PKMN Skies: Saengil Chukahae

It's 8 days late but, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, KAMALA!  As one of Asuka's students _{(her only one right now)}, Kamala and her birthday mean a lot to the Raichu and would be a priority to celebrate, even if the middle of a lesson.  The timing of this birthday actually syncs up very well, as Asuka recently learned to read _{(with Kamala's help)} to allow her to write that cake (all by herself!) and LunaSheWolf and I both wanted to do something Kamala and her Tae Kwon Do tutelage, but  neither of us could think of anything until now.

Speaking of Tae Kwon Do, look at this background!  I made one version of this picture based more on a birthday cake, but I didn't think it synced up well with the monochromatic wardrobe of the characters or what they were doing.  Starved for ideas, I turned to the girls' shared hobby and thought about its origins.

- TKD was formulated in South Korea.  The country's flag and ancient philosophies still play a big role in TKD schools to this day.

- One of Korea's lucky numbers is 3, because it syncs up with the philosophical equation that Heaven (represented by 1) + Earth (2) = 3 (which symbolizes humanity).

- Asuka taught Kamala about was how TKD, inspired by the above belief, balances Earth, Heaven and Humanity as a harmonious whole; these three elements are colored Red, Blue and Yellow respectively, hence the candles on the cake.

- Kamala's doing that "Punch the Candles Out" trick, but with the TKD technique of the Shuffle Side Kick.

- Asuka's shortness puts her at the perfect height to hold the cake up for Kamala's kick...That one wasn't intentional so much as it was fortuitous.

- The cake spelling out "Kama" instead of "Kamala" is good for saving space, but that wasn't even on my mind when I wrote it out.  Asuka doesn't know how to pronounce "Kamala," so she always calls her "Kama" to avoid making a fool of herself.

Asuka being the unrealistic weeaboo fighter that she is, has a Black Belt in TKD, but Kamala is still at the White Belt.  Every school of every martial arts has its own way of handling belts, but Black always seems to be the highest in TKD and White the lowest in every school; Asuka's tutelage required Kamala to pass a test before she got her White Belt so she's still a fledgling, but I imagine she's already made some progress by this point.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANYwho, this was a difficult picture to make, but a fun one.  I hope you enjoy this belated birthday bash, Luna.  Kamala's a great character who has given Asuka so much joy and pride and given me so much material for my stories, so I thought it was about time I finally thank you and her for it.

Kamala Mele created by LunaSheWolf

Tae Kwon Do created by Choi Hong Hi and many other South Korean Kwans

Korea created by Heaven and Earth