#yao chien po ling

[swynlake-rp]

Spring out of February with one of these characters!

Wendy Pleakley (Pleakley, Lilo & Stitch) - Fireflies in a jar, cotton-candy coloured dresses, and a mountain of vital research. One day, your contributions will be appreciated. “Too controversial” is just an opinion. Right? Your work isn’t controversial, it is groundbreaking!

Polyhymnia/Polyhymnus of Hesiod (The Muses, Hercules) - As the Muse of hymns, meditation, and religion, the other Muses look to you for wisdom and guidance. That is why you’ve come here to Swynlake to find the Muse that may be here, waiting to be trained for their birthright. Will you find them, or is Swynlake a dead end?

Roland Doyle (Rolly, 101 Dalmatians) - Lucky owes you an apology…for something you did! Yeah! That’s right, that’s totally how that works. Whatever! It’s Lucky’s fault, ultimately, that the band split up and the family secret was revealed. Nevermind what you did to provoke it…so where’s your apology, eh? You’re in town to get it!

Cornelius Robinson (Cornelius Robinson, Meet The Robinsons) - A notebook full of chicken scratch and sketches, a full house, and your favorite thing to look at – your wedding ring. Your big family is more than you ever thought you’d have, including your wife and children of your own. They are your world, but unfortunately not the world and you often lose yourself in your work, trying to benefit the global community. Will you ever find your work-life balance?

Jimmy Ling (Ling, Mulan) - Can’t anybody take a JOKE anymore? Oh, brother, apparently not. Yet again, CANCEL culture rears it’s ugly head. Now you have to relocate to Swynlake so you can #learnbetterdobetter. And maybe learn you were actually wrong?

George Goof (Goofy, A Goofy Movie) - Being a younger dad with no time to finish university never bothered you, you did well for Max all of this life! But after being laid off, the job search had been difficult without a degree. You’ve got just the plan to fix this…why not go to university WITH your son?

[groovyathletefestivalegg]

Mulan bois cosplaying Triple Baka squad, this was a funni one

[loganofthenorth]

Every time I think about Mulan, I get obsessed with how awesome these three are. So I’mma take a few minutes to rant about it.

This three good balls, bad asses, loveable idiots. They’re fricken adorable and I love them. And like, as a kid, I used to not understand how they became friends with Mulan. I thought they were sexist assholes that only trusted her because, well, you know, she saved China.

But I analyzed the movie as an adult, and honestly? I think they knew Mulan was a girl the whole time, and just kinda, accepted it. Still treated her like one of the guys, wanted to see how long she could keep this up for. Yao and Ling most certainly bet on it while Chien-po was probably like: “Shouldn’t we just… tell her we know so she has people to trust?” And the other two were like: Nah this is funny.

I also think Ling and Chien-Po knew instantly since Yao was too mad to be like: Huh… hmm… something’s off here.

They probably told him later. Like:

Chien-Po: You know, it isn’t nice to hit a lady.

Yao: Wow, didn’t think you had it in ya to be such an ass. I mean, he’s a wimp but sheesh.

Ling: *falling over laughing*

Yao: What the hell’s his problem?

Chien-Po: *whispering* I mean and actual lady, Yao.

Ling: And no one tells! Got it? No telling anyone else. Only us three know. I wanna see how long this goes on for.

Chien-Po: Also… They’ll kill her if they find out, and… She’s our friend now.

Yao: Friend’s a strong word… But sure, I’ll keep it to myself. Besides, only I’m allowed to kill them now.

So yeah, when they later heard that Mulan was alone in the bath pond thing, it was too good an opportunity to miss. I don’t think these himbos even considered how weird it was. They were too distracted with how fricken hilarious it’d be.

I mean

Come on

That smug smile and Chien-Po’s: This is fine.

They know exactly what they’re doing.

Then with ‘A Girl Worth Fighting For’, Ling brings up the song to cheer everyone up because they’re sore, didn’t choose to go to war, and need something, anything to keep them going. Then once Mulan’s line comes up it’s like: “Oh, right. Forgot about that. Whelp, time to continue messing with her.”

Like: Ight, guys. Whatever she says, probably describing herself. So, whatever she says, say Nah. It’s funny.

The main thing that sent me on this tangent, was this scene

Their shock, their surprise, this reaction isn’t an: “Oh shit, we trained/hung out with/bathed/etc with a girl.” Reaction.

This is a: “Shit they caught her and now they’re gonna kill our friend!” Reaction.

Which, yeah, of course it would be. They have their priorities checked out.

However

If memory serves me right there was no hesitation

There was also no hesitation to trust her when no one else would

Because they didn’t have the feeling of betrayal Shane had for being lied to

And they were totally down to dress in drag

They really just couldn’t care less about Mulan being a girl

And I love them for that

This tis the end of my tangent. I love these three gentlebros

[celestialgalaxyglow]

Mulan Rewrite

I recently rewatched Mulan, the 1998 animated movie not the thing Disney made in 2020, and got hit with some creativity about a few things I would change.

In my rewrite the start of the movie is basically the same till Mulan runs away: the Huns attack the Great Wall, the Emperor sends out the conscription order, we meet Mulan, Honor to Us All, matchmaker, Reflection, Chi-Fu arrives with the conscription order, Mulan and her dad argue, Mulan runs way, Ancestors awake and Mushu decides to go after Mulan himself.

The only change I would make to the beginning of the movie is give Mulan two younger siblings. I'm taking this from the original Ballad of Hua Mulan (yes in the Ballad Mulan's sister is older, but I want Mulan to be the oldest sibling.) The Ballad doesn't give the brother and sister names so I'm calling them Hua Chun (12F) and Hua Wei (10M) they serve as another reason for Mulan to war in her dad's place, because her siblings are still young and need him in their lives. Mulan is 16.

So Mulan runs away, and after a few days, she sees the army camp in the distance. This is when Mulan and Mushu meet. Mushu is still the comic relief but is also really helpful. He points out that Mulan hasn't even come up with a fake name, and Mulan, after thinking for a bit she decides on Ping. Mulan explains that Ping was a friend of her dad's who served with him in the army and died in battle after saving his life.

Anyways Ping enters the army camp and is completely out of his element. Hijinks ensue, the rice is spilled, and the general of the army shows up.

Some explain. In this version Shang is a regular soldier, he is the son of a respected general and has promise to one day be a good general himself, but right now he's serving as a the assistant to the general overseeing this band of recruits.

Back to the story, General Jiao asks who's responsible for the mess, and everyone blames Ping. He's surprised to learn that "Ping" is the son of war hero Hua Zhou and says that he has very large shoes to fill, and so far, he's failing.

Skip to the next day and I'll Make a Man Out of You. During the song through day-night cycles its going to show that several days have gone by, about a week or two. By the end Ping earns the respect of his fellow soldiers, and Shang who Ping starts becoming friends with. General Jiao is impressed with Ping and tells him that he has his father's intelligence.

Shang approaches Ping and complements him for getting on General Jiao's good side. They talk for a bit, and Ping asks why Shang is overseeing some recruits rather than leading his own army to battle. Shang explains that about a month ago, he accidently launched one of their rockets into an armory, causing the whole place to blow up, and he was sent to the camp as a sort of punishment. Ping laughs, and Shang, embarrassed, asks Ping not to tell anyone, Ping agrees on the grounds that Shang beats him in a race to a tree on top of a nearby hill. Shang accepts the challenge, and the two race, Shang wins, Ping agrees to keep their previous conversation a secret. The two start walking back towards the camp and as they do Shang looks at Ping, this cute recruit that he's started seeing in a strange new light, and he unknowingly started reaching for his hand but as soon as their hands touch Shang pulls away. Ping apologizes, but Shang tells him not to think about it.

The next day, the army gets mobilization orders, real ones not ones made up by Muchu and Cri Kee, and the army packs up and starts marching towards the front. During A Girl Worth Fighting For, Ping opts to sing along to not draw too much attention to himself. I think he'd say something along the lines of, "A girl well versed in philosophy, who always speaks her mind." This gets a chuckle out of the others, and Shang says he respects Ping's taste.

The army sees the destroyed village and the battle field, General Jiao orders everyone to search for survivors. While searching, Ping finds the girl's doll and picks it up. Ping eventually meets back up with the army as Chien Po returns with General Li's helmet and sword and gives them to Shang. Shang sticks the sword to the ground and places his dad's helmet on it, kneels down, and says a silent prayer. General Jiao gives Shang his condolences, but quickly orders the army to head out, saying they have to head towards the Tung Shao Pass to intercept the Huns before they reach the Imperial City. As the army starts to move, Ping kneels down next to Shang and hugs him, Shang hugs him back. Then Shang sees the doll, takes it, and rests it against his dad's sword. Shang and Ping get up and join the rest of the army.

As the army moves through the Tung Shao Pass, they are discovered by the Huns and a battle ensues. The Huns have larger numbers and the edge in the battle. With only one rocket left, Ping takes it, runs in front of the army, and aims it towards a high snow-covered mountain top. By the time Ping is able to launch the rocket, Shan Yu almost reaches Ping. Shan Yu taunts Ping, mocking him for missing at point-blank range, and Ping grins. Shan Yu looks back to see the rocket hit the mountain and the start of the avalanche. Furious,Shang Yu attacks Ping.

Then we have the scene where Ping saves Shang when they fall off the cliff. After reaching safe ground, Shang, thanks Ping, calling him the craziest man he's ever met. But not long after Ping passes out front the wound he got from Shan Yu.

After waking up, Mulan's identity is revealed. Chi Fu demands Mulan be executed, but General Jiao lets her live, saying she saved everyone's life but still leaves her alone in the mountain.

Mulan is ready to turn home when she discovers the Shan Fu, and a few Huns survived the avalanche. She rides towards the city and tries to warn Shang and General Jiao of an attack, but they both silently ignore her. A while later, the Huns attack and capture the Emperor. While trying to save the Emperor, General Jiao is injured by Shan Yu. Shang takes the lead of the rescue mission, and he and a few soldiers try to break down the doors of the palace using brute force.

Mulan arrives on the scene and draws their attention, saving she has an idea. Yao, Ling, and Chien Po quickly follow her, followed by Shang. They scale pillars and enter the palace, specifically the wing where the concubines live. Mulan has Yao, Ling, and Chien Po as concubines to distract the guards so she and Shang can reach Shan Fu and the Emperor.

A fight ensues, Shan Fu's remaining Huns are apprehended, Yao, Ling, and Chien Po escape with the Emperor, and Mulan cuts the rope so Shan Fu can't follow them. Shan Fu goes to kill Shang when Mulan reviles herself to be the soldier that destroyed Shang Fu's army. Shang Fu furious chases her across the palace till they get on the roof. Looking around, Mulan sees the tower with the fireworks and asks Mushu to get her the largest one.

As Mushu gets the rocket, Mulan and Shan Fu fight, and eventually, she disarms him using her hand fan, just in time for Mushu to arrive and light the rocket. The rocket sends Shan Fu flying to the firework tower and is blown up. Mulan, Muchu, and Cri-Kee safely get off the roof before the explosion and land on the steps to the Palace.

Shang runs up to Mulan and hugs her, glad she's safe. Shang tells her that using the fireworks was an insane idea. Mulan laughs, saying she got the idea from him. Shang laughs, embarrassed, and reminds Mulan she promised to keep his accident a secret, Mulan tells him his secret is safe with her. Then Yao, Ling, and Chien Po show up and congratulate Mulan. They're followed by General Jiao, who congratulates Mulan, telling her she is as great a soldier as her father.

Then Chi Fu shows up and berates Shang, Yao, Ling, Chien Po, and General Jiao telling them to stand aside. Shang stands up to defend Mulan when the Emperor shows up.

The Emperor silently tells tells them to step aside and looks at Mulan. Mulan bows to him as he goes on his speech on all the laws Mulan has broken in the last few weeks "I've heard a great deal about you Hua Mulan, you stole your father's armor, ran away from home, impersonated a soldier, deceived your commanding officer, dishonored the Chinese army, destroyed my palace, and... you have saved us all." Then the Emperor bows to Mulan as everyone else in courtyard kowtows to Mulan.

The Emperor offers Mulan a job in his council, but Mulan asks to go back home. The Emperor accepts and gives her his medallion and the sword of Shan Fu.

As she leaves, Mulan hugs Yao, Ling, and Chien Po, General Jiao shakes her hand, and then she goes to Shang, who tells her, "You fight good." Mulan sadly walks past him as she mounts Khan and rides home as the crowd cheers.

Shang looks at Mulan riding away as the Emperor walks towards him. At first, the Emperor tries to be nice and says, "The flower that blooms in adversity is the rarest and most beautiful of all." Seeing that Shang is not getting the hint, the Emperor talks bluntly and tells Shang."You don't meet a girl like that every dynasty!" and walks away.

Cut to a few says later at the Hua residence. Mulan arrives home to see her dad sitting in the garden under the cheery blossom tree. Hua Zhou is shocked to see her, but before he can say kneels before him and gives him the sword of Shan Yu and the Emperor's medallion. Zhou throws them aside and hugs Mulan, telling her, "The greatest gift in honor is having you for a daughter."

Mulan's siblings run to her and hug her. They immediately start asking Mulan questions about her adventure, and Zhou tells them to give Mulan some room to breathe.

We switch to Mulan's mom and grandma looking at the other with the Grandma, saying that Mulan should have brought a man. At that moment, Shang shows up, asking if Mulan lives there, and the Hua Li and Grandma Hua point toward Mulan.

Shang walks towards Mulan and Zhou. Shang bows to Hua Zhou. After seeing Mulan, he tries to give her back her helmet but starts to panic a little. Mulan looks at her dad, who silently gives her a go-ahead. Mulan takes the helmet and invites Shang to stay for dinner. Grandma Hua in the background invites Shang to stay forever. Shang accepts, despite having Chun and Wei glaring at him from behind Mulan.

The Ancestors restore Muchus' status as a Hua family guardian.

End of movie.

Overall I didn't make that many changes mostly adding a few extra scenes here and there. But Mulan is already almost flawless, so there's not much that does need change.

During the credits, I would add in a few drawings showing what all the characters are up to after the war. Mulan is home, teaching some local kids some basic marshal arts techniques like she did at the beginning of Mulan II. Shang is now a general training soldiers. Mushu's statue is proudly displayed among the Hua family gradians. And so on for other major characters like Yao, Ling, and Chien Po.

[romancemedia]

Mulan and Shang reunite and get married!

[missiemoosie]

So I spent yesterday + today reading through my old Mulan fanfic trilogy, which I call Zhu's Tale. No idea why, but man. I had somethin' good going on there. Too bad burnout hit me so bad for it, I never finished it.

But after reading it, I felt like going through my old fanart folder for it and now I'm going to subject ya'll to it as well.

Here are the covers for the trilogy's three parts: You can see how much Zhu's design changed between Daughter of Death and Daughter of Rebirth--I made her look waaay more like her uncle, Shan Yu. She also got about a foot taller and broader....

L to R: Shan Da (oc, Zhu and Ting-Ting's dad) and his brother, Shan Yu; Zhu distracting Shan Yu while Mulan aims+fires the canon; final scene of Daughter of Death, where Zhu and Shan Yu go booom

L to R: my period-accurate designs for Mei, Ting-Ting, and Su (Mei is too tall here whoops) in a draw-the-squad/meme pose; the princesses smothering Zhu (their long-lost sister) with adoration while she's confused + me attempting to draw the princesses for the first time; and modern Ling and Yao + croissants. This last one went semi-viral in the 2018-19 Mulan fandom~

L to R: Kissies/cuddles with the various couples of the trilogy. Not all these couples were endgame, though, as you can see in the next picture. Middle is what was endgame, though: Ling x Mulan x Zhu. And then a sketch from Zhu's teen years, with Roua, Rouga, and Mundzuc cheering her on as she practices her wrestling.

And, finally: The one picture that did go truly viral in the 2017-2019 Mulan fandom:

A screenshot I edited in Photoshop so that the goofballs were mermen

[tithsokphanny31]

Disney Mulan II (2004)

[thedreamerstoryteller]

[feyres-divorce-lawyer]

hear me out, hear me out, feylin mulan au. IT WORKS!

note: mama archeron is still alive and the family isn't dirt poor.

papa archeron is called to war again but he became disabled fighting in the last war, and he'll most definitely die on the battlefield this time. feyre doesn't want him to go cuz like that's her dad (and for a more selfish reason, he's the only one that's been stopping her mother from marrying her off to lord rhysand because he's rich af) something something, feyre takes her dad's conscription papers and armor, the family horse, oh no nesta, elain what are you doing here. nesta helps cuz she knows she can't stop feyre, elains helps feyre cut her hair. they send her off, don't die ok. feyre gets to the military base, where we meet general tamlin, (with long hair and now feyre's wishing she didn't cut hers off but it would've probably made her look more feminine anyway) who has been put in charge of the new trainees to test his loyalties cuz his father ended up betraying their side. so he's training them really hard to prove himself, and feyre's singled out because she's significantly physically weaker than everyone else. something something, we get to the iconic climbing scene and she's the first to reach the top and take the arrow. something something, things are going great but oh no, the enemy has caught up with them, boom avalanche, oh no tamlin, he's fallen off the cliff, yay fyere saved him, but oh no feyre's injured and gasp she's a GIRL? tamlin's like hella mad cuz this reflects badly on him (also secretly sad cuz my boy was feeling feelings, there's homosexuality implied in the og movie cuz shang had feelings for mulan when he thought she was a boy sooooo) feyre's kicked out and she's trudging along the way back home when wait a minute, is that... tamlin's dad? oh no they all didn't die in the avalanche and now they're gonna kill the emperor. let's go horsie. something something, feyre makes it to the capital city (give name later), and damn it tamlin would you just listen, your dad is back. look up! oh no it's tamlin's dad and he's gonna to kill the emperor. ha! bet you wished you listened to feyre now, don't you. fight, fight! something something, face off between tam's dad and feyre

tam's dad: IT'S YOU! YOU'RE A GIRL! i'm more mad that you're a girl in the army than i am that you almost killed me because i'm a total misogynist. i'm gonna kill you now

feyre: you're such a shitty dad, i can't believe you would betray such an amazing, beautiful, gorgeous man, who i totally don't have any feelings for, like that

um feyre aren't you supposed to be fighting this dude cuz he's gonna kill the emperor, priorities girlie!

something something, cool fan move, kick, FIREWORKS! (it seems now would be the time to say that mushu still exists in this au) ahhh tam's dad is on fire. yay the emperor has been saved! all hail feyre archeron, savior of prythian, whoooo!

cut scene

*back at the archeron family house*

mama archeron's like totally mad, cuz feyre how could you mess up her plans to become richer by pawning off her daughter to that total stranger. tamlin arrives with a friend (hi lulu!), mama archeron is very intrigued, ooh maybe her plan can still work. oh he's asking after feyre, the ancestors must be looking down on her today. nesta's totally suspicious, what does this tall (derogatory) man want with her sister. elain's intrigued cuz tamlin's friend looks very nice, hehe. anyways, tamlin finds feyre in the garden and omg what is he doing here. they're getting closer, and closer, and closer, and oohh they're kissing.

the end.

[wormworker]

don't know if this artist is still around but there was someone who drew amazing art about loz: skyward sword and they would draw link and the other knights as the characters from mulan and i'm still so emotional about that because it's friggin perfect

[swynlake-rp]

Abundant adventures await you here in Swynlake! Tales of magic, friendship, and mystery. What stories will you weave?

Ariel Triton (Ariel, The Little Mermaid) - Be careful, Ariel. Don’t do this, Ariel. Act like this, Ariel. You get it! You know the rules already! Will you ever get a chance to just live without your father and sisters’ watchful eyes?

Rosetta Petalpot (Rosetta, Disney Fairies) - Ask any pixie in Pixie Hollow who the sweetest fairy in the whole hollow is, and Rosetta Petalpot would be a top poll answer. You’re a ray of sunshine, flitting between the hollow and the human town around it to shine. You love living in two worlds! Can you convince the shier fairies that the human town is worth exploring, and show humans that fairies are cool?

Jimmy Ling (Ling, Mulan) - Can't anybody take a JOKE anymore? Oh, brother, apparently not. Yet again, CANCEL culture rears it's ugly head. Now you have to relocate to Swynlake so you can #learnbetterdobetter. And maybe learn you were actually wrong?

Barley Lightfoot (Barley, Onward) - Magick history is your passion! No, genuinely! However...do you have additional motives behind your interest in Swynlake's magical sites and lore specifically?

Pascal Chaplin (Pascal, Tangled) - What good is a gift if you can’t share it with others is your philosophy! While you enjoy changing up your look at will, nothing makes you happier than running your little tattoo shop in town and giving a piece of your gift to others. Color changing tattoos! How wonderful! What will you create next?

Wilbur Robinson(Wilbur, Meet The Robinsons) - When your parents are Cornelius and Franny Robinson, everyone expects greatness out of you, especially yourself. Nothing is more frightening than being average– can you prove you’re anything but?

[princesssarisa]

What are the clothing styles of Yao, Ling and Chien Po (From Mulan)?

They wear what all the other soldiers wear. The same type of tunic, knee-length trousers, and footwear, with armor, helmets, and cloaks added when necessary. All that distinguishes them is that each man's outfit is usually trimmed in his own signature color: rust red for Yao, mustard yellow for Ling, and blue for Chien Po.

When they disguise themselves as women to infiltrate the palace, they wear elegant hanfus in their signature colors, but presumably that will be just a one-time thing.

[mulan-lover]

A few of my ideas for a Disney Mulan x Revolutionary Girl Utena AU:

Mulan as the titular Utena, obviously, who looked up to her father Hua Zhou since she was young and aspired to become a 'prince' despite being a girl. She wore more masculine clothing and played sports with the boys much to the chagrin of the disciplinary teacher (the Matchmaker is, of course, the disciplinary teacher).

Mulan's parents died suddenly in an unknown accident, leaving her and her sister Xiu as orphans. Commander Tung, being an old friend of Hua Zhou, became Mulan and Xiu's guardian/caretaker and sent the two girls to the prestigious boarding school in the capital where he taught. Apparently, Hua Zhou was once a teacher at the same school as well before he left to start his own family.

Mei as Anthy who acts as the perfect princess/Rose Bride and thus received the most attention from the school and her father the chairman (the Emperor).

Hua Xiu as Wakaba who always clings to her elder sister Mulan throughout school and doesn't interact much with others from her class but still develops a crush on one of the student council members.

The student council also being called as 'the Emperor's Guard' and have duels upon an inverted castle for one of the three Rose Brides (the three princesses).

Prince Jeeki mistreats one of the princesses which causes Mulan to challenge him to a duel and defeat him, inadvertently joining the student council/Emperor's Guard as a Duelist and winning Mei as her 'Rose Bride'.

Chen Honghui and Li Shang as Saionji and Touga respectively who constantly fight over the position of the head of the student council as well as Mulan's attention/affection (notably less jerky than their RGU counterparts, but still very aggressively upholding the 'prince' system).

Yao as Nanami with Ling and Chien Po as his underlings, so to speak.

Commander Tung's daughter (only mentioned in one line in the live action movie) as Juri, token lesbian member in the student council and painfully in love with one of the princesses.

Mushu and Cri-Kee as Mulan's and Mei's own animal companions. (Alternatively, in their human/live action versions, Cricket become the Tsuwabuki to Yao's Nanami while Mushu ends up taking the role of Miki in the sense that he befriends Mulan despite their role as possible opponents in the duels.)

Xianniang as Mikage who haunts the school as a ghost and manipulates the school students into becoming Black Rose duelists to kill the Rose Brides.

Ting-Ting as Kanae who's the eldest of the princesses but was neglected by her own father the Emperor and resents Mei as a result. (She also acts as Shiori who was aware of Commander Tung's daughter's feelings for her but couldn't return it and maybe even exploited it for her own selfish but not malicious motive.)

Su as Keiko who fell in love with one of Yao's lackeys Chien Po but couldn't express her feelings openly because he's not a Duelist.

Other staff in the school include Sergeant Qiang as the sports teacher, General Li as the principal, Lord Qin as the main sponsor of the school, the Emperor as Akio/the chairman and Chi-Fu as the secretary who keeps everything in check.

[mulanglitches]

Mulan & Chien Po: (On Mushu, Yao, and Ling) I see the red flags, I acknowledge that they're there, and then I completely ignore them.

[rock-a-noodle]

What the shit Mulan is 25 years old

But yeah, let me blab about my favorite Disney movie because why not

So yeah, I first saw Mulan on VHS as a kid (I couldn't do movie theaters as a child as I was very antsy). It did not click with me as much as it did later on, but as kid I thought when they were singing "Honor To Us All" they were singing ''Winston Applejuicy.' We got the McDonald's toys of the Yao top, and I asked my dad why he was so mad and he was like "he just looks cranky." I had the storybook on tape when I was little but we ended up getting rid of it. OFC my 12 year old self was pissed over that. We had a koosh ball of Mushu that we still have.

Flash forward to 2006 and I watched the movie on Disney Channel at age eleven. OFC going through my "EVERYTHING IS SEXIST" phase I didn't like how the guys treated Ping/Mulan (granted I was right but digression aside...) and wrote the movie off admittedly. Later on Chinese New Year the year after, I watched both Mulan movies in one setting....and BAM! Fell in love. Helped that I was at an age where I could grasp the plot better and get into it. I loved the music of both movies, Ling Yao and Chien Po falling in love with the princesses and the antics that ensued (even tho the sequel was clunkily written), Mulan starting out as an awkward dork but then becoming the savior of China resonated with me, as I was an outcast and a bit of a screw-up. Mulan gave me a heroine to look up to and helped me to overcome my daily challenges be it school and low self-esteem.

I also fell head over heels with Ling. One of my ultimate comfort characters and fictional crushes, and my basis for the type of men I go for. He got me through so many hard times as I would imagine him comforting me on bad days. I was so thrilled when I got the toys of him Yao and Chien Po for Christmas in 2007. He also admittedly helped during a time where I was at my lowest.

The older I got, I learned about the queer following this movie got, and Shang being one of the first bicoded characters in cinema. Learning this, I thought "Of COURSE this movie was meant to be my favorite! And not just because I like action and Chinese culture!"

While my interest in the movie has waxed and waned over the years I will forever be grateful for the impact it's had on me growing up.

"The flower that blooms in adversity is the most rare and beautiful of all."

[romancemedia]

Yao, Ling and Chien Po express their love to the Princesses