Hsien-Ko And Mei-Ling Backstory

Hsien-Ko and Mei-Ling Backstory

On 1730 AD, February 17th, fraternal twin sisters were born to Shào Míngxiá (邵明霞) in the village of Xiān Mén Cūn (仙门村). Before the sisters were born, their father was killed in an incident where he and several individuals were guiding and protecting a caravan of merchants to their village. He and several were killed by monsters of the night known as Darkstalkers. His name was Shào Xiāngzǐ (邵湘子). Happy with the birth of her daughters, Mingxia named them 邵美玲 (Shào Měilíng) and 邵仙姑 (Shào Xiāngū). Hsien-Ko and Mei-Ling grew up among the Shao family, whom have for centuries have had a long tradition and association with the mystical ways of 仙術 (Xiānshù). As they grew up, Mingxia saw via their Qi that they had great potential in them which was of great relief as she was wanting to not only assure their safety, but also keep to the Shao family traditions and name. Since they were able children, Mingxia trained them to become 仙树师 (Xiān shù shī), practitioners of Xianshu. Mingxia herself was a Shifu of Xianshushi and had great aspirations and hopes for her daughters. However, she was never overbearing, allowing them to still be young girls and blossom in their own ways. Even with the freedoms allotted to them by their mother, both sisters sought to make their mother proud. Mei-Ling would show great promise with her natural ways in the mystical aspects of Xianshu while Hsien-Ko was fond of the martial arts and hand to hand combat involved with Xianshu. Balancing their studies, training, and leisure time, the sisters showed relatively swift progress in their abilities in the way of the school of Xianshu and many of the shifu believed they were ready to move on to the next big step in their training: they would be recognized officially as Shifus of Xianshu. However, days before the ceremony, on 1748, July 3rd, Xianmencun was besieged by a hoard of the undead. All the xianshushi were dispatched to fight off the hoard and protect the innocent villagers. At the time, Hsien-Ko and Mei-Ling were enjoying some leisure time elsewhere, away from many. As the hoard came in, they did what they could to protect the people. Despite all their years of training, the hoard was proving too much as the sheer numbers were just vast. Before they were consumed by the hoard, they were saved by several xianshushi and shifus, with their mother among the group. Happy to see their mother, they greeted her gleefully and with relief. However, this joy was not to last as with final words of praise and a motherly hug, Mingxia had her daughters restrained by the other shifu as she then made the ultimate sacrifice. Using the Art of Unusual Transformation, she transformed her form into that of a golden dragon of power. She tore through the hoard like a blade to flesh, burning their dark rotten corpses into ashes. While at first confused and wondering what their mother meant by her words and actions, the sisters were in awe of the incredible power their mother displayed. Unfortunately, that awe turned to sheer horror as they witnessed their mother's body burn away right before their eyes. The only thing that fell to the ground were her bagua mirror and bead necklace donning the family name. Both twins were inconsolable and feel into a deep depression, refusing to eat nor talk with anyone. They only knew that their mother's use of the art not only killed her but banished her soul to be lost to the darkness for all eternity. Not able to cope with this, they went against their mother's final wish. After a heated debate between both Hsien-Ko and Mei-Ling, they agreed to use the Art of Unusual Transformation. On the night of the July 7th, four days after the death of their mother, they shed their humanity to become warriors of the night: they became jiangshi. After a scuffle with some xianshushi and talking with one of the shifu closest to their mother, they were banished from Xianmencun for their own safety. Having had time to gather supplies and a coffin, they set out in the dead of the night, on their journey to save their mother.

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Hsien-Ko Shao and Mei-Ling Shao

A personal playlist of songs I feel work with Hsien-Ko Shao and Mei-Ling Shao of my Darkstalkers AU, Cryas Darkstalkers. Twin sisters born i

Wanted to share this playlist I have been working on and off on for some time. I recently found a bunch of really cool and interesting songs to use for this playlist. Basically, the idea of this playlist is to find songs to basically tell the story of characters vaguely from beginning to end. For this one, it is of Hsien-Ko and Mei-Ling from my Cryas Darkstalkers mythos and without a doubt it is the longest with +50 songs used. Makes sense since they are the main protagonists of Cryas Darkstalkers. I am proud of this and look forward to giving this a long listen. Maybe you'd like to give it a look and give it a listen!🎶😎🎶

I do have ones for other characters and will share in time. I hope you enjoy! 😁💙💛

These are official ref sheets I have made for Hsien-Ko Shao and Mei-Ling Shao of Cryas Darkstalkers. Very proud to detail not only their full designs, but aspects of their layers of clothing, tidbits about their bodies, and even how they looked when they were young humans! I did quite a lot of research into their looks and designs since they were born in 1730 AD in the Guanzhong region of what is in the modern Shaanxi province in China. That period of time was during the reign of the Qing Dynasty. Hsien-Ko and Mei-Ling are a mix of Han and Manchu.

Dark Embrace Powers and Abilities

In this entry, I'd like to go over the powers, abilities, and aspects of the Dark Embrace for Hsien-Ko and Mei-Ling as they are quite a big part of Cryas Darkstalkers lore. To start out with, official ref sheets of their designs to help visualize some things that will be discussed:

To start things off, 'Dark Embrace' (Xié è De Yōngbào) is a technique known as a 'Burst'. Burst is the term used by beings in the Cryas Chronicles reality in regard to the ability of using stored potential energy in the individual to invoke a power-up in the individual. This power-up can simply be a boost to aspects of the individual's capabilities or manifest in a transformation in the user. For Hsien-Ko and Mei-Ling, the Dark Embrace manifests as a transformation invoked by their Qi, mutated Corriyami, and the 'shadow selves' that were created in them thanks to the mutated Corriyami within. The appearances they take on invoke the looks of beings that would later come to be known as Corrians.

Once both sisters have enough potential energy to initiate the Burst, one sister can trigger the transformation and cause both to transform. Later on, through training they find a way to where only one sister can transform and the other can hold on to their stored energy to tag in later better utilize their stored energy in a strategic manner.

When Hsien-Ko uses the Dark Embrace, her physical strength is bolstered to further heights, allowing her to overpower quite a number of physically powerful individuals in close quarters combat. Not only that, her stamina and endurance are increased to allow her to tank her way through hits with greater ease, allowing her to get into the thick of battle and power on through with great fervor. Another benefit is her healing factor is hastened, allowing her to recover from horrible wounds quicker to allow her to get back into the battle. While it is unknown if Hsien-Ko can regrow body parts while in the Dark Embrace should they be severed, it is theorized that should the limb still be in one piece, she could attach it back and her body could re-attach to the limb. However, neither sister is in a position nor desires to test this theory.

(credit: @o-corvo-art)

An interesting quirk of the Burst is how Hsien-Ko's sleeves can move and function. While Hsien-Ko has always been able to move her sleeves with manipulating her Qi, in the Dark Embrace they move in ways as if they have a mind of their own. The sisters theorize it is Hsien-Ko's 'shadow self' that takes control of the sleeves during the Burst, allowing Hsien-Ko to more focus on what her body is doing. Because the shadow self is a part of her psyche, it synchronizes better with her movements and makes her quite a dangerous foe to face. Speaking of shadows, if Mei-Ling attaches to Hsien-Ko while in the Dark Embrace, she can call forth the Qi and Corriyami in Hsien-Ko's body in the form of an energy mass that is referred to as a 'shadow'. This mass of energy is able to be manipulated to take on the form of fully functioning limbs, weapons of varying kinds only limited by the imagination, or they can attach to the inner lining of Hsien-Ko's sleeves and drape out to give her 'wings' of sorts. These wings allow for Hsien-Ko to fully be able to fly.

(Credit: @itsununnusart) Initially, this shadow mass was only able to be called forth by Mei-Ling, but overtime as Hsien-Ko improved her capabilities with the Dark Embrace she eventually found a way to do it herself. This effectively gives her six functioning limbs to work with, making her incredibly dangerous if she is fresh and ready for battle. Another noteworthy aspect of the Dark Embrace, and the mutated Corriyami in general, for Hsien-Ko is how the influence and voice of her inner jiangshi, Xienian, are effectively nullified. However, cautions are still taken to assure she doesn't taste blood in case that still triggers this inner darkness to come forth.

(credit: @masterartlocked)

Mei-Ling, like Hsien-Ko gets a notable increase to her physical capabilities and stamina, able to match up more to her younger sister's base form. However, that pales in comparison to the other profound changes to her. The immediately noticeable feature of Mei-Ling's Dark Embrace is the shadow mass on her. When she initiates the Burst, her arms melt away as the Qi and Corriyami in her body sprout from where her arms used to be. During this Burst, her shadow becomes her arms. These shadow limbs make Mei-Ling an incredible dangerous foe to face down. These limbs are quite powerful as they are able to pulverize bodies, shatter rocks, and even pierce metal. Not only is it strong, but it is very resilient. While it can be cut off, the shadow will grow back fairly quickly from the stub left on Mei-Ling’s body, without causing pain to the jiangshi spirit. Due to their amorphous nature, they can change shape per Mei-Ling's will. Beyond simply taking on the shape of normal arms and hands, they can change size and length per her will. Should she need to, she can change the shadow to take on the form of varying weapons, of which are many thanks to her knowledge as an enthusiastic weapon master. However, one of the most prominently used forms of her shadow is that of a dragon. This 'shadow dragon' is basically a corrupted mirror image of the memory of seeing her mother's dragon form the day she sacrificed herself. It is a cathartic way for not only her mother to still be aiding her in a way, but for this corrupted image to pulverize her foes with great ferocity.

(credit: @o-corvo-art)

Beyond the shadow, another notable trait of Mei-Ling in the Dark Embrace is the astronomical increase in her magical powers. Not only are her Xianshu arts increased in their potency but so are the many magi artes she learned from her friends and allies in the other reality. So great are her magical capabilities in the Dark Embrace, she is capable of even using the powerful Jrukoshn Aarts with relative ease.

(Credit: Bunny_Bones BunnyBones ✨COMMISSIONS CLOSED✨ (@Bunny_Bones_) / Twitter)

A shared aspects with Hsien-Ko and Mei-Ling in the Dark Embrace is the fact that due to the nature of how they obtained this Burst, both sisters are immune to the Corruption inflicted by Corriyami.

Powerful as the Dark Embrace is, it is not without limitations. Like all Bursts, it requires a certain amount of stored potential energy in the user in order to even make use of the Burst, of which the amount varies between each individual, each Burst, and their skill with the Burst. Once the Burst is active, the user only can only keep the Burst active for as long as there is enough stored energy to fuel the Burst. With practice, the energy consumption can be made more efficient to keep the Burst going longer, but eventually the reserves will run dry. Normally once the pool of energy is gone, the Burst will force the user to deactivate the Burst. However, individuals can force the Burst to break past this limitation and keep it going once the potential energy is gone. However, this is incredibly dangerous as the Burst is then relying on the user's own life forces as a means to fuel the Burst. Should the user recklessly keep this up, it can kill the individual. Hsien-Ko and Mei-Ling nearly had this happen to them in the Void Labyrinth, the Burst only shutting off once they fell unconscious after a great ordeal. Should this happen, individuals can be left in a comatose like state as their bodies try to recover and stabilize their energy.

Fundamentals of Magic and Magi Artes

In the Cryas Chronicles reality, magic is a phenomenon that is known by many civilizations throughout the different realms. While many had their own ideas of what this phenomenon was, magic in due time was studied and understood what it was at its core by some. Magic is understood as the ability for an individual to manipulate different forms of energy and forces in the universe to perform different effects. Over many, many millennia, several forms of magic described as 'Elementals' were discovered and documented. The Elementals are as such: Fire, Ice, Terra, Wind, Lightning, Water, Dark, Light, Energy, and Aura. Each elemental has a connection to a different form of energy or force:

Fire and Ice both deal with the ability to manipulate heat energy, but in different ways. Fire is the ability to concentrate heat into a targeted area while Ice is the ability to rapidly remove heat from a specified area. Interestingly, the use of Ice magic does cause areas around the field of effect to feel increased temperatures as the energy cannot be destroyed and must be placed elsewhere. Many tend to throw the heat into the air.

Terra is the manipulation of the force of gravity. Historically, many have made use of it to manipulate the ground and rocks to cause many effects as they manipulate their position in order to attack. Fundamentally though, Terra magic is not reliant on dirt or rocks to be around in order to be used. So long as one's ability to concentrate gravity is excellent, then they can still make things work.

Wind is the manipulation of the atmosphere to move air in a desired way. So long as the caster is in an area where air is present, Wind magic can be used.

Lightning is the manipulation of electrical energy.

Water is the manipulation of water particles in the environment. The power and effects of such artes is dependent on the environment, both in terms of water being in the soil or atmosphere.

Dark is the use of energy to manipulate soundwaves. Historically, Dark had been associated with the perceived notion of evil, negative emotions, or dark energies. But eventually, it was discovered that Dark Magi Artes had an affinity for soundwaves. While many things can produce sounds, the way sound is manipulated via Dark Artes has been noted to be particularly dreadful.

Light is the manipulation of electromagnetic radiation. In the past, Light Artes were associated with perceived notions of good energy, positive emotions, or even the stars. However, with scientist discovering the existence of electromagnetic radiation, a fundamental understanding of Light Magi Artes came to be for the masses.

Energy is the manipulation of energy in its most pure, raw state. Devoid of the typical understanding of the elementals, Energy Artes tend to be rather destructive and difficult to perform as the ability to manipulate such force requires a keen mind and deep understanding of energy manipulation.

Aura is the manipulation of a special form of energy that is both corporeal and ethereal in nature. In a sense, it is a form of energy that is connected to an ethereal essence that many call 'life force'. While all complex life forms have auras to a degree, it is strongest in animals and intelligent lifeforms.

Making use of Magi Artes requires one to train themselves to understand the basic fundamentals of energy manipulation. In some cases, some people will have an affiliation for one elemental in particular, but some might be more gifted to be able to understand multiple. Even with that in mind, study and training is required. While each elemental has other applications outside of combat, the many Magi Artes that exist have been documented and tiered in a way to give an understanding of not only their power, but difficulty in use. The tiers of Magi Artes as follow:

Tier 1 = Neophyte

Tier 2 = Intermediate

Tier 3 = Master

Tier 4 = Arcane

Tier 5 = Mystic

Tier 6 = Ultima

Not only does each tier indicate power, but also gives an idea of the stamina required by the caster in order to make use of such artes. As the caster practices more, they can better improve their use of stamina in order to cast Magi Artes more efficiently. While taking time to focus on casting artes can be risky in battle, some casters found a way around this with the use of Spell Charges. Inducing a Magi Arte into an object, casters can instantly make use of Magi Artes in battle with not time wasted on incantations. However, they are limited and based on the power of the Arte, can take time to properly induce into an object.

Mandarin names in Cryas Darkstalkers

In the backstory for Hsien-Ko and Mei-Ling, I brought up several names that were of Mandarin Chinese origin. I want to take the time to not only explain those, but some other small details relating to Hsien-Ko and Mei-Ling. The backstory blog for reference:

Let us start with the names of Hsien-Ko and Mei-Ling's parents. First off, yes, they have names in this mythos, unlike in the main timeline. Mingxia, 明霞 (Míngxiá), translates to roughly 'bright halo'. 明 (míng) translates to 'bright, shining, clear' while 霞 (xiá) translates to basically 'halo'. Why this name was chosen was because I like the idea of how the translation of her name basically could be the way her form looked when she transformed into that dragon. A bright body of light in a way. Plus, some positive ways of how the sisters saw her in their lives. Despite being their only parental figure growing up, she was literally their world. Xiangzi was chosen to play off how Hsien-Ko got her name. Hsien-Ko getting her name from the Xian, 何仙姑 (Hé Xiāngū), Xiangzi gets his name from the Xian, 韓湘子 (Hán Xiāngzǐ). So why this Xian specifically? Well according to a bit of digging, there exists a love story between the Xian Xiangzi and a dragon girl known as Longnu. Considering dragon's play a big symbolic importance to the Shao family later on, specifically in the case of Mingxia transforming into a dragon via the Art of Unusual Transformation, I thought it was a cool nod to the legend.

Now for the name of their village: 仙门村 (Xiān Mén Cūn) So, the first part, Xiān Mén, translates to 'Immortal Gate'. The reason behind this relates to the next translation I got. In the main timeline, their martial arts were known as Senjutsu. However, that had more Japanese origins in naming, so I wanted something more in relation to their cultural background. The name for their martial arts in Cryas Darkstalkers is the following: 仙術 (Xiānshù) Xiānshù translates to 'Immortal Arts'. The idea of the village is that it is the birthplace of Xiānshù, first developed by the Shao family line many generations ago. It is said the skills and sorcery of these arts were passed down by the Xiān to the people in order for them to have a means to fight off the Darkstalkers. Overtime, people would believe the land the village sits on is the gateway to the Xian. Or so the stories say. 仙树师 (Xiān shù shī) is the name bestowed upon practitioners of Xianshu. Cūn is basically 'village'. So, their birthplace is basically 'Immortal Gate Village'. Now, these were not mentioned in the backstory, but I wanted to go over these since we are talking about Mandarin. Hsien-Ko's special attacks. In the original game, they clearly were name with the convention of Japanese, which will not fly in CDS. With help from a buddy, I got them translated into Mandarin! They are as followed:

Henkyouki (返響器) is now 返響器 (Fǎn Xiǎng Qì) Reverberate Senpuubu (旋風舞) is now 旋風舞 (Xuànfēng Wǔ) Whirlwind Dance Houtengeki (放天撃) is now 放天撃 (Fàng Tiān Jī) Sky Punch Ankihou (暗器砲) is now 暗器砲 (Ànqì Pào) Concealed Weapon Cannon Chireitou (地霊刀) is now 地靈刀 (Dì Líng Dāo) Earth Spirit Blade Tenraiha (天雷破) is now 天雷破 (Tiān Léi Pò) Thunderbolt Chuukadan (中華弾) is now 中國彈 (Zhōngguó Dàn) Chinese Artillery Those these are likely not necessary, it brought me a lot of joy to do some research and really show some care and love to Hsien-Ko and Mei-Ling's Chinese origins. :)