basically signing Overwatch's death warrant. Then right after that the Zurich explosion happens and Cassidy looses his arm, his family, his home, and what fragile stability he had from being an Overwatch agent. During this time, Echo is also put in quarantine.

He probably feels like he failed Echo, that he failed Mina. It probably being part of the reason why he sounds so hostile about Jack "chasing ghosts", he knows what revenge can do to a person, how it can affect the people around them.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, Cassidy's story is so much more complex and tragic if you stop and really think about it.

(btw, writing this reminded me that shortly after this, he would have had to watch as Genji and Lena were critically injured while fighting Doomfist.)

[nitewrighter]

in your opinion, who in overwatch cried during the barbie movie? (other than mommy issues queen pharah)

Pharah actually didn't cry during Barbie because she read enough Angela Davis to have a very basic grasp of intersectional feminism (but not enough Angela Davis to stop her from basically being a cop >.>).

If I'm going off of the fact that my brother cried in Barbie and I didn't, I would say that the following cried in Barbie:

Torbjörn "Girl dad who is also now adopted-dad to a robot that has moved well past its original purpose" Lindholme

Cole "is now asking himself a lot of questions about his own presentation of masculinity and his general self-worth as it has been defined by others" Cassidy

Echo "Just one big mess of Robot and Gender and also the part where Barbie chooses to embrace life in all of its pain and messiness really got to me" Liao

Sombra "I actually did play with dolls as a little girl and HOO NELLY do I have some skillfully covered childhood trauma" Colomar

Vivian/Sojourn "I have a niece and she's growing up and it's fine I'M FINE" Chase

and finally,

Jamison/Junkrat "The part with the old lady really got to me maybe I'M a Barbie.." Fawkes

[throneshqs]

mw roles and fcs for them?

yes, please bring these characters! also, a reminder that you may apply for houses and canons that are not listed so far, jut send and ask if you have interest in someone.

rhaegar targaryen - aidan turner, boyd holbrook, bradley james, louis garrel, matt smith, sam reid or tom hopper.

eddard stark - alexander dreymon, ben barnes, daniel sharman, garret hedlund, sam heughan or theo james.

oberyn martell - amar chadha-patel, mahesh jadu, rahul kohli, dev patel, manish dayal, raymond ablack, rushi kota or utkarsh ambudkar.

jeor mormont - andy on, benedict wong, chang chen, huang xioming, hu bing, li chen or pierre png.

robert arryn - alex landi, charles melton, boboo stewart, chase mana kai, darren barnet, evan mock or ryan potter.

euron greyjoy - alex hassell, brendon thwaites, colin o´donoghue, eoin macken, garrett hedlund, glen powell, mark rowley or theo james.

stannis baratheon - aaron cobham, aldis hodge, aaron fontaine, paapa essiedu aldis hodge, brian tyree henr or sinqua walls.

quentyn martell - archie renaux, dev patel, fabien frankel, avi nash, josh heuston, kartik aaryan, rish shah or suraj sharma.

dacey mormont - anna leong brophy,ashley liao, katie findlay, jessica henwick, natasha liu bordizzo, kelsey asbille or kristina tonteri-young.

lady arryn (oc) - adelin erudolph, davika hoorne, francesca corney, phillipa soo, midori francis or piper curda.

bethany blackwood - adwoa aboah, alisha boe, ana sawai, bethany antonia, blu hunt, dianne doan, erin kellyman or tanaya beatty.

catelyn bracken - anna sagadachnaya, cynthia addai-robbinson, emma rigby, freida pinto, gemma chan or golshifteh farahani.

malora hightower - burcu ozberk, demet ozdemir, leyla ferray, melis sezen, sevda erginci or simay barlar.

brienne tarth - elizabeth debicki, frida gustavsson, emma appleton, henessi schmidt, poppy drayton or thea sofie loch naess.

allyria dayne - amita suman, charitra chandran, khushi kapoor, kiran sonia sawar and tripti dimri.

[yongzs1218]

📍Hong Kong Palace Museum

Gallery 1: Entering the Forbidden City: Architecture, Collection, and Heritage

P1: Bell (bó zhōng) with stand--"Nán lǚ" pitch

Qing dynasty, Qianlong period, 1761

Bell: gilded copper alloy; stand: lacquer and gold on wood

P2: Chime (tè qìng) with stand--"Huáng zhōng" pitch

Qing dynasty, Qianlong period, 1761

Chime: jade (nephrite), gold; stand: lacquer and gold on wood

Gallery 2: From Dawn to Dusk: Life and Art in the Forbidden City

P3: Table screen with drawers for storing the Bight Pillars of the Orchid Pavilion

Qianlong period (1736～1795)

Zǐtán wood

Gallery 3: Brilliance: Ming Dynasty Ceramic Treasures from the Palace Museum, 1368～1644

P4: Architectural fitting in the shape of a dragon

Ming dynasty (1368～1644)

Earthenware with glazes

Gallery 4: The Hong Kong Jockey Club Series: Stories Untold - Figure Paintings of the Ming Dynasty from the Palace Museum

P5: Portrait of Táo Yuānmíng

Wáng Zhòngyù (active late 14th century)

Ming dynasty, late 14th century

Hanging scroll, ink on paper

Gallery 5: The Quest for Originality: Contemporary Design and Traditional Craft in Dialogue

P6:

1.(lower): Duck-shaped incense burner

Han dynasty (206 BCE～220 CE)

Bronze

2a.(left): Water dropper in the shape of a mythical beast

Qing dynasty (1644～1911)

Bronze with gold and silver inlay

2b.(right): Water dropper in the shape of a mythical beast

Ming dynasty (1368～1644)

Jade (nephrite)

3.(upper): Ram-shaped lamp

Han dynasty (206 BCE～220 CE)

Bronze

P7: Vase with spiral pattern

Imperial Workshops

Qing dynasty, Qianlong mark and period (1736～1795)

Blown glass

Gallery 6: Passion for Collecting: Founding Donations to the Hong Kong Palace Museum

P8: Headdress with phoenixes chasing a pearl

Liao dynasty (907～1125)

Gilt copper

Gift of Mengdiexuan Collection (Ms. Betty Lo Yan-yan and Mr. Kenneth Chu Wai-kee)

Gallery 7: The Hong Kong Jockey Club Series: Dwelling in Tranquillity - Reinventing Traditional Gardens

P9: Sky, Water and Land

Keith Lam

Generative visual and sound dataset, LED screen, stainless steel, bronze, four-channel audio installation

"In spring's serene embrace, tranquil water flows with grace; sky, water, and land above and below, boundless expanse azure aglow." -- Fan Zhongyan (989～1052), Yueyang Pavilion, Song dynasty

This artwork is inspired by the pavilions in Chinese gardens.

Gallery 8: Bank of China (Hong Kong) Presents: The Origins of Chinese Civilisation

P10: Relief with tigers and a human face

Shimao culture (4300～3800 BP)

Stone

📍香港故宮文化博物館

展廳1：紫禁萬象——建築、典藏與文化傳承

P1：甬紐橋口鎛鐘——南呂律（附架座）

清乾隆二十六年（1761年）

鎛鐘：銅鍍金；架座：木胎、金漆

P2：雲龍紋特磬——黃鐘律（附架座）

清乾隆二十六年（1761年）

特磬：碧玉描金；架座：木胎、金漆

展廳2：紫禁一日——清代宮廷生活與藝術

P3：蘭亭八柱八屜插屏

清乾隆（1736～1795年）

紫檀木

展廳3：流光彰色——故宮博物院藏明代陶瓷珍品

P4：琉璃龍吻

明（1368～1644年）

陶

展廳4：香港賽馬會呈獻系列：故事新說——故宮博物院藏明代人物畫名品

P5：陶淵明像

明，十四世紀晚期，王仲玉（活躍於14世紀晚期）

紙本墨筆立軸

展廳5：器惟求新——當代設計對話古代工藝

P6：

1.（下）鴨式薰爐

漢（公元前206～公元220年）

青銅

2a.（左）異獸形硯滴

清（1644～1911年）

銅胎錯金銀

2b.（右）瑞獸形硯滴

明（1368～1644年）

青玉

3.（上）羊式燭臺

漢（公元前206～公元220年）

青銅

P7：乾隆款纏絲玻璃撇口瓶

清乾隆（1736～1795年），清宮內務府造辦處

玻璃

展廳6：樂藏與共——香港故宮文化博物館首批受贈藏品展

P8：雙鳳戲珠紋冠

遼（907～1125年）

紅銅鎏金

夢蝶軒主人（盧茵茵女士和朱偉基先生）捐贈

展廳7：香港賽馬會呈獻系列：山林市城——遊歷舊園新景

P9：一碧萬頃

林欣傑，生成式視覺與音效數據組、LED屏幕、不鏽鋼、銅、四聲道聲音裝置。

「至若春和景明，波瀾不驚，上下天光，一碧萬頃」。

——宋•范仲淹（989～1052年）《岳陽樓記》

創作靈感源自中國園林建築中的「亭」。

展廳8：中國銀行（香港）呈獻：中華文明溯源（2024年9月25日～2025年2月7日）

P10：神人對虎紋石雕

石峁文化（距今4300～3800年）

石

[rainyday-23]

After hours ((유∀유|||))

Guys what's their ship name!!, I love them dearly I've been drawing them alot..been calling them minasoj but like do they have a ship name?? <:

[hartstab]

CJ, 31, AST, SHE/THEY.

an independent & selective multi-muse roleplay blog with sporadic activity, dash exclusive & smut friendly but not smut centric. will not interact with any mun or muse below the age of twenty one.

very open to writing a variety of genres, though slice of life & horror are my favs. that being said, i will not write extreme taboo themes (in.cest, r.ape, etc). i also only write m / f and f / f – just a personal preference. very selective with any mascs i write against, so i usually prefer to write that role in m / f interactions.

super open to sharing discord with mutuals, if that's your preferred method of communication / plotting.

current muses & links listed below the cut !

cedric sinclair . thirty9 . heterosexual . music composer / producer . theo james

daemin jeong . thirty2 . heterosexual . boxer / underground fighter . woo do hwan

daniel "danny" harlow . thirty1 . heterosexual . mechanic / street racer . drew starkey

keith dixon . fifty6 . heterosexual . fisherman / treasure hunter . timothy olyphant

landrick "landry" calhoun . forty3 . heterosexual . mercenary . boyd holbrook

leonie godwin . thirty . lesbian . investigative journalist . jasmin savoy brown

michael "buck" brooks . thirty2 . heterosexual . farmhand / hunter . chase stokes

rebeca "bex" rivera . thirty4 . bisexual . private investigator . melissa barrera

regina dewitt . forty . lesbian . seaplane tour guide . dewanda wise

selene liao . twenty7 . bisexual . crime syndicate heiress . havana rose liu

vance malone . thirty4 . heterosexual . mongrels mc enforcer . trevante rhodes

vienna liu rowe . twenty8 . pansexual . surf instructor . chase sui wonders

open starters. (more links tba)

[mercy-mercie-mercymorn]

hi! i posted this reddit comment a bit ago, as i thought it was a good reading of sojourn's character, and i'm currently on a long amtrak ride so i've been finishing up temi oh's excellent book featuring sojourn. i have thoughts.

let's talk about sojourn, aka vivian chase!

her cybernetic enhancements were initially the result of an autoimmune disease. even mina liao was surprised by how many procedures she'd undergone by the time she's in the CAF, though. (mina is in this book. we'll get there)

she has a twin sister, valentine, and a niece named bonnie!

she absolutely takes on a lot of perfectionist qualities when it comes to the battlefield.

her favorite architecture style is gothic revival (as a historic preservation girlie, i am qualified to call this based)

a bit of speculation, but it seems like she's very good at shah mat, a variation of chess. she played it frequently with her grandfather.

she's not best friends with mina, but the book makes it clear that they work well together within the canadian front of the omnic crisis.

her arms being protheses are the reason why she uses the railgun---no other soldier can handle its recoil.

she jumps four stories off a heron (a flying anti-omnic weapon of sorts) with relatively few ill effects. (i just think that's cool)

viv says fuck the ship of theseus and she's so fuckin real for that.

anyways!

i really enjoyed the book. it gave me a whole new perspective on sojourn. i know the game and the ephemera authored by other people are two different things, but i've integrated crazier things into my worldview. i think the book cements how much she cares about the people she works with and the work she does. looking forward to seeing this theme rear its head in the future!

someone remind me to scream about mina too later because this portrayal of mina was *chef's kiss* temi oh ily and i am deeply interested in reading sci-fi from the perspective of a neuroscience gal!

[ritterum]

Three Tales of Ukkabal

One day, some students were having a discussion about the origin of Man when they came to a disagreement that neither honey nor garum could assuage. For the sake of their friendship, they resolved to suspend the discussion and sought out the wisdom of their master, Junan, in the temple.

“O Teacher,” they said, “where do we come from?

Junan said: “Where you come from is what you make it.”

The students, not understanding, replied: “Where then do we come from: the gods who made us, or the men who made themselves?”

At this, Junan lost his temper. “Idiot youngsters! Go bother the grounds-keeper with your foolishness; I have no time for sophistry.” Then he returned to attending the gods.

The students heeded his words, and their legs took them to Kizun, the grounds-keeper. “Dear sir,” they said, “pray enlighten us - where do we come from?”

This was Kizun’s reply:

- KIZUN’S TALE -

When the world was young and man and plant and beast still called each other equals, there was Speech, and speaking was Power, and every utterance was a violence upon the face of the land. Amid the seas of boiling rock and fields rampant with strangling fern came EREAKAIZA, whose visage was silence; and Ereakaiza gazed upon the land, where in their battles Lion and Stag cleft mountains in twain, and Ibex raised mighty Whale from geysers out of the deep. And Ereakaiza saw Millipede steal the legs from Slug and Snail, and Bat steal the wings from Emu. And Ereakaiza saw also that Wolf split Man from Man so that, enraptured by the beauty of his brother’s face and legs and breasts, Man would distract himself from the hunt and lay with his sprung-off kin; but instead, delight so possessed Man that he chased after Wolf to share with him these pleasures; and Wolf became Dog, who chased after Ox; and Ox became Cow, who chased after Horse.

Then Ereakaiza, tiring of this chaos, came and choked the Word out of every creature, and all of them howled and mewled and squeaked and ululated in anger and dismay, but to no end: for Speech had gone out of them, and their word was no longer deed carven upon the earth. So the creatures learned to resolve their disputes with blows, and to this end grew claw and thorn and sting, while Man retreated to his delights and built yokes and vineyards and pleasure-domes. And Ereakaiza took pity upon Man, from whom Wolf had taken his hunter’s cunning, and allowed him to retain the most part of his Speech. And this is why people take such joy in creating figments and toying with words and colors; for we are as children playing with their parents’ tools, in the hopes that one day we may be allowed to wield them fully once more.

Now Ereakaiza was content with the world, and wandered far afield to where the sands and the skies intertwine, in the place where neither Time nor Cause holds sway, and there made a dwelling, and listened as the earth and the wind and the sea wove together a song of primeval being. Ereakaiza slept then and sleeps still, dreaming of things long gone and things which we of the soil will not see come to pass. And all who come upon Ereakaiza’s form partake too of this slumber, for in this way they become party to blessed creation.

*

Some disciples were unsatisfied with this answer, and rather than resume the argument, they resolved to ask the street-sweeper, Bal-liao. “Dear madam,” they said, “pray enlighten us - where do we come from?”

This was Bal-liao’s reply:

- BAL-LIAO’S TALE -

The Wrath of Ukk

The children of Man were not always scattered across the realms, for the Firstborn once regarded each other as siblings, dwelling in the same lands and dining at each other’s feasts and building great houses together as close kin are wont to. But a hard drought came and laid waste to the fields, and there was a want of food in the land such that many people were brought to the edge of death.

The youngest of the Firstborn, who was named Inti, sought aid from Neb, who as eldest had first pick of the fruits of the earth. But Neb rebuffed him, and so Inti sailed to meet Kir [1], who as second-eldest had first pick of the fruits of the sea. But Kir, too, sent him away empty-handed, and so Inti went to meet Ukk, who had not yet withdrawn from the world, and as third-eldest had rights to the herds of the vast plains. Ukk’s heart was filled with mercy, and he gave to Inti a third part of his herds, and a third part of his lands between the mountains and the sea, where Inti and his family could settle and make themselves a new home.

For a time, prosperity blessed the siblings, and their fortunes and families grew. While Neb’s children settled the fertile deltas beyond their homelands, Kir’s children journeyed across the seas, and Ukk’s spread throughout the plains on horseback and ox. But Inti’s children were confined to the lands between the mountains and the sea, and soon enough, the land was not enough to hold them, nor the soil rich enough to sustain their herds, and they began to fear once more that starvation and death would be their doom. So they conspired to invade Ukk’s lands while he was away, inspecting the new borders of his realm; and they drove forth women and children and cattle alike, ransacking their houses and storming their fields.

When Ukk heard of this, he was become wroth, and immediately flew to his siblings to seek aid and counsel. But Neb rebuffed him, as he had done to Inti, and Kir too rebuffed him, as she had done to Inti. So Ukk, in his wrath, swore an oath to sever kin from kin, invoking the gods who dwelt in the mountains, and they, being beholden to Man, had no choice save to uphold it. But they, not wishing to see the blood of Man spilt upon the continent, also opened the Ways so that Ukk might take his leave and start anew in a strange land.

So Ukk gathered his wives and his children, and they rode for the Ways, out of deference for the gods who had birthed Them. But on the way, they came across Inti and his children, who had grown fat upon the land; and Ukk was filled with rage. He drove them before him, chasing them into the Ways, and would have followed them out again, into the mountains of a new world, had not the gods closed off that passage before his horse could get through.

Only then did Ukk settle in the land of the Ways, raising the first city, UKKABAL, upon the figure of the Sleeping God. From there did his children expand out, filling the rest of the land, and they kept good watch over the Ways, lest curious minds wander in or out and bring the strife of the First Siblings with them. [2]

*

Still some disciples were unsatisfied with this, so they returned to the temple and brought their query before their master, Junan, once more.

“O Teacher,” they said, “we have asked Kizun, the grounds-keeper, and we have asked Bal-liao, the street-sweeper, but we still do not know where we come from.”

Junan sighed. “Silly children,” he said. “Come, let me tell you a tale, then, and hopefully then you shall be satisfied.”

This was what Junan said:

- JUNAN’S TALE -

The Magistrate and the Crow

Once, there was a powerful magistrate who was known throughout the land for his wisdom, fairness, and knowledge. He lived in a terraced house far above the city, where many would travel from far and wide to hear his opinion on sundry matters.

It so happened that one day, a young crow landed in the magistrate’s courtyard with its wing broken. The magistrate, taking pity on the poor creature, took it in and attempted to mend it. But none of his strengths were in the art of healing, and so the magistrate had to pore over his books, make many a failed poultice, and consult with healers before he could care fully for his new charge. He nursed the crow back to health, and over this time formed a strong bond with it, so that it always returned to his side, singing when the magistrate played music, and listening intently when he discoursed about law and philosophy.

One morning, the magistrate was taken gravely ill, and had to retire to bed. He fell into a deep, deep sleep, from which none thought he would waken. In that sleep, he dreamt that he was a young chick, chirping desperately for its mother, gobbling down whatever new grub she came by to deliver. He dreamt that he was a fledgling, learning to spread its wings for the first time, soaring over the woods and the fields and the cities that men had built. He dreamt that he was a bird, picking at the ground, getting into a squabble with another bird, flying with the stabbing pain of a broken wing into an enclosed garden, where a kindly man picked him up with soft hands and laid him upon a table.

When the magistrate awoke from his slumber, he opened his window to find his friend the crow, who had waited all this time in the trees outside.

“My friend,” said the magistrate, “I know now who you are and what is meant for us, and it pains me what I must do, but there is no way around it. For you must seek new lands instead of returning to me (to me); and you must carry my spirit where I am not (am not). Thus, by the power of my station and the sacredness of our bond, I banish you from this city and this land, never to see your plumage or hear your cry ever again.”

And the crow nuzzled the magistrate’s arm, took to the heavens, and was never seen again in those parts until the magistrate’s death.

*

“Do you understand now the three parts to the answer?” [3] said Junan.

And the students were enlightened.

Runao’s Commentary:

The Scribe is the hour to show quiet authority and integrity. But take care that in your rush to dispense justice, you do not appear aloof and uncaring. For it is easiest to alienate those who come to your court when you are too caught up in fairness; and it is easiest to be unfair when you are trying to show pity.

Notes:

[1] Some scholars (Egidius 2001, Humbert 1997) note the similarity of the names “Neb” and “Kir” to the Egyptian nb (‘lord’) and the Greek κύριος (also ‘lord’). This resemblance is merely speculative, however. [2] Linguistic analysis suggests that this is a sanitized pastiche of two different folktales, both of which have long been known to scholars. In one of the original stories, Ukk slaughters Inti and his children, and is exiled by the gods to the land of the Ways. In the other story, it is Inti who is exiled, but Ukk grows jealous of him and usurps his position, banishing him to the ‘new world’ instead. Runao may have thought both versions unsuitable for his charges, or may have had philosophical reasons to challenge them. Such speculation is beyond the scope of this work. [3] The more commonly known version of this question - “Do you understand now that there are three parts to the answer?” (emphasis added) - is a mistranslation, popularized by Burton (1888).