#something something white has negative connotations as a color in chinese culture

[distant-velleity]

💬

Ruixing, barely seven years old and still skinny as a twig, sat in the corner of his small room and hugged himself.

It was dark in there, and only light from the crack under the door shone on the dirty, funeral white of his clothes.

Cold voices drifted in from just beyond the door.

“This is the last straw. We can’t keep him anymore,” hissed his uncle. He sounded both angry and about to cry. “As it is, we can barely afford the bills for A-Li’s hospital stay—and he put her in there, for heaven’s sake!”

“Then do we just dump him on the streets?” his aunt asked, exasperated. “You know we can’t do that.”

“Let’s drop him off at an orphanage. They’ll surely know how to handle a problem child.”

“You just don’t want to accept responsibility for him.”

“Well, don’t act like you don’t want it, too!”

Their voices faded away, and Ruixing let out a weak sigh.

‘Monster,’ ‘curse,’ ‘problem child.’

He’d been called all of these before.

Mother, Father, cousin Moli.

It had all happened before, because of him. And it had happened once again, because of him.

Ruixing closed his eyes, out of tears to cry.

Nothing ever changed.

—

twst oc taglist (ig? lol): @thehollowwriter @elenauaurs @theleechyskrunkly @nahelenia @casp1an-sea

@cyanide-latte

[incorrectzutaraquotes]

let’s talk racial micro aggressions, because i’ve been seeing a lot of them being used online toward people speaking out about racism and even in fandoms unfortunately, so i think it’s time we have a talk. this is gonna be a semi long one, so buckle up.

just for reference, im asian american. because of that i’ve gone my entire life experiencing racism and discrimination simple because im not white. of course, i have definitely had it better than a lot of people, but that doesn’t take away from my experiences at all. i grew up hating the way i looked, trying to fix myself because i genuinely thought something was wrong with me. this led to years and years of insecurity and self hatred. something i had to go through alone, because my family was white and i was too afraid to tell them how i felt. i was afraid they wouldn’t understand. it’s still something i struggle with, though it’s gotten better.

growing up, as stated before, i was around white people. growing up in a very white town, i unfortunately wasn’t formally educated on racism or what micro aggressions were, i just knew that certain comments made me uneasy and uncomfortable, and hurt my feelings. it wasn’t until i was older, when i started using social media that i really came to understand what all of this was. 

a lot of you who have white privilege are using it to uplift bipoc voices, and i think that’s great. however it’s also important to acknowledge that many people who are actively anti racist still have implicit biases, which can lead to microaggressions.

first of all, what are microaggressions? you may or may not be familiar with the term. if you’re not, that’s okay! you can use this post to educate yourself and make sure you don’t make these mistakes in the future. microaggressions are defined as brief and commonplace daily verbal, behavioural, or environmental indignities, whether intentional or unintentional, that communicate hostile, derogatory, or negative prejudicial slights and insults toward any group, particularly culturally marginalized groups.

basically, intentional or unintentional derogatory and prejudice behaviors directed towards marginalized groups.

these are very harmful to marginalized groups, mostly because they’re not as blatant as outright racism, misogyny, homophobia, etc. this makes it often hard to detect, and you may have found yourself using micro aggressions at some point in your life. that’s not important though, what’s important is that, if you have used them in the past, you understand what you said or did was wrong, and that you learn from it.

now, what are specific racial micro aggressions? i’ve compiled a list of them under the cut, and explained why these are insulting and harmful to poc.

“where are you really from” – this insinuates that we will always be seen as foreigners, and not citizens to our own country. it brings on a feeling of not being good enough and that we will not be accepted. 

“not everything’s about race” – if you’re white stop telling bipoc how to feel about race. we are tired of it. please don’t speak over us when we are expressing our discomfort. if poc people are telling you something is racist, it’s racist. stop trying to argue with us, as you are not the ones being affected by it. 

“your food is so weird” – it’s only weird to you because it hasn’t been westernized or americanized. insisting that foreign foods are weird or gross because you aren’t used to it, is hurtful. it’s insulting. 

“all asians look the same” – by saying this, you’re taking away our individuality. asia is a huge continent, not all of us follow the same traditions and not all of us look the same. it’s not a funny joke, and it never has been. 

“you’re pretty for a *insert any race here*” – this is just such a backhanded compliment. it implies that we are not typically or conventionally pretty. it has the same negative connotations as saying “you’re really good...for a girl”. that’s misogynistic for the same reasons saying this is racist. 

“i don’t see color” – again, you’re basically erasing our individuality and culture and telling us we shouldn’t embrace it. many pocs even completely distance themselves from their cultures to seek white validation, which is in every sense of the word, upsetting. people want to fit in so bad that they’re willing to leave behind their entire culture. something that sucks about being adopted at such a young age from a white family, is that i have never had a connection with my culture. i know nothing about it, and that hurts. i rationalized in my head that the reason i didn’t learn about it sooner was because i was happy, but that was a lie i told myself for years. the sad thing is, is that because i wasn’t connected to my culture at all, i fit in better and had an easier time making friends then other pocs in my school. 

assuming all asian people are smart or good at math – stop. it’s not funny. never has been. the stereotype that all asians are smart is not a compliment, and puts a lot of pressure on us as individuals. it objectifies us, assuming we are more like machines and not actual people. long story short, it’s dehumanizing. 

“im not/cant be racist i have black friends” – contrary to popular belief, yes you can be. you can still have a racial bias while being friends with bipoc people. being associated with poc people doesn’t suddenly mean you’re not racist. you may even make racist jokes and think it’s okay because they don’t tell you to stop. just because they are seemingly unbothered does not mean it’s not still racist. a lot of times we are uncomfortable in situations like that, but are too afraid to speak up in fear of our feelings being invalidated or being told to lighten up because it’s just a joke. saying we’re too sensitive when it comes to making mockeries of our races and cultures, is also a micro aggression. 

saying “you people” or “y’all” when talking, usually negatively, about a person of a specific race – you’re generalizing an entire group because of one bad experience which is just contributing to the stereotypes and racism we face daily. one or a few bad interactions with a person of a different race does not speak for an entire population.

clutching your bag tight when a poc person, usually black or latinx, stands next to you or following them in the store – the way i still have to explain this one in 2020. they are not criminals, but by doing this, you’re contributing to the stereotype that they are all criminals and thugs, which simply isn’t true. this stereotype is very damaging and harmful, as it also contributes to the systematic oppression of those people. 

assuming someone only got a certain job or position because they’re bipoc – this insinuates that we did not work hard to get where we are, and that we did not deserve what we got. we simply got it because we aren’t white. affirmative action comes up a lot in this conversation. all affirmative action does is help decide between equally qualified people by favoring the ones who suffer from discrimination in society, but it does not reserve spots for them.

assuming someone knows how to speak mandarin because they’re asian – asia is a large continent with A LOT of languages and cultures. not everyone is chinese. not everyone speaks the same language. it’s insulting and adds to the already hurtful stereotype that all asians look the same.

“you speak english really well” or “how did you learn to speak english so well” – it’s called practicing because people have been making fun of those with accents for years, simply because they are not used to it. being surprised when a poc speaks english well implies that you may think because they’re not white, they are less educated. we’ve simply assimilated because our cultures are constantly rejected and mocked by white people and even other pocs. this also contributes to the notion that westerners are more “civilized” or that they are better, because they(generally speaking this obviously doesn’t apply to everyone)make no effort to learn our cultures, but we have to learn theirs in order to be seen as “acceptable”.

“but *insert race* are racist too” or pointing out immoral things other countries do when people of that race speak up about racism - you’re redirecting the conversation to avoid responsibility. you don’t actually care about those issues, you just want to invalidate our struggles by pointing out that a place many of us have not been to in a long time, or ever, is very flawed. we have no say in what that government chooses to do. not all places are a democracy, and many democracies around the world are flawed.

something important to remember is that anyone can be guilty of implicit bias and micro aggressions. this is not selective to one race. 

if you have anymore of these, please feel free to add on. also, if you’re a poc and something i wrote made you uncomfortable, please tell me. i want to make sure im being truthful with what i said. i did do research for some of these, and some were based on personal experiences, but if you want to add to something or you want me to change or delete something do not hesitate to call me out. 

unfortunately they and other racial stereotypes are very prevalent in american media, which has normalized it in our society. this post is solely meant to educate if you weren’t previously aware of the dangers micro aggressions have on minorities. i started the list because i was tired of seeing so much normalized racism online, but i hope you learned something useful with this. if you stuck around this long, thank you for listening. i appreciate it a lot. 

as for my zutara fans, i apologize for making so many rant posts rather than posting incorrect quotes. i just feel like im able to reach a larger audience with the platform i have on this account than any other one. 

anyway, that’s all. thank you again for listening :) 

[sol1056]

wuxia/xianxia: a loose and somewhat second-hand introduction to the genre, pt1

Sorry for the unconventional q, but i keep seeing Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation everywhere and I kinda want to get into it but a) don't know where to start (web series? live action adaptation?? wait how many are there!) and b) i don't really "get" wuxia / xianxia, that sorta stuff, i find it really hard to cross that cultural barrier and chinese mentality seems very alien. (it's not that i have no experience w different mentalities but chinese in particular is v hard to grasp w/o sources).

So if you have the time and patience, I'd love to hear a summary of it (like, a coherent summary bc all i get on the wikis is a shower of names and concepts that don't make sense to me) and perhaps some "intro for dummies" abt the relevant parts of chinese history and mentality tied to it? not just the cultivation / buddhist part but also re: familial relationships, philosophy and all that. (v brief and low effort of course) Thank you and sorry for bothering you!

("brief and low effort" referring to what I'm asking from you, not to what I need for me - as in i asked for it so i'm more than ready for a complicated essay, but you can write with as much detail as you like, I don't want to ask for some sort of comprehensive tome)

Okay first, you do realize that if you want “brief and low” for anything, you’re asking the wrong person? I was a philosophy major. brief got drilled out of me a long time ago. 

Second... well, explaining what makes The Untamed / Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation (mdzs for short, from the chinese title, Mo Dao Zu Shi) such a standout story does require understanding some of the wuxia conventions it subverts -- as well as some that it plays straight (so to speak) very, very well. 

I figure the best approach (again, sadly not brief) is to first get a handle on the genre of wuxia. Gonna break this post into two, so you’re not reading in a single three-hour stretch or something. I’ll do a follow-up about mdzs, to hopefully make it a bit more accessible for you. 

before I do that, let me first say: I didn’t grow up with this genre, so there’s going to be parts that I may miscast unintentionally. for an insider’s view, my go-to voices are @guzhuangheaven, @atthewaterside, @dramatic-gwynne, @the50-person and @drunkensword. if any of them are reading this and can point to more/other/better voices, please do.

I have three analogies -- like cultural doorways --  and like all analogies, they break down when you get into the finer details. In the broad strokes, though, they mostly work, and if nothing else, hopefully they’ll demonstrate that wuxia may be a chinese-specific version, but part of a storytelling tradition that’s nearly universal.

The three doorways are: the american wild west, the samurai era, and the british arthurian romances. And, in a tangential way, the regency period in the romance genre. 

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- 

The term ‘wuxia’ can be translated several ways, but I prefer ‘martial chivalry’. Most wuxia takes place in the jianghu, a harder term to unpack. Generally, though, ‘the jianghu’ has connotations not all that different from what americans mean when they reference the wild west. 

More of a concept than a physical place, the jianghu (like the ‘wild’ west) exists beyond the reach of the law and/or civilization. It’s occupied by a diverse cast of farmers, merchants, beggars, and so on, but also by outlaws, gangs, hermits, pretty much all those who don’t like the suffocating nature of the civilized world, for whatever reason. It’s not a lawless place (except to outsiders); it does have laws, but those are only unto itself. 

So, jianghu is a world to itself, for the most part -- which also makes it kind of timeless. Tang dynasty, Song dynasty, Ming dynasty, it could be any of them and all of them and none of them. Just as the heyday of the cowboys and the cattle drives was barely a decade long, a culture’s romanticized history stretches into lifetimes that exist separate from any date you could pin down on a calendar. 

The average wuxia protagonist would fit in reasonably well as knight errants in an arthurian romance, with one important detail in difference: they’re rarely aristocrats. Wuxia protagonists are just as likely (if not more so) to be lower-born, whether the child of farmers, or servants, some common caste. 

This is where wuxia diverges from the british and japanese traditions, which have a bit more noblesse oblige going on (knights and samurai both being upper-class types). Even ‘aristocratic’ characters tend to be so only within the jianghu -- sort of like the way a territory’s elected leader in the wild west would’ve had no pull in Washington, given they weren’t from a fully-recognized state. 

Wuxia does often have politics, between competing sects (think schools of learning), but that political infighting is independent of the capital’s rules or wishes. A lot of stories -- in the rare cases the topic even comes up -- tends to speak of ‘the capital’ in disparaging terms. 

That’s not to say wuxia is all about the flat social systems (it’s definitely not), but most commonly a rank implies some level of competence/study. The title of sect leader isn’t granted, it's earned. Children inherit, but it’s also a common storyline to have an heir with no skills (who then goes through all the trials and tribulations to finally level up and earn that position in turn).

What makes wuxia hard to grasp is its vernacular: the conventions that form the backbone that make something recognizably ‘wuxia’ and not just ‘historical drama set on a frontier in a loosely-defined time period’. 

Frex: in a Wild West story, convention is two gunfighters at opposite ends of the street, and at least one of them is wearing a holster tied to his leg with string in a way that no real gunfighter wore, ever, but Hollywood came up with the idea and now it’s a permanent part of our imagination. In the arthurian romances,  convention is carrying the token of one’s lady love (a distant, untouchable figure who rarely appears on-page), or meeting the unnamed knight in black on the jousting field. Convention are the samurai who’ll die for their lord’s honor, always touchy and prickly at the first sign of disrespect. 

These are things granted the most remarkable gravity, that to an outsider might seem ridiculous. (Why is there always tumbleweed?) 

Now, wuxia is the latest evolution in a long-lived literary tradition (and by ‘long’ I mean like 2000+ years) -- but like any living tradition, each subsequent generation reinvents it for their time. Part of that reinvention comes from particularly influential writers, who put their own spin on things, and their interpretation becomes the next generation’s standard for the genre -- “of course wuxia must have X” or “a protagonist never does Y”. (Like how Tolkien almost single-handedly changed western concepts of elves, in fiction.)

And here’s where I explain what regency romance has to do with it. Another short-lived period, in real history, but along came Georgette Heyer, who took bits and pieces of actual research, blended them with her reactionary politics, exaggerating some things and ignoring other things completely. The result is a time-that-never-was, but she cast (and still casts) a shadow so vast that I’ve seen multiple romance writers complain that readers will see a footnoted-and-researched version as wrong, if it contradicts one of Heyer’s made-up conventions. 

Modern wuxia has its own Heyer-sized influencers -- like Jin Yong (the Condor trilogy, Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils), Wen Rui'an (The Four), Gu Long (The Legend of Flying Daggers, The Proud Twins), to name a few of the biggest. If you have a chance or are inclined, the big names get remade on a pretty regular basis, and catching one will at least let you see some ur-tropes in action. 

But it also means that you can’t really extrapolate, in the sense of saying, “in wuxia, people do X, ergo, X is also a factor in Chinese culture.” It’s like... take any western made in the 50s, and the vernacular is simple. The bad guys wear black hats, the good guys wear white hats, the prostitutes wear bright-colored dresses with frills and the good women wear subdued colors buttoned up to their neck. It told an audience exactly what character filled what role, but that’d tell you zero about real people you might meet in Nebraska or Utah, let alone New York City. 

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- 

Almost forgot: xianxia is basically wuxia but with ‘immortal heroes’ -- so there’s gods, divine influences, non-human beings as characters (main or NPC), etc. (Btw, by ‘immortal’ I mean exactly that, like this character is six hundred years old, that one’s a thousand years old, etc.) You can think of xianxia as wuxia, but amped way up on the mystical scale. 

Xianxia will sometimes take place on earth (jianghu) but sometimes in the celestial realm (heaven). Or a mix of both, like stories where a character falls (or is banished, or defects) from heaven and has to go through various trials and tribulations as a mortal human in order to regain a power, rise in rank, fall in love, or whatever their goal is. 

A number of wuxia stories are driven by some sort of mcguffin, but in xianxia, the mcguffin is more likely to be a powerful spiritual weapon. But I can also think of a number of wuxia in which the mcguffin would fit right in, in xianxia (some near-mystical thing with significant positive, or negative, power independent of the wielder, which often amplifies or boosts the wielder to an inhuman degree, etc). 

Thing is, the mcguffin being divine/infernal supernatural isn’t enough alone to make the story xianxia. I’m pretty sure you need non-human or super-human immortals and/or creatures to be considered in the xianxia genre. 

part two

[atrocitycl]

Critical Discussion: “MAMAMOO’s Use of Blackface: Understanding How Racism is Not a Binary”

“MAMAMOO’s Use of Blackface: Understanding How Racism is Not a Binary”

Posted on March 5, 2017

That said, for where this post will be going, I wish to unfold the current controversy so that everyone truly understands why the situation is a critical one, and more importantly, I wish to address the idea that racism is a “binary.”

Personal Message: Needless to say, I am incredibly shocked and feel both disappointed at MAMAMOO for this incident in the first place, yet I still feel incredibly proud of them for sincerely acknowledging and apologizing for this incident. There is a lot to discuss for this Critical Discussion and indeed, these situations are why I have this type of post: because pop culture tends to tie into social topics—whether intended or not. More importantly, however, when these social-related topics arise, how it is handled is definitely of interest and arguably even telling the current norms and such in place.

With this discussion about MAMAMOO’s recent use of blackface for a concert, I understand it is an incredibly sensitive topic and no matter how one feels—whether one feels “betrayed” by the beloved ladies and is no longer a fan or that one finds that this all miniscule—the purpose of this post is not to necessarily change or neglect how fans currently feel on an emotional level. Every fan’s individual emotional reaction deserves to be respected. That said, for where this post will be going, I wish to unfold the current controversy so that everyone truly understands why the situation is a critical one, and more importantly, I wish to address the idea that racism is a “binary.”

By “racism binary,” I am referring to the unspoken assumption that racism is an “either” situation; either one is racist and a completely awful human being or that one is non-racist and is utterly open to all racial differences. MAMAMOO’s situation provides an excellent example of why this racism binary is false: seldom are people entirely on one end of the spectrum and more often than not, we will find ourselves hovering in the middle. For example, there is a concept of “implicit bias”—biases one has not due to their individual beliefs and actions, but rather biases one accumulates in a society. This applies to race, gender, and every other social aspect. Without getting into the detail of how implicit bias works as that entails a whole separate post, the point is this: for one to claim they are utterly non-racist is unlikely. This is not because of their own actions and beliefs—I very much believe a vast majority of humans try their best to be ethical in the world and thus non-racist—but because societally there are hidden messages spread throughout that can alter one’s thinking on a very subtle level.

To use myself in an honest example as this might make implicit bias more understandable and relatable, as many may know given the plethora of posts that tackle social topics, readers might assume that I genuinely am incredibly open and without biases at all. This, obviously, is false: I am as any normal human—the only difference that I might deserve minimal credit on is the fact that I am open on discussing these sensitive topics in the first place even if at the risk of people then assuming I am no longer “non-racist” and other labels. To share my biggest personal implicit bias with race—though it might be more accurately labeled with “colorism”—it is that I do have a hidden bias that assumes lighter skin complexion is prettier than darker skin complexion. I only discovered this when I found myself thinking that BB creams or simply even lotion with skin-lightening properties are great, and more specifically, when during a summer I found myself very much disliking how tan I was getting and how I “needed”—yes, I thought in that particular language of necessity—to go back to looking quite pale.

These were signs that I had an implicit bias with skin tone, and thankfully I managed to bring and address this on a conscious level—even if, as readers can tell, these are quite disturbing biases to consider especially since I strongly assert that all skin complexions are beautiful—and indeed, this is true as all skin complexions are beautiful regardless of implicit (or explicit) biases one may have. Overall this is all to say I am a human and given my cultural background and how I am constantly watching Korean shows where, indeed, lighter skin is considered more beautiful, I had an implicit bias form that I now am addressing and attempting to correct. The best step, though, is the very act of acknowledging one’s biases and shortcomings despite how uncomfortable this may be. Whether it is with gender, race, sexuality, class, and so forth, addressing one’s biases and admitting to them is crucial even if current times are extremely polarized with these topics. (For example, even my admitting of my wrongful implicit bias on skin tone will very much put me at risk with readers for the very fact that I admit I have this implicit bias. Again, having biases are not bad if one addresses them and corrects them to be more ethical, but many forget this point or are simply uncomfortable with this very admittance in the first place due to risk of then being labeled as “utterly racist and horrible.”)

For another issue with the racism binary, there is the risk of clumping in accidental racism from intentional, malicious racism—even if the former sounds ridiculous. After all, readers might be wondering: “How can one accidentally be racist and offend a specific community? It all has to be intentional.” Unfortunately, racism is much more complex and there are cases where one is simply unaware—“ignorant” if we wish to say, though I dislike this word as it carries a negative connotation—of their actions or in fact even intend to do good but end up unintentionally being racist. I would even argue that this form of racism is the most common form we tend to find today; seldom are people genuinely maliciously trying to be racist, but instead, are accidentally racist—which, again, is still an issue but it requires a different approach than a sincere racist who is simply being a purely unethical person who very much hates on sheer differences.  

A perfect example of “accidental racism” is when fans of K-Pop who are non-Korean claim they “wished they were Korean because they love Korean culture so much.” On an intentional level, these fans are not intending to be racist at all; they genuinely are sharing their openness, care, and respect for another culture and to the degree of which leads to some “envy.” The issue, though, is that these fans are treating Korean culture as a “costume” or an “exotic entity” that one throws around in a fun, objectifying matter. Thus, what they are saying is racist even if unintended. It is not wrong to like K-Pop or Korean culture or any other culture that one does not belong to, but when one uses the language of “wishing to be,” in reality it is offensive on the grounds that they are implying cultures are clothing thrown around to be switched and changed at any moment when that is not quite the case. (Though it should be clarified that one can assimilate into a culture and this is fine; a Japanese individual can move to Korea and assimilate into Korean culture, for example, and this is definitely fine and not objectifying.) As I say, being respectful and open to other cultures is definitely great, but never should an objectifying tone take place.

But without getting too distracted on that topic, the point is this: sometimes people are racist without intending to be, and in these cases—such as in MAMAMOO’s case as we will get to—acknowledging one’s mistake and educating oneself on their shortcoming is what is necessary—and indeed, this is what MAMAMOO is doing. With that, let us discuss MAMAMOO’s use of blackface.

_______________________________________________________

Context: I will link Soompi’s article regarding this incident as I find that Soompi is oftentimes a reliable English translated source for K-Pop news—and indeed, based on my reading of the article, they seem to have encapsulated much of the current controversy and have even updated the article with RBW Entertainment’s and MAMAMOO’s apologies and reflection. As such, readers can refer to the article for the full context of the current situation. However, what I do wish to discuss is the concept of blackface as unless if one is from the United States, this concept is unfamiliar or even confusing and thus, I wish to explain the historical concept of it and the contemporary take to it.

Blackface is called such as it involves performers quite literally blackening their faces with makeup to appear as if they were Black individuals. Already, we see why this is disturbing: imagine if a non-Asian decided to “dress up and look Asian”—something that is already generalizing and objectifying to the Asian community. Similarly, this is why fashion and makeup tutorials of “How to look [insert race here]” are all disturbing: these tutorials are implying there is an objective look to a community, and that is simply false. Even if this is done towards a “dominant racial group” (by dominant I am connoting “power”; in other words, they are the racially privileged group such as Chinese in China or Whites in the U.S.), it is still incredibly offensive. For example, in Korea, a “How to look Korean” video is as messed up as, in the United States, a “How to look White” video—even if, yes, it is understandable that these would be to poke fun at the racially privileged groups.

But without digressing too far on that, another issue with blackface is oftentimes how grotesque it is—and we have to understand the historical context of blackface for this. In the United States, blackface in the past was used by White performers who would perform as Blacks in oftentimes degrading, exaggerated manners in a way that implied Blacks were inferior to Whites. In other words, Whites would use blackface to pretend to be Blacks in order to create a comical show. Again, this is all quite disturbing and this history is something to bear in mind for MAMAMOO’s controversy and hence why people are greatly upset. In contemporary times, no one of any race should find these atrocious past acts acceptable given how many societies are ethically progressing. (That said, the only contemporary use of blackface is when Blacks themselves use it as a way of getting ownership back. This in of itself is controversial, but the idea behind this to take away blackface as a “For Whites to oppress Blacks” to a now “Blacks are taking back the historical damage and turning blackface into an empowering tool.” Again, I will not discuss this in much depth as I still have minimal knowledge on this history and have no specific stances. For those interested in the idea of “re-owning” oppressive acts, I recommend the story “The Goophered Grapevine” by Charles Chesnutt as it does address this idea. Without spoiling too much, an African American character seemingly uses Black stereotypes established by Whites in an internalized sense, but in reality, one could argue he was using these stereotypes to outwit and prevent Whites from buying his estate and thus was taking oppressive acts and stereotypes and turning them into empowering ones.)

English major nerdiness aside, I hope this all provides context to what MAMAMOO did, and why blackface in a historical sense is incredibly negative and why current uses of it—especially if not by Blacks to “re-own” blackface—can be quite controversial as it carries the roots of historical damage Whites have done towards Blacks in the United States. (And again, given how sensitive this topic is, I highly emphasize historical damage—though obviously current work is still needed in the United States for race. Point is, I wish to emphasize the historical point as I do not wish readers who are White to feel “responsible” per se; yes, Whites in the United States have racial privilege and thus are responsible on this end and understanding their racial privilege, but never should Whites be bashed specifically for creating blackface when it is a historical piece. But, even my stance on this is controversial though I argue it is the most humane and balanced view versus the extreme ends that claim “Whites should take no responsibility at all for the past” and “Whites are entirely responsible and need to pay for the past.” Again, there is a responsibility of racial privilege in current times, but it should not extend all the way to the past.)

Let us now discuss MAMAMOO in specific and see how we, as fans of the ladies (or even K-Pop in general), continue on from this incident.

_______________________________________________________

Analysis: Since I already addressed the “racism binary” and why there are issues with it, I wish to hone in on the concept of “unintentional racism” as I argue this is the case with MAMAMOO. I strongly doubt MAMAMOO and RBW Entertainment were intending to mock a specific community; rather, it is likely they were trying to very much get into their performance and truly immerse themselves via appearance as they were covering American pop artist Bruno Mars’s music video. While I have not seen the actual footage yet, knowing the ladies I bet their performance was very much simply covering the song in perhaps an upbeat, fun manner. Was race the complete reason with why they were using blackface? Not necessarily as, again, they were most likely focused on the music and not attempting to mock a community at all. But, this does not mean they are free from responsibility; they had good intentions but still ended up using blackface—a highly derogatory, negative act. So what do we make of this?

For one, fans need to stop using the racism binary with now automatically equating MAMAMOO as “racist” and evil women. If anything, this might be the worst idea given that MAMAMOO, from admittedly my biased perspective as a fan, is one of the more aware K-Pop groups of their international fans. Furthermore, the ladies and their label company tend to be more “open”—and more so if we bear in mind many Asian countries are still “conservative.” For example, MAMAMOO very much desires to release songs that empower women (and hence the extremely high ratio that favors female to male fans for MAMAMOO) and with having a song that explores the idea of gender as a performance—the iconic “Um Oh Ah Yeah” music video—I find it quite disappointing that fans are turning away from MAMAMOO with ideas of “they have only been racist this whole time” and such. Now this is not to excuse their actions, but indeed, we need to realize that a quick label of “MAMAMOO is racist” gets no one anywhere—and this applies for everything besides just MAMAMOO.

(On a personal note, I hate the terms of “liberal” and “conservative” that I have to connote here and more so if it ties into politics which I never will discuss on this blog; I find these terms absolutely silly as seldom are people in one category. For example, while I consider myself socially ethical as my social views are based ethics and not so much politics or whatever else, I am easily still labeled as “liberal” in this regard. However, I find that this one label is insufficient as I know for sure I have and do strongly abide to specific “conservative” beliefs. For example, I am highly against “hookup culture”—the idea of essentially casual sexual intercourse—as I have my own beliefs about sex that are, obviously, “conservative.” And to my surprise, sharing this personal view of mine was utterly shocking and somewhat appalling to a class and this was when I discovered there are so many issues with these labels. So, on one hand I am “liberal” and yet “conservative” on the other and this simple example is why I dislike those binary labels.)

And so, while fans need to stop bashing MAMAMOO with labeling them as racist, we still need to understand that their usage of blackface is still inappropriate. Fans who are offended and upset are right to feel this way, and that is because even if MAMAMOO was unintentional with this racist-based act, it still is racist. Thankfully, MAMAMOO and RBW Entertainment have acknowledged this and are educating themselves on why blackface is inappropriate—the very fact that they have done this acknowledgement is a testament to that fact that they do care (and equally openly mentioning that they wish to include fans of all race, gender, sexuality, and so forth). Also to bear in mind is that with South Korea being a rather homogenous society, blackface is perhaps a foreign concept to them—no pun intended on “foreign.” Thus, the social and racial implications were perhaps something MAMAMOO and their company were completely unaware of. But as said, they are not to be excused and this is also something I urge fans to be aware of. While fans should not go to the extreme of bashing MAMAMOO as racist, neither should fans let this incident disappear or minimize their use of blackface as something forgettable.

_______________________________________________________

Conclusion: Where does this all take us now? For one, this incident reminds us all that racism still needs to be addressed in a sociological sense—that the racism binary is false and needs to go away if further progress is to be made. Racism is not an “either” situation as said, and until that binary goes away, it will be difficult to ever deal with racism in an upfront manner. After all, what do we glean from discussions that merely go “MAMAMOO is racist, go away” or “MAMAMOO is not racist and are perfect; you all are overreacting”? Nothing. To quite literally quote my sociology professor, “Racism is like smog; we can’t find who is responsible but we all are responsible for cleaning it up.” This is incredibly true for not just MAMAMOO’s situation, but for discussions of racism everywhere. Instead of using racism as a labeling game, fans and MAMAMOO need to instead directly address racism as a concept. This means addressing implicit biases, acknowledging mistakes, and ultimately striving to become a more open, compassionate, ethical, better human being.

All in all, what MAMAMOO did was incredibly wrong and was racist, but fans need to understand they never intended to be malicious and racist. Nevertheless, acknowledging of their unintentionally racism has to occur, and furthermore, the need to understand why blackface is racist is crucial. What is most amazing to me, though, is the fact that MAMAMOO and RBW Entertainment have done so: They have acknowledged their use of blackface is racist and offensive, and they are educating themselves on why blackface is wrong and on how to prevent future incidents like these from occurring. This growth not as MAMAMOO but simply as four women trying to do better for others is what needs to be cherished most. Although I oftentimes hold MAMAMOO as an example of how all artists should be, I personally find that their acknowledgement and strive towards improvement with their racist blunder to further prove that point. This is how one addresses racism and makes progress—not by denying that it was not racist, not caring, or doing whatever they can to assure others “I am not racist.” Instead, acknowledging their mistake and then working to educate themselves so that they are more socially aware and inclusive is what needs to occur.

As for fans, the same should occur but in regards to removing the racism binary: fans need to understand and educate themselves on the racism binary, on why MAMAMOO and RBW Entertainment thought blackface was fine (in other words, understanding South Korea’s situation with being a homogenous society), and ultimately, fans need to realize how to be respectful yet still assertive with openly calling out their beloved idols. To the fans—both Korean and international—who did not hesitate to critique MAMAMOO’s actions but did so in a respectful, calm manner, huge credit to them.

While I hope these incidents become far and few in the future of K-Pop, I also hope growth occurs for everyone. Remember: racism is smog; let us stop playing the blaming and labeling binary game, and let us instead all work together—regardless of our own race—towards a future where race can be discussed in a respectful, open manner. Then, perhaps, in the future racism in of itself will disappear—or at least, discussions can occur and growth will be encouraged and that no one will be automatically bashed as “racist and evil.”

_______________________________________________________

Given how controversial this topic is, I assume this post will not render entirely well with everyone. With MAMAMOO’s situation, as said, how one feels will ultimately be their decision—though I urge that it is based in critical thinking. Certainly the racism binary needs to be challenged, but even that can be controversial as some do strongly believe that one is either entirely non-racist or one is entirely racist. No matter one’s stances, I simply assert the idea that we need to all be open and respectful of our various views. Through discussion and maturity will actual progress be made. For me, I remain a fan of MAMAMOO and to me despite this incident, they are still my role models—in fact, perhaps even more so as how they are handling the situation with acknowledging their mistakes and striving for improvement is truly admirable (even if what they did was not so). However, even if one is no longer a fan, this is understandable and needs to be respected.

All in all, I hope this post provides some deeper insight to the situation especially in a sociological lens and for those who find this post relevant for its discussion, I do encourage sharing this around. Ultimately, readers will have to decide on what they think though in a respectful, thoughtful manner.

Regarding upcoming reviews, BTS’ “Spring Day” will be out in a few more days, and afterwards TWICE’s  “Knock Knock” will have a relatively thorough review. After that I have a request for HIGH4’s “Love Line,” and from there we will see where the remaining posts take us.

[mixedracelitlwhs-blog]

Film: Mixed Race is an Unedited Film

Our creative project is a film that explores mixed-race identities in the Lick-Wilmerding community. We chose to emphasize people’s experiences being mixed-race through a montage of multiple people. We asked students to either give a word, a phrase, or a couple sentences to answer the question, “What does being mixed-race mean to you?” We chose this question because we wanted the question to be open-minded and expressive for the people we interviewed. After doing extensive research on various perspectives and representations of mixed-race in modern media, we noticed that the majority of responses included talking about how other people’s opinions of their mixed-race identities have influenced and impacts how they view themselves. We wanted to come up with and ask a question which would allow our interviewees to have freedom and creativity in their responses but also think about how their mixed-race identity shapes them. Through this project, we are able to gain insight on the different perspectives of people in the Lick community and their perspectives on being mixed-race.

After filming and watching the responses to our main question, we found it interesting how the answers were fairly neutral as a lot of participants described their experience as mostly positive or fairly flawed. There wasn’t a lot of negative connotations to mixed-race experiences but rather a pattern of being mixed-race as “confusing” or “conflicting.” The idea that people felt the need to identify with one culture more than the other but also not feel guilt or fear of “abandoning” a part their identity plays into the idea of being mixed-race and how it’s not something that is quantifiable. Although people can say they are genetically “this much” of one-race and “this much” of another, there’s no way to put a number as to how much of a person's identity is occupied by one culture. However, others said that being mixed-race made them feel “special” and how they could belong to several communities and experience multiple cultures.

A connection to today would be checking off boxes to identify someone. However, a person’s identity is not confined to any one part of themselves but rather their identity should consider all aspects of who they are. The film helps reveal some of the experiences people have had being mixed-race, and how it varies for everyone.

America is usually known as a “melting pot,” by blending a diverse group of people into one large “pot.” The “melting pot” connects to mixed-race identities because throughout the years, the way we define race has been changing as well. National Geographic’s article, ​The Changing Face of America, ​states that while mixed-race is becoming more and more common, it doesn’t completely erase the history people of color have faced. This connects to how mixed-race identity is shaped in our society. Our film explores the experiences of mixed-race students at Lick-Wilmerding and analyzing the term “melting pot” could offer insight as to how their identity is shaped. ​The Odyssey’s​ article “​Is America Actually a Melting Pot?” ​challenges the idea of the “melting pot.” Writer Amna Rustom argues that ​while it seems as though the “melting pot” is what America claims to be, it seems as if it is actually a hope and dream for America rather than a reality. As to how this connects to race and mixed-race, students at Lick-Wilmerding often find themselves in a confusing and difficult spot when it comes to their race. Unfortunately, America is still not a society that accepts all cultures so many students at Lick-Wilmerding often feel as though they must pick one race. ​More specifically, though San Francisco is a place of diversity, where many people live in a sheltered bubble, many students at Lick face challenges and difficulties when it comes to their race.

Our overall vision is to help others catch a glimpse of living as a mixed-race student at Lick-Wilmerding and further analyze any particular patterns in responses. We hope the film can reach a variety of people, even outside of Lick-Wilmerding. We were inspired by CYJO’s photo series, ​Mixed Blood​, which portrayed families with their children of “mixed” races, ethnicities, and cultures. In her photo series, we noticed that CYJO chose specific communities to document, such as New York City, Beijing, the DC Metro Area, and Miami, and we took inspiration from that by choosing to show mixed-race identity in the Lick Wilmerding community. We found that the clips of people in our film reveal that being mixed-race isn’t based on the traditional stereotypical idealities but instead questions and diffuses the societal influence and process of race/ethnicity. Thus, our film subjects and the mixed-race families in ​Mixed Blood ​both illustrate the connective, cross-cultural experiences in different communities in our world.

If this film were to be connected with a series of a longer body of work, this film would just be one subset. Our film would try to encapsulate some of the mixed-race students at Lick-Wilmerding. A possible idea for a series would be a multitude of montages around different schools or even across states. As stated previously, San Francisco is very much different than other cities around the country, so it would be interesting to see what people across the country will have to say about their experiences. We decided to throw away the labels when presenting the students. Instead of stating which races they are, we decided to just present their name and grade. Often times, people attribute certain physical features, such as the eyes, to someone’s race or races. People generally immediately assume someone’s race because it is so ingrained in our society to do so.

Personal Reflections Mika: As a Japanese and Chinese American, I found myself wondering if people view multi-ethnic people similarly to mixed-race people. When I talked to the people I interviewed, a lot of them explained how people would identify them as mixed-race by certain facial features such as eyes, hair color and even face shape. I began to reflect on my experiences with people guessing what race and ethnicity I was and realized that there aren’t specific things which label me as both Chinese and Japanese. Most people just know me as Asian, which makes me think that our ideas of race and ethnicity are not quite clear to the general public. When multiple interviewees explained how they felt conflicted between their races, I began thinking about whether I was conflicted between my two ethnicities. Although my whole perspective on the matters of race and ethnicity are completely blurred after hearing multiple perspectives from people inside and outside the Lick community, I’ve been able to reflect on my own relationship with my racial identity and I think that I wouldn’t be able to gain a deeper point of view without having the opportunity to interact with so many people in a diverse community.

Jen: Throughout my life, I have never truly had a difficult time choosing between my Burmese heritage and my Chinese heritage. I have always had a blend of both, from speaking Burmese at home, to taking Chinese class in school. Since I am not mixed-race, I wanted to learn more about the experiences of mixed-race students, and specifically at Lick-Wilmerding. Before coming to Lick, my middle school was predominantly Asian, but at Lick, I felt as though I was able to meet a wide variety of students with different backgrounds and experiences. Similar to our class discussions, sometimes, people try to “guess” which race you are and try to attribute certain physical features to your race. In middle school, I used to swim in the sun a lot so I would be tan, and I remember one day my classmate assumed I was Filipino because of my skin color. Throughout my life, when my skin got lighter because I swan during the winter, my aunts and grandmas would say, “Wow, you’re so much prettier! Your skin is so much lighter!” This connects to the idea of “white beauty” and how it has such a major influence on those around the world. As a Chinese, Burmese, American, I have a different perspective than my family living in Myanmar. Though sometimes, there may be conflicts between my perspective and my family’s perspective, I love being a part of different cultures because I am able to further explore what it means to be a Chinese, Burmese, American.

Throughout the whole process of our project, we had difficulty trying to come to a conclusion with how we wanted to finalize our film. We spent several days nit picking all of the flaws and controversies which could be brought up about our film and we ultimately came to the conclusion that there’s no right way to portray mixed-race, especially visually. Because race is such a visual construct, we didn’t want our film to give off the wrong idea or impression. We’ve learned that race is something that is thought of visually, as race is something we notice when we first meet someone or an identifier/how we identify people. Additionally, we realized that race is hard to capture through film as the way we film and edit the video is so crucial to how people react to it. When thinking about how we wanted to present our idea through film, we took into consideration the various ways race is portrayed in Hollywood. In recent years, Hollywood’s portrayal of race in media has been bittersweet, some films celebrate and accept different actors and actresses of various races but others scrutinize race and portray it negatively. As Asian-American girls, we find that there is a lack of representation in films and often times, we are misrepresented. For example, Scarlett Johansson in the live-action anime-based movie, Ghost in the Shell and Emma Stone, as a mixed-race Hawaiian in the 2014 drama, Aloha. As critics of these movies and the casting choices we have seen, we didn’t want to replicate and make the mistake of giving the wrong intention when choosing and asking people in the Lick community to be in our film. We strived to include a diverse group of people regarding the number of races in the Lick community, different grades, and genders. While our film doesn’t specify what combinations of race people are, we knew our audience would immediately begin to label the subjects in the film simply because it’s a natural instinct to do so. When selecting people to interview and film, we had difficulty trying to come up with a list which was diverse and inclusive. For example, we would make a list and then realize that the majority of people were hapa (white and Asian) and we weren’t satisfied with that list because we didn’t want to give the impression that the only or majority of mixed-race students at Lick were hapa. We also found that there were intersections with gender identities when searching for people. Most of the people we originally filmed were female-identifying, which we thought made the same implication that Lick-Wilmerding has a lot of female mixed-race people and not as many mixed-race males. Something which was difficult to deal with was including a diverse group but having to deal with issues including scheduling (as most of our scheduling times depended on the people who we asked) and a lot of people were extremely busy being that it is the end of the semester.

Works Cited

Mixed Blood, by ​CYJO. Circa 2010, cast circa 2017, Mixed Race is a Black Box, pg 54-55.

[obscuraxrp]

The smoke settles to reveal YANG QIYUN, a 30 year old caladrius-blooded of Sunseong. She is a fitness instructor who appears to be adept in disease detection and healing magic --- but like most things in Sunseong, there must be more to her than meets the eye.

FACECLAIM: Yang Mi, actress

APPEARANCE:

Human - At present, Qiyun is perfectly capable to maintain human form for prolonged times without giving away anything in relation to her true form. The only thing that may catch the eye of others would be the color of her eyes, which are amber; even so, the coloration isn’t remotely uncommon enough for it to rise suspicion.

Natural - Her eyes maintain their amber coloration, which becomes more vibrant. Qiyun’s back, arms and the upper half of her legs have white feathers sprouting above the surface of the skin. They don’t entirely cover the respective areas, instead appearing here and there – they are certainly more abundantly found in the upper part of her body, respectively between the shoulder blades and down along the arms.

Transformation - Full transformation grants her the appearance of a bird, white in color and very much similar to a dove.

BIOGRAPHY:

Qiyun comes into the world on a lovely, early day of autumn, one which would later reflect onto her as a person – she is as warm and bright as the day itself had been. The girl falls into the hands of a Chinese family that had relocated itself to South Korea years before her birth, though the roots to their heritage are maintained strong even when they are away from their native land.

Different, but no less beautiful than another baby, she is nursed and brought up by the best of her parents’ abilities; she is not made to feel different, even if the collective that she interacts with is restrained at the early stages of her life. Complaints never leave her lips, neither do questions – the young child is taught not to view herself as different.

Upon being prompted about the differences between her and the other children, why feathers were present on various parts of her body, Qiyun’s mother drew the young child onto her lap and proceeded to explain that ‘different’ should never have a negative connotation; she isn’t different, but unique. Vague as the answer might be, it brings a smile to the girl’s lips and, with the promise that more would be disclosed to her over time, the conversation comes to an end.

The years pass and, with the succession of each season, Qiyun grows. Her mother is a figure that is ever-present in her life, while her father is mostly away; he is often busy, being the one to tend to the family’s finances. Even with a presence that is as minimal as his, his daughter loves him no less and, with the passage of time, comes to greatly appreciate the efforts which he put into keeping the family together. Opportunities arise because of his relentlessness and the family leaves South Korea behind when Qiyun is only seven years of age. They move to San Francisco, California, and start a new life over there.

Adapting comes easier for the child than it does for the parents, although each side strives to do their best. Learning a language from scrap comes with difficulties, as do the lessons which her mother begins to guide her through; all is eventually overcome, a gentle hand to offer guidance, a warm smile and optimism serving as the perfect means to cope. Even if everything was narrowed down to trial and error, Qiyun proves that she’s inherited her father’s determination – through hard work, she learns to conceal the parts of her that are deemed uncommon. This earns the girl the long-awaited pass to enter society and so, she enrolls at a local High School.

It takes a while for Qiyun to properly adapt to the new environment, though by the end of the first semester, the girl is well settled in. Friends are few in number, while acquaintances are many – Qiyun is far from what one would consider popular, but she gets by well enough with the number of people that she knows. Always lively and seen with a smile on her lips on most days, she pushes through each waking moment and tries to make the best of each opportunity that life presents her with.

High School come with an opportunity and it’s then that she decides to attend tryouts for the school’s volleyball team. She makes it in without much issues and that is when her focus begins to shift away from books and towards sports; within limits, of course. In such an environment, she thrives and prospers – meets new people, forms friendships and bonds with both her fellow teammates and those that showed support to the group.

A change of scenery occurs at the age of 18, as High School draws to an end, for Qiyun returns with her mother to South Korea. The news of her grandmother being on her deathbed is what has the pair depart from the United States. Her father is left behind, as he remains in the States to work and continue to provide for his family – it would be in these moments that they would require financial aid the most. Although the culture that she’s exposed to falls nothing short of being unfamiliar, Qiyun initially struggles to blend into the picture. Ultimately, she succeeds and re-adapts; her mother is never far behind, offering words of encouragement whenever she notices that her daughter begins to falter.

Although things at home aren’t the best due to the situation with the grandmother, Qiyun is encouraged by both of her parents to further her education and pursue a career that feels right for her. With a heavy heart, all due to having to leave her mother tend to everything that was happening at home, the girl complies to the request – her life has to move forward, not be held at a stop due to the family’s present situation. While a degree is pursued in university, solace is found in a local gym, which was not far from her house; it was there that she would spend a few hours to destress, after a long day of courses. That was her way of coping, it was a momentary escape from the buzzing world that surrounded her, as well as the problems at home.

By the time Qiyun finishes University, her grandmother has long passed away and the obtained degree doesn’t hold much importance to her. She moves out of the family’s apartment and seeks out a place of her own, as well as a job that would offer decent income. Seeing that sports and various other means of physical activity became a focal point in more recent years, that is the route which she takes up. As such, when a spot opens up at the gym that she frequented, she was the one to volunteer to fill up as a fitness instructor.

Like any beginning, this one is rocky. With the responsibility that her job came with, Qiyun is ever-careful in her approach, as the last thing she wishes for is to unintentionally bring harm to any of her attendees during training sessions. Her nervousness is never betrayed by her outer exterior, but her worries surface when attendees begin to request her aid or frequent the sessions which she held; Qiyun learns over time how to deal with the occasional problems that arise, with motivating others and keeping them going when they feel like giving up – the occurrence is far more common than one might think and although her approach is shaky in the beginning, she grows stalwart over time.

From here onward, she only hopes to thrive.

CHARACTERIZATION:

Determination is what’s always stood out for Qiyun, even from her early years of childhood. Should she set her mind on doing something or achieving a goal, there will be nothing that will bring her to a stop. Reaching a goal is similar to a promise made to herself – she would never break it, regardless of circumstances. In the same breath, should it ever come a point where she is required to make a promise to another, Qiyun will try to uphold it. She will bend and break, but under no circumstances will she go against her word.

She is a natural nurturer: patient, devoted and protective. More often than not, she is concerned about people’s feelings and tries to be gentle in order to avoid hurting anyone. Similarly, Qiyun cares for the well-being of those around her and goes at incredible lengths to ensure that the ones she holds dear are safe and well.

Her calm and friendly demeanor make Qiyun an easy person to approach. Conversation is something which she’s never seen to shy away from – she enjoys a good chat above all else, although she’s often seen showing more interesting in hearing as well as talking about others, rather than herself.

She, relatively often, ends up taking life-changing decisions in the blink of an eye; she lives life allowing her heart to over-rule her mind in moments of stress, which more often than not lands her in a variety of problematic situations. Despite this, Qiyun always tries to pull herself out of trouble, in order to get back on track.

SPECIALTIES:

Caladrius is a species of bird which, according to both Roman and Greek mythology, is said to be able to take the sickness of others upon itself. It would thereafter fly away, dispersing the sickness in flight and thus healing both itself and the afflicted person. Qiyun’s ability is easily defined by such, as she is capable to take the illness of others onto herself, leaving the individual in good health.

Disease detection (Rank II, 40 points)

Through focusing, be it on a single target or on multiple, Qiyun can visualize their bodies’ aura; through it, she is able to detect what ailment affects the individual. The illnesses which she has either suffered from or has come across in others before are easier to diagnose, whereas those unknown to her stand at the opposite spectrum.

Even though the ability can be used on multiple targets at the same time, it has most accuracy when used individually; used as such, it is less taxing for her, too. Generally speaking, an extensive glimpse into one’s aura results in backlash – fatigue is the very first sign of extensive use, followed rapidly by a headache. In extreme cases, it can lead to her momentarily losing consciousness.

Healing (Rank II, 40 points)

Healing represents the focal point of Qiyun’s ability. It can be achieved through two means: by touch or at distance, given that she is within close proximity of the person suffering of a disease. She is capable to either alleviate an illness or take it entirely upon her, thus completely healing the affected individual – whether one option is gone for over the other is influenced by the stage of the illness she is meant to take away; those which she has been affected by are considerably easier to heal a person from than those she hasn’t suffered from.

Generally speaking, regardless of cause, diseases that she holds no familiarity towards healing proves difficult both due to the exertion produced on her body during the transfer made between her and the other person, as well as for the lingering effects which the disease leaves as a mark onto her; self-healing takes longer for these cases and the symptoms of the illness are felt stronger, a lot more violently.

Recuperation for her comes in various ways - one calls back to the bird’s original myth, where flight causes the sickness to disperse and leave her body, while the other is represented by rest. The necessary time for completion varies from one case to another.

As of now, her ability extends only to sicknesses of various kinds; she is not yet able to heal a person’s mind, mend bones or close up wounds.

Shapeshifting (Rank I, 20 points)

Shapeshifting allows Qiyun to take the form of a Caladrius bird upon will. While trading her regular, humanoid appearance for that of the bird comes with great focus and energy exertion, maintaining said form is increasingly more taxing – it is easily draining at present and, as a result, it cannot be maintained for prolonged periods of time.

If she is to attempt taking flight while in avian form, it results in being held much less than usual; if she can remain shifted for thirty minutes on a regular basis, then the time gets cut down to half or less. Similarly, if either the disease detection or healing ability are attempted to be used, the focus required for it at present is enough to cancel out both abilities.

[sjohnson24]

Legends of Owls

When humans were looking around at the new world to understand who we were supposed to become, we naturally analyzed the animal kingdom as well, as we are looking everywhere for the correct answers. The purpose of family, friends and survival soon became evident. How did other species act to survive the wild Earth? Where did their spirits go? This and many other questions evolved into the birthplace of shamans and magical peoples, believing that the spirit world and nature would give us the answers to the riddles left around us. Animals can be admired for their positive and negative characteristics, much like people. Some myths show how humans may want to acquire the powers of certain animals and ways to perhaps achieve this such as eating owl’s eyes to see in the dark.

We know that although medically and scientifically, this may not work and that is why it is spiritual. You are feeding your soul the intention and the message. You are symbolizing the desire to acquire vision in the dark, knowledge in the lost world; there are many different ways to see this. It is important to hold onto the thought processes and spiritual connotation to learn about ourselves now and in the future. A dream, a thought, a visualization is the first voice of creation, suddenly pulling your thoughts into a physical existence.

The soft sounds of a nearby owl can evoke emotions of magic. The owl is a very mysterious and nocturnal creature that has stood as a symbol for legendary peoples such as the goddess Athena and also the Great Spirit.

Evidence of owls has been found dating back to over 60 million years ago in fossils and the design of the owl has not changed much. Because of this, the owl has been used in magic as well dating as far back and widespread touching all cultures and religions. The spirit of the owl is ancient, and beautiful.

In Appalachian cultures, the owl comes down to eat spirits on Samhain night. It enjoys the souls of the dead. This may be related to how an owl can eat something whole and regurgitate the bones at a later time.

It has strong associations with the dead. This is a very unique animal in this sense.

The owl is an eerie creature, nocturnal for the most part although some species of owl such as the burrowing owl are awake at daytime. An owl that lives outside of one’s home is said to be the telltale sign that there is a powerful sorcerer within. An owl can be a guardian for a witch, protecting her home from unseen visitors. There are many different types of owl and they each have their separate mythologies. Overall, the owl is a great symbol for mystery, death, knowledge and wisdom.

Barn Owl A barn ow is a beautiful rustic colored bird that has a stunningly white face. This has earned the bird many nicknames such as ghost bird or demon face. The white color of the bird’s face reflects very brightly in a dark night and can be quite eerie to see when you are not expecting it.

Burrowing Owl The burrowing owl is said to be the symbol of the God of the dead in native mythologies. It is also known as a warrior’s protector. The burrowing owl hides itself into the Earth, giving it a natural source of enigmatic energy to thrive on. Touching the earth is called grounding, and so this owl is absorbing magic from the Earth.

Chinese In China the owl is considered to be the masculine and positive force of the yin, yang (the yang). It is considered where there is too much light, goodness and masculinity. The owl is a powerful symbol as well and was used on royal emblems.

Feathers The Roman’s believed that you could assemble owl feathers in a certain way to protect against the evil eye. Those cursed by the evil eye would experience evil misfortunes and bad luck sure to last a lifetime. The Roman’s placed a very negative connection onto the owl. The owl was supposed to have foretold the deaths of many emperors.

A feather can also keep away evil spirits and illness from evil intentions. This feather must be found and not stolen from the owl in order to work properly. It must be hung upon a doorway or placed in bed with the person who needs protection.

Native America In Native American mythology, the owl is a symbol of death. Apaches believe that dreaming of one can bring death. The calling of an owl through your window if you are ill is an omen of your passing. A symbol of an owl may be placed onto rocks to mark fishing spots. Cherokee culture speculates that the owl is really a ghost or spirit of a loved one.

Owls are killed throughout the world each year for those believing in the magic. The unfortunate part is that some species has almost become extinct by doing this. A spirit who holds a specific animal sacred is one who would not want to see the owl become hurt, so murdering an owl will not protect you it will only bring severe karmic offenses against you. Not only is it evil to kill owls or other animals for magic, it will only bring harm upon everyone involved, including yourself. There is no reason to sacrifice animals to please a god, even if using black magic this is a myth. It is very unwise to make rash decisions when performing magic because magic was not intended to be used by everyone, only shamans and other magical peoples of the world. Please do not perform magic ceremonies unless you were gifted to do so by the Gods and Goddess and have the proper knowledge for protection. This is very much like driving a car, if you get behind the wheel of something you have not learned or practiced to use, it can be dangerous to your life and others.

My soulmate by Jodi Lynn Meyer Stinson Each night, I sit and wait to hear The footsteps of my soulmate, dear

To many men have come and gone, They’re on a frightful quest, I fear

The footprints they have placed upon my soul Reminds me to keep the good book near

A special love is hard to find, every time The pain makes me think I have found mine

I do not wish to die alone I always think the end is near

I place my trust in one good friend who Doesn’t understand the pain I’m in

Dear friend please don’t leave again I know now that you don’t really care

All I need is to make my house a home…

Deanna Jaxine Stinson aka The Black Rose Halo Paranormal Investigations (HPI International) https://www.facebook.com/#!/groups/HPIinternational/