#heaven thunder wind water fire earth mountain lake

[sunnyapollonjabrigidotter]

Living for this kind of art ^^

Also: used it in my recent picsart edit

& here on the others..

(Ofc the last one's a sculpture, cs yeah...)

Lovely one.. here on it, + credits, or what I was able to find...

1. Heaven Ouranos (for some reason wasnt able to locate the actual art; when i clicked on it it gave me the other art on the same god, weird, so i put on him, thinking s/he/they maybe did the same diety in two very different styles (tho love that one more) sorry cant credit, but ill try to find the actual art, maybe ill be let2, & will re-edit if all goes fine

2. Thunder - Zeus - from here

3. Wind - Aeolus - artist credited (awesome art from @gigizetz on tumblr, love the pants design ^^)

4. Water - Oceanos - art on devianart by @Admiral-M-10K

5. Fire - Hephaestus - from here

6. Earth - Gaia - also from here

7. Mountain - oh this one was tough, cause there are many, ofc makes sense for every mountain to have its own mountain spirits, & so with every lake, river (esp major ones) & even the mythical ones, i chose # Nysos, cause yeah, Dionysos, & cs s not something you'll find on a map^^

8. Lake - a Naiad/Grace ith, the ones who acompany Aphrodite Ourania... & here's on the eight trigram elements that make together

the I ching

Aeolus character design process!

(disclaimer: my writing sucks and I'm not good at explaining things so if it gets a bit weird just know I'm trying my best)

a lot of people have been saying very nice things about my character design for Aeolus in EPIC, and that makes me really happy! So I decided to break it down to show you guys my full process in designing them! :D

When I first listened to the snippet of Keep Your Friends Close I was very excited that this old bearded god man was going to be interpreted by a girl, so the first concept I had was to maximize this contrast by also making my Aeolus appear as a child. Aside from the contrast thing, it would also tie in with their playful personality. Here are some of the sketches I did at the time (around 2022):

Since the beginning I always had the clown aesthetic in mind. Not sure why, just thought it matched the cute playfulness of the character. It was fun combining wind/cloud stuff with the clown aesthetic, like the cloud around the neck and wrists, which was supposed to resemble those ruff thingies that clowns usually wear.

I experimented with a lot of elements, like the headband and the cropped shirt, but I decided to remove and recicle them in other EPIC characters (Odysseus and Circe). Their design was also more feminine, and since I was aiming for a more androgynous look this would be changed later.

I remember around this time I saw a video of Jay where he said he envisioned Aeolus having a more calm nature aesthetic, so I decided to change my design to better match what he had in mind. I made the hair wavier, with clean and smooth lines, made sure that Aeolus would act less clown-like, rarely stand up and never abandon the cloud. These doodles better resemble the current design:

it was also around this time that I designed the island in the sky. My biggest inspiration was New Super Mario Bros. WII world 7, mainly because of the chill vibes and cute fluffy clouds. So I took that and threw the combined aesthetic of a child's playroom and ancient Greece temple on top of it and it was done.

Right now here's the full body reference of them:

I'm very proud of it, I think it matches the themes and feelings I had in mind while also translating their personality quite well. The color palette is a simple blue/yellow/red, but the simplicity helps to complement the childish appearance. Their outfit is comfy, cute, and something you'd like to sleep in. The round shapes makes them adorable. Overall a cute little gremlin that is also a very powerful god.

[mirror-and-mind]

Why is the 2000s Kusuriuri called Ri and the one in the latest movie called Kon?

I watched the series before and recently finished the movie, I know that Kon mentioned the 64 guardians so I get that the story has more guardians who do the same job besides him, but I still don't know why those are their names? Is it fandom's names or Canon?

Overall I love Mononoke and I'm so glad for the Movie!

The short answer is that the director of both the series and the movie released a YouTube video and story bible pages, and in those, he revealed that the first Medicine Seller's sword is named Ri and the second Medicine Seller's sword is named Kon (or Kun). The fandom has effectively named the Medicine Sellers after their swords.

Here's the long answer:

The system of the Medicine Sellers and their swords is based on an ancient Chinese text called the I Ching, or the Book of Changes. In the I Ching, the elements of the world and the changes that take place in it are defined by eight Trigrams (the bagua) and 64 hexagrams. The eight Trigrams are represented by three lines each, hence the name "Trigram." Here are the eight symbols:

☰ ☱ ☲ ☳ ☴ ☵ ☶ ☷

The solid lines are "yang" lines, and the broken lines are "yin" lines. In the order shown, the Trigrams' names are:

Qian (Heaven Trigram)

Dui (Lake Trigram)

Li, or Ri (Fire Trigram)

Zhen (Thunder Trigram)

Xun (Wind Trigram)

Kan (Water Trigram)

Gen (Mountain Trigram)

Kun, or Kon (Earth Trigram)

The Fire (Ri) and Earth (Kon) Trigrams are the swords of our two Medicine Sellers. In the movie, the second Medicine Seller introduces his sword as Kon:

Obviously, this is not the translation Netflix provides, either because they couldn't correctly translate the terminology or because they chose not to. I modified these subs to use more accurate language based on a translation provided by @kastellaran, who also translated both of the story bible pages Director Nakamura released. [page 1] [page 2]

[Note: The term "Shuuga" is not from the I Ching, and seems to be something Director Nakamura invented specifically for the Mononoke universe. The second story bible page explains more about it, but you don't need to grasp it to understand the I Ching stuff.]

The "64 guardians," or the Medicine Sellers, are the 64 hexagrams in the I Ching. Each hexagram is created by stacking two Trigrams—hence the name "hexagram"—yielding 64 recombinations. For example:

䷃ ䷎ ䷛ ... [Wikipedia has a complete list.]

In the I Ching, the entry for each hexagram describes changes occurring in the lives of human beings and how to respond to them. Those descriptions are the basis for the text's traditional use in divination practices.

So, in short, the Medicine Sellers and their actions are metaphors for how the I Ching describes the 64 hexagrams, and their swords are metaphors for the greater forces (Heaven, Earth, Fire, etc.) that make up the hexagrams and are represented by the eight Trigrams.

But all you really need to know is that the swords are canonically named Ri and Kon, and the Medicine Sellers are referred to by the names of their swords. :p

[tumblingxelian]

Revised Kwami & Renlings

Creation (Planck) Ladybug - Creation & Purification Cat - Destruction & Mutation Snake - Ouroboros & Time

Elemental (Matter) Bull - Gravitation & Determination Tiger - Combustion & Chaos Dragon - Storm & Power

Life (Abiogenesis) Peacock - Evocation & Transmutation Mouse - Multiplication & Duplication Turtle - Protection & Resilience

Animal (Caveasphaera) Lamb - Genesis & Preservation Horse - Action & Migration Canid - Hunt & Harvest

People (Conceptual) Bee - Order & Subjugation Fox - Mirage & Materialization Butterfly - Emotion & Transmission

Renling (Spiritual) Mei Shi = Shishi - Incarnation & Transmigration Prodigious - Animals Spirits fused with elements - The Tiger aligns with Heaven (☰) The Eagle aligns with Lake (☱) The Snake aligns with Fire (☲) The Monkey aligns with Wind (☴) The Dragon aligns with Water (☵) The Mantis aligns with Thunder (☶) The Horse aligns with Mountain (☳) The Bear aligns with Earth (☷)

Tikki, Plagg, Sass, Roaar, Wayzz, Kaalki, Pollen, Mullo, Stompp, Ziggy, Orikko, Longg, Barkk, Trixx, Duusu, Nooroo.

Mei Shi, Ying Ying, She She, Hou Hou, Hu Hu, Xiong Xiong, Ma Ma, Tang Tang, Long Long

Removed - Rooster - Sublimation & Phasing (Too similar to Peacock, Dragon & Mei Shi.) :(

[bettinalevyisdetermined]

It was my best friend's birthday yesterday, and I wanted to show off the progression series of the cross-stitch project I made for them! :D

I combined the symbols for Water, Earth, Fire and Air from Avatar the Last Airbender with their respective I Ching symbols, because we are both fascinated with those things! ^_^ (I mean, Air is with the Heaven symbol, but it's opposite to Earth, so it still kinda works.)

In the center are Tui and La, the fish that resemble Yin and Yang in Avatar. For the other I Ching symbols (Wind, Thunder, Mountain and Lake) I decided to not take them literally, and instead use symbols that were more important to my friend and me.

Positioned to be opposite colors of the fish, I placed a black cat and a white rabbit. They symbolize how we like to imagine our spirits / personalities in animal form. They are the cat, and I am the rabbit. ^,^ (No, I will not elaborate.)

In the remaining spots, I put a pink heart for me, because whenever we text I always use this 💖 emoji to say I love them, and a rainbow heart for them, because they are LGBTQ+ and tend to use all the colored heart emojis to say they love me.

❤ 🧡 💛 💚 💙 💜

I thought the piece felt a little empty, and I learned that my friend wants to learn music, so I added a rainbow of random notes and musical symbols! And when I went to Michaels to find a frame for the whole thing (pictured below), I found this beautiful and sparkly metallic thread that reminded me of rainbows and fireworks, and I knew I HAD to implement it into the piece, because my friend would love that! ^_^

The whole thing took me about a month to complete, working on and off between life and video editing. ^_^ My friend is one of the most special people in the world to me. This cross-stitching is something I adored every moment of creating, and I couldn't be more proud. And I'm so relieved they got it on time for their birthday, because apparently whoever delivered it messed up and sent it to the wrong house, even though my friend confirmed that I clearly wrote the correct address on the package! XD

Thanks for indulging me! ^_^

[juliaqueendragon]

Full List of Names Pre-2025-02-12

Comparison (Names only in 1st or 2nd Position down Below)

A 

Abyss 

Acacia 

Ace 

Agate 

Air 

Alpha 

Amber 

Amethyst 

Ancient 

Angel 

Anti 

Apocalypse 

Apple 

Aqua 

Aquamarine 

Arch 

Arctic 

Ash 

Attack 

Aurora 

Autumn 

Azure 

Baby 

Ball 

Banana 

Basalt 

Bat 

Bay 

Bear 

Beat 

Bee 

Berry 

Beryl 

Big 

Birch 

Bird 

Blaze 

Blind 

Block 

Blue 

Bold 

Book 

Botanic 

Bottle 

Boulder 

Bow 

Box 

Brain 

Bramble 

Brass 

Brave 

Bread 

Breath 

Breeze 

Bright 

Brilliant 

Broken 

Bronze 

Bubble 

Bullet 

Bumble 

Butter 

Butterly 

Cactus 

Cake 

Candle 

Candy 

Caramel 

Carrot 

Cash 

Castle 

Cat 

Chance 

Chaos 

Charcoal 

Charm 

Cherry 

Chestnut 

Chip 

Chocolate 

Chunky 

Cinder 

Cinnamon 

Citrine 

Clash 

Class 

Classy 

Clear 

Clever 

Cloud 

Clover 

Club 

Coal 

Coco 

Cocoa 

Coconut 

Coffee 

Cold 

Color 

Cookie 

Cool 

Copper 

Coral 

Core 

Corn 

Coyote 

Crazy 

Crescent 

Crimson 

Crow 

Crown 

Crystal 

Cup 

Cupcake 

Cute 

Daisy 

Dance 

Danger 

Dark 

Darkness 

Dash 

Dawn 

Day 

Deep 

Deer 

Demon 

Depth 

Desert 

Dew 

Diamond 

Dice 

Dip 

Disco 

Dive 

Divine 

Dizzy 

Doctor 

Dog 

Dollar 

Dolphin 

Domino 

Donut 

Doom 

Double 

Dragon 

Drake 

Dream 

Drop 

Druid 

Drum 

Duke 

Dusk 

Dust 

Dusty 

E 

Eagle 

Earth 

East 

Easter 

Echo 

Eclipse 

Egg 

Elder 

Ember 

Emerald 

Epic 

Evening 

Ever 

Extra 

Fairy 

Faith 

Falcon 

Fan 

Fancy 

Fantasy 

Far 

Farm 

Fast 

Fern 

Field 

Fire 

Flame 

Flash 

Flower 

Fluffy 

Flutter 

Fly 

Force 

Fortune 

Fox 

Freedom 

Frenzy 

Fresh 

Frog 

Frost 

Fruit 

Future 

Galaxy 

Game 

Garden 

Garnet 

Gem 

Ghost 

Giga 

Ginger 

Glass 

Glitter 

Globe 

Gloom 

Glory 

Glow 

Gold 

Grace 

Grand 

Grass 

Gray 

Great 

Green 

Griffin 

Grim 

Ground 

Guardian 

Hair 

Hall 

Hand 

Harpy 

Hawk 

Hay 

Hazel 

Heat 

Heaven 

Heavy 

Hero 

Hollow 

Holly 

Home 

Honey 

Horse 

Hour 

Humming 

Ice 

Illusion 

Indigo 

Iron 

Ivory 

Jade 

Jasper 

Jazz 

Jelly 

Jewel 

Juice 

Jump 

June 

Jungle 

Juniper 

Jute 

Kangaroo 

Key 

Kick 

King 

Kite 

Knight 

Koala 

Lady 

Lake 

Land 

Lavender 

Leaf 

Leather 

Legend 

Lemon 

Life 

Light 

Lily 

Lime 

Lion 

Little 

Live 

Lost 

Love 

Lucky 

Luna 

Lush 

Magic 

Magma 

Marble 

Maroon 

Marzipan 

Masked 

Master 

May 

Maze 

Mega 

Melody 

Melon 

Memory 

Metal 

Meteor 

Midnight 

Milk 

Mind 

Mini 

Mint 

Miracle 

Mirror 

Mist 

Mocking 

Money 

Moon 

Morning 

Moss 

Mountain 

Mouse 

Movie 

Music 

Mystic 

Myth 

Nacho 

Nature 

Nebula 

Night 

Ninja 

Noble 

North 

Nova 

Nugget 

Oak 

Obsidian 

Ocean 

Octopus 

Old 

Olive 

Onion 

Onyx 

Opal 

Orange 

Orchid 

Osprey 

Owl 

Paladin 

Pale 

Panda 

Paper 

Park 

Party 

Peace 

Peach 

Pearl 

Penguin 

Pepper 

Peridot 

Phantom 

Phoenix 

Pie 

Pine 

Pink 

Pirate 

Pixel 

Pop 

Posh 

Potato 

Power 

Proof 

Pumpkin 

Purple 

Purpur 

Quail 

Quartz 

Quest 

Quick 

Rain 

Rainbow 

Ranger 

Raspberry 

Raven 

Red 

Rich 

River 

Robin 

Rock 

Root 

Rose 

Row 

Royal 

Ruby 

Rune 

Sad 

Saddle 

Salt 

Sand 

Sapphire 

Scarlet 

Scary 

Scroll 

Sea 

Sequoia 

Set 

Shade 

Shadow 

Shark 

Ship 

Sienna 

Silent 

Silver 

Sky 

Small 

Snake 

Snow 

Soft 

Solid 

Solo 

Song 

Soul 

Sound 

South 

Spark 

Sparkle 

Spell 

Spider 

Spirit 

Sporty 

Spotlight 

Spring 

Spruce 

Squirrel 

Star 

Steam 

Steel 

Step 

Stone 

Storm 

Strawberry 

Sugar 

Summer 

Sun 

Sunny 

Sunrise 

Sunset 

Swamp 

Sweet 

Swift 

Table 

Tea 

Thorn 

Thunder 

Tiger 

Time 

Tin 

Tiny 

Titan 

Tooth 

Topaz 

Town 

Trail 

Tree 

Trouble 

Truth 

Tsunami 

Tulip 

Turtle 

Tuxedo 

Twilight 

Twin 

Twinkle 

Ultra 

Umber 

Un 

Unicorn 

Vanilla 

Violet 

Voice 

Void 

Wall 

Walnut 

Walrus 

Water 

Wave 

Way 

Weather 

Web 

West 

Wild 

Willow 

Wind 

Wing 

Winter 

Wish 

Witch 

Wizard 

Wolf 

Wonder 

Wood 

World 

Yam 

Yellow 

Yoga 

Youth 

Yule 

Zap 

Zebra 

Zombie 

Ace 

Agate 

Air 

Amber 

Anchor 

Angel 

Anthem 

Apocalypse 

Apple 

Apricot 

Aquamarine 

Attack 

Aura 

Away 

Bag 

Band 

Bank 

Beach 

Beam 

Bean 

Bear 

Beat 

Beauty 

Bee 

Bell 

Belle 

Berg 

Berry 

Beryl 

Bird 

Birth 

Biscuit 

Blaze 

Block 

Blood 

Blossom 

Blue 

Board 

Bolt 

Bone 

Book 

Born 

Bottle 

Boulder 

Bow 

Box 

Boy 

Brain 

Bramble 

Brass 

Bread 

Break 

Breath 

Breeze 

Broken 

Bronze 

Brook 

Brother 

Bubble 

Buddy 

Bug 

Bullet 

Butter 

Butterfly 

Cactus 

Cake 

Candle 

Candy 

Caramel 

Care 

Cash 

Caster 

Catcher 

Cave 

Chain 

Champion 

Chance 

Charm 

Chaser 

Cherry 

Chestnut 

Chief 

Child 

Chip 

Chocolate 

Chunk 

Citrine 

Clash 

Class 

Clear 

Cloud 

Clover 

Club 

Cocoa 

Color 

Comet 

Cookie 

Copper 

Core 

Corn 

Craft 

Crasher 

Crescent 

Crimson 

Cross 

Crow 

Crown 

Crumb 

Crush 

Cry 

Crystal 

Cube 

Cup 

Cupcake 

Dale 

Dancer 

Danger 

Dark 

Dark 

Darling 

Dash 

Dawn 

Deep 

Deer 

Demon 

Desert 

Desire 

Destiny 

Dew 

Diamond 

Dice 

Dip 

Disco 

Diver 

Divine 

Dollar 

Dolphin 

Dome 

Doom 

Dove 

Dragon 

Drake 

Dream 

Dreamer 

Drink 

Drop 

Druid 

Drummer 

Duck 

Duke 

Dusk 

Dust 

Eagle 

Earth 

Echo 

Eclipse 

Effect 

Egg 

Escape 

Eye 

Fairy 

Faith 

Falcon 

Fall 

Fan 

Farm 

Father 

Feather 

Field 

Fighter 

Film 

Finder 

Fire 

Fish 

Flake 

Flame 

Flash 

Flight 

Floor 

Flower 

Fly 

Flyer 

Force 

Form 

Fortune 

Frame 

Free 

Friend 

Frost 

Fruit 

Future 

Gait 

Galaxy 

Game 

Gap 

Garden 

Garnet 

Gate 

Gaze 

Gazer 

Gem 

Ghost 

Gift 

Girl 

Glass 

Glimmer 

Globe 

Gloom 

Glory 

Glow 

Goal 

Goat 

Gold 

Grace 

Green 

Griffin 

Ground 

Growth 

Guard 

Guardian 

Guest 

Gum 

Habitat 

Hair 

Hall 

Hand 

Harmony 

Harpy 

Hat 

Hawk 

Hazel 

Head 

Heart 

Heat 

Heaven 

Herb 

Hero 

Hill 

Hollow 

Home 

Honey 

Honor 

Hoof 

Hope 

Horse 

Hour 

Humming 

Hunter 

Hurricane 

Hype 

Ice 

Icon 

Idol 

Ie 

Ivory 

Jasper 

Jazz 

Jewel 

Joke 

Joker 

Joy 

Juice 

Jump 

Jumper 

Jungle 

Juniper 

Kangaroo 

Keeper 

Key 

Kick 

Kid 

King 

Kiss 

Kite 

Knight 

Knock 

Koala 

Lady 

Lake 

Land 

Lavender 

Leader 

Leaf 

Legend 

Lemon 

Less 

Letter 

Liberty 

Life 

Light 

Lily 

Lime 

Lin 

Ling 

Lion 

Live 

Log 

Loop 

Lord 

Love 

Luck 

Lucky 

Lush 

Ly 

Machine 

Madness 

Magic 

Man 

Mane 

Maniac 

Mare 

Mark 

Maroon 

Mask 

Masked 

Master 

Matter 

Maze 

Meadow 

Melody 

Melon 

Memory 

Metal 

Milk 

Mind 

Mint 

Mirror 

Mist 

Mocking 

Mode 

Moment 

Monster 

Moon 

Mother 

Mountain 

Movie 

Music 

Mystery 

Mystic 

Myth 

Nature 

Nebula 

Ninja 

Nova 

Novel 

Nugget 

O 

Oak 

Oasis 

Ocean 

Octopus 

Omen 

Onion 

Orange 

Orb 

Orchid 

Osprey 

Owl 

Pair 

Paladin 

Panda 

Paper 

Park 

Part 

Party 

Path 

Peak 

Pearl 

Penguin 

Pepper 

Peridot 

Petal 

Phantom 

Phoenix 

Pie 

Piece 

Pine 

Pink 

Pirate 

Pixel 

Place 

Plan 

Planet 

Plant 

Play 

Pop 

Potential 

Power 

Price 

Prince 

Princess 

Promise 

Proof 

Pumpkin 

Punk 

Purple 

Purpose 

Quake 

Quartz 

Queen 

Quest 

Quiver 

Rabbit 

Racer 

Rain 

Rainbow 

Rambler 

Range 

Ranger 

Raspberry 

Ray 

Reader 

Rebel 

Red 

Respect 

Rest 

Rich 

Rider 

Ring 

Rising 

River 

Road 

Robin 

Rock 

Rocket 

Role 

Root 

Rose 

Row 

Royal 

Ruby 

Runner 

Saga 

Sand 

Scout 

Scroll 

Secret 

Seeker 

Sequoia 

Set 

Shade 

Shadow 

Shell 

Shelter 

Shimmer 

Shine 

Ship 

Shore 

Shout 

Shy 

Signal 

Silence 

Silver 

Singer 

Sister 

Sky 

Smash 

Smoke 

Snap 

Snout 

Snow 

Solid 

Solo 

Song 

Soul 

Spark 

Sparkle 

Spell 

Spice 

Spider 

Spirit 

Splash 

Spot 

Squirrel 

Stallion 

Star 

Steel 

Step 

Stone 

Storm 

Strawberry 

Stream 

Strider 

String 

Sunrise 

Sunset 

Surfer 

Surprise 

[dorothygale123]

Okay, we're gonna go a little deep today and talk about some fundamental concepts to the Daoist belief system.

How many of you have heard of the 8 trigrams? A few of you, I'd assume. At the very least, those familiar with JttW will remember Laotzu's Brazier of 8 trigrams that famously failed to disintigrate Sun Wukong.

Now, how many actually know what the 8 trigrams are? Quite a bit less, probably. That's what we're learning about today.

This is a traditional representation of the 8 trigrams as created by the god Fu Xi, and the arrangement we're mainly going to focus on. There are other ways to place things, but we won't be looking into those too much thus time.

If you look at the center of the image you'll see a Yin and Yang symbol, or more accurately a Taijitu. Here is a good article going over some specifics, but for now we'll just go with the basics. The white parts are Yang, masculine and active energies. The black parts are Yin, feminine and passive energies. Together they make up the Absolute (Taiji) and are the foundation of the universe. They act on all things, which are represented by the trigrams.

The trigrams are the stacks of 3 lines, either broken or unbroken. Broken lines denote Yin, while unbroken lines denote Yang. Therefore ☰ (sky/heaven) is the most masculine while ☷ (earth) is the most feminine. The other trigrams are ☱ (lake/marsh) and it's opposite ☴ (wind/wood), ☲ (fire/sun) and it's opposite ☵ (water/moon), ☳ (thunder/metal) and it's opposite ☶ (mountain). They are positioned across from their opposite on Fu Xi's Primordial Heaven Bagua (8 trigrams).

When you stack 2 trigrams on top of each other, you get a hexagram, of which there are 64 because trigrams can be stacked on top of themselves. For example ䷀ is two ☰ (sky/heaven) on top of each other, making the hexagram for force.

Things are a bit more complicated when comparing the 8 trigrams to the 5 elements (water, fire, earth, wood, metal), as there is NO way to make those numbers play nice and even so things get a little wonky. Fire and water corrospond to themselves, of course, while earth gets earth AND mountain. Wood gets wind while metal gets sky and thunder.

Honestly it kinda seems like they tried really hard to smush together two concepts that were created independently and were never really intended to interact but both individually became so important to the culture that they kind of HAD to.

Sh*tpost Masterlist

[quitealotofsodapop]

Okay, so I was thinking about the 4 Celestial Primates, and I was thinking: what if they were each associated with a different realm and element?

Wukong is very solidly earth/stone and from the mortal realm.

Macaque is often associated with the wind and the moon in fannon.

Which leaves Gibs and Babs. I would give Gibs the heavenly realm because of their association with planets and the movement of them, which leaves Babs the underworld.

As for their elements, it could go either way, since underworld=hellfire but stars=burning balls of gas, while the underworld is across the Sanzu River, while the sky is often depicted as a giant ocean in world mythologies, with the Milky Way being equated to a giant river in Chinese mythology specifically.

I lean towards Babs=fire because he's got red in his name, which leaves Gibs the water element.

What do you think?

That does sound like a cool idea!

The Gibbon having control of water via the Heavenly River/The Milky Way/Tianhe is such a cool concept. The way they can manipulate the stars and planets with their long arms could also be viewed as fluid like a water-bender.

The concept of the Sanzu River is considered more an aspect of Japanese buddhism, though one could argue that it and the Naihe Bridge (the River of Forgetfulness) share a waterway. The Underworld in buddhist mythos also contained multiple "icy" and "Firey" Hells - so Babs could have control over heat in general. Makes the Horse Monkey almost a Hermes-like figure - a being of mirth given an unsavory job.

It should also be noted that in Chinese mythology/alchemy, theres the idea of 5 or 8 Major elements depending on which school of thought! The idea of Four Elements is more of an Ancient Greek concept; like in this chart explaining the Aristotle idea of elements.

In Wuxing theres 5 Elements; Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water. Wind in this case is considered synonums with Wood. Making Metal the odd one out, and understandably in a lot of modern media they make Earth and Wood/Metal one in the same while giving Wind a time to shine.

As for the 8 Elements, that comes back to the Eight Trigrams/Bagua. The furance that held SWK worked on this concept. Each element holds a differing level of Yin/Yang, making their powers different (ex: Earth = Most Yin/the "female" principle) when combined with the big 5 energies. However the combo of elements is important too cus it could make 64 different outcomes in a hexagram. Its a lot more complciated so I'll link the wikipedia article on it Here.

Basically there could be a Fifth Celestial Primate who controls Metal and/or Wood, or a bunch more that could control Thunder (a subset of Wind/Wood), Mountain (subset of Earth), Marsh/Lake, and "Heaven".

The Four Celestial Primates could still represent the Four major elements, with MK and/or Luzhen acting as the 5th member of the gang.

Sorry for the infodump, I find this stuff really cool.

[academicstraykittie]

The Cloud by Percy Bysshe Shelley

...............................................................

I bring fresh showers for the thirsting flowers,

From the seas and the streams;

I bear light shade for the leaves when laid

In their noonday dreams.

From my wings are shaken the dews that waken

The sweet buds every one,

When rocked to rest on their mother's breast,

As she dances about the sun.

I wield the flail of the lashing hail,

And whiten the green plains under,

And then again I dissolve it in rain,

And laugh as I pass in thunder.

I sift the snow on the mountains below,

And their great pines groan aghast;

And all the night 'tis my pillow white,

While I sleep in the arms of the blast.

Sublime on the towers of my skiey bowers,

Lightning my pilot sits;

In a cavern under is fettered the thunder,

It struggles and howls at fits;

Over earth and ocean, with gentle motion,

This pilot is guiding me,

Lured by the love of the genii that move

In the depths of the purple sea;

Over the rills, and the crags, and the hills,

Over the lakes and the plains,

Wherever he dream, under mountain or stream,

The Spirit he loves remains;

And I all the while bask in Heaven's blue smile,

Whilst he is dissolving in rains.

The sanguine Sunrise, with his meteor eyes,

And his burning plumes outspread,

Leaps on the back of my sailing rack,

When the morning star shines dead;

As on the jag of a mountain crag,

Which an earthquake rocks and swings,

An eagle alit one moment may sit

In the light of its golden wings.

And when Sunset may breathe, from the lit sea beneath,

Its ardours of rest and of love,

And the crimson pall of eve may fall

From the depth of Heaven above,

With wings folded I rest, on mine aëry nest,

As still as a brooding dove.

That orbèd maiden with white fire laden,

Whom mortals call the Moon,

Glides glimmering o'er my fleece-like floor,

By the midnight breezes strewn;

And wherever the beat of her unseen feet,

Which only the angels hear,

May have broken the woof of my tent's thin roof,

The stars peep behind her and peer;

And I laugh to see them whirl and flee,

Like a swarm of golden bees,

When I widen the rent in my wind-built tent,

Till calm the rivers, lakes, and seas,

Like strips of the sky fallen through me on high,

Are each paved with the moon and these.

I bind the Sun's throne with a burning zone,

And the Moon's with a girdle of pearl;

The volcanoes are dim, and the stars reel and swim,

When the whirlwinds my banner unfurl.

From cape to cape, with a bridge-like shape,

Over a torrent sea,

Sunbeam-proof, I hang like a roof,

The mountains its columns be.

The triumphal arch through which I march

With hurricane, fire, and snow,

When the Powers of the air are chained to my chair,

Is the million-coloured bow;

The sphere-fire above its soft colours wove,

While the moist Earth was laughing below.

I am the daughter of Earth and Water,

And the nursling of the Sky;

I pass through the pores of the ocean and shores;

I change, but I cannot die.

For after the rain when with never a stain

The pavilion of Heaven is bare,

And the winds and sunbeams with their convex gleams

Build up the blue dome of air,

I silently laugh at my own cenotaph,

And out of the caverns of rain,

Like a child from the womb, like a ghost from the tomb,

I arise and unbuild it again.

[fortressofserenity]

Without orientalism

Mortal Kombat without orientalism

I said before that if Mortal Kombat was conceived by actual Asians and Asian Americans, you could say something like that already occurred before, if it has the same technology it does it would turn out differently. There are people who say that Mortal Kombat’s built on orientalism in the sense that it’s a white westerner’s idea of an eastern culture, instead of something that organically originates from any eastern culture. Characters like Kitana play into white people’s idea of East Asians, especially with her being being over 10,000 years old that it plays into the ‘Asian don’t raisin’ meme a lot.

Her name is vaguely Asian and while Mortal Kombat is getting better at more inclusive representation, it’s a franchise built on orientalism especially when it comes to some of the earlier characters. Something like Edenia plays into the othering of East Asian countries in the sense of being otherworldly, as opposed to how a good number of the Earthrealm characters come from the United States of America. Supposing if Asians, rather than white people, did Mortal Kombat from the beginning then you’d have more Asian Earthrealm characters. It would also be less othering towards Asian cultures and countries.

This begs an interesting side question that if Mortal Kombat was actually conceived by Hong Kong game developers but for a western publisher, not only would the eastern influences be less tacked on but also would characters like Sub-Zero and his ilk (or Kitana and hers) be based on the Five Chinese Agents/wuxing instead? Or even using I Ching as a stronger influence, with respect to the eight trigrams of Heaven, Earth, Wind, Thunder, Fire, Water, Lake and Mountain and most of the 64 hexagrams (they are combinations of existing trigrams). A Hong Kong made Mortal Kombat would be kind of unthinkable.

There’s something about being brought up in that culture or being heavily influenced by it at a formative age that informs the way stories and characters are written and portrayed, that if Mortal Kombat originated in Hong Kong and continues to be made in Hong Kong but has the same technology as regular Mortal Kombat has it would be kind of alien. In the sense of being less orientalist, with eastern influences being more organically integrated into the game. There’s something about a game developer’s cultural bringing that influences the way how the game is conceived, right down to the philosophy and sensibility.

[eugene114]

The Cloud

BY PERCY BYSSHE SHELLEY

I bring fresh showers for the thirsting flowers,

From the seas and the streams;

I bear light shade for the leaves when laid

In their noonday dreams.

From my wings are shaken the dews that waken

The sweet buds every one,

When rocked to rest on their mother's breast,

As she dances about the sun.

I wield the flail of the lashing hail,

And whiten the green plains under,

And then again I dissolve it in rain,

And laugh as I pass in thunder.

I sift the snow on the mountains below,

And their great pines groan aghast;

And all the night 'tis my pillow white,

While I sleep in the arms of the blast.

Sublime on the towers of my skiey bowers,

Lightning my pilot sits;

In a cavern under is fettered the thunder,

It struggles and howls at fits;

Over earth and ocean, with gentle motion,

This pilot is guiding me,

Lured by the love of the genii that move

In the depths of the purple sea;

Over the rills, and the crags, and the hills,

Over the lakes and the plains,

Wherever he dream, under mountain or stream,

The Spirit he loves remains;

And I all the while bask in Heaven's blue smile,

Whilst he is dissolving in rains.

The sanguine Sunrise, with his meteor eyes,

And his burning plumes outspread,

Leaps on the back of my sailing rack,

When the morning star shines dead;

As on the jag of a mountain crag,

Which an earthquake rocks and swings,

An eagle alit one moment may sit

In the light of its golden wings.

And when Sunset may breathe, from the lit sea beneath,

Its ardours of rest and of love,

And the crimson pall of eve may fall

From the depth of Heaven above,

With wings folded I rest, on mine aëry nest,

As still as a brooding dove.

That orbèd maiden with white fire laden,

Whom mortals call the Moon,

Glides glimmering o'er my fleece-like floor,

By the midnight breezes strewn;

And wherever the beat of her unseen feet,

Which only the angels hear,

May have broken the woof of my tent's thin roof,

The stars peep behind her and peer;

And I laugh to see them whirl and flee,

Like a swarm of golden bees,

When I widen the rent in my wind-built tent,

Till calm the rivers, lakes, and seas,

Like strips of the sky fallen through me on high,

Are each paved with the moon and these.

I bind the Sun's throne with a burning zone,

And the Moon's with a girdle of pearl;

The volcanoes are dim, and the stars reel and swim,

When the whirlwinds my banner unfurl.

From cape to cape, with a bridge-like shape,

Over a torrent sea,

Sunbeam-proof, I hang like a roof,

The mountains its columns be.

The triumphal arch through which I march

With hurricane, fire, and snow,

When the Powers of the air are chained to my chair,

Is the million-coloured bow;

The sphere-fire above its soft colours wove,

While the moist Earth was laughing below.

I am the daughter of Earth and Water,

And the nursling of the Sky;

I pass through the pores of the ocean and shores;

I change, but I cannot die.

For after the rain when with never a stain

The pavilion of Heaven is bare,

And the winds and sunbeams with their convex gleams

Build up the blue dome of air,

I silently laugh at my own cenotaph,

And out of the caverns of rain,

Like a child from the womb, like a ghost from the tomb,

I arise and unbuild it again.

[babylon-crashing]

It's punishment/ from Buddha. There is/ no Buddha.

“The Witch wears the mask of an Onibaba (鬼婆) [1] a divine Crone.

“Behind her is a Ba gua, a tool used in Chinese Wuxing sorcery and Feng Shui, symbolizing various virtues. [2] She holds a sword pointed to the sky in one hand and a scabbard pointing to the ground in the other, representing the exchange of power and wisdom seen in Chaos.

“The Witch herself represents the purity of her teachings, reflectes the will of the Kami and guides Heaven and Earth.

“Onibaba is our first card, this means that you are also a Witch and can learn to deal with Chaos and Cosmic Forces.”

“There are no limits to masculine egotism in ordinary life. In order to change the conditions of life we must learn to see them through the eyes of women,” Leon Trotsky.

“'Cause wild women don't worry,/ wild women don't have the blues,” Ida Cox.

Upright: Willpower, desire, creation, perseverance.

In the Rider-Waite deck the Magician is less a teacher and more a supernatural explorer, a conduit between the Spiritual realm and the Material world. Here, however, Syssk sits at the feet of her teacher, who wears an Oni mask and uses her sword to keep the connection between worlds open. At her feet are other traditional symbols of the Tarot suits – a cup, a coin and a wand – symbolizing various elements – water, earth, air and fire. 

Reverse: Deception, illusion, striking out.

____________________________________________

[1] Some, but not all. Like her Japanese counterpart, Onibaba, Slavic folklore tells of Baba Yaga, the Ogress, who in some stories steals, cooks and eats children and in others protects them.

[2] In the center are the four symbols used in the minor Arcana to represent the four elements: Wands (Fire), Cups (Water), Coins (Earth), Swords (Air). Radiating outward are a set of eight “Bagua” symbols (八卦), used in Taoist cosmology to represent the fundamental principles of reality. Each consists of three lines, each line either broken or unbroken respectively representing their Yin or Yang influences. These are: Heaven, Earth, Water, Fire, Wind, Thunder, Mountain and Lake. Ringing the octagon are the phases of the moon.

[dailyoverview]

A crop-formed Bagua arrangement is seen here in Kiowa County, Colorado, USA. An important symbol in Taoist cosmology, the Bagua consists of a yin-yang surrounded by eight sets of three-line patterns. This particular arrangement, known as Fu Xi or “Earlier Heaven,” represents the ancient Chinese understanding of the universe — yin and yang depict heaven and earth, and the eight surrounding diagrams symbolize sky, earth, thunder, wind, water, fire, mountain and lake.

See more here: https://bit.ly/3pLuRAy

38.506944°, -102.151694°

Source imagery: Maxar

[textsymbolscollection]

Misc. Symbols

Phone: ☏  

Caution: ☡ 

Caduceus: ☤ 

Spiral: ๑ 

Ascending node: ☊ 

Descending node: ☋ 

Conjunction: ☌ 

Opposition: ☍ 

Pencil: ✎ ✐ 

Ink nib: ✑ ✒︎

Trigram for heaven: ☰ 

Trigram for lake: ☱ 

Trigram for fire: ☲ 

Trigram for thunder: ☳ 

Trigram for wind: ☴ 

Trigram for water: ☵ 

Trigram for mountain: ☶ 

Trigram for earth: ☷ 

Payphone: ✆ 

Scissors: ✄ ✂︎ ✃ ✁

Prescription Rx: ℞ 

Film reel: ✇ 

Ohm: Ω 

Inverted ohm: ℧ 

Dagger/cross: † 

Double dagger: ‡ 

Real: ℜ 

Image: ℑ 

Aleph number: ℵ

Diamond: ◊

[Unknown symbol]: ※

Envelope: ✉︎ 

Airplane: ✈︎

Hourglass: ⌛︎

Keyboard: ⌨︎ Multiocular O: ꙮ

Swirly: ꧂ ꧁

Line: ⸻

[gianlucavisconti]

Northern & Southern styles, Bagua Zhang and Taijiquan Q&A

What is the difference between Northern and Southern style?

Northern style is also much more muted. It’s structured and chic, while native Southerns tend to be more feminine and geared towards prints. The femininity that goes along with Southern style puts a big focus on loose-fitting clothing that gives a girl an ethereal element and a care-free vibe.

Is Bagua Martial Art Northern Or Southern?

The group of Northern martial arts includes many illustrious styles such as Baguazhang, Bajiquan, Chaquán, Chuojiao, Eagle Claw, Northern Praying Mantis and Taijiquan.

Where does Bagua come from?

Baguazhang Sun Lu-t’ang performing “Lion Embraces the Ball”. Also known as Bagua quan, Bagua zhang, Pakua chang, Pa-kua chang,Pa kua chang Hardness Internal (neijia) Country of origin China Creator Dong Haichuan ??? (attributed).

What is bagua fighting style?

The fighting charateristic of Baguazhang is the use of clever guerrilla-style tactics. The Bagua fighter uses evasive footwork to escape the opponent’s strong power and when the time is right the Bagua fighter counters with sudden, ferocious attack, using any part of the body.

How many styles of bagua are there?

The combination of characteristic palms with attack methods is the basis for Baguazhang’s standard fighting sets, which are also known as changes or forms. Therefore within each animal system there are 56 forms, and a total of 448 forms across all eight animal systems.

Is bagua good for self defense?

It is a powerful self-defense art designed to be used against multiple opponents. Three key goals for Bagua self-defense are to uproot, unbalance, and control your opponent’s center.

How many forms are there in bagua?

There are two types of bagua: the Early Heaven Sequence and the Later Heaven Sequence (see below). Both types have been developed before the ‘Book of Changes’, the I Ching, which describes the cosmology and philosophy of ancient China.

Is bagua real?

The Bagua or Pakua are originated from China, and are eight symbols used in Taoist cosmology to represent the fundamental principles of reality, seen as a range of eight interrelated concepts. Due to their tripartite structure, they are often referred to as Eight Trigrams in English.

What does baguazhang focus on?

From the five animal styles of Shaolin kung fu to the graceful movements of taijiqian, the Chinese martial arts encompass a variety of techniques. Baguazhang is a martial arts style that focuses almost exclusively on evasive footwork and using an attacker’s force against him rather than using direct attacks.

What martial art is Airbending based on?

Earthbending is mostly based on Hung Ga kung fu. Firebending is like Northern Shaolin kung fu. And Airbending is similar to baguazhang.

What are the Eight Diagrams?

The eight diagrams symbolize the eight natural phenomena: sky, earth, thunder, wind, water, fire, mountain and lake. So, the picture represented the ancient Chinese early knowledge of the universe, which contained a simple dialectical materialist point of view.

What is Gua in feng shui?

According to your Birth Date, your ‘Life Gua’ or ‘Ming Gua’ is calculated. Each Gua is unique and will indicate your favourable and unfavourable directions and locations. Example: If you are born Between 1st Jan to 3rd Feb 1988 then your birth year will be counted as 1987 for Gua No. Calculations.

What is a trigram in feng shui?

The Eight Trigram Each trigram consists of three male or female lines; and combined in various combinations; the trigram symbolises heaven, earth, water, fire dampness, wind thunder or mountains. The trigrams are often to be found on the garments of Toaist priests and on the walls, ceiling and beams of Chinese temples.

Where do you put a bagua mirror?

You should always hang the bagua mirror with the heaven trigram on the top (with the three unbroken lines). These trigrams are also found in the I-Ching, the Book of Changes. Feng shui is an ancient art that comes from China and has foundations in Taoism.

Is Tai Chi a martial art?

Tai Chi is an internal Chinese martial art practiced for both its defense training and its health benefits. But it has been part of Chinese martial arts culture since the 16th Century.

Is Waterbending based on Tai Chi?

Tai chi forms the basis of waterbending. Inspiration was taken from the style’s fluidity, connectivity and adaptability, all of which became fundamental concepts for all three waterbending styles. Hung Gar forms the basis of earthbending. Inspiration was taken from the style’s low stances, rooted power and strength.

What is Chi Sau?

Chi Sau, or ‘Sticking Hands’, is a Wing Chun training exercise designed to develop close range combat skills. The aim of Chi Sau is to learn through touch any shift in an opponent’s body position which indicates an eminent attack.

[monicadeola]

A crop-formed Bagua arrangement is seen here in Kiowa County, Colorado, USA. An important symbol in Taoist cosmology, the Bagua consists of a yin-yang surrounded by eight sets of three-line patterns. This particular arrangement, known as Fu Xi or “Earlier Heaven,” represents the ancient Chinese understanding of the universe — yin and yang depict heaven and earth, and the eight surrounding diagrams symbolize sky, earth, thunder, wind, water, fire, mountain and lake.

38.506944°, -102.151694°

https://www.over-view.com

[neokun25]

The Eight Trigram Yin Yang Symbol

空/天 = Sky/Heaven

風 = Wind

水 = Water

山 = Mountain

地 = Earth

雷 = Thunder

火 = Fire

湖/谷 = Lake/Valley

☯️ = Yin Yang

This is pretty cool! I wish I could use this as my superpower