#disclaimer i’m viet

[stars-and-birds]

hits character with asian beam mwahaha you’re mine now

[littlesistersti]

TF Armada Alexis’s Full Name

Full disclaimer out of the way, I’ve never watched Armada. I plan to though. Also, pull up a chair. This is another long one.

Some of you know her. Some of you know a specific version of her. Whether it’s Alexis/Alexa from the anime, Alexis Garner from @itsthelass​ ‘s fic, Faeformers, your own, etc. During the time of the show’s run, she wasn’t given an official last name until this Almanac came out. 2010 vs. 2002 difference. Her full name is Alexis Thi Dang, confirming she’s Vietnamese. We don’t know she is full Vietnamese or half Vietnamese or what. Her design isn’t helpful. 

I’ll accept Vietnamese American girls with brown hair. That were a few of my classmates in elementary school and almost every auntie I see. (Years are VERY off, but you get the point.) Good times. I don’t understand her green eyes though. Green eyes are less common than blue eyes, but genetics tend not to apply in anime/cartoons. (See Marinette’s blue eyes from the Miraculous Ladybug show. Also the fact, how Japanese characters look in anime compared to non-Japanese characters or real life Japanese people) I don’t know what eye colors her parents have, but if the green is natural, she must be at least a quarter Vietnamese. I think? I’m not doing math right now. Unless it’s a genetic mutation, but I don’t know how to tackle that. Yes, I know it’s possible for Vietnamese girls to have blue eyes. However, Google gave me one result of a Vietnamese girl with natural blue eyes, but she is one of the mountain people (ethnic minority). I should know the word for them, but I took Viet 1 some four years ago and forgotten. Other than that, all I have as evidence is this one girl I saw at my high school who has striking blue eyes and can never tell if it’s natural or not. I should’ve asked her, but her fluency and mien bac accent scared me. 

I’m suspecting her green eyes are contact lenses, with prescription or not. It could be a headcanon for a fic. Do what you like with it. I edited some pictures of her with different colors below. Just to see how it’ll turn out. 

You might be wondering why I’m even starting this discussion in the first place. “She’s from an old anime, don’t make a fuss.” “It’s just the color choice of the designers, whatever.” Yeah, but you know how excited I was when I read her last name? The fact I got a smidge of representation, even if it’s more Word of God than canon? The only other Asian humans we got are Sari Sumdac (kinda? Techno-organic?), Isaac Sumdac, and Miko Nakadai. There might be more I’m missing; feel free to let me know. 

So where I going with all this nonsense? I want Alexis to showcase more of her Vietnamese culture. 

Yeah, I know. Awful of me. Again, I’m giddy she’s Vietnamese. I know it’s impossible to show any of the Vietnamese stuff since the anime’s long over and almost nobody knows she’s Vietnamese. All I’m asking is a fanfic where it’s shown. It can be small or big. You know what, draw her in an ao dai or something. Have her eat banh cuon. I guess I should write my own things too. “If you can’t find it, make it yourself” sort of feelings. 

Edited on PicsArt using only the Adjust tool. 

Black hair only

Black hair with brown eyes

Brown eyes only.

Black hair and brown eyes. Tried to give her black hair that blue effect comic books tend to have. 

[littlesistersti]

So things I learnt from asking my dad in relation to Behind the Name website but I write it in my very youthful internet voice: names are usually unisex if you’re not a little b— about it (meme/parody), names that are gendered would be strong/active descriptors for boys and pretty/dainty/jewelry for girls, I disagree with that, and quick lesson - textbook and north accent has the S sound like English SH kinda and the letter X sound like English S, but south accent will mix up S and X because they both sound like English S.

Disclaimer: I can not tell apart the 3 different IPA sounds of SH \ Š which is a problem because I recently found out Russian Ш is not the same as English SH.

Also I’m a heritage speaker so insert “when you say you’re fluent in Vietnamese on your resume meme” here

Of provided Viet names on Behind the Name, they officially only have Sơn (mountain, male) and Xuân (spring season, unisex). Users have submitted:

Sâm (forest, male)

San (mountain, unisex)

Sáng (morning\bright, u)

Sang (start, do, create, establish; u)

Sáu (why is number 6 here?)

Sen (lotus flower, female)

Sĩ or Sỹ (scholar, expert; m)

Rude

Sinh (living, alive; u)

Sửu (second Earthly Branch (1-3 AM), associated with ox zodiac; u)

Sương (frost, dew; f)

Isn’t that fog?

Xanh (grue the color, u)

Off topic but here is a Wikipedia on the colour grue across the globe

Xương (flourish, prosper, good, sunlight; m)

bones????

petition to make xuong a unisex name because we all have bones

and also women can totally get that flourish, prosper, good, sunlight

Hey is Balder’s Vietnamese name Xuong because he is god of light and a good things but also because he — *shot*

So she could be Sang Xuân or Sáng Xuân. She could also be … maybe Sáng Xanh or San Sương. I’ll leave it open for any other Vietnamese people to give their thoughts.

I’ll come back on the atrocity of Xi’an Coy Manh and any other Vietnamese characters in the comics.

wtf kind of name is sha shan nguyễn???

i am once again begging writers to at least TRY

anyway, i propose her first name be changed to sang xuân which means noble spring

[thaisibir]

Aoi, the Wrathful Route, and Buddhism

Anyone want to read an analysis on my favorite character in Digimon Survive? What does Buddhism have to do with a Digimon game? Grab a seat and let’s dive into it. (Major spoilers ahead!)

I like to think that Buddhist beliefs and philosophy really comes into play in the Wrathful route. How so? Well:

-Reincarnation into Plutomon

Aoi "dying" to come back as Plutomon, another form, is as if she underwent reincarnation.  As I’m sure most people know, belief in reincarnation is central to Buddhism. Aoi “arriving to the right answer” upon merging with Labramon is a twisted form of achieving enlightenment. She was driven mad and beyond reason by this insight she gained, and even though she lived on in that new monstrous form, the Aoi that her friends knew and loved was gone.

-More on Aoi’s “enlightenment”

In Buddhism, Nirvana is the highest and ultimate achievement. One undergoes the cycle of death and rebirth until one has the merit and fortitude to achieve Nirvana and break free of that cycle. A common image used to describe Nirvana is the extinguishing of a fire, specifically three fires, or poisons: greed (raga), aversion/hate (dvesha), and ignorance (moha). Clearly Aoi is a selfless and kind person; out of everyone in the group she’s arguably the farthest from greedy and hateful. Ignorance, however, is what tormented Aoi in the Wrathful route, as Saki’s death has her constantly questioning what is the right thing to believe and do. Within the connotations of Buddhism, ignorance also describes worldly attachment. Aoi was unable to move on from Saki’s death, and her wellbeing spiraled down the drain as she fixated on survivor’s guilt. When she came to an epiphany about harmony, she was “freed” from the ignorance and the confines of her dying human body to become Plutomon. Buddhist belief of the afterlife could have influenced Aoi's own belief in the Wrathful route, that peace can be achieved if everyone agrees with and joins her state of enlightenment, or her own warped idea of Nirvana. Unlike some faiths such as Christianity, where people maintain distinct bodies in a judgment-based afterlife, Buddhism envisions the perfect state of being after death more like a drop of water entering a collective sea beyond existence.

-Aoi’s first and second deaths

The Buddhist approach to the dying process puts an emphasis on attaining a clear consciousness before death. Mortally wounded by Piedmon and realizing her “epiphany,” Aoi was clearly in no state to peacefully pass on. Her last words before becoming Plutomon was “Idon’twanttodieIdon’twanttodie!!” The poor girl was deluded by agony, both physical and mental, as well as by her misguided beliefs. Aoi’s first death and dark evolution with Labramon, which led to more suffering upon herself and her friends, resembles samsara at work. In Buddhism, samsara is considered to be unsatisfactory and painful, perpetuated by desire and ignorance. Aoi became so driven by the need to act on her misguided beliefs that she sort of transcended death, transforming from a human to a monster. Fortunately in the end Aoi reverted to her true self, expressing her regret and contrition over her error in judgment before truly passing on. She died again, free of attachments that kept her human and monstrous bodies tied to the world.

I do have a headcanon that Aoi comes from a family of devout Buddhists, and that the Buddhist faith had a big influence on her attitude, mindset, and outlook on life. (Not too far-fetched, in my opinion, since Buddhism is one of the predominant religions in Japan.) This, plus the parallels to Buddhist ideas in the various events of the Wrathful route, made playing the game all the more significant and poignant to me. Watching the most kind, loving, and stable character in the cast break down and become so twisted was brilliant and terrible and heart-wrenching.

[fatenumberfor]

Hi Matt 👋 could you recommend me some viet music? I grew up hearing only my parents' and grandparents' music which is the older stuff and then my uncles' tastes are... yeah... so I don't know how to look I guess for any newer good music? Thank you in advance :)

yea absolutely! sorry I’m gonna go ham with these recs. I’ve outlined a few ways I find my viet music:

spotify’s vpop playlist, called “V-Pop Không Thể Thiếu”. this is my primary method. there’s a mix of styles in there, not just pop. a few artists I found on there + my fav song from them:

Chillies - Qua Khung Cửa Sổ (indie band; chill music)

Machiot - Ai

Bích Phương - em bỏ hút thuốc chưa (this is from an EP. the rest of these songs are excellent)

Vũ Cát Tường - Hành Tinh Ánh Sáng

Nodey ft. Suboi - Đôi Khi <3 (suboi is a vpop icon)

Lynk Lee - Buồn Thì Cứ Khóc Đi (never fails to depress me)

Erik - Sau Tất Cả (i think this is a cover lol but his voice is perfect for ballads. he’s been leaning pop more recently tho)

Monstar - Giữ Lấy Làm Gì (erik used to be in this boy group lol. they’ve since disbanded)

Phùng Khánh Linh & MYRNE - anh đã không rõ ràng với em (the album this is from is so excellent)

Rhymastic - Nến Và Hoa

Touliver x Soobin Hoàng Sơn - Vài Lần Đón Đưa (another cover oops. i love soobin hoàng sơn’s music tho)

Wren Evans - Thích Em Hơi Nhiều

watching a few vpop mvs on youtube, then relying on the algorithm to rec you others. this method can help you catch the newest releases, especially if you binge mvs from certain artists. a few mvs/artists that were memorable to me:

Sơn Tùng M-TP - Chúng Ta Không Thuộc Về Nhau and Lạc Trôi (my OG vpop love...)

Bảo Anh - Như Lời Đồn (found this thru a tweet calling it “viet latin pop” lmao)

Nguyễn Trần Trung Quân - Tự Tâm (period drama setting. the king is bi. a must-watch)

Hương Giang - Anh Đang Ở Đâu Đấy Anh? (1st mv of a 4-part series. it’s SO dramatic)

Noo Phước Thịnh - I’m Still Loving You (he’s hot)

Kha - Em Không Cô Đơn (made me cry)

Gil Lê - Sao Người Ta Nỡ Làm Mình Đau (lesbian rep!)

Trung Quân - Tình Nào Không Như Tình Đầu (so cute that i made a gifset of it. this is also gay)

Đức Phúc - Ngày Đầu Tiên (made me cry HARD)

Min - Cà Phê (outfits so iconic i giffed it)

finding viral vpop songs used on viet tiktok. disclaimer that I’m not on tiktok lmao I just check Denis Đặng’s tiktok every now + then because he is hawt... and then I trace the songs. you will get lots of remixes of ballads, but you could find slightly older songs this way. a few that I loved:

NB3 Hoài Bảo x Freak D - Sợ Lắm 2; its lofi remix

Ngô Lan Hương - Yêu Đừng Sợ Đau; its remix

Ngọc Ánh - Không Bằng; its remix

Low G - okeokeoke

Hoàng Thuỳ Linh - See Tình; its sped-up remix

combing thru Nhac Cua Tui’s site and playlists. there’s some english so it’s not too difficult to navigate imo but i’m using this to practice my reading skills haha. i’m just starting to use it but it seems that all the songs are free to listen to in entirety!

LASTLY! notable artists I found thru misc ways + my fav song from them (i love these artists the most):

Sơn Tùng M-TP - Chúng Ta Của Hiện Tại (found him wayyy back by stumbling on an article accusing him of plagiarising gdragon LMFAOOOO then i listened to his discography n was like damn this kinda bangs tho)

Tiên Tiên - Say You Do (i love all her music so much. also i’m pretty sure she's gay. my little sister said that her friend danced to this song as part of a VSA culture show)

Hoàng Thùy Linh - Hạ Phỏm (this entire album is excellent. also i rec Kẻ Cắp Gặp Bà Già from her prev album, which is also SO GOOD. a viet friend recommended it to me. some of her mvs spotlight diff cultures within vietnam, which is cool)

Isaac - Đau Đầu (idr how i found him but started listening to his music after I recognised him in the film ‘Song Lang’ WHICH I ALSO REC if you want to feel empty inside. seriously it’s so good... i still think about it... he’s my man btw)

[clairdelunascent]

theory: i whole heartedly believe that wang yibo is cancer ascendant in 2nd or 3rd decan but that would move his moon back to leo. BUT MY REASONING(and i’ll try to be concise so i don’t take up too much of your time and i know you don’t know much about him) is that cancer would show why he’s really quiet and private. his saturn places in 10th which would show his struggle in the public eye and how his success was slow but rewarding. he actually had a bit of struggle along the way with his group not doing well, his company not promoting him enough etc.. his aries mc would show his inclination towards the adrenaline rush riding motorcycles give and his overall sporty style, along with the image he strives for. he presents himself in a very guarded and standoffish way that people forget cancer ascendants act like. when cancer asc have aries mc they usually like to come off as more tough. if you trust the degree theory he could have his rising in a capricorn degree as well which would bring some of that stern-ness to his face. but his leo moon shows through in his personality when he’s with close friends. he’s doted on and spoiled and he gets very whimsical. he fluctuates between thriving in the attention friends give him, to hiding from it when the social situation is not to his liking which is text book leo moon in the aries decan. his 1st house ruler would be in 2nd and it explains the ABUNDANT venus he gives off in the vibe of his face. if he’s second decan he could have a orb 0 venus sextile ascendant as well. can you tell i’m passionate about this? lol sorry for coming to you for this, but i got excited because i’ve thought he was a cancer asc from the moment i saw him and then was surprised to see someone that was a fan of him was interested in his natal chart.

Hi hun! I'm so glad your ask box is open, I love your blog so much and how knowledgeable you are!! I have a zodiac question. I don't know if you know about wang yibo (chinese actor, singer). I've been recently watching videos of him and he is pretty blunt and very private, doesn't reveal anything about himself really but his personality and interactions, patricularly in interviews and with women are pretty funny. He comes accross pretty savage by how blunt his answers and humor are and how he appears so done with being asked certain questions. It can come accross as rude to some and I was wondering if there's a specific placement that can relate to that. From my research he's a Leo with fairly many virgo placements (moon, mercury, venus) and a libra mars.

Hello! Ahhhh thank you so so much for the sweet words!! <3

I don’t know Wang Yibo, but I’ll base everything of what his birth charts gives away then! I think the Virgo stellium might be one of the reasons. If you put this into the context of his Leo sun this might explaina lot already. This can create a very observant and actually very defensiv character, especially when it relates to the own image and ego. His Libra mars does not also add to his sensitivity when it comes to social interactions and generally gives him a very string sensitivity to a created atmosphere, his Mars is also opposing his Aries Saturn, which could lead to potential conflict of the way he sees himself and actually presents himself and fits in social gatherings and approaches his environment. This can defenitely lead to a ‘fed up’ attitude if pushed enough, or at least trying to act unbothered and dettaching from the situation, but the pressure is heavy. If you combine this with his Leo sun and heavy Virgo influence this could be all about integrity and getting the upper hand maybe. He also has his Pluto in square with Mercury so drastic, blunt and intense reactions might be to expected.

[meliorist-midoriya]

ahn iwa headcanons please :debbyryan: im literally so big brained for coming up with this😩

i mean if you insist :debbyryan: the fun i had writing this is criminal hjdfhjsdhfjdfs

disclaimer: i don’t write for haikyuu, but i have anh iwa on the brain 25/8 and i love connecting w my culture so 🤩 @peach-pops​ cOLLECT HIM i am begging. man hasn’t paid rent for MONTHS

warnings: mentions of alcohol, mild timeskip spoilers

iwa is 21 in these!!

as a relative:

- listen,,, LISTEN

- anh iwa is The Favorite Relative™

- brother, cousin, in-law, you name it, everyone loves him

- i’m not saying he’s the one everyone compares you to but that’s exactly what i’m saying

- you get excited when you see him walk through the door anyway bc again, it’s Anh Iwa

- he’s the one who would go out to play w the little kids when they try to worm their way into pestering the older cousins at The Adult Table™.

- somehow, some-fucking-how, he also manages to start talking to the awkward teen cousins sitting on the couch playing on their phone or ipad

- okay but at the same time he also sneaks up behind any of the awkward cousins on their phone to go “what are you doing?” RIGHT NEXT TO THEIR MF EAR just to see them have a heart attack asshole

- okay despite this he’s also chaotically protective. says w a completely straight face: “if anyone gives you a problem lmk. i can crack some skulls so you know who to call”

- meanwhile you’re sitting there halfway through your bánh xèo like 👁👄👁

- all the aunties and uncles love him but he’s also slightly testy with them if you squint

- mostly bc, without fail, the conversation always goes to “oh you’re going to UCI? they have a medical school, are you going to become a doctor?” and then he has to laugh off their pressuring once he says he’s going to become an athletic trainer

- okay but his vietnamese? *chef’s kiss* immaculate. and he makes it sound good.

- like i hate how vietnamese sounds, but when i tell you i could listen to iwa speaking viet all day

- def speaks southern dialect. yes this is me projecting bc i’m south viet.

- he hogs the bánh bột lọc at dinner and you can’t convince me otherwise. will deadass eat half the party tray on his own if no one checks him

- also!! he helps the little kids light the tết firecrackers and makes sure they stay safe 🥺

- before then going on to scare the older kids by holding the firecrackers and going “let’s light the yard on fire 🤠”

- family gatherings are always guaranteed to be a good time if iwa’s there

as an s/o in a viet family:

- can i just say that iwa would try really hard to learn at least some vietnamese before he even considers meeting the family.

- and he does really well too! yeah the tones mess him up all the time but he’s doing his best ❤️

- god,,, his first interactions with the family were sO awkward

- like he’d be sitting out the counter next to one of the younger cousins and go

- "what grade are you in? oh __ grade? thats cool,,,, wow your getting old huh?" LIKE SIR YOU ARE TALKING TO A 6TH GRADER 😭

- and when cô sáu comes up to him rattling off twenty different topics in vietglish he bluescreens

- poor boy has to filter two languages through japanese 

- so he’s just standing there the entire time like “d-dạ, oh, really? ah, dạ. thank you 😀” until you have to save him jaksjdfsd

- it takes a couple visits and everyone learning that yes, he’s endgame. yes, you two are committed, for him to really get comfy in the family

- always. getting. fed. his plate is never empty bc dì phuong keeps loading his plate with more food. and he can’t say no bc the aunties are staring at him expectantly and he can’t just refuse the food they cooked

- he can just work it off during the week 💔

- he earned his seal of approval from the family the moment he outdrank chú viet let’s be real here

- he can’t look at hennessy or vsop the same after that but still

- it comes to a point where you go looking for him during the annual tết party and he’s just. sitting there. with someone’s toddler sitting on his leg.

- “why do you have a baby” “idk someone just gave them to me to hold” “,,, who—” “...chị hoang, i think? could’ve been her husband idk” 

- he’s saying this like the kid’s not waving around the soggy egg roll they’ve been teething all night

- i still stand by the fact that all the little cousins clamber all over him the moment you two arrive. just a bunch of kids clinging to his legs like “anh iwa!! you’re here!! :D”

- the relatives are alwaysssss asking if he’s coming to the family gathering

- like deadass at one point you’re looking at your parents like “i thought i’m your child 🤨”

- they say he’ll be their son-in-law soon anyway ❤️

glossary: 

anh - older brother/relative. usually used to refer to any man that’s older than you but not old enough to be called “uncle”. not exclusive to family

chị - older sister/relative. usually used to refer to any woman that’s older than you but not old enough to be called “auntie”. not exclusive to family

chú/cậu - uncle (younger paternal/maternal)

cô/dì - aunt (younger paternal/maternal)

bánh xèo, bánh bột lọc - vietnamese dishes

tết - vietnamese for chinese new year

dạ - vietnamese for yes. pronounced “ya”

[dukethomas]

hi!! are you viet?

[ID: A Tumblr ask from an anon reading, “thoughts on jade nguyen and lian?” END ID]

i’m assuming these asks are from the same person because they were sent around the same time? anyways sorry for answering this so late!!

yes, i am viet!! specifically, viet-american, which def colors my perspective so it’s good to keep in mind.

okay, a disclaimer before i start talking: while i would love to know more abt them i haven’t read many of their appearances. i should rlly get to that, ty for reminding me anon! what i’ve read for lian consists of festival of heroes, the ga 80th anniversary, and ram v’s catwoman, nothing pre-crisis except certain panels (going to do an outsiders read at some point i swear). i can’t recall anything i’ve read with jade in a substantial capacity at all unless you count watching yj animated which i don’t! god i should really get on that.

anyways, yeah from the minimal exposure i’ve had to them i adore them!! i’m a sucker for any and all viet rep. jade’s moral complexity feels so interesting from what i know of it, tho the ~evil asian baby mama~ trope is... blegh and jade suffers from it a lot i think. what i’m rlly looking forward to in my readthrough for her is seeing a lot of that and also how she interacts w people and her dynamics bc i feel like those are going to be rlly fun to dissect (jade and roy esp). not looking forward to all the orientalism and dragon lady tropes i’m sure writers employed when writing her. for lian, i think she’s absolutely adorable and her and roy’s father-daughter dynamic is SO cute. my personal gripe w her is just that lian isn’t a viet name—lien is what it would be. just a little bit of research, dc! begging for just a little bit. anyways, controversial opinion i think but honestly i’m waiting to see how the whole lian in infinite frontier thing plays out before judging it. i get people’s complaints abt deadbeat dad roy and putting an arrowfam char in a bat book and those are totally valid things to judge it on! for me personally i’ve enjoyed everything ram v has written so far and i think he’s one of the super promising new writers so i’m waiting to see how he tackles it, and i think it has the potential to be narratively interesting and reveal some things abt how infinite frontier is working. tho this might also be my lack of exposure to lian speaking!

anyways that got long wksjwpdks ty for tolerating me talking abt things i don’t know much abt <3

[fic-chi]

Other ways to say "I love you"

From the perspective of an Asian POC

*Disclaimer * This is all from personal experience bc I'm Viet. Other cultures maybe different from this. Regardless, I hope you enjoy this list!

"Have you eaten yet?"

"Are you well?"

*debones fish*

*cuts fruits*

"Take the last bite! It's fine just take it."

"Let me refill your bowl"

"I made your favorite food."

*scolds you when you skipped a meal then brings fruits or snacks*

"I asked the ancestors to help you extra today."

*Head pats, butt pats, shoulder pats*

*has you in the kitchen to help taste food*

[discountalien-pancake]

Hi! I'm writing a book where (one of) my protagonist is half-indian on his mothers side. I was wondering what kind of things I should include as cultural influences? As a white person myself, I dont want to write him specifically /being biracial/ cause... y'know. not my place at all. but I do want to show it in more ways than just 'looks like it' and 'takes his mothers (indian) surname'. if that makes sense?

Big old massive disclaimer! I’m not Indian, I’m Vietnamese. That said, I can give you some anectdotal stuff I have either discussed with a desi person or personally witnessed through firsthand exposure.

Indian names are REGIONAL. There are over a thousand ethnolinguistic groups living within India, and like it says on the tin, they all have their own languages. By extension this means they also all have their own naming conventions. Be mindful of what language you choose, and the fact that your character and his parents may speak more than one.

Make sure the religion matches the ethnic group, and have the characters celebrate holidays accordingly. Not all holidays have the same level of seriousness—just like with Western ones (ie. Christmas is a big deal, Halloween is just for fun, and nobody throws parties for Arbor Day).

Food should always be a major part of depicting any non-white culture. Do your research, make sure you get the names of the dishes right.

Clothing is another big one that applies to all cultures. There was a Diwali celebration on campus at my school every year and all the attendees wore gorgeous traditional clothes. This is also regional! Different places wear different styles, and may have unique variations of the same garment.

Now consider basic daily life things—what does he eat for breakfast, does he drink tea or coffee (and how!), what does he bring for lunch, what are his favorite fruits, etc. As a Viet person, I often have frozen pizzas for breakfast, hate tea but take my coffee strong with condensed milk, eat rice and braised pork or fried fish for lunch, and love mango and cherimoya and durian as well as strawberries and nectarines. Ask someone who is actually Indian these things. The answers will be really helpful for fleshing out a nuanced, believable character. And they’re questions that work for ANY culture.

Indian and desi followers feel free to correct me on anything I’ve said above. Others please refrain from adding on, but reblogs are welcome.

[gear-project]

Nationalism and GG

This is a topic I've been meaning to address for some time, though it's been a long time coming.

I suppose I should give a disclaimer first:

ARC System Works is a game company who supports their fans, first and foremost... and whatever views they have as a game company take priority over whatever views are expressed in the games that they make.

That's a complex mouthful of a statement, but it's an important concept to understand when you analyze the writing and ideas from the games they make.

First, let me throw some important questions at you:

Why was Japan at the center of the destruction in the Crusades?  Why did the Crusades originate in America?

Why was Zepp portrayed as a Garrison Military State?

Why are events and organizations like World War II and the United Nations so heavily alluded to?

Why are Nuclear Weapons and Bio Weaponry so heavily emphasized?

A lot of this goes back to older times in the 1970s and 1980s when Japan was ambitious in its fiction writing and you often found lots of finger pointing politics in Anime and Manga.

Godzilla was indeed a big "thing" back in the day, not just in the movie houses as an anti-war slogan, but along with Godzilla and other science fiction stories came a lot of old grudges.

There were a lot of fiction stories where it was America's fault the world got destroyed, or Japan took over and became the center of the world.  You also had different fiction stories that featured modern Nazism.

I guess, more than anything else, Daisuke Ishiwatari was influenced by a great number of his predecessors, and those predecessors had an axe to grind or two against various foreign nations.

Of course they did, those people survived World War II. They didn't want Nukes dropped on Nagasaki and Hiroshima. It just happened.

You talk to people like Yoshiyuki "Kill 'em all" Tomino, and he'll tell it like it is.  He hated war.  Always did.  And more than anything they hated the guys who pulled the trigger, morals and motivation had nothing to do with it.

Hatred for war was irrational but common and accepted as the norm.

Even in America, you had people who hated War Veterans (and this was before Viet Nam highlighted the problem of how we "acknowledge war").

...Back to Guilty Gear: you have military nations, greedy power-hungry politicians, corrupt individuals trying to rule the government as we know it... world domination, etc etc.

So why did it start in America?  Did Daisuke want Sol Badguy to portray your typical Capitalist American from New York watching baseball and eating hot dogs?

No, I don't think so... and GG symbolically recants any prior thoughts on the political climates it had by trying to rebuild and reform whatever corruption that exists within the game's plot.

What used to simply be called "A. Country" became "America" all over, but now they are international allies with Illyria the new "big nation on the block".

Meanwhile you see characters like Baiken holding old grudges and struggling against the peaceful status quo.  Baiken even acknowledges "bad blood" between herself and the Koreans with Kum Haehyun.

Zepp became a free republic, and most other countries try to stay out of trouble... even Chipp's nation is trying to not cause problems with its neighbors.

So, the point I'm trying to make here is... there's a lot of Japan-centric ideas being put in the story, but... I think as Ishiwatari continues his writing, he'll improve and become more globally-minded.

In fact Xrd is proof he already has, if you compare it to previous aspects of the story.

Not all Americans are Cowboys, not all Japanese are Samurai, not all Chinese work in restaurants and speak funny... While these are tropes, they're not meant to "represent" anything or "express" anything other than be charming in their own way.

So next time you play a videogame where Japan is the first continent you see on the world map... think about what you've read here... about what it means to live on an island nation who nearly had its pride stamped on.

It's old history, but it's important history, worth learning from, and worth understanding and growing from.

[marksollinger]

what's OA?

the oa is an (unjustly cancelled) netflix series that was created by brit marling and zal batmanglij—who has worked with brit for a couple other projects, both of them amazing (feature-length films titled sound of my voice and the east which fall into the same weird fiction/speculative fiction genre as the oa)

i’m not great at explaining the oa because i feel like it’s a series that needs to simply be jumped into without having any prior reference for what it is... and i’m probably biased because, honestly, that’s how i know it was originally intended to be consumed. i first watched it in early january 2017 when i logged onto netflix and had it recommended to me. i hadn’t even seen promos for it and it looked so cool from the preview clips alone so i watched it on a whim and i’ve been fixated ever since. in short, it’s about a woman who returns home under mysterious circumstances after having been missing for seven years. not only does it get better with literally every single rewatch, it can honestly be complimented by brit’s other films like sound of my voice, another earth, the east, i origins, and the recordist.

ian alexander, a viet trans dude, is in the oa playing a viet trans boy named buck vu (who i love with all my heart), jason isaacs is in it, sharon van etten (yes, the musical artist) is in it, riz ahmed is in it, phyllis smith is in it, paz vega is also in it, zendaya plays a character in season 2 who’s pretty cool... if you’re a fan of any of those folks, it might be worth checking out just to see this cool thing they were in :)

just as a disclaimer, there are scenes that feature some really heavy stuff, so hit me up if you have any triggers i can content-warn you for with timestamps. there are scenes in the oa which feature: death (many different deaths... death and near-death experiences - dying and coming back to life - is a major theme), kidnapping, sex (and nudity shown explicitly on screen), drowning, parental death, blood, blunt-force trauma injuries, needles, hospitals, trans character being misgendered/deadnamed by parents, drugs, smoking, gambling, shooting (school shooting), medical abuse of a psychiatric patient (i know exactly where these scenes are because i skip over it during my rewatches lol) and references to sexual abuse... so if any of this sounds like something you want to avoid seeing, please don’t hesitate to reach out because i’ve literally seen this series so many times that i have a pretty good memory of where certain scenes are located.

[scripttorture]

Hello! I've been following your blog for quite a while now and had a question that I hope you might be able to answer. What determine the colour of a scar? As in, does the manner in which the scar was created change the colour? Or is it just dependant on the individual who has the scar? A scar I have from hot oil in the kitchen is purple, but one from skinning my arm is brown, and another from a deep cut is silver (I'm Viet btw).

I’m really sorry but this is very much a real life advice question and the blog is only for writing advice. 

I know this is a pretty harmless question but I don’t want to set a precedent. I’m not a doctor, I’m not a mental health professional. I’m an avid reader with an interest in violence that I’m trying to use to help prevent violence. And I’m afraid that if I start answering questions like this I’ll start getting more serious ones, from people who need professional help. Help that I’m not qualified to give.

I’m sorry I can’t help. But if I do find enough information on scar formation to make a Masterpost on it I will.

Disclaimer

[noelwanblog]

title in progress

Last year in dissertation prep class, I asked my professor how to develop a distinct writing voice. In the moment, she seemed surprised by question because DMA students often don’t think much about writing craftsmanship. She said she would ask her partner, a professor in American lit, for some suggestions. The following day, she emailed me a few articles to read, along with this response: “Read a lot of good writing and make time to write a little bit every day.”

I’ve always been a reader. My first “real” book was Jane Eyre, devoured at age 8. I switched easily between books that fed my childish inclinations (Nancy Drew, Beverly Cleary’s Ramona books, Garfield comics) and those that interrogated them (Anna Karenina, East of Eden, A Farewell to Arms, Great Expectations). My mother, an English major in college, nourished me with the classics: Beowulf, Milton, Shakespeare and also Gilgamesh, Ovid, the Ramanaya. As an adult, I have not strayed from the eclecticism of my childhood reading. I love portraits of female self-discovery (Jhumpa Lahiri and Barbara Kingsolver), cultural theory (Michel Foucault, Anna Tsing, Karen Barad), Jane Jacobs, Raymond Carver, Viet Thanh Nguyen. Recently, I finished Phillip Pullman’s Golden Compass trilogy (in a week! so P wouldn’t have to keep explaining loose ends in the BBC shows) and Anna Burns’ Milkman and started Ishiguro’s Never Let Me Go.

When it comes to writing, however, I feel hopelessly shy and inadequate, terrified that what I want to say will sound stupid, or worse, derivative. Right now, writing for public eyes is less about contributing insight or beauty. It is instead an exercise, using your eyes to strengthen my voice.

Consuming and replicating are easy tasks. I’m a performer whose entire education and career have been predicated on those two things. Take a score, dissect it, perfect it, and execute it. Somewhere along the way, that process got really boring, and I realized my personal life outgrew the paradigm that defined my childhood/young adulthood. Suddenly, being someone else’s voice wasn’t enough. I wanted to speak for myself.

I think many performers go through this, so they turn to composing, choreography, directing—things that allow you to create what is undeniably you and yours. Despite all of the post-structuralist bullshit talking circles around the separation between subject and object and blah blah blah (disclaimer: total self-deprecating criticism since my research is entirely complicit in this), the way we talk about classical music still prioritizes the transcendence of the composer, so ultimately, the bottom line depicts performers as alienated workers. That is, unless you’re a classical music celebrity/legend.

In response, I’m trying to write more these days, staying away from tortuous academic musings and focusing on visceral/sensorial events, emotional reflections, all the weird ways my life is changing—the stuff that constitutes my becoming. I got rid of my old website and started this one because I wanted people to actually get to know me, not just see the glossy veneer of an invented me. Because for the first time in my adult life, I don’t have to go to school every day. I quit my shitty adjunct job, moved to a different country, got married. I’m spending a lot of time at home wondering if I’ll ever get to upgrade my life, or if I’m all maxed out already. I’m wondering if Trump will get re-elected, how Big Tech will silently take over our lives, what democracy means, if saving my plastic bags will actually do any about climate change, whether I want kids. There’s not really any way of expressing—at least as a classical harpist—the deeply personal and wide social changes that situate and transform us. If only Bach could tell a better narrative about the struggles of womanhood. Maybe Weinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen (BWV 12)?

[pajnloki]

5 // hello growth

Okay as I was already hinting about writing about this topic which is really important to me, I’ll be starting now. And just a short disclaimer: its going to be very personal and emotional so yah lets go.

We were three. Three teenagers: Each one of us living a different life. In our daily life we saw different people, experienced different situations and we didn’t see each other that often. But the moment we went home we were connected. It sounds ridiculously corny right now but that’s just how it was. It’s weird that in our generation it’s so easy to communicate with people living miles away from you but that’s also a beautiful thing, right? I do know about all those technology criticism but we’re evolving and it’s a process that can’t be stopped anyways and we as humans have always been striving for education, development and improvement. Anyways, back to the actual topic, which is about friendships and everything else connected to that. We were three. It’s an uneven number that alone is already posing kind of a problem, lol.   I used to be friends with both separately before we formed or three-man squad. We were like friendship goals lol and I was always so glad that I had those two to talk to. But it wasn’t always like that. I often felt really left out and just as if I was third-wheeling, kind of. Yeah, I often felt like that. As if that one friend liked the other and more and didn’t care about me as much as they did about the other one. It was sad obviously but I just shrugged it off but that feeling always lingers and it’s always in your unconsciousness. However, I was so young and naïve back then that these things really hurt me on a different level. Like it was fr bad because now I’ve changed and these kind of things like “oh they like them more and I’m being left out” … these kind of things really don’t matter me as much as before or like I wouldn’t be hurt by it anymore and I kind of learned and realized how I should be dealing with it the right way. Basically I grew up and matured a lot to be honest. Like I cant even think about my old self because I used to be so innocent and simply a crybaby, which didn’t cry that much but was always on the edge of lol. My past self who was dealing with that feeling of being left out didn’t really know how to handle it. She didn’t know whom to tell her worries and she was feeling hopeless. I was experiencing a situation like that in elementary school and in the beginning of middle school already so I was kind of traumatized. Because you gotta understand I was literally just trying to have some friends but in the end they were like excluding me. And it was ended up being like that I was w h y. QUESTION MARK QUESTION MARK QUESTION MARK. Basically. It wasn’t until grade 7 when I found a real friend. And she was pretty much my friend or the only one I was able to reach out to in daily life. I was young and introverted somehow. My younger self was extremely in the “I only need one friend” mode so I was only friends with that one girl from 7th grade to like 10th grade. For these whole three years I only had one close friends, but I did have some other viet friends as well. The school system in Germany is kind of confusing because we’re in classes until grade 10. So my school had classes from A to D with 30 people in each class. But the moment you get into grade 10 the classes melt together into one big one and from there on it depends on which subjects you’ve chosen. That means that mostly have different people in different subjects. It was a whole new experience for my introverted ass. But like I wasn’t your stereotype intro-girl. I’m pretty open-minded and I can talk to people really easily it’s just that making close friends is hard. Just talking in school and joking around is totally okay though. So yeah in 10th grade I had to opportunity to talk to many different people and I started bonding with lots of them because I think I’m a pretty fun person to talk to ;) like I was always really up to date with all the memes and slangs and stuff because I used to be in lots of fandoms (hints: weeb, kpop lol bye kms) and I just knew the trends and stuff. And it’s also important to understand that I literally had one friend and she also only had me in school so we were like an inseparable duo. <3 And we weren’t one of the cool kids because I didn’t own a phone till I was like 15 years old or so and I never actually got to get close to the cool kids. All the cool kids from each class were friends which each other, considering the fact that friendships outside of one owns class wasn’t really common. So during class 10 all those cool people and the popular kids were like THE SQUAD everyone wanted to be friends with. I also went through a lot of changes during that time. I used to look really nerdy and my mum mostly bought my clothes but my style and look changed drastically. It was a sort of glow up.. probably. I’m not really sure but I definitely started to look way cleaner and just had a better sense of style. It was the start of me being interested in fashion and all that stuff and I just generally speaking developed a conscious were I started to think way more mature and I literally grew so much that year. I mean I was always an open-minded person who had a lot of different interests: I had phases where I liked kpop and anime and gaming and stuff. So also had discord and was talking to like all the guys so I got pretty close to them and I started started to get closer with some other girls but was never really part of that cool squad. I never saw the need to join them anyways so I was okay with me having my two friends and discord friends or so lol. It wasn’t until 11th grade when I really started to get close to people. As I already said before it’s really hard for me to bond with people on a closer level unless we have a lot of common interests but I was able to bond some. I mean there were already some people I was close to since my class but we weren’t like THAT close to the point where we would meet up in our freetime every day or so. It was just sometimes u know. But then I went to a trip because of the IB and I started to become really close to that one girl and we clicked immediately. Through her I kind of got into that cool squad and I already knew most of the people in there because some of them were in my class and they liked me. I became a like “squad member” somehow because my one friend (the one since grade 7) also started to get close to different people and we both kind of found new people and so we kind drifted apart BUT LIKE NO. It wasn’t as if we stopped talking but it was just that we kind of got into different squads. I was extremely sad because it was always just us two but then we grew up and met other people. It’s normal of course but I did feel a tad emo. Grade 11 was really the turning point of me and my friendships. I kind of met tons of new people and got close to some and dropped some but in the end I found my real close friends like my real squad. My current squad consists of me and three other girls. And all three of them used to be in my old class. We already knew each other and also met each other a few times but wasn’t as if we were that close. But it’s important to note that this big cool squad’s actually pretty toxic and shady but we weren’t really supportive of their behavior of judging others and their doings when we’re all flawed and all doing mistakes and having other values. So we as the “supportive” ones grew very very close and now we’re like the best friends (not a big fan of that word but that just kind of describes how much I love them). The three of them were already really close before so it was pretty much just me being the new one but It was never awkward we clicked SO WELL. And we’re still extremely close and we love each other and it’s just so nice when we’re together because there’re only good vibes which is not so often with that “cool” squad since they’re all really toxic and started to realize that the moment I got close with them. I did try to change them but it didn’t actually work out so I try to tell them when they’re being rude but I just distanced myself a bit. YES. And I already explained. 11th grade was WEIRD. And it changed me and made me the person I am know. Ofc every single year is influencing me but I feel like grade 11 really had the biggest impact on my values and morals and how I want to be treated and how I want to treat others. I mentioned it in the beginning that I had two friends and they were living in different cities. We met each other in like 2015 and were still going strong. Kind of. We always hung out on discord and pranked others and we always met each other in each other’s cities and it was nice. But I started to feel left out as I explained and also said that it may be due to my low self-esteem back then which didn’t come back until grade 11! So when my self-esteem rose again I knew how I wanted to be treated and how I want to feel. If people make me sad and cry I can’t call those my friends and one of them was just making me feel worse day after day and meeting after meeting until someday when I decided: no more. I couldn’t deal with it anymore and I started to ignore both of them because I didn’t what to do and how to do it but I needed space. And time to think about our friendship. I only had a problem with one of them but it felt wrong to just “attack” one. I was scared and I felt sorry. I started to ignore them for like a week and they were hella worried cause they obviously didn’t know what was going on especially since they both live somewhere else. And when I felt really to speak up I told that friend what was bothering me and how hurt I was. I talked and I cried because it was really stressing me out. I also tried to say in a reAAALLY nice way to not offend her in any way. But it didn’t work out I guess because she then answered with a long ass text and implicitly said I was at fault. It kind of escalated and in the end we couldn’t talk about it because she blocked and deleted me everywhere. And there was still the other friend who was in the middle of us. She was like between us and didn’t know to handle the situation as well since she was friends with both of us. So it got awkward and it took us both  quite some time until we grew close again and now we’re stronger than ever. The two of us. She still feels awkward telling me about her meeting the other friend but im okay with it. However yesterday she suddenly sent me a voice message where she was at a amusement park with the other friend and they both talked. And I heard her voice and I felt like a clown. Her sending me that felt really really weird and it was just uncomfortable but I couldn’t tell her because I didn’t want that whole situation to happen again so now im here feeling hella confused and exhausted. Idek what to write anymore because im so dead inside so im just gonna leave this draft here like I didn’t even check for correct spelling and stuff so yolo. Just wanted document how much ive changed during the last few years and how proud I am of me actually for finally understanding my worth.

[madnads]

Song Meme

Rules: We’re snooping on your playlist. Set your entire music library on shuffle and report the first 10 tracks that pop up! Then choose 10 additional friends. 

 @esaael : Word of disclaimer first, I just added 50+ new Vietnamese songs to my phone. I think most of this list will be that......

1. Thuong Ve Mien Que - Hoang Oanh & Ha Thanh 2. Sau Tat Ca - ???  3. Dau Mua - ????? 4. Bi Mat Trai Tim - ??? 5. Me Dep Tuoi - Thanh Ca 6. Phut Cuoi - Thanh Tuyen & Che Linh 7. That Girl - McFly 8. Thiep Hong Viet Ten Em - Dan Nguyen Y Phung  9. Down Under - Men at Work 10. What a Feeling - Irene Cara

Hm...3/10 are of the new songs I added. I’m a little sad my all time favie song, Foolish Beat didn’t make it. But neither did any of my japanese/anime/french/spanish songs did either..... There’s a lot more viet oldies than I expected too. I havent hard 8.... I think it’s in the folder I never listen to lolz. hehe yeah I’m pretty random.