Lessons Animation Taught Us: Mulan

Answering the call of Mikey Neumann at Filmjoy to make videos about what animation taught us.
Mulan taught me about gender even in my ultra-conservative household growing up. But how does fiction teach us anything? This is part one of a series about the moral function of fiction. Stay tuned!
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Works Cited:
Mulan (1998) Disney
Phyllis Rackin, "Shakespeare's Crossdressing Comedies," A Companion to Shakespeare's Works, Volume III: The Comedies, ed. RICHARD DUTTON and JEAN E. HOWARD, Blackwell Reference 2005 (www.blackwellre...)
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Music:
"~aether theories~" by Vidian, CC BY (dig.ccmixter.or...)

[@lynchie2073]

something really interesting is that someone on twitter whos chinese once pointed out that the fan she uses at the end of the movie is actually a masculine fan, as its much bigger than a feminine one. so in china the scene is viewed as her metaphorically using her masculinity, while in the west its interpreted as her femininity

[@ElectricDidact]

Oh wow that's wild! Thanks for sharing

[@blitszina2570]

Huh so masculinity could be used as a word to say she owned her confidence and power and in western they see it more as mulan embracing her femininity to be strong

[@blunt0sword0meals97]

@@blitszina2570 Either way, she is embracing her full self through the fan whether it's feminine or masculine. Very fascinating. I guess it's because in the west, fans were mostly used by women when in the east one of the first entertainers and in geisha culture were men and used traditionally feminine symbols much like how back in europe men used heels. Men even used skirts, wigs, make-up and corsets once upon a time. I suppose it's all about expectations and our associations to objects, symbols and what he attach to them on how we see as strong and weak. Love to learn about this sort of thing.

[@stevenyanis9051]

So it wasn’t simply cultural appropriation from a mostly ignorant American team, making the stylistic choice in fans the animation directors thought would be best able to block a huge sword? I didn’t know Disney was so deep!

[@lynchie2073]

@@stevenyanis9051 I don't think it was intentional lol. but fans intended for battle were definitely made and could stop a sword like in the movie! they were made of metal, and were famously used by samurai in japan

[@dimatadore]

I love how he goes "a woman" and unties her hair before throwing her in the snow, as if the other men don't also have a long hair under their buns. But I get that they couldn't expose her women parts, so it must have been a conscious choice.

[@ElectricDidact]

Yes, DEFINITELY a metonymy -__-

[@penelope563]

Her hair down may have helped show that her face was more feminin?

[@Yuunarichu]

Well her chest was...

[@iris_becker.7037]

@@penelope563 but didn't she have her hair down when she was baithing in the lake?

[@natsukiisacutie9920]

Iris_ Becker yes,i dont really know why they did that...

[@kellharris2491]

In defense of shang as you said he was the most rigidly defined masculine character. From the very beginning he paid attention to ping, calling him weird. He saw that ping didn't fit the masculine paradigm of solder. And yet over the course off training ping and him saving his life shang begin to see Pings worth and value despite his 'stangness' ie he didn't fit the normal gender roles. After the discovery he backslides and starts questioning everything he thought. When confronted with mulan again she askes him some hard questions. Why is ping trusted but mulan was not? Shang doesn't have an answer. When things hit the fan and mulan is proved right shang decides to help. Shang begins to buy in to mulan and the others new ideal. He is not yet at the point off embracing it fully, like the three dressing fully in drag, but in using his cape to scale like she did he is showing his willingness to try to be open. After seeing her victory Shang rejects the idea that as a woman mulan has no worth proclaiming that she is a hero. Still, when she leaves he is confused. Mulan has made him question everything he has ever known. His values suddenly don't make sense but the emperor confirms mulans ideal. The emperor gave mulan his personal stamp off approval showing that her system off thought is correct. I felt like he was saying it's okay to want mulan, you would be a fool not to want her. Suddenly it's like a brave new world for shang approching mulan as an equal. She is not just a child bearing incubator. He is not just a solder who needs to fight and produce sons for china. Man and woman are trying to build a different dynamic. No wonder he is confused. What is his relationship to mulan? What could it be? Its wide open.

[@MusicSparkleStar09]

I'd be interested to hear this channel's take on the relationship dynamics and development in the sequel.

[@ericaguzzo2845]

A+ response and expansion on the video's commentary. Thank you!

[@ittybittyitty6703]

Also if he liked Mulan when she was playing the role of ping, it could be another questioning of sexuality for him. Like maybe he isn't entirely straight and that's confusing as well as the sudden realization that militarized gender is an unhealthy construct. Which would explain his awkwardness and hesitation towards change. His whole world-view about what he knew about what's around him and himself that he took for granted has just been shook. And in reaching out to Mulan at the end he's coming to an acceptance of both himself, and gender as fluid and variable.

[@veronika4870]

I love this!

[@purplekillingshadow8474]

You fucking nailed it!

[@vegafoo]

Brilliant. Mulan’s a masterpiece. So thematically rich. Even her horse deals with identity issues- being called a “cow” when it’s not being “horse” enough.

[@ElectricDidact]

So true! The horse's name is Khan by the way, which is interesting...

[@KajiXD]

Dishonor on you, dihonor on your cow!

[@raspberrycrowns9494]

@@ElectricDidact like, Genghis Khan? or is that just a common name in Asia?

[@Flimstudios5]

@@ElectricDidact Khan translates to king at least I think it does

[@arnepianocanada]

Wow, superb point about the horse! I never thought of it beyond a comi twist.

[@l.c.8475]

I love how in chinese her fake name combined with her last name is a slang for gay...

[@arcyarcanine]

hold up Faping?

[@nigellien7511]

@@arcyarcanine her name was "hua mulan" in the original story, they made her name "fa mulan" for the disney cartoon. to get this joke, you use her original last name plus her chosen name for this movie and you get "hua ping", which apparently means "camp gay" in chinese (or something along those line anyways). although "fa ping" sounds funny too, just not specifically gay.

[@herediaee]

Alejandro Coronado that was incredibly funny

[@hellopewson7756]

Ok so I asked my mom because this was bothering me so much, and she said that Fa Ping is slang for a sociable girl, and only for a girl.

[@l.c.8475]

@@hellopewson7756 hwa ping is flower vase and my roommate confirmed that there is this connotation

[@achyka3802]

Nitpick: Medieval China doesn't exist. Medieval is a word used to describe the time periods between 5th and 15th century Europe. Chinese history is devided into dynasties.

[@ElectricDidact]

Noted!

[@bennu547]

Well he can’t figure out that the Mongolians were enemies of China at one point so according to him, it’s racist to make Mongolians not only look like Mongolians but also make them the villains

[@treyslider6954]

@@bennu547 The claim is it's racist because they're one-dimensional bad-guys. "The Huns" are undisputedly evil. I personally give the movie more slack though: Shan-Yu, the conqueror who burns villages to the ground, is evil, and happens to have an army he uses for his evil. The movie doesn't have time to discuss how his own soldiers feel about the war; it's too busy with Mulan and her story.

[@wombat4583]

Medieval is a time period. It extends beyond Europe, but it makes sense for more countries over others. dynasties are determined by ruling which Europe also does. There is lots of fascinating medieval Asian history.

[@robonaught]

@@treyslider6954 BTW they never show the Huns that didn't join Shan Yu to conquer China and stayed behind on the other side of the wall. We don't see any girls in his army so it's easy to assume they all stayed behind for one reason or the other. I bet a majority of the men in Shan Yu's army were husbands and had wives and kids waiting for them to return after the war is over, not to mention they're all someone's son. The film never addresses the civilian Huns reacting to that they've lost the war and that their loved ones won't ever be returning home and that they died for nothing. Also Shan Yu might be a bloodthirsty ruthless conqueror but who's to say he didn't have a beloved wife waiting for him to return? The film showed that Shan Yu doesn't underestimate women so of course he would have a wife that he treats well. That's what most conquers did, while they went off to conquer they left the wife in charge of the homeland. Also because I refuse to believe that Shan Yu only cares about himself. He never ill treated his falcon so he must have loved it to some extent and he wasn't cruel to his men so he must have cared about them to a certain level. He probably just doesn't care who dies on China's side because they're all the enemy to him. Yeah it's twisted but it still makes sense.

[@winddragonlundholm1792]

I never saw the huns as dark skined forginers out for the blood of the innocent, I saw them as grey skined forginers out for the blood of the innocent. Because dark skined people are brown, while the huns skin tone is more grey than anything. The grey they remined me of looked like the ashes of the village they had burned down.

[@flying_ace_]

Or vampires

[@claire3976]

^^ yes I thought they were vampires...they had red eyes too..

[@Sillygooseeeeee3]

They scared the crap out of me when I was younger

[@izzadalawatatlo5362]

i honestly thought the Huns were paler 😂😂😂😂

[@opalplisetsky6762]

@@claire3976 I think it might be orange actually.

[@lydiafayre9806]

The Huns were totally not darker. They were...grayer.

[@isabeauh-s3100]

@@karebear326 but aren't the huns supposed to be mongolians? Don't mongolians have darker skin than the chinese?

[@robonaught]

@@isabeauh-s3100 Actually they're supposed to be Xiongnu.

[@isabeauh-s3100]

@@robonaught oh i didn't know that

[@lydiafayre9806]

@@karebear326 But they *don't* have a darker shade. I'm genuinely not trying to be obtuse. In the first part of your comment, you have a point. It's the bad guys who are grey, i.e. less healthy and arguably less human. However, it genuinely is *not* darker. I understand the idea of codifying, for sure, and it's happening in Mulan, just not in the way described in the video or in your description. edit: Actually, I see now that the first part of your comment still claims they're darker, despite saying "yes," beforehand, as though you acknowledge my quibble. My quibble, however, is they are clearly not *at all* darker. So we're not in understanding there either.

[@lydiafayre9806]

​@@karebear326 Perhaps we do? My take is that they're not darker, so...if you agree with that statement, then we do. But your first post did claim that the Huns actually *were* darker, I mean...so you've told me both, and it's not for me to say which is your true perception. In terms of cultural association, I think it's complicated. I'm acquainted with an idea that in some Asian cultures, red is often associated with good luck and prosperity and the *color* white is often associated with death. That said, there is still a lot of colorism in a lot Asian media and social settings, which may be partly rooted in the conceit of class elitism. I.e. the notion that people who don't have to go out and work for a living have some reason to be proud of it, usually through the lens of classist ideologies like the prosperity doctrine or the "God chose us to be royal because we're special" flavor of classist rationalization found prolifically in both European and Asian cultures. However, I also don't want to really get into a long winded discussion of this, primarily because I'm white and participating in long diatribes about what people who aren't me experience and learn from their culture feels a little presumptuous.

[@EliTheGhost]

It's kinda funny because marriage was never about love back in the day. It was mostly about keeping wealth within familes/financial security

[@bennu547]

That’s why movies like Brave are weird to me. She had to be married off for family security. There just wasn’t time for love back then. So having her win her own hand is just weird. At that time being married off is normal and necessary for a family’s survival

[@someoneunknown7655]

YamiNoGame It’s more about the message than the historical accuracy

[@EliTheGhost]

@@bennu547 If it was historically accurate, pretty much every Disney princess would've been married off by someone their parents chose and there wouldn't be much of a storyline

[@chel91]

i feel like only very recently marriage was actually about how each person felt. and again i feel like it’s returning to a symbol of financial security as the price of living increasing and people feel as though they need combined income to thrive in society

[@pleasantnezumi4909]

"Vampires!" So great. I can't see them any other way now.

[@mesastreatexit]

thank you. Mulan was my favorite Disney movie as a kid and it turns out i'm nonbinary. looking back at it now, especially through the lens of your discussion here (love how you brought out the ties to the state and hierarchical relations) gives me serious chills.

[@ElectricDidact]

Wow, thank you for sharing.

[@cedricwublin9306]

My favourite thing is trans and nb people talking about stuff they liked growing up, and going... "Oh. I guess there were signs..."

[@Wonderlandish]

Same, it's thrilling

[@sergiopadilla7765]

Nonbinary isn’t a real thing. You’re either male or female 🙄

[@winterscott1512]

@@sergiopadilla7765 did you watch the video dude?

[@1Invinc]

I'm amazed at how much you've gone through Mulan without ever addressing it's most important dimension. As a Confucian parable.

[@ElectricDidact]

Yeah hoping to talk about that a few videos from now as I get into the moral function of fiction. Any good sources about this topic that you'd recommend? That said, I think that while it's appropriate to look at the original versions of Mulan through the Confusian lens, the Disney reflects differing ideologies as an essentially American production. Thanks for pointing this out!

[@aldenheterodyne2833]

I'm not sure I fully remember what Mulan meant to me as a kid. Knowing what I know now, I suspect that I liked "I'll make a man out of you" because it implied that anyone could be a man. And, now that I know that I am a trans man, I suspect that was a thought that resonated with me. I saw a woman becoming a man. I didn't have to be stuck as a woman- I could even be a good man, like Mulan.

[@muramasa4209]

not gonna lie if that was the main thing that led you to that then rip. this movie doesn´t show a woman becoming a man but a woman mimicking a masculinity that is simply made up by society, nation, etc. we live(d) in. mulan´s 3 men friends are an example that a man doesn´t have to define himself as a woman if he acts more feminine than masculine. but there is also one quiestonable thing: would those 3 men be happier as women or not? depends straight up on what they care about. obviously if they acted feminine in feudal china they´d not be understood and publicly shamed alot , but in modern society , chances are really high that they´d have just a little chance of denial from other people. althrough there is one thing that breaks all the what ifs, if they would care about opinion of others or not. because let´s face it , what matters the most is how we feel, not how others feel about us. they don´t have to prove anything to anyone if they were in modern society, but well, we are still little behind in time as a whole.

[@aldenheterodyne2833]

@@muramasa4209 Yeah, I know Mulan isn't a trans man, but it was the closest thing I could find when I was 8 back in 2010. I wanted to be a boy, and I didn't know why, and Mulan (in my 8-year-old brain) became a guy. To this day, I'm not sure you can find a kids TV show/movie with trans men in it. She-ra has a non-binary shapeshifter. Steven Universe has non-binary fusions, and some cross-dressing. But I honestly can't remember any kids show that shows binary Trans characters. Or trans characters that are human. Cross-dressing is as close as it gets.

[@muramasa4209]

@@aldenheterodyne2833 true on that one, missed my point, but true on that one.

[@DeathBringerBecky]

@@muramasa4209 He didn't miss your point. You missed his. There was nothing for him to turn to and connect with on that level as a child, so he made one where he best could. That's still the case now as a child. Trans people aren't really acknowledged in media. We barely get non-binary and even then it's often heavily stereotyped. What would you have him do if not connect with what he could how he could? What else was there for him to grasp hold of and help him find himself 15 years ago?

[@DeathBringerBecky]

@@Insularish We never said it encouraged anyone to change anything. We said it helped people understand themselves in a way that is difficult to find representation. A story can have themes and meanings not intended by the author. The lack of intent does not remove them from the story. No one said it wasn't built upon her familial love. We just focused discussion on other things in its core.

[@Otakumichibi]

I've read that Mulan connected more with Chinese Americans children versus the older generation of Chinese who grew up with the tale and different set of values. Mulan helped Chinese Americans with thinking about the different ethics and discussions shown in the film and then compare them to living in America around traditional Chinese values. (Disclaimer: This is not to say no Chinese enjoyed Mulan)

[@eggy-potter]

This needs more love. Since I was young I always questioned what was appropriate for boys and girls, I didn’t understand why it was divided, it’s probably why I connected with Mulan so much. You’re analysis of sex and gender, I believe to be spot on. Great work :)

[@silversamurai0267]

This is the only Disney movie my old high school teacher ever "liked". Apparently, to him, all Disney movies are trash because they aren't historically accurate, save for Mulan, which is "close enough". X'D Like, seriously dude?! It's not about history, it's about the story and the lessons you learn from it!

[@Emil-lf3no]

Funfact: most Disney Movies at that time where about fairy tales and made up stories and Mulan had some historical basis which of which it disregarded a lot meaning it is actually less historically accurate.

[@bennu547]

Yeah it's not like Disney movies are documentaries. I love documentaries. But when I watch a movie, I really don’t care about historical inaccuracies. I just want a good story and for the creators having fun with their creative freedom

[@viddork]

Wait --- you're telling me The Emperor's New Groove wasn't historically accurate??

[@silversamurai0267]

@@viddork By all accounts it doesn't make sense.

[@starrsmith3810]

Also even the original Mulan was inaccurate at some points. As in her cutting her hair, I actually think she looks better with shorter hair but that’s not accurate. People sometimes focus on accuracy more than the story, characters, music, cinematography, etc. tbh......it’s kinda annoying but i guess I can understand wanting it to be more historically accurate.

[@Doodlebob108]

Mulan was my favorite movie as a child. It helped me realize that I'm a trans man. I would look into the mirror as a child and wonder why I couldn't be a perfect "daughter". I used to wonder when my reflection would show who I really am.

[@chocothun1]

I think the flower statements are one and the same. The flower blooming "late" means that it is not their time to bloom, but it will bloom in due time. The flower blooming in adversity goes to the impacts of the environment. The true essence of that flower will still show forth (because it's what's inside the blossom..its strength), and its still beautiful.

[@ToruKun1]

Yeah, the breakdown of the late bloomer/flower blooming in adversity portion of the video was dumb AF for over-complicating what's a pretty simple metaphor.

[@IsopropylDisinfectant]

I was a kid of a highly conservative household. I got to grow so different from how I was raised. Yet all new fresh complex and sometimes controversial topics are still hard for me to tackle down. And I spent so much time refiguring out who I am, what I want from people around me and which people I want to associate with and of course what media to consume and even enjoy. I remember the vast censorship me and my siblings had on what shows should we watch and yet I remember most of my childhood being in front of a tv with my siblings and occasionally friends. I will never stop believing in the huge impact children's media has. Especially animation.

[@aurea.]

I find it ironic how we seem to grow away from the tree that tries so hard to keep us "in line". I can relate to many of the points you mentioned. I'm still in the process of refiguring things out, actually.

[@Mars30999]

23:33 He probably liked her as ping but since ping is a guy he isnt gonna pursue ping. Its like a best friend. They are often of the gender you arent attracted to but if they were, you would probably catch romantic feelings. In many ways thats what a romantic partner is, isnt it? Your true best friend but you are also attracted to them physically.

[@NatManzano]

Nah, he was attracted the whole time cause Li Shang is bi.

[@jeticorn8516]

Shang is not canonically bisexual. If they made him bisexual, disney’s movies would not air in other countries. making them lose money.

[@naolucillerandom5280]

@@jeticorn8516 It's slightly implied, he doesn't need to shout "I LIKED HIM BEFORE HE TURNED OUT TO BE A WOMAN" to be bisexual

[@miche8868]

@@jeticorn8516 tell me why they took shang out of the new mulan

[@susanresha8107]

Of course they were vampiers... they were out for blood, remember?

[@Emil-lf3no]

12:00 funfact: back in the 15 hundreds teenage boys played the women roles in theater

[@uzername90]

Hey man, you don't have nearly enough subscribers for your production value, storytelling quality, and ideas explored. I'm posting your new stuff on r/breadtube whenever it hits, and working through your back catalog on off days.

[@ElectricDidact]

Aw that's so sweet! Thank you!

[@NanaLaEnana]

Man, 2 minutes into the vid and all I can think of is: overly-religious people are whack. Anyway, on your final point. The fact that fiction is making you ask these questions means that yes, it does have an effect on the world.

[@amandamarinovich6164]

I had that sing-a-long tape!!

[@ElectricDidact]

AAAA!

[@crazyunicorn16]

I do too!!!! -But it's in spanish

[@vampire6638]

Before we got a DVD I didn't have DisneyMovies like Cinderella dumbo etc we had to go to the Video store and rent them out The only Disney related I had at home were those sing along tapes

[@zed1991el]

Sort of toward the point made at the end of the video, I think what is important is the meaning we find rather than some objective, "accurate" meaning. To some extent, you take what you put in. I came to Mulan deeply repressed and self-loathing and, despite the popular "be a man" chorus, it meant, to me, that it was ok for me to be a woman. Someone that approaches it from a different perspective will leave with a different meaning.

[@ElectricDidact]

Thanks for sharing! You might be interested in a video I did a while back on just this sort of thing, finding personal meanings in art when we need it: kzbin.info/www/bejne/iKrTqGptiNqlb9k

[@Otokogoroshi]

For once the google algorithm didn't spit out shit and instead lead me to you! I'm curious to dive deeper into your videos and see what you have, its always interesting to hear from men who are having to come to terms with the patriarchy, their sense of masculinity and navigating those difficult waters. This was an excellent video!

[@ElectricDidact]

So glad! ^__^

[@morganrogue5305]

Lmao as a pagan, raised catholic, I lol'd so hard at the "Witchcraft repackaged"

[@ElectricDidact]

Isn't it just wild

[@runningfromabear8354]

@@ElectricDidact I moved to a conservative part of the US from London, UK as a teen. It was like moving to a different planet. A few times I burst out laughing at the wrong moments because I thought kids at school were taking the piss. And then when I realized they weren't, I wasn't really sure how to react. My parents were dragged down to the school a few times and told to make me apologize. Which they refused to do. I hadn't said or done anything wrong, I just disagreed with them. The funniest situation was when I was confused by a bottomless pool. I'd been to topless beaches and nude beaches in Europe, but I'd never heard of a bottomless pool. I thought Americans had taken their breast issues to all new levels and were allowing people to go in the pool without bottoms but making people wear t-shirts or something. They meant a very deep pool. I thought America and Britain would be a lot more alike. We had more 20 pubs per church. They had about 20 churches per bar. I was allowed to drink alcohol with my meal at 16 with my parents at the pub (legally) and they didn't allow alcohol until 21. We had religious education at school but none of my teachers were Christian so all of the religious education were lessons on the middle east. I learned the geography, the population movements, the religions and so on. I knew the Anglican Lord's prayer but didn't know any scripture. It's so weird having people cite scripture to me as though it's supposed to have any relevance to me. I was quite pleased when we left, but they were hilarious! Conservative America as a place to live a year or two, I would rate 10/10 for comedy gold for years to come!

[@aqwkingchampion13]

@@runningfromabear8354 As someone who lives in the Bible Belt of the US (Oklahoma here) we have the religious nutjobs, but most religious people I know take a "to each their own" stance on this stuff. I'm a non-denominational, Baptist-leaning Christian personally, but my sister has taken up Paganism, my dad was raised Catholic and practices Wicca, and my maternal grandpa was a Methodist Christian. The drinking part is not conservative America, but America as a whole, with the most lenient states allowing children to either drink with their parents, but only in their own home, or as part of a church service, some as both. Can't say much about the churches per bar part though, those numbers are about right. Something like 10:1 in my particular town.

[@runningfromabear8354]

@@aqwkingchampion13 Since leaving the US, I've met a few atheists from that part of the US. They have one thing in common, they're the most critical, angry and proselytizing atheists I've ever met. I suppose they grew up with the idea that you're supposed to convert people from Christianity and now want to convert people to atheism. As a kid, I thought of myself as Christian, but not in the sense that I believed in a God but because my ancestors would have been Christian. My schools were Church of England. I saw Christianity as a tradition but hadn't thought of it as a belief system. Going to the US was a wake-up call to understand what people meant by 'Christian.' They believed what ancestors believed. My parents and Grandparents were atheists. I had two living Great-Grandmothers and one living Great-Grandfather when I was a child. None of them went to church and I'm not sure what their beliefs were. I had an Irish Grandfather who was Catholic. He didn't raise my father had no relevance to my family. I met his sisters in Ireland and they were religious and not fun to be around. My family tree shows that my mother's family mostly came from southwest England and were Church of England until about the 1870's. My father's family has a lot of Irish Catholic immigrants but once they moved to the London area, looks like they didn't join any of the Catholic churches there. Statistics show church attendance started falling in England by 1850. Alasdair Crockett and David Voas Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion Vol. 45, No. 4 (Dec., 2006), pp. 567-584 My point is that my family aren't outliers. It's been generations since my family had a wedding or funeral in a church. I found Americans had this odd presumption that I was a part of a church or a fallen Christian. My Christianity was limited to checking 'Christian' on the box on government forms because it feels like you're being awkward if you don't. I mean, you did go to a Church of England school. We were taught the historical context of Christianity. It was a culture shock to meet people who believe things that you've been taught about your ancestors believing.

[@aqwkingchampion13]

@@runningfromabear8354 Well, like I said, I believe in Christianity, but there are some things that the church has no answer for, or that I feel they don't understand fully. That's why I called myself nondenominational. There are many family stories that lead me to believe in the "supernatural" in terms of ghosts and the like. Not in a haunting sort of way, but just ancestors watching over you after they pass. No branch of Christianity I'm aware of would admit to that occurring, but would say it's demons tempting you. I believe in evolution, but not in the "monkey becomes man" sense everyone seems fixated with. Even my grandpa had a favorite question about the Bible: "If Adam and Eve were the first people, and their children went to distant lands to get married, where did their wives come from?" I believe in the Bible, but I also believe that a lot of it is meant to be figurative, not literal. Particularly, the creation story. It says God created everything in six days, then rested the seventh. In another passage it says a million years is like a second to God. That means that His timescale is not our timescale, and the six days could have been billions of years. It also states he created creatures of the sea, then the land, then the air, then man. Sounds fairly similar to the theory of evolution, where life started in the water and migrated out, if you ask me. I don't think anybody has all of the answers, so I see no point in arguing religion when there is no way to confirm anything. I may debate religion, and try to gain better insight into other belief systems through a mock of a religious fight, but I wouldn't actually want to force anyone to believe anything.

[@jerrekedb]

Being trans and having loved this movie as a kid, but haven't rewatched it since finding out abt being a trans woman, that lyric you showed made me tear up("When will my reflection show who I am inside?") Great analysis!

[@ElectricDidact]

Thank you! ^_^

[@dabsae4493]

What I learned from Story telling as someone who wants to become a comic artist is that in the earliest stages of planning it is important to know what kind of message you want to give the reader therefore the actions of all characters reflect or help to the plot coming to the conclusion in the end, so this is how movies or books etc 'teach' us a certain ethic or moral

[@dracofirex]

I really want to point out how royally screwed Mulan's family would have been if she had died or failed to ever make a match. Mulan is that family's ONLY child, and a girl. The women who married into the family (as far as I understand) would move in with the man's family, which would include HIS mother and family, but not hers. Her own mother would have had to move in with the family of one of her sons. If she had NO sons and no male relatives to take her in, she'd have to hope that maybe her only daughter's husband would allow her to live with them. Mulan's mom is in a very precarious situation with her husband already being disabled, and now she only has ONE daughter to rely on to have a home in the future if he dies. Maybe. Ouch. Then of course there's Grandma, who relies on the home of her son!

[@Giaphaige]

I havent seen many other people with this specific upbringing in regards to movies. I wasnt allowed to watch snow white or sleeping beauty because of the witchcraft, but I grew up watching pretty much exclusively animated movies. Youre not alone with your parents weird taste in whats ok to watch or not lol

[@allyyiu4774]

In the original poem, Mulan rejects the Emperor's offer of gold and land and basically says she wants a fast horse to bring her back to her family. I think the scene in the movie where she rejects the Emperor's job offer is just reflecting that, in a way, since the moral of the original poem was filial piety and the main moral of the movie is obviously not that.

[@lyssagames4311]

I didn't think it was possible for me to love this movie more, but your description of Mulan's relationship with her father had me crying. I've never seen it that way before.

[@ElectricDidact]

Yay :)

[@GameLimbs]

Likes and comments for the algorithm gods! Also, you should just throw shade at stuff more often. :D

[@ElectricDidact]

LOL you're so right

[@rhaenyrareigns2200]

@Daniel Skäremo Holmberg LoL @ "algorithm gods"!

[@BigBadWolframio]

Mulan meant so much for me as a kid, well it still does. I remember coming out of the theater moved, excited, enlightened, feeling validated as a little girl who struggled with her femininity. Watching another interesting female character being feminine in her own way and navigating the feminine and maculine worlds, and the possibilities of both freedom and shackles they come with.

[@enaszaq3051]

Mulan will always be my favorite Disney princess (mostly because of her great character and honorable strength) I saw Mulan first as a Pre-K student on those old TVs then later rewatched it as a 2nd grader. My other favorites are Merida, then Queen Elsa, and lastly but not least it's Moana. And obviously we can't forget about Mushu

[@puffy_brake8368]

Mulan taught me to not be a whole damn door mat! Like speak my mind gosh darn it!! Would have loved to do that as a smol child. (Lol everybody is talking about like hidden meanings and stuff while I'm talking bout my semi mental problems)

[@user-hh4xs7ml7s]

When I watched Mikey's video I thought only a handful of people were going to take him up on it but boy was I wrong

[@coryhuff3690]

This has easily become my favorite KZbin series!

[@emeralddarkness]

One point I'm a little disappointed you never brought up was how the Be a Man song was reprised during the scene where the soldiers crossdressed to infiltrate the palace, and in so doing presented that as in no way decreasing their masculinity, even though they were doing everything that men shouldn't.

[@ElectricDidact]

Oh yeah good point!

[@violettementhe]

Did anyone ever noticed how her jawline is drawn differently when she presents male and when she presents female? It's more square when she presents male. I don't know what to do with this information. Disney has generally not that much imagination for female character (round face or heart-shaped face, big eyes).

[@nico7084]

genuinely appreciate your ability to apply thematic media to its real world contemporaries, it makes all of your content just that much more personally impactful

[@ElectricDidact]

Thanks, friend!

[@SunlightHugger]

THE DISNEY SINGALONG! I THOUGHT I'D HALLUCINATED THAT PART OF MY CHILDHOOD!

[@reannamckee43]

Disney sing along tape- I saw every single one my church had

[@ElectricDidact]

aaaaaaa

[@demonica180]

My God, that was a memory unlocked. What where they called? My first elementary would play them over and over. And the vhs sing alongs.

[@ToruKun1]

I didn't see the "sword stabs through fan" scene as a metaphor for PiV sex, mostly because Shan Yu is literally the only character who isn't shocked by Mulan doing manly stuff. He just refers to her as "the soldier from the mountains" when they meet again. TFW the literal villain is more feminist than everyone else in the movie SMDH

[@robinnelson3545]

This is SO GOOD and deserves MORE LOVE!

[@ElectricDidact]

Aw thank u ^_^

[@Annatomova7]

Mulan was my childhood hero. Still one of my favorite Disney princesses/heroines!

[@edwardbackman744]

Excellent video. Very fascinating, very professional. I cannot believe your channel is this small.

[@ElectricDidact]

Me neither! lol Thank you very much ^__^

[@LilianaKali]

It was really interesting to hear about your own upbringing and the whole Harry Potter witchcraft thing. I'd heard about that perspective on HP, but didn't know of anyone who'd actually experienced it so that was neat. Mulan was one of my favourite Western animations growing up since I was a 'tomboy' girl in a Chinese family. There are so many manners and mannerisms that we're taught and how gender roles played into every part of interacting with my family, extended family, and anyone else who was Chinese. There were expectations of me that my brother never had to go through and never got to experience except as a bystander to whenever I was forced to play a gender role. He got more freedom to do and say what he wanted or explore or even just mess up without getting reprimanded or disciplined simply because he was born a boy. I was only ever 'free' from these expectations at school where almost everyone was white or not-Asian.

[@julv5767]

I think what resonated with me in Mulan was the relationship between Mulan and her father. Mulan was a strong boyish woman who could do things beyond her father, and I was a young “tomboy” girl who felt restricted by mine even as a child to my role as a girl but Mulan always connected me to my more masculine self despite being/identifying as female.

[@Furore2323]

No you're not crying I'm crying.

[@ElectricDidact]

I too am crying fren

[@cedricwublin9306]

i cri errytiem. dat resistance to patriarchy

[@oof-rr5nf]

@@cedricwublin9306 oof mood

[@ambergong7201]

I love this video. Please make more!! Mulan critics on toxic masculinity!

[@ElectricDidact]

Thanks so much ^_

[@stitchedwithcolor]

An interesting analysis; i think you've picked up on several aspects i didn't notice the last time i watched the film. I am inclined to think, however, that mulan doesn't so much say that gender is what you do not what you are, but rather indicates that gender is...what you are AND what you do, mixed together. Mulan's performative gender changes dramatically throughout the film, but her internal gender identity remains pretty consistent. She still sees herself as the same gender (ostensibly female, but maybe she'd identify as nonbinary if it were an available option?), as far as i can tell, regardless of what gender she performs. She sometimes performs masculinity, sometimes femininity; but that seems mostly to be about achieving her goals in a world that draws rigid boundaries between the roles played by people of each binary gender. Similarly, her friends can perform femininity when it suits their goals, but the idea isn't to become female but to fool the huns into thinking they're female. Contrast that to, say, virginia woolf's orlando, whose gender identity seems to shift right along with xyr gender performance.

[@ElectricDidact]

Yeah, I get that take. I guess I'm just suspicious of the stability it assumes about gender. Like, making a division between performing a gender for gain or to achieve a goal and "being that gender" is a distinction without a difference, the way I see it.

[@stitchedwithcolor]

@@ElectricDidact I get that. I have a lot of questions about gender myself. Having had friends who've recognized themselves as trans and nonbinary even in the face of disbelief and abuse, i have to believe that there's something in there that holds consistent. There isn't really a recognized way to perform nonbinary gender (much to my NB friends' chagrin!), so that complicates things. But having a friend that started out identifying as transmale then concluded that xe would have identified as nonbinary earlier if xe had known there was more than one non-female option, i think there's an element of fluidity and discovery to it, too. I like alex iantaffi and meg-john barker's description of gender as biopsychosocial, a messy fluctuating blend of cultural cues, internal awareness, and biological markers like hormones.

[@ElectricDidact]

@@stitchedwithcolor Thanks for sharing! I like the idea that it's bio-psycho-social.

[@jordanholt9170]

Regarding your point towards the end of the video about the nature of fiction, there have been many reasons for fiction in the past, and even today. Entertaining people is one reason that fictional stories were created, but a lot of the myths in ancient civilizations were created to explain why natural phenomenon occurred, such as the passing of seasons, earthquakes, lightning storms, etc. With scientific advances, there has been less need for these types of stories, but stories with messages have continued to persist. There are deep themes of wrath and the consequences of revenge in the Illiad. Many of the Grimm fairytales have morals of fearing the unknown. 1984 was written as a cautionary tale about totalitarian regimes. The list goes on.

[@Kitefel]

Oh man I really really loved this video. Instant subscription. Thank you so much for making it. My life is totally parallel to yours so it was almost therapeutic to hear you make these dissections about conservative systems and how we can subvert them. I don't know if you have seen the little KZbin feud that went on between Big Joel and Sargon of Akad but that last point you made about the effects of fiction after having explained for 30 minutes how this work of fiction affected you is in my opinion such a slam dunk against Sargon's ridiculous attempts to minimize the value of art. Can't wait to see your upcoming videos!

[@ElectricDidact]

Aww yay! So glad it met you where you were. ^_^

[@ShadraRune]

You have not watched Kiki's delivery service? It's great, go watch it, it deals with some touchy subjects like isolation, depression and homesickness better then several other movies.

[@PersonalZombie]

the youtube algorithm strikes! Mulan wasn't a favorite of mine growing up but as an adult, especially a transgender adult, the themes of masculine vs feminine really stick out. Also can I point out that the lyrics of Reflexion and Be A Man have a lot in common. Mulan asks what it is to be a woman and how she can be herself while upholding those ideas, then Shang tells the recruits exactly how to be a man, but it takes Mulan's outside the [gender binary] box thinking to actually do what he asks of them and become not only good soldiers and men but good /people/.

[@rhaenyrareigns2200]

*TIME STAMPS for "Lessons Animation Taught Us: Mulan":* @03:30 - CHAPTER ONE Mulan; @08:43 - CHAPTER TWO We All Must Serve Our Emperor; @11:58 - CHAPTER THREE Gender Drama; @19:39 - CHAPTER FOUR The Blossom Framing; @24:03 - CHAPTER FIVE On The Morals Of Stories.

[@ramonaa8962]

As an Asian, it’s funny to read comments that look at ancient Asian culture through a modern western lens. While China is still inherently patriarchal, it would be good to remember that women had a big part in shaping its modern history, one woman being the wife of General Mao himself, and the other her sister, the wife of General Chiang Kai Shek. It’s not unusual for daughters (and also sons) to be used as pawns in arranged marriages - which was what the matchmaker scene was about: not simply finding a husband but an alliance to better the wife’s social status and to increase the wealth of the husband’s family, all while satisfying the dictates of the Chinese horoscope for an auspicious match - in order to play the political and social arena. From history, it’s easy to find women on the battlefield who were active soldiers. There are a select few that have made their mark as generals, outstanding military planners, or just exceptional fighters. You might find www.womenofchina.cn/womenofchina/html1/people/history/12/4863-1.htm a good starting point. Mulan is a story of making yourself better DESPITE what people, rank, gender limitations, cultural expectations, and society throw at you. It’s a reason why Hua Mulan (only one of her many names)’s birthday is still celebrated in China today.

[@Murasakiriyu]

Sorry but Mulan is entirely invested within the Confucian values her society holds. Her entire quest from the start is about trying to preserve her families honour, if not by marriage then by taking her father's place. To be honest I was surprised you didn't use any framing from actual Chinese culture, it's absence is glaringly noticeable in many areas, particularly around 'face' and honour. The ending with the imposition of Occidental philosophy over Oriental philosophy was particularly hamfisted. However, it's nice to see that you noted the movie doesn't challenge gender roles as much as many feminists make out. In fact it is one of Disney's most patriarchal films (due to the interest of Confucianism within it). Sadly you couldn't pick that out though as you never looked at the original base culture the story arises from.

[@KyleRayner12]

I always appreciated that her romantic interest in Shang was downplayed. It's not unlike Clueless in that while Mulan "gets the guy," that's neither the central goal of the film nor the most significant aspect of the ending. It isn't why she joins the military, it has nothing to do with her efforts to do well in training or in combat, and the revelation that she's female upsets her because she believes it means that she's failed as a soldier and representative of her family. Shang doesn't enter into it as more than her commander. It's something of a noticeable problem, especially with Disney, that male protagonists' goals are 1) save the day, 2) stop the villain, and 3) get the girl in roughly that order, whereas female protagonists are expected to be concerned with the romantic part of the plot first and foremost. For most Disney princesses, the happy ending begins and ends with "getting the guy." By choosing to focus on Mulan/Ping's personal growth and achievement independent of her relationship with Shang, the movie *does* admittedly undermine their connection and the message that Shang respects her, but in return, it makes her arc that of a hero rather than that of a woman. (As you said, it's Ping's story, and that's emphasized by the narrative structure.)

[@Jjrmtv]

Mulan is a masterpiece. The story resonates with viewers and each character plays a vital role in the outcome of the happy ending.

[@apalebluescribble7128]

This was an extremely well done Video, both with scripting, recording and editing. Props to you dude!

[@ElectricDidact]

Thank you so much! ^___^

[@alexvietzke6027]

Goddamn that was a good vid, totally underappreciated mulan I’ll need to give it a rewatch

[@andreahl3494]

As a young adolescent, this Movie really inspired me subconciously. I was never the romantic type nor did I feel alright being in dresses and being made up like the typical "feminine". Looking punk or dressing up as a boy also didn't make me comfortable. I was just that weird kid whose interests didn't exactly fit well with my peers. However, Mulan's perseverance was a light for me. Now a bit older, I realize that I admired her courage to be gracious even when the world turned against her. When nobody fought for her she fought for herself, yet unselfish, she even fought for the people who turned their backs against her. Even more, it was only when she embraced all of her her softness (feminine: her wit, the ribbon thingy she used to climb the poles, the fan she used against the villain) and her roughness (masculine: her courage, her fighting and persevering, determination, tenacity) that she finally felt confident in herself and achieved the respect she deserved, not because of her gender but because of who she is as a person.

[@xwingday]

Very interesting insights. This video gives a lot of thought provoking views. Thanks for sharing it with us all.

[@ElectricDidact]

Thank you ^__^

[@kristalfisher7304]

"Narratively uninteresting wife" this had me screaming

[@greywarden1261]

I just liked the story.....as a young tomboy it was like a love story to saying being a masculine girl is totally fine.

[@rjordan1982]

Came here from Mikey's stuff. This is SOOOO GREAT and you should be REALLY PROUD!!!

[@ElectricDidact]

That's soooo sweet of you!

[@Ace-1525]

The Hun Army from Mulan are vampires is not a hot take I thought I would ever hear, and yet-

[@juanfisi]

The men's personality completely change in the latino version with a single line. In the song "a girl worth figthing for" (that in latino is called "my girl is the reason i fight") there is a line where Mulan says "i want a girl who always speaks her mind" and everyone goes "nah". Now, in the LATINO version she says "a girl who think before she talks" indicating that she tryes to say what she think they would like, a woman who behaves the way she was told, but no, they only want love and a woman who they can call a companion. They are completely diferent characters in that version.

[@terig8974]

How is it possible that a video about Harry Potter looks and sounds as if it was created in the 80's?

[@naolucillerandom5280]

Mulan has always been my favorite Disney movie. And she is my favorite Disney "princess". Eventually I would grow to be that one girl who gets angry because it's a school rule that the boys have to cut their hair very short or they won't be allowed to present the exams...

[@LilJBean]

I am DYING of laughter at the old ass video tape XD Them: HARRY POTTER!! THE CHILDREN ARE LEARNING BLACK MAGICS!!! Reality: LuL I'm a Slytherin 🐍 ~

[@gatopretonya2717]

Im my opinion, I think being "boring ' and stiff was the best way to put cheng in the end of the movie. Cause he is the literally the perfect perform of masculinity proposed by the film. He already had honor , the perfect body for a military state , what i think made him submissive for the ones who created the genre norm the state. So i like it the way he ends, you could see a change, that it is not extreme, makes it look more real to me :D for someone who had everything but has to doubt about this things, cof cof CAUSE he is BI mess

[@ElectricDidact]

This is a fantastic interpretation! Thanks for sharing :)

[@gatopretonya2717]

@@ElectricDidact thank you for the incredible video :3

[@rigelb9025]

CORRECTION : Shang isn't "boring"; he's "stable", and "solid".

[@gjstevens1141]

Ugh. Of course this turned into the whole gay narrative. Are we going to ignore that this came from a real story, from a culture thousands of years ago, with much different expectations than our entitled and fortunate American ones? I HATE it when people take Mulan and say, "Aw, she broke gender walls! She's a gay hero!" No, she's a hero for women. Nothing gay about this whole story.

[@megasocky]

But i feel this video essay. Im a lot more masculine thinking and get along with guys a lot better than girls. The only thing is most guys, especially the chad/edgy "i use 4chan lol" types, will ignore me just because I happen to be a woman. Otherwise, everyone see me as a cool person. If i were a guy, or insanely hot, i swear I will be ruling the world

[@Terabiel]

Very few people ever care why their country is being invaded and their people mercilessly slaughtered. Why should the chinese people care why the Huns were invading? And the Huns / Mongols did invade China many many times and kill many many people. China is a largely agrarian nation and the Mongols are nomadic. Raiding into china for food, wealth, or brides was pretty typical up to the modern era. And yes, militarism plays a huge role in pre-industrial nations, where you literally do have to protect yourself from other nations or tribes regularly. Furthermore, to a chinese / confucian mindset, one's sense of identity matters almost not at all. It's not so much toxic masculinity as absolute obedience to the state and the mandate of heaven. No one under most chinese systems is treated well. Everything is duty, everything is legalized. This is why so much chinese fiction all but deifies those who are able to live outside the system (Martial Artists, Monks, Sun Wukong). When a culture is fighting for its existence, against limited resources, against outside enemies, against the ravages of mother nature, sometimes survival necessities become ingrained in law and last into periods of peace. When your entire people have to work together to get the harvest in before a harsh winter or mongol raiders kill everyone, it's very hard to say "No. Please. Be an artist instead of a warrior / farmer. We'll support you." This doesn't make the results less tragic, and in peacetimes and times of plenty, it is harder to justify... but those who have lived through the hard times seldom understand how traumatized they have been and how rigid their thinking is. In a modern context, Mulan's story (in the animated film) is showing us that these things are wrong... but in the actual Mulan story, Mulan being female is never a secret. She simply dresses and acts like a man and is accepted by her warrior compatriots as one.

[@arnepianocanada]

I went from cancel to subscribe. Some of your later analysis is brilliant; please don't shoot yourself in the foot with (sorry) idiotic and non-perceptive early comments that devalue your later-evident gifts.

[@chrispham4347]

The way you presented this is really creative and great :)

[@sarahgr17]

My dad didn’t let us read Harry Potter until I was 12. I started reading the series when I was 10. Me and my sneaky ways. And my dad only let us watch Lords of the Rings and the Hobbit which has more violence in it then the first two movies of Harry Potter combined... my dad was really religious.

[@farrex0]

I have found particularly interesting of how Hollywood and some brands of feminism describe strong woman as masculine, as in the only way a woman can be strong is by becoming a man. But in real life I have met a lot of strong and capable women who are also feminine. Watching this video I realized something, and how powerful this movie really is in its message. This movie is not about misogyny in society and how women need to become men (as several movies apparently imply) but how both men and women need to leave aside expectations and become strong in their own way. That is also why I love Alita, while the movie has flaws, you have an incredibly resilient, persistent and strong woman who also has feminine qualities and that does not detract in any way the strength of her character (I actually find it insulting to imply otherwise). Also, I am not saying that woman can't act masculine or men can't act feminine but rather that each person should strive to be authentic, and how this society is attempting now to delete any shred of femininity in women and masculinity in men. Instead of showing both feminine and masculine women, and how both are strong in their own way, just as I have seen it in real life several times.

[@mdmjeremiah]

I feel like you and I watched an entirely different Mulan. I saw this in the theater and I was blown away by the fantastic animation and style of the film. The music was epic and the characters were entertaining and I enjoyed this simply as a work of Disney animation. Apparently I am the only one who watches Disney movies these days just to be entertained.

[@someoneunknown7655]

Analysis is interesting

[@mdmjeremiah]

@@someoneunknown7655 I agree but seeing things that aren't there and reading too much into something is not.

[@christheleavittman7080]

Excellent audio essay. You earned yourself a like and favorite. (I'll have to watch more before subbing :) )

[@ElectricDidact]

Thanks so much! Glad you liked it.

[@nitzan3782]

Sheng's gender-nonconformity is toned down compared to Mulan's or the 3. He's a subtler version of Chen Po.

[@livvielov]

I feel like conservatism is a way of making the world look simple when really it's very messy. It's like a mental shortcut for viewing the world around you and if something goes against a conservative belief and makes you work a little bit harder to understand something then it must be wrong. In reality, it's this that complicates the world and the only truth that will bring the simplicity that these people crave is love and acceptance of the "other" which will lead to the realisation that there is no other at all. This was a great video and one thing you said that really stuck out for me is when you said "a set of norms that alienate people from their own desires, and from other people."

[@Scooby_Nubie]

Shang was sexually confused becuz of Mulan so he was very awkward about finding out she is a woman later. Thought he was gay as fuk for over half the movie.

[@MsTenseiga]

As a little girl, I loved this movie so much more than all those princess movies. I always aspired to be like her. And when I was a teen and everyone around me started using make up, I was still Mulan, not recognizing myself in the mirror if I tried to look and act like the others.

[@Midnightwolf1333]

Guys.. you’re forgetting the most important and blatant fact.. Shang is just a bi disaster.

[@MarcusH]

I was struck by your thematic ending on this one. Oh, and HI THERE!!! by the way. Discovered Mikey a bit ago, and between him and Lindsay, I've been devoting a ton and a half of my free time to their insightful, at times scathing, breakdowns of the language of film. And actually, it's that language that caught my attention with your final questions about fiction. I believe fiction, told and portrayed well, is at least as high an art form as the well crafted documentary. But then, to be told and portrayed well, that story must have believable elements, relatable characters, and an internally consistent world. And when you strip it down to that, the only fiction that 'works' for us seems to be fiction that either has a moral/ethical tale to tell 'safely', or is almost pure escapism. (Yes, yes, there are other story types that will sometimes merge or walk away from that dichotomy, but those are harder to make work, and thus there are far fewer of them.) So, I guess I'm curious to see how much of 'fiction' needs to be tied to, or even tied down by, the reality it is trying to advance and/or refute.

[@7b7BenGazing]

I want you. I want you so bad. 🎵 cuz’ of the way you say vampire 🧛🏻‍♂️

[@Inconsistent-Dogwash]

Mulan was the first movie I watched by myself in the cinema, I went to the cinema with my sister and her friend but I didn’t want to watch the film they were going to watch so much that I decided to go by myself. So this film means a lot to me.

[@blossomnessstudios4446]

So, Mulan is TECHNICALLY gender fluid?

[@Codi892]

People shouldn't forget that Disney's Mulan was written by white westerners adapting a classic Chinese poem to fit their ideas and standards of entertainment. EDIT: Hence the movie stereotypical undertones and anti-China propaganda in it. Plus, Chien Po is meant to represent a Buddhist monk. (Hence his large Budda like appearance) His behavior is not considered feminine in Asia but enlightened. Therefore he would not be shamed in Chinese culture.

[@CrystalMouse1]

Omg I wasn’t allowed to watch Kiki either. Now I’m a witch and it’s my favorite animated film

[@ElectricDidact]

nice!

[@ajmosutra7667]

Omg i have also grown up this religiously wuth these rules.. thank god* i found u

[@mandysue1857]

"link in the doobly-doo" I don't think I've ever heard that from anyone else besides the Green Brothers!

[@katiearbuckle9017]

A balanced duty a great moral, and your starting to get the real "Magic" of storytelling, and if you want I can answer some questions if your interested.

[@shannonceleste5557]

The disastrous matchmaker visit was all the cricket’s fault don’t @ me