#Hua Mulan

[artist-issues]

Look I know Rapunzel paints and Tiana cooks, but if you guys don't think Mulan is the Most Creative Disney Princess, you're wrong.

She's literally introduced in this perfect scene that highlights her whole character, flaws and strengths:

The first time you see her she's:

Cheating, which is totally the opposite of what honor-code General Shang would do.

Undisciplined, which is what going to the army fixes.

Problem-solving—by writing the recitation she can't remember on her wrist—

BUT LISTEN. That last one is the first hint you have that she's the Most Creative Disney Princess. Because guess what? She's not the first young woman to cheat at the matchmaker test. The Matchmaker specifically checks to see if she's cheating when the test begins. But the rest of them wrote their cheat sheet on their fans.

The Matchmaker was prepared for the usual kind of tricks. But Mulan's full of her own ideas, not everyone else's.

You guys know the rest. She dresses up like a soldier—nobody suspects her because the idea that someone would do that never occurs to everyone else. She climbs the pole by tying the medallions around each other when none of the other recruits can figure it out. She lights the cannon by grabbing Mushu instead of searching for flints. She creates an avalanche instead of just taking Shan Yu out. She tricks the Huns by dressing her friends up as concubines. She defeats Shan Yu with his own sword and a bunch of fireworks.

But even beyond problem-solving, Mulan never does things like other people do. She doesn't even do things like other women do.

She doesn't just walk across a bridge, she jumps from pillar to pillar. She doesn't just bring her father tea, she puts a spare teacup in her sleeve because she knows she's clumsy.

Mulan is creative. But you know what that moment proves? That she's not just a representation of all women-versus-men. Mulan is representative of a human, who sees where she has strengths, and sees where she has weaknesses. She uses her strengths to her advantage and works to improve or make up for her weaknesses. She doesn't try to be exactly like a man. She just tries to use what she's got to do the right thing. And finding ways to use what you've got, even if it's not like what everyone else has, is creativity.

[katerinaaqu]

When you realize these two are the polar opposites!

Both influential figures from two great poems of their time that shaped generations and generations of their culture (China and Greece respectably) and arguably very influential and inspiring figures for bravery, heroism and glory.

They definitely are two characters with plenty of stuff in common such as the fact that they are posed to sigh sing and mourn (the difference is that Mulan mourns her father's upcoming fate in the Ballad of Hua Mulan while Achilles sighs and moans for the death of Patroclus), both figures also known for fighting at least a decade in a war (Mulan fought for 12, Achilles for 10) and many other parallels that they are way too similar.

However seeing their stories side by side they totally are polar opposites too! And here are some basic spots!

One is a woman, one is a man

One dressed up as a man, one dressed up as a woman

One did it to go to war, the other did it to avoid it

One was never discovered, the other was

One wanted to protect her father, the other was protected by his and his mother

One cut her hair to fight, the other to mourn

One didn't mourn a loved one at the war, the other one did

One didn't desire glory and fame, the other lived for it

One survived the war, the other didn't

One is part of a ballad poem influential to the east, the other from an epic poem that shaped the west

Like...please tell me I am not the only one who noticed these and I am not the only one who is weird nerd! XD

[supercap2319]

"Y/N?" Ben asked, walking towards the son of Hades and Chernabog.

"Yes?"

"Lonnie's mother would like to meet you. She's visiting Lonnie for a few days, and she'd like to speak with the man who stole the heart of her dearest godson." Ben explains.

"I...I...I'm honored, but...."

Ben frowns slightly. "But what? Is something wrong? Talk to me." He pats a nearby bench for them to both sit. Y/N sits down and sighed before looking at Ben.

"As much as I would like to meet Fa Mulan, I don't think it's a good idea. After all, I am my dads kid. I'm a villain, Ben, and I'm—"

"You're nothing like your parents, and neither am I. Oh, Y/N. When are you going to see yourself the way I do?" Ben asked, placing a gentle kiss on Y/N's cheek.

The young man blushed hard as Ben took his hand into his and lifted him up. "Come on. I promise you'll love it."

[city-of-ladies]

Women warriors of China (2nd to 6th century CE)

"Warfare defined the age of disunion. Women sometimes had a role in war, and they even undertook certain forms of military service. People respected prowess in the martial arts—in women as well as men—and even empresses and noblewomen honed their skills in horseback riding and archery. For a time, it was fashionable for southern ladies to wear ornaments of gold, silver, ivory, and tortoiseshell in the shape of miniature weapons. People from earlier eras had regarded any female participation in warfare as a gross violation of the fundamental distinction between the sexes. But society had become so thoroughly militarized that it became acceptable for women to have a role in war.

During the Zhou dynasty, the military class of minor aristocrats called shi had been considered a moral elite, and strict ritual rules enforced high standards of conduct. Given the ancient connections between military service, high rank, and virtue, a female warrior could gain admiration for her moral superiority. Traditionally, women fought for the sake of Confucian virtues such as righteousness (yi) and filial piety. Han dynasty writings describe female role models noted for both bravery and virtue. Moral principles sometimes spurred women to violence, as they sought vengeance on behalf of a wronged kinsman or fended off unwanted sexual advances. Six Dynasties authors continued to celebrate virtuous female fighters. A woman who beat her husband’s murderer to death received an imperial amnesty due to her righteous behavior. And when one man wanted to force a woman to marry him, she fended him off with a sword, earning praise as a model of female integrity.

Other women took part in military operations. Emperor Wen of Jin and Empress Wenming conducted an important military campaign together, and she received equal credit for managing important military matters. Northern rulers sometimes employed women from the steppe as palace bodyguards. There was also the case of a woman who became a general, albeit under unusual circumstances. Her father, a noted military officer, had been ordered to lead an army while still in mourning for his deceased mother. He did not want to violate his mourning obligations, so he appointed one of his daughters to be general and another daughter as a high-ranking officer so that they could serve in his place. Historical records do not reveal whether these women prosecuted the war themselves or merely acted as figureheads on their father’s behalf. Either way, the soldiers consented to taking orders from a female general.

In wartime, large numbers of women found themselves pressed into military roles. During a siege, female inhabitants served alongside men on the city walls, fighting and also repairing the fortifications. And women born into military households lived a martial life. As these families tended to intermarry, their women spent their lives immersed in war. With conflict so frequent, they often accompanied their husbands on campaigns and lived in army camps. When war loomed, entire families would embark on a military campaign. 

Even though classical ritual forbade women from participating in war, some nevertheless took on military roles. As the Han dynasty disintegrated, women began to have a more visible presence in military camps. Both the warlord Cao Cao and his foes used female troops on the battlefield, where they brandished spears, halberds, and bows. In that era, soldiers became a distinct social caste. The daughter of a soldier could only marry another soldier, so a woman born into a military family had no choice but to spend her life in a military environment.

The law sentenced men convicted of certain crimes, and their wives, to military service. Under the Northern Qi, both convicts and their female family members became soldiers. Like their husbands, women pressed into military service lived under strict discipline. If a man committed an infraction or absconded, authorities punished his wife as well. As in armies elsewhere in the world, most of these women lacked special skills or fighting ability. Instead they provided support, constructing fortifications, handling provisions, mending weapons, defending their camp, and doing domestic chores. Only occasionally did they go out on the battlefield.

Although the north lacked an institutionalized system of military communities, the women of military households often followed their husbands off to war. The Xianbei traditionally expected their women to be strong and to fight when necessary. The militaristic values of nomadic conquerors gave rise to the famed ballad of Hua Mulan, composed by an anonymous northern poet. In this story, when Mulan’s father is drafted, she disguises herself as a man to serve in his place. She becomes an exemplary warrior and distinguishes herself with outstanding heroism. Mulan is even offered an official post in recognition of her courage, which she modestly declines. Instead she returns home, dons female attire, and resumes conventional female life.

The tale of Mulan has captured the imaginations of generations of readers, and it continues to be retold in new ways. Although audiences today appreciate this story as an engaging fantasy, it originally seemed much closer to quotidian reality at a time when many women belonged to military households and received martial arts training. Mulan’s respect for Confucian propriety helps account for her perennial appeal. She does not dress like a man or become a warrior out of desire or ambition. Instead she sees these unpleasant actions as a way to protect her father from harm. After succeeding on the battlefield, she refuses to continue dressing as a man and bearing arms. Instead she returns home and resumes a stereotypical female life. The original readers could accept Mulan challenging gender norms and taking on a masculine identity only because she undertook it as a temporary sacrifice for the sake of moral duty. By mixing conservative Confucian integrity with startling violations of feminine decorum, Mulan has captured the hearts of numerous readers and remains an object of fascination both in China and abroad."

Women in early medieval China, Bret Hinsch

[miriasuu]

Fate/ fanservants , Ada Lovelace & Hua Mulan!

Ada looks like ice cream...yummy

[felicitykings]

For twelve years, every day I wake up in the battlefield, my first thought is of you. Knowing you are there gives me the courage to open my eyes. Forever after, it will still be the same every day.

MULAN: RISE OF A WARRIOR (2009) dir. Jingle Ma

[pulpsandcomics2]

Hua Mulan

[cesarescabinet]

The best part of that one story where Gawain goes to China is the realization that I can now make him and Hua Mulan besties. They bond over cool swords and show off their horses like parents do baby pictures. Their sparring sessions are absolutely insane.

[sharksandjays]

Mulan doodles from today. The last pic is my first digital piece from 7 years ago :) I wanted to redraw mulan to see how ive improved. Anyways. The woman the goddess.

[womeninfictionandirl]

Mulan by Sara Richard

[fantastical-and-magical]

from ultimateprincesscelebration on instagram in celebration of world princess week

[heyhopperart]

🌸 HUA MULAN 🌸

美不美 🖤?

[kadiekins]

Happy 25th anniversary to Mulan!

[happypeachsludgeflower]

IDK IF I SENT IT BUT I SENT AN ASK ABOUT HAVING A FUNNY DREAM WHERE LI SHANG WAS ON REDDIT ASKING PEOPLE FOR HELP CAUSE HE DIDNT KNOW IF HE WAS GAY OR STRAIGHT CAUSE HE FELL FOR THE MOST FEMININE TWINK IN THE MILITARY CAUSE ON ONE HAND. THAT IS A MALE. A TWINK MALE BUT STILL A MALE. ON THE OTHER. FEMININE. SO FEMININE. SO COOL. AND THEN AT THE BOTTOM HE PUT "nvm Im straight, feminine twink turned out to be a masculine women. Im cool with that"

AND THEN A COMMENT SAID "but op. Masculine. Woman, yes, but masculine. AND ANOTHER COMMENTER SAID "no but its a feminine masculine yk? He's straight he aint for the gays"

OMG I’M WHEEZING.

No you didn’t send the first one, this is the first time I’m seeing it, but god that’s a hilarious concept.

Personally, I think that if he was crushing on what he thought was a feminine male, he’s probably not straight even if Mulan obviously turned out to be masculine female, but now I’m just sitting here imagining the ridiculousness of that Reddit thread.

It would be wild.

[zoguy1]

Jasmine x Mulan.

I'm pretty sure the whole Jaladdin couple's name was Aladdin's idea, not Jasmine. But I need to theses two sing "Call us Jasmulan".

[miriasuu]

girlie won her war!! (with casualties) (many) (especially property damage)