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Tips for Fanfic and Player Associations

Taigei - June 20, 2005

Be sure to read About Teräs Käsi and Teräs Käsi Citings on this website. We still don't have a detailed genesis story, but Perry gives us some great info on his vision of teräs käsi to serve as a guide for our fanfic stories and player associations:

• "Viewed strictly as a fighting system, the art is aggressive rather than passive -- the best defense is a good offense. When in doubt, go in and hit."
• Teräs käsi mental and spiritual development would tend to be a bit more aggressive than the Jedi arts.
• "Meyer Baba's non-violence of the strong: Peaceful, as long as you leave me alone, but when threatened, one's response matches or exceeds the threat."
• A teräs käsi school or monastery would probably be "... a lot like any other school or secluded order. To reach the highest levels, you would need total dedication, as in any classical fighting art. Somewhere between zen and the Shaolin, maybe."
• Perry's vision of teräs käsi movement: Pentjak Silat Serak: http://www.pencaksilat.com. Also, read MedStar I: Battle Surgeons (Michael Reaves and Steve Perry. 2004. Del Rey.): The teräs käsi master Phow Ji is the primary foil for the main character, Jedi Padawan Barriss Offee. Ji is given three detailed fight scenes, one with Offee.
• Practical advice on teräs käsi uniforms and rank insignia: "... not necessary in a small group. In a large group rank pins or patches would be more useful, and probably any of the classical ones would work -- colors, stripes, etc. To work out, you'd want something durable and comfortable. To practice for the street, you'd wear old street clothes, so you could learn to move in what you'd be wearing when you needed."
• Possible inspiration for teräs käsi uniforms and rank insignia: Batik sarongs and sashes as appear in the Silat school group photo with Perry, Barnes and Plinck. In MedStar I: Battle Surgeons, there is a teräs käsi contest wherein the contestants are wearing, "The men were bare to the waist, and wore thinskin briefs and wrestling slippers." Have no idea how that translates to SWG Tailorese.
• On teräs käsi affiliation: None. Teräs käsi is a fighting art. Zan and Zu Pike (SotE) are teräs käsi masters and mercenaries: "Could work for good guys as well as bad." Phow Ji (MSI) is master of many fighting arts, though renowned for winning the Palawa Band in the Bunduki teräs käsi tournament, is also mercenary-like. "But the art is effective, and so anybody looking for that would tend to gravitate to it. It allows a weaker person to defeat a stronger one, so that would be attractive to women."
• On teräs käsi relationship to the Force: "Since the Force permeates everything, naturally a teraskasi adept would be tuned to it, if not as much as a Jedi." I'd add to that other sources saying teräs käsi practitioners are sensitive to changes in the Force.
• On teräs käsi drawing power from within: "Many classical martial artists are spiritual, and some deal directly with spiritual energies -- kendo, aikido, kyudo, tai chi. Ki or chi, or in silat, tenaga dalam, are all inner energies."
• On relationship between teräs käsi practitioners and Jedi: "Friendly and sometimes not-so-friendly rivalry. You always want to test your art to see if it works, and against somebody who is adept. No thrill in beating somebody who can't fight."
• On Palawa and the Followers: Perry says he has no objections to the origin of teräs käsi being attributed to Palawan refugees establishing themselves on Bunduki and perfecting teräs käsi to keep watch on the Jedi: He could use a lot of it, but it should be noted, short of an author writing on the origins of teräs käsi, there will be speculation on Palawa and the Followers. What can be inferred is that it was only the survivors of Palawa who committed themselves to being Jedi watchers - and teräs käsi fans generally agree the Followers were keeping an eye out for Force abusers.
• Perry didn't conceive of the Followers of Palawa, and hasn't had to consider them for the purposes of the stories he's written. Instead he sees teräs käsi as a fighting art which can prove a real challenge for Jedi - at least Padawan who are restraining themselves from using the Force.

Steve Perry's scifi martial arts Matador series consistently receives outstanding reviews from readers. Recommended to teräs käsi fans as the ultimate source for Perry's view on martial arts in a scifi setting.
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				Original Matador trilogy is an adult-themed scifi martial arts series with blatant sex, violence and strong language. Excellent series, touted by most as the best scifi martial arts books ever. Of interest to teräs käsi for being Perry's most complete view of martial arts in a scifi setting. 1. Man Who Never Missed 2. Matadora 3. Machiavelli Interface

More novels were added to and around the successful Matador trilogy. Adult-themed and held in equally high regard by readers as the original trilogy. 4. Omega Cage 5. 97th Step 6. Albino Knife

The Musashi Flex New Matador novel due Out Jan 06 from Ace. Genesis of the 97 steps of sumito. Click image to view cover and read back cover copy.

Latest in the highly acclaimed Matador series. Adult-themed. Look for Steve Perry's new Matador novel, due out Jan 2006 from Ace, which will be the genesis story of the 97-steps of sumito, martial art of the Matadors. 7. Brother Death 8. Black Steel 9. [Due 01/06]

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