Fanclub **Guardians of Light: The EUC Jedi ~ ~ Close Your Eyes... Feel It... the Light. ~ ~**

Adalia-Durron
When you confiscate them, she'll just build more. Me and Varian are on call if anyone sees her with a flamethrower or water gun.
Double congrats Iteote!

 

Psh. You guys can keep the flamethrower. I have pyrokinesis!!!

 

*pulls out a battered coy of the GoL Jedi Master's handbook and starts flipping through pages to the section on Force Points*

A Master may give, and the Master may taketh away.

 

Watch out, ye young'uns...

 

I thought I already mailed that thing to the depths Mon Cala!!!
I don't suppose it matters anymore though.

 

*returns from scienceing*
*leaves again immediately to buy fire-retardant robes*

 

Welcome back Loth-cat

 

Thank you, Master! Anedon

I have spent some time researching the seven forms of lightsaber combat, and have constructed the following summaries. They are more brief than my initial report on Shii-Cho (because there were 7 of them instead of just 1 ), but I am happy to elaborate/include more details if necessary.

Form I: Shii-Cho
Shii-Cho is the first form, and is learned by all who are trained in lightsaber combat. It is based off of sword-fighting principles, and is rudimentary and raw in execution. It was not created with a lightsaber-wielding opponent in mind, and is most useful in dispatching multiple enemies. Shii-Cho focuses on disarming opponents through relentless, steady advance with sweeping motions.
Form II: Makashi
Makashi is a duelling form, developed with one-on-one combat between two opponents wielding lightsabers in mind. I would describe it as precise and clean. As it still has a bit of a focus on defensive strategy and disarming opponents, I see it as an updated version of Shii-Cho, required with the spread of lightsabers through Dark Jedi, Sith, and Jedi ranks alike.
Form III: Soresu
Soresu is a purely defensive combat form, focused on small, precise movements and using the lightsaber as a shield. It was developed in the early days of the Order, when Jedi were predominantly taking on the role of peacekeepers, and when blasters were becoming more common. Soresu is calm and calculated, using inner peace and trust in the Force to deflect blaster bolts.
Form IV: Ataru
Directly in response to the more passive and defensive form of Soresu, Ataru was developed as a more active tool for the peacekeeping Jedi. It is an aggressive and stylized form of combat, resulting in quick, continuous movement. It requires many years and much practice to learn and master.
Form V: Shien and Djem So
I see Shien and Djem So as a combination of Makashi and Soresu, with an end goal to dominate an opponent (as opposed to disarming them) by using their own attacks against them. The point of Shien is to reflect the energy and attacks of an opponent back at them (specifically again with blaster bolts), as opposed to the focus on deflection in its base form of Soresu. Djem So takes after Makashi as a duelling form, but is less precise, and seeks again to reflect attacks back at an opponent. Shien is more reliant on speed than strength, while Djem So requires employment of "brute" strength and hearkens back to some of the relentless advance principles of Shii-Cho.
Form VI: Niman
After the development of all the previous forms, Niman emerged as a way to combine the strengths of each form while seeking to reduce weaknesses, allowing each lightsaber wielder to choose their movements on a situation-by-situation basis from a variety of techniques and focuses. Obviously Niman requires advanced practice and skill, as it includes aspects from the five previous forms. In his document on the seven forms of lightsaber combat, Craig Page muses that Niman may have emerged after the slightly dangerous pairing of Shien and Djem So, requiring a Jedi to return an attack in kind and to seek to dominate their opponent. Page suggests that the more balanced, moderate form of Niman was developed in response to Form V, as well as to take advantage of the strengths of the various forms.
Form VII: Juyo and Vapaad
This one I struggle to understand, though from what I've read, the specifics of the form itself are clouded and much less is known about it than the others. I would characterize it as raw, complex, and unpredictable. It is a comparatively newer form, and excludes any defensive aspects. It is relentless and highly kinetic, requiring a large investment of time and both mental and physical discipline to master. Juyo and Vapaad require the full emotional power of "the heat of the moment" in combat to fuel their movements. As a result, many Jedi are wary of it, and it is much more common amongst the Sith.

As for myself, I think I am most interested in learning and practicing the Shien focus of Form V. Though I feel Soresu might be most appropriate for a Consular, I think it is in keeping with my character to be frustrated with a form that has little-no offensive. Shien seems to me to be very similar to Soresu, though with less passivity and pure defense. Though I imagine her use of a lightsaber would be rare apart from practice and sparring, and use of the offensive aspects of Shien would be more rare still, I think it makes most sense for Junko to be drawn to the redirective aspects of Form V combined with its ability to "create" openings in a combat situation. She would use combat as a last resort anyway, and I think if it's a dire enough situation for her to be using her lightsaber, she would probably want a form that incorporates offensive strategy as well as defensive, allowing for a quick and clean dispatch of an enemy.

 

I won’t burn anything. I promise.

 

What that a hesitated I promise or a normal I promise?

 

Normal...

 

I'm watching you...

 

Ok, ok.

*picks up Spitfire*

I can’t guarantee she won’t do anything...

 

Hmmm....

OK!

*Walks off whistling to update Dark Fleet's resource thread*

 

Nice work Loth-cat
I like how you touched upon every fighting style before coming to your conclusion to choose Shien for yourself.
Its probably not the traditional style of a councilor but I like the fact that you've decided to go your own way.

5 points Bardan_Jusik

 

As a consular myself Shien is actually one of two forms I practice.
From my perspective, while it is certainly more aggressive than form III (Which was the form I studied as a Padawan), it is still more befitting a consular's role than the more combative Form I, IV or VII.
Largely because it relies on Defense as a base, while also building up so you can turn that defense into a proper offense if necessary.

Long story short, I approve of your choice Loth-cat
For what little my praise is worth.

 

Thank you, Anedon! And thank you too, ConservativeJedi321! It's good to know I'm in good company. And I agree - I really liked the idea of defense being a main component, but I wanted something a little more versatile than Soresu, useful and effective as it is.

Also... I did a little digital paint of Junko in the archives with a runt loth-cat that mysteriously appears in her quarters on a regular basis (and looks suspiciously like my cat IRL). I'm trying to figure out how to insert the image, though... do you always have to have an image linked to include it in a post? (Like there's no way to just upload an image directly from your computer?)

 

Even Consulars need to go on the offensive now and again.

 

It doesn't happen often, but it does happen. Loth-cat

 

Well, I suppose if we are including the RPG in this discussion, it happens far more often than one would expect.

 

AH HA HA HA I HAVE TRIUMPHED! (It took a long time to post this friggin image)

Junko in the archives with her "pet" loth-cat.

 

Cool Loth-cat! What was her species again?

 

Oooh Loth-cat! That looks really good!