#Column 386

[theamazingstories]

RETRO REVIEW - JOHN DIES AT THE END and Other Stuff (SPOILERS)

Figure 1 – John (Rob Mayes) and David (Chase Williamson) There are so many genre (and near-genre) movies coming out every year that it’s easy to miss a good one. That’s my excuse for missing 2013’s John Dies at the End, from a book by Jason Pargin writing as David Wong. Pargin/Wong also wrote the screenplay with director Don Coscarelli. Anyway, I missed it, and I think it might end up being one…

[softly-potter]

White Rose in Bloom Event - Day 2

Day Two of Whiterose week🌹Hope y'all enjoy!

@whiterose-fans-blog

Day Two: Domestic Life

Word count: 386

Warning: none

-

Of all the places in their home, Weiss and Ruby often find solace on the balcony of their shared apartment, the twinkly lights of Vacuo resembling fallen stars. The night air is warm, a breeze playing with the spiked ends of Ruby's hair as she leans into Weiss' chest. She holds her fingers intertwined and tries to savor the simplicity of the moment. 

Tilting her head down, Weiss’s breath is warm against her ear. “Ruby,” she says softly, with a vulnerability that she has only shown her partner. “How much do you love me?”

Weiss expects Ruby to giggle and roll her eyes, but the girl shifts, looks up with silver eyes that have softened with adoration. “I love you more than words can describe.”

Weiss grins, pressing a light kiss to her temple. “Try me.” She whispers, her tone laced with an earnest teasing.

Eyes widening, Ruby snuggles closer, her rose-scented body wash wafting over Weiss like a cloud. “It feels like I've loved you in every lifetime. Like… we’re connected, always have been and always will be, no matter when or where. There isn’t a lifetime where I'm not head over heels in love with you.”

Weiss tightens her grip before resting her chin atop Ruby's head, letting the words soak in. “Sometimes… I don't think I can ever truly grasp it,” she whispers, feeling Ruby's fingers dig into the fabric by her hips. “How much we mean to one another.”

Ruby hums, leans back so she can look Weiss fully in the face. “Loving you is the most natural thing in the world, Weiss.”

Weiss’ heart swells and she leans down, catching Ruby’s lips in a tender kiss. The kiss evokes another language only they can speak, spewing gratitude, joy and most of all love, a love that had grown between them since they first bumped into one another on that train to Beacon all those years ago.

When they part, Weiss leans her forehead against Ruby’s, traces her fingers down the column of the girl's throat.

“I love you, Petal,” she murmurs, her voice thick. “More than I can ever say.”

Ruby's eyes flutter shut and she smiles before reaching up and running her thumb along Weiss’s jaw. “I love you too, Princess. In every lifetime I've lived, and every lifetime to come.”

[transgenderer]

It was probably Cynegius who in 386 provided Marcellus, bishop of Syrian Apamea, with the troops needed to carry out the demolition of the great temple of Zeus in that city of "Apamea, which continued to honor Zeus whereas elsewhere people were punished for honoring the gods." 8 According to Theodoret, writing before 450, this was the first time the destruction of a sanctuary was prompted by a bishop who had official, if not imperial, support, because of the large number of pagans in the region. Theodoret has left a vivid description of the event: the prefect arrives with his troops and tells the Apameans to remain calm; the soldiers try in vain to knock down the temple; the Apameans are afraid of the army, but the army is probably afraid of what is inside the temple.

Then intervenes an ordinary laborer, who digs a mine under three columns of the peristyle. But the fire in the trench will not start, so they have to awaken the bishop from his midday nap. He sprinkles the trench with holy water-"one would have thought it was oil"; and when the three columns fall, carrying with them twelve others and the wall of the temple on the same side, a terrible roar rouses the city from its summer drowsiness and attracts a stunned crowd to the ruin, too amazed to do anything but stare in silence. It takes little effort to imagine the hatred aroused by the bishop, and the disillusionment of the devotees of Zeus, seeing that their god's only defense was to take the form of a blackish demon that momentarily prevented the fire from lighting-Zeus, reduced to a few puffs of smoke from unseasoned wood!

Chuvin, A Chronicle of the Last Pagans

This is maybe a stupid question but how does lighting a fire cause the columns to collapse? is it like, thermal expansion of the stones causing them to no longer fit together right?

[pokemon-completionist]

Okay, I'm trying to make the spreadsheet easier to read, so I'm moving the counters and such to line 386 (chosen randomly) and creating new ones. The problem is that the counter for who has had more posts reblogged is refusing to change which rows it reads. I'm not an expert on this (I actually copied this from somewhere online), but I'm pretty sure that there shouldn't be any problem changing this numbers. Does anyone know what I'm doing wrong? (It works perfectly as long as you don't change those values.)

=INDICE($AC$2:$AC$336,COINCIDIR(MAX(CONTAR.SI($AC$2:$AC$336,$AC$2:$AC$336)),CONTAR.SI($AC$2:$AC$336,$AC$2:$AC$336),0))

Also, if the previous column is the percentage of each reblogged post, how can I show who has the highest one?

[allthenewzworld]

Ukrainian troops are looking to expand their surprise incursion into Russia' Kursk region, marking the first foreign military invasion of Russia since World War II.

Russia's Defense Ministry and pro-Kremlin military bloggers reported Tuesday that Ukrainian forces again launched multiple attempts overnight to break through Russian defensive lines in the military operation that began last week.

On the border of Ukraine's Sumy region, foreign journalists reported seeing columns of Ukrainian troops and armored vehicles continuing to cross over into Russia, passing unhindered through the border crossing.

Ukraine's top commander told President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that Ukraine controlled about 386 square miles of Russian territory in Kursk.

[phoenixmaiden-gaming]

I continued on and found a glittering spot running around some trees and I chased after it to make a korok appear and it gave me my 92nd seed (386 total). I made my way over to the Coliseum Ruins, where the Misko’s treasure quest was talking about, but the Thunder Gleeok was back. I thought I had to beat it again, but I got halfway and was able to get behind it to find the two soldier statues. One had a soldier Claymore already and I found another one lying around and I put it in the other soldier's hand and a cave opened in the floor. I dropped down into the Coliseum Ruins Cave and followed it to the treasure chest with the Trousers of Awakening. Side Quests – Misko’s Treasure of Awakening II (complete). I remembered to read the stone slab this time and read the next riddle for the last treasure. It said it was on Hyrule Ridge beneath the towering mushroom trees and that I had to connect the column’s shadow from south to north during midday. Side Quests – Misko’s Treasure of Awakening III. I already know where it is since there was that big arena thing in that area. I checked the rest of the cave and spotted the glow frog in another room and got my 82nd Bubbul Gem (128 total).

[dragonflycap]

What to expect from the stock market this week

Last week’s review of the macro market indicators saw with the first week of 2023 in the books, equity markets showed resilience with a rebound to end the week higher. Elsewhere looked for Gold ($GLD) to continue its uptrend while Crude Oil ($USO) consolidated in a downtrend. The US Dollar Index ($DXY) continued to drift to the downside while US Treasuries ($TLT) were poised to reverse higher in their downtrend. The Shanghai Composite ($ASHR) looked to continue in broad consolidation while Emerging Markets ($EEM) established a short term uptrend.

The Volatility Index ($VXX) looked to remain in the normal range making the path easier for equity markets to the upside. Their charts remained vulnerable to further downside on the longer timeframe. On the shorter timeframe both the $IWM and $SPY were showing some promise following a Santa Claus Rally while the $QQQ was lagging behind. The S&P 500 maintaining over 3839.50 Monday would give a second early year bullish indicator. If that happens traders would look for the trifecta with a positive January to round it out and give another bullish signal.

The week played out with Gold pushing to an 8 month high and closing over 1900 while Crude Oil moved back higher in consolidation. The US Dollar accelerated to the downside closing at a 7 month low while Treasuries closed in on a higher high which would confirm a reversal. The Shanghai Composite held in a tight range while Emerging Markets continued to move higher.

The Volatility Index fell to a 52 week low ending in the teens. This put a wind at the backs of equities by Tuesday and they responded with a 3 day move higher. All found saw early profit taking Friday before recovering to end the week at the high. This resulted in the SPY and QQQ approaching falling trend resistance since the start of the move lower. The IWM continues to improve as well. What does this mean for the coming week? Let’s look at some charts.

SPY Daily, $SPY

The SPY came into the week breaking up out of a short term consolidation at the 38.2% retracement of the post pandemic move higher. It has also confirmed a Santa Claus Rally and was a positive day Monday away from adding a 1st 5 Days of January indicator to the plus column. A positive close for the month of January, added to these two indicators, would give a positive forecast for the year. It did hold higher Monday and every other day this week to close back over the 200 day SMA and closing in on 400. The daily chart shows the RSI is back in the bullish zone with the MACD positive and rising.

Shifting to the weekly chart it printed a second strong candle taking price to falling trend resistance near the 50 week SMA. The RSI is moving up from the midline with the MACD rising but negative. There is resistance at 400.50 and 403.50 then 405.50 and 407.50 before 411 and 413.50 then 417.50. It will take a move over 411 to confirm a higher high and an uptrend. Support lower comes at 397.50 and 394.50 then 391 and 389 before 386 and 382 then 380. Short Term Trend Higher.

SPY Weekly, $SPY

Heading into January options expiration, equity markets showed strength rising close to a test of important resistance. Elsewhere look for Gold to continue to move higher while Crude Oil consolidates in a tightening range. The US Dollar Index continues to move to the downside while US Treasuries come closer to an uptrend reversal. The Shanghai Composite looks to possibly shift to an uptrend while Emerging Markets confirm an uptrend.

The Volatility Index looks to remain normal and stable making the path easier for equity markets to the upside. Their charts look strong, especially on the shorter timeframe. On the longer timeframe both the QQQ and SPY are close to testing trend resistance with the IWM on the verge of confirming a trend reversal higher if it can continue through resistance. Use this information as you prepare for the coming week and trad’em well.

Join the Premium Users and you can view the Full Version with 20 detailed charts and analysis: Macro Week in Review/Preview January 13, 2023

[jjungkookislife]

Fetish For Blood: Ruin You

pairing: vampire!jungkook x witch!reader

genre: vampire au, established relationship, [18+]

summary: You finally meet some of Jungkook’s friends... and one of them just can’t seem to keep his eyes off of you.

wc: 386

warnings: blood, alcohol mention/use, biting, jealous!koo, slightly possesive!koo, implied smut, hickeys

a/n: original here

date: October 5, 2022

You're not sure how you ended up here, but you weren't going to knock it. Sure, Jungkook had taken you out to meet his friends, and one of them had a bad habit of eyeing you like he wanted to devour you in front of everyone in the club, but that was here or there.

Jungkook rarely got jealous when you went out, often giggling when you'd get hit on and ended up with a free drink for yourself and him (aka your friend when men asked).

But something about his so-called friend hitting on you all night left him green with envy. By no means did you acknowledge it and you're sure Jungkook gave him a stern talking to, but now you were in the bathroom pressed to the wall with one leg wrapped around his waist while he kissed you.

"You're mine, baby. Don't forget it," he growls, and you nod mindlessly. Your fingers card through his locks, moaning when his fangs scrape your lips. "Say it. Say you're mine."

"I'm yours, Kook. Only yours. Don't want nobody else," you assure him as his fangs sink into your skin. You gasp, arching into him as he presses his hips to yours, and you moan when you feel how hard he is.

"Just need you to be mine," he whimpers as he licks the slow flow of blood that runs down the column of your throat. He lets it go lower and lower until it goes between your breasts, and he licks it all up before he's going in for another drink.

"I am yours," you say as he sinks his fangs closer to your collarbone, taking a deep drink. Your eyes roll to the back of your head, body hot with arousal as you find it hard to think, much less breathe.

"I can't wait to get you home, baby. I'm going to ruin you. Devour you whole." Jungkook licks his lips before sealing your wounds. His lust-filled eyes meet yours, a smirk on his lips as he sets your leg back down.

You're nodding, still breathless, as he presses one last kiss to your lips before leading you out of the club. You pass his flirty friend and Jungkook makes sure he gets an eyeful of the marks he's left on your skin.

[ficsandcatsandficsandcats]

Taking prompts? Jaskier x F!Reader, “Distracting kisses from someone that are meant to stop the other person from finishing their work, and give them kisses instead.” + “A kiss, followed by more that trail down the jaw and neck.” Pretty please and thanks!😊 Also congrats on the job! 👍🙌❤️

Fandom: The Witcher Pairing: Jaskier x Reader Word Count: 386 Rating: M Taglist: @heroics-and-heartbreak​ @whatevermonkey​ @mycat-is-mylove @mynamesoundslikesherlock​ @kemmastan​ @magic-multicolored-miracle​ @writingstudent​ @mlleecrivaine​ @coffee-and-stories​ @amirahiddleston​ @ultracolorfulnerdcollection​ @astouract​ @your-not-invisible-to-me @daydreamer-in-training @morelikebyesexual a/n: Thank you! Hope you like it! xo

“You are a menace.”

Jaskier spoke the words in a soft growl as you climbed onto his lap, lute pulled aside just before it could be crushed in your pursuit of the bard you’d been missing. Your lips pressed kiss after kiss against his and though he tried to fix you with a stern expression and remain impassive you felt his mouth soften beneath yours as his hands gently anchored you in place and his eyes finally closed and he returned your kisses hungrily.

“I need to work on the song,” he murmured between breaths.

“You’ve worked so hard,” you sighed, pressing your body against him and enjoying how warm and strong he was, one hand stroking the thatch of chest hair visible through the opening in his undershirt. “Don’t you deserve a break?”

You whispered the words into his ear and then nibbled at the lobe, feeling him stiffen beneath you, hands grasping you so tightly you knew it would leave marks as you trailed kisses down the curve of his jaw and the thick column of his neck.

“I suppose… it’s important not to anger one’s muse,” he gasped as you nipped at his collar bone playfully before roaming back up to his slightly puffy lips. You looked into his lovely, ocean hued eyes and carded your hand through the soft, honey scented chestnut hair.

“Very important,” you purred, “And if it is productivity and a sense of accomplishment you’re seeking, Jaskier de Lettenhove, you know I am always happy to put you to work.”

“Oh no, love,” he said with a dark chuckle before rising suddenly, holding you against him so you didn’t fall as he walked you to the bed, “I deserve a break, I believe you said. I’ll be putting you to work, you minx. Teach you not to interrupt my process again.”

He punctuated his words by dropping you onto the bed where you bounced and slowly began to undo the laces of your bodice as Jaskier watched, already working to untuck the shirt and rid himself of his suddenly stifling clothes.

“I’ll learn something, alright, but I’d bet you mead or millions that it’s not going to be the one you’re hoping,” you teased. You squealed as he pounced, giggles weaving into moans and back again throughout the night.

[f107group1]

Let’s KRILL this love!

Did you know that Antarctic Krill can glow in the dark (like a lightstick *0*)?

They are bioluminescent! That means krill swarms look like a KPOP ocean!

Classification

Kingdom: Animalia

     Subkingdom: Bilateria

            Infrakingdom: Protostomia

                 Superphylum: Ecdysozoa

                       Phylum: Arthropoda

                            Class: Malacostraca

                                  Subclass: Eumalacostraca

                                        Order: Euphausiacea

                                              Family: Euphausiidae

                                                    Genus: Euphausia

                                                           Species: Euphausia superba

(ITIS, n.d.)

Distribution and habitat

Figure 1. Geographical Distribution of Antarctic krill (fao.org, n,d,)

E. superba inhabits a wide circumpolar belt between the Antarctic Continental Shelf break and the Antarctic Polar Frontal Zone. Antarctic krill live in open marine waters (fao.org, n.d.). The larvae of the krill begin near the seafloor and gradually ascend towards the surface as it develops. Adult krills are found at depths ranging from surface waters to depths of 350 m and have occasionally been found as deep as 600 m. They usually dwell in deeper waters during the winter season (Gierak, n.d.).

Anatomy

Figure 2. External Anatomy of Antarctic Krill

E. superba known as Antarctic krills are shrimp-like in appearance though they can easily be distinguished from shrimp by their visible gills. Just like any other decapods they have exoskeleton which are made of chitin and have three body parts which is the cephalothorax, pleon and the telson. The cephalothorax bears the antennae, compound eye, 6 filter legs which are also called thoracopods and the gills. Krills have compound eyes which aid them in seeing while their antennae serve as another sensory organ as they live in the deep. The thoracopods or the filter legs on the other hand, assists the krill in straining its food from the water. Although the gills, guts and gastric mill are not part of its external anatomy, the three are visible from the outside. The middle part of its body is the pleon where the pleopods and the photophores are located. There are 5 pairs of pleopods or swimming legs that allow them to swim in the water column while the photophores or light organs act as a defense mechanism or a signal for their mates. Lastly, is the telson  which is used by decapods as a paddle in caridoid escape reactions through backward propulsion (Grzimek's Student Animal Life Resource, n.d.).

Life Cycle

Figure 3. Life Cycle of an Antarctic Krills Krills reproduce sexually and it usually happens when food is abundant. The male krill produces sperm packets and uses its first pair of pleopods called petasma to transfer the sperm into the thelycum of the female. They store the sperm until they are ready to lay their eggs. These eggs are fertilized once they are released by the female. These eggs settle at the seafloor and gastrulation happens. Eventually, the eggs will hatch and become a nauplius. In this the nauplius has only one eye and is not segmented yet. Then, the nauplius will molt and become a metanauplius wherein limb development begins and it will start to migrate to the surface which is known as developmental ascent. As it molts and grows, it becomes a calyptopis and eventually a furcilia wherein the movable compound eyes start to project at the edge of its carapace. The furcilia develops into a juvenile which can grow from 4 to 10 mm long (Gierak, 2013).

Ecology

Figure 4.  Thoracic endopodite of krill (wikipedia.org, n.d.)

Antarctic krill are filter-feeders that feed mainly on phytoplankton. They exhibit diurnal vertical migration, which means that they rise to the surface at night to feed by using their small, hair-like legs specifically thoracic endopodites as a suspension feeding basket. Apart from phytoplankton, they also eat copepods, zooplankton, and other krill or molted exoskeletons. In the winter, they eat algae under the surface of sea ice. They are considered the dominant herbivore of the Southern Ocean. Its biomass in the Antarctic Ocean is estimated to be between 125 mmt and 750 mmt, the largest biomass of any species on earth (Hardy, 2008). Antarctic krill is the keystone species of the entire Antarctic food chain. They provide a vital food source for whales, seals, squids, penguins, fishes, albatrosses, and many other species of birds. To avoid predation, they exhibit schooling behavior or swarming. Moreover, krill may be parasitized by organisms like protozoans, particularly the genus Ephelota. This suctorian ciliates interacting with E. superba cause hydrodynamic drag on krill swimming and make the host more vulnerable to visual predators (Gómez-Gutiérrez & Morales-Ávila, 2016). Other parasitic species include Cephaloidophora pacifica and Apostoma sp. 

UNLI-KRILL @ 199!

Krill’s POV 

Relationship with humans

Figure 5.  Sports Research’s Antarctic Krill Oil with SUPERBA 2 (ph.iherb.com, n.d.)

Figure 6.  Krill/shrimp chili paste and dipping assortments in Thailand (quora.com, 2016)

Although krill is mainly used as aquaculture feed and bait for fishing, it is also processed into a variety of products for human consumption such as paste, frozen tails, sticks, etc. Krill products have been known to pharmaceutical and industrial industries since it is found that the krill's lipid content can be used as a nutritional source of fatty acids that is potential in lowering cholesterol levels. Studies found that the lipids of Antarctic krill are more stable than those of some fishes consumed by humans. Krill digestive proteases can also be injected into humans to reduce pressure on nerve roots between vertebral discs (Gierak, n.d.). Tou et al. describe Antarctic krill as a “rich source of high-quality protein” with low fat and high levels of Omega-3s and antioxidants and the main source of the renowned krill oil.

5 health benefits of Krill oil you shouldn’t miss!

Little did you know that..

They are age-defying! 

*jaw-dropping moment because olay age-defying serum just cant--*

➔ They have the ability to shrink in size when starve to conserve energy during the winter. Thus, scientists can’t tell the age of a krill solely from its size. 

Phytoplankton is just a summer fling! 

➔ They can survive more than 200 days without food.

Krillions of krills!

➔ Krill swarm together in massive numbers, with as many as 30,000 in one cubic meter of a krill swarm.

A Little Giant! 

➔ It’s estimated that the total weight of Antarctic krill is more than the weight of all humans on Earth (Usoceangov, 2015). 

Food is life but swimming is lifer! 

➔ They are heavier than seawater and must swim constantly to stay afloat.

Climate heroes!

➔ Tarling and Thorpe (2017) have discovered that krill play a crucial role in sequestering carbon. 

References:

Clark, D. (2012, September 17). The anatomy of the Arctic krill [Digital image]. Retrieved November 12, 2020, from http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7NY88MHBVpc/UFfn-sAknuI/AAAAAAAAAW4/nkt1_Ba8G8k/s1600/Antarctic_krill_anatomy.jpg

Euphausia superba. (n.d.). ITIS. Retrieved November 8, 2020, from https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=95514#null

Euphausia superba (Dana, 1852). (n.d.). FAO. Retrieved November 10, 2020, from http://www.fao.org/fishery/species/3393/en

Exuvia of Antarctic krill [Online image]. (2005). English Wikipedia. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Exuviakrillkils.jpg

Gierak, R. (2013).  Euphausia superba (Antarctic krill). Retrieved November 12, 2020, from https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Euphausia_superba/

Gómez-Gutiérrez, J., & Morales-Ávila, J. R. (2016). Parasites and Diseases. Biology and Ecology of Antarctic Krill, 351–386. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-29279-3_10

Grzimek's Animal Life Encyclopedia. (2020). Krill: Euphausiacea. Retrieved November 12, 2020, from https://www.encyclopedia.com/science/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/krill-euphausiacea

Hardy, R. W. (2008). Alternative marine sources of fish feed and farmed fish quality. Improving Farmed Fish Quality and Safety, 328–342. https://doi.org/10.1533/9781845694920.2.328

Naruturd_505. (n.d.). Hoshiumi Korai A Little Giant GIF [Online GIF]. https://tenor.com/view/hoshiumi-korai-alittle-giant-smile-haikyuu-anime-gif-17909731

Oh, yeah- what?! GIF. (2013). Gfycat. https://gfycat.com/detailedfaintalbertosaurus

SuperSmiles17. (2013). Definitely one in a Krillion! [Online GIF]. https://imgur.com/gallery/YtN30/comment/16282449

Tarling, G.A., and Thorpe, S.E. (2017). Oceanic swarms of Antarctic krill perform satiation sinking. Proc. R. Soc. B., 28420172015. http://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2017.2015

The Ozone Hole. (n.d.). [Life Cycle of Antarctic Krill]. Retrieved November 12, 2020, from http://www.theozonehole.org/images/v43n2-wiebe3en_10243.jpg

[Untitled image of a tardigrade]. (2017). BBC. https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-40752669

Usoceangov. (2015). Animals of the Ice - Antarctic Krill. Youtube. Retrieved November 10, 2020, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFqhocQqbgM

[hotaruyy]

Mulan (2020): A Scathing Review

Or, an extremely long rant by two extremely mad Chinese girls.

Before we (@hotaruyy and @meow3sensei) watched Mulan (2020), we didn’t expect too much, since the director and screenwriters aren’t Chinese (even though they claimed to want to be more culturally accurate). But holy shit, this film didn’t even fulfill our exceedingly low expectations (and we’re speaking as people who didn’t mind the loss of the musical aspect because look at the Beauty and the Beast live action). Our review will focus on our critiques of the presentation of different aspects of Chinese culture in Mulan (2020).

The Chinese Aspect of the film was especially infuriating to us as a Chinese audience. Disney emphasises that many of the changes made to the film in comparison to the animated film were to accommodate backlash regarding cultural and historical inaccuracies from Chinese audiences, but what we saw on the screen showed otherwise.

On Set Design (By a slightly irritated Architecture student)

Mix and match of architecture from multiple dynasties, which removes a lot of the sense of realism and authenticity from the film

Tang-style architecture is used (and if we’re being specific, Tang with hints of Song Dynasty) in the Imperial City’s set, which one would assume depicts the time period in which the movie is set in. Identified by the wooden balustrades, relatively simple and small dougong, vertical lattice windows, wooden piles for waterfront, organic shapes in landscape architecture etc. (fig. 1)

fig. 1 - Scene in film

Understandably, information on architecture before Tang (618-907AD) is scarce, so I do think there was an attempt at referencing the original poem that was written during the Southern and Northern Northern Wei Dynasty 南北朝北魏 (386-581AD). Taking creative liberty here makes sense.

That being said, the film didn’t care for retaining a consistent style of architecture, resulting in a wormhole of a set that somehow spans five different dynasties. Only two examples will be listed to avoid an entire essay :)

Exhibit A. Mulan’s home in Hakka Tulou 客家圍土樓 (fig. 2) (roughly translates to Hakka Mud Towers), which originated in the Song and Yuan dynasties (960-1368AD), and started maturing in the late Ming dynasty. (Why use something that didn’t even exist when the Ballad was written and by doing so, physically place Mulan in Fujian?? Just put her in an ambiguous village like how the animation did??). Somehow Tulou started existing before the Hakka clan migrated down south :) To put it simply the presence of Tulou is a locational and historical bug. The jump from the Hakka Tulou to the Tang-styled Imperial palace (fig. 3, which is strictly speaking a hybrid of different styles but I’d argue still mostly Tang) in the opening scenes is only a taste of the amount of inconsistencies later seen in the film.

fig. 2 Scene in film - Hakka Tulou

fig. 3 Scene in film - the Imperial Palace

Exhibit B. This scene (1:20:14) showing Qing Dynasty architecture in what is supposed to be a Tang Dynasty setting, identified by more elaborately decorated dougong 斗栱 (fig. 4 a key feature in the structural system in Chinese architecture, referring to the interlocking structure that sits on top of each column; at least three different kinds of dougong from three different dynasties have been spotted in the film).

fig. 4 Examples of different Dougong in Ancient Chinese architecture (top left being a good example of Tang-styled Dougong)

An insignificant building is not supposed to have more glamorous and larger dougong than the Imperial Palace, not to mention the lack of decorative dougong at all during the Tang Dynasty.

fig. 5 Scene in film that features a building with dougong

fig. 6 Shenyang Imperial Palace built in the Qing Dynasty

An actual Qing Dynasty Palace (fig. 6), for reference, and a random scene from the film (fig. 5). Note the larger dougong both fig. 5 and 6 (the ratio of dougong to column is significantly larger) with more layers of interlocking segments, as compared to the Tang-styled dougong that we pointed out earlier.

On Costume Design

Blue fabric on people who are NOT ROYALTY/NOBILITY. Soldiers guarding the imperial gate would not be wearing blue shirts under their armour. There wouldn’t be such a big supply of blue fabric in the first place; blue fabric would absolutely not be mass-produced for soldiers.

Ancient Chinese people made blue dye from crushed butterflies, did no one care enough to consider the sheer amount of wealth it takes to dye blue fabric organically? Soldiers would very simply not be wearing blue fabric because of how expensive these colours were at the time. Artistic liberty is fine but at least make it make sense in a clearly hierarchical society??

The painful inaccuracies in Mulan’s costume in the matchmaking scene (fig. 7). Ah, the scene that managed to translate breathtaking Hanfu (and there are plenty of resources to take inspiration from) into a Western caricature of a Chinese Halloween costume.

fig. 7 Scene in film featuring Mulan’s Hanfu from the matchmaking sequence

There’s nothing wrong with taking artistic liberties for costumes with a historical context. For instance, exaggerating certain characteristics of the era the story is in, or modernizing certain features so that they align with the character’s more modern way of thinking to contrast with the traditional setting. Good examples that come to mind are the costume designs in Marie Antoinette (2006), or Nirvana in Fire (2015), which also happens to be a Chinese period piece set in a fictional, historically ambiguous era. Inspiration for its costume design is taken from the Han Dynasty and the Southern and Northern Dynasties, so its costumes combine clothing silhouettes from the two periods, and use different characteristics such as colour to reflect class and status, and to represent characters’ personalities. It does a really good job of creating a new style while still giving subtle visual cues to the audience.

But Mulan’s dress can hardly be called an interpretation of traditional Chinese clothing. This is something the animated film did poorly on as well, and this probably contributed to the costume design in this film as an adaptation of the cartoon. The fabric had a shiny sheen that cheapened the costume. Coupled with the strange silhouette of the Hanfu (especially the bottom part of the skirt), this further detaches the audience from any hint of authenticity. The pictures below can speak for themselves. If they’re aiming for ambiguity in terms of the dynasties as seen in the set, then at least make something that is visually pleasing??

fig. 8 Evolution of Hanfu

fig. 9 Tang Hanfu recreated with references from Tang artifacts (top: early Tang; bottom: golden era of the Tang period)

For whatever reason it seems like the extras in the background have more accurate costumes than the main character

And as a girl from a farming village why is she being trained like a noble lady??? A question I’ve had since the animated film…

The film wasn’t consistent when taking artistic liberties. Audiences subconsciously make visual connections to historical periods when watching a historical fiction film. It would be visually more cohesive if artistic liberties were taken on elements from one dynasty or by combining elements from dynasties with similar aesthetics, instead of jumping across centuries of very different stylistic approaches.

Basing the set design on the Tang Dynasty, but then including random shots of Qing Dynasty architecture of no particular importance (two very contrasting architectural styles); extras having Tang-style Hanfu, but Mulan not having one that's remotely close to any style of the multiple dynasties the film has taken inspiration from; alluding to the time period in which the ballad was written by painting Mulan’s forehead yellow 黃額妝 (which was poorly done but I digress), a style of makeup used by women of the Six dynasties and the Southern and Northern Dynasties (六朝女子), but everything else alludes to Tang or later. And finally, basing many things off the Tang Dynasty, but the Tang wasn’t in risk of invasion from the Huns or the Rouran??? We’re fucking confused :)

Small details like the ones we’ve listed above are visually off-putting; as an audience member I’m immediately thrown out of whatever universe the film is building due to the contradicting visual cues. If this was Disney’s and the director’s attempt at cultural accuracy, then it’s plainly insulting to the intelligence of their Chinese audience. (Respecting cultural concerns should not be Disney’s scapegoat for producing a bad movie.)

Ultimately, the film is based on a ballad and we wouldn’t say the points we’ve mentioned are considered common knowledge. So let’s treat it as a fictional era and put less significance on historical consistencies and authenticity. Let’s narrow it down to the crude representations (and misrepresentations) of general Chinese culture and society.

On Stereotypes

“Chi”: Why are soldiers receiving chi-related martial arts training, which takes years and years of elite, specialised training and experience? Ordinary soldiers don’t train their chi, they are not Wuxia 武俠 (roughly translates to martial arts chivalry). These people aren’t training for Jianghu martial art contests (江湖俠道的比武), they are training to kill for war, which does not require finesse at all. Even disregarding the lack of logic in training ordinary soldiers in martial arts (especially them teaching Taichi in the film), logistically it is simply not worth the economic and time cost of training entire regiments in martial arts only for them to be mostly killed off in battle. (Sorry, it’s difficult to explain wuxia and jianghu in a few words, but they’re super cool so please search them up if you’re interested!)

Many others on tumblr have commented on how chi itself is not the weird masculine "power" the film made it out to be, which is also very true (it's also actually very interesting so search it up if you want to!)

On Language as a Limitation

Clumsy translations of Chinese idioms and phrases that are just tragic comedy, e.g. 四兩撥千斤 being translated into “four ounces can move a thousand pounds”, which neglects the subtlety and gentle vibe of the original word choice while twisting the concept into something related to brute force or physics (but we guess this specific example is not entirely the screenwriters’ fault, since some English Taichi classes also translate it as that).

Replacing Chinese concepts and mythology directly with Western concepts such as witches, phoenixes rising from the ashes etc.

The single clumsy reference to the original “Ballad of Mulan” 雄兔腳撲朔，雌兔眼迷離；雙兔傍地走，安能辨我是雄雌？(translates to: when being held by the ears off the ground, male rabbits would have fidgeting front legs, while female rabbits close their eyes; who’s to tell male and female apart when the two rabbits are running side by side?) This line is an acknowledgement and compliment to Mulan’s intelligence and capabilities. It also challenges patriarchal beliefs of gender and women.

On Traditional Virtues (or the oversimplification of them, and a continuation of Language as a Limitation)

The film’s traditional values of 忠勇真 (translated as loyal, brave, and true in the film by using the most direct translations possible) and 孝 (translated as "devotion to family" in the film) seem to be a reference to the core values of Confucianism. We assume that the film is referencing these Confucian core values: 仁 (to be humane)、恕 (to forgive)、誠 (to be honest and sincere)、孝 (filial piety) and 尊王道 (to be loyal to the emperor). If the screenwriters were going to use traditional values, it is curious for them to choose only those three specifically, and to grossly simplify the actual values in their choice of Chinese characters (instead of using the conventional characters), then to grossly simplify them again in their English translations, and then to put them together in that order. The film also just briefly goes over the values by plainly listing them out in the form of an oath, thereby erasing the complexities of the values...

In a hilarious weibo post by 十四皮一下特别开心, they point out that the three values of 忠勇真 used in the film actually directly translate and correspond to the FBI motto of “Fidelity, Bravery, Integrity” :)

Let’s talk about 孝, the fourth traditional virtue engraved in the sword gifted to Mulan by the emperor at the end of the film. Over everything else, this is the original ballad’s central moral, and what we believe the film is also trying to evoke, so the weak translation diminishes the story’s message. The animation was smart in not directly translating it and instead demonstrates what it entails through the progression of the plot. The film does the opposite and translates it as “devotion to family”, when they could have just referred to it as filial piety. Care, respect, thankfulness and giving back to one’s parents and elderly family members. While obedience and devotion are part of what the virtue teaches, it's not supposed to sound like an obligation, it’s not something ritualistic, it’s just something everyone does as a “good” human being.

(And if the director and screenwriters were trying to diminish the role and significance of filial piety in the film on purpose because they wanted Mulan to appear “stronger” and “individualistic”, then… I really have no words for how painfully insensitive that is in terms of how white feminism does not and should not apply to or be imposed on other cultures.)

And here’s our list of Things That Also Pissed Us Off that other people on tumblr have talked about already, which is why we’re mentioning them without much elaboration:

On Feminism

We get that Disney was trying to make a female empowerment movie but they really missed the mark? Even with a female director, somehow. Stepping back and ignoring the Chinese aspects of the film, as a female audience this film was equally, if not more, hurtful

Mulan is only seen as “strong” because of her extraordinarily powerful “gift” of chi that led to her being physically more powerful than the men, especially in that scene where she lugs the two buckets of water to the peak of the mountain (which is in sharp contrast to how Mulan in the animated film is strong because she’s intelligent and is able to utilise teamwork and her strengths properly, and doesn’t let her understandable disadvantage in terms of physical strength trip her up)

All female characters are one-dimensional as fuck and are mere caricatures (though to be fair, the male characters aren’t treated much better) BUT PEOPLE, MULAN IS THE MAIN CHARACTER!! Her name is literally the name of the film!!! Maybe give her some character??? And what happened to wanting to produce good Asian representation in Hollywood???

The character of the witch was slightly more complex than everyone else, which, good for her, but then the screenwriters had her killed when she could easily have not been written with that conclusion to her arc?? Seems to us like some bullshit where the witch had to be punished in a narrative sense because she “succumbed” to using her powers (which are again dubiously chi-related) for “evil”, when instead she was merely trying to achieve as much as she could for herself in a patriarchal system designed to punish her

Plus the implication of writing the sequence of the witch sacrificing herself for Mulan is that Mulan is inherently more worthy of protection because she’s more “noble”, which, again, we call bullshit. Mulan achieved (impossible) success and validation in a patriarchal system because she played by their rules of what it means to be a masculine “warrior” and excelled, while the witch is scorned and punished within the story and also in a narrative sense because she doesn’t. Is that really what it means to be noble and good???? Does that really make Mulan superior to the witch?? (Honestly this plot point might have worked if there was more complexity written into the script, but unfortunately there wasn't)

Can’t believe they just threw away what could have been a perfectly complex and compelling relationship between Mulan and the witch because of shitty writing

The way Mulan lets her hair down and dumps her armour as an indication of her female identity (which is irritating to us on so many levels, as explained by various tumblr users)

On Production

Plot and character arcs have no emotional tension; they’re super rushed and super shallow; emotional beats are not hit properly (e.g. Mulan’s loyalty and friendship towards the soldiers, built up with one line from Honghui “you can turn your back on me...but please don’t turn your back on them” kind of bullshit)

The screenwriters would not know character depth or development even if it were shoved in their face

Blatant symbolism and metaphors (e.g. the fucking phoenix, and thank fuck it doesn’t look like a western phoenix) that make the film feel very… low.

Cinematography and editing: some very beautiful and compositionally interesting shots, but the battle scenes lack tension. The jump cuts disrupt the rhythm and intensity of the fighting; in combination with the overuse of slow motion, they drag the pace of the choreography and further slow down the rhythm of the scene. Exaggerated colour toning make certain scenes more fantastical than others, resulting in a mix of realistic landscapes in some scenes and highly saturated unnatural colours in others, which draws the audience in and out of the film’s universe. This is a shame because they actually took the effort to film in real landscapes.

fig. 10 Scene in film

Special effects: lack of blood in battle scenes (which, fine, they want it to be family-friendly) and Mulan’s suddenly clean face after she returns to her female identity visually puts off the audience (and links back to the issues surrounding the visual representation of her femininity)

And here’s the extremely short list of Things That We Liked:

That first fight scene between the witch and mulan when the witch brushes mulan’s hair away from her face with her claw while restraining her because that was gay as fuck and I am but a weak bisexual!!!

Donnie Yen’s action sequences lmao (they’re not even among the better ones he’s done so everyone go watch Ip Man for actually good action sequences and choreography)

Just listening to the soundtrack itself was great, loved the Reflection variations but I was simply too distracted by the other shitty things in the film

All-asian cast (thank fuck) with impressive actors and actresses (who should not be blamed for a shitty script)

TL;DR: This film is not worth your time or money. Inferior to the animated film (which already has a few questionable aspects). If you’re somehow really interested in seeing how badly Disney butchered Chinese culture (and to a certain extent the animated film), then just pirate this film. If you want to know what happened but can’t be bothered to waste your time watching the film, read this amazing and hilarious twitter thread by @XiranJayZhao, which we found right before we posted this review, and pretty much sums up our viewing experience as well.

Disclaimer: At the end of the day we're two girls from a predominantly Chinese society who are used to Chinese period films and dramas, watching Mulan (2020), a film primarily meant for Chinese diaspora and audiences in the West, with the Chinese market in Asia being just a secondary economic opportunity for Disney. We do realise that we aren't this film's target audience, and that we're not at all experts in everything we've discussed in this review. A lot of this is just us nitpicking, and all of it is just our personal (and very emotive) opinions from watching this film. Mostly we're just disappointed that the film was advertised to be relatively realistic and culturally accurate, but… wasn't.

Sigh.

Btw please feel free to ask us for recs of actually good, actually Chinese films and shows lmao.

Finally, all the love to our beta @keekry​, for her many suggestions and hilarious comments!!!

[zurichtooslo]

Day 18, 7th Sept, Milan

Not my usual form of transport but today we were picked up by a driver from our villa in Menaggio and driven to the door of our Airbnb apartment which was a huge 4 bed, 4 bath apartment in a nice area of Milan and about ten minutes walk from the Duomo. We dropped our bags and headed out again for lunch. I left the others then to explore Milan. They were going to do a Hop On Hop Off bus. My first stop was the Duomo. It was only short as it was crowded with people and pigeons. I was only passing through. Last time I was in Milan back in 2007, with Danielle, the Duomo was covered in scaffolding as it was being cleaned.

All the pigeons.

The front of the Galleria, another Milanese landmark.

I had looked into doing a walking tour and supposedly there was one in the afternoon from these ancient gates, however, none turned up so I might have got my times wrong. Not to worry.

I was right next to the Sant Ambrogio Basilica and it had a map of a walking tour around the ancient city so I was happy to follow that.

Sant Ambrogio Basilica was impressive. It was built between 379 and 386 on the site of a cemetery.

The current appearance of the Basilica is the result of 19thC restoration.

Old headstones.

Interesting relics from the past.

Inside was impressive and a wedding was just about to begin. There were lots of well dressed people milling around outside.

Detail on one of the columns.

Nice chapel behind the gate.

This was the Temple of Victory a memorial to fallen soldiers.

Also in this area was the Catholic University. The part I saw were two big courtyards with columned walkways around the four sides. It was very attractive.

There were signs up for an Open Day.

I was just wandering the streets so came across all sorts of things and the nicest part was that there weren’t many people around. I think most tourists just hang out around the Duomo and the shops. I loved this museum. So many interesting things inside to look at.

The beaded head belonged to a classical statue of Jupiter which was most probably the cult statue in a Milanese temple. The head is of Roman origin from the 4th century BC. Pretty amazing.

Items found when excavating.

The variety of items were very interesting but this area has been settled for centuries.

This decorated altar was found in Milan in 1825 and dates back to the end of the 1st century AD.

Model of the ancient city. The circus is at the bottom of the wall. The Colosseum has now been completed destroyed. Sant Ambrogio was outside the wall bottom left.

Examples of headstones.

Part of the circus tower and wall.

Close up.

The tower now attached to a church is the remains of the original ancient city wall.

In the basement of the museum excavations had discovered the tiled remains of Roman floors.

Close up.

Part of the ancient wall.

This is the church of San Maurizio al Monastero Maggiore. Inside are exemplary paintings of 16th century Milan. It’s known as the Milanese Sistine Chapel. The paintings aren’t as fine but still astonishing to see. The church is in the heart of one of Milan’s oldest and most prestigious religious complexes, the Benedictine convent known as the Monastero Maggiore.

The building was composed of three parts. The crypt now is the archeological museum next door, a hall that belongs to the convent and a smaller sanctuary for the public.

Most of the paintings were done by Bernardino Luini and his family.  Luini was a  student of Leanardo da Vinci. Luini seems to be a presence in many places as he painted much of the church in Lugano that I went to. The nuns were a closed order but could hear the mass and look through the grill to the public area.

The riches of the blue in one section of the monastery was outstanding as blue was an extremely expensive colour to use. The Duke of Milan had ordered the painting and it didn’t matter how much it was going to cost.

Look closely at the ark paintings. There are two unicorns walking up the ramp into the ark. Also, down at the bottom are three dogs so not quite how the story went.

The remains of the imperial palace constructed at the end of the 3rd Century.

The church of Santa Maria alla Porta from 12thC stood close to the Roman walls. A new church was built on the site when a miraculous image of the Virgin Mary was rediscovered in 1652. The church was seriously damaged in WWII, however the image survived. The beautiful barque floor of the church disappeared from memory in 1943 but with the renovation of the chapel it was uncovered. Now it’s covered with patterned concrete tiles to protect it until they have enough money to repair the floor back to its original design.

Narrow streets

This is called The Finger and it’s outside the Milan Stock Exchange. It was created by Italy’s most famous contemporary artist, Maurizio Cattelan. It is supposed to be an anti fascist statement. The artist was playing on but transforming Italy’s Fascist hand salute from the 1930’s. By cutting off the fingers and mutilating the hand Cattelan was criticising the totalitarianism that ravaged Europe in the last century.

Close up.

More narrow windy streets. It was lovely walking around as the streets were fairly quiet.

The Ambrosiana Art Gallery. It was lucky I went today as most of the museums are closed on Monday.

Botticelli’s Madonna of the Pavillion. Much is said about the V created by the drapes. Similar to the V created by Leonardo da Vinci in the Last Supper. It references the uterus or mothers touch.

There are two large drawings by Raphael which are in no doubt about their authenticity. This is one. Apparently the authorship of paintings attributed to Raphael is suspect, since he had many helpers lending a  hand in their execution. Raphael drew this cartoon by hand himself.

Statues around the courtyard.

Looking into the courtyard.

Stairs connecting the different floors of the museum.

Statues at the top of the staircase.

The library which was a beautiful room and attached to the gallery.

Leonardo da Vinci’s The Musician, is housed in the Library.

The back of the art museum which holds the library section.

Back at the Duomo with the blue sky as background and thousands of people in the square still as well as the pigeons. There was a big line to enter the Duomo.

Our car driver had told us that Milan had big problems with the African illegal migrants but not so much in the centre now but further out. I had been expecting to see more but there were only a few in the Piazzo and surprisingly none with their bundles of fake bags that you see in other places. 

Entrance to the Galleria.

I caught a tram to where I was meeting the girls for dinner. The tram system is great and runs all over the city. €2 for a 90 minute pass.

The Navigli district of Milan is now full of bars and restaurants but was once a system of canals and waterways whose construction lasted 7 centuries and connected Milan to Lake Maggiore, Lake Como and Switzerland. By the end of the 1800’s the canals, as a means of transport, were abandoned for cars and trains. The canals were  mostly filled in except in this area of Milan.

There was a swimming race going on when I arrived and the competitors had paddle boards or jet skis around to keep watch on them. I don’t think I would like to swim in the canal.

Bridge across the canal.

Lots of activities along the canal

I had my usual. On the canal it was dearer than in Menaggio where I only paid €5 . It was €8 here but then I heard that the others had paid €14 in a cafe in the Galleria. That was getting a bit steep.

The canal is full of restaurants and was getting busier as the evening progressed. It was Saturday night and the Italian Grand Prix was this weekend so extra busy. Great area, though.

We had dinner at a traditional Milanese restaurant and had their traditional dish, Ossobuco with saffron rice. It was ok but nothing to rave about.

Such a huge day. Lots of walking for me but all fabulous. I caught a tram back to our apartment and the others a taxi which I’m happy to do. They will only take four.

[bookofjin]

History of the Rouran, Part 1

[From Weishu 103]

The Ruanruan are descendants of the Eastern Hu, their family name is Yujiulü. Starting with the end of Shenyuan [219 – 277], a plundering horsemen got one slave. When they began to have equal respect, he had forgotten his original family and personal name. His master courtesy named him Mugulü. “Mugulü” is bald-headed [?]. Mugulü and Yujiulü sound similar to each other. For that reasons his descendant sons and grandsons used it as the clan name.

Since Mugulü was strong, he was released from slavery to be a horseman trooper. In the time of Emperor Mu [308 – 316], he was convicted of being late and was to be beheaded. He absconded to hide in among the broad desert and mountain valleys, he collected and gathered escaped runaways, and got more than a hundred people. They depended on the Chuntulin section.

Mugulü died. His son Cheluhui was galant and sturdy, and started to have a section multitude. They titled themselves Rouran, and served subservient to the state. Later, Shizu [Taowu of Wei, r. 423 - 452] considered them to have no knowledge, and in shape akin to insects, for that reason he changed their title to be Ruanruan. When Cheluhui had become a section leader, he yearly offered as tribute horses and livestock, and sable and na豽 [=silver fox?] skins. In the winter they then moved to cross south of the desert. In summer they then turned back to live north of the desert.

[Pinyin mù-gǔ-lǘ 木骨閭 = MC muwk-kwot-ljo.

Pinyin yù-jiǔ-lǘ郁久閭 = MC 'jut-kjuwX-ljo.

The otherwise unattested Chuntulin純突鄰 is apparently an error for Hetulin紇突鄰.

Pinyin róurán 柔然 = MC nyuw-nyen

Pinyin ruǎnruǎn 蠕蠕 = MC nywen-nywen

Pinyin ruìruì 芮芮 = MC nywejH-nywejH (name used in the southern histories Songshu and Qishu]

Cheluhui died, his son Tunugui was established. Tunugui died, his son Bati was established. Bati died, his son Disuyuan was established. Disuyuan died, his section divided to become two. Disuyuan's oldest son Pihouba continued his father living at the eastern border. His second son Yunheti separated to live at the western border.

When Zhaocheng expired [376], Yunheti adhered to Weichen and was disloyal to us. In the middle of Dengguo [386 – 395] chastised him. The Ruanruan moving section escaped and ran. Pursued them, caught up south of the Great Wastes beneath Chuang Mountain, greatly routing them, and captured half their section.

Pihouba and the section leader Wuji each gathered the remaining groups to escape and run. Dispatched Zhangsun Song and Zhangsun Fei to pursue to them, and cross the wastes. Song arrived at the Pingwang Stream, greatly routed Wuji, seized him and behead him for display. Fei arrived at Zhuoye Mountain. He caught up with Pihouba. Ba and the entire group requested to surrender. He apprehended Yunheti's son Heduohan, and Heduohan's older brothers Jieguizhi, Shelun, Hulü and others, and also several hundred of their lineage and partisans, and divided and allotted the various sections. Yunheti escaped west, and wanted to revert to Weichen. Taizu pursued him and arrived at Bana Mountain. Yunheti then surrendered, and Taizu consoled and comforted like in the past.

9th Year [394 AD], Heduohan and Shelun led the section multitudes to abandon their father and run west. Zhangsun Fei and light cavalry pursued them. He arrived at Shang commandery's Bana Mountain, beheaded  Heduohan, and fully exterminated his multitudes.

Shelun with several hundred people fled to Pihouba. Pihouba settled them in the southern outskirts, at a distance of 500 li from his courtyard, and ordered his four sons to oversee them. Then Shelun led his personal supporters to arrest Pihouba's four sons and rebel, he assaulted Pihouba. The various sons gathered the remaining multitudes, and absconded to rely on the Gaoche's Hulü section.

Shelun was malefic, cunning, and was adaptive and changeable. For the remainder of the month he therefore released Pihouba, and return his various sons, wishing to assemble and then annihilate them. He secretly raised troops to assault Pihouba, and killed Pihouba. His sons Qiba, Wujie and others, 15 people, reverted to Taizu.

When Shelun had killed Pihouba, he feared the kingly host would chastise him. He therefore plundered Wuyuan using to the west the various sections, and to the north crossed the Great Desert. Taizu used Ba and Jie as General who Calms the Distant and Marquis of Ping.

Shelun was friendly and close with Yao Xing. Taizu dispatched the General of Talented Officials, He Tu, to assault the Chufu and Suguyan sections. Shelun dispatched cavalry aid the Suguyan. Tu confronted, struck, and routed them. Shelun escaped far away north of the desert, and invaded the Gaoche, and deeply entered their territory. Thereupon he combined the various sections, the fell power was increasingly bestirred.

He migrated north to the Ruoluo River, and started to set up army laws. A thousand people became an Army, [each] Army set up a general, one person. A hundred people became a Pennant, [each] Pennant set up a leader, one person. On those who were the first to climb he bestowed using the captive and seized. To those who withdrew or were cowardly, he used stones to strike their heads and kill them. Sometimes when approaching the time [?] he lashed and whipped. They had no written records. The generals and leaders used goat dung to more or less count the number of troops. Later they somewhat learned to carve wood as records.

To their north-west were the remaining kinds of the Xiongnu. The state was particularly rich and strong. The section leader was named Bayeji. He raised troops and struck Shelun. Shelun confronted him in battle at the Egen He, and greatly routed him. Afterwards they were completely annexed by Shelun.

[He?] announced [himself] to be strong and prosperous. He followed the water and grass to rear and shepherd. To his west were the lands of Yanqi, to the east were the lands of Chaoxian, to the north [they] crossed the sand desert, coming in the end to the wide ocean, to the south he overlooked the great wastes. He regularly was assembling their courtyards to the north of Dunhuang and Zhangye.

The small states all suffered his robbing and plundering, [they were] bridled and haltered to adhere to him. Hence he titled himself Qiudoufa Kehan [可汗 = MC khaek-hanH]. Qiudoufa is similar to the Wei saying the Driving Carriage Beginning to Extend. Kehan is similar ot the Wei saying August Emperor. The custom of the Ruanruan is that lord and the great subjects follow their acts and ability to precisely be designations and claims. With regards to the Central States establishing posthumous titles, afterwards of [someone] has died, they do not then posthumously designate.

Taizu spoke to the Masters of Writing Cui Xuanbo, saying:

The people of the Ruanruan formerly came to shout and be coarse and noisy, always coming to plundering and robbing. Driving the cow to run and escape, the chasing ox follows it. When the cow hides and is not able to be in front, people of different sections have learned from it accordingly the ox is with it [?]. The Ruanruan say: “If their mother are still not able to act, then so much more the child!” At the end of it they do not change, and thereupon are captured by the enemy.

Now Shelun is studying the Central States, establishing laws, setting up battle columns, in the end he will succeed as a border injury. The School of the Way say that when a sagely person is born, a great bandit will rise. This is the proof.

5th Year of Tianxing [402 AD], Shelun heard that Taizu campaigned against Yao Xing. He thereupon violated the frontier, and entered Canhe Slope. To the south he arrived at Chai Mountain and the northern marshes of Shanwu. At the time dispatched the King of Changshan, Zun, using 10 000 cavalry to pursue him, but he did not catch up.

In the middle of Tianci [404 – 409], Shelun's cousins Yuedai, Dana, and others planned to kill Shelun and then establish Dana. They were revealed, and Dana and others came in flight. Used Dana as General of the Best of the Army and Marquis of Xiping, Yuedai as Colonel of Picked Cavalry and Count of Yiyang.

3rd Year [406 AD], Summer, Shelun robbed the border.

1st Year of Yongxing [409 AD], Winter, he again violated the frontier.

2nd Year [410 AD], Taizong chastised him. Shelun escaped and fled, and died on the road. His son Duba was young of years, and unable to manage the multitudes. The section groups established Shelun's younger brother Hulü. He was titled the Aikugai Kehan. The Wei say Manners and Matter are Beautiful and Excellent. Hulü to the north annexed the state of Heshuyegu, to the east he routed the Pilichen's section groups.

3rd Year [411 AD], Hulü's relative Yuehouduochuqian and others, several hundred people, came to surrender. Hulü feared in awe, and defended himself. He did not dare go south and invade, and the northern border was calm and quiet.

1st Year of Shenrui [414 AD], he was friendly and close with Feng Ba. Ba requested for Hulü's daughter to be [his] wife, and wanted to make a marriage exchange. Hulü's oldest brother's son Buluzhen spoke to Hulü, saying:

The daughter is young for far-away marriages, troubled thoughts gives birth to illness. We can dispatch the daughters of the great subjects Shuli, Wudiyan and others as the bride's companions.

Hulü did not allow it. Buluzhen set out, and spoke to Shuli and others, saying:

Hulü wishes to order your daughters to be bride's companions, and go far away to that other state.

[He and] Li thereupon together joined on a plan. They ordered brave soldiers at night to approach Hulü's yurt. They waited until he set out and seized him. He, the daughter and all the court ladies [were sent] to Helong. Then they established Buluzhen.

[supermanfanpodcast]

Action Comics 328, September 1965!

Download Episode 386 Part IV!

ACTION COMICS 328, September 1965, was published on July 29, 1965. It contained 32 pages for the cover price of 12¢. Mort Weisinger was the editor, and the cover was pencilled by Curt Swan, inked by George Klein and lettered by Ira Schnapp.

- (5:17) SUPERMAN'S HANDS OF DOOM (12 pgs.), written by Leo Dorfman, drawn by Al Plastino and lettered by Joe Letterese.

- (21:06) THE ORDEAL OF DIMENSION Zp (12 pgs.), written by Leo Dorfman and drawn by Jim Mooney.

- (39:48) METROPOLIS MAILBAG letter column.

- (46:13) 30 titles carried the September or September/October 1965 cover date, according to Mike's Amazing World Of DC Comics.

Also highlighted in this episode are the issue's ads and other features.

Next Episode: SUPERMAN 2018: YEAR IN REVIEW!

Then we will cover: SUPERMAN COMIC BOOKS COVER DATED OCTOBER 1965: PART I: SUPERMAN 180, PART II: 80 PAGE GIANT 15 (featuring Superman and Batman), PART III: SUPERMAN'S GIRL FRIEND LOIS LANE 60, PART IV: ACTION COMICS 329 & PART V: SUPERMAN'S PAL JIMMY OLSEN 88!

The home for THE SUPERMAN FAN PODCAST is http://thesupermanfanpodcast.blogspot.com. Send e-mail to supermanfanpodcast@gmail.com.You can join the SUPERMAN FAN PODCAST Group or Page on facebook, and follow the podcast on twitter @supermanpodcast. You can also keep track of the podcast on Tumblr, Medium, Flipboard, the Internet Archive, tunein and Stitcher.

SUPERMAN FAN PODCAST is a proud member of:

- The LEAGUE OF COMIC BOOK PODCASTERS and

- The COMICS PODCAST NETWORK.

The theme of this podcast is PLANS IN MOTION, composed by Kevin MacLeod, and part of the royalty free music library at http://incompetech.com. "Plans in Motion" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Superman and all related characters are trademark and copyright DC Comics. Any art shown on this podcast is for entertainment purposes only, and not for profit. I make no claims of ownership of these images, nor do I earn any money from this podcast.

If you are interested in my artwork, go to wayfarerercomics.wordpress.com. I am available for commissions, so click on the Art Commissions tab for more information. If interested, send an e-mail to wayfarercomics@gmail.com.

Thanks for listening to the SUPERMAN FAN PODCAST and, as always, thanks to Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, creators of Superman!

And don't forget to take care of each other out there!

[cadymatthew-blog]

Chapter 13: Architecture

  Chapter 13 describes the Architecture style of art. “Visually, buildings are developed from the same elements and principles of design as other art forms.” (pg. 386) Architects work with form, texture, line, space, and color to produce three-dimensional works of art. This chapter explains architects’ unique concerns, functional considerations, structure, and socially responsible architecture. I really enjoyed this chapter and the seeing all the different structures of the Architecture style of art!

My favorite architecture structure in this chapter was “The Nave of Chartres Cathedral” from France in 1194-1220. This structure is made up of several columns of arches that stretch high up into the ceiling, narrowing at the top. The arches are aligned in rows that lead down the isle of the church, creating a mirrored image affect. They are held up by large gothic pillars. The warm, rich colors of bronze and gold, flicker from the sunlight shining through the stain glass windows. This godlike structure was overwhelming to look at it. It reminded me of something that a vampire would reside in. The candle chandeliers and the massive gothic style created the very essence of a vampire’s castle. A place where arches stretched up higher and higher, allowing dark shadows to form at the very top. What was lurching in these shadows?  I kept waiting to see bats fly out from these arches. Bats that would transform into vampires!

In the video of Maya Lin, she describes her artwork as “part art and part architecture.” She explains that she couldn’t decide which style of art she wanted to do. Instead of choosing, she decided to do both styles of art. My favorite architecture piece of artwork that she did was the “Langston Hughes Library.” This looks like an old country, cottage style home that is propped up on square base of logs. The logs are positioned like that of log cabin fence. Inside, it looks just like a regular library; there are shelves of books aligned in rows. Outside, the structure looks much different. It reminded me of the house from the movie “The Wizard of Oz.” The way in which the structure is positioned on top of the logs looks like it fell upon them; as if from a tornado. I could almost envision the swirling of winds sweeping this structure up, then setting it down unto this spot. I wondered if the wicked witch from the land of Oz in fact was under it!

The relevant artist Antoni Gaudi’s architecture buildings were both inspiring and magical to look at. “His distinctive style of art is characterized by freedom of form, voluptuous color and texture, and organic unity.” (https://www.britannica.com/biography/Antoni-Gaudi) The use of colors that he used in his structures, created a fanciful feel to them. My favorite of his sculptures was his building “Casa Batllo.” This building reminded me of something that you would see from the boardgame “Candyland.” The bright colors sprinkled on the building and the odd shaped window structures looked a lot like pieces of candy. The chimney was shaped like a swirl of cool whip or frosting. If there was a world of Candyland, I am pretty sure that this would be one of the houses in it!   

[codehunter]

CommandError: Can't locate revision identified by '...' when migrating using Flask-Migrate

I started using Flask-Migrate today and installed it on a test project.However i am getting following error:

alembic.util.exc.CommandError: Can't locate revision identified by 'e39d16e62810'

Steps to reproduce:

run "python create_db.py"

run "flask db init"

add column "name" to Entry-model

run "flask db migrate"

EDIT:After removing migrations directory and repeating the process i am getting the same error after running "flask db migrate".I also tried using a manage.py file with flask-script --> same issue

Error:

(venv_mentz) H:\Flask-API-Test>python manage.py db migrateINFO [alembic.runtime.migration] Context impl SQLiteImpl.INFO [alembic.runtime.migration] Will assume non-transactional DDL.Traceback (most recent call last): File "H:\Flask-API-Test\venv_mentz\lib\site-packages\alembic\script\base.py", line 143, in _catch_revision_errors yield File "H:\Flask-API-Test\venv_mentz\lib\site-packages\alembic\script\base.py", line 206, in get_revisions return self.revision_map.get_revisions(id_) File "H:\Flask-API-Test\venv_mentz\lib\site-packages\alembic\script\revision.py", line 299, in get_revisions return sum([self.get_revisions(id_elem) for id_elem in id_], ()) File "H:\Flask-API-Test\venv_mentz\lib\site-packages\alembic\script\revision.py", line 299, in <listcomp> return sum([self.get_revisions(id_elem) for id_elem in id_], ()) File "H:\Flask-API-Test\venv_mentz\lib\site-packages\alembic\script\revision.py", line 304, in get_revisions for rev_id in resolved_id) File "H:\Flask-API-Test\venv_mentz\lib\site-packages\alembic\script\revision.py", line 304, in <genexpr> for rev_id in resolved_id) File "H:\Flask-API-Test\venv_mentz\lib\site-packages\alembic\script\revision.py", line 362, in _revision_for_ident resolved_id)alembic.script.revision.ResolutionError: No such revision or branch 'e39d16e62810'The above exception was the direct cause of the following exception:Traceback (most recent call last): File "manage.py", line 14, in <module> manager.run() File "H:\Flask-API-Test\venv_mentz\lib\site-packages\flask_script\__init__.py", line 417, in run result = self.handle(argv[0], argv[1:]) File "H:\Flask-API-Test\venv_mentz\lib\site-packages\flask_script\__init__.py", line 386, in handle res = handle(*args, **config) File "H:\Flask-API-Test\venv_mentz\lib\site-packages\flask_script\commands.py", line 216, in __call__ return self.run(*args, **kwargs) File "H:\Flask-API-Test\venv_mentz\lib\site-packages\flask_migrate\__init__.py", line 197, in migrate version_path=version_path, rev_id=rev_id) File "H:\Flask-API-Test\venv_mentz\lib\site-packages\alembic\command.py", line 176, in revision script_directory.run_env() File "H:\Flask-API-Test\venv_mentz\lib\site-packages\alembic\script\base.py", line 425, in run_env util.load_python_file(self.dir, 'env.py') File "H:\Flask-API-Test\venv_mentz\lib\site-packages\alembic\util\pyfiles.py", line 81, in load_python_file module = load_module_py(module_id, path) File "H:\Flask-API-Test\venv_mentz\lib\site-packages\alembic\util\compat.py", line 83, in load_module_py spec.loader.exec_module(module) File "<frozen importlib._bootstrap_external>", line 678, in exec_module File "<frozen importlib._bootstrap>", line 205, in _call_with_frames_removed File "migrations\env.py", line 87, in <module> run_migrations_online() File "migrations\env.py", line 80, in run_migrations_online context.run_migrations() File "<string>", line 8, in run_migrations File "H:\Flask-API-Test\venv_mentz\lib\site-packages\alembic\runtime\environment.py", line 836, in run_migrations self.get_context().run_migrations(**kw) File "H:\Flask-API-Test\venv_mentz\lib\site-packages\alembic\runtime\migration.py", line 321, in run_migrations for step in self._migrations_fn(heads, self): File "H:\Flask-API-Test\venv_mentz\lib\site-packages\alembic\command.py", line 156, in retrieve_migrations revision_context.run_autogenerate(rev, context) File "H:\Flask-API-Test\venv_mentz\lib\site-packages\alembic\autogenerate\api.py", line 415, in run_autogenerate self._run_environment(rev, migration_context, True) File "H:\Flask-API-Test\venv_mentz\lib\site-packages\alembic\autogenerate\api.py", line 425, in _run_environment if set(self.script_directory.get_revisions(rev)) != \ File "H:\Flask-API-Test\venv_mentz\lib\site-packages\alembic\script\base.py", line 206, in get_revisions return self.revision_map.get_revisions(id_) File "c:\users\marschall\appdata\local\programs\python\python36-32\Lib\contextlib.py", line 100, in __exit__ self.gen.throw(type, value, traceback) File "H:\Flask-API-Test\venv_mentz\lib\site-packages\alembic\script\base.py", line 174, in _catch_revision_errors compat.raise_from_cause(util.CommandError(resolution)) File "H:\Flask-API-Test\venv_mentz\lib\site-packages\alembic\util\compat.py", line 194, in raise_from_cause reraise(type(exception), exception, tb=exc_tb, cause=exc_value) File "H:\Flask-API-Test\venv_mentz\lib\site-packages\alembic\util\compat.py", line 187, in reraise raise value.with_traceback(tb) File "H:\Flask-API-Test\venv_mentz\lib\site-packages\alembic\script\base.py", line 143, in _catch_revision_errors yield File "H:\Flask-API-Test\venv_mentz\lib\site-packages\alembic\script\base.py", line 206, in get_revisions return self.revision_map.get_revisions(id_) File "H:\Flask-API-Test\venv_mentz\lib\site-packages\alembic\script\revision.py", line 299, in get_revisions return sum([self.get_revisions(id_elem) for id_elem in id_], ()) File "H:\Flask-API-Test\venv_mentz\lib\site-packages\alembic\script\revision.py", line 299, in <listcomp> return sum([self.get_revisions(id_elem) for id_elem in id_], ()) File "H:\Flask-API-Test\venv_mentz\lib\site-packages\alembic\script\revision.py", line 304, in get_revisions for rev_id in resolved_id) File "H:\Flask-API-Test\venv_mentz\lib\site-packages\alembic\script\revision.py", line 304, in <genexpr> for rev_id in resolved_id) File "H:\Flask-API-Test\venv_mentz\lib\site-packages\alembic\script\revision.py", line 362, in _revision_for_ident resolved_id)alembic.util.exc.CommandError: Can't locate revision identified by 'e39d16e62810'

My file structure looks like this:

app-- views----- __init__.py----- main.py-- __init__.py-- config.py-- models.pyinstance-- __init__.py-- config.pycreate_db.pydev.dbrun.py

My app factory:

from flask import Flaskfrom instance.config import app_configfrom flask_migrate import Migratedef create_app(config_name): """ Creates a runnable app. This app will be using the config with name "config_name". """ app = Flask(__name__) # Loading the the config from instance folder with name "config_name" app.config.from_object(app_config[config_name]) # Loading generic config from 'config.py' app.config.from_pyfile('config.py') # Registering this app at db from app.models import db db.init_app(app) migrate = Migrate(app, db) from app import models, views return app

My run.py:

""" This script runs a the app with the given configuration. """from app import create_app# Configuration used to run the appconfig_name = 'dev'# Creating the app by using the required configurationapp = create_app(config_name)if __name__ == '__main__': app.run()

And my create_db.py file to create the database using models.py:

""" This script creates the database defined in app.models. """from app import create_appapp = create_app('dev')from app.models import db# Telling SQLAlchemy what app should be used as the database modelwith app.app_context(): db.create_all()

This is my models.py:

from flask_sqlalchemy import SQLAlchemydb = SQLAlchemy()class Entry(db.Model): __tablename__ = 'Entries' layer_id = db.Column(db.Integer, primary_key=True) def __repr__(self): return "ID: {}; text: {}".format(self.layer_id, self.text)

EDIT: manage.py:

from flask_script import Managerfrom flask_migrate import Migrate, MigrateCommandfrom app import create_appfrom app import modelsfrom app.models import dbapp = create_app('dev')migrate = Migrate(app, db)manager = Manager(app)manager.add_command('db', MigrateCommand)if __name__ == '__main__': manager.run()

https://codehunter.cc/a/flask/commanderror-cant-locate-revision-identified-by-when-migrating-using-flask-migrate