Deep Down Inside, Beneath The Clothes Of Culture

Shrinkflated Reincarnation

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The Busy Deaths of Death

Remake Idea: Death, clad in black feathers, twirls a pink rose glistening with mysterious dew between her long fingers: What's in a scene? T

ML: This is what I'm saying in the title: shrinkflated reincarnation!

Death: (In Park So-dam's sweet voice) The black math works fine. Let S be soul autonomy measured in fractions of its full possible extent.

S=½+¼+⅛+…, with new terms as good as 0 as the list goes on.

Multiply both sides by 2.

2S=1+½+¼+…=1+S

Subtract S from both sides.

S=1

Lo and behold, you enjoy full soul autonomy, beautifully split over infinite lifetimes in the remake. Next aggrieved soul.

ML: Send me back to my original show!

Warning: Viewers expressed discomfort with the extreme sadism in episode 5 of the original K-drama.

Passing the Baton ...

"Spit out the worm."

That line from Six Flying Dragons is what we want to tell this increasingly feverish, belligerent and senseless world now. Less than half a day after the previous post on counter-terrorism was released, yet another round of attacks made the headlines. When life is this fragile, there is all the more reason to treat ourselves and one another more kindly.

The rest of this post and the title were meant as a preview of a Tree With Deep Roots post commemorating the end of Six Flying Dragons. A note of thanks to Tumblr bloggers for their support anyway.

Happy reading. And happy philosophizing on all things entomological.

If you wouldn't go to someone for advice, don't take their criticism either.

Many people in the Asian drama-watching community know of 2011 Chinese production Scarlet Heart (available on Dramafever) as a girl-meets-many-boys time-travel romance, but the rich cultural tapestry within perhaps deserves more credit. Over 35 episodes, viewers are treated to an eye-opening array of Qing costumes, headdresses and jewelry as well as fascinating references to various Chinese teas and snacks. The talented but doomed eighth prince, for instance, is described as favoring “Rizhu Snow Buds” or “Day Cast Snow Buds” (a word-by-word translation; Rizhu is actually a geographical location)—a type of green tea which name is thought to conjure up an image of beautiful snow melting away with the rise of the Sun, leaving only sadness in its place.

Certainly, too, the drama includes a great wealth of literary references, of which a Tibetan poem and a passage by Chinese philosopher Zhuangzi have been discussed on this site before. As a sample of the plethora of Chinese prose and poetry also woven into the script, below are the poems in scenes corresponding to some of those aired in the Korean adaptation so far:

1. The eighth prince sends the heroine, Ma’ertai Ruoxi, Song poet Qin Guan's “To the Tune of Magpie Bridge Immortal,” an extraordinarily spectacular and romantic poem that provides much comfort to couples in long-distance relationships. Its lines would solve the supposed mystery of the above headline. (Original text | Translation)

2. He next sends her “Fallen Low,” a succinct and highly rhythmic work which historically has different interpretations bound by the common theme of human-inflicted suffering. (Original text | Translation – one of the interpretations)

3. When Emperor Kangxi orders Ruoxi to explain why she calls him a good ruler, she quotes the lines "But alas! Qin Shihuang and Han Wudi [...] Look to this age alone”€ from Mao Zedong’€™s “€œSnow.”€ They may sound sycophantic to modern ears but mark the start of their friendship. If we put aside political differences and regard its mentions of archery and literary prowess as mere symbols of less advanced stages of human civilization, the poem is additionally a reminder that the best need not be in the past — €”the sources of our problems may also be the sources of our solutions. This is a dose of optimism the world at large can benefit from as it grapples with political, economic and environmental upheavals. (Original text | Translation)

It is unfortunate that time constraints prevent The Chair from listing the numerous other classical texts referenced and far more so that few Western-language drama review sites seem to take a profound interest in East Asian literature. The analysis of the portrayal of regional literature in East Asian dramas is a niche area in cultural critique is badly in need of new blood and, pun intended, a few more scarlet hearts.

We won’t forget. Remember April 14, 2014 and the 304 passengers on board.

"No hearing is sharper than that which can hear silent soul-quakes and muted battle cries.

No sight is more acute than that which can see a real tomorrow where a beggar's child and a president's child have the same odds of receiving a maximally uplifting and productive education."

—Her Excellency Ilera, non-hearing founder of the Extratemporal Serenetics Habitat

100% Human-written. Not quite the last we're seeing of Ilera.

Seasonal bows 🌸🌿🍂❄️

Thingamajigs have a lot to say today✨🖤

nothing has made me feel like an ancient grumpy crone more than the “using chatgpt for school is fine actually” sentiment among youths

News Box: Santa Clauses Past and Present and Content Theft

© open-arms, shared under the permission of CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.

Life is a fascinating yet somber journey in which we see the Santa Clauses of our childhood in the mirror as we age and our younger, gift-begging selves in our own little elves as they grow bigger. No true Santa Claus, however, ever gifts stolen goods. Neither do we need to be conversant in the native language of Rudolph the Red-nosed to become more civil and considerate members of the global online community. Before you share content that does not originate from you on social media and other places, verify its source and check out guidelines on proper citation practices. If you have been nice and awesome so far, have a MERRY CHRISTMAS, HAPPY HANUKKAH or just a GREAT HOLIDAY SEASON!