Name: Sonyu Tainkong
Species: Monkey
Age: 22
Sparra type: Cloud
Embodiment: Optimism
Title: The Skyclad Princess
Favorite Meal: Ginger sprinkled Liangpi with fried tofu, steamed vegetable buns, and oolong tea. Enjoys peach topped grass jelly and tangyuan as a dessert.

“Why should I show up to a fight all serious? Sometimes a smile is all someone needs to know their safe!”- Sonyu

Personality: Although much of her childhood was spent under the constant threat and control of the Fengbao bandits, Sonyu has managed to retain a high spirited and cheerful disposition. So long as her people were safe and her village wasn’t in true danger, Sonyu remained hopeful that the situation would eventually change. Though she gained the power to invoke the change she eagerly wanted, much of Sonyu’s demeanor did not change as a result of her new strength; instead various facets of her personality were brought to the forefront, allowing her to express herself to the fullest.

Sonyu is easily characterized by her bubbly and exuberant attitude which is usually accompanied by a cheeky grin. Sonyu displays an outgoing and positive demeanor that is only surpassed by her near boundless energy and excitable disposition, much of which is presented by her go-getter attitude. Sonyu takes most situations in stride and rarely gets genuinely angry or upset, choosing to smile and move on rather than sulk in defeat. In tandem with her lively spirit, Sonyu is very playful, having fun any way possible and being sure to express it as much as she can. This is very evident during battles as she is prone to making dramatic entrances, striking various poses, and delivering high pitched battle cries at varied moments. In addition to being playful, Sonyu can be mischievous as well, often times mocking, teasing, and taunting her opponents with various cheeky remarks and vocal impersonations. These remarks range from her casually questioning if an opponent is serious, playfully commenting on their skill (or lack thereof), and inquiring about whether or not they have even started fighting. Out of battle, Sonyu’s mischievousness takes on different forms such as her tendency to steal food from unwary teammates, which usually results in her incurring the wrath of her allies. Sonyu’s mischievous and eccentricities often clash with some of the more serious Apostles such as Fiorah, Tatsumaki, and Gemini on rare occasions; as such some cannot tolerate her company for extended periods of time and can get easily annoyed with her. Despite this, Sonyu has been able to befriend others who find her antics endearing such as her long-time friend Nuova, the (at times) equally silly Snow, and the just as expressive Libra.


Many of Sonyu’s playful characteristics exude an aura of childishness, which causes both enemies and allies to not take her seriously. This immaturity is especially present in many of her quirks such as her tendency to collect discarded money and store it in a pouch she keeps on her at all times, that she affectionally refers to as “Baozang” (literally meaning treasure). Another childish tendency is how Sonyu chooses to deal with authority. While Sonyu has no issues taking commands or orders, and while not necessarily defiant, she does not take too kindly to being scolded or lectured. Those who scold the young monkey will be treated to a childish display as Sonyu will swiftly turn her back to them while crossing her arms and closing her eyes, a clear indication that she is blatantly ignoring the person. At this point any attempt to get through to Sonyu will fail as she won't acknowledge the person unless they apologize, calm down, or give up. The only way to break this behavior is if the person mentions something that would peak Sonyu's interest, and even then, it has a 50-50 chance of working. The only people exempt from Sonyu's pouting behavior are those she holds a high amount of respect for such as her parents, the Tainkong elder, Nuova, and to a lesser extent Orion. Despite these traits, Sonyu does have a notion of self-restraint as she can stop herself from doing these things and can even tone down the more mischievous and playful aspects of her personality during serious moments or times in which it wouldn’t be considered appropriate, showing a small amount of maturity. In spite of her immaturity at times, Sonyu is deceptively smart and very observant, being able to understand various concepts and pick up on various ques and gestures with little issue. One way in which Sonyu demonstrates her intellect is by casually pointing out various flaws or openings in fighting styles as if they should have been blatantly obvious or common knowledge. This will usually illicit one of two reactions from most people: disbelief that Sonyu was able to pick up on such details, or annoyance that she failed to bring the information up when it would have been the most optimal. However, despite her intelligence, Sonyu has stated that she prefers not to think about things for too long as it cuts down on the time it takes to actually do something; showing she is more impulsive with her actions.

Sonyu is extremely expressive in her mannerisms often to the point that its easy to tell what she is feeling or thinking at a glance. Even on the rare occasion that Sonyu isn’t saying anything outright, her facial expressions and body language convey her thoughts perfectly, even if what she says might be contradictory at times. This makes her one of the easiest Apostles to read and communicate with. While Sonyu openly displays her emotions, the one feeling that she is able to successfully hide is fear. Sonyu very rarely showcases any signs of fear or anxiety during battle or dangerous circumstances, however she has admitted to experiencing it on various occasions in which she is unsure about the outcome of an enemy encounter or emergency. Sonyu has stated the reason she tries her best not to show that she is afraid is because she doesn’t want others around her to worry, wanting them to feel safe so long as she is there and capable of doing something to better the situation. This is a possible byproduct of her taking up the mantle as the successor of her clan’s near forgotten fighting style and unlocking the power to liberate her people. However, Sonyu does have a couple of phobias in which her fear can be readily seen, that being her mild claustrophobia and thalassophobia. Extremely cramp spaces and deep bodies of water cause Sonyu a great deal of anxiety, so much so that she may emotionally break down if she is exposed to these conditions for too long. The reason for this is due to these situations causing Sonyu to feel completely powerless and unable to do anything. Though she was able to overcome her claustrophobia with the help of her friends, her thalassophobia still persists.

A majority of Sonyu’s personality stems from her confidence in herself and her optimism, much of which bleeds into other aspects of her life. Due to the extensive training she has undergone and the liberation of her village, Sonyu is extremely sure of herself and her abilities; so much in fact that it has caused her to develop the carefree attitude she currently has. As such she rarely views anything as a legitimate threat and thus doesn’t take many dangerous situations seriously. This quality often times baffles and annoys both friends and foes alike as Sonyu will go about powerful enemies and dire circumstances with the same joking demeanor she usually carries, with most questioning her mentality because of it. The only time Sonyu gets (in the broadest interpretation possible) serious is if she knows how powerful her foe is, and even then, she still carries on with her cheerful demeanor, albeit with a more determined mindset. At her core, Sonyu is an optimist and prefers to find the silver lining in any situation, no matter how grave it may seem. She chooses to stay positive and bring others from their own doubts so that they too can see that not every situation is all bad. The main reason for Sonyu’s optimism is due to her having faith that any situation can be handled or corrected, similar to how her village was saved. This optimistic attitude does not just pertain to Sonyu as it also extends to her allies as well. Unlike her friend Nuova who can sometimes question an allies’ abilities due to a perceived lack of passion, Sonyu has faith in all of her teammates regardless of their experience or inherit talent; commonly cheering them along because she believes they can accomplish any task no matter the circumstances, a perfect example of her sanguine mindset. No matter the situation or pressing the matter, Sonyu will always be there to show others the sun just beyond the clouds.

*Abilities: Sonyu’s cheerful demeanor belies her true power as she possesses remarkable skill and expertise in the art of combat. Sonyu demonstrates an uncanny mastery of her abilities, so much in fact that the Tainkong village elder considered her a worthy successor to her clans’ near forgotten martial art as well as its various secrets. Due to her strength, Sonyu has rightfully earned a reputation not just amongst her village but several towns as well. Sonyu’s power has allowed her to perform various feats such as being able to single handedly drive out the bandits that terrorized her village and successfully eliminate a substantial portion of their strength, defeat an 8th rank Umbra class shadow with little effort, and duel her best friend and former Wyveria Sanctuary Guardian, Nuova to a standstill.

*Sparra Control/Type: Sonyu wields the Cloud sparra type, an advanced sparra type that consists of an equal mixture of wind, lightning, and water based sparra. This sparra type allows Sonyu to create and manipulate various cloud formations, while also being able to utilize the lightning and rain produced by them in order to attack, defend, or evade. In addition to being able to control the clouds she creates, Sonyu can manipulate already existing clouds and storms in order to conserve sparra, giving her the option to control various weather conditions so long as they make use of any of the elements in her sparra. While the wind and water look no different than usual, the lightning Sonyu can manipulate takes on a golden hue as opposed to a natural white color. Sonyu has enough control over her sparra to use each element individually and combine portions to create new techniques and give her a diverse array of options.

*Hand-to-hand combat: As the successor to her clans’ trademark martial art, it should come as no surprise that Sonyu has a distinct mastery of close combat. Though Sonyu lacks the raw strength that many other Apostles have, she makes up for it with agility, nimbleness, and impressive reflexes. Her skill in hand-to-hand combat makes Sonyu one of the more skilled combatants when it comes to fighting both armed and unarmed. Sonyu incorporates a lot of her own personal flair and style into her fighting so much that her fighting style seems almost unorthodox, but no less effective. Her effectivity in close quarters is undeniable, so much so that even Nuova has stated how much of a threat Sonyu is given that she’s not fighting seriously.

*Intelligence: Sonyu has surprising intelligence when it comes to battle, being able to discern various tells and information the more the fight goes on. Though she rarely goes into a battle with a concrete strategy, she can easily devise a strategy and adjust it according to how the fight progresses. One such example was during a sparring match with Soliana, in which Sonyu quickly realized that some of the former’s power was linked to the sun. Upon realizing this, Sonyu was able to weaken Soliana by not just blocking the sun with her clouds but causing a massive rainstorm so that the fox’s abilities were nearly shut down. It is also worth noting that Sonyu also managed to figure out the weakness to Soliana’s blast rune technique after seeing it only once. In addition to noticing things quickly, Sonyu manages to make use of her opponents preconceived notion of her in order to finish a fight before her foe has a chance to realize their mistake. Sonyu is well aware that her foes might not take her seriously and chooses to use this to her advantage, making use of her playfulness and her opponent’s underestimation in order to deliver attacks without her foe knowing. A good example of this is when she playfully kept poking an enemy, claiming it as a game of “tag”, when in actuality she was hitting specific pressure points on her opponent’s body; which they did not realize until their muscles began seizing up and they eventually couldn’t move.

*Weapon Skills: Sonyu’s skill with weaponry is very similar to how she fights hand-to-hand, in that while her style can be somewhat unorthodox it is still effective. Sonyu, similar to Soliana, uses her weapons beyond their intended function, ensuring that her opponent will have difficulty tracking her actions. Though Sonyu is proficient in using weapons that keep her close to the opponent, she has been able to use tools that can allow her to attack from distance, allowing her to attack from various ranges.

*Weapon Contracts: Though her range of weapons is small, Sonyu proves that the weapons she is capable using are just as dangerous (if not more) in her hands than a trained assassin’s. As she has been trained thoroughly, Sonyu can be overwhelming if she has a weapon in her hands.

*Harvest Rain: A red staff with golden ends that has the ability to alter its size, length and weight upon Sonyu’s command, giving her a wide range of options to attack with. In addition to changing its physical structure, the staff can also act as a lightning rod by using Sonyu’s sparra as a beacon, being able to attract both her own lightning and natural lightning.

*Approaching Storm: A pair of black nunchakus with yellow engravings and golden ends that can channel certain parts of Sonyu’s sparra in order to gain new effects. By using wind it can create small bursts capable of pushing enemies back or knocking them off balance, with water the nunchakus can create small clouds of mist to impair a foes sight, and with lightning the weapons can channel a strong current through themselves being able to act as stun batons.

*Notable abilities/Signature Techniques: A skilled martial artist with the power of the sky at her disposal, Sonyu manages to surprise both friend and foes alike, showing that what many people may perceive as undisciplined foolishness is actual the markings of a confident and caring warrior.

*Wujin Style Martial arts: Sonyu is a highly skilled practitioner of the Wujin style of martial art, a fighting style that teaches its students to go with the flow of battle rather than using unnecessary or excessive force. While Sonyu lacks the physical power that most other Apostles have, she makes up for it with her nimble and agile nature. Sonyu’s fighting style is very similar to herself as it keeps her opponent guessing as to what she’ll do next. Sonyu uses a distinct combination of evasion, speed, agility, and varied maneuvers in order to deliver strikes, most of which are hard to read. Aside from delivering decent damage, these strikes are used to rile the opponent up so that they lose focus or hesitate in their movements, allowing Sonyu to deliver stronger counterattacks. Sonyu’s antics aid her greatly in fighting as she can use her opponent’s aggression to her benefit, whether it be tricking them into carelessly striking or using them as a springboard to launch herself to another area so she can catch them off guard. This trickery combined with her nimble nature make Sonyu one of the more perplexing and formidable fighters to deal with.

*Nimbus Robe: Sonyu concentrates her sparra into the palm of her hand creating a small ball of cloudy energy which she will then crush. After doing this, Sonyu will begin to levitate several inches off the ground followed by her developing a wispy fog-like aura. This aura substantially increases Sonyu’s agility and speed for a full 30 minutes allowing her to evade attacks easier and keep up with faster opponents. In addition to increasing her agility, the aura gives Sonyu the ability to freely levitate and glide, allowing her to slow her descent from large drops and leap large distances in a single bound. It should be noted that this aura does not act as protection, meaning Sonyu will still receive full damage from anything she’s hit by. Though the aura can’t be destroyed by regular attacks, it can be negated if Sonyu is hit with a strong fire-based technique. It is also worth noting that this techniques’ effect time is cut in half when used in an extremely hot environment. Sonyu doesn’t need to supply any sparra in order to keep the aura active, but she can extend its effect by performing the same activation cost.

*Sky Seeker: Sonyu inhales deeply while concentrating sparra in her body. Sonyu will then exhale a large fluffy cloud that will gently float in the air. The clouds that Sonyu creates in this manner can be used as either small rain clouds or thunder clouds depending on whatever Sonyu desires. These clouds will either rain on an intended target or strike them with golden lightning; however, the clouds cannot consistently perform these actions as they are made of sparra. Each time a cloud delivers some form of action, they drain a small portion of the sparra used in their creation, with rain draining energy steadily and lightning taking small chucks away. Once a cloud uses all of its sparra it will dissipate. It is worth noting that even though these projectiles are clouds, they cannot be destroyed, as attacking them will only result in them breaking apart and quickly reforming. Sonyu can either control the clouds remotely or have them perform actions while she focuses on something else. If Sonyu chooses to control the clouds, then she can adjust the altitude in which they float and the speed they travel as well as being able to grant it a steady supply of sparra, however she cannot perform another technique while doing so. If Sonyu chooses to preset an action into a cloud, then they will perform whatever action Sonyu wishes free of her influence, acting as traps or pursuers for enemies; however, they will remain at a constant speed and altitude. Sonyu can increase the clouds duration by kneading more sparra into it during its initial creation.

*Curious Cloud: Sonyu channels sparra into her hands causing them release a steady flow of fog. Sonyu will then cup her hands together and blow through her fingers creating a ring of 8 clouds that will hover just above her. At any point, Sonyu can command these clouds to either rain or strike lightning around her creating an electrified barrier. Sonyu can also send the clouds to hover above an opponent and strike lightning around them to create a surging prison. There is a second variant in which instead of creating a ring of small clouds, Sonyu creates one large thick ring of storm clouds around her in order keep enemies from getting close as well as fire power blasts of lightning at nearby foes.

*Taisei Sailboat: Sonyu will siphon sparra into her hands before bringing them together and blowing into her palms, causing a small cloud to form and quickly enlarge. This cloud is different from the others Sonyu can create as she can use it to fly, utilizing it as a form of transportation. Clouds created in this manner lose the ability to create rain or lightning on their own, but gain a semi physical presence, feeling similar to pillows; as such Sonyu and others can stand on them. Though these clouds can’t create rain or lightning, Sonyu can force them to so long as she is physically interacting with them. Sonyu can create multiple clouds at a time so that they can either act as footing for others or cushions for falling people. These clouds have no time limit for how long they can remain active, but they do have a weight limit and will vanish if its exceeded; the larger the cloud, the more weight it can support. Sonyu can dispel these clouds at any time she pleases.

*Gathering Storm: Sonyu will bring her hands together while concentrating a large amount of sparra into her palms, creating a small cloud that courses with golden electricity. After doing this, Sonyu will toss it in the air where it will float high into the sky, growing larger with every passing second. The cloud can grow large enough to cover several miles effectively blocking out a massive portion of the sky. Once the cloud reaches its peak size, Sonyu can control it to perform whatever action she wants. Sonyu can cause the cloud to either randomly rain down golden lighting, strike a specific target, or create a torrential rain storm. It is worth noting that any lightning that strikes during this time will create a small ripple of electricity on the ground, causing heavy damage to those who avoid the initial strike but are still close enough to its area of impact. This technique can last for a full hour, during which Sonyu can change the weather at any time she pleases to suit her need at that moment. Sonyu can perform this technique if there is already an active storm, at which point she uses much less sparra, only needing to use her Sky Seeker technique in order to take control of the storm. At this point, the storms power output will be much stronger due to it being a natural storm.

*Gold Chi Lantern: Sonyu creates several small balls of golden lightning that she will throw out across the area. These balls of lightning will gently hover in the air and remain motionless the entire time. Though these projectiles appear harmless, their true potential becomes apparent when they are approached. These balls of golden energy act as proximity mines, exploding in a burst of lightning if an enemy gets too close to them, inflicting severe damage. There’s no real limit to the amount of lightning orbs Sonyu can send out at a single time.

*Shaolin Palm: Sonyu performs the Wushu greeting gesture, all the while channeling sparra into her hands. After a moment, Sonyu’s hands will become coated in a mild red aura while her body periodically surges with gold electricity. During this time, Sonyu’s strength becomes herculean giving her the ability to deliver devastating blows and perform acts such as uprooting fully grown trees and toss large boulders at opponents with minimal effort. In addition to significant strength, this technique provides Sonyu’s hands with absolute protection, allowing her to block attacks from both weaponry and energy based attacks. The protection is so great that Sonyu can even touch pure magma with no negative effects to her. However, despite this techniques’ benefits, it has a short 15 minute duration, after which the aura will weaken before fading completely. Sonyu cannot use this technique too frequently due to the amount of sparra needed to activate it and the amount of strain it can put on her muscles if used to excess.

*Shaolin Palm: Spring Shower: After activating her Shaolin Strength technique, Sonyu can use a special move on her enemies. Instead of using the initial move’s raw power, she will instead aim exclusively for an opponent’s pressure points, hitting them with jarring accuracy. Each time Sonyu hits a pressure point, she introduces a small jolt of electricity. While one jab won’t make any noticeable difference, when an opponent is hit with a large enough amount of successive strikes, it can cause a variety of different results. Due to the electricity coursing through the enemy’s muscles, their movements can be drastically slowed down or their muscular system will become unresponsive, completely paralyzing them. The results of this move are not permanent, but the effects are long enough for Sonyu to get in more damage or finish the fight.

*Wujin Thunderclap: Sonyu creates a ball of golden lightning in each palm, after which she will clap her hands together releasing a far-reaching beam of golden electricity. The power of this beam is so great that it can effectively pierce clear through various structures and disintegrate anything hit by it. However, due to the amount of recoil the beam has, Sonyu is unable to move while it’s firing, leaving her open to those who manage to dodge the attack. This move has two other variants to it. The second variant creates a brief burst of lightning capable of knocking foes off their feet while also hitting them with a strong surge of electricity. The third variant is only possible if Sonyu has her Shaolin Palm technique activated; in which instead of clapping her hands together, Sonyu will slam her fists on the ground with such force that it can shatter a large area of it while simultaneously sending out a ripple of golden lightning bolts.

*Prankster’s Fog: Sonyu channels sparra throughout her entire body while inhaling deeply. After doing so, Sonyu will slowly exhale copious amounts of dense fog that will quickly cover the entire area. During this time, visibility will be drastically reduced, giving Sonyu the opportunity to either escape of deliver a surprise attack. The fog can cover a substantially range and reach exceptionally large heights. During the fog’s creation, Sonyu can increase the density so much that her opponent won’t be able to see anything directly in front of them. The technique lingers for a considerable amount of time after its activation and is hard to disperse by natural means allowing Sonyu to take full advantage of benefits for a good duration of time.

*Tainkong Formation: Sonyu plucks several hairs from her head and channels sparra into them, after which she will blow them from her hand which causes them to quickly cover themselves in cloudy energy. After a moment, the energy will take the exact look and shape of Sonyu herself forming a perfect clone of her. These clones are indistinguishable from Sonyu as they can think, respond, and behave in the exact same manner she does. Due to the amount of sparra needed to create the clones and how compact the energy is, they are tangible, despite being formed from clouds. Each clone possesses the same strength and physical prowess as Sonyu and can fight exactly like her. There is one large flaw with these duplicates however. Even though these clones provide Sonyu the utility of distraction and more allies, they are not perfect as they are unable to perform the same sparra related techniques Sonyu can; and even though they have a physical form, they are incredible fragile, dissipating once hit with a hard enough attack. However, this lack of sparra related capabilities is not a problem as Sonyu can use them to set up traps by siphoning specific sparra into them so that they create a smokescreen like burst of fog or an explosion of lightning the moment they’re destroyed.

*Typhoon Corkscrew: Sonyu will get a running start while channeling sparra into her hands, causing them to release a steady stream of dark thunder clouds. Afterwards she will lunge forward while using the wind portion of her sparra to propel herself forward while causing her to spin rapidly. This results in the clouds she is constantly releasing to cloak her entire body, causing her to resemble a giant drill coursing with golden electricity. When Sonyu hits an opponent with this technique, the clouds and electricity will be released in a large burst, critically injuring the target and damaging anything caught in the considerable blast of electricity and air pressure. If Sonyu misses her target, the clouds will act as cushions causing her to ricochet off objects in order to change her trajectory. Sonyu can dispel this attack at any time as not to waste time or perform a different technique.

How do you like that?! Another spotlight pic this time featuring the excitable monkey maiden Sonyu!! These are a lot of fun to do so I hope you enjoy just as much as I do! This was another awesome pic done by  eltonpot , who did an outstanding job on it yet again!!! Have an idea for a spotlight pic, just send me a message!!!

*TRIVIA: Sonyu enjoys writing poems about various locations and sceneries. This is a possible trait she got from her master.