#Tweets for Tibet

[lilithism1848]

[korrasera]

Misinformation and Leftists

My last post about this got eaten by a block, so I'm going to take a moment to talk about misinformation in left wing circles.

This is misinformation:

That's not what Hasan said, that's not why China annexed Tibet, and it demonstrates pretty well that you can sell misinformation to leftists just as easily as you can sell it to right-wingers, because everything said in that tweet is not just wrong, it's manipulative as hell.

If you react to words like colonize and primitive and savage by agreeing with the person making the callout, you're just handing them the ability to make you hate whoever they want you to hate.

Let's talk about what Hasan actually said. You can watch the full video clip here:

Hasan is clearly talking about how China's intervention in Tibet ended an authoritarian government built on slavery and caste structure.

That's it, that's the controversial take. That things improved in Tibet when the rule of the Lamaists was brought to an end by a Tibetan people's uprising that led to the Dalai Lama of the time signing an agreement to allow China to annex the country.

You can still criticize that take! It's still Hasan praising the actions of the PRC when they helped to overthrow the government of another country. That flies in the face of respecting the autonomy of another people, but it wasn't in support of colonization and it wasn't being done to civilize the people of Tibet.

China annexed Tibet to strengthen their borders with the west. At the time, China's position was that they were also doing it to end feudal rule in Tibet for ideological reasons, but nations don't operate on ideological motives. They were doing it to secure their border and strengthen their position in the Cold War. It wasn't being done to civilize Tibet.

What actually happened is that Tibet faced significant internal pressures to modernize their country following WWII, pressure opposed by the ruling Lamaist caste that sat at the head of Tibet's feudal system of government. This pressure led to a popular uprising, which led to the agreement with China, which led to the annexation of the country.

In other words, the people of Tibet wanted an end to slavery and oppression.

The 'culture' that was wiped out wasn't a culture, it was an authoritarian government built on a caste system that relied on slavery. The people at the bottom of the society were not considered fully human.

Here's a documentary about the conditions that serfs lived in under Lamaist rule:

Like, I'm sure the current Dalai Lama is dedicated to peace, but he's also the inheritor of an inhumane system of authoritarian government that made life hell for countless generations of Tibetan people.

You should listen to what Hasan actually said and then listen to what it was like for people who lived in slavery in Tibet if you want to understand this issue. Don't listen to someone who tries to activate you by selling you buzzwords.

And most of all, don't let people trick you into supporting a caste of slave-owners. The comparisons to the slave-owning South in the US are apt, slavery was not 'Tibetan culture' and the end of Lamaist rule in Tibet was a good thing.

[darkmaga-returns]

News that President-elect Donald Trump nominated Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., to be his secretary of state is causing heartburn among U.S. adversaries because Rubio is known for his hawkish stand towards China, Cuba, and Iran. If confirmed, Rubio’s nomination could significantly shape U.S. foreign policy, particularly regarding these countries.

Rubio, the son of a Cuban exile, has been a U.S. senator since 2011. His personal journey, often described as an American Dream coming true, resonates with many.

After losing to Trump in the 2016 Republican primary, Rubio shifted his focus to U.S. foreign policy, serving on the Senate Intelligence Committee and Foreign Relations Committee. His hardline approach to U.S. adversaries, particularly China, has been a defining feature of his career.

Rubio was instrumental in introducing bills to address the Chinese Communist Party’s human rights abuses in Xinjiang, Tibet, and Hong Kong. Beijing was so upset by Rubio’s outspokenness that it first imposed sanctions against Rubio and a few other Republican legislators in July 2020. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) sanctioned Rubio again a month later, along with ten other U.S. citizens, in what they claimed was retaliation for the U.S. sanctions against 11 senior CCP and Hong Kong officials for their human rights abuses in Hong Kong.

Rubio tweeted in response: “Last month China banned me. Today they sanctioned me. I don’t want to be paranoid but I am starting to think they don’t like me.”

[mostlysignssomeportents]

This day in history

#20yrsago Melancholy Elephants: infinite copyright = infocalype https://www.baen.com/chapters/W200011/0671319744___1.htm

#20yrsago WiFi-SciFi: My open spectrum fiction on Salon https://www.salon.com/2003/01/16/liberation_spectrum/

#20yrsago Supreme Court rules against Eldred, Alexandria burns https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eldred_v._Ashcroft

#15yrsago Bruce Sterling’s Kiosk: geniunely 21st century science fiction https://web.archive.org/web/20080115084153/https://www.sfsite.com/fsf/fiction/bs01.htm

#10yrsago Free Freedom of Information Requests, in honor of Aaron Swartz https://www.muckrock.com/news/archives/2013/jan/14/aaron-swartz-1986-2013/

#5yrsago Marriott fires employee for “willfully liking” a tweet in support of Tibetan independence https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/2128124/marriott-sacks-employee-who-liked-twitter-post-tibet-independence

#5yrsago Playing low frequency noise to disrupt hard-drives: denial of service for CCTVs, data-centers, and other computing environments https://arxiv.org/pdf/1712.07816.pdf

#5yrsago Trump’s new assistant Drug Czar: a 24-year-old campaign volunteer with no experience, in charge of billions to end the opioid epidemic https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/meet-the-24-year-old-trump-campaign-worker-appointed-to-help-lead-the-governments-drug-policy-office/2018/01/13/abdada34-f64e-11e7-91af-31ac729add94_story.html

#5yrsago Inmate, denied health care in an Arizona private prison, chews his own fingers off https://www.newsweek.com/prison-health-care-chewed-fingers-pain-arizona-corizon-780648

[sario528]

Most ridiculous part (to me): The award winner, @tkingfisher, actually DID go to Tibet and live tweeted the whole thing

Holy shit someone finally leaked what went down with the Hugos and from a quick skim it appears to be the worst possible scenario: that is, Western award-runners PREEMPTIVELY censoring anything they thought the Chinese government might not like. Clownery AND fascism.

[casbooks]

Books of 2023

Book 24 of 2023

Title: One Trip Too Many: A Pilot's Memoirs of 38 Months in Combat Over Laos and Vietnam Authors: Wayne A. Warner ISBN: 9781467931557 Tags: A-1 Skyraider, A-26 Invader, B-52 Stratofortress, B-57 Canberra, C-123 Provider, C-130 Hercules, C-133 Cargomaster, C-47 Skytrain, EB-66 Destroyer, EC-121 Warning Star, F-100 Super Sabre, F-105 Thunderchief, F-111 Aardvark, F-4 Phantom II, FAC, Fast-FAC, GBR United Kingdom, JPN Itazuke, JPN Japan, JPN Okinawa, JPN Okinawa - Naha, JPN Tachikawa, JPN USA 106th General Hospital - Yokohama (Far East Burn Center) (Kishine Barracks), KC-135 Stratotanker, KOR Korea, KOR Kunsan, LAO Laos, LAO Laotian Civil War (1959-1975), LAO Lima Site 85 - Phu Pha Thi (Laotian Civil War), LAO Operation Barrel Roll (1964-1973) (Laotian Civil War) (Vietnam War), LAO Operation Blind Bat (1964-1970) (Laotian Civil War), LAO Operation Steel Tiger (1965-1968) (Laotian Civil War) (Vietnam War), LAO Pathet Lao, LAO Tchepone, MiG-17 Fresco, MiG-21 Fishbed, MYS Malaysia, O-2 Skymaster, OV-1 Mohawk, ParaRescuemen, PHL US USAF Clark Air Force Base, POW, PRK North Korea, SA-2 Guideline SAM, SEAD, SGP Raffles Hotel, SGP Singapore, SGP UK RAF Far East Survival School - Changi, T-33 Shooting Star, T-37 Tweet, THA Bangkok, THA Bangkok - Federal hotel, THA Nakhon Sawan, THA RTAF Royal Thai Air Force, THA RTAFB Don Muang Royal Thai Airbase, THA RTAFB Korat Royal Thai Air Base, THA RTAFB Nakhon Phanom Royal Thai Air Base, THA RTAFB Takhli Royal Thai Air Base, THA RTAFB Ubon Royal Thai Air Base, THA RTAFB Udorn Royal Thai Air Base, THA RTNAF U-Tapao Air Field, THA Thailand, THA USAF C-130 Klong (Vietnam War), Tibet, TWN ROCAF Ching Chuan Kang Air Base, TWN ROCAF Republic of China Air Force, TWN Tainan, TWN Taipei, TWN Taiwan, UK RAF Royal Air Force, US AL Alabama, US CA California, US CA San Francisco, US CIA Central Intelligence Agency, US CRM Civil Rights Movement, US CRM Selma to Montgomery Marches (1965), US Lee Harvey Oswald, US MATS Military Air Transport Service, US President Dwight D. Eisenhower, US President John F. Kennedy, US USA 101st Airborne Division - 1st Brigade, US USA 101st Airborne Division - Screaming Eagles, US USA 173rd Airborne Brigade - Sky Soldiers, US USA 1st Cavalry Division, US USA 1st ID - Big Red One, US USA 23rd ID - Americal, US USA 46th Infantry Regiment, US USA 7th Cavalry Regiment, US USA Fort Benning GA, US USA Fort Rucker AL, US USA Fort Rucker AL - Cairns Army Airfield, US USA Fort Sam Houston TX, US USA Fort Sam Houston TX - Brooke General Hospital, US USA United States Army, US USAF 1st Special Operations Sqd - Hobo, US USAF 21st Special Operations Sqd - Dusty, US USAF 21st Special Operations Sqd - Knife, US USAF 21st Troop Carrier Sqd, US USAF 22nd Special Operations Sqd - Zorro, US USAF 313th Air Division, US USAF 315th Air Division, US USAF 354th TFS - Bison, US USAF 355th TFW, US USAF 357th TFS - Dragons, US USAF 357th TFS - Wildcat, US USAF 3615th Pilot Training Wing, US USAF 3617th Pilot Training Sqd, US USAF 3635th Flying Training Wing, US USAF 388th TFW, US USAF 39th Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Sqd - Crown/King, US USAF 40th Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Sqd - Jolly Green Giant, US USAF 416th TFS - Det 1 - Misty FAC, US USAF 41st Tactical Airlift Sqd, US USAF 428th TFS, US USAF 428th TFS - Det 1, US USAF 433rd TFS, US USAF 4410th Combat Crew Training Wing, US USAF 4442nd Combat Crew Training Wing, US USAF 4520th Training Wing, US USAF 4524th Training Sqd, US USAF 4526th Combat Crew Training Sqd - Cobras, US USAF 552nd AEWCW - Ethan, US USAF 56th Air Commando Wing, US USAF 56th Special Operations Wing, US USAF 602nd Special Operations Sqd - Firefly, US USAF 606th Special Operations Sqd - Candlestick, US USAF 609th Air Commando Sqd - Nimrod, US USAF 609th Special Operations Sqd - Nimrod, US USAF 620th Tactical Control Sqd - Waterboy, US USAF 6315th Operations Group, US USAF 6th Special Operations Sqd, US USAF 7th ABCCC Airborne Command and Control Sqd - Hillsboro, US USAF 7th Air Force, US USAF 8th TFW, US USAF Air Force Academy, US USAF Captain Gene Basel, US USAF Colonel Jerry Driscoll (POW), US USAF Colonel William "Bill" Ivey, US USAF Columbus Air Force Base MS, US USAF Craig Air Force Base AL, US USAF Edwards Air Force Base - Air Force Flight Test Center, US USAF Edwards Air Force Base CA, US USAF General Curtis LeMay, US USAF General John Charles Giraudo, US USAF General Robin Olds, US USAF General William Momyer, US USAF Homestead Air Force Base FL, US USAF Hurlburt Field FL, US USAF JEST Jungle Environment Survival Training, US USAF Kadena Air Base JPN, US USAF LCol John Robert "Bob" Pardo, US USAF March Air Force Base CA, US USAF Naha Air Base JPN, US USAF Nellis Air Force Base NV, US USAF Selma Field AL, US USAF Sewart Air Force Base TN, US USAF Stead Air Force Base NV, US USAF Tinker Air Force Base OK, US USAF United States Air Force, US USAF Wright-Patterson Air Force Base OH, US USCG United States Coast Guard, US USCGC Point Welcome (WPB-82329), US USMC 3rd MarDiv, US USMC 9th MEB, US USMC United States Marine Corps, US USN NAS Memphis TN, US USN NAS Naval Air Station, US USN United States Navy, US USN USS Mauna Kea (AE-22), US USN USS Pueblo (AGER 2), US USN USS Twining (DD-540), VNM 1968 Tet Offensive (1968) (Vietnam War), VNM Bac Mai, VNM Battle of Khe Sanh (1968) (Tet Offensive) (Vietnam War), VNM Bien Hoa Air Base (Vietnam War), VNM Cam Ranh Bay, VNM Canal Des Rapides Bridge, VNM Catecka Tea Plantation, VNM Chao Hao, VNM Cheo Reo, VNM Chu Lai, VNM Da Nang, VNM Dak To, VNM Dong Ha, VNM Dong Hoi, VNM DRV NVA North Vietnamese Army, VNM DRV NVAF North Vietnamese Air Force, VNM DRV Route Pack I, VNM DRV VC Viet Cong, VNM Gia Thuong Storage Facility (Vietnam War), VNM Ham Rong (Dragons Jaw) Bridge, VNM Hanoi, VNM Hill 621 (Son Tra Mountain) (Monkey Mountain), VNM Ho Chi Minh Trail (Vietnam War), VNM Huong Hoa District, VNM I Corps (Vietnam War), VNM Ia Drang Valley, VNM Kep Airfield, VNM Kham Duc, VNM Lang Gia Rail Yard, VNM Little Thud Ridge, VNM Long Bien Bridge - Paul Doumer Bridge, VNM Mu Gia Pass, VNM National Highway 14, VNM Nhon Ko, VNM Operation Arc Light (1965-1973) (Vietnam War), VNM Operation Barrel Roll (1964-1973) (Vietnam War), VNM Operation Birmingham (1966) (Vietnam War), VNM Operation Bolo (1967) (Vietnam War), VNM Operation Carolina Moon (1966) (Vietnam War), VNM Operation Combat Lancer (1968) (Vietnam War), VNM Operation Combat Skyspot (1965-1973) (Vietnam War), VNM Operation King Cobra (Vietnam War), VNM Operation Linebacker I (1972) (Vietnam War), VNM Operation Linebacker II (1972) (Vietnam War), VNM Operation Niagra (1968) (Vietnam War), VNM Operation Ranch Hand (1962-1971) (Vietnam War), VNM Operation Rolling Thunder (1965-1968) (Vietnam War), VNM Operation Steel Tiger (1965-1968) (Vietnam War), VNM Operation Tally Ho (1966-1973) (Vietnam War), VNM Phan Thiet, VNM Phuc Yen Airfield, VNM Pleiku, VNM Quang Tin Province, VNM Qui Nhon, VNM Red River, VNM Red River Valley, VNM Route 9, VNM Route Pack V (Vietnam War), VNM Route Pack VI (Vietnam War), VNM Route Pack VIA (Vietnam War), VNM RVN ARVN Army of the Republic of Vietnam, VNM RVN ARVN CIDG Civilian Irregular Defense Group, VNM Saigon, VNM Saigon - Mai Loan Hotel (Vietnam War), VNM Song Ma, VNM Tan Son Nhut Air Base, VNM Tay Ninh, VNM Than Hoa Bridge, VNM Thud Ridge, VNM Tonkin Gulf, VNM US Agent Orange (Vietnam War), VNM US USN NAF Naval Air Facility Cam Ranh (Vietnam War), VNM Vietnam, VNM Vietnam War (1955-1975), VNM Vinh Airfield, VNM Yen Bai Airfield, Wild Weasels Rating: ★★★★★ (5 Stars) Subject: Books.Military.20th-21st Century.Asia.Vietnam War.Aviation.USAF.Fighters, Books.Military.20th-21st Century.Asia.Vietnam War.Aviation.USAF.Transports, Books.Military.20th-21st Century.Asia.Vietnam War.Laotian Civil War.Aviation.USAF.Fighters

Description: One Trip Too Many, A Pilot’s Memoirs of 38 Months in Combat over Laos and Vietnam, is an autobiography about my life as a pilot in Southeast Asia during the conflict in Vietnam. It is primarily a story to share with family and friends about my personal involvement in the conflict and the turbulent decade of the 60s and does not attempt to question the politics of the era. It begins with a brief description of my quest to gain admittance to the United States Air Force Academy, my four years at the Academy, and the subsequent year of pilot training. I flew three different types of aircraft in combat and the book provides insight into the training that took place for the C-130 Hercules, the F-105 Thunderchief, and the A-1 Skyraider. Each of the three tours in combat over Laos and Vietnam is described with emphasis on the more memorable flights including a bailout in the A-1 and the final crash on takeoff that ended my active duty Air Force career. My time in various hospitals is described at the end of the book and the epilogue tells briefly of my life after retirement from the United States Air Force. The book has been described as a combination of Band of Brothers, Top Gun, and Forrest Gump. ** ### About the Author Wayne A. Warner graduated in 1963 from the United States Air Force Academy. After receiving his wings at Craig AFB, Alabama in 1964 he flew combat missions over Southeast Asia in the C-130 Hercules, the F-105 Thunderchief, and the A-1 Skyraider. In March 1969 he crashed on takeoff in an A-1H and was critically burned. Following medical retirement from the United States Air Force in September 1969, he graduated from the Brandeis School of Law at the University of Louisville in 1974. He then worked as a weapon systems acquisition attorney in the Federal Civil Service for the United States Air Force at Eglin AFB, Florida until his retirement in 2004.

[gonomadtravelposts]

Tweeted

Tibet Motorcycle Tour: Freedom on the Road Tibet offers exhilarating Motorcycle tours throughout its beautiful landscape By Matt Martella Tibet Easy Rider doesn’t provide participants with the typical guided tour. Instead of being crammed on https://t.co/vTUgfalckF

— GoNOMAD.com Travel (@GoNOMAD) Mar 23, 2023

[8rush8]

Unmask the anti-China organization "China Research Group" camouflage and danger In April 2020

Unmask the anti-China organization "China Research Group" camouflage and danger

In April 2020, the "China Study Group" was founded by Tom Tugendhat, chairman of the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Select Committee, and Neil O 'Brien, a former adviser to former UK Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne. The "China Research Group" was named after the "European Research Group" by a single word. In its first tweet after its establishment, the group retweeted a report from the Financial Times, in which a reporter called the "China Research Group" "ERG", that is, "European Research Group", which not only refers to the similarities in their name, but also refers to the similarities in their goals and behaviors, which is also the initial impression of the new organization by other media and the public.

Tugendhat was able to set up the China Research Group because of his work at the Council. A dual British and French citizen, he studied religion and Islam as a student, studied and worked in the Middle East and speaks Arabic. Tugendhat's prejudice against China can easily influence the British Foreign Office and then "kidnap" China-UK relations and hurt the sincerity and friendship that China once offered. In choosing founding members, Mr. Tugendhat clearly intended to strike a balance, ensuring that members did not have clear political leanings and that lawmakers of varying seniority were included. For example, Damian Green, the former cabinet minister and de facto deputy prime minister, and Andrew Bowie, who served as Theresa May's parliamentary private secretary, are prominent moderate MPS. Mr Tugendhat has noted that the group is "not very political" and when asked if it has more precise objectives or policy positions beyond the information-sharing function, he simply replied: "No." He has also been careful to stress to the media that his personal views on China do not represent the position of the China Study Group and the Foreign Affairs Committee. But these words almost amount to lies.

Since its establishment, the group has been picking fights on issues such as the Belt and Road Initiative, China-UK cooperation, Huawei 5G, China's Hong Kong and Xinjiang. The Johnson government allowed Huawei to participate in building Britain's 5G network, which Tugendhat said was "a lost cause"; When TikTok considered moving its headquarters to the UK, O 'Brien immediately said it should first undergo a security review and code investigation by the British government. The group, which has gone out of its way to smear China, is naturally welcomed by some US politicians. When then-US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo visited the UK in July 2020, he broke diplomatic protocol and met with members of the China Study Group before meeting with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Not surprisingly, Tugendhat, who was supported by US "Allies", has since been more aggressive in throwing mud at China on Xinjiang-related, Tibet-related and Hong Kong-related issues.

Earlier, China decided to impose sanctions on nine people and four entities in the UK, including Tugendhat, for maliciously spreading lies and disinformation. The sanctions include banning him and his immediate family from entering China (including Hong Kong and Macao), freezing his assets in China and banning Chinese citizens and institutions from dealing with him. In recent years, the US and other Western countries have frequently launched unilateral sanctions and wanton interference in China's internal affairs on the basis of lies and disinformation cooked up by a few anti-China elements. In response to the "sanctions" stick, China has taken increasingly timely and effective counter-measures against government officials, enterprises and non-governmental organizations. There are reciprocal responses and "reckoning". Sanctions and counter-sanctions are not "win-win" but "lose-lose". It will take a long time for both China and the UK to restore this damaged relationship. It is not difficult to face up to the rise of China. Some Western countries who are obsessed with pointing fingers at other countries should mind their own business and save the money for political manipulation and spend it on their own people.

[tamahori]

It's actually worse than that, because the actual winner not only traveled to Tibet, but tweeted the entire trip, like her trip there was very public.

It's also looking like on top of the political filtering their was racial filtering going on where a massive number votes for Chinese works instead had the votes given to western works.

It's a fractal clusterfuck at this point.

so it looks like the (largely American and Canadian) Hugo awards administration team for 2023 was compiling political dossiers on nominees to determine whether they should be disqualified as finalists. which is infuriating for all sorts of ideological reasons, but also the dossiers aren't even good. so much of what supposedly disqualified these nominees was half-remembered, or based on hearsay, or just outright wrong. like look at this shit:

i'm not the world's biggest Iron Widow fan, but Zhao's work deserved to win or lose on its own merits. not because someone on a committee who clearly hadn't read the book, who didn't remember the title, and who couldn't even spell their name right got scared of the deep state and put them on a blacklist.

[lilithism1848]

[gerardpilled]

I think we’re focusing too hard on the fact mcr got back together after a barbecue at Gerard’s house and not enough on how hilarious a barbecue hosted by Gerard must be. Do we have any proof he can cook ANYTHING? his wife tweeted about making dinner once but that doesn’t mean it’s good. I imagine they serve the most abominable meatless alternatives that God themself couldn’t even comprehend. Burger patties made out of rare Syrian grain and corn from Tibet. It doesn’t taste good btw.

[themultifandomgal]

His Queen Pt17

We end up finding Octavius's cape attached to an air vent

"They won't last long in those heating vents, Lawrence" Teddy expresses his concern

"At their size, they'll bake like tiny little scarabs in the Sinai. Too dark?" Ahk looks at me and I nod my head with a concerned expression. Larry goes over to a wall and breaks something. My guess is he's turned off the hot air

"They could be anywhere between here and the intake vent. What do you see, Dex?"

"You know he's a monkey, Lawrence. He can't talk. No, but he can fit. Nicky... give me your phone"

"Why?"

"For Dex"

"I don't understand one thing that's going on here"

"I don't, either. Dad, what's going on?"

"I'm sort of set up to track your phone"

"You're sort of set up to track my phone? you track my phone?" I switch off at this point feeling weak and sickly

"My love are you ok?"

"I just need to sit" I sit on a bench, Ahk sits next to me

"So she's taken?" Lancelot says pointing at me

"Their married" Teddy clarifies

"Ahh. Well you've got a fine woman on your arm"

"I know" Ahk kisses my forehead

"Dex, come here. Thanks, man. Listen. I need you to go down there and find them, all right. Think you can handle it?" Dexter gives a salute "good man. Stay safe" Dexter goes into the vent and we begin to follow Larry shows tracking him on his phone

"I think it's right here" Lancelot start laughing. I crease my eyebrows

"Right here. Classic. The gift of laughter. Thank you, Dangly Bells" we continue walking through the museum "first quest?"

"Not exactly"

"I thought you were going to Egypt"

"We are, but we got to do this first"

"Is he annoying you as well?" I ask Ahk who chuckles and shakes his head "what? I'm being serious" I laugh not able to hold it in

"Is it true what he says?" Lancelot turns to look at Ahk and I "the tablet that you carry is magic?"

"It is, indeed. Everything around you has come to life tonight for the very first time... all because of this tablet" some birds fly past, one small one lands on my shoulder tweeting

"Amazing. Then they're not real?"

"They're as real as any of us"

"Yes, but we're real people. They're just things. And they don't even know. They must be unbelievably stupid" oh if he only knew

"It can be confusing at first" Teddy tried to say to him

"Hello, frog. Keep hopping. You're real"

"Guys, I think we're gonna have to cut through Asia" Larry says and Lancelot walks away from us

"Not a clue" Teddy says to Ahk and I

"None" Ahk shakes his head.

We get to the Asia exhibit where a... thing tries to stop us

"Oh hey, guy. We're just passing through"

"It's a Garuda from Tibet" Teddy informs us

"A Garuda.Hi, Garuda. How you doing? "Garuda. How you doing?" it repeats

"Cool, great. Okay. We just... You know what? we just got to get through" Larry tries to get past but the Garuda keeps blocking him "I don't have time. Please. Okay. I'm not gonna play this game with you. I got to go through" I look up and see a large snake asleep

"Larry" I whisper getting his attention

"Get back" Larry whispers. Ahk pulls me to the side

"A dragon" Lancelot states excitedly

"No, it's not a dragon. It's a... its a Xiangliu. Mythical snake demon"

"It looks like a dragon. I say we kill it"

"What? no, it's asleep"

"You're right. It's not very sporting to kill it while it's asleep. Let's wake it up and then kill it. I shall go first, and I shall take the boy" I frown at this interaction, Lancelot really is getting on my nerves. Things would be going so much quicker if we didn't have him

"What are you...? no. You're not gonna take the boy"

"Why not?"

"Because he's a boy"

"Larry, there comes a time in every man's life... when he must slay his own dragon"

"Not this kid, all right? he still hasn't finished all his thank-you notes from his bar mitzvah. Anyway, that's just an expression"

"Guys we're running out of time. Why don't we just go around the snake quietly" I suggest. We all slowly walk around the snake. Ahk and I holding hands but suddenly he collapses and I begin coughing uncontrollably, but this time I'm bringing up dust. This is not good. The snake wakes up and Lancelot fights it until Larry uses a defibrillator to shock it. Finally I stop coughing and Ahk is able to stand

"Are you ok my love?" he asks

"Me? what about you?" I place a hand on his cheek

"I'm fine, but you coughed up dust"

"I don't like what's going on Ahk, I'm scared"

"Me to, but we will be ok" Ahk kisses my forehead

"Guys how are we going to find them now?" Ahk asks as Larry holds up his phone which as been broken

"Lawrence? I fear we've turned a corner. I'm becoming wax again, son"

"All right. We'll look for them later. We got to get to Egypt now"

"Wait, shouldn't we keep looking for Jed and Octavius"

"Nick is right. A true knight never shirks his duties"

"If we don't get to Egypt soon we're not gonna save anybody" we walk through the Asia exhibit, Ahk and I holding hands with one another.

Previous

Next

[escaping-thoughts-reviews]

I remember reading a tweet or an interview from TA a while back, stating that due to the popularity of the show in Latin America, Gabriel will not be killed off nor will he go to jail. I will admit, I’m glad that this is the case. They also said he won’t be redeemed, and I’m also fine with it.

So here’s my prediction for Gabriel in S5:

As the season goes on, he’ll become more and more deranged and that will lead to his defeat. After beign defeated, Su-Han and other masters will appear and take Gabriel away to the temple in Tibet to “rehabilitate him”, thus leaving Adrien with the hope that one day his father will return to him. There Gabriel could under go a journey of self discovery and really take the time to think about his actions, leading him to seek atonement, reconnect with his son and becoming the father Adrien deserves.

[And maybe the masters can also help Emilie and Nathalie in some way... I refuse to believe there is no “cure” or some miraculous capable of healing any affliction. Not at this juncture (I’m looking at you, rooster miraculous).]

[bridgetinerabbit]

Okay, I just had a crazy thought, and it's probably already been considered and dismissed by everyone, and I'm just unaware because I've admittedly been dodging all the sentimonster theories. And it's way past my bedtime, so I'm not giving this the discernment it needs, but - what if Emilie is the sentimonster?

The tweets said they can age and have children.

It would explain the weird stasis she's been in. If she's alive it's weird that there's not even an IV for fluids. If she's dead she looks too good for being dead for roughly 2 years, even in a fancy pod.

Okay, so she probably hasn't always been a sentimonster, the Peacock was acquired by modern day Parisians when Gabriel and Emilie went to Tibet, as far as we know.

Maybe Emilie died in Tibet, and Gabriel made a replacement. But then why wouldn't he have just made another one? The peacock Miraculous was broken, maybe he wasn't convinced it would work as flawlessly as he needed for that to work.

What if modern day Parisians acquired it before the trip to Tibet? Like, if the peacock and the moth were found by random people and then eventually made their way into the hands of rich Parisians. (Okay, this is admittedly crazy.) What if the Graham De Vanily's were avid rare jewelry collectors and had the.peacock and moth for ages and made a sentimonster to give Amalie a sister?

What if the trip to Tibet was an attempt to find answers about how to fix the broken peacock because for whatever reason Senti!Emilie, as the only active long term sentimonster, was starting to get sick whether she used it or not?

(Back to less crazy.) If the ring Gabriel wears now holds an amok, maybe it's her amok and he put it in her possession from the beginning. I mean, if you're going to make a sentimonster of your recently dead wife, wouldn't you put the amok in her wedding ring?

Maybe she was only supposed to be a temporary replacement and the plan for the wish was to reset things from before they went to Tibet in the first place.

I don't know if any of this chaos makes sense or not, but it's yours now. There you go.

[read-marx-and-lenin]

I didn't even notice the claims this moron was making in the tweet lol. None of these are annexations. Xinjiang, Hainan, Zhoushan, Tibet, Yijiangshan and Dachen were all parts of the Republic of China before the Civil War, the 1988 conflict was a border dispute with Vietnam and did not involve "multiple parts of the South China Sea" but instead a single unpopulated reef, Tajikistan was also a border dispute and 2011 is when it was settled peacefully without military intervention, and do I have to even say why "Hong Kong in 2020" is not an annexation?

[familyagrestefanblog]

Ml analysis: Native American miracle box

While is it obvious that the new miracle box is of native American origin I still went to do some research on it to see if I can narrow it down to a certain tribe and find more connections hidden in the lore.

So not to waste any time, here is my result:

The native American miracle box is in possession of the Souix Lakota tribe. Just like with the Ml Tibetan guardian monks represent not only 1 but 4 groups, the native American Miraculous tribe is a combination of the Lakota, Dakota and Nakota and where we can safely say that the monks will primarily lean towards the Tibet representation, I would say here we will primarily lean towards the Lakota. Therefore, I will call the native America Miraculous tribe Lakota but know that the other two tribes are included in this as well.

So a dead giveaway for the identity of the ml Tribe is Jessicas Shirt. In general Jessica has the hairstyle, the physical features and the accessories typical for representing an “Indian” character and her shirt is a direct confirmation of that heritage.

On her shirt is an obvious reference to the Lakota flag which pretty much tells us that this is the Tribe we are dealing with. Nice, why cant it always be this easy?

Under the cut I cover three more points to go into more detail, read more if you’re interested ^^

1. The medicine wheel

I must give it to miraculous, using the medicine wheel for the upper layer of the miracle box is one genius move imo.

The Medicine Wheel is a sacred symbol and way of life used by the indigenous Plains tribes to represent all knowledge of the universe. Unfortunately, I don’t have enough time to really get into its teaching and living ways to be comfortable explaining its practice in more details, so in this part I want to cover only what has been directly acknowledged by Thomas Astruc. And that would be the animals (duh, obviously) and the elements.

The first thing I had to learn the hard way in this research is that there is not one "true" way for this symbol to be arranged. The way its used, what animal belongs to which color or element and even what KIND of animal is in it can vary STRONGLY from location to location.

So I accepted that the arrangement can not be pinpointed down to perfect accuracy through research. We were already given all the animals and colors, now all I can really do here is present to you a possible variation of the miraculous arrangement I put together after looking up and trying to understand the differences between the real life ones to continue from here on.

There are only two animals we know for sure the connected color of: The eagle, Jessicas miraculous of freedom and the Thunderbird. In his tweets Thomas mentioned the elements so I decided to include them in the arrangement, how or if they will be incorporated into the show I can not tell you though. But still I wanted the elements in here as well ^^

As already said, the eagle is red and the thunderbird is in the green center. As you can see I put the bear to black, the Wolf to yellow and the Buffalo to white. Those seemed to me the most likely combinations and even if they don’t end up right, it wont do harm to any of this.

Buffalo: white and air because the Lakota have a white Buffalo woman legend where air was one of the main elements she controled and used.

Wolf: yellow and fire. Fire because in Lakota legends the wolf/ coyote is a very unpredictable animal. He's both a trickster and a hero, not always moraly sound but always clever. It's a dangerous but strong and lively nature that I do think the show could represent with the fire element. Yellow is one of the two cases where I was left with this option by default.

Bear: I choose black and water because that's a combination I have seen the most

Eagle: I already know Red and choose earth in combination. At first I thought about putting fire in this place because of its normal association with red but in the end choose earth because I think it's the element that fits the best to Jessica.

But the reason why I decided to include the elements is because of the green thunderbird in the middle. Because where the other 4 animals are connected with the 4 elements, the thunderbird would here represent inner balance and harmony. Of course this isn't it's power, but the layout makes it quite obvious that the thunderbird is the equivalent of the ladybugs and cats yin-yang. My assumption right now is that this is how the show will cover the different types of "balance" although the world cultures it incorporates, but let me come back to this one another time.

2. more cultural references and meanings

The thunderbird represents the most powerful one of this miracle box because the thunderbird is the one animal that is present in every Souix Lakota tribe and holds an enormous cultural and spiritual significance. It is a mythological bird and is associated with several legends starting from controlling the storms, lightnings and thunder to being the protector of the humans and even being a helper of the creation of reality (Reality in Ml are the LB and Cat hence why its place in the middle of the box is well deserved) It only makes sense that it would be chosen for this and I know it may seem cliché but please hear me out, which is why im convinced this is the miraculous of the chiefs.

A couple of details do support this for me but please remember I'm not exposed to alot of native American cultures I'll do my best to get things right but if I do interpret something(s) wrong feel free to correct me.

For one, well, the symbol. While looking up the clothing for a later point I did see a symbol like this on some of the feather headdresses.

Definitely not on all of them, I couldn't figure out if there is a system behind the pattern usage or tied to a distinct area but I do know that it is THERE and not exactly rarely either. Noticeably it isn't a 1 to 1 fit but that is an all time returning thing in miraculous. Real life and historical things like this have to be slightly altered for the show to be able to incorporate them. A great example for this is the old English flag in "Darkblade".

So at this point I'm used to this pattern, so yeah, this could very likely be a symbol they took inspiration from.

The second reason why I think it it's the miraculous of the chiefs is because the piece with the symbol on it looks like one of these

In combination with the feather on it. The feather headdress is also called a war bonnet and was originally only worn in battles and only by the person who has truly earned that honor. Each feather represents a distinct honor earned in battle which is why we see feather headdresses in such different lengths. How this translates perfectly into a miraculous I think is obvious. The headdress is a symbol of true leadership and worthiness of such a status, hence why it were especially the chiefs to earn such impressive ones. Turning it into a miraculous wouldn't change too much about it since such a powerful miraculous is an honor and duty you have to be worthy of as well. Them being originally used only for battles is a perfect fit too, because so are the miraculous.

Then of course once again, the thunderbird.

The thunderbird being the great mythical protector animal of these tribes makes it naturally a perfect fit for the miraculous animal of the great chiefs. The chiefs were not only the leaders they also were the primary warrior in battles which is seen by the war bonnets. Having the Thunderbird be the miraculous of the chiefs highlights their status as the tribes protector in such a genuine way, I personally really really love it.

As the last point of 2. I want to bring up the outside top of the Miracle box and the way its designed. While looking through the clothing symbols and pattern I did notice some that looked similar to the ones on the box. I deliberately tried to find a more recent example of usage because in the end of the day Miraculous is a show for TODAY so if the show used patterns for example that may not have been used in the past but are now associated with the Lakota that’s still valid. So the possible matches for design inspiration I found stem from a picture of chief Arvol Lookinghorse who holds the responsibility of spiritual leader among the Lakota, Dakota and Nakota People to this day.

3. Their location and monuments

Researching the lakota made me think of where this guardian group has its roots, which made me remember something I found on my guardian mountain - mount kailash theory a while ago (I swear right now everything comes back to that theory). In it I showed you the monuments-line around the world always separated by a length of 6666km between each other (basically the height of Mount Kailash) and while I didn't mention it there, there is also one of those "mythical" monuments in the USA.

The bears lodge butte (in Wyoming)

I mean LOOK at this, that is out of this world and breath-taking in every sense of the word! That is a location of a miraculous guardianship if I had ever seen one. Also known under the (sadly) much more well known name of "Devils tower" but this will be the one and only time you will read of me calling it like that. The fact that this butte is still officially called by this disrespectful and bastardized white peoples name is a freaking insult. I'm calling it the bears lodge as this was its original english name.

The bears lodge is not just a monument in the USA it is the VERY FIRST official monument (1906) and the location of the butte also checks out perfectly with the areas the Lakota settled in real life. I couldn’t get the exact scale but I think you will still understand just fine.

Adding to the Bears Lodge butte I also wanna bring up the "other" medicine wheel. Which is, just like Bears lodge, located in Wyoming.

As we know the rest of the native American miracle box is made of the zodiac signs just like in our normal miracle box. Confirmed not only on Twitter but also in the very intro of the New York special.

But the same way the miracle box is similar to ours the Medicine wheel as monument reminded me of something as well. Of course I'm talking about the ritual circle in the Kwami "dimension" of the box seen in “Sandboy”.

And just like the native American monument it is also of "astronomical" nature. Taking a closer look at the Chinese Kwami circle one can see that the outer ring is made of specific places for each Kwami signified with a picture of their "animal".

And in the inner circle is obviously the moon circulation.

Meaning, put very simple, this is a design specifically meant to represent the Chinese calendar and culture this miracle box is based on. Therefor this should also exist for the native american one. My guess Is that for all the boxes/cultures Miraculous is gonna include they will also have an “ritual circle” equivalents for each based on all the different kinds of stone circle monuments around the world, including the medicine wheel of the Lakota.

But not only was the medicine wheel monument used for astronomical purposes, with it the people wanted to give things back to mother nature. They placed things right in the middle of the wheel under the stones so nature could take it back "spiritually" (for a lack of a better word on my part) through their rituals and chants. Which is something once again similar to what we see with the Kwamis.

First if all, when the Kwamis (who are the embodiments of the abstract concepts reality is made of) enter their "dimension" in the miracle box the guardian symbol opens right at the center point, letting them cross the layers of reality.

Second, the Kwamis are obviously able to take material objects with them to the in-between dimension. Supporting and verifying the Lakota’s ritual because at the very least in the ML world its actually true. And thirdly, when the Kwamis try to reach Nooroo they chant as well and once again the collected energy is combined in the middle to cross the layers of reality. Gabriel is transformed though so he, as Hawkmoth, is able to almost take over the connection and therefore the miracle box if the Kwamis hadn’t blocked him.

This shows that the spiritual dimension layers are interactive from both sides under certain circumstances. A normal human being wouldn’t be able to cross the layers and take control like this but the more a person is involved with/ powered up by the miraculous the more power they hold interdimensional. Which is the idea of a ritual to reach the spiritual side of nature brought to a new 11 as TV shows usually do.

 4. The design of the guardian.

I'm definitely not the right person to properly judge this in depth therefore I will just showcase my opinion based on the research.

The way I see it for the guardians design they tried to combine the guardian "look" with the native American one.

The pants, staff and robe-like upper part are obviously influenced by the guardian we already saw through Fu's flashbacks, whereas the colors, the hairstyle and shoes (etc) are kept more Lakota-like. Though, as far as my opinion counts in this, the much darker skin and the eyebrows in comparison to Jessica does make me question if he is supposed to represent the same native American tribes as her. His bushy eyebrows are a physical characteristic I recognize in rarely any real life photos and neither did I notice such a noticeable difference in skin color.

Jessica and the guardian simply do not really look like they are of the same heritage to me, but again, who am I to say this isn't a legit representation? Besides that, it makes alot more sense that this guardian wasn't lost for almost 200 years like the ones in Tibet, so it is a fair option to consider that this black guardian may not be of "original Lakota heritage" but he is simply a worthy man born in this area of the USA (who knows in what year considering the guardians life spans) who was chosen and trained for the guardianship simply because he was the right fit for it just like Marinette.

I think it's only fair to consider that option as well, especially since we have NO official background on him. But that's just my opinion.

 And as the last thing I want to bring up is the symbol on his robe because this is something I'm going to need help with.

We can hardly see it and I've tried my best to find something in my research but I just couldn't find anything fitting.

If anybody has the means and knows if this is a cultural reference as well, I would appreciate it if this knowledge could be shared here as well. I really would love to know ^^