#Shan's character study

[villainsandvictimsalliance]

Endeavor character study :

Endeavor might not be a good person but I think it's very interesting what he brings to the story as a character.

You have a man who is obsessed with a dream, not very different from the men we see and know in real life. He's obsessed with being successful in his profession, to the point he carefully arranges his life around it.

He marriages a woman who can further his career by providing him with talented kids. In return, he helps her family regain their status. Rei and Enji's marriage is a story of details, of micro aggresions, of a business deal and flowers and later on, abuse so intense you end up losing yourself to it.

Enji gets a traditional home that reflects on his tradicional values, contrary to the American like identity of All Might.

He attended UA on his student years, the most prestigious hero academy around. He is not a rich boy of golden cradle, but he works for his money and for his reputation as a pro-hero.

The doctor tells him the risks of seeking a perfect child the way he is doing, by purposely mixing his fire quirk with Rei's ice quirk. He ignores it 'cause at this point in time, he's not worried about loving and caring for the health of the wife he practically bought, nor is he worried about the health of his future children. He has only one goal in mind and that is to become the best, better than All Might.

⠀

From down there, it goes predictably.

He teaches his obsession to his first born, who happens to get all the consequences that the doctor told Enji about. That obsession leads the kid to killing himself by accident, but Enji was too busy with his hero job to do something serious about it or even take the time to understand it.

His second and third children are pushed aside because they have only the ice quirk, instead of both. They are practically isolated. They lost their older sibling and now been separated from his younger sibling and his dad won't even pay them attention. They are, in other words, failures to him

And his youngest is everything Enji wanted and was looking for. Still, Enji is so lost on his mind and big goal that he starts abusing Rei to the point she burns her son by accident, because she thought he was Enji. The kid was isolated from his mom then and there too, staying with his very abusive and insane dad, training since he was a toddler to be perfect. What Enji truly got was his wish, but Shoto hated him. The kid could be the number one hero, but Enji had destroyed him and his family in the process.

Enji ends up alone, with no relationship to any member of his family.

⠀

Through the manga, we know him as a bad man, someone who is pushing Shoto to a braking point. Later we get to know him as the second pro-hero on Japan's ranking, the first after All Might retires. It doesn't make Enji happy at all, surpassing him because All Might couldn't fight anymore.

With the responsibility of the first spot, we see him growing as a person. He acknowledges some of his mistakes, he gets to work with Shouto and his friends, he gets the addition of Hawks and he becomes more human as a character. He's no longer one-dimensional with his hero obsession, now he has kids (barely) and partners in the hero profession. He gets fans, he corrects some of his way, we all know the drill.

That, of course, until Touya returns right when he was repenting a little.

With his biggest mistake back, Enji is paralyzed. He had faced the consequences of the decisions he took that lead to Touya's death, but he did it in a time he mourned probably, but didn't —couldn't understand what he had done. He was blind.

Facing Touya, he's forced to realize death was not the worst case scenario. His son is alive and he's the villain that almost got one of his interns dead. He's part of the most evil villain group and he is, more than anything, his son. The flames, the rage, the obsession. Enji doesn't comprehends yet, but after the War, he cries (finally) and remembers all that happened. It's a minuscule starting point.

He moves on to try and make things better by helping Izuku, but he lies to Shoto again and he once more puts his hero job first. Now, he's kinda a sorry ass of a man, defeated, lonely, he has lost.

⠀

And Dabi, like always, arrives perfectly on time to confront his father.

This is what leads to Endeavor's fight with AFO and the current situation, where Enji has admitted he is guilty and needs to make himself responsible for all his actions and life choices. No other than AFO himself let's him know of how much he had fucked up Touya, who is fighting Shouto as they speak. Endeavor then dreams of a future of kids who had become pro-heroes unlike him, of a new generation with better choices. He let's go of his dream and decides to finally start protecting the dreams of others, including his son. He risks his life for it, to the point he's half gone already.

It's not a starting point, not even the middle, more like a realization point of how viscerally wrong he was and how the world is worst because of him. He even kills his younger self in a symbolic panel, acknowledging he was pathetic and abusive.

They are both in such bad shape the story doesn't guarantee they can survive their fight/talk. Shoto is there too, but at this point it is between Touya and Enji. Touya is Enji's consequence and no one else can answer for it.

⠀

If Horikoshi goes down the being kept alive road, we could get the resolution of the Touya-Enji plot and maybe both of them alive, healing and going separate ways to deal with their past crimes and body conditions.

If Horikoshi goes down the death road, they could both die maybe together as cause and effect, or maybe apart but after finding closure. Who knows

Maybe only one of them will be allowed a second chance, maybe the other will sacrifice himself to allow it, maybe Hawks will be the one ending like a sacrifice lamb for the sake of the Todorokis.

Either way, it's been a journey for Enji.

#Shan's bnha meta #Shan's mha meta #bnha #mha #boku no hero academia #my hero academia #Bnha meta #Mha meta #mha spoilers #bnha spoilers #Endeavor #Bnha endeavor #mha endeavor #Enji todoroki #Todofam #Character study #Shan's character study #Endeavor character study #Long post

[miicycle]

The Kung Fu Panda Movies have always had Mr. Ping give the moral of the story, and I think about that a lot. Yes, Po is usually out fighting bad guys when realizing where he should be mentally and skillfully, on his own when he gets the point of teachings. Ping is such an important person in Po's life, just as much as Shifu is needed to help Po learn Kung Fu.

Way more under the cut!!!

Kung Fu Panda 1: "You are almost ready to be entrusted with the secret ingredient of my secret ingredient soup. And then you will fulfill your destiny and take over the restaurant [...]" - Ping

"Secret Ingredient of my secret ingredient soup" being an allegory for Dragon scroll and "destiny" being Po becoming the Dragon warrior and "take over the restaurant" as being Oogway's successor.

Then it turns out the scroll is blank. And Ping feels its a good place to tell Po about the secret ingredient. NOTHING. For something to be special, you just have to BELIEVE it's special.

So Po, not needing any secret scroll or any cool powerup, wins against Tai Lung by believeing in himself.

Ping made him believe in himself. And when Po fulfills his destiny of defeating Tai Lung, he's PROUD!

Kung Fu Panda 2: "Po, your life may not have such a happy beginning, but look at how it turned out! You got me, you got kung fu! And you got noodles!" - Ping (and almsot identical quote said by Soothsayer)

And

Po: "I gotta go. I'm the Dragon Warrior, it's kinda my job to save Kung Fu. And if I don't, what am I?"

Ping: "You're my son! ... Right?"

The message is pretty clearcut, but it's repeated very heavily in the movie. Mr Ping may not be his father, but he is his dad. No matter where he came from, Po is Mr Pings son through and through and he very much loves him.

The scene where Po has been knocked into a river and saved by the Soothsayer, she says the same thing that Ping does. He didn't have a happy beginning, but what matters is who he is, and what he chooses to do now.

And the montage plays everything hes done up until now, but also empathizes the moments between Ping and Po. The last thing he sees in his mind is Ping being a dad, because he is Po's dad! Whatever happened before doesn't have bearing for who Po chooses to be. So when he chooses to be the son of a goose and the Dragon Warrior, nothing he finds out can change that.

Because Dragon Warrior or not, Po is Ping's son! Right?

Kung Fu Panda 3: "He's hurt. He's confused. And he still has to save the World! He needs both his dads." - Ping

"I realized that having you in his life doesn't mean less for me. It means more for Po." - Ping

And

"I'm not trying to turn you into me. I'm trying to turn you into you!" - Shifu

(Love how often Shifu and Ping mirror each other's roles btw they're both so important)

So these are a little less on the nose, but again super important. No matter what Po is going through, he still has to fulfill his destiny, and giving him support while he does so is the best they can do. Ping was initially worried of Li Shan stealing Po away, but realizes that bonding with his biological father doesn't take him away from Ping, just more love and support for Po.

But also, Po learning that he doesn't have to change drastically to reach his true potential. When Ping and Li Shan stand on the small platform and tell Po that they can help, along with all other pandas, Po has the realization that he can't turn them into him, just as Shifu can't turn him into Shifu, or Li Shan can't turn him into a typical panda.

Ping doesn't say a direct quote to mirror Shifu's, but he did initiate talking to Li Shan after Po and Li Shan had the liar reveal. Li never had the experience of having an arguement with his child, but Ping obviously does. So he takes it upon himself to keep being the rock that Po can lean on by talking to Li Shan and helping him realize that they have to be there for Po, no matter what happens.

Because again. Po is hurt. Po is confused. But he still has to save the world. He needs both his dads.

I love Ping so much for being a good dad in this way. He really plays well as a support character and is such a good parent. Yeah, Po may not fit the mold the way Ping expected (taking over the noodle shop etc) but hes still so proud!!!

#kung fu panda #kung fu panda 2 #kung fu panda 3 #kung fu panda trilogy #kfp #kfp2 #kfp3 #kfp po #kfp ping #kfp li shan #Long post #text post #mii talks #kfp character study i guess #kung fu panda character talk #mr ping

[eorzeashan]

Commander Stew

Theron cooks something for the Commander.

Odessen - The Kitchens

A young man sporting a dollop of white hair and refined features entered the communal kitchen of the Alliance carrying a large crate, wearing a plain burlap apron, rubber gloves, and waders over what usually would qualify as a stealth suit–a bit of an odd sight, but one Theron had gotten used to over time.

“Hey! You’re back early. Put ‘em down over there,” Theron glanced over his shoulder, nodding briefly at the young man, then motioning with his head at the kitchen island. Eight squeezed past him as he ran his hands under the faucet, careful not to bump into the other spy. They set down the box on the counter and patiently folded their hands, awaiting instructions.

Theron turned off the sink and flung the remnant droplets off his hands, drying them with a slightly stained checkerboard dish towel.

Even with his fearsome past, Theron found the quiet operative to be pleasant company most days, with Eight acting as his assistant in daily matters ranging from mundane chores to deadly missions. All at the behest of Lana, of course. She was the one who insisted on (see: forced) a pair of helping hands for him after he'd incorrectly assumed she’d wanted him to take on all her burdens.

Not that he was complaining about the extra hands. Certainly not today of all days–he was planning something special, and that required all of the help he could get.

Theron opened the flaps of the crate. Fresh from their gardening plot in the Odessen fields, the box was practically bursting with colorful root vegetables and leafy greens native to the planet. Purple, orange, striped yellows and swirls of blue–all packed with vitamins and the healthy color of a successful crop. Plain proof that their efforts to cultivate more organic food for the personnel had finally given fruit, after several long winters of withered stalks and exhausting meals of food chips.

Theron smiled wryly. He’d have to make a toast to Dr. Oggurrobb’s fertilizer and the Force Enclave’s agricultural knowledge later.

“Will this be enough?” Eight asked, mellow as ever. He watched him coolly through deep umber eyes.

“It’s more than enough,” Theron answered, a bit of uncertainty leaking into his tone as he stared at the foodstuffs. The vegetables taunted him from their comfy spot atop the counter next to the impressive array of knives and cooking utensils laid out side-by-side like an interrogation toolkit. “...I think.” He wiped the tip of his nose.

Theron hated to admit it, but he was no culinarian. Master Zho had never taught him (really, what could you teach a kid to cook in the wilderness besides canned goods and pre-packaged rations), and his stint as a SIS agent since his youth had left him with little time to prepare nor care. The extent of his cooking repertoire could quickly be summed up to sticking a frozen Orobird leg in the flash oven and waiting for two minutes, sadly.

So why was he making an effort now?

The image of the Commander’s tired face weary from battle and sleepless nights, aging lines etched deep into their skin with the carvings of a destiny too large for one person, flashed in Theron’s mind. He’d seen the way they’d fought–skipped meals, denied themselves sleep, hid the way their gaze turned vacant when they thought no one was looking, left their cafeteria plate practically untouched, compounded blackened bottoms of endless cups of caf, the stims—the Commander was burning themselves at both ends.

Hypocritical as it was, he couldn’t stand watching them drive themselves into the ground. The galaxy’s fate was important, but…not as important as they were to Theron. Yet he found himself at a loss; what words he wanted to tell them to eat better, to sleep more, to stop hurting themselves fell short whenever the Commander gave him that one look. That look of resignation, deep as the dull ache that would settle in his chest afterwards.

“I’m okay,” They’d tell him, smiling wan, “Thank you, Theron.” It’s alright. It’s nothing. Don’t worry about me.

Like hell he couldn’t. He–

“Theron…?”

Theron snapped out of his reverie, realizing he’d been wringing the dishcloth far too tightly for too long. Eight stared at him, puzzled. He released it. His knuckles returned to their previous pink.

“...Sorry. Just. Tired,” Theron shook his head, massaging his temples. Tired. Yeah. He was sure someone else was too, and he hadn’t asked Eight to come here to watch him have a breakdown. Pushing off from the counter, he clapped his hands together, mustering up a second wind. “Let’s get to work. Shall we?”

Commander Stew

Ingredients:

Young Makrin Legs

Orobird Soup Stock

Rootleaf, 1 Head

Imperial-issued Instant Glowblue Noodles, 1 Package

Republic Synth-Ham and Grophet Sausages

Odessen Wild Onions

Mandalorian Spice Sauce

Zakuulan Swamp Glowshrooms

Slice of Ration Cheese

Directions:

Prepare the young makrin legs by soaking them in water and shaving the fibrous exterior with a peeler.

Theron stared at the unassuming pile of…legs that resembled roots more than they did the limbs of any creature, and secretly shuddered. Makrins weren’t particularly uncommon on terrestrial worlds, but their crabby, tree-like appearance and tendency to wallow in loam didn't make them his first choice to eat. He wasn't exactly opposed to adventurous cuisine, but he wondered how exactly the legs of a chitinous creature equaled something that would make the Commander more appetized.

As if sensing his cause for pause, Eight peered over his shoulder where he stood frozen with peeler in hand. “The Jedi recommended them for use in medicinal dishes. When eaten boiled, it lowers blood pressure, and contains many nutrients.” He said thoughtfully, as if reading an entry from an encyclopedia.

“Is that so.” Theron inwardly balked at the mention of the Jedi–a little known fact was that Master Zho had raised him on Jedi cuisine, most of it vegetarian, but even then he hadn’t sampled every bit of agriculture the galaxy had to offer. Makrin legs were a bit out there, but seeing as they were native to Odessen, recommended by the enclave and another piece of stress relief on a plate for the Commander? His survival training told him the harmless limbs could only benefit, despite their gnarly appearance.

Remove the tips and fibrous base. When cleaned and processed, set aside.

He buckled down and began shaving the legs. Lack of proper nutrition was always a deciding factor in conflict–Theron had seen his fair share of soldiers who contracted disease from improper eating and lack of supplies– and he would feed the Commander any bit of ugly vegetables if it meant seeing a little more life restored to their pallid cheeks. His fingers found their rhythm as he removed the tough outer skin from the legs exposing their soft white core beneath the blade of the peeler, their texture reminding him oddly of Dantooinian tubers with an extra coat of slime.

Slice and dice half of a medium-sized onion.

Theron had to pretend he wasn't looking particularly emotional as he chopped the onion. Or maybe he was simply brought to tears at the thought that their food could have flavor for once, all thanks to the Alliance’s team of scouts who procured such supplies for them from the unmapped regions of Odessen’s wilds. Eight was among that team, hence Theron's willingness to let an Imp spy of all people join him in cooking. There was only a small handful of people he could use to conceal his efforts from the Commander, and Theron would make use of both his ability to obtain food in secret and his espionage skills to see this through, opposing factions be damned.

And if others worried about poisoning, well. He didn't pride himself on being Chief of Security for nothing. The safety of the Commander was his priority, as were the characters of those he chose to fight alongside them. They were his responsibility. His to trust with their most important fight and everything in-between. Theron couldn't afford to keep the old grudges that the Republic and Empire maintained in these desperate times, and he would not fall victim to their need to blind themselves with their unending war. He had to fight for what was important, and that was…people. Not sides.

Theron would always be a son of the Republic at his heart. But now his heart belonged to another, and those lines had long blurred.

Slice the glowshrooms length-wise, removing the head from the stems. Set aside.

Clean and cut the rootleaf in half, then the following halves into quarters; chop into smaller squares until you have about 1 cup’s worth of rootleaf. Store the rest in a cool, refrigerated place.

Unpackage the Synth-Ham, Republic Ration #0625, and slice to desired thickness.

Theron opened the can of mystery meat and upended it onto the chopping board. The green ham-like substance plopped onto it with gelatinous grace. He poked it with his cooking knife. It jiggled away from the tip.

Eight placed an empty pot next to him along with a can of opened grophet sausages and an unwrapped package of Imperial ration Glowblue Noodles, their signature color shining through the foil. Theron quickly thanked him out of the corner of his mouth.

Arrange the rootleaf, onion, makrin legs, and glowshrooms at the bottom of the pot in even layers.

Add a helping of Mandalorian Spiced Sauce on top.

Theron couldn't forget Torian and his people. They were the ones who suggested using their own spices for the hotpot, as “no other spice in the galaxy compares to that of a Mando’s.” Though he’d initially expressed some reservations at setting the Commander’s tongue aflame, this special mix had been made with their preference in mind; Shae had been so impressed by their valor that she presented several crates worth as a gift after the battle of Darvannis. Spices were a luxury if not a grand gesture in wartime, and not one Theron intended to use lightly.

Add the Synth-Ham, grophet sausages, and top with a slice of ration cheese over the previous ingredients.

Finally, add the Glowblue Noodles and 3 liters of Orobird stock.

Theron blinked at the finished product. “Wait a minute. This is…”

“Revanite stew?” Eight once again helpfully supplied.

It was Theron’s turn to ask the questions as he raised a suspicious brow towards his sous-chef. “They ate this during the coalition, when the camps combined. How did you get the same recipe?”

Eight smiled quietly to himself, in his mysterious and elusive way. “Our Commander was there. It was their idea to share food across factions. I still haven't forgotten its taste. If you ask any of the soldiers from that time, they will say the same.”

Theron stared at him, speechless. To think the same recipe he’d been making this entire time was a result of their union on Rishi…he recalled seeing Imperial and Republic soldiers bonding over a cookpot, but hadn't joined in, content to watch the proceedings from a distance. So much had happened during Revan’s rise that he’d failed to pay enough attention to something so innocuous as a moment of camaraderie between unlikely allies.

It had been their idea to eat something both Imperial and Republic that fateful night. To form the basis of their Alliance over a simple, warm bowl of soup.

Theron felt his heart swell.

He…he had to remind them of what they had built. What they meant to him. With this.

Set on top of a burner and deliver to recipients with bowls to share.

Theron held his breath as he wheeled the cart of foodstuffs to the Commander’s quarters, careful to avoid jostling the stew that balanced atop it as he reached his destination. He rapped on the door with the back of his knuckles.

A puff of pnematic air revealed the Commander, yawning wearily from yet another sleepless night of work and burdens. “Yes–” They stopped. “Theron? What are you doing here?” They eyed his cart. “And what's with all the food?”

Theron cracked a sheepish smile, rubbing the back of his neck. “Thought you could use some dinner, so…I brought you some. If you don't mind, that is.” He quickly added, feeling out of place in the deserted hallway.

The Commander smiled, a genuine one that reached their eyes, crinkling at the edges. “I’d love to try whatever you made. Come in, we can eat it together.” They stepped aside to allow Theron room to maneuver.

Enjoy with your intended party.

As expected, it was delicious.

Not as filling as seeing the Commander laugh to the point of tears at his explanations as to why he'd been so secretive all week trying to hide the fruits of his cooking from them, but filling nonetheless. He'd give it a 5/5, personally, as a true soup for the soul. (And a note to make it again with less sneaking around).

If the Commander was satisfied and satiated... so was he.

#swtor #swtor fanfiction #theron shan #theron shan x alliance commander #oc: orradiz #knights of the meshi. #admin writes #unnamed commander btw you can self insert. or not #eight cameo in there for. uh. reasons. #i spent way too long procrastinating on this but i think it turned out alright #writing a cooking style fic is way harder than it looks also the ending was kind of botched but im tired #a bit of alliance worldbuilding a bit of speculative cuisine of alien species and plants a bit of #CHARACTER STUDY?? #what the hell whatever

[elijones94]

🌸🗡️ It’s been ages since I really drew the character of Mulan. Much like with my drawings of Ariel, Belle, Jasmine, and Young Simba, I refer to drawings of Mulan by Mark Henn. What I find fascinating about the movie “Mulan” is the that it was the first animated movie produced primarily at Disney’s animation studio in Florida. “Lilo & Stitch” and “Brother Bear” were also produced there as well. 🐲🗡️

#Mulan #Fa Mulan #character study #Disney fanart #warrior #princess #China #Ming-Na Wen #Lea Salonga #Mark Henn #Tony Bancroft #Barry Cook #Chris Sanders #Honor To Us All #Reflection #I’ll Make A Man Out of You #A Girl Worth Fighting For #Fa Zhou #Li Shang #Shan Yu #Cri-Kee #Mushu

[countesscee]

i really want to write stisaac because they’re so lovely but to do that i need to rewatch teen wolf… and it’s a Lot. it’s a Lot okay

#shan’s shit #like. i need to do character studies to capture the dynamic i really like about them

[sirenofthegreenbanks]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: 山河令 | Word of Honor (TV 2021), 天涯客 | Faraway Wanderers - priest Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Wen Kexing/Zhou Zishu Characters: Wen Kexing, Zhou Zishu Series: Part 2 of a meeting of worlds Summary:

Zhou Zishu stands up too. Silently they regard each other like wild dogs passing in the night. Wen Kexing is older, fine-boned. His eyes are dark and arresting. He is beautiful in the way of fine jade, sharp and cool like a bird of prey. His hair, black as anything, falls down his back, with no wisps to tickle his jaw.

This Wen Kexing frowns, looking around the mountain that envelops them. It has become a home in the way that a rotten stump flourishes and becomes a home to fungi, insects and rodents; not where you plan to end up, but an environment that grows with you all the same.

#fic rec #companion piece to part 1. i would say its almost like a character study of tyk wkx #its not necessary to read part 1 first but i highly recommend. everything comes to a close with part 2 its very satisfying #word of honor #shan he ling #faraway wanderers #fan fiction

[yukikoizumi]

Mo guan Shan is so gorgeous I can’t do this. The cuntification of MGS needs to be studied. No other character serves as hard I’m sorry 😭

Every time Old Xian drops new official art it’s just Mo looking even prettier and more ethereal than he did in the last official art LOL. Old Xian really said “Lol watch this” and we been sat watching!

He’s so pretty I cannot 😭

#the skin tone #the pink undertones #the red hair #the siren eyes #his WAIST #his ASS #that FACE #tianshan #19 days #mo guan shan #he tian #old xian #19days #19天 #they are in love your honor #mo is so pretty

[journeytothewestresearch]

The Crow's Nest Chan Master of JTTW

I am reading back through Journey to the West (Xiyouji, 西遊記) and was reminded of a strange, seemingly throwaway character who appears at the end of chapter 19, the "Crow's Nest Chan Master" (Wuchao chanshi, 烏巢禪師). He is described as an accomplished cultivator who lives in a juniper tree nest on Pagoda Mountain (Futu shan, 浮屠山), just beyond the border of Tibet (Wusicang, 烏斯藏). Zhu Bajie claims the master once asked him to jointly practice austerities, but the pig-spirit passed on the opportunity. Flash back to the present, and the pilgrims pass into his domain. After a brief chat, the Crow's Nest Chan master orally passes on the Heart Sutra (Xin jing, 心經) to Tripitaka.

There are two things that interest me about the Chan Master. The first is his magical abilities. Sun Wukong is offended by the monk but fails to hit him with his staff:

Enraged, Pilgrim lifted his iron rod and thrust it upward violently, but garlands of blooming lotus flowers were seen together with a thousand-layered shield of auspicious clouds. Though Pilgrim might have the strength to overturn rivers and seas, he could not catch hold of even one strand of the crow's nest (Wu & Yu, 2012, vol. 1, p. 391).

This reminds me of an event from Acts of the Buddha (Sk: Buddhacarita; Ch: Fo suoxing za, 佛所行讚, 2nd-century), an ancient biography of the Buddha:

The host of Mara hastening, as arranged, each one exerting his utmost force, taking each other’s place in turns, threatening every moment to destroy [the Buddha, but] … Their flying spears, lances, and javelins, stuck fast in space, refusing to descend; the angry thunderdrops and mighty hail, with these, were changed into five-colour’d lotus flowers…” (Beal, 1883, pp. 152 and 153).

This points to the Crow's Nest Chan Master having great holy powers.

The second thing that interests me is that he is based on a historical monk, Niaoke Daolin (鳥窠道林, lit: "Bird's Nest" Daolin; 741–824). Here is his full biography from the Records of the Transmission of the Lamp (Jingde chuandenglu, 景德傳燈錄, 1004 to 1007):

Chan master Niaoke Daolin ... was from Fuyang in Hangzhou and his family name was Pan. His mother, whose maiden name was Zhu, once dreamt of the rays of the sun entering her mouth, after which she conceived. When the baby was born a strange fragrance pervaded the room, so the name ‘Fragrant Light’ was given to the boy. He left the home life at the age of nine and received the full precepts at the Guoyuan Temple in Jing (Jingling, Hubei) when he was twenty-one years old. Later he went to the Ximing Monastery in Chang’an to study the Huayan Jing (Avatasaka Sūtra) and the Śāstra on the Arising of Faith (Śraddhotpada Śāstra, Aśvagosa) under the Dharma Teacher Fuli, who also introduced him to the Song of the Real and Unreal, and had him practise meditation. Once Niaoke asked Fuli, ‘Could you say how one meditates and how to exercise the heart?’ Teacher Fuli was silent for a long time, so then the master bowed three times and withdrew. It happened that at this time Tang Emperor Taizong had called the First Teacher in the Empire [Daoqin] of Jing Mountain to the Imperial Palace and Daolin went to pay him a formal visit, obtaining the True Dharma from him. Returning south the master first came to the Yongfu Temple on Mount Gu (Zhejiang), where there was a stūpa dedicated to the Pratyekabuddhas. At this time both monks and laymen were gathering there for a Dharma-talk. The master also entered the hall, carrying his walking stick, which emitted a clicking sound. There was a Dharma-teacher present from a temple called Lingying, whose name was Taoguang, and who asked the master, ‘Why make such a sound in this Dharma-meeting?’ ‘Without making a sound who would know that it was a Dharmameeting?’ replied the master. Later, on Qinwang Mountain, the master saw an old pine tree with lush foliage, its branches shaped like a lid, so he settled himself there, in the tree, which is why the people of that time called him Chan Master Niaoke (Bird’s Nest). Then magpies made their nest by the master’s side and became quite tame through the intimacy with a human – so he was also referred to as the Magpie Nest Monk. One day the master’s attendant Huitong suddenly wished to take his leave. ‘Where are you off to then?’ asked the master. ‘Huitong left the home life for the sake of the Dharma, but the venerable monk has not let fall one word of instruction, so now it’s a question of going here and there to study the Buddha-dharma,’ replied Huitong. ‘If it could be said that there is Buddha-dharma,’ said the master, ‘I also have a little here,’ whereupon he plucked a hair from the robe he was wearing and blew it away. Suddenly Huitong understood the deep meaning. During the Yuan reign period (806-820 CE) Bai Juyi was appointed governor of this commandery and so went to the mountain to pay the master a courtesy call. He asked the master, ‘Is not the Chan Master’s residing here very dangerous?’ ‘Is not your Excellency’s position even more so?’ countered the master. ‘Your humble student’s place is to keep the peace along the waterways and in the mountains. What danger is there in that?’ asked Bai Juyi. ‘When wood and fire meet there is ignition – the nature of thinking is endless,’ replied the master, ‘so how can there not be danger?’ ‘What is the essence of the Buddha-dharma?’ asked Bai. ‘To refrain from all evil and do all that is good,’ answered the master. ‘A three-year-old child already knows these words,’ said Bai. ‘Although a three-year-old can say them, an old man of eighty can’t put them into practice!’ countered the master. Bai then made obeisance. In the fourth year, during the tenth day of the second month of the reign period Changqing (824 CE), the master said to his attendant, ‘Now my time is up.’ And having spoken he sat on his cushion and passed away. He was eighty-four years old and had been a monk for sixty-three years. (Textual note: Some say the master’s name was Yuanxiu, but this is probably his posthumous name.) (Whitfiled, n.d., pp. 56-58).

Sources:

Beal, S. (Trans.). (1883). The Fo-sho-hing-tsan-king: A Life of Buddha by Asvaghosha Bodhisattva. Oxford: Clarendon Press. Retrieved from https://archive.org/details/foshohingtsankin00asva/mode/2up.

Whitfiled, R. S. (Trans.). (n.d.). Records of the Transmission of the Lamp: Volume 2 - The Early Masters. Hokun Trust. Retrieved from https://terebess.hu/zen/mesterek/Lamp2.pdf

Wu, C., & Yu, A. C. (2012). The Journey to the West (Vols. 1-4) (Rev. ed.). Chicago, Illinois: University of Chicago Press.

#Journey to the West #JTTW #Sun Wukong #Monkey King #Tripitaka #Tang Monk #Tang Sanzang #Xuanzang #Zhu Bajie #Pigsy #Crow's Nest Chan Master #JTTW characters

[cyanide-latte]

Get to know my TWST OCs pt. 1

"What Are They Twisted From?"

💫💫💫

Figured maybe doing a series of posts like this would help friends and mutuals get to know my OCs better!

(I'll also throw in some of the other characters aside from my main boys, given they're also important, even though I've not mentioned them much!)

Copper Benoit: Though this wasn't originally my intention, Copper wound up being a double twist! Initially he was a twist of Penny from The Rescuers and this remains set in his backstory and aspects of his appearance and design, as well as how he interacts with others early on. But during a lot of the brainstorming process with my wanting to incorporate elements of Penny continually finding so much pirate treasure during her captivity, I realized that a lot of his development took a totally different turn, and ultimately he becomes a twist of Captain Barbossa from the PotC movies.

Mr. Gorgania Stone: Copper's abusive captor, twisted from Madame Medusa from The Rescuers

Mr. Hiram Lurk: Stone's lackey, twisted from Mr. Snoops from The Rescuers

Augustus & Octavian: Stone's pet alligators (nicknamed Gusty and Tavie by Copper,) twisted from Brutus & Nero from The Rescuers

Old Flynn: an elderly cat beastman who worked at the orphanage where Copper spent his early years of his life, twisted from Rufus from The Rescuers

Wei Renqiao: while some details will be subject to adjustment and fine-tuning as I continue to do research and study appropriately, WRQ is twisted from Shan Yu from Mulan!

Wei Xinyi: the bigender/genderfluid older cousin of WRQ and fellow community leader, Xinyi accidentally wound up being a twist of Fa Mulan from Mulan! Happened before I realized it and honestly I like it too much to not just embrace it.

Wei Gang: the uncle of both Wei Renqiao and Wei Xinyi and fellow community leader with them, he has aspects twisted both from The Emperor of China and the First Fa Ancestor from Mulan

Hé: a young dragon secretly being raised by the Wei family, Hé is inspired by the Great Stone Dragon that was accidentally broken by Mushu with personality elements from Cri-kee (though they can shift to travel size for convenience~) from Mulan

Chrysanthos Shroud: while I think it's safe to say that all born members of the Shroud family have aspects of Hades in them (which is such a huge part of why I love them and I wouldn't have them any other way,) a great deal of the snappier aspects of Chrys's personality and his vulnerability issues are twisted from Meg from Hercules. Chrysanthos; his friends call him "Chrys", at least they would if he had any friends.

Ilias Shroud: Chrys's father, twisted from The Fates from Hercules

Kallisto Shroud: Chrys's mother who married into the family, twisted loosely from The Muses from Hercules

Debating whether to do OC nicknames from Floyd and Rook and the reasons behind them next, or whether to go over Signature Spells/Unique Magic for each character next.

The Anatole Siblings: more recent OCs, these three are twisted from the kittens from The Aristocats

Taglist: @tixdixl @ramshacklerumble @inmateofthemind @changeofheart69 (I know y'all already know the majority of this but still) @blithesharem @thehollowwriter @theleechyskrunkly @snailsrneat

#get to know my OCs #TWST OCs #Copper Benoit #Wei Renqiao #Chrysanthos Shroud #Wei Xinyi #Ilias Shroud #Kallisto Shroud #my OCs #Disney TWST #TWST #Twisted Wonderland #OC meta #Cyanide speaks

[web-novel-polls]

Priest (Author) Character Tournament

[“Anti-propaganda” is not allowed. Please only give reasons to vote FOR a character, and please be courteous in the notes.]

Chang An from Bestial Blade / Shou Cong Zhi Dao 

Submission: 

Just a little guy with a big fuck-off saber. Was sickly from childhood (later in the book it's discovered to be a heart condition), but did not let that stop him from studying the blade. Sleeps a lot when he is not fighting. Beat his boyfriend with a stick that one time (was absolutely in the right).

Image Link (from cover of thai edition)

Chu Huan from Of Mountains and Rivers / Shan He Biao Li 

Submission: 

His vibes are insane. A character pipi made by putting Wen Kexing and Zhou Zishu in a jar and shaking, and then wrapping the result in the most unassuming shell possible. That one post that went like "perfectly normal man that has something seriously wrong with him" might as well have been made about him. Kills like 20 ppl in his introduction scene, falls off a cliff, gets on a bus, and agrees to become a teacher for those random guys he met because one of them is hot. Speaking of, his bi awakening and accepting it happens in a span of like, one second. *Sees a hot guy* welp, homosexual attraction is not a sin! Also, somehow has perfect tumblr shitposter vibes. Was asked what's a word for "good brother" in his language and after careful consideration said "bitch". Did I mention he's insane? "Play me a tune, and I'll go along with your BDSM play." Or that time he woke up after being clinically dead for a bit (saw his deceased loved ones asking him to go into the light and all) and to his bf's frantic questioning of "Does it hurt?" immediately went "Yes. It hurts a lot. You have to kiss it better." like bestie your priorities.... Anyway yeah what a guy.

Image Link

#chang an #bestial blade #shou cong zhi dao #chu huan #of mountains and rivers #shan he biao li #priest #polls #priest upper round 1 #priest upper round 1 group A #priest character tournament #queue #priest upper bracket

[villainsandvictimsalliance]

Growing up I never understood why the road to hell was paved with good intentions. Good thing art is such a big part of my life, because I didn't learn that lesson from experience, but through fiction.

The lesson in question is that your intention alone is worth very little. I'm not saying here that good intentions are utterly worthless, 'cause hey you didn't mean to. However, the consequences of your actions can't be erased or reverted just by the cry of "This is not what I wanted to happen".

Now, I'm very aware that I'm writing this post on a bnha blog. You might ask: hey Shan, what does it have to do with anything?

I just want you to think about how bnha plays with the intentionality of the characters vs the consequences of their actions. Forget for a while that you know those characters at all and study them on the basis of what they wanted to do and what they ended up doing.

Example A:

Nana Shimura gave Kotaro Shimura in adoption when he was still a little child.

While she intended to keep him from being hurt by AFO and while she did it out of love and care for her son, her abandonment traumatized him. She left him with a letter to excuse herself and Kotaro grew up knowing that her mother would rather go to save strangers than stay with him.

In consequence, Kotaro was unable to trust in the system of the Hero Society. He became a sad, bitter man with a lot of repressed anger and self-worth issues. He ended up pouring all those thoughts poisoning him into his role as a father and started abusing his kids.

Kotaro had good intentions: he didn't want his kids to become like Nana. He didn't want them to abandon their own families for strangers and act like it was a selfless act of love, instead of a cowardly act of selfishness.

In turn, Tenko Shimura grew up in a house full of abuse and repression. He didn't understand why his dad got so mad whenever Tenko said he wanted to be a hero. No one ever explained it to him. He kept on resisting the rules his dad had set, causing the punishments to become more and more severe.

At the age of 5, Tenko's quirk manifested and reacted to the accumulation of hurt and anger within him. Being a kid and as it was usual in the bnha world, Tenko couldn't control either his quirk or his emotions: the outburst killed most of the Shimuras. Unprepared to deal with the situation, when Tenko reached for Kotaro —his dad— to help him, Kotaro hit Tenko in the face and told him to stay away. It was a familiar gesture between them. It further triggered the kid, tho. Tenko killed Kotaro in his blind fury.

Tenko was now alone, confused, in distress and severely traumatized.

The perfect state for someone to groom him and manipulate him into becoming a weapon.

I don't doubt Nana loved Kotaro and that Kotaro loved Tenko. In fact, if Nana and Kotaro hadn't loved their sons, they wouldn't have reacted the way they did. Both identified a threat (AFO or the Hero Society) and decided for a course of action that would "keep their children safe and sound".

If good intentions were enough, the Shimuras would still be alive, right?

Here's another saying: "ignorance is not excuse".

We have three generations who inflicted great damage on the people around them. A pro-hero, a common man and a villain. The only difference is that Tomura is the least hypocrite of them all: he intended to cause damage right from the start. He was being manipulated by AFO, of course, but he never ignored how his actions impacted other people and he never claimed to be innocent.

Was Tomura right / morally correct? Nope. That's not my point.

What I'm trying to say is that some actions can't be forgiven/erased on the basis of intention alone. This simple fact is one of the side themes of bnha. Pro-heroes cannot be ignorant because there'd be no excuse for their wrongdoings. No matter how much they want to do good, if they hurt people by accident, they still would have to answer for it or well, deal with the consequences themselves.

Example B:

Although Enji, Touya and Shouto's intentions were very different, they all caused (different levels of) damage with their actions.

Shouto recognized that his cold behaviour was having a negative effect on others. He didn't want that, so he became more aware of how he interacted with others.

The entire world got caught up in the middle of Touya's revenge mission. Dabi knew very well he was affecting a lot of people and he knew to what extent his actions were hurting others. He still thought he was willing to pay the price for it, meaning he didn't intend or not to hurt those people in the first place. In order to make Enji's life hell, everything was allowed.

Finally, Enji's journey goes from him being very ignorant on how his actions affected his kids to him realizing just how deep he had fucked up. It was a matter of admitting he had the chances to not do what others told him was wrong, but he still did it 'cause (like Touya) he thought that the end justified the means.

Even if his intentions were different, he turned the blind eye to the damage he was causing.

And like these there are many other cases in the story. Do you remember that time Inko called out All Might on Deku's safety? Or even when Deku left on his own because he wanted to keep his classmates safe? Do you remember Overhaul and his intention/motive? What about Aoyama?

The fact that they didn't mean it doesn't mean that they weren't wrong for doing it. That simple fact is instrumental to define what differentiates Deku's hero style from his predecessors.

Like I said, go back, re-read the story and decide what you want to think about it, okay? Right.

#bnha #mha #my hero academia #boku no hero academia #shan's bnha thoughts #mha spoilers #bnha spoilers

[swtorpadawan]

Ten Facts About Ulannium Kaarz

I wasn’t actually tagged to do one of these for Ulannium, but I started putting this together as a sort of case-study for him, and it seemed to make sense to do this. Tagging the following people just in case they want to do this for one of their own OCs: @raven-of-domain-kwaad @anchanted-one @actualanxiousswampwitch @grandninjamasterren @sullustangin @cyraniadebergerac @starrypawz @intheinkpot @voidendron @lanabenikosdoormat @dragons-bones @clifford-telegenic @cryo-lily

Fact One �� Parentage and Early Childhood: Ulannium Kaarz was born on Coruscant, the son of Ishris Kaarz, his mother, a brilliant research scientist with a Republic pharmaceutical conglomerate, and Luncib Kaarz, his father, a marketing executive and lobbyist with the same company. Both of his parents were very affectionate, Ishits especially. Although she worked long hours, his mother always made time for her son at bedtime, first by singing him Mirialan lullabies, and later by reading to him, fictional stories at first but later more advanced texts such as scientific manuals. Years later, Ulannium would credit his mother’s efforts (and her genetics) with the development of his impressive intellect. By chance, Ulannium’s Force sensitivity was not discovered until he was already six years old. (Possibly a result of his mother’s interference in the screening process.) By then, he was already academically precocious in the extreme, devouring books far beyond his age-level. When he was selected by the Jedi and told he might one day gain access to the full wealth of the Jedi Archives, Ulannium was thrilled at the opportunity. Indeed, if he had an ambition at this point, it would have been to spend the rest of his life in the galaxy’s greatest library. Ulannium had a younger sister, Tharia, who was possibly even more curious about the universe than he. As she was four at the time, he regarded her as a pest who kept stealing his scientific holopads. When the Jedi tested her for Force-sensitivity, it came back negative, much to the relief of her parents who were already giving up a son.

Art by @theoasiswinds

Fact Two – Inspirations: One of my inspirations for the character of Ulannium is George Smiley from John le Carré’s Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy. When he does finally confront someone, whether an enemy or even an ally whom he’s trying to persuade, he brings the full force of his intellect to bare on them, and people often find it as overpowering as a force of nature. Ulannium is remarkably proficient at understanding and analyzing most of the people he encounters, including some who others find enigmatic. (Such is the case with Corellan Halcyon. Ulannium understands the Hero of Tython far better than someone like Satele Shan, at least earlier in the story.) On the flip side, a select few people are something of a mystery to Ulannium, and throw him off entirely. (This was the case with Zenith.) Another character who inspired me was Vaegon Targaryen, a minor character from George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire. He could have done a hundred things, including becoming the King. He preferred his books, however.  

Fact Three – Growing up on Uphrades: To avoid potential contact with his family on Coruscant, the Jedi sent Ulannium to their small enclave on the agricultural world of Uphrades. It was a small training cadre; two semi-retired Jedi Masters and eight younglings. To discourage unhealthy attachments amongst the younglings, they were arranged on a tiered-age system. The oldest of the younglings would be around fourteen and would be considered on the precipice of their initiate trials to become Padawans. The next-oldest would be a year or two younger than the eldest, and so on down the line until the youngest child, who would be around four or five. With the age difference, it was hoped that the younglings would be less likely to adopt detrimental attachments to each other.

Fact Four – First Friendship: Two years after Ulannium arrived on Uphrades, the next youngling was sent. The younger child seemed untalented and almost Force-blind to Ulannium, who by then was already demonstrating an impressive sensitivity to the Force. But as the Masters were unwilling to give up on him yet, when he turned six, he was handed a training saber. Within a week, he had surpassed every other youngling in combat, even those twice his age. Within a year, no two initiates could match him. Even Master Sagottoh, once a Blademaster of the Order in his younger years, soon found himself pressed. This youngling - one age tier below Ulannium - was named Corellan Halcyon. When they first met, Ulannium himself thought the youngling was untalented and barely worth his notice. Later, when his martial capability manifested, Nowan Ko Detizu realized that Corellan needed Ulannium’s help to acclimate to the other children, most of whom were intimidated by the young firebrand. The bond the two developed would last them the rest of their lives. In recognition of this reality and her responsibilities, when Ulannium was ready to become a padawan, Nowan Ko’s report to the council would advise them not to assign the two to work together, which is why they were kept separated for the next eight years. Although they were both disappointed, both would ultimately conclude it had been the right thing to do.

Fact Five – Tragedy: When the Sack of Coruscant took place, Ulannium was still far away on Uphrades, reading a text on archaeology. He recalls feeling a deep sense of foreboding in the pit of his stomach, but as he was unable to determine what it was, he soon resumed reading. A few days later once the reports had come in, the Uphrades Masters regretfully informed him that his family had been killed during the attack when falling debris had collapsed on them on the street. The youngling showed little reaction at first, then finally announced his intention to head off to find solitude to meditate. The masters, decided that he needed time to process what had happened, let him. Corellan, recognizing that he needed friendship, pursued him and talked. [I may write about that encounter someday.]

Fact Six – Personality: One of Ulannium’s personality quirks is his tendency to answer a question with a question. This is sometimes a defensive mechanism, and sometimes simply a way to get an individual to rethink their position diplomatically. In the normal flow of conversation, he does this skillfully enough that people rarely even notice. He picked up this particular quirk from Master Nowan Ko Detizu, one of his mentors back on Uphrades. The Cathar Jedi taught him a multitude of simple techniques that aid him in his day-to-day life as a Jedi, diplomat and sometime political and military leader.

Fact Seven – Traits: By the time the class stories begin, Ulannium is already an expert in the fields of biology, archaeology, geology and history, and could probably have earned a master’s degree in any of those areas if given the time and inclination to do so. Although he was appropriately honored to meet the esteemed members of the Jedi Council, he was most excited to meet Gnost-Dural, as the Kel Dor had, by then, been named the Keeper of the Jedi Archives. Ulannium definitely has a strong interest – some might even say a passion – for ancient Force knowledge and would live in the Jedi Archives if he could. One of the most difficult decisions he ever faced was rescuing Laria Taphoni on Taris, effectively sacrificing the holocron the expedition team had found. In making his choice, Ulannium was guided by the principles of the Jedi code and recognizes that it was the correct decision, but nevertheless he had to meditate for a long while to process everything that happened. Although he recognizes that Rajivari’s teachings ran contrary to the Jedi code and had corrupted many ancient Jedi, Ulannium never quite forgot what he had learned of it. He wishes he had spent more time with the fallen Je'daii Master to learn where things had gone wrong.

Fact Eight – His Relationship with Nadia Grell: Ulannium doesn’t believe in concepts like “love at first sight”. But when he met Nadia, he generally became more protective of her innocence. Eventually, those feelings evolved into romantic impulses, but even in their early days together, he was somewhat distracted. That was one of the reasons he didn’t immediately pick up on Nadia’s force-sensitivity, which he would have normally understood right from the get-go. As a side note, his relationship with Nadia develops very differently in my story than in the game and does not progress until after she is Knighted almost three years after becoming his Padawan. As a fluffy note, To date, Nadia is the only person who has ever called him “Uli”. She’s usually discreet about the practice, but she did actually let it slip in front of Felix Iresso on one occasion. Ulannium was embarrassed, Nadia was aghast, and Felix was amused.

Fact Nine – Joining the Alliance: After Ulannium and the rest of the Ossus colony rejoined the rest of the galaxy (lining up with the Jedi Under Siege expansion from the canon story), he and Nadia became honorary members of the Eternal Alliance, with Ulannium serving as the Alliance’s liaison with the Council. The Council - when it eventually reformed - did not formally condone or condemn this relationship; they simply pretended that they didn’t know it existed, despite it becoming common knowledge by that point. [Note: This mirrors Revan’s post-KOTOR relationship with Bastilla in the “Revan” novel.] Far from being past his prime after joining the Eternal Alliance, Ulannium achieved some of the most impressive efforts of his career as the Alliance’s top diplomatic negotiator, writing much of the treaty that Corellan and the Alliance would eventually sign with the Galactic Republic. But arguably the most impressive feat of his career was the negotiation of the Treaty of Alderaan, a pact that ended nearly twenty years of civil war and internal discord. Leading the Alliance’s diplomatic corps, one of Ulannium’s top deputies would be the Killik Joiner and former Imperial diplomat and Intelligence operative, Vector Hyllus. Ulannium learned a great deal of respect for Hyllus and his capabilities, which was reciprocated by the Joiner.

Fact Ten - His Legacy: Some years joining the Alliance, he and Nadia had their first child: Maykia Ishris Kaarz. She is named for both of her grandmothers; Maykia on Nadia’s side and Ishris on Ulannium’s. She’s a couple of years younger than Bela and Tasiele, who are friends of hers who I’ve spoken about elsewhere. Her childhood was complicated to say the least, but she eventually fully joined the Jedi order on her own terms as she began adulthood. She wields a double-bladed lightsaber as her mother did, albeit she’s not a true Jedi Shadow. [Note: Maykia is part of the “Future Halcyon Legacy” I’ve been putting together. ]

Thousands of years later, Teela Kaarz, one of Ulannium’s descendants, would be conscripted to work on the construction of the Death Star. Teela and a group of Rebel recruits fled the doomed space station before it exploded. [Novel: Death Star ]

Thank you for reading!

#swtorpadawan talks #swtorpadawan writes #oc: ulannium kaarz #oc: maykia ishris kaarz #nadia grell #the halcyon legacy #ten facts #oc ten facts #uphrades #uphrades enclave #oc: nowan ko detizu #oc: sagottoh panaka #teela kaarz #rajivari #the eternal alliance #eternal alliance #loss #art by theoasiswinds

[mgsdays]

Rumours by @mgsdays

He Tian/Mo Guan Shan - Fake/Pretend Relationship, Character Study

Do you guys remember this fic? Long time no see, I know 🙈 I wrote an update, and this one is juicy. The link is here.

#support me going back into my writing zone #this continues to be my favorite fic of mine haha #tianshan #19 days #*my fics

[greyias]

FIC: Adrift

Title: Adrift Fandom: SWTOR Rating: T Genre: Gen, Character Study, Missing Scene Burn Synopsis: They were still Jedi, but an Order of the lost. Now Satele drifted, both physically as well as metaphorically, in the deep empty black of space. Author’s Notes: Written for Gammarad on AO3 for @swtorsummerexchange, who requested Satele searching for someone or something she'd lost. And there's this perfect little bit of pre-canon lore about Satele and Tython that was begging to be explored a little. Also special thank you to @grumpyhedgehog for the beta!

Crossposted to AO3

It had been two years. In some ways, two years felt like both an eternity and also like yesterday. Two years since the galaxy had been irrevocably changed once again. Two years since the Sacking of Coruscant, since the brokered treaty had established a shaky ceasefire between the Galactic Republic and Sith Empire. Two years since Dantooine and her former master's conspiracy to end the tenuous peace that had come at such a cost. 

It had been two years since Satele Shan had been home. 

Because there was no home to return to after the Jedi Temple had been razed.

For any of them. They were still Jedi, but an Order of the lost. Now she drifted, both physically as well as metaphorically, in the deep empty black of space. Rudderless and uncertain, she once again turned to the Force to try to find a heading, some way forward.

She took a deep breath, let it out, and then another as she sought to sink into meditation. Sometimes her meditations were light, like someone languidly floating on the still surface of a calm pond. If she wanted, she could let herself drift along the gentle surface currents of the Living Force and see where it guided her — but what she sought could only be found deeper, down near the bottomless well that was the Cosmic Force. In her mind’s eye, she tried to picture the endless starfields like the map of her astrogation chart. If the galaxy was a vast ocean of stars and other celestial objects, then the Force was the swirling currents that spanned lightyears from crest to trough, the web of hyperspace lanes flowing alongside or sometimes even counter to them. 

Before the Treaty and Sacking of Coruscant, she’d always had a direction of some sort to follow. The first eighteen years of her life had been dedicated to learning, her path shaped by her teachers and those who raised her, and then the following twenty-eight had been defined by the endless war that had come after that fateful encounter on Korriban had brought the Sith back to the wider galactic stage. She had been a key player and leader in the Galactic Great War, and yet all the journeys she had undertaken in some ways had already been predetermined for her — by her teachers, the Council, the Republic war effort — in fact the only exception had been when she’d strayed from the Jedi path to follow her heart.

Which had led to the birth of her son. Although, when she thought about it, even that exception of finding her own way had still been shaped by another. By trying to do the best for the life that she had brought into this world. She could still see the large, inquisitive eyes of a newborn blinking up at her, taking in his first view of the world.

That galactic map in her mind’s eye strayed from its larger picture and its attempt to capture everything. Instead of the whole picture, it zoomed in to the Inner Rim and into the deep depths of Manaan. There she once again gazed into the eyes of that same boy, no longer an innocent infant but now with a more hardened gaze of the teenager whose image permanently resided in the locket around her neck. Back somewhere on her ship, in her physical body, she swallowed past a hard lump in her throat, the emotion threatening to pull her under its crushing depths.

Thinking of Theron, thinking of her son, inevitably led to the stray thought of his father. That was enough to find herself whisked away from Manaan's deep oceans to the Core Worlds and Alderaan. She did not know if Jace was there now. Perhaps it was just the memory of him, of their time together that was leading her astray. This family of theirs that never was. Making her wish for things that would always be beyond reach. A vice of her own making.

Perhaps her heart yearned for a home with either of them, both of them — but that would never be reality. They were buoys that that kept her afloat yet anchored her to a different path, unable to move forward to the destination she sought. These were but phantoms of the past, gossamer threads that would ensnare her if she clung too tight. She would not find a future harbor while clinging to guilt stemming from past decisions that could never be undone.

Their lives were their own, just as hers was with the Force.

Satele finally swallowed past the lump as she acknowledged the hold those in her past still had on her, and might forever still. Then she let out a shaky breath as she released her own clenched fists, as if she were letting go of those past threads and reach back out to the Force with open palms. Picturing nothing but the fathomless black empty of space. It was cold, much colder than the warmth that enveloped her when she thought of her son and his father, distant — but not unwelcoming.

She let the nothingness embrace her, envelop her. Because if the Force was everything, then it was just as much the nothing as it was the billions of pinpricks of light.

It was the inescapable gravity wells of the Deep Core, the antimatter and dark matter concentrations with their own distinct tug and pull, the blinding light of thirty billion of the galaxy’s oldest stars some only a hundredth of a light year apart, all surrounding the supermassive black hole that formed the center of everything their vast galaxy rotated around. Its pull inexorable, the strength of a million dead stars drawing everything to its crushing depths.

Everything except the Force, which flowed in and out of the dark center of their galaxy. She was but a single mote, floating on its stream as she followed it out. Twisting and writhing an impossible path between the mass shadows of the clusters of impossibly close converging stars, through the narrow gaps between gravitational pull of every celestial body blindly reaching out to the dark.

She let the current carry her, guide her from the grasp of the Galactic Center and through the darkness, a distant blue speck growing on the horizon. The closer they drew, she could make out green swirling with the blue, a glistening marble in a glittering field of stars. Their approach didn’t slow, if anything their speed increased, until the tiny marble became a verdant planet. The planet became a stratosphere. An atmosphere. Clouds whipped past her until they set down on the ground. Ancient tall trees, brambling undergrowth crawling around ancient crumbled statues — and an overwhelming sense of belonging overtook her.

This was… this was—a destination. A place. Where Satele wanted—no, needed to go.

And just as quickly as they arrived, she was whisked away, following that current even further out. Somehow, this journey was different, each twist and turn marked clear in her mind, a shimmering field of blue. The pinprick light of stars elongated until they formed a tunnel that carved its way through an unseen maze, tracing its way backwards. 

Back. Back. Back. Until she found herself gasping, eyes opening as if her consciousness had just slammed back into her own body. She stood shakily, muscles in her legs trembling as if they’d forgotten how to hold her weight. And yet her steps were sure, even if she were walking as if still in a trance, still in meditation, as she found the astrogation computer that sat waiting in the cockpit. Her fingers moved of their own accord, entering a series of unfamiliar numbers that felt like that same calling in the Force.

Mutely, she dropped a navigational buoy to mark her place, the starting point of this new path. The astrogation computer displayed a standard warning about the dangers of navigating to unknown, untested coordinates. She blinked, then dismissed the warning, and engaged the shuttle’s hyperdrive.

Once again, the pinprick of stars stretched out before her, before the familiar shimmering blue tunnel of hyperspace enveloped her ship. A glance at the chronometer on the bridge revealed to her that nearly fifteen hours had passed since she’d set down to meditate. Which went a way to explaining the empty ache in her belly and her cramped, screaming muscles.

Losing time — losing oneself — was a very real danger of diving that deep into the cosmic well of the Force. It was a risk they were rarely supposed to take alone, but then again. That had been her way for these past two years. Alone with only the Force to guide her forward.

With a glance at the calculations from the computer on the trip, Satele decided to spend most of the time addressing to matters of the flesh — food, rest, and recuperation. She was just beginning to feel somewhat refreshed when the beep of the navigational equipment alerted her to their imminent arrival. The moment they exited hyperspace, she eased herself into the pilot's seat and was once again met with a view of the verdant world the Force had shown her.

She deployed another navigational beacon — the destination, a way to guide others.

Her descent this time was more controlled. The shuttle burst through the clouds to look upon a gnarled landscape that stretched on for miles. All atmospheric readings indicated the planet was safe, the air breathable. It took several minutes of scouting to find a suitable landing site amongst the untamed vegetation, and then she walked out onto this new—no—ancient land. Wherever this was, it was old, and steeped in the Force in a way she had not quite experienced.

That same sense of belonging, of rightness, settled down into her bones.

In the distance, amongst the sprawling undergrowth, she could see something stone poking through the brush trying to claim it. Whatever it was was nearly as ancient as the trees towering behind it. The stone’s shape and silhouette were not natural — it almost looked like the outline of a person. Satele pulled a set of macrobinoculars out, zooming in and focusing on the stone, until a clear image formed.

It was a statue. Impossibly old, if the smooth time-weathered edges were any indication. The brush threatening to overtake it obscured the most intricate details that millennia of weather hadn’t worn away — but the design itself was unmistakable.

It was Jedi in origin.

She dropped the macrobinoculars, and, just like with her vision, took a step back to take in a wider view. Beyond the forest and gnarls of undergrowth, she could see more evidence of ancient structures. On and on as far as the eye could see. This wasn’t just some small settlement of the past — this was a world that had been theirs once.

And in the Deep Core, there was only one world that Satele knew of that fit that description. She had spent two years searching, asking the Force for a home, and it had provided. It had brought her to the first, and most fundamental home it knew of for a disparate, scattered gathering of Force users. The place their order had originally been birthed from: Tython, the ancient homeworld of the Jedi.

The Force had brought her home.

#swtor fanfiction #satele shan #swtor #fanfic #greyfic

[aeskanera]

My personal ranking of Kotor companions from most to least favourite:

Juhani - naturally the top spot goes to the first lgbt+ character in star wars media. we love a lil lesbian

Mission Vao - this is my child, goes without saying

T3-M4 - he beeps! he goes deet deet! he has a flamethrower! he cost like a thousand credits though hence the third place ranking

Hanharr - so I know no one ranks him very highly ever or talks about him cause it’s actually pretty hard to get him in a play through but like. if you can find his dialogue options online and read through all his conversations I would so recommend it. He is absolutely fascinating whether you’re giving LS or DS answers and he’s an extraordinarily interesting character study (as are all the Kotor II characters but he’s a particularly underrated one). They took a lot of elements of Zaalbar but also Juhani and really fleshed them out and since Juhani’s my fav it makes sense I’d like him

Canderous Ordo - bioware let me romance him I’m begging you on hands and knees. that being said I know my opinion of him is biased for this reason so to be objective he’s a few spots down

Atton Rand - normally I don’t get the obsession when tumblr goes nuts for the most average men but like. i get it this time. Especially because he’s not average he’s arguably the most nuanced and complex star wars character to exist, even more so than Kreia (to me) with insane depth and his romance is certainly the best written romance in star wars. but also this man doesn’t shower

Mira - I feel like sis never gets enough credit for definitely (in my mind) being down bad for female exile. like she fully rejects male exile if he comes on to her and then when she comments to the other girls like “back off he’s mine” she follows up with clarifying that if anyone is going to turn him in for a bounty it’s her. and if female exile asks if Mira knows anything about men Mira’s just like “I know how to hunt them for bounties. What else could you possibly need them for.” and when you read her thoughts she only wonders how male exile still looks so young but for a female exile she specifically is like “she’s just so naturally beautiful” cue hearteyes. That being said her being wlw is not canon and she absolutely reeks of performative third wave feminism

Kreia - Kreia, sis, take a chill pill. wonderful, fascinatingly written character and all but like. damn. also middle of the list for being a parasocial mother figure to me in all the good ways and the bad. She would be lower but she was a fucking beast in combat plus carrying on the Star Wars legacy of losing hands in lightsaber duels

Carth Onasi - they said cookie cutter hero even down to the dead wife but also give this man the worst trust issues you’ve ever seen and make him awful at flirting. I did not know the game pseudo forces you into his romance even if you reject him, cause I’ll not lie the first time I played through the game his awkward and downright terrible rizz captivated me. but also if I didn’t give Mira a free pass for product-of-its-time writing, it’s not fair if I don’t also judge Carth for that so like negative points for pushy sexism

Visas Marr - don’t like that if you’re a male exile it forces you to have only saved her life out of sexual desire no matter what you say about it. and if we’re judging Carth’s romance for that, we have to judge this too. plus she’s so bad in fights, I don’t know what it was but I could never get her to stay conscious for any fights even low level ones no matter what I did in a play through. But also my darling with the best fashion taste in these entire games. Shy lil sweetheart who also fully was preparing to slit your throat. Like I love her, the uselessness as a companion is fully the reason she’s so low

Bastila Shan - she is as preachy as everyone says and it’s so much worse when you learn she’s supposed to be like 20 years old (which yikes x1000 for male Revan) but even with female Revan I was always willing to overlook the preachiness as a character thing back when I thought she was closer to the same age as Revan, like in her 30s or close to equals at least. But it does become much harder to overlook the arrogance and lectures when this snotrag is like at least a decade younger than you. also what even is battle meditation it’s a stupid power. but I cannot deny the mommy issues did make me relate hard plus now that legends isn’t canon (not that it ever was) that means legends is whatever I want it to be so in my brain Bastila is at least 30

Zaalbar - I want to like him so much more than I do. He’s just I think one of the worst cases of Kotor I having a very limited system of good and evil so like all of the nuance that his character could have is pretty straightforwardly handled and very black and white

Jolee Bindo - take notes Kreia on the superior grey jedi (even though I ranked him so much lower than her lol). but yeah mad props for being the only true grey jedi to exist in these games, at least when you first meet him. I just unfortunately have adhd and since his whole character and all his interactions are just longwinded war stories, I get very bored very quickly. (and yes Canderous is similar but his stories are shorter and don’t make up his entire relationship with Revan and also I want to romance him)

Bao-Dur - we love to see disability rep just would be nice if I could have more than like three conversations with him. as great a setup and backstory as the rest of the Kotor II companions and then they do basically nothing with him even if he learns Force wielding

HK-47 - he’s mostly so far down because I think he’s extremely overrated. like he as a character is fun but he’s treated like the greatest cleverest writing to have ever existed when it’s literally just the same two jokes over and over again

Mical the Disciple - I do love him actually but yeah everyone’s not wrong about him being the blandest most milquetoast nerd to have ever existed. I do have affection in my heart for him but unfortunately he must also lose brownie points for replacing Dvakvar, an infinitely cooler character

Brianna the Handmaiden - this girl would have bullied me in high school I think

Dvakvar Grahrk - why did they replace this cool alien with yet another boring human. clearly they did not think it would be believable that Atton would be jealous of an alien’s relationship with f!exile or else he’d have been more jealous of Bao-Dur as well. star wars made aliens only to hate on them and quite frankly I would like to have recruited and possibly (depending on the quality of footage that could have existed) even romanced Dvakvar. Unfortunately because we know next to nothing about him he must come at the bottom of the list. RIP to what could have been

G0-T0 - I literally forgot about him at first, I simply do not care about this thing

Honorary mention: Bao-Dur’s Remote - he’s just a lil guy that zooms around! no flaws nothing but perfection. would be number one if I considered him an full companion. Also honorary mention to Trask Ulgo, gone but not forgotten

#star wars #kotor ii #kotor #kotor companions #knights of the old republic #star wars knights of the old republic

[spotsupstuff]

in lmk, we are shown wukong as a strong, cheerful, smart (not always) character, but what he really is, if we talk about the original, namely jttw

ya askin whats he like in jt/tw?

hmm... lets see.

he is one of the strongest beings of the chinese folklore, he loves to smile and laugh rather than cry (he says so when Nezha accuses him of bein heartless cuz he laughed rather than grieved when they were losing against the Rhinocerous King). he is an incredibly skilled fighter- both in martial arts and thru magic/religious fate. he's charming in his own way, he's caring for those he loves (i'm holding on to my interpretation of him seeking immortality in the first place because of his love for life and his monkey family) to the point it might be sometimes honestly an issue (Tang Sanzang was... not good to him. Zhu Bajie maybe honestly even worse)

he's a simple but (always and incredibly) smart country bumpkin (compared to Heaven especially) that doesn't care about formalities and can come up with a sound plan in blink of an eye. he calls himself everyone's grandpa, cuz he's silly and loving like that. he cried over the eastern sea when he was cast away from the pilgrimage the first time and he went to mourn to Guanyin the second time he was sent away

he's a fool thats easy to rile up. he's a tad bit too self-centered, blinded by confidence in himself at times, especially so when he faced against the Buddha. he's the reason huaguo shan was burnt to the ground and that the monkeys there had to suffer for over 500 years. he still loves them so so very much

he takes no shit, ready to kill anybody who isn't important enough that stands in his way. he tries to keep his promises. he used to eat humans at some point. he isn't afraid to ask for help. he is no stranger to intimidation and bullying. he's a little oblivious to relationships- because of him Red Boy had been taken away by Guanyin to study under her as Sudhana (really, it was Red Boy's fault on like 75% though) and despite that, when he met Bull Demon King again afterwards, he thought they were still going to be on the same terms as literal centuries ago

it's hard, basically impossible, to really put him into a small characterization box because he is written to be very complex- he changes quite a bit over the course of the book, too, becoming better and better of a person. seeing as he is supposed to represent the human mind in jt/tw, a buddhistic allegory, he can be a little all over the place sometimes

LMK got him down pretty alright, i'd say!

#Spot says stuff