Wibbly-wobbly

"People assume that time is a strict progression of cause to effect, but actually from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint - it's more like a big ball of wibbly-wobbly... timey-wimey... stuff."
--Tenth Doctor, "Blink"

I think that's where my time has gone.

Or maybe It's gone from me finding that picture. Why am I avoiding watching Once Upon a Time in China II? Just because it's homework. Why do I want to avoid doing work? I'm only making life difficult for myself.

I can use this opportunity to brainstorm about my essay topic, though. I've finally reached the point where it's easier to type than it is to write by hand. I remember being impressed when I learned that that was how Mommy wrote fastest. Anyway. Stalling.

I'm writing about Shaolin Temple, Once Upon a Time in China II, and Hero. Each has a slightly different take on what makes the best hero. Chieh Yuan is hot-headed and not very self-disciplined. He goes off on his own to take revenge, and nearly gets everyone killed. This is clearly not what constitutes a good hero. In the end he gives up the girl--now that's different!--in order to dedicate himself fully to the temple and its defence.

In Once Upon a Time in China, Wong Fei-Hung still has a sense of humor, though it is not quite as ridiculous as Chieh Yuan. He is always dedicated to doing what is right, helping others with his medicine and defending the weak with his martial arts. Here the emphasis is not on working with the group--he frequently goes off to fight alone--but on modernizing China while maintaining its identity. Fei-Hung is disgusted by the White Lotus sect, who want to kill all the foreigners. He has forbidden love as well, but for a different reason. He is related to Aunt 13 by family vows, if not by blood.

Nameless appears cold and calculating at first, stoically doing his duty. However, he is actually twisted by his anger and desire for revenge. In the end he does sacrifice himself for the unification of China, but only at the last second. The true hero of the story is Broken Sword, who recognizes Qing's desire to unify the land for peace when no one else does. The message here is even more didactic than the previous stories. Unity good. Division bad. No killing. Sacrifice yourself for the whole. It also seems that everyone in China likes to wear long robes with big billowy sleeves and has really long, gorgeous black hair.

OK... that's a nice start, but I have no idea how I'm going to stretch that into ten pages.
Argh. You said it, Mrs. Silvestry.