time for another analysis of the obvious and the incredible
I'm talking about Chase again, because I feel like I don't really love him enough. I've been thinking about him a lot lately, so I won't have a specific thesis today, but I want to turn to fanfiction again and discuss his character.
The starting point was the dialogue between Chase and Li Hua from the third chapter of "Dress to Impress." You and I remember that Chase was simply distracting the kitsune at that moment, but if you dig deeper, you'll realize that this plot element is incredibly important. I remember skipping it the first time I read it, which led me to think of Li Hua as an impulsive and vengeful character, which was disappointing. That's true, but let's thank her for giving us lore and food for thought.
You see, I know every episode with Chase by heart, and at least half of his important lines, and he's one of the few characters whose past we've seen. Omi was unlucky in this regard. But some gaps and plot inconsistencies remain. For example, why do Chase and Guan still have roughly the same level of strength as warriors (hell, they fought for three days straight, but the next time their fight lasted only a few minutes, and Chase was defeated... okay, that's just a plot device)? Hannibal didn't give him significant power; he simply pulled him to the side where he had no competition, so no one could outshine him. And what's the point? Was it worth the loss of your soul? And remember that Chase somehow opened a portal to the Ying-Yang world without the necessary Wu, or someone else did it, even though only Hannibal's bird can do that. Overall, there are problems, but the fanfic patches some of them quite well.
Before reading it, I thought Hannibal wasn't really aiming to create a powerful ally with whom he could share the reins of power and to whom he could impart his knowledge, as Chase himself did. Hannibal could easily have done this simply to aggrandize himself and cement his image as a tempter and demon capable of breaking even monks, in order to obtain this "eternal soul" or the good part of Chase's Qi. In the same situation with Omi, the balance of the world was shaken, so it made sense. Plus, Hannibal himself is weak, he needs hands that would bring destruction and fear. I can't overestimate the effectiveness of Lao Mang Lone soup - in my opinion, the price is simply not comparable to its effect. Selling his soul for an easy path to power and madness? Chase will ultimately follow the difficult path of self-improvement, as we will find out later.
(By the way, why the hell does the soup just turn you into a mindless monster the first time, but then return you to human form the next time? Either Chase tweaked the recipe, or there's a missing Reversing Mirror effect somewhere that hadn't yet manifested itself, or there's a script error.)
What does Li Hua say to Chase? "Either way, you were his favorite little pet project, weren't you?" This fits perfectly with everything I just told you. Chase was humiliated, trampled into the dirt, and shown that this can happen to anyone. Good is not invincible, and Hannibal is a dangerous and cunning opponent. The true Heylin followers laughed at the thought of a former monk becoming the head of their food chain. But for Hannibal, spending years trying to help Chase regain consciousness was a fatal mistake. He underestimated him. He probably wanted the young man to simply depend on him and be controllable.
Let's remember what Guan became in the alternate future, where he was turned to the Dark Side. This is how Chase could have remained if he hadn't started working on himself. He literally says that he had to rebuild himself from scratch and, moreover, betray Hannibal in order to move on. I think he did it not only because he wanted to get rid of a competitor, and not only to establish himself as a more cunning and dangerous villain. At that moment, Chase hardly thought about this. His first task was to emerge from Hannibal's shadow and take revenge on him for everything. Sounds plausible, I believe it.
It's ironic that Chase follows in Hannibal's footsteps, but does everything in his own way. Raise an army, stripping every warrior of their personality and turning them into animals? Sure, but only after a fair fight, not by deception (haha, sorry, Omi, not this time). Sway the monk to your side and use him for your own ends? No problem, but he specifically could retain his identity, and even seriously offer to rule together. Omi is special, and Chase treats him that way. Of course, he deceives him, but before that he builds a trusting relationship with him and confronts him with the fact that evil is closer than he thinks. Such a convenient truth that allows Omi to later accept the negative aspects of herself and not be afraid of them.
Interestingly, it's precisely in the battle against his former comrade that Chase makes a different demand. Not "You will become part of my army," but "I will take your weapon, and I will only return it if you bring me a dragon." Watch my hands. Chase literally demands that Guan compromise his principles for the sake of weapons. Hannibal demanded that Chase sacrifice his principles for power. Chase is treating his friend as he was treated. Acts as the one he hates did. Perhaps he still considers Guan a traitor who wanted to overshadow him (though it's strange that he still believes the fairy tales that scoundrel Hannibal fed him), so he decides to humiliate his honor and dignity.
But what if it wasn't about the dragon or the desire for revenge? Deep down, Chase might have hoped that Guan wouldn't agree to this condition. After all, no one told us that bringing the dragon was a condition for defeat—as far as I understood, the condition was giving up the weapon, and returning it was optional. Why, you ask? Because Chase wanted to believe that Guan was principled, that he was different from most people, that he deserved respect. Only such a person could claim to eclipse him, because in Chase's eyes, he looked better than the version of himself from the past, deceived by Hannibal. Chase would have to sort out his past, one way or another. But Guan didn't live up to his faith. That's why Chase doesn't even bother to show his face and tells him, "Go away and never come back." This isn't just pride—it's contempt. We're shown Guan as an ambiguous character, and it's no surprise that he, too, defected to the Heylin under Hannibal's influence.
And you know who doesn't deserve contempt? Omi! And it's not just his abilities. He restored Guan's faith in himself and his principles, which earned him his weapon. He puts first not material goods or ephemeral things like power, but the lives of his family and friends. He's so principled that even after gaining an advantage through dishonest means, he's not willing to use it—because he gave his word. Words have real power in this world, especially for monks. Incidentally, it seems time to remember Grandmaster Dashi, who most likely founded this system. He's Chase's only true master. Not Hannibal, not anyone else. My headcanon is that Dashi was older than both Guan and Chase, and taught them a lot.
And Ninja, of course. There are so many reasons to respect him. Well, besides the fact that he almost killed a child by mistake. Luckily, Chase doesn't know that yet :)
I'd like to conclude my thoughts where I planned to begin. Chase has two interesting traits: pride and a desire to annoy others. He simply bullies both Hannibal and Li Hua, which is a good way to gain control of the situation and hide his weaknesses. Sometimes he seems like a difficult teenager who just wants to rage-bite someone. It's so funny. I just described my complex vision of this character, after which I'll summarize with the most obvious fact about him. DtI is my favorite fanfic; it gave me so many impressions and images that can be developed.
Although wait, I need to finish by telling you my schizo-theory. Do you remember the Heylin Eclipse? It's a solar eclipse, when the Moon's shadow falls on Earth. And you know what I associate Chase with? Earth. It's so symbolic that he becomes weaker during the Heylin Eclipse. Because for him, being in the shadows is weakness.
In "His Favorite" he was saved by Ninja, who I associate with the Sun, so think about it.
