#the hero of canton

[waywardwizzard]

"Never thought I'd see the day," the bounty hunter said, staring at the bound crew of Serenity. "Well done, Captain Cobb."

Behind him, Jayne shifted.

"Yeah, well, you promised me a reward but my pockets are feelin' kinda empty, Kyle."

Grinning, Kyle tossed him a heafty bag, the sound of coins clinking loud in the cargo bay.

"Hope ya don't mind. I threw somethin' extra in there, might be enough to get this piece of gou shi fixed."

A few of the bounty hunter's lackeys laughed, none too gently shoving Wash and Kaylee down the ramp.

Avoiding Mal's eyes, Jayne grinned half-heartedly and stuffed the bag into his pocket.

"Fool's gold," River muttered as she and Simon were led past the merc, "but you aren't a fool. Doesn't fit."

'Mama didn't raise a fool, son - '

"Shut it, little lady," Kyle barked, turning to follow the last of the crew down the ramp, "Ain't got time for your yammerin'. We got a - "

The sound of a gun being cocked made him stop.

"Y'know, what?" Jayne said, "I'm suddenly not all that interested in havin' my own ship. It's too much work, if you ask me."

[fuckyeahbiggsdarklighter]

So I've never had the slightest interest in how you would do more firefly and to a certain extent it's because I never thought the show was any good and even though it has its fans I didn't see or couldn't imagine a way forward with that cast of characters without addressing the way the show cloaks itself in superficial Chinese influence without actually having Chinese culture or characters.

But, I've been thinking about it and I have a solution. first of all I think it's good that Shepherd Book and a few other characters have essentially been written out. Joss Whedon has discussed the "wagon train in the stars" format, and you just can't have that many main characters and maintain any narrative coherency. I also think the show needs a mix of heist of the week and longer form serialized and narrative structure. the best moments in that show involved Nathan Fillion ruminating on how he got where he is, why he got where he is, and what he plans to do next.

so I think for more firefly to work you need two things:

1) you have to bring wash back, because he is the best character to be everyone else's entry point to this universe. wash's best lines of dialogue were always saying what the audience is thinking anyway. but you can't actually bring Wash back without cheapening or erasing the narrative structure of the film, which i actually thought was one of the high points of Joss Whedon's career. So you have to do it in a roundabout way. first you introduce Hoban Washburn's brother. this character is exactly like flashback wash: terrible mustache, irritating, and most importantly Zoe hates him. you get to have a lot of great scenes of them arguing about past family drama, add you get a strong implication of history between these characters, which is the best part of the Zoe/Malcolm relationship. it also allows you to explore some negative aspects of the original wash character without making the audience see them in person. this culminates at the end of the second season with the death of the brother.

then in season 3 the real wash shows up. this wash appears to be the same character from the original season. Picture John Locke from season 5 the lost, who was the most John Locke that John Locke had ever been. obviously the doctor is fascinated and eventually we learn that he's a clone. there's a dramatic sequence where we return to the setting of the film and find Hoban Washburn's grave has been dug up, and then some clues are followed over the season(s) where the crew tries to figure out who is making these clones and where.

in later seasons we can keep the clone character or kill it, and then we can introduce additional iterations: clones of the clone, clones of the brother, more brothers, etc. Ideally there are moments with multiple Washes, none of whom have quite the same identity or memories. Eventually this leads to the second item that the show really needs in order to work:

2) Mythology. Much like the X-Files, you need to delve into how this universe actually works. The gov't is vaguely alluded to without much detail of their operations, and I think that's interesting and necessary for a show that revolves around outlaws who skirt under the radar of the local authorities. You need some high-stakes heists where they break into one of those city-on-a-platform Alliance ships instead of just showing one. You also need more exploration of the broader criminal underworld.

Some of this comes as background to the heist-of-the-week episodes, but you also need a slow-burn narrative thread that pushes the crew forward and ratchets up the stakes each season. The multiple Wash characters give you that structure and makes it personal. As they dig deeper into this mystery they start realizing much of their actions for years have been orchestrated; the person behind the clones is also the person behind many of their jobs, and is also somehow connected to the Alliance government, the Browncoats, the Tam's struggles, even Jayne's old crew (BTW we kill Jayne in the new premiere, obvs).

[dramamath]

Most pirates have a parrot on their shoulder. I have a Jayne.

[chernobog13]

Wong Fei-hung (Jackie Chan) undergoes some rigorous old school kung fu training under the tutelage of Beggar So (Yuen Liu-tin/Simon Yuen) in Drunken Master (1978).

The film was directed by Yuen Woo-ping, the action choreographer of The Matrix (1999), Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) and many, many more. He cast his father as Beggar So.

[ketchuplaser]

Watch "Hero of Canton - The man they call Jayne (original/full scene)" on YouTube

Love. This. Song.

[bionikgeek]

Orange Hats Are Cool

Was watching Season 1 of Avatar the Last Airbender and was posessed to make this:

[semperardens-juli]

"Epics are narrative poems that recount the story of a hero who represents a particular culture. They chronicle his quests and ordeals, and account for the hero's choices and motives, so helping to establish and codify the moral principles of a society."

The Literature Book: Big Ideas Simply Explained, James Canton

leave a little kindness

[sins-of-the-sea]

My Brother’s Keeper

Christmas carols aren’t up to Guy’s speed.... 

But he finds something nearby he might like....

“Ohh!! Is that-...!!”

"It's mistletoe!! So I have to just stand under it and get a kiss, right?? Maybe it'll make me feel better!" Guy immediately hops on over to stand directly beneath the mistletoe bunch while passersby walk on across the park.

And so.... one minute passes. "....It's suppose to be arranged with a ribbon, doesn't it? Or does it need the white berries to show up? Is it supposed to be hanging from a doorway? Or ceiling? Will a tree suffice?"

Five minutes pass. "....What if a woman wants to kiss me instead of a man? Is it rude for strangers to kiss? Or-....

Ten minutes now. "......This was a bad idea to begin with....."

Thirty minutes. "..............Really, really bad. There must be something I must be missing. Maybe I sh-

"..............................

"O-oh.......~" Much to his surprise, a handsome stranger with his friends stops to observe Guy just standing there, waiting for a kiss. All the more the stranger is a man openly willing to approach another man for romantic intent. Maybe this is Guy's chance. He brushes aside his curly locks and adjusts his coat, straightening his back to present himself with confidence. And so the handsome stranger stands close, brushing his mouth as to ready his lips for locking....

.....And Guy is suddenly hit with another memory. Especially as the handsome stranger appears to be Asian.

"...San-Gwong (晨光). I'm sorry, sir. I don't think I can do this. Merry Christmas." Guy turns sharply to make his way out of the park.

[wherekizzialives]

2024 in books: October

Autumn seems to have seeped into both my body and brain, generating an urge to hibernate that has seen me curling up in blankets and watching TV more than normal1, so my book consumption has dropped somewhat compared to September. However I’ve finished ten new-to-me books and the next of my ongoing re-read of Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series in published order, making eleven in total. As…

[leafofkudzu]

Greetings and salutations, a fresh month approaches and with it a fresh monthly art party, hosted by [VS] Verdant Shield! But what’s that ominous stomping and grunting I hear? Could it be....the origins of the infamous charr wall???? Let’s find out!

For those not in the loop, art parties are an idea carried over from Final Fantasy XIV and are basically get-togethers for artists/writers/creatives of all kinds to hang out, chat, and create together! Get your most striking look together, find someone that catches your eye, and create! Afterwards, everyone shares their creations using a common party-specific tag (ours is #VSArtParty) so others can see and spread the love via reblogs! The most important thing I always say about these is this: the ‘goal’ of an art party is not to be drawn, but to draw others, and share with the community!

Check under the cut for location/time/squadjoin info!

Location Details:

We’ve finally made it all the way to the Easternmost of the racial cities, the Black Citadel! I anticipate our charr attendance is about to skyrocket and our shenanigans will reach an all-time high, so prepare yourselves!

The charr home instance Hero’s Canton is very easily accessible nowadays via hopping over the wall on whatever mount suits you best from either Mustering Ground Waypoint (NW) or I believe Factorium Waypoint (SE). Once inside, head to the Southwest corner to find Hero’s Forum, a bar area with tons of space and seating areas!

Time & Squad Details:

Just like before, we’ll be having 2 parties - one for EU and one for NA - with an hour break in between. Of course, if you want to stay at the location and continue socializing after, that’s totally fine too! Fair warning: quite a few of the people who attend the EU party also attend the NA one on alt accounts, so expect the NA party to be much more densely populated!

The first party will be on EU servers and begin at 9pm Central European Summer Time (aka 3pm Eastern Daylight Time or 5 hours before in-game reset). I’ll be hosting on my EU alt account, so to join either /squadjoin or whisper Stormcaller Nell for an invite.

The second party will be on NA servers and begin at 7pm Eastern Daylight Time (aka 1am Central European Summer Time or 1 hour before in-game reset). This one I’ll be hosting on my main account, so to join either /squadjoin or whisper Veska Bonefang for an invite. 

IMPORTANT NOTE (mostly for the NA party): If you join and the squad is at or above 45 members, please just taxi into the right map and then hop out of squad to allow others to do the same! Essentially all conversation now happens in saychat so you won’t miss out on anything by being outside of squad!

Closing Words:

This isn’t the last party, but it is the last of the ones structured in this way! Now that we’ve completed our West-to-East sweep, next month I’ll start posting a poll for everyone to vote on the location instead! Since I do these announcements a week in advance, and polls last a week, expect the first one to show up 2 weeks before the next party, or 3 weeks from now! And, if you have suggestions for other potential locations to try out, feel free to send me an ask or DM with it and I’ll check it out!

Thank you so much again to everyone who comes out and makes these parties so fun and memorable, I can’t wait to see you all again next week! ♥

[docgold13]

Heroes & Villains The DC Animated Universe - Paper Cut-Out Portraits and Profiles

Elseworlds Addendum - Jade

Jennifer-Lynn Hayden was the daughter of The Green Lantern (Alan Scott) and Rose Canton.  Due to a series of complicated circumstances, Rose hid her pregnancy from Scott and when she gave birth to a pair of twins (Jennifer and her brother Todd) the children ended up adopted by two different families.  

As a result of Alan Scott’s longterm exposure to the energies of his power ring, both of his children were born with latent metahuman powers.  Jennifer’s powers first manifested in adolescence.  This entailed the ability to summon and manipulate green Star-Heart powers similar to those of a Green Lantern; including flight and the creation of energy constructs.  Unlike her father, Jennifer did not require a power ring and could summon the energies through a birthmark on her hand.  The onset of these abilities caused Jennifer’s skin to turn a light shade of emerald.  

Ultimately becoming the super heroine known as Jade, Jennifer was eventually able to reunite with her twin brother (who had become the superhero called Obsidian).  The two later learned the identity of their father and Alan Scott was shocked but overjoyed to learn of his children’s existence.  

After helping to form the young hero team known as Infinity Inc., Jade would later become a member of both the Justice League and the Justice Society.  Jade perished in battle but was later resurrected by way of the power of the cosmic Star Heart.

Although Jade’s bother was a member of the Justice League in Justice League Unlimited, Jade was conspicuously absent.  Which is a shame in that she would have been an excellent addition to the expanded league roster.

The heroine first appeared in the pages of All-Star Squadron #25 (1983).

[spoonmagister]

Behind the Scrib

The Tavern is a cornerstone of society. All adventures, mysteries, quests, jobs, observations, the passage of information, the meetings of heroes, the plotting of conspiracies, the purchase and subsequent consumption of bread and sujamma, the act of suddenly becoming silent when a Foreigner walks in… it all occurs here. This is just How It Is.

With this critical importance in mind, I found myself at the door of a tavern. This tavern, tucked away within the corner of the Foreign Canton in Vivec, is no secret to the locals, traders, and pilgrims who pass through those halls, yet it blatantly and plainly obfuscates its nature on its very doorstep.

A cursory glance at the scrib-emblazoned banner by the door revealed the name of Black Shalk Cornerclub. Even the casual entomologist or adventurer would understand that a Shalk is not a Scrib, and yet the sign to the establishment casually and confidently proclaims otherwise. This was not the first time I had seen an inn or tavern signified via a scrib banner, and it was a curious lie indeed.

The immediate atmosphere of the Cornerclub was one of a wretched hive, full of scum and villainy. It was absolutely crawling with spies, assassins, Fighter’s Guild enthusiasts, and coin-addled Hlaalu agents. A lizard by the bar watched newcomers as they entered, as though he were expecting someone specific, and upon seeing me did not appear to find what he sought.

I chose to sit — and I must stress that I sat down, rather than stand idly as folks here are keen to do — at a table close to the wall on the upper floor. I sat here for some time, pondering the nature of calling a Shalk a Scrib while levitating roasted ash yams and saltrice bread into my mouth.

It is always a scrib. Why IS it always a scrib?

At this time, two particularly ashy dunmer entered the tavern, visited the bar, and proceeded to shamble over to an adjacent table against the wall. Drinks in hand, they subtly nodded to each other and quietly exclaimed “The Sixth House is risen and lord Dagoth is its glory” before indulging. They did not sit down, of course, but continued standing rather distressingly close to two empty chairs.

The appearance of the average dunmer may already give one cause to be wary, but these two were notably horrid. They possessed eyes which seemed to singularly focus on a distant and invisible object, and their limbs and facial muscles were experiencing bursts of frequent and unnerving spasms. Hideous and gelatinous growths dotted their skin and bulged beneath their clothing. Appearing as if they were slowly being replaced by another material, I could only surmise this was the ultimate fate of those who remain in the Simulacrum for too long.

“It is unfortunate that you were chased out of that house so easily,” one of them said to the other.

“IT WAS A DECENT HOUSE. NOT MY FAVORITE HOUSE.”

“Our initiative is to spread awareness, not find temporary housing.”

Why is it always scribs? For what reason would the importance and prominence of the tavern be represented by the common, lowly, diminutive scrib? Does the scrib possess hidden qualities which would elevate its role in society? Is the scrib meant for more? IS the scrib MORE?

“I LIKE TO SURPRISE THEM WHEN THEY ARE BUSY. THEY DON’T SENSE MY APPROACH WHEN THEY ARE DISTRACTED BY THEIR ADVENTURER NONSENSE.”

“They might listen more enthusiastically if you approached with a bit more tact.”

“YOU CANNOT LET THEM GET A WORD IN OR THEY WILL QUIZ YOU ON ALL MANNER OF INANE AND UNRELATED MATTERS. RUMORS, MY TRADE, SOLSTHEIM…WHY ARE THEY LIKE THIS?”

Their words trailed off again, and in their place crept the reassuring yet alarmingly ever-present voice of the CHIME. Like a tinny static, it permeated the spaces in my thoughts and dug into my copious brain matter like the roots of Tel Uvirith, my new home, fortress, and thinking-space. Its MESSAGE was not wholly clear, but the Spoons already in my possession began to hone and tune it into words.

[Altmer… ~~~…HEED…~~~…a grand purpose…~~~…celestial emissary…~~~…~~~ PROTECT…~~~…~~~scrib…~~~…~~~…~~~prophecy disregard…~~~…~~~…COSMIC DEALINGS….~~~…~~~gesture]

Cosmic dealings? You want me to make contact again? With the gesture?

[…~~~…AFFIRM…~~~provide angles….~~~…]

It is well-known that Cosmic entities are strict adherents of angles. They do not even consider the notion of making Contact with beings who cannot demonstrate angles. But what unknowable and indescribable dealings was I going to make with such a being?

[Altmer…~~~…~~~…bring (10) Cats…~~~…(14) Time…~~~…(400) scribs GET…]

What am I going to do with 400 scribs?

“It was a shameful display. That a native would so quickly seek out the aid of an outlander just to remove a peaceful missionary.”

“A SHAMEFUL DISPLAY. THAT OUTLANDER ENTERED WITH NARY A KNOCK OR A SHOUT, YET I AM THE RUDE ONE?”

“Outlanders don’t knock. If they did, they would be turned away, and then we would not be in this predicament in the first place.”

“THE ONLY GOOD OUTLANDER IS AN OUTLANDER DENIED ENTRY.”

One of them, the more agitated and fanatical of the two, produced a pouch from his robes and removed from it a substance that looked strikingly similar to the growths which marked the two dunmer. He frantically searched the area, seemingly unable to find what he was looking for. He glanced to the adjacent table where I sat, for I had foolishly made eye contact.

“SAY, OUTLANDER, DO YOU HAVE A SPOON YOU ARE NOT USING?”

“I am using all of the spoons currently in my possession, all of the time,” I replied, unable to hide my disgust at the question.

The more diplomatic dunmer blinked at me as he seemed to mull over what I had said. “Ah, we understand, outlander.”

The Fanatic, clearly not understanding, began to shake.

“YOUR POSSESSION? TAKE WHAT YOU CAN, AND LEAVE OUR PLACE, FOR WHEN LORD DAGOTH COMES, THIS WILL BE NO PLACE FOR YOU.”

I could only silently agree that this was not the place for me, though I said nothing as my Sanctuary aura subtly deflected his aggression.

“IT IS TIME WE RETURNED HOME. TO THE HOUSE. THE TRUE HOUSE. THE SLEEPING HOUSE. HOUSE DAGOTH.”

“We are already at the House, brother. It is metaphorical in nature. I am sure you know this. Have you read the pamphlets?”

“WE ARE ONE AMONG THOUSANDS. WE MUST BRING THE MESSAGE.”

The cursed and decrepit dunmer simultaneously rose and began heading for the exit. Plumes of ash swirled and settled in their wake, and the table beside mine was completely coated in a fine layer of the gray sediment. On the table, and in a trail towards the door, were scattered bits of strange and hardened organic material. I would later notice that my skin developed a persistent itch which Divayth Fyr promptly addressed for me in exchange for my promise to stop stealing from him.

Of all the curiosities of the Reality Hallucination I had encountered thus far, the events within the Black Shalk were perhaps the most curious.

A day later, upon my arrival back to Tel Uvirith, I would deliver an important missive to my Mouth, Fast Eddie. It contained instructions to deliver the following message to Raril Giral, publican of the Black Shalk Cornerclub and pawn of the Reality Hallucination. It read as follows:

Black Shalk Cornerclub — 3/5 Spoons. Food was good. Service was okay. I got the Divine disease from one of the other patrons. Not very sanitary. Person at table next to me was a loud and dirty cultist. Misleading signage — no Scribs present. But there will be.

[chernobog13]

Beggar So (So Chan), a Chinese folk hero and master of drunken boxing.  He was a member of the Ten Tigers of Canton, a group of legendary martial artists.  

He is also the person who taught drunken boxing to a young Wong Fei-hung, who went to become a legend himself.  That tutelage is the basis for the kung fu comedy Drunken Master (1978), starring Jackie Chan as Fei-hung and Simon Yuen (Yuen Siu-tin) as Beggar So.

[ketchuplaser]

The Hero of Canton (perfect mp3)

[the-garbanzo-annex-jr]

By Minyvonne Burke

A 13-year-old boy who was arrested and accused of planning a mass shooting at an Ohio synagogue will have to write a book report on a Swiss diplomat who saved thousands of Jewish people during World War II, a family court judge ruled.

The teen, who is not being named because of his age, was charged with misdemeanor inducing panic and misdemeanor disorderly conduct after allegedly making a detailed plan to shoot members of Temple Israel in the city of Canton, south of Akron.

He allegedly shared his plan on Discord, an online chat platform that has been used by previous mass shooters.

The Stark County Sheriff's Office learned of his alleged plan on Sept. 1, according to a Stark County Family Court filing that the sheriff's office submitted.

The teen pleaded "true," the juvenile equivalent of guilty, to all counts on Friday, NBC affiliate WKYC of Cleveland reported.

Stark County Family Court Judge Jim James gave the teen a year of probation and ordered that he read a book and then write a report about Swiss diplomat Carl Lutz, who saved more than 62,000 Hungarian Jews during World War II, according to the news station.

He was also banned from having unsupervised use of the internet and must continue to see a licensed therapist.

The teen was scheduled to have a pre-trial hearing on Wednesday but it was canceled because of the agreement reached.

Although his arrest happened before Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, his charges come amid an increase in antisemitic attacks in the United States.

[semperardens-juli]

on the Iliad, the Trojan Wars

The Literature Book: Big Ideas Simply Explained, James Canton

a tale of two heroes

Achilles is the professional soldier, with few family ties, and Hector the reluctant but fierce fighter, defending home and family rather than honour.

Their characteristics and situations are metaphors for the contrasting values of society and those of the individual, and those of duty and responsibility compared with loyalty and love.

Neither side is wholly right or wrong, but in this war one must emerge victorious.

leave a little kindness