#monastery of the spear

[lettersoftherainbow]

Geghard Monastery, Unesco World Heritage Site in central Armenia

[dearbluebmw]

Geghard Monastery, Unesco World Heritage Site in central Armenia

[arielerinkaplan]

Geghard Monastery, Unesco World Heritage Site in central Armenia

[kaiserkassie]

Geghard Monastery, Unesco World Heritage Site in central Armenia

[dukeness01]

Geghard Monastery, Unesco World Heritage Site in central Armenia

[floreescedora]

Geghard Monastery, Unesco World Heritage Site in central Armenia

[asexualastarion]

no was going to get away with anything

[crowsyart]

I lost all my tags I hate this app but I’m retyping them all anyways

Here’s the kishin asura as a more normal(ish) deer

[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.

[balladedutempsjadis]

Shoutout to my movie boyfriend Arulmozhi Varman and his nerves of steel. First in the Buddhist monastery, with five assassins waiting to kill him, unarmed, calm and quiet, walking out of there without a scratch, shielded by the respect and love of these Buddhist monks.

Then, while Vandiyadevan and Nambi are frantically chasing Pandya assassins all over Nagapattinam, he doesn’t rush the procession at all, walking slowly and calmly with Vanathi, while people throw flowers at him which could have been spears or knives.*

And then poor Nambi and Vandiyadevan are freaking out about the rogue mahout and my dude is like “I got this. Elephants and I have an understanding.” (Vanathi looks impressed too! Who wouldn’t be?)

He’s so composed and confident and reliable. It’s super sexy (so are his arms but that’s for another post.) In the books, another character compares Arulmozhi Varman to the Dhruva Nakshatram (the Pole Star) that sailors at sea rely on above all other aids to navigation. “All the other stars and the planets may change positions and directions, but the Pole Star alone remains steadfast.” Somehow, Mani Ratnam, his amazing cinematographer Ravi Varman** and Jayam Ravi’s physical presence and expressions managed to translate these qualities - steadfastness, constancy, the essence of the lodestar - to the screen even without dialogue.

* I understand why the Pandya assassins make themselves so visible in Nagapattinam, because they want to draw Nambi and Vandiyadevan away from the monastery so the five assassins posing as Buddhist monks can do their work unhindered. (They didn’t count on Ponniyin Selvan’s ability to make people willing to die to protect him ;)) And then elephant assassination is a good backup plan. But most of the time, it seems like they would have done better to act by stealth instead. If I were directing these attempts, I would have had them blend into the crowd and throw knives etc at the prince while he was walking through the crowd. 🤷‍♀️

** just as an example, there is way less camera movement for Arulmozhi Varman’s scenes than for Aditha Karikalan. In PS1, contrast the camera work when Aditha is telling Parthibendran about Nandini (it’s swirling around all over the place to match Aditha’s inner turmoil) to the camera work when Arulmozhi is telling Vandiyadevan and Nambi about the Oomai Rani and her role in his life. Both brothers are talking about love, but the total difference in what they are talking about and their own personalities is reflected in the camera work.

[ancientorigins]

According to the Gospel of John, Jesus was stabbed in his side by a lance whilst hanging from the cross. As a result, this weapon is believed to possess supernatural powers, and became an important and much sought after Christian relic. Over the centuries, a number of churches have claimed to possess this sacred object. One such claimant is the Geghard Monastery, or Geghardavank (meaning ‘Monastery of the Spear’).

[cassimothwin]

What waits quivering beneath the crashing sea? Read The Isle, written by Luke Gearing and published by Spear Witch, to find out.

Designed for The Vanilla Game RPG, a lightweight retroclone OSR-system, The Isle is a body horror dungeon crawl adventure that’s pretty playable in most fantasy RPG systems with minimal reworking. I could see someone running it with Mörk Borg without much issue. This review is of the physical book, but it also comes with a PDF and an EPUB (yay EPUB!).

Something draws your players to the isle, a mostly forgotten, small, and haunted piece of sea-locked land that 10 monks call home. The party is likely to either force or lie their way to the seal: a bone-porcelain disc hidden beneath the monastery floor. Once broken, adventure calls from below, where there awaits hundreds of years of horrors with lore and worldbuilding woven into the fabric of each room…

There are 5(ish) floors of around 10-20 rooms each in this adventure. But what about these floors is so evocative? The dungeon is a bit indescribable as a whole. Strange and violent creatures with alarming habits occupy this prison. Floor 1 is close to what you’d expect to find in a dungeon near the sea, but the domain grows more horrifying the farther down intruders go. One of the “floors” is actually the inside of a huge mysterious sea-thing where players navigate through organs.

The creatures are sublime. Beyond being just undead, they’re wonderfully described and horrifying. They’re not all dangerous, and some even promise power. Players might meet an amalgam of pony teeth that rolls around chewing air and stone, choose between helping two undead brothers permanently remove the other from this plane, assist a worm in its quest to ratatouille a giant sea-thing creature, or just die to one of the many interesting yet easy-to-deliver traps...

Read the full review on my website! 👇

[neteyammeowmeow]

*grabby hands*

GIMME BLOYD HEADCANONS

Fight-centric post because I don’t think I’ve ever brought any of these up (if I have then… oh well…)

Lloyd and Benthomaar synergize well on the battlefield, they act as each others offense and defense. Lloyd takes the initiative to attack with his mastery of the sword, and his skill using Spinjitzu. Due to Benthomaar wielding a bigger weapon; a trident, it is more effective for him to deflect or parry attacks.

I’ve always personally pictured/depicted Lloyd and Benthomaar to have a “parallel” or opposites for their fighting styles. Lloyd does his movements swiftly, but also accordingly. It is known that he is holding back, he doesn’t go all out, even if most of his opponents think he is, perhaps it’s barely entirely. He’s just very “to the point” when fighting, but it shows how he prioritizes, and in a way he seems closed-off, too. For Benthomaar, he is expected to have formality and etiquette, there are manners to be held even when fighting, so he grew up with his fighting to have more flair and correctness, but at the same time he can also be just as swift and serious, though compared to Lloyd, he is more open with the way he fights.

For reference, here’s some characters from Genshin that I can see have similar visuals according to what I think (Kazuha and Cyno (the first two that appear) belong to cerealwumps :3) I ended up compiling them into a video since Tumblr only allows one per post apparently…

Lloyd and Benthomaar would also train together in the Monastery (I have a VERY vague impression I wrote this before) and it’s one of the moments they most love to spend with each other. Lloyd would teach Benthomaar how to wield a sword properly, since treating it as either a spear or a trident wouldn’t be so accurate, he’d hold Benthomaar’s hand and guide him the proper way to use it. They’re both incredibly amazing when they fight each other, it’s different compared to the grounds against an opponent, since they’re familiar with the other — it makes the effort all the more challenging.

[cherrypikkins]

Your writing is so wonderful. How about Leonie and/or Ingrid? Responsible, blunt ladies.

FE3H OC Short Fics - Kitt Burgess (Part 3)

Part 1 | Part 2

(also excellent options, anon :333)

cw for violence, blood, injury, body horror - you know the drill

Leonie

Annwen Lake was a full day's ride from the monastery. Leonie had heard unnerving tales of this place - not only from the villagers back in Sauin, but also from Seteth's warnings to stay away.

She had shrugged it off. A practical woman, Leonie was not one to believe in ghosts. Besides, a remote place like this deep in the wilderness? Too tempting. What was a little danger, compared to the hunt that lay in wait?

The moment the lake was in sight, her mount refused to take a single step closer. Frowning, Leonie tethered the terrified creature and continued on foot. She unstrapped the bow from her back, and began to scout as unearthly cries echoed faintly in the distance.

The mist was already a bad sign. Not only did it hamper her vision, but it was unnatural enough to make her skin crawl. The moment Leonie crept upon the ruins of Annwen Village, she knew she had made a terrible mistake by coming here.

The place seethed with Demonic Beasts.

They prowled the skeletal ruins on lurching, lumbering footfalls. The second they inhaled her scent, their heads swiveled with a snap. In that moment, she was no longer a hunter, but a deer caught in the lamplight of their rabid glare.

Leonie was almost grateful for the hand that clamped over her mouth, hauling her into a nearby house and slamming the door. Close call. She had damn near screamed.

She struggled briefly but furiously until released. Leonie squinted at the figure, struggling to adjust her eyes in the dark.

"Kitt?" she hissed. "What the hell are you doing here?!"

"I could ask you the same thing!" Kitt snarled right back. "Didn't you hear what Seteth said about this place?"

Leonie pursed her lips, a reluctant expression of guilt. That still didn't explain why Kitt was here, of all places.

The youth wasn't interested in explanations. As the monsters outside smashed their way through, Kitt strong-armed Leonie to the back door and shoved her out. "Get back to the monastery, now! HURRY!"

Leonie barely had time to protest before the door shut in her face. Kitt turned back to the swarming beasts, eyes closed. They started to pray. First the scales appeared. Then came the fangs and claws. The moment the prayer passed their lips, the monster within answered, and Kitt was no longer human.

Leonie had scrambled halfway back to her mount when she whirled around, hearing the noises of an horrifying struggle behind her. It was like no sound she had ever heard before, yet it evoked the image of limbs being crushed, flesh being torn apart, bones splintering and snapping like branches. Rising above it all, chilling her to the bone, was an ear-splitting screech no creature of earthly origin could ever produce.

Her eyes widened as she recalled the obscure tale her father used to repeat. The Demon of Annwen…

Heedless of the danger, Leonie sprinted back to the village in search of Kitt, arrow nocked. Foolhardy or no, this was the one ghost story she was now tempted to believe in, and nothing could deter her from finding out the truth.

Ingrid

Adrenaline spiked her veins as she clutched her spear, eyes locked upward, breath heavy with exertion. Ingrid had quelled monsters before, but this was different.

Kitt was more than just some crazed beast on a violent rampage. They were a classmate - even a friend.

Their baleful eyes wept pitch black as they stared at her, full of hatred - full of anguish. A clawed hand swung down, threatening to slice her to ribbons, but Ingrid was ready. She could sense their confusion, their panic. They weren't thinking straight, lashing out viciously at anyone or anything that came too close. Dodging them was a near thing yet also a simple matter, given their frenzied state of mind.

She knew they didn't want to hurt anybody - not really.

It tore Ingrid to see them like this. Even so, she forced herself to trust what Kitt had told before. She remembered the promise she had made, to stop them at all costs. Evoking all the courage and righteousness of the knights of old, Ingrid cast hesitation to the wind, and ran Kitt through.

She heard them scream, and gritted her teeth, clenching her eyes shut. The lance wrenched and tore through the creature's body with what she prayed was a stroke of mercy.

The monstrous trappings crumbled away, rotting and desiccating like a corpse in rapid time. Exhaling faintly, Kitt stumbled to their knees, human once more.

Ingrid dropped her lance and fell to her knees with Kitt. She caught them by the shoulders, preventing them from collapsing face-down into a pool of their own ichor.

"Hey…" she breathed, taking care not to shake them too hard. "…You okay?"

A human hand grasped hers.

"…Goddess! That…really hurt," Kitt whined, hissing through their teeth. Their voice was plaintive, like a child. "Did you have to be that rough?"

Ingrid exhaled with a smile. "I'm taking that as a yes." She rubbed their back, easing them through the fading pain of their transformation, and breathing her own sigh of relief.

"I'm glad you're still with us," she murmured. "I hope that helped."

"…Honestly, I was hoping you'd run," Kitt responded, quieted by shame and gratitude alike.

"That's not who I am," Ingrid insisted, steadying them with her grip. "I protect all of my friends - that includes you."

Kitt laughed bitterly. "A knight musn't say such things to a savage beast."

Ingrid wasn't about to lie. She knew how these tales usually ended - with the hero in shining armor slaying the loathsome monster, restoring peace and glory to the world.

In spite of that, she smiled. "How fortunate then, that I am not yet a fully-fledged knight."

[pompomqt]

Journey to the West Chapter 16

So Tripitaka and Sun Wukong find themselves at yet another Monastery. And they do the usual song and dance where they tell them all about their mission, and the monk freaks out because of how ugly Monkey is, but calms down because of how beautiful Tripitaka is. Tripitaka also calls Monkey ugly but useful, which is quite the back handed compliment.

Anyways the two are led into the Guanyin Chan Hall, and Tripitaka takes this opportunity to offer her his thanks and worship, while Monkey offers some accompanying music by ringing a bell. However, Monkey doesn't stop when Tripitaka does, and keeps striking the bell. When one of the Monks ask why he doesn't stop, Monkey says he's living by the proverb: "If you are a Monk for a day, strike the bell for a day!" Which considering how old Monkey is, will probably get old for everyone else real fast. Monkey ringing the bell obnoxiously pretty much managed to wake the whole Monastery, and they once again go through the whole 'Wah Monkey is so Ugly and Scary, but it's okay because he's with Tripitaka who is so Pretty and Unfrightening.'

So after that whole thing, they all sit down with the Head Monk for some tea and dinner. They have some casual conversation where Tripitaka once again explains their journey, and the Old Monk explains that he is two hundred and seventy- with Monkey jumping in to call him a young-in compared to him. Monkey really seems to enjoy bragging about his age and calling people his great-great-great-times a million- descendants or whatever. Eventually the conversation rolls around to treasures, with Tripitaka admiring the monk's tea and tea set. The monk then asks if Tripitaka has any rare treasures he can show him, with Tripitaka saying they don't really have much in the land of the east, and even if they did, Tripitaka wouldn't have been able to bring it with them. However Monkey chimes in saying that the cassock they got from Guanyin counts as a treasure and that he should show them it.

The monks thing this is hilarious that they would consider a cassock a treasure, and even make a point of it to bring out twelve fancy cassocks to show them. Monkey isn't impressed and wants to show them their cassock, but Tripitaka pulls him aside and says that they probably shouldn't start a contest of wealth with other people, and that the cassock might strike greed into the hearts of the monks. I find it interesting that this time it's Tripitaka warning Monkey about other people possibly being dangerous, usually it feels like the opposite with Tripitaka being the trustful one while Monkey is the one suspicious of others.

Regardless, Monkey tells Tripitaka to relax a little and that he will take responsibility, and before Tripitaka can stop him, he dashes off to fetch the cassock to show off to everyone. The old monk is of course very impressed with the cassock and asks if he can borrow it for the night to see it better and then return it tomorrow. Tripitaka is annoyed at Monkey for this whole situation, but Monkey still doesn't think it's a big deal and wraps up the cassock for the old monk to take.

So Tripitaka and Monkey are given a place to rest for the night, while the old monk starts crying over the cassock. The other monks ask him what's wrong, and he explains that eventually he will have to return the cassock to Tripitaka. Eventually one of the disciples says that if they want to keep the cassock the simplest solution would be to just murder Tripitaka and Sun Wukong. The old monk is delighted by this plan, and everyone starts gathering some knives and spears. However another monk points out that while stabbing Tripitaka to death would probably be easy enough, getting rid of Monkey might be a bit more difficult. So instead he suggests that they just set the rooms surrounding where Tripitaka and Monkey are staying on fire.

The old monk approves of this plan so they move forward with it. Unfortunately for them, prepping to set fire to a monastery isn't quiet and Monkey doesn't really sleep, just sort of meditates instead, so he hears them running around outside. Suspicious about all the noise, Monkey transforms into a bee to go take a look.

When Monkey see's that Tripitaka was right and that the monk's are planning to set the building on fire to steal the cassock, he debates beating them with his staff, but decides that they would definitely die if he did that and Tripitaka would be mad at him again. So instead he decides he'll let them carry out their silly plot, and instead just protect Tripitaka.

So Monkey makes a quick trip to heaven, startling the guards who think he's there to stir up trouble again, to borrow a Fire Repelling Cover from Virupaksa. Monkey explains the situation, and Virupaksa suggests he instead just use water to put out the fire, but Monkey explains that he only wants to protect Tripitaka and let everything else burn.

So Monkey gets the cover and returns to Tripitaka. He throws the cover over Tripitaka, the horse, and all their luggage. With that done he goes up to the roof and summons a wind to make the fire even stronger. So while the monks start freaking out and evacuating, Monkey stands guard where Tripitaka is while the rest of the monastery burns to the ground.

Eventually the fire manages to attract the attention of the local monster. Who upon noticing the fire at the monastery heads down to see if there's anything he can do to help, which is nice of him. However upon finding the Cassock, he forgets all about helping them and instead just takes it and leaves. Which was not nice of him.

After the fire burns out the monks are all scrambling trying to find valuables, or build shelter ect, while Monkey takes the Fire Repelling cover and returns it. Devaraja is pleased he's actually returning it, since if he didn't, it would be very difficult to try and make him, and invites him over to his place for a while. But Monkey explains that he's much more busy these days then he used to be, and has to go back to protect Tripitaka. And with that he returns to wake up Tripitaka.

So Tripitaka wakes up without incident and doesn't know anything is wrong until he opens the door to see the entire rest of the monastery burnt down. Tripitaka asks why Monkey only protected where they were resting instead of putting out the fire, and Monkey explains it was because the monks planed to burn them to death to steal the cassock. Tripitaka asks if he did this because they mistreated him, but Monkey says he isn't that petty, and that they were indeed the ones to set the fire... but he confesses to helping it along with some wind.

Tripitaka isn't exactly pleased about all this, and asks after the cassock and if it's been burned. Monkey claims the fire didn't reach where the cassock is and that it should be fine, but Tripitaka is rather grumpy about this whole situation and threatens to use the tight fillet spell if it's been damaged in any way. So Monkey, not wanting to be punished, starts demanding the cassock back from the monks. When the monks ask why Tripitaka and Monkey haven't burned to death, Monkey tells them to take a look at the hall where they were staying. Seeing how the hall is the only place completely unharmed, the monks come to the conclusion that Tripitaka is a god and Monkey is a celestial guardian.

So the monks go to the Old Monk and asks him to just give back the cassock. The Old Monk discovers that the Cassock is missing however, and since he doesn't know how to solve this problem, he bashes his own brains in instead. Yeesh. So the monks tell Monkey that the patriarch killed himself and that they can't find the cassock. So Monkey has them all line up so he can pat search them one by one, and search their belongings for it in case one of them stole it.

Tripitaka becomes more and more enraged that Monkey lost the cassock, so he begins to recite the tight fillet spell. The monks are terrified by this and start kneeling and pleading for mercy. Tripitaka stops the spell, and Monkey takes out his staff to kill the monks out of retribution. Luckily Tripitaka stops him by threatening to use the spell again if he harms people. Tripitaka then interrogates the monks, who tell him that this is all the old patriarch's fault. Not seeing the cassock anywhere, Monkey eventually thinks to ask if there are monsters in the area. So the monks tell them about the Black Great King who was acquaintances with the Patriarch.

So Monkey comes to the conclusion that the Black Great King must have stolen the cassock during all of the panic last night and asks Tripitaka to let him go get it. Tripitaka is still worried about being left without care and protection, but Monkey points out that Tripitaka is still being secretly protected by some gods and that he'll make some of the monks wait on him.

So Monkey warns the monks that they better not slack in Tripitaka's or the horse's care in any way, or else he'll smack them with his staff. And to show them just how big of a threat that actually is, he casually demolishes eight to nine walls with a single strike. So the monks are of course terrified by this and promise not to slack off in caring for Tripitaka in any way. And with that Monkey heads off to go get the cassock back, and we end this chapter of Journey to the West with @journeythroughjourneytothewest

Current Sun Wukong Stats: Names/Titles: Monkey, The Stone Monkey, The Handsome Monkey King, Sun Wukong (Monkey awakened to the void), Bimawen (Banhorseplague), The Great Sage Equal To Heaven and Pilgrim Sun. Immortality: 5 Weapon: The Compliant Golden Hooped Rod Abilities: 72 Transformations, Cloud-Somersault, Ability to transform his individual hairs, super strength, Ability to Summon Wind, Water restriction charm, and the ability to change into a huge war form, ability to duplicate his staff, ability to immobilize others, the ability to put others to sleep, and the Fiery eyes, Diamond Pupils, intimidating horses, churning large bodies of water and sleeplessness. Demon Kill Count: 1+ Unknown Number of Minions Human Kill Count: 6 God's Defeated: 19 + Unknown number Defeats: 2 Crime List: Robbery, Murder, Mass Murder, Arson, Theft, Coercion, Threatening a Government Official, Resisting Arrest, Assault, Forgery, Employee Theft, False Imprisonment, Impersonating a Government Official, Treason, attempted murder and failure to control or report a dangerous fire. Cry Count: 3 Mountains Trapped Under: 1

Current Tang Sanzang stats: Names/Titles: River Float, Xuanzang, Tang Sanzang, Tripitaka Abilities: Curing Blindness, making branches point a certain direction (allegedly), reciting sutras, and pretty privilege. Cry Count: 11 Tight Fillet Spell Uses: 5 Paralyzed by fear: 4 Bandit Problems: 2 Kidnapped by demons: 1 Falling Off Horses: 4

Current Bai Long Ma Stats: Names/Titles: Bai Long Ma (White Dragon Horse), Prince of the Western Ocean, and third prince jade dragon of the dragon king Aorun Abilities: Transforming into a human, a water snake, and a horse, eating a horse in one bite, and flight. Crime List: Arson, and Grave Disobedience. Contributions to the plot: 1

[amikartest]

It has been a long time since I have redone Katharina Siegil in Hellsing Style, but I have to say, she looks so much better now as I thought, She is even more beautiful in the Hellsing style. In the Hellsing Series, Katharina was a German Saxon and a daughter of the Weaver named Thomas Siegil and her mother Susanna, née Fronius. She is one of Vlad's "Alucard" mistress, back in 500 years ago, The Jewelry was a gift from Vlad, when he first meant Katharina, when she was pulling the sledge during the snowy time of December on Christmas Eve pulling all the weapons and food for Vlad and the military men, and Vlad came to her to help her. This is how they meant. Katharina was 17 and Vlad was 25. Vlad did have mistresses and married, but he only truly loved Katharina, givien her so much silk clothes and jewelry. Vlad warned all the men in Brasov to stay away from Katharina, or he'll impale them at onces, because of her beauty. The wives of the merchants heard what's been going on, they attack the house where Katharina lived, they beat her and cut off her two braids and took her to the pillory on the town hall square. Made a false claim that she was a witch, bewitching Vlad and fear that the Turks would attack Brasov and the Saxon village. Vlad got very angry when he heard that his beloved had been beaten and humiliated on the town hall square. He threatened to set Brasov on fire. However, in the end, through negotiations, he managed to secure her release. He then spared the Saxon merchants whom he had actually wanted to have executed in Bartolomeu. After the news about Vlad's death, She couldn't live without Vlad, so she ended her life with a sword to spears into her heart. 

I translated into english  original facts

Vlad the Impaler's mistress Katharina Siegel is she a legend or did she really live? Part 2: The relationship between Katharina Siegel and Vlad Tepeş This is the story that is told about the relation between Vlad and Katharina. Katharina is said to have been born on April 29, 1438. Her father, Thomas Siegel, was master of the weavers' guild in Kronstadt (Brasov) and lived on Seilergasse (Ulita Funarilor), now Schloss-Strasse (Palace Street) - and her mother, Susanna, née Fronius, came from an established family in the city. When Katharina was a child, her father's house burned down. Her parents then sent her to the Franciscan monastery from 1450 to 1455. (At the time, there was only one Franciscan monastery in Transylvania: The Bazilica Sfânta Maria (German: Basikila Unserer Lieben Frau) in Șumuleu Ciuc (German: Schomlenberg, built 1442 - 1448) This was very likely the monastery Katharina was sent to. After she returned from the monastery, her parents took her to the house where they lived after the fire, the Tartler building on Ulita Alba (today's N° 14 Poarta-Schei Street). Vlad is said to have fallen in love with Katharina at first sight when he saw her pulling the heavy sleigh behind her. According to another version, this is said to have happened when he saw her through a window. According to reports, Vlad wooed Katharina with expensive fabrics from Venice and jewels. Vlad is described as very jealous, When Vlad went looking for Katharina one evening, he was convinced that the young woman was not at home and was waiting for her until she emerged from a night out accompanied by her cousins. He is said to have asked her why she was walking down the street so late and chased her down the street. Vlad caught her and gave her a kiss, whereupon a priest intervened, who came out to see who was making the noise. In the darkness, the priest did not see Vlad's face and jumped to save Katharina from the hands of the man attacking her. It seems that Vlad then wounded the priest with his sword. On April 2, 1459, Vlad Ţepeş (who had been voivode of Wallachia again since 1456) in anger at the high taxes levied by the Saxons in Brasov and at the intrigues of the city leaders, destroyed all grain crops in Burzenland. (The Burzenland [Romanian: Țara Bârsei] is a historical area in southeastern Transylvania, with Brașov [Kronstadt] as the most important city.) He ordered the arrest of hundreds of traders and merchants who came to the fortress with goods, storing them in near the city's slums, in what is now the Bartolomeu district. He intended to have them impaled. The wives of the merchants in the city attacked the house where Katharina lived, beat her, shaved off her hair and took her to the pillory on the town hall square. She was pregnant with Vlad's second child. Vlad got very angry when he heard that his beloved had been beaten and humiliated on the town hall square. He threatened to set Brasov on fire. However, in the end, through negotiations, he managed to secure her release. He then spared the Saxon merchants whom he had actually wanted to have executed in Bartolomeu. According to another anecdote, he kept Katharina's braids, which he is said to have found, until his death. He is said to have even hit his first wife Anastasia when she found the pigtails hidden in a wardrobe, Although Vlad loved Katharina very much, he did not marry her. In 1460 and after the suicide of his wife Anastasia in 1462, he is said to have repeatedly asked Pope Pius II for an abolition of his marriage, allegedly in order to be able to marry Katharina. However, the Pope refused. Vlad and Katharina are said to have had five children together: Vladislav (1456), Catherine (1459), Christian (1461), Hanna (1463) and Sigismund (1468). After Vlad's violent death, which is said to have happened on December 14, 1476, Katharina is said to have returned to the monastery she had spent five years in her youth. Some sources claim she died in 1479.

We don't know what she died.

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Thank you all for your support ❤️

Hellsing © Kohta Hirano Artwork © Amikartest FanArt © Amikartest Do not steal or claim as your own

This is the original painting of Kathain Siegil

This is one is my old anime drawing of Katharina Siegil

This is one of Katharina's jewelry that Vlad has given to her.