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Description
the "Finish Avatar" project week Fifteen. Leave me a suggestion for a picture

Featured in: "Seige on the North: Part Two"

...

"The monkey is reaching
For the moon in the water.
Until death overtakes him
He'll never give up.
If he'd let go the branch and
Disappear in the deep pool,
The whole world would shine
With dazzling pureness."

From "The Monkey Is Reaching" by Hakuin (1686-1768). It relates to an even more ancient parable from the Asian continent, with so many different variations that it's exact origin cannot be traced.

Zhao's tale is a tragic one. For many long years he pursued the "shinier" things in life like "Honor" and "Power"... never noticing how it was dragging him to his death.

It's spooky how similar his plight is to the doomed monkey's. Chasing the Moon in the pond, Blind to the delicate balance of the powers that be, drowned in the object of his desire. Even his brutish attitude, his curious exploration of the Library, his inability to control his own strength... are all famous attributes of the monkey in Chinese lore. Don't believe me? Read the first seven chapters of the ancient Chinese tale "Journey to the West" about the "Monkey King" who thought himself "Equal to Heaven" which sounds eerily similar to "Moonslayer" in concept.

By following his pride, he is blindly walking directly into his demise... drowning in a pool of arrogance....

But, even the Monkey King is given a chance to redeem himself (seen through the rest of the tale "Journey to the West"). And, while we see Zhao carried away in the palm of the Ocean Spirit... we never truly watch him die.

took advantage of this loop-hole to make easily the best fan-made Avatar comic (a whopping 447 pages in total) Here's page one:

I urge you to read it. Partly because it flows so perfectly with Zhao's connection to The Monkey King... but mostly because it's absolutely brilliant and you all should read it

I don't know if Mike and Bryan intened Zhao's story to mirror that ancient Asian parable, and I don't know if *rufftoon meant for her story to follow the "redemption" idea of "Journey to the West" so fluidly... but it seems so perfect that they do. Almost as if "fate" had a hand in it

Hopefully all of this made sense, and it's not just me rambling on about monkeys, and ancient literature...

...

Suggested by:

-Avatar belongs to Mike, Bryan and Nick.
-"The Monkey is Reaching" belongs to Hakuin (1686-1768)
-"Journey to the West" belongs to Wu Chen'en and Chinese Folk Lore
-"Water Tribe Comic" belongs to *rufftoon
-Art belongs to me.

See More of my Avatar Fanart here: [link]

Thanks for looking
-Matt

PS. Did you see Ryuki, The Hidden Ninja Strawberry? (If not look here: [link] )

Description
the "Finish Avatar" project week Fifteen. Leave me a suggestion for a picture

Featured in: "Seige on the North: Part Two"

...

"The monkey is reaching
For the moon in the water.
Until death overtakes him
He'll never give up.
If he'd let go the branch and
Disappear in the deep pool,
The whole world would shine
With dazzling pureness."

From "The Monkey Is Reaching" by Hakuin (1686-1768). It relates to an even more ancient parable from the Asian continent, with so many different variations that it's exact origin cannot be traced.

Zhao's tale is a tragic one. For many long years he pursued the "shinier" things in life like "Honor" and "Power"... never noticing how it was dragging him to his death.

It's spooky how similar his plight is to the doomed monkey's. Chasing the Moon in the pond, Blind to the delicate balance of the powers that be, drowned in the object of his desire. Even his brutish attitude, his curious exploration of the Library, his inability to control his own strength... are all famous attributes of the monkey in Chinese lore. Don't believe me? Read the first seven chapters of the ancient Chinese tale "Journey to the West" about the "Monkey King" who thought himself "Equal to Heaven" which sounds eerily similar to "Moonslayer" in concept.

By following his pride, he is blindly walking directly into his demise... drowning in a pool of arrogance....

But, even the Monkey King is given a chance to redeem himself (seen through the rest of the tale "Journey to the West"). And, while we see Zhao carried away in the palm of the Ocean Spirit... we never truly watch him die.

took advantage of this loop-hole to make easily the best fan-made Avatar comic (a whopping 447 pages in total) Here's page one:

I urge you to read it. Partly because it flows so perfectly with Zhao's connection to The Monkey King... but mostly because it's absolutely brilliant and you all should read it

I don't know if Mike and Bryan intened Zhao's story to mirror that ancient Asian parable, and I don't know if *rufftoon meant for her story to follow the "redemption" idea of "Journey to the West" so fluidly... but it seems so perfect that they do. Almost as if "fate" had a hand in it

Hopefully all of this made sense, and it's not just me rambling on about monkeys, and ancient literature...

...

Suggested by:

-Avatar belongs to Mike, Bryan and Nick.
-"The Monkey is Reaching" belongs to Hakuin (1686-1768)
-"Journey to the West" belongs to Wu Chen'en and Chinese Folk Lore
-"Water Tribe Comic" belongs to *rufftoon
-Art belongs to me.

See More of my Avatar Fanart here: [link]

Thanks for looking
-Matt

PS. Did you see Ryuki, The Hidden Ninja Strawberry? (If not look here: [link] )