drealyn22

[drealyn22]

hey i don't know if you've been asked before abut this or even if you do this anymore but what are the proper kanji to translate mujuushin kenjutsu? and does it really mean sword of no abiding mind? Kinda obsessed with Jin's sword style but there's only like three resources that ive ever seen talking about it, and they don't refer to the actual kanji translation.

Yes! The kanji for mujūshin kenjutsu are: 無住心剣術

Here are a few sources:

“Ken no seishinshi : Mujūshin kenjutsu no keifu to shisō””剣の精神誌 : 無住心剣術の系譜と思想”by Yoshinori Kōno(Japanese) Paperback – 1991 ISBN 4788503913 : Y3300 9784788503915 

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Ken-seishinshi-Muju%CC%84shin-kenjutsu-Japanese/dp/4788503913/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=mujushin+kenjutsu&qid=1574032574&sr=8-1

Stanford Libraries SearchWorks Catalogue: https://searchworks.stanford.edu/view/4227768

Notes: This book is in Japanese, and unfortunately, my Japanese language skills aren’t nearly good enough to translate a book like this. But having the full title and the kanji enabled me to find more information, so I still found this helpful.

…

“Sekiun and Ichiun” by Gary Myers, Iaido Chief Instructor   The Aiki Dojo Newsletter, Volume XXXII Number 2, Page 3February 2013 The Aikido Center of Los Angeles

https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5744da899f7266e1f35c57f4/t/5c03fbf38a922dc3f334c91f/1543764981101/Newsletter+feb+13+pdf.pdf  

Notes: The contemporary martial art of aikido was born from the principles of mujūshin kenjutsu. This article was written by a chief instructor at an aikido dojo.

…

“The Sword of No Abiding Mind: Mujuushin Kenjutsu and Samurai Champloo”

Part I: the Historical Mujushin–Sekiun and IchiunPart II: the Historical Mujushin–Terada and Shiraihttp://www.spookhouse.net/angelynx/comics/no-abiding-mind.html

Part III: the Mujuushin in Samurai Champloo–Mariya, Kariya, Takedahttp://www.spookhouse.net/angelynx/comics/no-abiding-mind-2.html

Notes: This article was written by a Samurai Champloo fan who did a whole ton of research and compiled it nicely for us. Parts I and II focus on history, and part III focuses on Samurai Champloo.

…

If you’re interested, I have some resources on the philosophy of no-abiding mind, a concept derived from Zen Buddhism.

[drealyn22]

アンアン

2017年2月15日号

[drealyn22]

Nocchi & Cats

[drealyn22]

Eren’s new hairstyle in chapter 108: The Man Bun.

Hange’s commentary: On point.

[drealyn22]

Could you tell us something about how and why you started writing?

Since I’m incapable of brevity, I’m putting a “read more” tag on this, so it won’t take up your entire feed. 

This is an interesting question for me because I don’t really consider myself to be a writer per se, although I’ve done a lot of technical and business writing for work. I’ve written business requirements, software specifications, user manuals and instructions, newsletter articles and blogs, customer correspondence, etc. I even won a few awards for my instructional documentation, back in the day.

So I know how to write in a variety of formats and styles, for a variety of topics and audiences. I can spell, I try to use correct grammar (in my professional writing), and I know how to write in a logical flow. I’m also very good at editing and proofreading. (And now that I’ve said that, someone will find a glaring error in this blog post. Isn’t that always the way?)

I only started writing fan fiction in mid-late 2015 after I watched Samurai Champloo for the millionth time.

Each time I watched Samurai Champloo, no matter how many times I’d already seen it, I still cried like a little girl at the end. It was just so heartbreaking to see the trio split up, after everything they’d been through together. I had fallen in love with the series, and I wanted so badly to see it continue. I wanted to believe that the characters would find each other again and go on new adventures. But more than that, I wanted to see the characters and their relationships develop and mature.

A few small ideas started to form in my head, such as: I wish the guys would teach Fuu to defend herself. She’s got the courage to pull it off. She just needs the skills.

Or another: The characters look so carefree at the end of the series, but how long can that last before trouble returns? I have to assume that the government still wants Fuu dead… right?

Those ideas turned into little plot bunnies that seemed to grow each time I viewed the series, filling up with new themes and details that I hadn’t noticed before in previous viewings. Eventually there was so much swirling around in my head that I wanted to write it all down and explore it further.

My writing was really terrible at first. I had no idea what I was doing. But once I organized my ideas into an outline, the first snippets of a character study took shape, which later became Perspective Evolution. That character study helped me define my own interpretation of Mugen. I started to write one for Jin as well, but then I moved on to the first chapters of what was later No Roads Where We’re Going.

I did this totally as a creative writing exercise, because I had a story burning in my head and the free time to write it down.

After a while, it dawned on me that other people do this all the time. It’s called fan fiction. I had never read any, but it seemed like a good idea to check it out, to see how my writing stacked up.

So I did. And as I read, I started to consider publishing my own story to share it with others… but I was too afraid to do it.

There are some really terrible fan fiction stories. I mean it. Just terrible. But there are some amazing ones too. I figured that my own story couldn’t possibly be the worst of the worst, but I didn’t know if it was “good.” The best stories I read were well conceived and written in a natural style with compelling character development. This all seemed like a lot to live up to, and I didn’t know if I could do it.

It took the encouragement of a friend to motivate me to publish my work online. In a random conversation, he asked me how I’d been doing. I mentioned casually, among other things, that I’d started writing fiction based on Samurai Champloo. He basically twisted my arm into letting him read it, told me he thought I had something special, and convinced me to upload it.

I had so much anxiety! I was sweating bullets for about 2 days after I published the damn thing. Then I thought about taking it down. Then I wanted to revise it. Then I wanted to rename everything. Then I wanted to rearrange the chapters (which I did, wholesale). Then…… I think you get the idea.

I was insecure, and I knew I had a lot to learn, so I kept tinkering instead of calling it complete. I just couldn’t leave it alone. I needed to make it perfect, because I’m a perfectionist, and if it’s not perfect, it’s wrong, and that’s not acceptable, because… perfectionist.

I’m also an introvert; I tend to open my heart and share all kinds of thoughts and feelings, and then I feel like I totally said too much, and now I’m embarrassed, and I feel too vulnerable, and I wish I could take it all back and hide in my corner, like the Disappearing Ninja that I am. (Wait, where’d Dre go? … Dammit… The Disappearing Ninja strikes again.)

In other words, all of my worst social anxieties came out. Just from posting a work of amateur fan fiction online. But, what was done was done.

I got a couple of reviews from readers, and two authors whose stories I admired graciously agreed to give me feedback as well. It was mostly positive. If I’d gotten bad reviews, I would’ve taken the story offline and continued it for myself, albeit on a much smaller scale. But I made the decision to keep it online, and then I dived head-first into a whirlpool of pre-planning, research, story building, and character development. It just continued on from there.

After that, I started Barefoot Cowgirl, which is also still going, but stalled out like No Roads.

So after all of that effort, why is my story stalled out now?

It’s not that I don’t enjoy writing anymore; I just don’t have the same kind of motivation that I once did. I’ve been through some major life changes in the past couple of years, and my interests and my perspective on a few things have changed. It doesn’t only affect my writing. I’m not very motivated in general right now. I have a lot of things I need to work out in life, and it’s overwhelming. When I get overwhelmed I have a tendency to insulate myself and procrastinate. I put things off. Unfortunately, writing falls into the heap of things currently being put off.

Even though the ideas for my stories formed naturally in my head, the writing itself does not come naturally to me. I’m very accustomed to professional (concise, impersonal, factual) writing, but the act of writing something deeply personal and emotional feels different. It’s easy to rattle off details in a stream of consciousness sort of way, but organizing them, making them flow, choosing descriptive vocabulary, balancing narrative with dialog… it’s hard! And then the editing… ugh. I’ve had to push myself through many bouts of writer’s block, anxiety, a bit of depression when it seems like I’ve written myself into a corner, and many late nights of bleary-eyed proofreading.

Despite that though, I do enjoy it–when I’m succeeding and not pulling my hair out in frustration, anyway, and I do find it extremely rewarding after the work is done and I have a finished creation. 

Now when I read my story online, it’s hard to believe I wrote so much. It’s been a long haul. If I can get it going again, it’ll be an even longer journey to the end. Here’s hoping that we all make it that far!

I hope that’s a decent answer. Honestly, I just discovered a source a inspiration, and I was motivated enough to follow it and try to craft it into something bigger. That, and I’ve received some really great feedback and encouragement to help keep me going along the way. That makes all the difference. :)

[drealyn22]

I’m skipping over a couple of complicated questions because it’s taking me a long time just to answer the first one. They’re very good questions, worthy of careful consideration. I promise I will come back to them.

[drealyn22]

More responses to come. :)

[drealyn22]

(Part 4) BTW You were mentioned on ryukyuan-sunflower's blog! 🌻 My, my, my, how many fans so you have!? 😀 Sorry for the grammar and choice of words. English is my second language. I hope I will go to a school of languages to make it perfect one day.

Oh, wow! I’m surprised anybody over there still remembers me. :) 

[drealyn22]

(Part 3) So, your story is in my top favourite Samurai Champloo fanfics. I'm happy you are in this fandom. ❤ I also love reading your research on the anime and your thoughts on the characters. It's all very interesting. Thank you for exploring Fuu's character. In anime reviews I read there was little to none written about her, though 2 or 3 had good analysis about her. Do you have any favourite Samurai Champloo reviews? I hope you are doing well and I wish you all the best. 😘

Thank you so much for the kind praise. I’m not sure I deserve it, but I humbly accept. :)

I’ve enjoyed digging deeper into the characters’ personalities and relationships while trying to put my own spin on things. I’m very happy that readers are enjoying it. 

As far as reviews or analyses, it’s been over a year since I read any. Most weren’t very memorable, but the one that I kept going back to was this: http://www.spookhouse.net/angelynx/comics/amalgam.html

It’s very old and has somewhat of an outdated design, but the author has done a very thoughtful analyses of the characters (although short on details for Fuu), she has a full track listing of all music in the series with lyrics for some, and some of the best researched information I’ve found on mujushin kenjutsu. Some of the author’s details were new to me, and they gave me some leads I could follow up on to further my own knowledge.I don’t completely agree with all of the author’s opinions on the series, but everything is well thought out, and will probably get you thinking more deeply.

Also. I see that you’re a fan of Ryukyuan-Sunflower here on Tumblr (Fenrir’s Lockhart on FFN). She and I share an interest in history and a desire to incorporate it into our respective stories, so we’ve shared a lot of our research with one another. We have different interpretations of quite a few things, but like my previous recommendation, all of her work is very well thought out, and well researched. She just plain knows her shit, and she knows it so well that she can rattle off details and supporting facts off the top of her head without breaking a sweat. It’s really quite impressive.

I’m cautious with a lot of other reviews and analyses. People make some dubious claims, and others will copy/paste the information without verifying it, so it ends up all over the internet, even though it might be completely wrong. I’ve learned to do my own fact-checking. That’s actually how I got started on my research about Ryukyu!

Thank you again for the kind words!

EDIT: I meant to include a couple more links from Spookhouse, since their site is somewhat difficult to navigate.

Samurai Champloo episode guide; click on the thumbnails for the full details about each episode: http://www.spookhouse.net/angelynx/comics/champloo-episode-guide.html

Mujuushin Kenjutsu: http://www.spookhouse.net/angelynx/comics/no-abiding-mind-intro.html

Enjoy!

[drealyn22]

(Part 2) I rarely like OCs and their relationships with canon characters, but I love yours. Your story always keeps me in suspense. You have great understanding of the main characters and their relationships. You covered their mannerism, interactions, feelings and thoughts about each other, motives, traumas, way of thinking and etc. I enjoy reading about their character growth and developed relationships on the journey, but also exploration and evolution of those things after their journey.

[drealyn22]

(Part 1) I enjoyed reading your fanfic "No Roads Where We're Going". Just like with the anime Samurai Champloo, I will often return to immerse myself in your fanfic. Your writing is very vivid! I can create pictures in my mind with your words and imagine what the characters sense in their surroundings. I love that you separate the text with lines when you shift from one character's perspective to another. It makes a big difference. You also put a lot of thought in the headings, which is amazing.

[drealyn22]

I’m working on a response to the next message in my queue. No promises on a timeline... you guys ask some interesting and complicated questions! 

[drealyn22]

Hey, just wanted to say thank you for providing the thorough information regarding the Ryukyu islands. Having so much information in one place along with provided sources is a welcome find for me.

You are very welcome! If you happen to find any information that I haven’t already included, please feel free to send it to me, and I’ll add it to the list.

[drealyn22]

I see you did a lot of research for your fanfic "No Roads Where We're Going". That alone takes a lot of time and energy, but you did even more. You also analysed the main characters, the relationships between them and etc. I love that I'm reading a fanfic and a analyse at the same time. I hope you keep it up!

Yes, I’ve done a ton of research! It is very time consuming, which is one of the reasons why I’ve slowed down some. But I feel that it’s worth it, to give the story at least some basis in history, albeit stretched for dramatic and comedic effect. :)

I didn’t expect to get so swept up in topics like the history of the Ryukyu Islands. As it turns out, it’s a lot more complex than I realized when I started, and that only made me more intrigued. I’m really bad (or good?) at getting fixated on something that interests me, and then following it down a rabbit hole until I’m satisfied that all of my questions have been answered accurately and I have a solid grasp on the big picture. The real problem though is that I’m too detail oriented. I collect far more information than I actually need to do what I’m doing, but somehow, having the knowledge in my head makes me feel more complete, even if I’m not actively using it at the time. 

Oftentimes, I also follow through to related topics, and I end up with a whole web of information. That’s how my list of resources for researching Ryukyu was born. First it was geography and history, then the Paantu, and then language and culture, etc.

That being said, I do overwhelm myself with the amount of work it takes, and the multitude of tiny details that I get from it. It has been very difficult to find enough time, energy, and motivation in the past year or so. I’m trying so hard to get myself back into it!

Thank you again for the feedback. :)

[drealyn22]

(part 1) I recently read your fanfic "No Roads Where Were Going". Thank you for exploring the psychological state of the main characters. Although the series has done this itself, I am always looking for more and I can get that from the fandom. :-) I also like that I can recognize the characters in your fanfic, even though they are different from the one in the series. Three years have passed and I expected from them to mature greatly in that time. That also has an impact on the relationship...

Thanks for the feedback! I appreciate that you’ve taken the time to think about this. 

I’m glad that the characters are still recognizable in my story. It’s been my goal to represent both the original traits and personality quirks that I loved in the series, as well as push them towards a bit of personal growth and maturity. Hopefully that’s coming across. 

[drealyn22]

In the next few days, I’ll try to chip away at some of the messages I’ve yet to reply to. My apologies for the long delay!

[drealyn22]

5/15/2018:

Composition of Barefoot Cowgirl is officially back in session.

I haven’t done any work on No Roads Where We’re Going, other than re-reading it and cringing at my own bad writing habits.