The Sage acts without action
and teaches without talking
All things flourish around him
and he does not refuse any of them
He gives but not to receive
He works but not for reward
He completes but not for results
He does nothing for himself in this passing world
so nothing he does ever passes
❝ Fair enough. Well, Junjie, it was quite plesant to meet you. I hope our future encounter dosent strike too much controversy between us. ❞
With that;; Kai stood && the pendant around his neck would smack flatly against his fuzzy gray chest.
❝ Umbassa.. ❞
He muttered;; before turning && taking his leave, his hooves crunching against the remains of the plate that had shattered upon the hardwood just minutes before. && The clinking of heavy chain would ring throughout the skies.
“Wha-”
This was the one historical moment in which Junjie, surprisingly, found himself in silence and with more questions that he could process or even admit he had (being humble had never been his thing, after all). This whole encounter had been unexplainable and had finished just as quickly as it had begun.
Kai was gone before he could even regain some composture and left only questions and a broken plate in his wake. Sure, Junjie could try and investigate about him but-
-but now he needed a moment just to grasp what had exactly happened.
Kai was intrigued by the sudden fall of facetiousnsss;; leery was he; to think the man would respond in a less disgruntled manor. && For once, Kai could feel the dread ooze amoungst them. He didn’t seem very happy to think of the tortoise Kai knew so well.
❝ I see… it seems as though we both tend to have a distaste for him, I assume? ❞
&& Kai would bend his knees, squatting to face Junjie on a more personal level. He rested his wrists upon his kneecaps && leaned close as if inspecting the fox with his luminous jade eyes;; && with closer detail, his light blue irises would dance as he gave the small male a once over.
❝ I worked with him, we lead unforgettable battles together, he and I.. yet it seems he had forgotten me;; with not a lick of rememberance to my name. At times I wonder if he ever spoke of the war, but simply left me isolated from the events. ❞
Kai then inhaled;; sighing in an exasperated manor.
❝ I wonder, what is your name? Not that I would know. It’s getting rather tiresome referring to you as fox. ❞
“I wouldn’t-”
Distaste is a word that wouldn’t be able to describe what he felt towards his old Master -but there is no word that he knows of that is able to describe the amount of feelings the sole name of his Master conveys, the anger, the hurt, the-
But there’s no time for him to sulk, not right now and not specially when the other (”Kai”) moves yet again, this time dangerously close in such a way that expresses the amount of force he carries in a literal and figurative wy; His presence is imposing and the vague moment in which he lowers his guard is the moment in which a pair of glowing eyes find his own.
That is no trick of light, no. But he can’t explain what it is, not now when he is, for the first time in years, actually concerned for his own well being; If this man had indeed worked for Oogway then he must be a force to be reckoned.
But the timeline doesn’t make sense, considering Kai looks lively, young, while his Master was old and tired the last time the last time they met.
If they had actually work together then why-?
-but his toughts are cut short yet again
“ Húli Jīng , Junjie.” that’s a piece of information he can rely on (unlike anything else in that situation) and that he says with pride “Member of the Sacred Onyx Council. And, again, I have not heard of you...”
“...nor have you heard of me, so I guess we are even in that sense”
Kai paused for a moment or two, before a sneer would grow upon his lips;; && the bovine shook his head as he teetered. What was he to expect? Kai then opened his arms as he spoke through a respressed grin.
❝ Please, allow me. I’m sure you’ve heard of Oogway, am I correct? ❞
Oh, how he would love to answer that with yet another snarky remark, but...something deep down doesn’t quite allows him to. Sentimentalism, honor or whathaveyou, but there’s a thing, a bothersome, little thing, that doesn’t allow him to deny his Master.
That something turns his grin into something more...somber, just according to the shift on the atmosphere while his gaze follows the other’s movement while his lips arch in something akin to a silent complaint.
“Allow me to answer than question with one of my own” he says, trying to shift the topic into a...more favourable one “Who hasn’t heard of Oogway?”
❝ Oh the philosophy type I see, I kid, politics is.. was my job. To a degree, at the least. ❞
He corrected himself, it wouldn’t be possible to find motivation to lead an army of change upon the land were it not for the knowlage needed in order to fix it.
❝ No need to apologise for your lack of pussyfooting, you are talking to the same man who merely fabricated a wise crack after you flung a plate at him. I don’t think I gave off a sensitive impression, fox. ❞
&& Kai would shift his posture, crossing his strong arms over his broad chest. His jade && half lidded eyes would set a gentle gaze down at the sly male. Oh, he didn’t expect to be given a lecture.
And now;; his name. Kai would chuckle eerily, to think he was so caught up in his games that he didn’t bother with introductions.
❝ You know, I haven’t even thought of that. After all the trouble at hand, I’m not surprised the norm wouldnt recognize my name. Let’s see just how knowlagable you are, oh wise one. ❞
The heafty bovine cocked his head back;; && his gentle gaze would widen as his face would wrinkle at the snout. Not that he was appalled, Kai was quite the one to express wild expressions in times where he feels inquiries are suited. With the weight his name carried, it wouldn’t feel amplified to speak such titles through a poker face so dull ;;
❝ I am Kai, Maker of Widows and Master Of Pain. If you are as informed as you hold yourself to be, then you would know exactly who I am. ❞
Kai decided to choose the titles he had proclaimed before death, as he doubted Junjie knew much of anything of the undead.
The use of the past tense on the other’s phrases is, frankly, a curious thing to hear, considering the fact that Junjie by now is used to speaking to just about everyone as if they were younger than him, save for the handful of people that are older than him and actually deserve some snark-free respect.
This stranger, however, refers to the past as if it was a thing from a considerable time ago -an amount of time Junjie, for some reason, could not possibly understand or with things he couldn't possibly remember, while also not looking quite old enough to back up those claims.
Then again, trying to guess his age would be an useless thing to do, since different species age in different ways.
The other seems to still be quite nible of his feet,(even considering the sheer amount of muscle he posseses and that makes for an almost comical height difference between them both) and is quite articulate when getting his point across; But Junjie, by now, is no stranger to being towered over, nor to being the receiver of some smartassery-
-still, he can’t help but feel amused by the expressions on the others face and his own penchant for dramatics (because that’s how he interprets his movements, it’s only natural and maybe a, just maybe, he is projecting just a little bit). The other basically roars, getting his atention and-
“Can’t say I have heard about it, sorry” he pauses, then nods mostly to himself “I could fancy some windows, I guess”
Why are they talking about interior decorating?
“You are an important one, I take it? If you are then please do enlighten me, oh great one”
❝ Political correctness? That’s new, I don’t remember bringing anything political to the table, fox. ❞
Kai came from a time with simple terminology;; he didn’t understand the values of the corresponding term and of the like. He would think it would be a jab at his incorrectness on political facts, rather than a term used for controversial humor. Perhaps he said something misleading? He must have, China has progressed quite far in his absence.
❝ Don’t pay mind to my lack of knowledge on current affairs, I wouldn’t know, nor would I care to catch up on such a vast gap within time. Though, my curiosity is peeked… did Ethiopia resolve their famine? Not that I care if the fools could survive, it’d just be an inconvenience to my previous statements if they did. It’s more effective when they are still suffering. ❞
Of all things going on within the world, Kai was most concerned with the punch behind his joke. Look at him, how vile. To resolve poverty && starvation down to an inconvenience to a j o k e.
“Mileage may vary, my dear sir. The Empire has seen better days and some themes may not be as well received as others -besides, few happen to be versed in topics such as what dwells beyond the borders”
Common people tend to be have simple concerns, minding their own bussiness while the higher classes deal with "boring things" such as administration and politics.
Junjie, on other hand, has always been keen on debates on such things, but the years have left him way jaded to try and start any type of complex conversation on "uncommon topics", not when he has already brought so much trouble unto himself.
“That would depend on what was the last thing you heard about them. Though, I admit, it’s surprising enough that you happen to know so much” Again, only certain types of people are able to dwell on such topics and the yak’s face is not one he can remember seeing before at the Forbidden City, nor at any Council.
“Do pardon my...bluntness” he says, shaking a paw as one does to signal a vague feeling or when one tries to find the proper word, then offering a smile when he is done with his theatrical gestures “but do we happen to know each other? I don’t think I would forget a face like yours”
Kai raised a brow to accompany his cheeky grin. Did this being just admit to enjoying his facetiousness ?? How interesting, because that has never happened to Kai, before;;
❝ You must be quite the demented one. Because, if I heard correctly- ❞
&& he would dig a pinkie into his fuzzy gray ear;; my, my, the wax must’ve built quite the blockage.
❝ You just claimed to fancy someone as insufferable as I, that’s quite the accomplishment to say the least. ❞
“Common knowledge says that “it takes one to know one”” the fox says with a ever so sly grin before shifting his weight to the other foot, positioning himself in a way that allows him to take a better look at the other.
“Besides, there’s nothing wrong with a little bit of...enthusiasm, don’t you think?” then again, that word may be a far reach, all things considered -not everyone fancies broken plates and laughing at the expense of others.
“Political correctness is but a formality and I don’t care for such when not on working hours”
I don’t know who you are. I don’t know what you want. If you are looking for old rps of questionable quality ransom, I can tell you I have plenty of those, to be honest I don’t have money. But what I do have are a very particular set of skills, skills I have acquired over a very long rp career. Skills that make me a nightmare for readers people like you. If you let my archives daughter go now, that’ll be the end of it. I will not look for you, I will not pursue you. But if you don’t, I will look for you, I will find you, and I will love kill you.
I don’t know how to words (as you could see on that terrible display of ye olde tumblr history), sorry.
I’m sorry you had to read that cringefest but, sincerely, thank you for your time.
Tai Lung deserved so much better and unlike Shen or Kai he wasn’t a bad guy out of his own wrong doings but went down the wrong path and both Shifu and Oogway did him a disservice by not helping him before it was too late. Oogway in all his wisdom just let Tai Lung waste his life on a pointless dream and presumably never tried to guide Tai Lung back into the light instead he let his passion fester into obsession. We can probably assume that Shifu never visited him in jail for twenty years and that he must have been incredibly angry when he learned he’d been replaced by Tigress. Plus we see first hand that his guards were abusive I mean what if that wasn’t the only time they hurt him when he couldn’t fight back? And then when he’s defeated and at Po’s mercy he’s killed and sent tot the Spirit Realm where we know he eventually is attacked and captured by Kai meaning that even in death he can’t find peace. Tai Lung could have been a great Master on the council or perhaps taken over the Jade Palace when Shifu retired or bonded with his nephew that he probably didn’t even knew existed but instead he’s dead.
Let me sing you the song of my people
Can we just...I love this kind of discussion, this frickers are hella complex. I think an important starting point is that everyone thought of Oogway’s words as some infallible stuff while, as per personal interpretation, he only knew so much about what happened (because, damn, he was flawed, just like everyone) -also I like to think that accepted fanon ( @gongmensoothsayer /infini-tree‘s has some artwork about it) says that dude winged stuf and rolled with it-
-then again, his actions could always be view from the instrumentalistic side of things: Without Tai Lung’s rampage, people wouldn’t have the real Dragon Warrior (TM). Again, how much Oogway actually knew about the great image of things it’s up to debate, but one could argue that he knew that the real Dragon Warrior (TM) had be a panda because chi-control and the whole stuff about his past and simbolism, so he used Tai Lung and Shifu as pawns to clear the way for Po (which is also really fricked up).
Oogway’s raising of Shifu is also an interesting topic because that is also a factor on Tai Lung’s story, like, was he, too, raised with the idea that he could be the Dragon Warrior only to be shot down with a “lol no, destiny says you have to suffer/ teach the real Dragon Warrior (TM)”? Because that would suck -I can imagine Shifu putting all that pressure on Tai Lung because “I want you to be better than me” alll fatherly style, without knowing that his smol beb wasn’t the choosen one (TM) either.
Shifu’s parenting skills are a mixture of Shirong’s and Oogway’s, poor thing is fricked.
I, too, think that Tai Lung deserved better and while some of his actions were not necessarily good, they were justificable and to be expected. But they were also necessary in some fricked up way...? He and Shifu didn’t have much choice on things -Shifu was like “HEY, WTF” when Oogway said “Nah, he isn’t the one” so one can assume that he was as surprised/confused/sad as Tai.
Poor dude maybe thought it was his fault and he didn’t raise him correctly enough, while Tai Lung felt utterly betrayed because destiny said he wasn’t the one and, damn, that’s heavy.
Also, ye, Tai Lung hipotetically working with other Council would have been an awesome possibility. Tai Lung in Gongmen when KFP 2 happened would have been a blast (...heh) and I’d pay to see what he was like with other Masters like Chao/Xiao (he seems like a cool uncle, imho), Junjie (they’d bond over how much they hate Oogway’s instrumentalistic ways and beb would play with other leopards)... hell, even Yao (imagine Yao giving actual advice (TM) to poor Tai!).
Tai Lung can’t catch a break even when dead (well, he isn’t dead per-se but) because Kai and I’m just...he could have been an hero of another story about defying destiny and doing things his way but nooo...
TL;dr: Oogway’s “because destiny says so” argument has fricked over many people, Shifu included, and Tai Lung deserved better.
Edit: Taking with sweetheart (@bosswolfrp / @segaly), we have reached the point when we discuss the morals of this and we’ve agreed that Oogway fricked many people over to make sure Po is ok, but Po hasn’t created good enough to compensate for the suffering his well-being caused so...yeah. Oow was biased even when instrumentalistics are considered.
Ej: Shen suffered, Tai Lung suffered, Shifu suffered, Tigress, the rest of the Five, Junjie, etc are also on the list -that’s hella lot of “bad stuff” on the scale and one would expect Po to bring the same equivalent of good stuff, but dude didn’t help Tai Lung (”killing” him is better?), Shen (well, he was beyond helping and refused) or Kai, so...?????
Like, yeah, he’s flawled and trying but, damn. Not really worth everyone else’s misery, thank.
“A pity? Yes. I suppose so,” Tai Lung was reassured by the other’s calm and casual demeanor. He was reminded that this was an older gentleman who may have just preferred the quiet trail to the busy street. It could be his paranoia had gotten the best of him. Some of the tension leaves his shoulders as he decides that the fox is not an immediate threat, perhaps an unwise decision considering who he was dealing with.
It was a request that he would have once agreed to at a moments notice. Helping people in their time of need, doing what he could to keep China and her children safe. Now he was declared dead and remembered only in the tales of the Dragon Warrior’s legacy. He had half a mind to rob the fox himself out of spite. Though battling a Master was not exactly subtle and would blow his cover. Not to mention the dishonour and pettiness of such an act would only further injure his own pride.
The prospect of money was hard to pass up. All he had left was the clothes on his back and even then he’d stolen what he could. Payment meant he could stop in the next village and get a warm meal or even rent a bed for the night. A small comfort he hadn’t known in over twenty years.
“We are headed in the same direction,” He mulls it over for a short time, “I can escort you to Shanxi and I can promise that you will arrive unharmed. In return for payment.”
“What a dear” not that he would actually require help, save from the ocasional intervention of his own students, but having an imposing fellow next to him would be a nice distraction if any bandit were to feel suicidal enough to get any close to them.
“Destiny is rather curious, isn’t it?” the former Master adds with a smile before it falters even so slightly “Then again, I’ve heard some said that there is no such thing as destiny, only the inevitable”
The vague mention is more than enough for his facade to falter. Oogway and his sayings are something that he would rather not refer to but, ironically, are inevitable in certain conversations or personas; Those are the words of the (alleged) creator of Kung Fu and one of the wisest minds of their times (that is also a topic he would rather disagree with but cannot gather arguments or energy enough to do so).
“Anyways...” the fox adds with shaking a paw dissmisively, as if that too could shake off his previous lapsus “Shanxi, yes. I can offer you some yuan and a night’s stay at the place I’ll stay, food and bath included -no offense meant, but it looks like you could use them- as long as we manage to reach the place with no problems”
Tai Lung holds back the urge to growl at his own misfortune though a sneer manages to claw its way onto his face. So much for going unnoticed. Perhaps he’d been a fool to try his hand with such a performance, he’d never done well at playing weak. He simply didn’t fit the role physically or mentally. Not with the spirit of a dragon and the body of a leopard. Regardless he keeps up the charade and continues to avoid eye contact.
The question catches him off guard but it offers Tai Lung some peace of mind. Directions, that is all the fox wanted? He could do that. Though he had no clear destination the same could not be said for his undesired company. Tai Lung gestured further down the path with an outstretched paw, “You have nothing to fear. This road leads to Shanxi. Keep to the trail and you should find your way.”
Tai Lung turns to look in the opposite direction, the way both he and Junjie had come. He finds it odd that the fox had taken the same road to begin with. Why risk his journey with the threat of bandits? Though Tai Lung had no doubt the Master could hold his own against some lowly criminals, he was an equal to Shifu after all, it was curious.
Despite himself Tai Lung offers a word of warning, “You will want to stay alert during your travels. This road is unprotected. You may be considered an easy target.”
“Praise be to the Four Gods, I could have sworn that I had lost my way and started going west at some point” that is, of course, a little lie to keep a lower profile since this particular interaction seems neutral enough. The hooded one has just warned him of bandits, which makes him think that either he ignores his identity or while knowing it, prefers to keep silent about it.
A smart strategy, from an apparently smart lad.
“So I’ve heard, but, sadly, I was not able to hire any guards before leaving the last village” the fox adds with a soft laugh while taking off his glasses and cleaning them with his own clothes, in order to create a calmer athmosphere and add the illusion of humility to his facade “such a pity, isn’t it?”
Building a calmer athmosphere isn’t necesarily the former Master’s forte, so he deals with this particular situation as if walking on eggshells -as far as he knows, this other traveler may know who he really is, so trying to convince him otherwise could be rather dificult; He could always try and impersonate any of his brothers, but he can’t really think of a reason why any of them would travel by themselves to Shanxi, so there’s that.
“I would offer the same piece of advise to you, but you seem the kind of lad that is not in the need of such” Again, the stranger is built like a brick wall and would not risk a thing when traveling alone “Say-”
“-would you be interested in getting some easy yuan and help an old man out?”
He hadn’t crossed paths with anyone in hours so Tai Lung decided to take a moment to rest and breath a sigh of relief. He sat down to meditate and clear his mind for the continuation of his journey. But after some time he realized he was not alone after all as the sound of small steps altered him to another’s presence. He was quick to flip up his hood however it was not that great a disguise.
He looked to see who else would take the forgotten path and recognized immediately a member of the Sacred Onyx Council, Master Junjie. Tai Lung had hoped that the fox had not seen his face and stayed seated in a vain effort to remain inconspicuous. He bowed his head to better conceal his eyes and fake supposed inferiority.
A late afternoon, and abandoned road.
As time passed the former Master somehow managed to find himself in such scenes rather frequently thanks to foiled plans and unhappy people interested on the price offered for his head if they were ever to catch the eternal plotter he had inadvertently turned into.
But as of now, taking advantage of the calmness that the afternoon could bring and the implicit loneliness of some country roads, he traveled at his own leisure into the place where he would rendevous with his students. But what was planned as an unsurprising journey form point A to point B, turned rather interesting when a cloacked figure made himself present on a side of the road -and that wouldn’t have been remotely interesting if said figure did not tower over him yet seemed meek enough to avoid any kind of contact.
An oxymoron. An interesting one, at that.
He was not among the tallest Master’s of his generation, so there were many others that could tower over him -and would generally point such thing out and joke about it (but just the right amount, for any kind of faux pas would lead to a threat involving loss of sight). Even some ignorant civilians would, every once on a while, try and threaten him using the size difference as a possible advantage (poor souls, almost never expected what came next)...
...but this particular figure on the side of the road, built in a way any respected bandit could only wish for, just seemed to seek for loneliness.
“Pardon the interruption” the Master finally said, stopping a couple of feet away from the curious stranger “would you, by any chance, know if this is the road to Shanxi? You see, I’m afraid to have taken the road to Shaanxi instead”
dededos
kianamaiart
turnnoffyourmind
prguitarman
annaxmalina