Post by Kakita Kanehitsu on Jan 2, 2014 23:56:23 GMT
You may have noticed that the stat build for your character is pretty simple. how do we define a person by only five numbers? That’s a brilliant question! Let’s take a moment to talk about what it means to have rings through the lense of character types. In Musashi’s Book of Five Rings (Go Rin no Sho) the first book is Earth, or Ground. The Ground is vast and solid.
Earth - Earth is the element of Resilience. The mountain is immovable and so shall I be. The element of earth will outlast anything and can withstand all hardship and difficulty.
A person of an earthly disposition can be broad shouldered and tough, or perhaps more compact and stocky. they can have great willpower and determination. In one way or another they should be resolute and have the ability to move ahead despite adversity. Perhaps they have well defined opinions that they are not willing to change, or they are grounded in good principles that they will never forsake. Earth people are not necessarily slow. In Asian tales, the person in control of a situation is one who moves less. This is the principle of Earth. It is not that they cannot move, it is that they do not need to.
A person contrary to the earth would be more flighty and less prone to sticking to it. They might be weak willed, or just more easily amenable to new ideas. A person who counters Earth is not necessarily flabby or slight, but they do not have the same hardiness that an Earthly person would.
Air - Air is the element of Insight. In opposition to Earth, Air is much more likely to yield to a strong force. But this does not make it weak. The soft force can often be applied with much greater effect than a strong one. Air moves and will find new and different solutions to problems. Air is definitely quick to action and is also considerate of all possibilities. In the go Rin no Sho, the Book of Air (or Wind) is concerned with seeing the techniques of many different schools of swordsmanship.
An air oriented person may be open very empathetic and open to other’s feelings. They are quick and always open to action. Perhaps they are never right where they are supposed to be or they are always in the exact right place. Air affiliation does not imply a person is not strong. The wrath of Air is the wrath of the storm. It can be unrelenting and instantaneous. Despite its lack of substance, Wind can bring about great change in a small moment.
Those who are not accustomed to the presence of Air are less likely to move. They may be outright slow or they might be dedicated to one thing. A person counter to Air may still be fast, but they cannot match the sheer reflexive power of one who is.
Fire - Fire is the element of Passion. In the Tao de Jing, Fire is the most Yang oriented of elements. It represents new creation more than outright destruction. It is certainly the most active of all elements. Musashi tells us that the spirit of fire is fierce, whether large or small. Fire can also be considered an element of conflict.
A Fire person has drive. They can be dedicated to one thing or passionate about whatever new fad there is. They are always doing something. Fire governs Agility, which does not necessarily imply speed but a sense of intricacy and capability to do different things. A Fire person is also one of great learning or capacity to learn. They may well be quite erudite, or simply filled with quiet wisdom, like the low embers of a fire.
A person countered to fire has much different gifts. They do not care as deeply about their true passion, although perhaps they just have more than one concern at the time. Though such a person may not have the fine motor control they may still be effective in physical tasks through ether strength or speed of simple movements. Finally, those who deny fire are not inherently stupid but they do not take to book learning in complex theorems as quickly.
Water- Water is the Element of Change. The fluid nature may be Hard or Soft as forces go. Water may run slow but strong or quickly and with little force. Water can be as changeable as it likes and can adapt to all manner of new situations. If you know one thing, know ten-thousand things.
A water person is first and foremost ready to change to for new situations. Just as water changes to fill its container, so can the water person. As well, they may have great physical capability. Not so much that they are tough and unmoving, but rather that they are capable being an unstoppable force. Water people can also see details others might miss. their senses fill in the little nooks and crannies and penetrate everywhere.
Those who deny water cannot hope to be as malleable as those who embrace it. They are either staunch or just not open to new things. This does not make them intractable but they may well be uncompromising.
The Void - The Void is the element of emptiness and fullness. It is an element of paradox. All things are encompassed herein. The Void is that which has no end and no beginning according to the Go Rin no Sho. Those who master the Void master the universe.
Void persons are in tune with nature. They just sort of click with everything around them. This may give them a great sense of understanding but may also make them seem distracted and mentally elsewhere. They have a sense of depth unattainable by others. The Void may also account for an undefinable little “something” that catches people’s attention.
If a person does not enjoy the focus of Void he is grounded much more in the here and now. He does not need the spiritual connections between all things or maybe he is incapable of achieving that spiritual sense. His world is mundane and easily analyzable but it may not contain the sheer wonder that the Heaven’s can bestow.
Earth - Earth is the element of Resilience. The mountain is immovable and so shall I be. The element of earth will outlast anything and can withstand all hardship and difficulty.
A person of an earthly disposition can be broad shouldered and tough, or perhaps more compact and stocky. they can have great willpower and determination. In one way or another they should be resolute and have the ability to move ahead despite adversity. Perhaps they have well defined opinions that they are not willing to change, or they are grounded in good principles that they will never forsake. Earth people are not necessarily slow. In Asian tales, the person in control of a situation is one who moves less. This is the principle of Earth. It is not that they cannot move, it is that they do not need to.
A person contrary to the earth would be more flighty and less prone to sticking to it. They might be weak willed, or just more easily amenable to new ideas. A person who counters Earth is not necessarily flabby or slight, but they do not have the same hardiness that an Earthly person would.
Air - Air is the element of Insight. In opposition to Earth, Air is much more likely to yield to a strong force. But this does not make it weak. The soft force can often be applied with much greater effect than a strong one. Air moves and will find new and different solutions to problems. Air is definitely quick to action and is also considerate of all possibilities. In the go Rin no Sho, the Book of Air (or Wind) is concerned with seeing the techniques of many different schools of swordsmanship.
An air oriented person may be open very empathetic and open to other’s feelings. They are quick and always open to action. Perhaps they are never right where they are supposed to be or they are always in the exact right place. Air affiliation does not imply a person is not strong. The wrath of Air is the wrath of the storm. It can be unrelenting and instantaneous. Despite its lack of substance, Wind can bring about great change in a small moment.
Those who are not accustomed to the presence of Air are less likely to move. They may be outright slow or they might be dedicated to one thing. A person counter to Air may still be fast, but they cannot match the sheer reflexive power of one who is.
Fire - Fire is the element of Passion. In the Tao de Jing, Fire is the most Yang oriented of elements. It represents new creation more than outright destruction. It is certainly the most active of all elements. Musashi tells us that the spirit of fire is fierce, whether large or small. Fire can also be considered an element of conflict.
A Fire person has drive. They can be dedicated to one thing or passionate about whatever new fad there is. They are always doing something. Fire governs Agility, which does not necessarily imply speed but a sense of intricacy and capability to do different things. A Fire person is also one of great learning or capacity to learn. They may well be quite erudite, or simply filled with quiet wisdom, like the low embers of a fire.
A person countered to fire has much different gifts. They do not care as deeply about their true passion, although perhaps they just have more than one concern at the time. Though such a person may not have the fine motor control they may still be effective in physical tasks through ether strength or speed of simple movements. Finally, those who deny fire are not inherently stupid but they do not take to book learning in complex theorems as quickly.
Water- Water is the Element of Change. The fluid nature may be Hard or Soft as forces go. Water may run slow but strong or quickly and with little force. Water can be as changeable as it likes and can adapt to all manner of new situations. If you know one thing, know ten-thousand things.
A water person is first and foremost ready to change to for new situations. Just as water changes to fill its container, so can the water person. As well, they may have great physical capability. Not so much that they are tough and unmoving, but rather that they are capable being an unstoppable force. Water people can also see details others might miss. their senses fill in the little nooks and crannies and penetrate everywhere.
Those who deny water cannot hope to be as malleable as those who embrace it. They are either staunch or just not open to new things. This does not make them intractable but they may well be uncompromising.
The Void - The Void is the element of emptiness and fullness. It is an element of paradox. All things are encompassed herein. The Void is that which has no end and no beginning according to the Go Rin no Sho. Those who master the Void master the universe.
Void persons are in tune with nature. They just sort of click with everything around them. This may give them a great sense of understanding but may also make them seem distracted and mentally elsewhere. They have a sense of depth unattainable by others. The Void may also account for an undefinable little “something” that catches people’s attention.
If a person does not enjoy the focus of Void he is grounded much more in the here and now. He does not need the spiritual connections between all things or maybe he is incapable of achieving that spiritual sense. His world is mundane and easily analyzable but it may not contain the sheer wonder that the Heaven’s can bestow.