If I Had The Twelve Talismans of Shendu

Background

900 years ago in the universe that the Jackie Chan's Adventures takes place in, China was ruled by a demon sorcerer named Shendu. Soon his subjects rose up against him led by the monk Lo Pei. He used a magical formula to strip Shendu of his zodiac animal based magical powers and stored them in talismans of each animal. Whomever uses a talisman gets it's powers.

Appearance

The twelve talismans are flat octagonal shaped pieces of stone no thicker than an inch that fit in the palms of most people's hands. Each talisman has a colored, stylized image of the zodiac animal they represent.

Powers

The ROOSTER talisman grants the power of telekinesis. Fin has used it to throw a tank and has flown backwards keeping pace with the Dark hands getaway truck probably traveling at least 55 mph if not faster. The power of the talisman can be boosted with the Rabbit Talisman permitting it's user to fly at a speed equal to what the Rabbit Talisman provides.

The OX talisman grants the power of super strength which comes along with the appropriate durability as it's user can go toe to toe with other mystical beings of super strength using only the talisman's powers. The actual upper limit of the strength was never shown but its user could break though a stone wall using only his or her finger and a yak who acted as a host for the talisman's power was able to dig it's way through a mountain top.

The SNAKE talisman grants it's user the power of invisibility.

The SHEEP talisman grants the power of astral projection (the ability of the soul leaving the body) which seems to include the ability to enter people's dreams and the ability to possess other people's bodies.

The RABBIT talisman grants the power of super speed and the appropriate adaptations that go with it. It's top speed isn't listed but Aesop a giant turtle has used it to run across water carrying Jade and Jackie Chan altogether about 900lbs of weight. A 200 lb man needs to run at at least 60 mph to run on water so he would have to run at at least 270 mph. The Rabbit Talisman can enhance the speed at which the rooster talisman permits it's user to fly.

The DRAGON talisman grants the power of combustion. This means that its user can cause it to project a blast of "explosive force" causing things it hits to either explode or burn. Either way it's a very powerful and devastating talisman easily destroying armored military vehicles and stone walls. Unlike the other talismans the dragon talisman will actually bond to it's user. On human beings it adheres to their hand making it easier for them to aim it.

The RAT talisman grants "motion to the motionless". This means it can animate inanimate objects even going so far as giving statues and toys the powers of the characters they represent. As an example: when Jade's Super Moose doll is animated it can fly and has super strength like the Super Moose character is suppose to have. As an another example a statue of Lo Pei had all the monk's powers and memories. The statue body of Shendu became his real body. It's unknown if it can actually animate the dead or restore mobility to paralyzed people. For that matter it's not known if it can be used to power vehicles.

The HORSE talisman grants the power of healing. This includes the user or others the user wishes to heal. Aside from repairing actual damage to a subject's body it removes anything "alien" from the subject's body such as illness or in the case of Jackie Chan, removing the effects of the serum turning him to stone. It also can be used to remove pain or discomfort such as removing the nausea Tohru experienced because of his seasickness. Aside from healing living subjects it can "heal" non-living objects restoring them to their undamaged state. I'm going to assume that this means that it can also remove computer viruses from computerized devices.

The DOG talisman grants immortality. This means that the user quits aging as long as they use it although their youthful appearance isn't restored their youthful vitality and prowess is. Also it makes them invulnerable but not immune to pain. As Fin has said, "Immortality hurts." Although there is a limit to the invulnerability. Jackie Chan blew a whole in Shendu's chest with the Dragon talisman although that failed to kill him it did leave him with a hole in his chest until the Horse talisman healed him.

The PIG talisman grants the power of "heat beam eyes". In other words "heat vision". Again it's upper most power is unknown but is said to be very intense and most likely able to melt steel. It also grants the user thermal vision the ability to see heat allowing it's user to see the user of the snake talisman when he or she is invisible.

The MONKEY talisman grants the power of shapeshifting. More specifically the ability to transform into different types of animals. This works on the user of the talisman or someone they target. The subject transformed retains their personality and intelligence. The talisman can be used on inanimate objects. Transformed at long range they just become statue version of the animal but when touched by the talisman they can be made into a living animal.

The TIGER talisman grants the power of balance. It is often mistaken that balance means that the user can't be knocked over but it actually means spiritual balance. By spiritual balance it means that the user's positive and negative chi are in balance which should mean that the user is immune to attacks or magic that attempt to "unbalance" his or her chi. The original talisman had been broken which caused those who used it to split into good and evil versions of themselves who could be reunited by reuniting the two halves of the talismans. It is said by Shendu that the Tiger talisman maintains the balance off all the other talismans powers preventing him from being destroyed by having absorbed them.

If I Had The Twelve Talismans of Shendu

I wouldn't tell anybody about the talismans. Once people know you have them they want to use them. Of course I might cultivate a small trusted circle of friends that I might distribute them to on a case by case basis but probably not. People I already trust would get to borrow them but even that would be rare. It would have to be people I would trust with that secret. I would want to keep that I have magical talismans secret. If someone discovers me using super powers I would want them to think that they are innate powers instead of external.

The ROOSTER talisman

I'd keep this talisman with me all the time. I love the idea of being able to move things around by will alone. Also I love that it would permit me to hover over water permitting me to explore places that can only be accessed by water or by air. Like I said before exploration is a big thing with me. I like to explore new places. This talisman would come in handy with the work I currently do cleaning out houses so I can paint them and get them ready to be rented. Some people are really disgusting and don't clean up after themselves. It would be nice to not have to touch the garbage they leave behind and it would be faster and I assume I could do a more thorough job as well moving things by thought instead of by hand.

The OX talisman

This talisman is used for special occasions. Whereas as I love the idea of having super strength, it's a nuisance outside of the work I usually do. For kicks I would put on ancient Greek armor and get the Dog talisman and the Horse talisman and pretend to be Hercules. Then I would jump into a war and cut lose. Since I don't speak Greek or Latin it may be difficult to pull off but that's only if I actually speak to people.

The SNAKE talisman

This is another talisman I would carry with me all the time. If I'm going to do anything super human and I can't immediately disguise it I would just turn invisible and then go about doing it. Like I said I wouldn't want people to knowing about me having the talismans. On special occasions like Halloween I would combine it with the Rooster talisman and pretend to be a ghost. When I think about it combining with the Rooster and Rabbit talisman I could pretend to teleport.

The SHEEP talisman

This one I would keep for relaxation purposes or when I have trouble sleeping. If I have insomnia I can force my body to relax by leaving it. Then I can go exploring once again, this time invisible and intangible. Of course I could kill two birds with one stone and like I said in the Magneto and Professor X entry that while I was relaxing I could use my astral form to do some reconnaissance looking for missing people. Maybe even "case a joint out" if I was planning to do some work somewhere or even find places that I was planning to explore during the day.

The RABBIT talisman

A third talisman that I would always carry with me. Not so much because I always want to travel at super speed but because mixed with the Rooster talisman I could travel considerable distances quickly and be ready to help as quickly as possible. A lot of the people I like live far away from me and I could visit them more often. Don't get me wrong though, the thrill of moving at super speed is something I relish. I would be more willing to use it in combat than the Ox talisman. While moving at super speed gives you a powerful punch, these days with the advances in weapons it's more about the person who can shoot first then who can hit the hardest. Also if you can disarm someone before they can fire or attack you can keep people from getting hurt.

The DRAGON talisman

This would be the least used talisman in my collection. I don't have much use for that much raw destruction in my life. So if I was going to use it you know it's serious business. The primary use of it would be demolition. The next big use of it would be for countering things like avalanches, tsunamis and mud slides. On occasions that demanded it I would use it to destroy debris from outer space like falling satellites, large meteors or whatever else comes into the planet from outer space.

The RAT talisman

The world isn't ready for me to have this talisman. Firstly there's a statue of Paul Bunion and Babe the blue ox in the yard of a guy I know. They used to be at the logging museum in the town I live in has. I'd probably animate one of them first. That would be hilarious. There are tons of giant statues in the world to animate and let run wild. Although I think statues of Jesus and Buddha wouldn't be likely to rampage as others might. A fake second coming originating in Rio de Janeirio would be interesting to see.

The HORSE talisman

This is the fourth talisman I would always have on hand. You never know when you'll come across someone who needs healing. But it's not just that. Since it can repair inanimate objects think about this. You come to the scene of an accident. The people are alive but badly broken and bruised. They're in their wrecked car. The door can't be opened and it's leaking gas. You use the Horse talisman on the car and it's back in it's regular condition and it has stopped leaking gas. Then you use the talisman on the people in the car. This way not only is every one okay but they can now go along their way and not tie up traffic any longer than necessary. Of course I could make money having a little repair shop. Imagine how much money you can make fixing jets for airlines or doing quick repairs in homes. Of course obviously there's the money to be made as a faith healer who is actually successful. Although given my character if someone is really in pain or in imminent danger of death I would heal them without even thinking about compensation. I would just do it.

The DOG talisman

I reserve this talisman for whenever I go into new situations where mistakes can have fatal consequences. I would always use it in conjunction with the Horse talisman. Most commonly it would be used if I'm intervening on someone's behalf in a violent situation like protecting a civilian population during a time of war or during a national disaster or should I decide to participate in armed conflict. I won't lie, vanity and fear would eventually cause me to use it more and more often just because I wouldn't want to get "old" but for the time being I might even be willing to loan it out to some people telling them it's a protection talisman that can keep them from mortal harm. This is one of those talismans where you literally have power over life and death and people will be anxious to have you share it with them. So you're better off not telling people about it.

The PIG talisman

I would use this talisman at night a lot because of it's thermal vision capacity. It would go out at night and be able to see things. It would take time for me to get used to it though. Thermal vision lets you see through things you normally can't see through because those objects block visible light. It's not the same thing with heat. Only insulators would make it difficult to see through things. I would always carry this one around with me during the winter. You never know when you'll need to build a fire. Also I would learn to cook with it. Not just out of being to lazy to use the oven but because it would be an excuse to develop fine control over it. If you can cook a meal without burning anything then you know you have great control over the heat beams. Plus I would use it like a wood burning kit making designs in leather and wood. Another way to make money. Can you tell I'm an adult, trying to find ways to cash in on every super ability I possess.

The MONKEY talisman

My favorite toy. I would use it not only to explore in the forms of different animals but I would use it to "sculpt" realistic animals that I would sell. You gotta make money somehow. I'd also use it to teach lessons to people who think it's fun to abuse animals. Spend time as a dog and then next time you think about beating one you'll at least have walked a mile in its paws and may not be so quick to be so abusive to animals. Of course then there's some good old fashion "divine justice". Spending sometime as an animal was a way for a lot of people who displeased the gods to spend their time. I'm thinking about Lykan (wolf) and Arachne (spider) as examples. Although I'm not of the judge, jury and executioner type I'm not above putting people in "prison's without walls".

The TIGER talisman

Having spiritual balance is a serious bonus. A balanced spirit rarely if ever gets sick. They tend to be highly resistant to chi manipulating spells and attacks from creatures like chi vampires. However the biggest bonus is the state of mental health that someone with balanced chi has. I would use the talisman to help bring balance to people in emotional distress or who have mental illnesses. It could probably be used to break the influence of mind control on a subject or possibly to even undo the effects of post dramatic stress disorder. This is also one of the talismans I'd always have on hand.

Talisman Combinations

I've listed most of the combinations of talisman's I would use while describing the talismans the most commonly being the combination of the Rooster, Rabbit, Snake, Horse and Tiger. I'm not a healer per-say but flying around as an invisible guardian angel being able to fix things and help people is something I like.

Now if I wanted to play "avenging angel" I'd use all of the talismans. Then I'd transform myself into whichever animal would most strike fear into the hearts of those I'm avenging against and do what needs doing. Imagine poachers being run down by a super rhino or super elephant or bear. Imagine a spider taking down bank robber or being "The Dog That One The War". Now there are other crimes that I won't be so graphic as to explain how they would be avenged but you can imagine it I'm sure.

I think if the Monkey talisman allowed you to become extinct animals imagine becoming an avenging allosaurus. As close to a dragon I guess you could get. I may go by the identity of "Terrorsaurus Rex" that would be awesome. Hmm that has me thinking of the possibilities. Imagine a flying seismosaurus (130-170 feet long weighing about 30 tons) shooting "fire" from it's mouth.

If I had the money for it I might get an angel motif suit of armor made that would hide my face and go out as an avenging angel that way.

I might go around playing at being either a were-wolf or were-bear using the Monkey, Dog, Horse and Ox talismans.

I would disguise myself as a wizard using the Snake, Rooster, Horse and Monkey talismans.

I would build shelters and do landscaping using the Ox, Horse, Monkey and Pig talismans. I'd use, the Ox for moving materials and basic building. I'd use the horse to repair broken materials. The pig for any welding that needed doing and the monkey to decorate as necessary.

I'd use the dog, rabbit and pig talismans to create a potential super hero identity. Maybe I'd call myself the "Rocket."

I might create a huge statue that I can ride in and use the rat talisman to animate it. I'd carry the horse talisman with me to fix it if it gets damaged.

Mostly though like I said earlier I use the Rooster, Rabbit, Snake, Horse and Tiger with me and be an invisible guardian angel.

Thanks for reading.