"I-I'm not weak, Neil. I'll prove my strength . . . and prove you wrong!"
• Name :: Shakuntala Tischendorf.
• Nickname(s) :: N/A.
• Birthday :: September 27th.
• Fandom :: Shingeki no Kyojin.
• Age :: Twenty.
• Gender :: Female.
• Sexuality :: Asexual.
• Physical Description :: Tala has adapted her mother's willow brown skin, dark hair, and umbra eyes (she's half German, half Trinidadian). She stands an average 5'4" and has a strong medium build. She's toned with abs and muscular arms and legs, but she looks slim in her uniform. Tala's been described as a stoic because of her stiff-faced features, but in reality, she just isn't very expressive. A distinguishing mark on her face is an inch long scar that runs diagonal from the right on her chin. While many might guess there is an extravagant story behind it, it is actually an accidental wound caused by Neil. Tala also has a mole on the left side of her face, above her lip's corner. She sports the average uniform required of her for training, but she wears an crimson shirt under the jacket. Since she's lived her life with her butcher father, Tala was always told to roll up long sleeves to not messy them, and practices this even on her uniform by keeping her jacket's sleeves cuffed to the elbow. She also wears fingerless gloves when on missions.
• Family :: Abram Tischendorf (father), Kamla Tischendorf (mother), Sita Tischendorf (older sister), Barnabas Tischendorf (uncle; deceased), Neil Tischendorf (cousin).
• Likes :: Rainy days, swimming, tomatoes, light conversation, embroidery, sleeping, feeling like she belongs, her uncle.
• Dislikes :: Blood and gore, titans, feeling inferior, Neil, arguing, stale bread, getting dirty, feeling queasy, the smell of rotting meat.
• Affiliation :: Scouting Legion.
• Personality :: Shakuntala displays a "wooden" facade that appears cold and demeaning; as if she is a woman who would judge you directly on the spot. Many stray from her because of this, but in actuality, Shakuntala is soft with a personality akin to a small, bashful girl. While her shyness prevents her from being an outspoken member of her squad, she puts a hundred and ten percent forward towards any goal and always does what is asked of her. Her domineering fault is her inability to say no even when a task is humiliating or near impossible. Her will oversteps her pride always and it is because of this Shakuntala gets sulky when others have a condescending opinion about her.
Most of these complaints arise from her weak stomach. Shakuntala is known to get motion sickness and lose her meals time and time again when it comes to blood and gore. She couldn't even slay livestock in her own home without feeling queasy. She has trouble hurting something living (even titans) because of slaughter, but Shakuntala herself has a steel forbearance when it comes to pain. She can keep marching if it hurts, but will fall to one knee if it means wringing the neck of a chicken and gutting it.
One lesson Shakuntala learned from her father and won't ever forget is frugality. Despite growing up in one of the higher income neighborhoods of Shiganshina, the trainee was taught at a young age that nothing should go to waste and a life of extravagance and lavishness could have deathly consequences. Even her home was of the modest necessities and never decorated with all of the baubles, trinkets, and things that would certainly make the eye pop. Though Kamla complained to her daughter about it from time to time, Shakuntala thought it was the right way to live. Even as a member of the military, the girl believes that being prudent with resources is a must. As long as every mouth is fed, extra bread should be saved. As long as no one is dying of thirst, extra water should be stored. Shakuntala never overindulges and is actually more open to sharing her food then keeping it.
Many have related Shakuntala to a mother hen. When the young woman comes to care about someone, she will nitpick and peck at them for small things -- especially if the choice or action will bring dire consequences to that person. The soldiers throws her entire concern onto an individual and nurtures them with her soul because it is the only way she knows how to care for someone. Her arrogance is to blame for this; she thinks others can't take care of themselves unless she is there to lend a hand. Yet, despite coming off as an annoyance because of this trait, her squabbles with others is just a sign she cares and is comfortable with another person. Around them, she can spread her wings and have her feathers ruffled.
Shakuntala has only known the company of herself for a very long time. Besides herself, the next person she knows thoroughly is her own mother, Kamla. Since she became her child, Shakuntala has dutifully completed what was instructed of her without any complaint or interaction with anyone. Due to her little socialization, the trainee is terrible when it comes to talking to others. She's uneducated in the ways of proper civility and has a tendency of bringing up terrible topics at the wrong time. Because of this, the girl tries to be careful of what she says and mentally rebukes herself when she says something out of line.
Unfortunately, Shakuntala does not seem the type to aim for the military. Her motherly instincts and sheltered approach to life paints her as a female who would prefer settling down and becoming the stereotypical housewife. However, the girl is quite disgusted with such a fate. The reasoning being is because of her mother's iron hold on a girl who wishes to be free. Shakuntala loves her mother, but knowing the woman made betrothal the equivalent of a must made her felt trapped to a choice she had no way out of. Choosing to join the military, to Shakuntala, felt like the first mature and personal choice that was not either encouraged or already chosen for her by Kamla. And, despite it bringing about major tension between her and her mother when she left for training, Shakuntala swallowed her guilt and stuck through with it because it was one step closer to the person she wanted to become -- the heroic soldier Abram painted his brother to be. Unfortunately, this individual she dreamed of becoming was crafted with idyllic novelty, not realism. Due to this, the girl grew up with a glorified depiction of the army, not the brutal and painful truth that marked the carnage soldiers faced daily.
While her mother's control of her life is one of the main reasons she detests marriage, but it is also due to experiences in her past that shaped her desire not to wed. Kamla did not have a happy marriage with her husband and their tumultuous relationship paved the foundation to thoughts of why their marriage wasn't as happy as Shakuntala's mother made it out to be. What really cemented her dislike and desire not to be with another was her sister's marriage, which fell apart after she had her first child. Sita's husband walked out on her and she was left to care for her infant herself. Bearing witness to an unhappy and failed marriage caused her to believe there could be no happiness in it despite Kamla speaking so highly of it. Thus, to avoid such an outcome that Shakuntala was positive would happen in the future, the military was her escape.
Contributing to a cause is what fuels Shakuntala's current desire in the military. While her inspiration was her uncle, Barnabas, it shifted after the girl saw how the years took their toll on him. At first, she only sought out this reason to justify all the time spent training, but it became truth when Shakuntala realized how satisfying it was becoming a pinprick of light during a rather dim age and serving and protecting civilians behind the walls. While she doesn't have much tact when it comes to calming panicking masses like more open souls, seeing how children look up to her in awe and how others express fond gratitude and respect for her service is enough to keep Shakuntala going.
When it comes to asking for help, Shakuntala seems incapable of doing so vocally. Getting a word out of her is a toughie. She tries to relay messages via body language rather than through word of mouth, so most of the time, what she has to say may be undecipherable. When she does talk, her speech patterns are very precise and broken. Shakuntala speaks carefully, as if reading from a book, and has a tendency of correcting herself or restating something if her thoughts come out as jumbled or what she said sounded vague or could be misinterpreted. Despite being inexpressive vocally, Shakuntala's a bit more open with her other emotions, although they warrant both awkward and embarrassing moments. For example, when she spews tears, she sounds like a whimpering mutt. Since this draws attention to her, it supports her desire to remain stiff-faced, but even Shakuntala has her limits.
Shakuntala is very finicky and has a hard time being content with something. She picks at little things and fusses over the details until whatever it is she is working on fits her acceptance. Unfortunately, it takes a lot of effort to ever please her and most throw their hands up in frustration trying to do so. To the Tischendorf, allowing deviation from a standard only leads to failure. By remaining rigidly accurate, a person is more inclined to find success and, thus, happiness. She tends to frown upon those rebellious souls who try to think outside the box because she believes they are walking the fine line between future success and sorrow.
• Background :: Shakuntala is the second of two girls born to Kamla and Abram Tischendorf. Unlike her sister, Sita, Shakuntala kept to her family home and worked on embroidery designs or drawing daily. She was typically at the side of her mother as she did so and, for most of her life, her parent was her only friend. Kamla taught her everything the girl knew, from cooking to cleaning to even the language from her side of the family. Abram, who kept to the slaughterhouse and their butcher shop most of the day, could only observe his daughters from afar. Noticing how mirthful Sita was in comparison to his second because she was identical to him in terms of personality, he tried to force her from their home so she wouldn't turn out like him: aloof and distant from most. Abram dragged Shakuntala to the slaughterhouse, thrust a knife into her hands, and ordered her to kill a pig.
When she refused out of fear, Abram grew frustrated and snatched the knife from her. He slaughtered the pig himself in front of her. Shaken by the sight, the girl panicked, and fled from her father. For two days, she went missing. Kamla lashed out at her husband for what he did and was so overwrought with guilt and worry that she dedicated her time to searching for her daughter. Sita overtook the woman's chores during this time because Kamla was so busy. Eventually, Neil came forward to Abram and admitted he was sheltering Shakuntala. When she turned up on his doorstep, he let her in, and allowed her to stay. However, her shaky state worried him, and he felt the need to get her help and turned to his uncle for that. After returning home, Kamla was in a complete state of relief. Since then, the woman never allowed her daughter to leave the house, and Shakuntala was completely imprisoned to her home; much to her delight.
After a few years, Sita revealed to her parents her hopes to get married. At seventeen, she had fallen in love with a neighborhood boy. Kamla happily gave the girl her permission and blessing. Abram had no opinion on the matter. After the wedding, Kamla requested that her daughter try and learn more of Shakuntala and find her a suitable match. Sita tried to get closer to her sister, but couldn't break the girl's defenses. She gave up on her and shifted her concentration to her husband after finding out she was pregnant.
Soon, Shakuntala began being pressured by her mother that she should do something with her life. Yet, according to the woman, the only thing her daughter could and should turn to was an early betrothal. Unfortunately, the girl didn't want to marry, but explaining to her mother her choice took an arduous effort that came to no avail. Recalling the stories her father told her as a child of her uncle as a reputable man in the military inspired her. A few months after Sita turned eighteen and had her first child, Shakuntala broke the decision to her parents that she wanted to join the military. Kamla was absolutely distraught with the situation, reflecting on the possibility in the future where she might die. Abram, again, had no opinion on the matter but feigned anger at his daughter to suit his wife. When Neil, her cousin and childhood rival, heard of her choice, he too decided to join the military, but Abram prevented him because of a promise he made with his brother: Don't make Neil decide anything foolish. Kamla stopped talking to Shakuntala after she left for training -- coming to the decision she was already dead to her.
For her first few months in training, Shakuntala was guilt-ridden over her choice to join the military. She wanted dearly to apologize to her mother to return to a semblance of the family life she once knew, but couldn't for fear that if she did, Kamla would take this as a sign her daughter was giving in. Pride -- as her father had put it -- was her family's poison, and her own pride prevented her from giving up the life she chose just to appease her mother. In turn, Shakuntala started visiting her sister, Sita, on her off days by traveling to Shiganshina on horseback. In exchange for her sister's company and understanding (and also out of pity because of the arduous effort required to raise an infant alone), Shakuntala started assisting her sibling with any household chores that needed doing. Over the course of several more months, Shakuntala and Sita became quite close, and the younger Tischendorf started seeing her sister as an important confidant.
Slowly, but surely, Shakuntala also began repairing -- and destroying -- some of the relationships she had with her family. She came to learn that her father, Abram, was not at all furious with her choice to join the military upon a run in with him. In fact, he was quite proud of her, and let this be known to her. This triggered a relief and teary-eyed moment between the two as the girl reconciled with her father. However, this moment was the first and last time she saw him since training. Considering the guilt and fear she still held for her mother, the youngest Tischendorf kept her distance. Shakuntala also paid some just desserts to her cousin, Neil, who would bully her when they were children. During a random encounter, she tried to reach out to him as a source of support, but the seventeen year old male rebuked her with insults. Growing mad, she struck him across the face with a punch, and for the first time managed to stand up for herself -- a key note of her maturity from the soft-spoken, jittery girl to the more open, brave soldier who was finally realizing her worth.
After graduation, Shakuntala is transferred into the Survey Corps. She instantly makes her interests known to them upon acceptance and is fitted with horse care and upkeep as her primary focus. Due to her moderate experience with veterinary medicine, she is not directly given the duties of an officer, but instead instructed to shadow an experienced one to give her more of a hands-on approach to her ambition. She happily accepts this despite her slight reluctance and regret of having not spent more time studying equine care. However, she has shown some keen talent in human-animal bond, and has become a go-to person when it comes to breaking or calming those horses that show aversion to their human handlers.
Her three years in training has certainly changed her, though only slightly. Shakuntala has become much more open to those existing friends and close acquaintances she had already made during her time at the compound and does not fear their judgement or critique as badly as she did. She still casts a weary shoulder to those who she is not familiar with and her stutter remains its constant vigilance in her tone when she exchanges pleasantries, but she does not veer away from them completely. Overall, Shakuntala still prefers the company of horses to people, but she's not one to isolate herself from them. Her heart still lingers with a warm fondness towards the compound and she still has not broke herself from its limits. Despite her fierce hatred of Santos, she returns from time to time to check on the horses, specifically Velvet, and be amongst her friends who have not graduated yet.
• Trivia ::
Shakuntala's favorite color is green.
Shakuntala's drawing ability isn't impressive, but she can pass as an all right artist.
Her Survey Corps' horse is named Hayagriva after the horse-headed avatar in Hinduism.
Shakuntala's father also has a stutter, but his is much worse.
Inscribed on the interior of her left glove's strap is the Hindi proverb, "जान है तो जहान है," or "Jaan hai to jahan hai," when translated means, "(If) there's life, then there's the world."
From Sanskrit, shakunta means "bird." She was named after the main character from the fifth century play, Abhijnanashakuntalam, by Kalidasa, which tells of how Shakuntala, raised by birds, married King Dushyanta.
Her first kiss was taken by a horse. It was an accident, she swears!
Shakuntala has some trouble using the 3DMG because she's more used to the bump and trundle of horseback riding, not the groundless, smooth descent of the gear.
• Nickname(s) :: N/A.
• Birthday :: September 27th.
• Fandom :: Shingeki no Kyojin.
• Age :: Twenty.
• Gender :: Female.
• Sexuality :: Asexual.
• Physical Description :: Tala has adapted her mother's willow brown skin, dark hair, and umbra eyes (she's half German, half Trinidadian). She stands an average 5'4" and has a strong medium build. She's toned with abs and muscular arms and legs, but she looks slim in her uniform. Tala's been described as a stoic because of her stiff-faced features, but in reality, she just isn't very expressive. A distinguishing mark on her face is an inch long scar that runs diagonal from the right on her chin. While many might guess there is an extravagant story behind it, it is actually an accidental wound caused by Neil. Tala also has a mole on the left side of her face, above her lip's corner. She sports the average uniform required of her for training, but she wears an crimson shirt under the jacket. Since she's lived her life with her butcher father, Tala was always told to roll up long sleeves to not messy them, and practices this even on her uniform by keeping her jacket's sleeves cuffed to the elbow. She also wears fingerless gloves when on missions.
• Family :: Abram Tischendorf (father), Kamla Tischendorf (mother), Sita Tischendorf (older sister), Barnabas Tischendorf (uncle; deceased), Neil Tischendorf (cousin).
• Likes :: Rainy days, swimming, tomatoes, light conversation, embroidery, sleeping, feeling like she belongs, her uncle.
• Dislikes :: Blood and gore, titans, feeling inferior, Neil, arguing, stale bread, getting dirty, feeling queasy, the smell of rotting meat.
• Affiliation :: Scouting Legion.
• Personality :: Shakuntala displays a "wooden" facade that appears cold and demeaning; as if she is a woman who would judge you directly on the spot. Many stray from her because of this, but in actuality, Shakuntala is soft with a personality akin to a small, bashful girl. While her shyness prevents her from being an outspoken member of her squad, she puts a hundred and ten percent forward towards any goal and always does what is asked of her. Her domineering fault is her inability to say no even when a task is humiliating or near impossible. Her will oversteps her pride always and it is because of this Shakuntala gets sulky when others have a condescending opinion about her.
Most of these complaints arise from her weak stomach. Shakuntala is known to get motion sickness and lose her meals time and time again when it comes to blood and gore. She couldn't even slay livestock in her own home without feeling queasy. She has trouble hurting something living (even titans) because of slaughter, but Shakuntala herself has a steel forbearance when it comes to pain. She can keep marching if it hurts, but will fall to one knee if it means wringing the neck of a chicken and gutting it.
One lesson Shakuntala learned from her father and won't ever forget is frugality. Despite growing up in one of the higher income neighborhoods of Shiganshina, the trainee was taught at a young age that nothing should go to waste and a life of extravagance and lavishness could have deathly consequences. Even her home was of the modest necessities and never decorated with all of the baubles, trinkets, and things that would certainly make the eye pop. Though Kamla complained to her daughter about it from time to time, Shakuntala thought it was the right way to live. Even as a member of the military, the girl believes that being prudent with resources is a must. As long as every mouth is fed, extra bread should be saved. As long as no one is dying of thirst, extra water should be stored. Shakuntala never overindulges and is actually more open to sharing her food then keeping it.
Many have related Shakuntala to a mother hen. When the young woman comes to care about someone, she will nitpick and peck at them for small things -- especially if the choice or action will bring dire consequences to that person. The soldiers throws her entire concern onto an individual and nurtures them with her soul because it is the only way she knows how to care for someone. Her arrogance is to blame for this; she thinks others can't take care of themselves unless she is there to lend a hand. Yet, despite coming off as an annoyance because of this trait, her squabbles with others is just a sign she cares and is comfortable with another person. Around them, she can spread her wings and have her feathers ruffled.
Shakuntala has only known the company of herself for a very long time. Besides herself, the next person she knows thoroughly is her own mother, Kamla. Since she became her child, Shakuntala has dutifully completed what was instructed of her without any complaint or interaction with anyone. Due to her little socialization, the trainee is terrible when it comes to talking to others. She's uneducated in the ways of proper civility and has a tendency of bringing up terrible topics at the wrong time. Because of this, the girl tries to be careful of what she says and mentally rebukes herself when she says something out of line.
Unfortunately, Shakuntala does not seem the type to aim for the military. Her motherly instincts and sheltered approach to life paints her as a female who would prefer settling down and becoming the stereotypical housewife. However, the girl is quite disgusted with such a fate. The reasoning being is because of her mother's iron hold on a girl who wishes to be free. Shakuntala loves her mother, but knowing the woman made betrothal the equivalent of a must made her felt trapped to a choice she had no way out of. Choosing to join the military, to Shakuntala, felt like the first mature and personal choice that was not either encouraged or already chosen for her by Kamla. And, despite it bringing about major tension between her and her mother when she left for training, Shakuntala swallowed her guilt and stuck through with it because it was one step closer to the person she wanted to become -- the heroic soldier Abram painted his brother to be. Unfortunately, this individual she dreamed of becoming was crafted with idyllic novelty, not realism. Due to this, the girl grew up with a glorified depiction of the army, not the brutal and painful truth that marked the carnage soldiers faced daily.
While her mother's control of her life is one of the main reasons she detests marriage, but it is also due to experiences in her past that shaped her desire not to wed. Kamla did not have a happy marriage with her husband and their tumultuous relationship paved the foundation to thoughts of why their marriage wasn't as happy as Shakuntala's mother made it out to be. What really cemented her dislike and desire not to be with another was her sister's marriage, which fell apart after she had her first child. Sita's husband walked out on her and she was left to care for her infant herself. Bearing witness to an unhappy and failed marriage caused her to believe there could be no happiness in it despite Kamla speaking so highly of it. Thus, to avoid such an outcome that Shakuntala was positive would happen in the future, the military was her escape.
Contributing to a cause is what fuels Shakuntala's current desire in the military. While her inspiration was her uncle, Barnabas, it shifted after the girl saw how the years took their toll on him. At first, she only sought out this reason to justify all the time spent training, but it became truth when Shakuntala realized how satisfying it was becoming a pinprick of light during a rather dim age and serving and protecting civilians behind the walls. While she doesn't have much tact when it comes to calming panicking masses like more open souls, seeing how children look up to her in awe and how others express fond gratitude and respect for her service is enough to keep Shakuntala going.
When it comes to asking for help, Shakuntala seems incapable of doing so vocally. Getting a word out of her is a toughie. She tries to relay messages via body language rather than through word of mouth, so most of the time, what she has to say may be undecipherable. When she does talk, her speech patterns are very precise and broken. Shakuntala speaks carefully, as if reading from a book, and has a tendency of correcting herself or restating something if her thoughts come out as jumbled or what she said sounded vague or could be misinterpreted. Despite being inexpressive vocally, Shakuntala's a bit more open with her other emotions, although they warrant both awkward and embarrassing moments. For example, when she spews tears, she sounds like a whimpering mutt. Since this draws attention to her, it supports her desire to remain stiff-faced, but even Shakuntala has her limits.
Shakuntala is very finicky and has a hard time being content with something. She picks at little things and fusses over the details until whatever it is she is working on fits her acceptance. Unfortunately, it takes a lot of effort to ever please her and most throw their hands up in frustration trying to do so. To the Tischendorf, allowing deviation from a standard only leads to failure. By remaining rigidly accurate, a person is more inclined to find success and, thus, happiness. She tends to frown upon those rebellious souls who try to think outside the box because she believes they are walking the fine line between future success and sorrow.
• Background :: Shakuntala is the second of two girls born to Kamla and Abram Tischendorf. Unlike her sister, Sita, Shakuntala kept to her family home and worked on embroidery designs or drawing daily. She was typically at the side of her mother as she did so and, for most of her life, her parent was her only friend. Kamla taught her everything the girl knew, from cooking to cleaning to even the language from her side of the family. Abram, who kept to the slaughterhouse and their butcher shop most of the day, could only observe his daughters from afar. Noticing how mirthful Sita was in comparison to his second because she was identical to him in terms of personality, he tried to force her from their home so she wouldn't turn out like him: aloof and distant from most. Abram dragged Shakuntala to the slaughterhouse, thrust a knife into her hands, and ordered her to kill a pig.
When she refused out of fear, Abram grew frustrated and snatched the knife from her. He slaughtered the pig himself in front of her. Shaken by the sight, the girl panicked, and fled from her father. For two days, she went missing. Kamla lashed out at her husband for what he did and was so overwrought with guilt and worry that she dedicated her time to searching for her daughter. Sita overtook the woman's chores during this time because Kamla was so busy. Eventually, Neil came forward to Abram and admitted he was sheltering Shakuntala. When she turned up on his doorstep, he let her in, and allowed her to stay. However, her shaky state worried him, and he felt the need to get her help and turned to his uncle for that. After returning home, Kamla was in a complete state of relief. Since then, the woman never allowed her daughter to leave the house, and Shakuntala was completely imprisoned to her home; much to her delight.
After a few years, Sita revealed to her parents her hopes to get married. At seventeen, she had fallen in love with a neighborhood boy. Kamla happily gave the girl her permission and blessing. Abram had no opinion on the matter. After the wedding, Kamla requested that her daughter try and learn more of Shakuntala and find her a suitable match. Sita tried to get closer to her sister, but couldn't break the girl's defenses. She gave up on her and shifted her concentration to her husband after finding out she was pregnant.
Soon, Shakuntala began being pressured by her mother that she should do something with her life. Yet, according to the woman, the only thing her daughter could and should turn to was an early betrothal. Unfortunately, the girl didn't want to marry, but explaining to her mother her choice took an arduous effort that came to no avail. Recalling the stories her father told her as a child of her uncle as a reputable man in the military inspired her. A few months after Sita turned eighteen and had her first child, Shakuntala broke the decision to her parents that she wanted to join the military. Kamla was absolutely distraught with the situation, reflecting on the possibility in the future where she might die. Abram, again, had no opinion on the matter but feigned anger at his daughter to suit his wife. When Neil, her cousin and childhood rival, heard of her choice, he too decided to join the military, but Abram prevented him because of a promise he made with his brother: Don't make Neil decide anything foolish. Kamla stopped talking to Shakuntala after she left for training -- coming to the decision she was already dead to her.
For her first few months in training, Shakuntala was guilt-ridden over her choice to join the military. She wanted dearly to apologize to her mother to return to a semblance of the family life she once knew, but couldn't for fear that if she did, Kamla would take this as a sign her daughter was giving in. Pride -- as her father had put it -- was her family's poison, and her own pride prevented her from giving up the life she chose just to appease her mother. In turn, Shakuntala started visiting her sister, Sita, on her off days by traveling to Shiganshina on horseback. In exchange for her sister's company and understanding (and also out of pity because of the arduous effort required to raise an infant alone), Shakuntala started assisting her sibling with any household chores that needed doing. Over the course of several more months, Shakuntala and Sita became quite close, and the younger Tischendorf started seeing her sister as an important confidant.
Slowly, but surely, Shakuntala also began repairing -- and destroying -- some of the relationships she had with her family. She came to learn that her father, Abram, was not at all furious with her choice to join the military upon a run in with him. In fact, he was quite proud of her, and let this be known to her. This triggered a relief and teary-eyed moment between the two as the girl reconciled with her father. However, this moment was the first and last time she saw him since training. Considering the guilt and fear she still held for her mother, the youngest Tischendorf kept her distance. Shakuntala also paid some just desserts to her cousin, Neil, who would bully her when they were children. During a random encounter, she tried to reach out to him as a source of support, but the seventeen year old male rebuked her with insults. Growing mad, she struck him across the face with a punch, and for the first time managed to stand up for herself -- a key note of her maturity from the soft-spoken, jittery girl to the more open, brave soldier who was finally realizing her worth.
After graduation, Shakuntala is transferred into the Survey Corps. She instantly makes her interests known to them upon acceptance and is fitted with horse care and upkeep as her primary focus. Due to her moderate experience with veterinary medicine, she is not directly given the duties of an officer, but instead instructed to shadow an experienced one to give her more of a hands-on approach to her ambition. She happily accepts this despite her slight reluctance and regret of having not spent more time studying equine care. However, she has shown some keen talent in human-animal bond, and has become a go-to person when it comes to breaking or calming those horses that show aversion to their human handlers.
Her three years in training has certainly changed her, though only slightly. Shakuntala has become much more open to those existing friends and close acquaintances she had already made during her time at the compound and does not fear their judgement or critique as badly as she did. She still casts a weary shoulder to those who she is not familiar with and her stutter remains its constant vigilance in her tone when she exchanges pleasantries, but she does not veer away from them completely. Overall, Shakuntala still prefers the company of horses to people, but she's not one to isolate herself from them. Her heart still lingers with a warm fondness towards the compound and she still has not broke herself from its limits. Despite her fierce hatred of Santos, she returns from time to time to check on the horses, specifically Velvet, and be amongst her friends who have not graduated yet.
• Trivia ::
Shakuntala's favorite color is green.
Shakuntala's drawing ability isn't impressive, but she can pass as an all right artist.
Her Survey Corps' horse is named Hayagriva after the horse-headed avatar in Hinduism.
Shakuntala's father also has a stutter, but his is much worse.
Inscribed on the interior of her left glove's strap is the Hindi proverb, "जान है तो जहान है," or "Jaan hai to jahan hai," when translated means, "(If) there's life, then there's the world."
From Sanskrit, shakunta means "bird." She was named after the main character from the fifth century play, Abhijnanashakuntalam, by Kalidasa, which tells of how Shakuntala, raised by birds, married King Dushyanta.
Her first kiss was taken by a horse. It was an accident, she swears!
Shakuntala has some trouble using the 3DMG because she's more used to the bump and trundle of horseback riding, not the groundless, smooth descent of the gear.