artifactlover0
Active member
Hoping to enthuse others to further flesh out a Chinese-American hero.
I don't have a very specific idea for a hero, like name etc, but I'm aware of a concept that could be used for a NYC Chinese American hero 童乩 (spiritual mediums) and believe any Chinese-American character would be historically and thematically relevant, and could lead to a really interesting and enjoyable hero. Any 童乩 would be REALLY fitting given this except:
"According to Chinese folk religion, humans are likened to vessels. Adults are fully filled vessels, while children are half-full vessels that fill up only in adulthood. However, by dint of the date and time they are born (called the Eight Characters, or sheng chen ba zi, 生辰八字, in Mandarin), some adults never become fully filled vessels. Although they are physically adults, they remain as children spiritually. Such people are destined to live a short life but they can prolong their lifespan by agreeing to serve the gods. One way is to be a spirit-medium and become a vessel for gods who descend to the mortal realm to help the people. As spirit-mediums are only “half-filled,” they have “space” for spirits and deities to enter and take control of their bodies.
To denote their status as a spiritual child, many tangki don a dudou (肚兜) over their bare torsos – the diamond-shaped cloth called a stomacher traditionally worn by Chinese babies to prevent colic."
So why Deadlock? It's in NYC! Well 1900s NYC had a significant Chinatown. I think many know this. But the Chinatown also had significant gangs/tongs and other organizations, some with significant spiritual undertones that would mesh VERY well with the universe of Deadlock. I say this given the theme of many characters in Deadlock being part of the underground of society.
www.scmp.com
en.wikipedia.org
I've attached relevant 1900s NYC photos for context, as well as a photo of a 童乩 and a book about some voluntary organizations in Chinatown. https://archive.org/details/socialpoliticalc0000kuoc
This is somewhat of a mess of a post but, again, I'm really just hoping to put this on the radar of others. I feel someone could make something awesome out of the history of Chinatown. Best wishes.
I don't have a very specific idea for a hero, like name etc, but I'm aware of a concept that could be used for a NYC Chinese American hero 童乩 (spiritual mediums) and believe any Chinese-American character would be historically and thematically relevant, and could lead to a really interesting and enjoyable hero. Any 童乩 would be REALLY fitting given this except:
"According to Chinese folk religion, humans are likened to vessels. Adults are fully filled vessels, while children are half-full vessels that fill up only in adulthood. However, by dint of the date and time they are born (called the Eight Characters, or sheng chen ba zi, 生辰八字, in Mandarin), some adults never become fully filled vessels. Although they are physically adults, they remain as children spiritually. Such people are destined to live a short life but they can prolong their lifespan by agreeing to serve the gods. One way is to be a spirit-medium and become a vessel for gods who descend to the mortal realm to help the people. As spirit-mediums are only “half-filled,” they have “space” for spirits and deities to enter and take control of their bodies.
To denote their status as a spiritual child, many tangki don a dudou (肚兜) over their bare torsos – the diamond-shaped cloth called a stomacher traditionally worn by Chinese babies to prevent colic."
So why Deadlock? It's in NYC! Well 1900s NYC had a significant Chinatown. I think many know this. But the Chinatown also had significant gangs/tongs and other organizations, some with significant spiritual undertones that would mesh VERY well with the universe of Deadlock. I say this given the theme of many characters in Deadlock being part of the underground of society.
The tong wars: how New York’s 1900s Chinatown descended into violence, bloodshed and savvy politics
What started with the murder of a laundry worker erupted into decades of tactical warfare
www.scmp.com
Sai Wing Mock - Wikipedia
I've attached relevant 1900s NYC photos for context, as well as a photo of a 童乩 and a book about some voluntary organizations in Chinatown. https://archive.org/details/socialpoliticalc0000kuoc
This is somewhat of a mess of a post but, again, I'm really just hoping to put this on the radar of others. I feel someone could make something awesome out of the history of Chinatown. Best wishes.
