#just because the topic intrigues me does not mean i will condone the act or participate in it myself

[hy4c1nthh]

how do you write cannibalism... i tried very VERY hard but I cannot <//3

OKAY so writing cannibalism can be a very difficult thing to write about it you dont know how to describe it. its ALL about descriptions. now theres also the phsycological stand point of it but depending character to character, reasons and reactions will NOT be the same. take the pharmacist for an example. what is her reason? She is a cannibal initially not for herself. She did it for airi. THAT was her impetus to eat. This idea of not only killing but completely devouring what was left of any being that may cause harm or painful memories...the main case for the pharmacist's reason to eat her(from the back of the pharmacy). eventually, it became her own version of the vitamins, an addiction. I wouldnt call it a "coping mechanism" outright but you can definetly see it in that sense. REASONS!!! reasons are vverrryyyy important because even when a character is like supposed to be a little like!! insane!!! or like not having a reason for violence, choosing cannibalism still has a thought process behind it. Was it for the curiousity? (There have been cases of people comitting cannibalism just to try) maybe to dispose of a body in a way no one would find, or maybe starvation (a very common troupe). in some cases soldiers would eat the bodies of their enemies to establish a sense of victory and/or dominance. you have many reasons not only seen in real life and existing media, but also as many as you want. Another example!! Hannibal lector!! His reason for being a cannibal (specifically to "rude" people) was because of long-standing trauma from his childhood, and so he ate as a form of revenge and way to assert dominance....at least...iirc....i dont remember i have to rewatch it........

tw for decriptions of cannibalism/the human body?/yeah...

Now for the actual cannibalism part. Im sure youve heard the "human meat tastes like pork" which in many cases is what is reported by cannibals. But the taste also varies in some cases depending on person, again. Knowing anatomy of the human body helps a lot. Knowing how much blood is actually in the body and where most of it would come out from (any places with a lot of veins). its also important to acknowledge bones because they are often forgotten when people write about cannibalism!!! rememebr!!! they exist!!! they will snap they will crunch they will be present in what your eating (depending where youre eating). If you take an arm, for example. It wont be squishy all the way. it will be meaty, yes, but you will eventually reach the bone. Think of it like a chicken. You many times have chicken with bones!! You cant eat the bones!! Youll eat around the bones, remove the skin and meat from the body. Now theres whether or not it would be cooked or not which is a whole other story. In order to properly write the actual act of eating human flesh, you have to think of it like any other food. It is not human, it is not something that was alive, that had a life. It is just food, something to consume, not alive, never was. the character does not have to think this way, but the i reccomend the writer do it. It just helps you write it in a way that doesnt seem superficial and stuff.

uhm be creative!! that is a big thing though!! be creative dont limit urself uhhhhhhh just. have fun with it yk

[royalydamned]

Severus Snape and social pressure

I've been putting this off for a while but in the light of recent events I really wanted to adress it. I'm not the one for metas per se, but well....

People who think Snape wanted to join Death Eaters because of idea of blood purity usually accuse us, Snape defenders, of thinking he was forced into it. That's nothing but a overdramatization and twisting our words, our point stands in the fact that he was manipulated/persuaded into it.

force - "make someone do something against their will"

manipulate - "control or influence (a person or situation) cleverly or unscrupulously."

persuade - 1. "induce (someone) to do something through reasoning or argument."

- 2. "cause (someone) to believe something, especially after a sustained effort; convince."

- 3. "(of a situation or event) provide a sound reason for (someone) to do something."

(added exact definition of words in case someone decided to twist what I mean)

We don't deny him making the choice as his own decision. They didn't threaten him, blackmail him, force him. As group they had enough influence to make him believe in it as well, and also providing a safe space which he desperately needed and wanted to stay in.

Before anyone tells me I'm condoning his actions, I am not. This is analysis meta, explaining the possible things leading to him joining the Death Eaters, and not excusing them, or putting the blame on others. I feel like I always have to explain myself on anything on this goddamn app.

Individual in a group:

When it comes to a single individual in a group without opinion plurality, that share most views, the person adapts to the group’s perception, and not only because of the desire to fit in. They get affected by the habits, behavior and even language usage (like when a lot of people who don’t swear start swearing to different extents after being around the group often, accommodating to it even unconsciously, or quite the opposite, when a person who swears is welcomed into a group of people that find swearing rude and shield from hearing/using it, they regulate this language not to feel awkward, different and judged) and pick them up into their own daily life over time. The gradual adjusting and merging into the group can not only add and change one’s habits and behavior, but also completely erase the ones they had before joining and didn’t go with the others.

Snape is known to actually adapting his behavior in different case, like language. As a kid and a teen, he is shown to have poor communication skills and problems with proper speaking:

"You're...You're a witch," whispered Snape.

"I didn't mean-- I just don't want to see you made a fool of-- He fancies you, James Potter fancies you!" The words seemed wrenched from him against his will. "And he's not...everyone thinks...big Quidditch hero--" Snape's bitterness and dislike were rendering him incoherent, and Lily's eyebrows were traveling farther and farther up her forehead.

"The-- the prophecy...the prediction...Trelawney..."

He always seem to have difficulty speaking under some kind of stress and pressure, yet as a teacher he always seems to speak properly and appear collected, as a person with authority and surrounded by well educated people, he has to be seen on the same level, clearly perfecting his language when even angry or pressured he rarely starts almost stuttering. Just an example of how Snape is actually willing to adapt and quick to do so, no desire to hold his actual habits.

Response of one's environment:

Behavioral change is also linked with external reaction. After his and Lily's friendship ended, he was only around one group of people, getting positive responses when doing/saying things that others would find bad.

He wasn't actually known using Mudblood before hanging out with his housemates

When it comes to reinforcing the adopted behavior, person encounters positive and negative response, that shapes their perception on the way they act and if it’s truly acceptable. If the responses are mainly positive and encouraging, these new demeanors stick with them, if the responses are negative, person can change to be accepted by the majority in society if they don’t have enough support.

If Snape faced mostly positive reactions to those actions, he normalized them even if he didn’t quite believe in them at first, and if he wasn’t called out on it by Lily enough which could be only a theory, and nobody else cared enough to challenge it, it stuck with him.

Snape's bullying of muggleborns:

There is no clear evidence of Snape taking an active role, but also no evidence of him being passive.

I’m sure that the initiator wasn’t him though, and that he was either an imitator, that takes part in the action when invited and does what others want from him/imitates what others did, or just participating without taking any action, as an act of hiding behind group’s protection and validation that sometimes under pressure especially in public social events can result in a person acting out of their way.

Peer pressure and group manipulation:

In my opinion Severus was great and easily manipulated target because he had strong feelings of anger and sense of injustice that he experienced on himself from multiple people therefore could easily fall for the ideas especially if there was selective providing of information from their part (intentional avoiding of certain topic that could be viewed as upsetting or in any other negative way, potentially putting off the “target” and only focusing on the positives which would appeal to the positive feelings).

Snape was a victim of bullying humiliation and almost murder because of bunch of arrogant guys, the idea of being powerful and no longer be an easy prey must have been insanely intriguing and most definetly the main reason of his agreement.

This is more of a side note, but it also had been proved bullying victims have higher tendency to turn to crime.

The other way of manipulation that could be theoretically very easily present in the Snape - Death Eaters dynamics is the eliciting of certain emotions in individual, which is the well known protection, acceptance and feeling of belonging they provided Snape.

Next I’d mention the confirmation bias, which is the tendency to be persuaded about values and opinions that are already present in one consciousness, the idea already born, but in doubt as something new, where the person is affected only by the confirmation of their idea/suspicion and mostly ignore or try to ignore everything that rejects/doesn’t support them, so if Snape had already bad perception of muggles because of his father and maybe Petunia, it would be easy for it to grow into the growing idea of purism under the support of DE that agreed with him, adding on more negative traits/ideas about Muggles/Muggleborns/non-magical people, since it was a very emotionally sensitive topic for him and he was easily affected because of the trauma he endured by a muggle.

Why Severus Snape but not Sirius Black?:

Many people bring up Sirius' Black as a counter argument, since Sirius was also abused and even brought up in Death Eater household.

The more easily manipulative individual, or the less strong-willed, the easier and quicker the transition is.

Manipulation is mostly done on emotionally weakened or recently very frustrated individuals, that are already starting to form a certain ideas, the majority supporting and/or confirming it makes them give in easily.

Like I mentioned before, Snape had a strongly negative emotional connection towards Muggles in his life, easily forming a negative bias against them, which if reinforced and supported enough were easily transformed into next level. He never shown any dislike towards Muggle-borns, he even protected Lily's feelings when she asked if it makes any difference in the Wizarding World.

His emotional nature and vulnerability because of his abuse and bullying in the course of his life, without any kind of protection and support system, it must have been rather easy to brought him into the great idea of power, authority and protection.

Sirius was from Death Eater family, but had the Marauders, mainly James, who rejected those ideas, being with him significantly more often than his family. Taking the same analysis on Sirius as Severus, Snape was abused by a muggle and protected by blood purists, Sirius was abused by blood purists and had no negative experience caused by Muggles.

People tend to have the same ruler for different experiences in this case, but their experiences are actually the opposite.

Snape is great subject of analysis especially when it comes to psychological side , and it is definetly not as simple as being forced or believing in it himself but many more factors like an average human mind in different situation and it feels almost insulting to his character simplifying his choices like that.

I'm by no means a psychological expert, but this meta was researched, and not on the internet, and I take great passion in my research, still doesn't mean I couldn't translate something correctly or that certain things weren't updated in some way.

[starcrossedyanderes]

Beauty and The Birds Part 9

Warning: This chapter contains former abuse from parents, religion (mostly cult-ish stuff), mentions of  ‘The Catholic Church’, and supposed witchcraft. A long with general harm of a person because of them being different. If any of this effects you I recommend possibly not reading this. If you are facing any of the above (except for maybe supposed witch craft) you can access this website for help https://www.thehotline.org/ this is the domestic violence hotline and are generally good for a lot of situations.

Disclaimer: I, as always, do not condone this behavior in any sense. A made up sort of cult-like religion is brought up that tries to hide itself as The Catholic Church. I have absolutely nothing against the catholic church as I am personally a protestant (but of course you know how us protestants feel) and I have nothing against what people believe in as long as no one gets hurt. This is based off of the sad incidents of exorcisms and how the are most commonly performed on regular children and how they quickly turn violent. Please, this is never acceptable. You should never be harmed by your religion or because of your religion.

~Previously on Beauty and The Birds~

“Isn’t that cannibalism?”

“Doggo!”

“Sheepies!”

“No. Other birds. I don’t think there’s another like me.”

~Back to Beauty and The Birds~

“It’s a uh.. long story that I haven’t shared with anyone. As you can tell I’m not exactly the best at communicating-“

He physically backed into himself with a blush on his cheeks and a hand rubbing his neck. You physically drooped as you started to walk away.

“Okay, I guess you don’t want to tell me-“

“NO!”

At seemingly the speed of light and a large ‘whoosh’ the bird man appeared right in front of you with his hands spread.

He had this deranged look on his face that seemed to become more and more common as the days passed.

He stepped closer to you with a shaky crazed smile on his face.

“No, no! I’ll tell you! I would tell you anything.”

He placed his hands on your shoulders to pull you in closer as his smile only widened.

“I would do anything for you. You just have to ask and I would tell you whatever you could possibly want to know. As long as you stay so couldn’t care less. It’s all worth it.”

Hm, he seems to show a lot of territorial behavior and desperation. Could this be part of a courtship sort of thing. He seems to be quite attached for only knowing you for what? 2 days? You’ll have to look into that later.

His smile and piercing gaze finally softened as he seemed to return to his normal self.

“I will admit this is a rough topic for me so I would rather if we could instead talk in the nest.”

You eagerly nodded your head as you gripped your discreet recording device as you were flown up to the top floor’s glass observatory.

It seems the nest acts as a comfort sort of place for him. Somewhat how some animals do during heats and pregnancy’s. From what you can tell he isn’t in a heat (although it could explain some things) and he certainly isn’t pregnant so it is quite odd behavior for a bird to exhibit.

~|~

You were currently perched inside the nest as you awaited on Avery’s return. He, to your annoyance, insisted on getting a few snacks

You irritably clutched on a corviknight plushie you found in the nest before it was quickly abandoned on Avery’s return. 

In his hands he carried various junk foods but there was an odd one that stood out from the rest.

Tater tots.

After putting down the foods on a little side table he quickly joined you in the Blanket Void TM and quickly into you. His wings wrapped around and whilst spreading sent a turtle duck plushie off of the bed. He quickly let out some gentle cooing as he nuzzled deeply into your neck.

“I’m ready to answer your questions now.”

“Alright, how about an easier question to start off. What’s with the tater tots?”

Of course this question was just a ruse to make sure your device was recording and genuine curiosity.

Avery’s head pulled away from your neck and a frown pulled at his lips. He then proceeded in what you like to call his ‘bby voice’

“Is there something wrong with them? They’re my favorite.”

That-that was not the answer you were expecting. Huh, that’s odd.

“Oh, nothing. Just genuine curiosity.”

Avery immediately relaxed back into your arms after popping a tater tot into his mouth. 

“Now, you say you don’t think there’s anyone else like you. Is it because you believe to be the last of your species?”

He stiffened up once again before digging himself more into you.

“Well no, I think. I don’t believe I am part of a species. This may take a while to explain and please bare with me. This is a rough topic that I haven’t really been able to share with anyone.”

You eagerly nodded your head and made sure to give him some headpats which only induced some coos to leave his throat.

“Well my family were rather wealthy and owned an airplane company and I think we did general logistics stuff. We were also rather catholic although now I think we don’t quite fit that term. At least hope not for the sake of people who are actually catholic.

My mother was the heiress and received a lot of suitors. She was supposedly cursed by one of her suitor’s mother after turning him down. We think this may have led to me.. being me.”

You felt rather disheartened but also even more intrigued by this information. So he doesn’t seem to be part of a species, but an odd mutation? (You highly doubted this is from some curse.)

“So where exactly is your family now”

After speaking you popped a tator tot into your mouth.

“I think about 5 years ago my parents, ironically enough, died in a plane crash. I was pretty much only allowed on the estate, the woods, and the church after my wings developed so I wasn’t allowed with them. That was probably a mistake on their parts.”

You waved your arms a bit.

“Hold up, you siad you weren’t allowed anywhere after your wings developed. Does that mean you weren’t born with them.”

Avery let out a reflexive chuckle.

“Ha ha, well I technically was born with them. I was a healthy baby but I had these bumps on my back. Of course everyone was concerned about these being tumors so I was tested frequently. Turns out they were merely bone and somewhat.. hollow. As I grew the bumps started grow into my wings today. The bone thing is also why I take a good bit of calcium since they’re so fragile.”

“But why weren’t you let anywhere after they developed?”

Avery let out a sigh as he mentally prepared himself.

“After the doctors kinda figured out I was somehow growing wings paired with my purple eyes my parents were very excited for me to be an angel like thing. Yeah, I don’t know their understanding either. Maybe consider me as a miracle of the lord of something? Either way they were rather hopeful of this and treated me like a regular son with giving me an education to run the business. But then I got my feathers. Their dreams of an angel were crushed upon seeing that were not pure white but instead a dark black. They became horrified and I was forced to spend a lot of time at the church and was forced to have exorcism after exorcism performed on me. It.. wasn’t pleasant to say the least. My parents quickly hated me and locked me away. But they still needed an heir and they feared to have another child so I was still given an education as I sometimes needed to appear to confirm that they were nice enough to keep me alive.”

You felt some water cascade down your neck as you could place your arms around him in a hug.

“A-Avery that’s awful. I-I’m so sorry you had to go through that.”

Avery gained a small smile as he pulled away from you hug with tears still gliding down his face.

“Y-You’re the first person to every say sorry to me.”

“Oh, Avery. No one should be deprived of that.”

You forced a small grin on your face to try and cheer him up.

“Ok, no more hardcore questions. Stuff that shouldn’t make you cry now. Sorry to open those wounds like that.”

“No, no. It’s fine. I said I would tell you anything. And I’m honestly over joyed to share anything with you.”

How can someone say something so creepy yet sat at the same time? “Alright then, if you’re sure you want to continue. You’re able to communicate with birds from what I can tell. Do they see you as they’re leader or something?”

“Since I was only really allowed in the woods birds quickly became my only friends and company. Also I’ve done a lot of rehabilitation work that a lot seem to feel indebted to me. A lot of birds tend to follow the bigger bird naturally and they see me as a really big bird so they just kinda.. naturally do what I tell them. It also helps that I feed them too.”

“Makes sense, I guess. Like when I saw this heron in a pond one time and a bunch of ducks just followed him around. Last question for the day, alright?”

Avery nodded his head as he pulled you closer.

“I brought like 3 scarves here but I can’t find any of them. I have a slight feeling you may know where they are.”

Of course you couldn’t see it but a dark blush covered Avery’s face.

“W-well two of them are in the nest. I’m afraid that some of the birds got their hands on the other one somehow and are currently using it to snuggle. I’m working on getting them another scarf so you can get yours back.”

Huh, so he puts many different things in his nest. Also now you had to deal with the conflict of you taking a scarf from some cozy, snuggling birds.

“The birds can keep my scarf. I couldn’t just take it from them like that.”

Avery smiled against your neck and cooed.

“I’m sure they’ll be estatic for their cuddling not to be ruined. Now enough questions, more cuddles and movies.”

[gallavictorious]

I really wish people would stop excusing their favorite character's actions with convoluted theories instead of just accepting that their faves aren't perfect. Ian should not be comparing Terry and Frank. Full stop. Especially not to Mickey's face, when Mickey is in the middle of trying to deal with the complicated feelings he has about the father that raped him by proxy and tried to actually murder him. It's ok to say "yeah you're right I don't know what you're going through but I'm here" and not make it into a shitty father competition.

And I really wish people would refrain from making groundless assumptions and recognize that trying to understand a character's motivation for doing something does not equal taking a stance on whether or not the action discussed is morally sound but alas, nonnie, we live in an imperfect world.

For those just turning in, this ask was received in response to my addition to this post.

Now, nonnie, if I understand you correctly, you disapprove of what I wrote because you see it as 1, an attempt to excuse Ian's behavior because 2, he's my favourite character and 3, therefore I can't stand to have him do something wrong. You also think that, no matter his motivations, Ian shouldn't be comparing Frank to Terry. Below, I'll quickly refutate points 2 and 3, as well as detail the difference between explanations and excuses and – hopefully – demonstrate why you can't with any sort of certainty claim that the offending post is an example of the latter. I will not really engage with the question of whether or not Ian was wrong for saying what he did, because (as we shall return to forthwith) that was not the issue originally discussed, it doesn't actually interest me, and as you do not offer any sort of reasoning for your moral judgment there really isn't anything for me to work with there anyway.

Strap in, kids; it's another long one.

Let's start with your claim that Ian is my favourite. I'm not actually going to spell it out there, but instead direct you to paragraphs 3-7 of this post. A little lazy, perhaps, but I'm sure you can appreciate why I have limited time to point out the same basic flaws twice in a fairly short period of time. (Should I pin a pic of me holding up a little sign reading ”Actually, Mickey is my favourite, even though I love Ian too” to the top of my blog? Would that be helpful?)

Moving on to point 3, I do agree with the general notion that it's fine to accept that the characters we love (no matter who that character is) are flawed and make mistakes! If you had taken the time to familiarize yourself with my thoughts on Ian and Mickey – or if you had, you know, just asked – instead of jumping to completely unsubstantiated conclusions based on a single post, you might even have realized that them being fucked up and making fucked up choices from time to time is one of the things I find most compelling about them. They are messy and complicated and human, and I love that. I neither think nor want either of them to perfect, because perfection is unrealistic is static is boring.

With that out of the way, let's get to excuses versus explanations. If one confuses the two, any attempt to discuss or explain a persons behavior will be construed as an attempt to excuse it, but to understand something and to condone it are actually two different things.

For instance, I can explain and understand why Mickey acted the way he did in 3x09, but still think kicking Ian in the face was wrong. I can explain and understand why Ian called Mickey a coward and a pussy in 4x11 but still think he was wrong for doing so. Do you see? Understanding – or trying to understand – why someone did something is not the same as saying that what they did was okay. Understanding the reasons for someone's actions might lessen the severity of our condemnation (for instance, stealing is generally considered wrong, but most of use would agree that stealing bread to feed your kid is less wrong than stealing bread because you're too stingy to pay for it) or might remove condemnation entirely (hitting someone because you are angry with them is wrong, hitting someone as part of consensual BDSM sex is fine), but understanding an action does not automatically lead to declaring said action morally correct. In short, ”why did X do Y” and ”was X right or wrong do to Y” are two different questions, and the fact that our answer to the second question often is at least partly dependent on our understanding of the first does not change that.

So explanations and excuses are not the same. And yet, sometimes the reasons for doing something (or failing to do something) are offered up as an excuse; as a reason why someone should not be held responsible for their actions, or why they were correct in performing/not performing them in the first place. That neatly leads us to the question of whether or not that's what's actually happening in the post you took exception to. And the answer to that is... you can't know. What boys-night and I discuss in the post is what Ian is actually doing (is he trying to compare trauma och convince Mickey he had it worse) and why he is doing it; that is, we are trying to understand and explain his behavior. Neither of us make any sort of statement on whether or not he was right or wrong for saying or doing what he did: that's just not the topic of conversation. Now, maybe I do think his motivations means that he's morally justified in what he said; maybe I don't. My point is that you can't know that just from what you've read in the post. You might draw some tentative conclusions, and they may be correct, but you don't know, and the reasonable and responsible way to go from there is to seek clarification by asking (polite) questions, not aggressively throwing around accusations about others grasping for straws in a despertae attempt to exonerate their favorites from wrongdoing.

(And just to remind you, even if I were making excuses for Ian, it wouldn't be because he's my favourite or becuase I can't bear to have him do wrong.)

You are perfectly free to disagree with any of the points made in the post, by the way, but you need to recognize that what we're disagreeing on then is motivation, not morality.

And, oh, of course it would have been okay to say "yeah you're right I don't know what you're going through but I'm here", but that's not what Ian did. Now, if you are happy to go ”ah, Ian fucked up, he's not perfect” and move on, that's fine. You do you, nonnie, and if analysis and discussion of character motivations isn't your jam then it isn't and I'm sure no one is going to force you to engage in it. (And if they try to, you can simply say ”I don't care” and walk away.) However, to be perfectly honest I am a bit perplexed that you should be so indignant over other fans trying to make sense of his actions. Do you still feel that way now that you – hopefully – understand that trying to explain a characters' behavior doesn't necessarily mean trying to excuse it? I mean, surely you are aware of the fact that people usually have reasons for acting the way they do, even if the way they act is shitty or misguided? (Note that I'm not saying that Ian's actions were shitty and misguided. That is not the discussion we're having.) I am rather curious, actually, as to what you think Ian's motivations were? Do you imagine he was deliberatedly diminishing Mickey's trauma? Why, if so? Do you perhaps think that he is obsessed with being The Most Victim and thus takes every opportunity to list all the ways Frank sucked? Or maybe that his mouth just moves without any thought or reason and the words just randomly happened?

To be fair, it seems that Ian's motivations is not something you consider relevant: you write that ”Ian should not be comparing Terry and Frank. Full stop.” And that's absolutely a moral stance you can take, albeit certainly not the only one. Maybe Ian shouldn't have said what he said Had you given any reasons for this verdict, I might even have agreed with you because I can think of several reasons why it might be better if Ian refrained from comparing Terry and Frank, no matter his motivations. (And I might not, because I can also think of several reasons why such a comparision might be justified, even though Terry is clearly the more evil of the two.) However, we shall never know, because you fail to back up your claim. I guess that's because you deem it self-evident? It is not, and until you provide any sort of reasoning for your grand proclamation, I won't engage with the question. Not going to shadow-box with you, nonnie, or do your work for you; if you want a discussion, make your case properly. Though maybe make it elsewhere – as previously noted, passing judgement on the characters is not my primary interest when discussing them. I am much more intrigued by trying to understand why characters do and say what they do and say.

Phew. Okay, that's me done, I think. I realize that you might not be very impressed with this answer, nonnie, but I hope it may to some degree reassure you that no sneaky attempt to excuse my favourite character's actions with convoluted theories was made by this humble blogger. Not this time, at least.

[dweemeister]

A Touch of Zen (1971, Taiwan)

When Chinese director King Hu was writing the screenplay to his upcoming martial arts epic, he found himself disgusted with the mindless violence pervasive in the wuxia genre. Wuxia, for those unfamiliar with the term, is a genre of Chinese fiction involving martial arts during the times of Imperial China. Wuxia can also include elements of masculine chivalry, sometimes sorcery (though not in this film). King Hu’s A Touch of Zen is an unusual wuxia film – it is over three hours long, and no swords are drawn nor do fists fly until more than an hour has passed. Those facts about A Touch of Zen might alienate wuxia fans and frighten those who have never delved into Asian martial arts cinema. But what if I told you that A Touch of Zen is one of the greatest martial arts films of all time, with its first-hour nonviolent intrigue, enormous scope, heavily Buddhist themes, and among the most astonishing action choreography that movie audiences have ever witnessed?

For the first two hours, A Touch of Zen centers its plot on the oafish painter, Gu Sheng-tsai (Shih Chun). It is set sometime during the Ming dynasty (1368-1644). Gu lives with his mother (Zhang Bing-yu) – who hounds her son into taking the civil service exam and finding a wife to continue the family line – in the charred remains of an abandoned imperial fort. It plays like a domestic comedy, if only briefly. A behatted stranger, who will later be identified as Ouyang Nian (Tien Peng) and is introduced in shadow as if this was an American Western, comes to town one day to have his portrait painted by Gu, but his unspoken objective is to capture a woman named Yang Hui-zhen (Hsu Feng) – a fugitive of the law and adroit in combat. Unbeknownst to Gu, Yang has moved into the house across from his mother’s and the two will become friends – although Gu’s mother would like her son to seal the deal already. Also in hiding and allied with Yang are generals Shi and Lu (Bai Ying and Xue Han, respectively).

As motivations are gradually revealed and as the corrupted eunuch’s forces converge upon the town and the fortress, our protagonists flee to the countryside and, in the final hour, the narrative focus shifts from Gu to Yang and General Shi. We are also introduced to a number of characters – most notably, the eunuch’s commander Xu Xian-chun (Han Ying-jie; who also serves as the film’s martial arts choreographer) and Buddhist Abbot Hui-yuan (Roy Chiao).

The opening shot of A Touch of Zen sees a spider moving towards its entangled prey. Spiderwebs are typically a thoughtless hallmark of horror films, but here they appear – mostly in scenes at the abandoned fortress – on occasion to suggest entrapment, the proximity of bloodshed. This applies not just to the protagonists, but those pursuing them. Despite the spectacular wide shots that appear after Gu, Yang, and General Shi find themselves in the wilderness, many of the interior shots in the opening half of A Touch of Zen feel cramped – even moreso at night and during the moments when Gu, Yang, and their allies attempt to trick the enemy reconnaissance into believing that the abandoned fortress is haunted. Notice how quickly the predators can become prey. Such is the confusion that imminent violence might cause.

If the violence found in A Touch of Zen is a result of Yang’s familial duties and sense of honor clashing with the rigid laws governing the eunuch’s lands, it is something that several characters – including Yang herself – are considering an escape from. Here enters Abbot Hui, who first appears in the town’s market with his fellow monks, walking past Gu’s establishment without talking to anyone. Only after the stranger, Ouyang Nian, has confronted Gu for the first time does Abbot Hui break from his wandering stroll. Abbot Hui will not appear again until much later after a violent battle, to help clean and tend to the deceased. In general, the Buddhist monks only make appearances in the film when violence is imminent or has just completed – serving as a sort of punctuation for the film. Unbounded by the earthly desires and allegiances that dictate the actions of all the other characters, Abbot Hui extols nonviolence, showing quarter to even those who threaten exceptional violence.

Does nonviolence work against those who do not respond to soothing, reasonable words? Current sociopolitical thinking might reject these notions outright  In Buddhism – a religion dominated by principles, rather than rules – self-defense is, depending on who you ask, an ambiguous topic. But self-defense is largely believed to be permissible (excluding to-the-letter pacifists, but not to the extent of how certain Burmese Buddhist radicals have condoned violence against the Rohingya minority there), as long as it is not borne from hatred towards the attacker, but compassion for the defendant/s and the attacker. From the words of Vietnamese monk and peace activist Thích Nhất Hạnh, when asked about a hypothetical question in which he faced an attacker after a genocide in which he would be the last Buddhist on the planet:

It would be better to let him kill me. If there is any truth to Buddhism and the Dharma it will not disappear from the face of the earth, but will reappear when seekers of truth are ready to rediscover it. In killing I would be betraying and abandoning the very teachings I would be seeking to preserve. So it would be better to let him kill me and remain true to the spirit of the Dharma.

Though no such genocide appears in A Touch of Zen, Thích Nhất Hạnh’s illustration of Buddhism’s incompatibility towards much of the violence contained in A Touch of Zen. Separation from worldly matters and displaying trust and forgiveness for those who might wish one harm is key, and Abbot Hui abides by these principles. For many Westerners – especially those who have not studied or at least have a superficial understanding of Eastern religions – this might cause befuddlement and consternation in the closing third of the film when King Hu begins to feature the Buddhist monks more often. The final, open-ended scenes draw from Buddhist metaphysics and mysticism – capturing ascendance through selflessness.

Through the actions and words of Abbot Hui, we are better able to comprehend the suffering of Gu, to use one of a few possible examples. Unambitious and uninteresting though his life might have been prior to meeting Yang, Gu’s involvement with Yang and her allies sees him evolve from bumbling straggler to cold-blooded tactician when planning an ambush against the eunuch’s troops – as an aside, undesirable events occur any time after he sleeps with Yang. There, the idea of planning violence is shown as less mentally consequential than committing those acts. Committing violence – whether in self-defense, for “altruistic” purposes (is such a concept inherently contradictory?), or for other reasons – aligned with one’s compassion is a perilous predicament, as this behavior can all too easily transform into malevolence.

The protagonists depicted in A Touch of Zen are well-meaning, imperfect beings unable to release themselves from the shackles of chivalry, familial honor. That is what leads to their suffering from the hands of others, and from within.

For those without much experience in Asian martial arts films, let alone wuxia, A Touch of Zen starts roughly for its opening minutes. Cinematographer Hua hui-ying and editors King Hu (who had a history of performing many tasks other than directing in his movies) and Wing Chin-chen utilizing various swooping movements that do not appear to serve much purpose other than to make the motion-sensitive slightly queasy. After that inexplicable introduction, Hua, Hu, and Wing piece together an excellent collaborative effort. For cinematographer Hua – working with Eastmancolor and a glorious widescreen lens – his cameras are typically flat or glancing upward, utilizing swathes of open space to suggest danger, a higher consciousness/power, all to unsettle the viewer and keep our attention not just on the foreground. Shot partially at Taroko National Park in eastern Taiwan, there are nature shots in A Touch of Zen stupendous to behold; fans of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000, Taiwan) will be awed by the scenery, and perhaps wondering if A Touch of Zen inspired the later film in any way (it certainly did, but more shortly). Hua’s camera can also barely capture combatants when running or jumping from ground to rooftops – because wuxia, kung fu, and other Chinese martial arts logic is like that, so just accept it – at full speed. The editing by Hu and Wing, sometimes only including a shot for the shortest of split-seconds, forces the viewer to pay the fullest attention, in fear of missing on a crucial detail of geometry, body positioning, or location during a furious swordfight.

The action would have been less exhilarating if choreographer and actor Han Ying-jie did not work on this film. Two extended set pieces are standouts: the final battle at the abandoned fortress in the dark of night and a free-flying bamboo forest battle that would later be recalled and reworked in Ang Lee’s Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. For those who have never seen A Touch of Zen – it is recommended that you have seen some other wuxia, kung fu, and other assorted martial arts films before this one – this movie contains some of the most arresting action imagery and gobsmackingly tense battles one can ever experience in this genre. Han’s choreography has stamped his unquestionable legacy into modern martial arts films from China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan.

A Touch of Zen became a sensation of world cinema when released – winning a technical prize at the Cannes Film Festival – but was half-forgotten until Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon came along at the turn of the century. Releases of the most recent restoration by the Masters of Cinema releases in the United Kingdom and the Criterion Collection in North America have allowed A Touch of Zen a global reach like never before.

Asian martial arts cinema – of the distant past, less distant past, and the present – has never been a specialty of mine (my father and many in my extended Vietnamese-American family have consumed much more). What separates A Touch of Zen from the dizzyingly large number of Asian martial arts films lies in something not often found in this genre. It has mastered matters elemental and physical, while commanding a dialogue with the spiritual.

My rating: 10/10

^ Based on my personal imdb rating. A Touch of Zen is the one hundred and forty-first film I have rated a ten on imdb.

[norman-reedus-gossip-mod]

Anon: Mod what's going on? Has something happened with the DK crapfest? Why are people acting like it's confirmed they are together? I thought everything was still speculation?? He still put out that denial. I can't believe he would lie and then risk getting caught 2 weeks later, it's not even like he could hide in Barcelona with the media circus going on so why deny it to make himself look the worst he could look?
--mod-- Nothing new has happened. Still just speculation and theory right now.




Anon: 
A wee bit creepy how someone follows his friends and family on sm so closely don't you think so? Specially the mother of his child. Maybe her way to show she stalks his relationships



Anon: 
The thing about believing Norman and Diane have been "just friends" for 2 years is that even though they barely spend any time in the same city, she's the only one he's been romantically linked to in tabloids. So if "just friends" is true then seemingly norman hasn't been in any relationship since late 2014? Possible, but pretty unlike him, hasn't he been a serial dater since the 90's? Unless he's hiding a Secret Girlfriend in GA 8 months/yr, Diane is the only one ever spotted with him, so... --mod-- He's been spotted with lots of ladies but since she's famous people notice her more, people here have speculated about him being with a bunch of different women in the last year or so, but again since non were famous the public at large never took notice. It also depends on what your definition of relationship is, I mean he could have a few relationships where they sink each other's battleships but it's nothing serious.

 



Anon: 
I know DK is off topic and I have no agenda here since I really don't care about the DK/NR thing but just wanted to share that this whole time I kept hearing her name and that she was the girl in Inglorious Basterds I assumed she was the character Melanie Laurent played (since that was the blond I remembered). My mind is now blown that I was remembering the wrong blond female character the whole time and they aren't the same person. LMAO. --mod-- 🤣🤣🤣





Anon: 
Wow. Helena has been posting pics of her Ukraine trip and now DK posts what I assume is her grandfather in the same black and white style as Helena. I predict her IG will now change to mirror Helena's. It is so obvious. I wonder if DK will get a dog soon and post about social causes. I bet she's just hoping HC or N will like her post. She's so transparent.
--mod-- To be fair black and white photos are pretty common.





Anon: 
I see DK is emulating HC's posts. The only good thing is that she may actually be in Germany now.
--mod-- Not sure how 1 b&w is emulating.

 



Anon: 
Im new to tumblr sorry if im sending this in the wrong way but I do think its a little weird HC followed DK on Instagram. I always got the feeling she didn't like her (thankfully she has a brain) sorry but I hate to think N would be that stupid to get hooked up with someone like DK. I think he is wrapped up in her for the wrong reasons. She wants kids (I always thought N still does) and she's convenient. Assuming he is with her. Hes just a little blinded. We all know how that is. Right?





Anon: 
Expect some sort of DK stunt or pap shot right before Norman's appearance on Fallon. She'll try to force his hand again.


Anon: 
Can't wait to see DK incognito hanging around Fallon's studio on Friday. It's too good an op to pass up. She'll just happened to get "caught" waiting for her "rumored" boyfriend in that black hoodie. 😂 I kid, but I still wouldn't be surprised.



Anon: 
I wouldn't be surprised if Fallon asks about his love life just so Norman can say he's single. --mod-- I feel like Jimmy Fallon is more of a good time fun show and he really doesn't ask those types of questions. Also I hope they pretend the couch is a motorcycle again.




Anon: 
Notice how DK followed HC so she could "like" her humanitarian work? Hmmmm Also, notice how Norman hasn't liked any of DK's photos since before Spain. Hmmmm again ....

.



Anon: 
I wouldn't be surprised if that DK movie with Susan Sarandon falls through. Right now, DK is not exactly a hot commodity and the garage pics and Spain mess have put a black mark on her name making her look like an obsessed woman stalking her man. She's not a big star and can easily be replaced. I wouldn't be surprised if she "pulls out" i.e. they cut her loose. They don't need her drama which is why she seems to work only with her friends who are producers and directors.
--mod-- 😶





Anon: 
I think it's really odd that DK has been unseen since she hastily left Spain. I think she knows this whole thing blew up in her face and she's embarrassed. You know she'd be gloating if things went well. Also, interesting choice posting a 9-1/2 weeks video. Isn't that movie about someone who has asexual only relationship (despite her being consumed with him) with a guy that it turns out she knows nothing about? Sound familiar. --mod-- I've never seen that movie



Anon: 
Mod: Thank you for allowing us to discuss DK on the mod blog. I am sure many of us want to discuss it. Thanks for giving us a safe, unbiased place to do if.
--mod-- Ya welcome 🤗





Anon:Interesting how N has not liked 1 post of DK's since Barcelona. He was liking them regularly after the garage thing. Maybe he is not playing nice this time.



Anon: 
Want to make a bet that DK just happens to be photographed near the Jimmy Fallon's studio on Friday?



Anon: 
So DK followed HC, N followed HC and the HC followed DK. Could be that N and HC have made it known they are watching DK's shenanigans. Maybe DK followed HC (that happened first) to keep tabs because she is Not in contact with N right now. I doubt people in their 40s are announcing or condoning relationships on IG. --mod-- I think I've gone cross eyed 



Anon: 
Can i ask a question? Why do so many people believe that DK calls the paps? Is there any prove of that? She doesn't look very happy in the pictures from barcelona. Maybe she got hate for nothing. --mod-- Sure. It's well known that she pays for play, mostly from the Daily Mail and a few other outlets. She's not as popular as she was awhile ago, paps usually won't take pictures of someone that they aren't going to make money from. Celebs sometimes hire paps to set a certain narrative, totally not saying this is what she did in Spain, whether it's the happy family or the heartbroken lover. Does that make sense 




Anon: Hey i'm not american and i'm not into the whole usa's fandons and artists, so i really don't understand why the people calls Diane Kruger "bitch" or "atention needed"(?) Can you explain for me PLEASE? I just know her from tarantino's movie and it's all 😂😂😂 (Sorry for the english)
-mod-- She pretty notorious for being extremely difficult to work with and outright rude to people she thinks she's better than. A lot of people that have come across her say she not a nice person. 





Anon: 
I guess it isn't SO strange that HC followed DK back after all, they are both former models, about the same age as well. But seriously, I doubt that there is anything else than publicity hunger and lust for intrigue behind DK's intentions. Why both Norman and now HC agrees to the charade I will never get
--mod-- Not sure they agreed to anything

 



Anon: I tried but DK is just so fake. She cares more about how photos look to everyone then about real people in them. Just like when she went to a charity event &left so quickly after it was over and then snarked a person on her IG for being sad they didn't get a pic with her since she was gone. Sorry but if Norman is really with her it does change what I think about him. It makes me think he's just as fake as she is on top of him lying about it and UGH. I can't support him knowing that. Heartbroken