Daniel Kwan Profile picture
Sep 13, 2020 26 tweets 2 min read Read on X
We're 10 minutes into Mulan and I already dislike it.
The dubbing of Jet Li just looks comical.
Early prediction, I think Gong Li's "Witch" character will turn out to be the most interesting.
The writers appear to have the same understanding of qi as Gary Gygax and co.
Gotta respect Tzi Ma though. Dude's a great actor and a legend in the industry.
Mulan is suiting up for war and we decided to take a break. We're all falling asleep. Totally not the result of the huge meal we ate before.
The Phoenix bullshit really bothers me. Such a huge cultural oversight.
This training montage needs a song.
Jimmy Wong appears!
"You must hide your qi!"

How does this movie get so much wrong?
Disney doesn't seem to think that Mulan can be powerful as a normal Asian woman. Instead, they attribute all of her power to a misinterpretation of qi. This movie doesn't need all of these allusions to mystic tropes.
How is it that none of these scenes feel as powerful as the original Disney animation?
If you think that "all Asians look the same" after watching this movie, gtfo. Kudos to the casting department.
This horseback archery fight is pretty cool. Except for the part where Mulan watches everyone get killed as they clearly charge into a trap.
I mean, she didn't have to ditch her armour to be her true self.
The Mulan reveal isn't as impactful as Disney seems to think. What a wasted moment.
Also, where were they hiding the siege engines? How is their aim that precise?
Mulan just teleports from set piece to set piece. The storytelling is so lazy in this movie.
Confirmed. The Witch is the best character in this movie.
Behind the back archery?!
Killing the Witch like that was a travesty. Gong Li deserved WAY better.
What the heck kind of final fight was that?
The legendary Ming-Na Wen appears!
They force that "loyal, brave, and true" line far too much. I'm over it.
That jade inlay on the sword is pretty sweet...
-30 honour points to Disney for that movie and working with the Xinjiang government.

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More from @danielhkwan

Sep 27, 2021
Gatekeepers need to understand that there are many ways to play RPGs.

Central to #DnD is the ONGOING conversation between everyone at the table about expectations, narrative goals, safety, and fun!

Adapt what is useful, reject what is useless, and add what is uniquely your own.
D&D 3.0 & 3.5 are my personal favourites. I LOVE the crunch and have so many fond memories of my characters (really loved the older Arcane Archer and the Order of the Bow Initiate) from those editions.

Sometimes, that doesn't work for those at my table and I adjust accordingly.
Since so many of you like to reference the rules. Here you go, straight from the Player's Handbook. Image
Read 5 tweets
May 14, 2021
Today is #CreatorDay @itchio! Today they are waiving their fee & giving all profits to creators! Here's are all of the #TTRPG zines I've published at danielhkwan.itch.io related to my Chronicles of Spring & Autumn project - a campaign setting inspired by Warring States China!
"Denizens of Mountains & Seas" volumes 1 and 2 are collections of Chinese monsters and cultural touchpoints on how to incorporate them into your #DnD (or any TTRPG) sessions!

"Blades of the Lunar Kingdom" is a short zine containing legendary magical swords and historical notes!
All of my Chronicles of Spring & Autumn zines are being adopted into a larger volume that will tie them all together into a fantasy campaign setting set in the Kingdom of Yue!

I've been developing it with the support of my amazing Patrons @ patreon.com/danielhkwan
Read 5 tweets
Mar 24, 2021
There is a lot of potential lost in the overreliance on Asian pop culture stereotypes in the latest news about Strixhaven. While I'm SUPER excited to be seen in a game I enjoy, this doesn't mean there isn't room for A LOT of improvement.

/thread

dicebreaker.com/games/magic-th…
1⃣ Honour shouldn't be the only motivation for a character. It's 2021 and "Asian honour" should not be the defining feature of a character's story.

/1
One great way to frame this Killian's story would be around the generational differences between him and his parents. Kim's Convenience nailed this as they told the story of Appa, his estranged son Jung, and how they can learned to repair their relationship.

/2
Read 11 tweets
Mar 18, 2021
Hey @LegendaryGamesJ, with everything going on in America right now, which member of your team decided that "mysteries of the Orient" was a good idea?

Did your cultural consultant think "unapproachable East" was a good idea in 2021? Did you even hire one?
With all of the hateful rhetoric towards Asian people, did the Legendary Games team think that FURTHER mystifying us would add anything productive to the conversations in the TTRPG space?
I'm trying to be constructive about this, but given everything that is happening, it's been real difficult. The right paints us as outsiders to be feared - people at the root of everyone's current problems.

The east isn't unapproachable.
Read 5 tweets
Nov 9, 2020
So I wrote the history section of Haunted West on "Chinese people in the West". It's about struggle, racism, and resilience. That's been the Chinese experience in Canada and the US for generations. Still is.

Educational thread incoming.

1/
I think it's really important for people to understand different perspectives - it's how we become more tolerant and come to terms with our privilege. That's why products like Haunted West and Harlem Unbound are so important. That's why I signed on to write for HW.

2/
Was having Matt as a cast member a good idea? No.

Is Matt being white the only issue we need to discuss? No.

Are Matt and Chris terrible people for doing this? Absolutely not.

3/
Read 7 tweets
Sep 21, 2020
Hi! Since I have a whole bunch of new followers after #DnDCelebration2020, here's a bit about me! I produce and co-host @aznsrepresent! Our podcast is hosted on the @OneShotNetwork and we stream at twitch.tv/aznsrep! You can find old streams at YouTube.com/aznsrepresent!
1/
Prior to working in tech and gaming, I was an academic archeologist and educator @ROMtoronto. I've lived and worked in Jordan, Greece, and China. My academic specialties were Japanese (Jomon) and Chinese (early Holocene) ceramics, geoarchaeology, and early agriculture!

2/
My academic and professional experiences strongly inform my game design work - which emphasizes an educational take on games media. Here are some of my recent #TTRPG products:

Ross Rifles (WWI drama): drivethrurpg.com/m/product/3259…

Fantasy Chinese monsters: danielhkwan.itch.io

3/
Read 4 tweets

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