Moo_bot

Tianrui Ren brushes his name in practiced strokes of Li Wen calligraphy.

Tianrui Ren smiles, having always eagerly awaited to celebrate the Lunar New Century. Even more so now among family and friends! "Many preparations will need to be made in the Teahouse, xi!" He hums to himself.

[!] Posters have been put up around Talon's Port and Tai Ping district. AS OUR NUMBERS GROW AND THE WALLS ARE CONSTRUCTED, WE NEED YOU TO STEP UP FOR YOUR PEOPLE! TO COMBAT THE BANDIT THREAT, TO DEFEND HEARTH AND HOME THE ANCESTORS WILL SMILE ON OUR VICTORY! SPEAK WITH TIANRUI REN, JOIN THE TAI PING PEOPLE'S MILITIA TODAY!

Tianrui Ren looks solemnly on the flyer, setting aside time in the teahouse to prepare offerings for the dead, and comfort for the rest.

Tianrui Ren 任天瑞 pens his name in common beside an elegant Li-wen signature.

Ren smiles and makes arrangements to attend the grand opening. "A welcome excursion to be sure!"

Tianrui Ren hums a soft tune to himself as he prepares the tea shop for their first event, already working on food prep in advance. It had been awhile since he'd last seen a play, and even longer since a true opera. This would indeed be a night to enjoy!

Ren Tianrui finds the invite towards the end of the night, neatly stacked piles of letters having consumed the day in their writing. On perusing an invite to his person from Helena of all places, he cannot help an amused chuckle, and perhaps to humor indulging his curiosity.

Absolutely love this culture write-up! A much needed revamp. Hopefully the community sees plenty of activity!

Very enjoyable reads! Take my upvote, good sir.

Ren Watanabe Name: Rennas Tianrui Watanabe Full Titles: Patriarch of House Watanabe, Captain of the Rosiere Regiment Guard Nickname/Alias: Ren KEY INFORMATION Age: Somewhere in his mid-70s Gender: Male Race: Elven mix of Distorian descent Social Status: Nobility Relationship Status: Married Sexuality: Delphina Height: ~6’2” Weight: ~80kg Homeland: Digou Current Home: Rosenyr, Talon’s Grotto PHYSIOLOGY Build: Both tall and broad, the man somehow maintains a relatively slim build despite being well-muscled. Hair: Thick, wavy black locks worn long and tied back in a red ribbon into a bun. Two longer locks of stray hair occasionally frame either side of his face. Eyes: Amethyst in tone, almond-shaped eyes with longer lashes. Skin: Sallow tone skin, relatively tanned in his time outdoors. Appearance: While passively almost looking perpetually angry, he is most often seen smiling to varying degrees among family and friends. Even upon speaking, most usually his demeanor greatly brightens. There is also a patch of beard he wears well-trimmed on his chin. It is best to keep in mind he is descended from Distorian (Han Chinese) and islander (Filipino) heritage. Clothing: Almost always clad in House colors, his wardrobe is a myriad of reds and golds. Most usually seen casually in a set of robes and sandals. Weaponry: While a decently sized and well-kept arsenal is at his disposal, he prefers to carry two blades. One a katana with a hilt and length enough to be wielded in two hands. The other a basket-hilted broadsword forged by Jorvin Starbreaker. Prized Possessions: His wedding band. Hygiene: Taking good care of himself in all regards, Ren washes on returning home and spends leisure time in the baths talking and spending time with his wife. Voice: Moderate in tone, warm and smooth when generally speaking. QUALITIES AND FLAWS Strengths: Charismatic and generally level-headed, Ren is an apt leader and willing to accept his shortcomings to make the most of any situation where necessary. His willingness not only to accept his shortcomings but to learn to overcome them combined with sheer tenacity have served him well. Weaknesses: Where his tenacity can sometimes be his saving grace, it also translates to stubbornness at times. Particularly when it comes to helping others even at the detriment of himself. Fears: Ren has faced many terrors in his time and triumphed and done his best to let go of fear- however there is still the constant creeping doubt that his next failure may cost him dearly. Intelligence: Both through first hand experience and books found in his travels, Ren is a considerably intelligent man. He is both literate and able to speak multiple languages, experienced in foreign cultures, knowledgeable in battle tactics, and generally well-read. His primary drawback is his struggle with numbers at times, generally able to perform most basic functions but experiencing difficulties at times. Languages: -Common- (LOTC English - Advanced) -Elven- (Intermediate) -Li hua- (LOTC Mandarin - Advanced) -Rosnian- (LOTC French - Intermediate) -Akritian- (LOTC Greek- Beginner) -Savinian- (LOTC Catalan - Beginner) Profession: Much of Ren’s time is spent taking care of and spending time with his family, with his guard duties thankfully being quiet most of the time. His life also brings him to write at times, and teach others the way of Shidoism is they so wish. Other Traits: When standing or sitting still for a while, his leg will sometimes begin to bounce lightly. HEALTH Illnesses: PTSD, anxiety, high-functioning depression Allergies: Not an allergy as such, Ren suffers from a minor sensitivity to crap cooking. Injuries: Many scars lance over Ren’s skin where the weak points in armor were cut through, or the armor itself bit into his skin. Sleeping Habits: Regular, but able to wake and sleep easily to take care of his kids in the night. Energy Levels: Generally high, he takes good care of himself to accomplish what he needs in the day and is quite young by Elven standards. Eating Habits: 3 meals a day, with intermittent snacking as he needs. He eats when he’s hungry. Exercise Habits: Rigorous. His regular training routine actively spans the entire week, cycling focus between different areas. Memory: Generally quite good, though some concussions and traumatic events have blurred his memories of some events. Unhealthy Habits: Regularly in good personal practice with his habits, at times melancholy can drive him to lose his appetite. Drinking Habits: Only really drinking with food these days, Ren mostly enjoys a light pleasant buzz if anything when drinking. ETHICS AND MOTIVATIONS Personality: ENFP- the campaigner Religion or Cults: Shidoism Alignment: Chaotic good POSSESSIONS Wardrobe: [Casual Wear] A red robe with gold trim and orange embroidered flowers over a black tunic and pants along with wood sandals. The symbol of the rising sun stitched delicately in gold thread on the back of the robe. [House Wear] Sleeveless white tunic and pants with a loose black robe. [Semi Formal Wear] Officer-style House uniform of leather gambeson with red and gold tabard and drape. The shining symbol of the rising sun is embroidered proudly on the chest, gold wings extending over the back. [Armor] Dark red bands of bent steel plates over treated leather embellished in gold in Eastern forging fashion are matched by a masked helmet of a demon crying gold streams. The symbol of the rising sun is painted in gold on the chest, gold wings emblazoning the back. Jewelry: Ren wears a simple silver wedding band on his left hand. Pets/Animals: [Atlas] A large hunting dog appearing to be some mix of wolf and husky that rises to about 3’-4’ at his head when standing. He is generally calm in temperament, just following Ren or other household members when not napping by a door or under a chair. [Tubbers] A large and surprisingly plump messenger pigeon that while incredibly clumsy at times exhibits a grace not expected of such a rotund creature. Despite her squishy condition, she seems to be happy and in good health. Owned Homes: -Rosenyr Watanabe House- -Talon’s Grotto Watanabe House- Carried Inventory: -D’haran standard issue adventuring backpack- -Combat medic kit- -Carrington katana- -Basket-hilted broadsword- -Snack items and a canteen of tea- COMBAT Peaceful or violent: Only fighting where necessary, he uses violence as a last resort whenever possible. Weaponry: -Carrington katana gifted to him by his wife -Basket-hilted broadsword forged by Jorvin Starbreaker Combat Training: -Swordplay and dagger training from Cenric Balder -Polearm training from Cenric Balder -Hand-to-hand training from his father -Crossbow and archery training from Legion drills -Siege weapon training from Legion drills TRAINING & SKILLS Languages -Common: Adept from practice, one would not be able to tell it is his second language. -Elven: While knowledgeable enough at conversation level, some more archaic parts of the language do escape him. -Li hua: As his first language, he is completely fluent in the primary native dialect of Digou. -Rosnian: Having picked up a decent bit from exposure, he has basic conversational skills in it. -Akritian: Only knowing a few words and phrases, he can really only understand based on context clues. -Savinian: Having picked up a decent bit from exposure, he has basic conversational skills in it. Combat skills -Hand-to-hand: Quite adept at melee combat in this form, Ren tends to adopt a more defensive stance. Though through keeping a tight guarded profile, his strikes come forward hard and fast- often quickly deciding the outcome of a fight. -Shortswords: While favored with shields, Ren has had plenty of practice with single-handed blades from a variety of regions. -Longswords: Mostly favoring longswords for their reach and capability to not only counter polearms but also cavalry, Ren is adept at making every inch of the blade work for him. -Polearms: Mostly used to using polearms in shield walls or other formation fighting, he tends to favor non-bladed weapons of this type as an “off-duty weapon” of sorts to carry casually. -Ranged: An able shot with a crossbow, Ren does prefer close ranged combat for the control it allows him. -Formations: With a wide variety of formations at his disposal for any size fighting group, his tactics have thus far ensured low mission casualty rate among his numbers. Cooking -General: An adept chef in his own right, Ren has quite the repertoire of recipes at his disposal- both having been raised helping in the kitchen at home as well as taking an interest in foreign cuisine in his travels. -Baking: A staple of his day-to-day life, Ren can easily tackle most baked goods. While flake pastry and souffles may still elude his skills- he is still more than capable of baking a multitude of cookies, cakes, and other goods. -Butchering: While an able butcher, efficient in making the most of an animal- he prefers most of the process be done in advance for him when possible. General -Origami: As a childhood pastime, there are many simple folds which he idly practices. Some more complicated he will dedicate a quiet moment alone to, often leaving them somewhere in the house where his wife might find them. -Calligraphy: Taking pride in carefully placed brush and pen strokes, Ren’s handwriting is an art in itself. Capable of New shiwen calligraphy and Common script, he takes the opportunity to practice both in his signature. -Art/sketching: While able to express scenes or studies in black ink brush, he takes a similar pride in his linework with a pen as he does with his script. -Meditation: Having heavily practiced since his youth, Ren finds meditation in many parts of his day. Even if not in what one may think of as the traditional sense- he finds his ways to practice mindfulness. Minecraft IGN: Moo_bot

Ren reads over the scroll with a smile, taking a copy home with him. The Hou festival will be a welcome taste of home in these distant lands.

Ren looks over the invitation, making a note of the date. It would be good for his twins to experience both sides of their culture, and a pleasant family outing as a whole.

“Artfully written, the most tasteful of distasteful literature I’ve ever seen written. I applaud you.” Ren chuckles, reading over his old friend’s writings. Truly, a well-crafted continuation of a historic piece worthy of being the bard’s masterwork.

Hello! As the Watanabe bloodline grows we are looking to invite new players into our community to join the unique roleplay experience we offer. As it stands, there are currently 3 child slot characters available; the 12 year old twins Paraskevi and Leo, and 7 year old Ryuji. We will also soon be looking for players for triplets- one girl (Mei) and two boys (Kai and Rei). Our community is largely based on Distorian culture as it is there that the main bloodline of the House comes from- however we have come to include a number of other cultural demographics in our time. The majority of the family practices Shidoism, taking care of themselves and each other the best they can. For trait lists and applications, click here (for Paraskevi, Leo, and Ryu only). For further questions and information, contact me via the forums or on Discord Coffee.exe [BOT]#5456. To apply in the replies, please fill out the following form in the comments and we’ll contact you via discord. Child you wish to apply for: Minecraft IGN: Your Discord: Why you’re interested in joining the family:

Ren reads through the note, casting a troubled downwards glance at the kind Kha’s passing. ”You will be mourned, friend. For all the sorrow there is at your passing, we can at least appreciate what time we did have with you... I will remember our chats fondly.” He sighs lightly, setting light to another candle before taking a moment alone to meditate.

Thanks! And makes sense since Bushido code was heavily based around Zen Buddhism as well as Shinto and Confucian texts.

Shidoism As interpreted by Tianrui Ren The philosophy of Shidoism rests in the idea of doing one’s best to be morally good and achieve true inner peace through mindfulness. To be good to one another and free of suffering. The Five Remembrances I am of the nature to grow old. There is no way to escape growing old. I am of the nature to have ill health. There is no way to escape ill health. I am of the nature to die. There is no way to escape death. All that is dear to me and everyone I love are the nature to change. There is no way to escape being separated from them. My actions are my only true belongings. I cannot escape the consequences of my actions. My actions are the ground upon which I stand. Author’s note: If one looks at the remembrances only as ominous warnings, they will only serve to create more suffering. We must separate ourselves from fear, and be mindful of the nature of our actions. Practice and Ritual Meditation is an integral part of Shidoist practice as a method of mindfulness and centering oneself. Though, contrary to what many may think- meditation is not limited to sitting meditation. There is meditation in walking, in doing chores, in listening to the rain. So long as you are present and focusing only on the present, that is meditation. The ringing of the bell is a way we can center ourselves, breathing in, and out. It brings us to the present. We can feel the air fill our lungs, bringing in life and good energy. And when we exhale, we expel the negativity and tired energy. Mindfulness is also important when we eat, knowing that we are consuming life to sustain ourselves. We thank the lives that are given so that we may continue, and eat mindfully. One day we will return to the earth to give our energy in turn. We must be slow to force, and only use violence as an absolute last resort. In culminating a world without suffering, we must strive to seek to understand one another the best we can. OOC Resources Shaseki-Shu (“Collection of Stone and Sand”) ZEN FLESH, ZEN BONES Plum Village App Plum Village: Zen Guided Meditation App For further questions or additions to the document, message Coffee.exe [BOT]#5456 on Discord or Moo_bot on the forums. This is intended to be a lore-friendly addition to Li-Ren and general Eastern culture on LOTC.

She froze me and offered to stack my inventory full of wooden swords, far too out of line

May better health find you soon, AlmondTree!

Been rping with this culture for a little over a year now- not sure if OP is still active, but I’d love to contribute with what I have in mind.

Hello all! Looking to open up some traditional art commissions to the LOTC community starting at €5 for basic headshot sketches, and €10 for waist-up. The illustrations will typically be finished and a scan e-mailed to you within 24 hours unless otherwise specified. After contacting me, I’ll do up a rough sketch to see if it meets your approval before finishing. Do be aware though that I won’t begin to work on the illustration until I’ve received and confirmed payment through PayPal. If you’re interested, shoot me a message on discord @Coffee.exe [BOT]#5456 or my Twitter with your e-mail, any references, descriptions, and other requests. See a few examples of my previous work here- https://imgur.com/user/pinoybean/posts

Sun beams as he receives invitation, happy for his friend to finally be getting married.

Sun nods in affirmation after reading as he quietly declared to himself, “Justice will yet come for what has transpired.”

Sun Watanabe escaped the crumbling city with his few belongings stowed in a travel bag, clutching two infants to his chest as he ran past Legionnaires swinging recklessly at anything Adrian. He looked back on the carnage and flames, disgusted. ”This isn’t justice...” he’d mutter before hurrying down the road.