#The other bits of that time were Mugen from Samurai Champloo

[sege-h]

Instead of sleeping right after Lupin, I decided to get right onto watching the first 2 eps of Cowboy Bebop because I was scared that the mood I finally caught would be gone the next day if I didn’t get right onto getting hooked

I knew I’d get hooked right off the bat bc it happened the first time I tried watching this series I was in high school then (jfc) and me picking up and dropping series even tho I was interested in them was fairly common. I’d be tired from school, I’d have no time, I’d be too anxious to do much except for sitting there doing nothing

I dont actually remember how far along I got. I know it wasnt far so maybe episode 3 or 4? Because I definitely know I got to where uhhhhhh....the lady??? Joins the cast, I dont remember/know her name

I don’t actually remember anything of episode 1. Some parts were vaguely familiar, but it was nothing like ‘oh this!!! I remember this!!! This is where X thing happens!’- at least with the visuals! The music brings the most sense of familiarity and me being like ‘oh yes, this!!’

I definitely remember episode 2 the most, that one did have those ‘oh, this!!!’ moments

But I knew it’d be the case because I swear my memories of this show up until now are ‘space, bounty hunt show, Spike, metal cheek plate man, lady, feral tech child, CORGI!!! CORGI CHASE!!! CORGI!!!!’

I remember ep 2 confusing me and Idk why. Like I was confused why the corgi was being chased? But now I perfectly understood it so...Idk. Since I was in high school, I know my english was p good already, both spoken and written. Maybe I’d just been having a low focus day when I’d watched it? Probably, given how tired I tended to be (well I’m still tired but like...EXTRA tired because school. ‘After school tired’ is a different beast)

I have OC thoughts bc when don’t I but I will leave those for the tags

[cryptidmads]

good evening nsr community, i went through the ama from today and came back with an armful or two of lore. there’s a bunch more than last time, and i included bbj as well as the npcs. cozy up, check under the cut, and prepare for a long read. enjoy!

today's ama featured wan hazmer and daim dziauddin again, as well as concept artist ellie and animator ben fong.

BUNK BED JUNCTION (FT. DK WEST)

- mayday and zuke live in the sewers because they're an underground band. it's a pun - there were originally two variations of bbj leaving the sewers - one with mayday hi-fiving gigi (which had a 95% chance of happening), and one with zuke awkwardly fumbling and attempting to hi-five gigi (which had a 5% chance) - one of the inspirations for mayday and zuke were the two main characters of samurai champloo (zuke was jin, mayday was mugen) - someone asked about if the rest of the cast had their own shadow puppets. ben suggested a lemur for mayday, while ellie suggested a zucchini for zuke. she may have been joking. - mayday's guitar solos were done by different people, but zuke's drum solos were all done by bruno valverde. - zuke was the one who implemented the canister thing into mayday's guitar. - someone asked who of the cast are the introverts and who are the extroverts. mayday is an extrovert, zuke is an introvert. - the team does have a bit of lore for mayday and zuke and how they met, but they want to save it in case of a future project. - mayday was inspired by both genevieve from company of thieves and the unbreakable kimmy schmidt. - ben did the animation for mayday swinging the hammer in the workshop. - haz recalls seeing some fanart of mayday being brought up as a rich girl. he doesn't remember the artist, but he does like the idea. - the japanese version has zuke say he has a phd rather than a master's degree. this is apparently a mistake. - the pattern on zuke's pants was inspired by jolyne cujoh and prosciutto from jojo's bizarre adventure. - zuke's toilet seat collection came partially from a story from one of the environmental artists where one of their high school friends pranked another friend with a toilet seat. - zuke does a lot of reading and is naturally inquisitive about things like tech and mechanics. - dk west's shadow puppet abilities might run in the family, and zuke may have it as well. - both zuke and dk west are connected by percussion (zuke with the drums, west with the hand claps) - zuke and west weren't always designed to be related -- west was originally designed as "some guy who comes and goes," but was made into zuke's brother later on in production - dk west is an extrovert.

DJ SUBATOMIC SUPERNOVA

- djss' dj name is obviously a stage name, but the team didn't have a real name for him in the script or anything. - haz joked that his name is bob salad. that's not canon but from what i seen the chat loved it lol - haz brings up the symbolism of djss spinning the planets around himself and how it represents that he thinks of himself as the center of the universe. - ellie helped design the districts, and something she noted about dj's is that it's supposed to look the "slummiest" because he cares more about himself and less about things like blackouts. - dj had some lines cut from his boss fight. those lines? mini lectures towards bbj during every phase. they were cut because the team felt like they were too much for the game, but they want to share them one day. - daim says that dj could be either introverted or extroverted becuase of how much time he spends alone looking at the stars. - dj was never planned to have an approach segment, but funk fiction wasn't told that, so he made him an approach theme anyway. - dodo ice pops are traffic light flavoured, which is a popular ice cream in malaysia. it's strawberry, pineapple, and lime flavored.

SAYU AND THE NERD SQUAD

- three of sayu's creators were based on staff members at metronomik. remi (voiced by ben) was based on one of the programmers and one of the environmental artists (ellie calls him "the lovechild of two dudes"), tila was based on (and voiced by) ellie herself, and dodo was based on danish mak (another environmental artist who also voices him). - sofa wasn't based on anyone in particular, he was more of a "general otaku guy" according to ellie (though haz joked that ellie could just say he was based on him). - dodo is daim's favorite npc -- he also designed him! - sayu was ellie's favorite character to design. she loves drawing mermaids. - the progression in sayu's fight where you go deeper into the "ocean" is supposed to be a metaphor for going deeper into the internet/the deep web. - ellie suggested that if sayu were to have a shadow puppet, it would be a cat. - as for the introvert/extrovert debate, daim says sayu is technically comprised of 4 introverts. sayu herself is the extrovert mask they wear. - sayu's ahoge is a submarine periscope. remi looks through it in one of the cutscenes. - sayu's not a mech. she's remotely controlled by her creators from their computer room. - the backstory between remi and tila is meant to show that artists can come from all sorts of backgrounds.

YINU AND MAMA

- yinu's promotional video was one of the first ones done before they brought in lzbros, so it originally looked different from how it looks in the game now. - yinu's mother's eyes are yellow because she spends most of the fight focusing on yinu (who is mainly yellow). when her eyes go blank white, it represents that she's momentarily forgotten what she loves the most. when her eyes become yellow again after the fight, it means she's remembered yinu and her piano playing. - the way ellie describes natura is that yinu is a plant and her mother is very protective of her, and one of the distinctive features is that there are a lot of domes with plants inside, particularly on the roofs of the houses. - yinu's commercial was not intended to reference little miss fortune. the commercial was shown in 2018, while LMF came out a year later. - yinu's mom turning into a giant tree monster isn't exclusive to her just being angry at bbj. apparently the whole plant thing runs in the yinu family.

1010

- 1010's concept as a boy band had been around since before the team started production, but they were the last to be fully designed -- their designs weren't finalized until way later on. - 1010 were ellie’s least favorite characters to design. she doesn't like drawing guys OR robots. - 1010's early designs had them wearing tuxedos. - 1010 do have memories. - the inspiration for the butt plates came from one of ben's gundam figures from his collection in the metronomik office. thanks ben. - ellie's favorite member of 1010 is purl-hew/blue. - eloni/green is apparently the rapper of the group. - the jingle you hear from the carousel in metro division is a carnival remix of 1010's boss theme. - the numbers underneath 1010's names on the autographs are completely random.

NEON J

- neon j is a dancer. daim explains that in addition to being in the navy, dance has always been his true passion. - in the final phase of 1010's fight, he was originally supposed to control the dance moves of the factory as he was fighting you, but it was cut due to limited resources. - daim designed neon j based on ellie's designs for 1010. - neon j's factory's dance moves were all animated by ben -- no mocap needed. the factory was also his favorite thing to animate. - daim says that "neon j is to tatiana as soundwave is to megatron." basically he is extremely loyal to tatiana. - neon j was one of earliest members of nsr. - neon j seeing 1010 as his sons wasn't planned, but daim loves the concept so much that he could see it being canon. - daim says neon j's brain is "probably" still inside the monitor head. somehow. - neon j is an extrovert. - haz likes the idea of neon j being blind and using his sonar to "see" things. ben joked that the screen worked like giant glasses. - neon j originally had red dots that would pop up on his face when the sonar moved by that were meant to represent acne, and that would've been the reason why he's mostly behind the scenes.

EVE

- in mayday's side of the room when eve splits up bbj, the hands all over the walls are meant to be there to show how eve is angrier at mayday than she is at zuke. - the time signature for the music in mayday's room during the fight is 6/8, whereas in zuke's room it's 4/4. - ellie suggested a platypus shadow puppet for eve. the rest of the team seems to be on board. - eve was ben's least favorite character to animate. he said he struggled with animating her dance moves because it was something he'd never done before, and he still doesn't think he did a good enough job. - eve was born with her split skin tone. - apparently eve's near scrapping had something to do with costs. haz was the one who stopped it from happening. - eve's outfit was partly inspired by beyonce, while her jacket was partly inspired by ariana grande. the team took some inspiration from bjork, as well. - the sleeves on eve's jacket were apparently limbs at one point. - eve is an introvert.

NPCS/OTHER CHARACTERS

- part of tatiana's symbolism is how she used to be a rock star, but her flame/passion slowly burned away, and now she's just a rock, referencing how she was literally on fire as the rock star kul fyra, but now looks burnt out. - daim thinks kliff is older than tatiana, probably over 50. - in addition to the neon j dance lore mentioned above, kayane rambling about neon j after the 1010 fight was supposed to be connected to her watching neon j dance. - ben and haz's favorite npc is mia, and ellie's is dj zam. - dj zam was inspired by one of ellie's college friends, who she says "makes you feel comfortable to be around". - ellie thinks dj zam's neck tattoo says "i love mom". - amal the unicorn was inspired by lady amalthea from the 80's animated film "the last unicorn". he was originally written to be a real talking unicorn, but it was changed partially because his horn wasn't in the right spot on his head. - zed was based on game designer dzaid and has hyperacusis, a hearing disorder that makes it difficult to deal with everyday sounds. - yiruk's name is an anagram of kiryu, the protagonist of the yakuza games. - chef sunshine's design is a homage to julia child. she originally had a bigger physique, but was changed to match lylia's bubbly performance.

[bunnyywritings]

May I request headcanons for Azula (avatar: the last airbender) with a female s/o who’s a lot like Mugen from samurai champloo pwease

 fem!s/o like Mugen from Samurai Champloo

[a/n: Samurai Champloo had been on my watchlist for the longest time now and when I got the request, I binge watched half of the season in a night and when I tell you I fell in love with that man 🥵 thank you for being my first ATLA request anon! enjoy ! -yours truly, bunnyy-`ღ´-]

ϟ you had been friends with both Zuko and Azula during your childhood, well you were more friends with Zuko than her

ϟ it irked her that you were always so sweet and kind, you were by no means a pushover but you had a soft spot

ϟ she would bully you just to see if she could make you snap, it never worked but you did snap when she was pushing her brother around and bothering him

ϟ the only reason you had ever played with them was because your mom was good friends with Ursa and your father was an adviser on General Iroh’s war ship

ϟ once Ozai was in power, both your parent mysteriously vanished just like Ursa had

ϟ you had set off on your own, determined to find them and that’s when you learned off what was going on outside of the fire nation. cities being burned to the ground, people being hustled by the soldiers for “protection fees”...it was infuriating

ϟ you were still searching for your parents but you definitely knocked some heads along the way, your talent had been wielding the dual swords. something your dad taught you when you were younger

ϟ you had used up all the money that your parents had left for food, shelter, and other things

ϟ you had just finished an odd job and made your way to some dingy bar to look for some food, you liked being a traveler because in places like this because no one cared if you were fire nation or water nation...no one cared

ϟ “how are the two of you such idiots?! How could you lose their trail?!” That shrill and condescending voice was all too familiar, you cringed and hoped that none of the three saw you

ϟ “Hey Azula, isn’t that-”

ϟ “(Y/N)!!” Mai was cut off by Ty Lee’s excited squeal. You grit your teeth and slowly turned around to face their table

ϟ “Well, well, well...if it isn’t little (y/n) all grown up. So this is where you ran off to, a place for degenerate wash-ups? Pathetic.” She picked at her nails apathetically, she barely had time to react to the ringing of your sword as you had positioned yourself behind her, knife at her throat

ϟ “Don’t think for a second that just because you’re royalty means that I won’t hesitate to take you down a notch!” You growled, rousing an almost nervous chuckle from her

ϟ “Oh yeah?” Her voice was strained. “Well I’d like to see you try, especially with them around.” You looked up to see the rough rhinos not too far off as they tried to shoot you menacing glares

ϟ “Don’t tempt me princess, I’d love an excuse to get rid of the riding idiots.” it was something about the way you called her ‘princess’ in such a vile tone, the way your sword was just as cold as your words, and the way your breath felt against her neck

ϟ her heart skipped a beat

ϟ I think being in a relationship with Azula would be quite difficult at first

ϟ both your personalities clashed, you were pretty laid back for the most part and she was a bit high strung, not to mention very socially awkward too (we all remember that beach episode...)

ϟ but once you get past the daddy issues, trust issues, and want for control then I think she’d be a very attentive girlfriend

ϟ she’d be very good at reading you and knowing when something’s off, especially if your being very stressed instead of your usual ‘go with the flow’ vibe

ϟ being with you definitely makes her a more relaxed person

ϟ your playful nature definitely frustrated her, for example:

ϟ she’s the type of person to give long, sensual kisses

ϟ she likes the feeling of your soft lips against hers, the feeling of your body under the palms of her hands, the way your breath hitched when she slipped a bit of tongue into it, she loved leaving you breathless

ϟ your kisses were deep but you pulled away too soon for her liking, you basically had her chasing for your lips at times, nipping at her bottom lip playfully. she would pout before pulling you in once more, your confident quips had her blushing

ϟ “you really want to kiss me that bad?”  “Are my lips that sweet?” “Running back for more? It’s almost like you’re addicted~”

ϟ she’d be very apprehensive about showing affection, her family never was affectionate, she never saw her parents hug or kiss...so it’s strange for her but when you guys cuddle for the first time, she’s hooked

ϟ she’s definitely little spoon, this touch starved sweetheart would love the feeling of your chest under her head, big or small, she loves to lay on ‘em

ϟ there’s definitely moments where she gets insecure about the relationship you’ve built but if you hold her and press kisses all over your face AND whisper sweet nothings and reassuring words, she’d melt under your touch

ϟ Zuko absolutely loves you and so does Iroh

ϟ they often invite you to have tea at the jasmine dragon, which you 7 times out of 10 drag Azula along with you

ϟ they love seeing the two of you interact because Azula seems much happier

ϟ and you’re definitely happier too

[ryukyuan-sunflower]

Hi hi! I just wanted to ask how often you update your fic! I’m really excited to start reading it, as I love stories over 100k and I am just so happy to find something so eloquently written! I am not looking forward to not having any more chapters to read, but I am a patient person! I just wanted to know what your schedule is like and if it is anywhere near the end? :)

Hiya :D So this is a bit complicated for me to answer. Not because of you, but because of how I'm working on Finding the Four-Eyed Samurai.

The short answer is, it generally takes me 1 month to complete a chapter. Chapters are around 10,000 - 20,000 words and usually require a lot of research, whether historical, atmospheric or simply going back and rewatching scenes from the anime that are referenced or alluded to.

But...since April 2020, I have posted 9 new chapters, a one-shot, and rewrote Chapters 13-19. So that's...17 chapters in 10 months?

I've also just finish rewriting Chapters 8 and 9 but can't post them yet. So that's...19?

*sweating* That's a lot more than one a month.

Basically, now, I write...A LOT. Every day, when I can. Whether it's actually writing, or researching, or planning. The thing is, my updates before 2020 were not nearly that fast... And this is where the problem lies in answering about my updates.

The earliest chapters were written 9 years ago when I was a young teen. And they are not written good. I probably have lost so many readers who read those chapters and immediately backed out. I'm still surprised so many people decided to trudge through it, to see my writing grow through the years. (It still needs work even now but...)

As of now, I will not be posting Chapter 46 until all the early chapters are rewritten. This will take me a couple more months. And then, they will all be posted together. Now, when i say "rewrite", I don't mean I'm just revising for typos, and rewording sentences to sound better. I mean I'm literally OVERHAULING the plot of Chapters 1-12. The only things that have generally stayed the same is Mugen and Fuu's dialogue. (So don't worry about losing out on a favorite interaction! Those don't change.)

To give you some context of these "OVERHAULS", I'll talk about the rewrite of the "ghost arc" of Chapters 10 and 11.

Original on the Website now (posted when I was 14): Chapter 10-11. Just two chapters and around 10,000 words total.. Complete fluff, in which Mugen and Fuu get stuck in the rain and stay at an abandoned manor that may just be haunted. That's it... No plot, no other characters, just fun Mugen x Fuu interactions.

Revision to be Posted in May, 2021: Four Chapters now spanning 8-11, totaling around 50,000 words. (five times as long as the original). Yes, Mugen and Fuu get stuck in the rain again. Yes, Mugen and Fuu stay in a haunted manor again. However, this time, there's plot relevance that makes it feel more like a Samurai Champloo "episode". Not just fluff.

-During Obon Festival in Edo, they meet with a Shugendo Buddhist monk named Taikan in a temple graveyard, when Fuu is paying her Obon respects to Shinsuke (who died in Edo in the anime Ep 7.) This monk is heading to Bancho, Edo to perform an "exorcism" on a Hatamoto samurai's wife with strange behavior. The manor is infested with black worms which are believed to be associated with this "demon" or "ghost". Because Mugen and Fuu are starving, and have no place to sleep in the coming downpour, Taikan offers to bring them along to become servants to the manor's owner: Aoyama, and his "possessed" wife Chouka. It becomes a sort of mystery/horror arc in finding out what is causing the bizarre incidences in the house, still full of Mugenx Fuu interactions too, of course. (Even more than before actually!) But it also gives some references to real history, and a more meaningful reason for the chapter's existence and the characters' growth.

That is just one example! The Kokoro and the Yakuza arc, and Mugen and Fuu remeeting also need to be heavily rewritten too!

Now, for your very last question... Is the story anywhere near it's end?

Finding the Four Eyed Samurai is planned to span 60 total chapters. After revisions, I will be back to writing the new Chapter 46. One posted every month, likely starting in July 2021. So that leaves only 15 chapters left. It seems like a lot... (which it is, considering that's roughly over 150k words left to write) However, in context to the whole story...that's only 1/4th left to go. I already have the rest of their journey plotted out...And, it's strangely sad for me to think about. Hm...After revisions and all chapters, FTFES might just be around 800k words??? Um???

But yes! UM.

I highly recommend waiting until May to read the early chapters, when they are all rewritten. However, if you've already managed to get past the first 12 chapters, then thank you so much for trudging through that... And I hope you will still go back and read the new revisions when they're posted in May or June. I put a lot of work into them, just as much as writing all-new chapters.

Thank you so much for the questions, and for your interest in my Fanfic!!! It means so much to me, and just inspired me to go into writing mode today :D

May I ask if you have already started reading it yet? And if you have, what chapter are you on?

[divisibleby12]

Explorations of Samurai Champloo and why Fuu is the strongest character (in my opinion)

It’s such a powerful story: chance, luck, journey, your blood family and the family that you choose... your past, and almost one-shot or “drabbles” where each episode is some random adventure that doesn’t “flow,” but it does... in how in these random adventures, their friendship grows, each character grows, and they get one step closer to finding forgiveness, or redemption... peace from their past... so that each of the can move forward, on their own… “back to where they started.” It’s a very realistic take on life (even when it’s not). And because of the friendships and memories they created none them of the same anymore at the end. I find myself repeatingly being drawn back to Samuria Champloo—when I find myself back at a “forkway” in my own life—when I am sentimental about the goodbyes I have had to say, but also trying my best to move forward.... like Fuu, Mugen, and Jin.

1. Each character, in his or her own way, are somehow rebelling against the government. They refuse to obey in one way or another, rejecting the written rules that society has created. And yet Jin and Mugen are held to a some wisp of a young lady by an individual sense of duty they can’t ignore—a promise held down only through spoken word and understanding. When you really think about it, its almost ridiculous: Jin and Mugen are both two extremely powerful and dangerous men who have only relied on their own ability, strength, and words for survival. They both, for their own different reasons, reject the arbitrary rules and standards this new changing society is being built on... and yet, they are held to an innocent teenage girl by nothing more than a “pinky promise.” Furthermore, we are are constantly reminded of the importance connections and ties of family or groups, and yet in a world that money and contracts (written word) is increasingly becoming important, Jin, Mugen, and Fuu, who owe absolutely nothing to each other and aren’t family, are put through life and death experiences, and are delicately held together only by spoken word and understanding—by a pinky promise. It’s almost comical, and that’s espeically true in Mugen’s case (explored and more starkly highlighted in the episode where Mugen’s past is confronted). But that’s extremely powerful too, in a world in and age where only the written rules or words matter, here are people who still trying to do the right thing... abide by the unspoken rules of honor, duty, and virtue... even if for the initial reasons may be somewhat misguided or selfish. 

2. Which brings us to the dynamic and growth of each character. Mugen and Jin are opposites; Mugen is the anti-hero and Jin is the traditional hero... the “perfect samurai.” So of course they hate each other; they each represent to each other what they despise or hate about the world. Jin believes in order, rules, and structure (although he rejects this new society where honor means nothing), and Mugen rejects society and all its rules because he’s the “lowest of the low;” he has no place in society so he forces his way through. And then there is Fuu, not a samurai herself, but the daughter of a samurai. And she’s the youngest, and the “weakest,” but also have the strongest heart. She isn’t tied down by titles or rules and from the beginning, never judges other by their title, appearances, or past: she has an open-mindedness that Mugen and Jin don’t have.  No matter how much they try, both Mugen and Jin are still tied down by society and it’s rules... Mugen because he can never have a place, and Jin because he doesn’t know what his place is anymore. Mugen, no matter how hard he tries, cannot bring himself up... branded by his tattoos and his past. And you can see that through their dynamics. Jin is ironically, although the most quiet, is also the most honest (I owe this to his upbringing; he was trained to put emotions aside so his skills could progress, devoting one self completely to a cause greater than yourself. That doesn’t just happen; that comes only with hardwork and devotion). Mugen and Fuu are on the other hand, are much more emotional, with Mugen being the most dishonest; that although he is rather dumb and simple (where his actions always reveal what he is really feeling), he never actually speaks those truths. Mugen is brash and angry, bringing chaos wherever he goes... but that speaks to the hurt he is carrying.... hurt that he won’t ever admit to... maybe doesn’t even realize he is carrying (since that’s all he knows). Society rejects him, so he rebels through actions and chaos; forcing their acknowledgement, even if its scorn; kill or be killed. Fuu is dishonest too, but that is because she is young, immature, and scared. But she grows, and because of her heart and care, faces those fears and herself as well. 

3. Which brings me back to Fuu. Fuu represents, to me, the power and hope of our youth. She’s not tied down by the same things the boys are; instead, she must struggle with how to bring forward the values of the samurai-- honor and a strong sense of duty-- into this new world. But she is young... and alone. She doesn’t have the same skills the boys do... so she must provide for herself another way: by asking for help and rely on others. And to many, that would be defined as weak, but that’s actually why I believe she is the strongest character. At every turn, she literally gambles her life on the whim of others... and she’s scared. It’s why she constantly nags them, and is so annoying (prompting them to abandon her at the beginning)-- she knows they could leave at any time. Her own blood father abandoned her and her mother... and her mother is died; she is no stranger to being left behind. And here she is, two strangers tied to her only with a flimsy promise that she helped save their lives once. She knows it’s a gamble, and due to her youth, can’t help but complain about it or get into throwing petty arguments at them. She’s insecure and scared, and she desperately doesn’t want them to leave her, but if her own mother and father left her... well... I think she knows this reality deeper than any of them. She’s pragmatic, although a bit crazy, and forgives extremely easily... being both selfish but never really caring about herself at the same time. 

You see this when the first time they left her and they’re reunited at the brothel. Instead of scolding them for leaving her -- no use really -- she scolds them for not remember their promise not to kill each other. But it’s not Jin that comes back and saves the day.... it’s Mugen.... Mugen ,the “anti-hero.” Mugen, who has a flashback of her, and can’t ignore her, for whatever reason: honestly, their “duty” has probably already been fulfilled when they saved her the first time... thus the reason why Jin probably doesn’t save her (no need?). But Mugen relies on his instincts, and something about her he couldn’t ignore. Maybe it’s stubbornness... of never having to get by without any help from anyone, and here is some little bitch who decided to help him (psft, he doesn’t need her and refuses to be in debt to anyone), or because too... of who she was.. because of her overwhelming kindness and even bravery... and we see how she forgives people over and over for unforgivable things. And Mugen... deep downs... I think wants to be forgiven too... to be given a place.. to be cared for. And Fuu forges a place for both men; both men who were lost and passive... just... going with the flow, but Fuu, even though she was scared, took action, and took them along with her by sheer will. She saved them... even if they were the ones always saving her. 

For Fuu was never afraid to speak up for what was right. Mugen had no means to “speak up” except to well… kill. Jin had no means either, except to protect the weak against corrupt lords and government. But it didn’t necessarily change much; still stuck and lost. But Fuu’s determination to never back down, and with the two protecting her, making sure her voice of justice didn’t (literally) die… maybe still, in the end, didn’t dramatically bring any change… it didn’t bring down the government or anything… but it did change them. It gave them all the courage and the ability to face and reconcile with their pasts. And throughout their whole journey… they were able to bring small changes and victories throughout the different places and people they touched… and that does, in the end, make a difference… even if it’s just small grain in the sand… but it’s still something. And Mugen... found peace... and even forgiveness... the “anti-hero” who ended up being the hero who helped Fuu complete her mission of meeting the samurai who smelled like sunflowers (while Jin was there to help clean up the remaining mess). Mugen didn’t believe he was worthy... for all his bark and fighting back, he was insecure too... no room for forgiveness.. that he was unloveable. But Fuu... believed in him, gave up her own selfishness so Mugen didn’t have to be alone (because they all understood each other quite well at the end). That was Mugen, and even Jin’s... way of thanking her, and giving her back love. Jin would have stayed with her; he would have been content with that I think. Maybe he didn’t find a master or lord to serve... didn’t find a cause to serve... but he found friends... and thus found a new definition of “how to serve.” Mugen, who never obeyed anyone, and never ruling over anyone else... willingly choose to sacrifice, willingly choose to listen to others...  isn’t that love? And Fuu... who never tried to bend others to her will... she just accepted, let her own heart grow instead of trying to change others; let go of control, and ultimately... letting go of that control is what gave her freedom, I think.. to just accept others for who they are. And that acceptable, in the end, saved them all, I think. They were stronger together (when the boys rather just believe they could be strong on their own) and Mugen and Jin would have never been able to understand or see that, if it was not for Fuu.... bringing them together. 

And just like in real life… may be we don’t always live to see how justice plays out… and we come to say goodbyes to the ones we love. But those small changes stay with us... and it makes us all stronger, as we move forward with the blood family we had no choice with, with the family & friends & actions we choose, and love throughout this journey.  

[blacktribbles]

Peaches 🍑 &

Anime Dreams ⭐️

I don’t think many people dream of growing up and living in the same city their entire life. Not being able to see different things outside their own world and limiting their world view. Unfortunately it happens, maybe far too often to count. I hoped and prayed that would never happen to me; as I got older and began to travel a bit more I began to realize how much I love the area I’m in, how much I love the Greater Philadelphia area. However, I promised myself that there are a few cities in the US that I MUST travel to and get a feel for, for when I eventually do leave the area that raised me (inevitable due to future career wants). One of those cities was Atlanta Georgia, and what better reason to go to the state where the players play, and people ride out like everyday, than to go to Momocon and celebrate a special birthday with some friends.

The crew that was riding with me were My homie Mike (aka the Wizard Tribble), his girlfriend Gabe (Director, Producer, and 1 half of the horror podcast “The Ghouls Next Door) and my girlfriend Kat (Producer and the other half of “The Ghouls Next Door). We flew in early Friday morning and hit the ground running when we landed in Atlanta. Things moved quickly in the airport. It was wide open, thoroughly organized with no real confusion, which I was not used to from the Philadelphia airport where pigeons would just sit and claim their spot to a seat right beside you in the airport. There was also this air of safety that honestly rubbed my Philadelphian grit in an odd way but I was very appreciative it was noticed. First time in a new city, the first thing anyone wants is some confirmation of safety.

Once we stepped outside, leaving the comfort of the ATL airport that safeguarded us with AC, we were blessed by the loving and excessive sun. Back home in PA the weather consistently flip flops, unsure of what season it wants to be throughout the day let alone the week. Here in Georgia though, in the city of Atlanta, it was bright and sunny all day and week long with a high of 95 and low of about 63 at night. It felt wonderful knowing that there was going to be a steady weather condition to prepare for. The sun was kissing my skin, invoking the power of my melanin–while burning some of my friends. They enjoyed it all the same luckily.

We arrived early to ATL, early enough to call a ride to the nearby diner to get some good southern breakfast in our systems. From the airport to the diner it felt like we were being taken on a small ATL tour. Passing by us was beautiful scenery, birds chirping, healthy, luscious green trees–adding a perfect amount of nature to the populated urban jungle. The letters GT were everywhere for Georgia Tech. A university that seemed to just keep expanding its territory wherever we roamed. The architecture of the city was sleek, not overly futuristic but reminiscent of Philly. It was modern with some buildings taking a design chance on aesthetics; adding in solar panels, wide open glass roof structures, inverted and curved buildings, the chances taken weren’t over the top and did just enough to stand out. Definitely caught my eye.

We finally arrived at a diner close to where we stayed—Silver Skillet Diner, a place that has hosted the likes of Samuel L. Jackson, and Dave Chappelle to name a few. It’s here that my friends and I are able to take Atlanta in more and notice that yep, this may not be Texas but things sure are thiccer (Yes with 2 C’s) down here in the south. We ordered our meals, with everyone of us making sure to get a bowl of grits–mine as a side to my chicken and waffles. Which, were so crispy yet tender. Only made better by the soft waffles and the sticky sweet syrup to combo it all together perfectly. We finish up and pay our bill. Finally we head to our Airbnb.

We get there and are blown away at the place. Nice balcony, modern furniture with a TV in every room, kitchen is dope and has a beautiful island for us to eat at and lean on. The bathrooms are HUGE and the bedrooms are perfectly fitted for 2. To top it off we had access to a summer lounge area that led to a nice pool and fitness center. Place was so good we had to take a instagram video of it. We were in prime location. Downtown Atlanta, right next to the expressway, walking distance from markets and other restaurants, clothing chains and if we didn’t want to walk we could scooter around wherever we wanted to. Yes, I said scooter around. Not like kick push scooter but motorized. Rideshare companies like Lyft & Uber have motorized scooters you can take by going through the same process as you would by ordering a driver except it’s cheaper and you scan a QRcode to activate the scooter. When you’re finished using it, you hop off, pay and just leave it. Drivers come around later in the day and pick up said scooters and recharge them for later use. It was the strangest but coolest thing to see. Definitely had too much fun bending coroners whipping the scooters like I was in rocket power.

After unpacking and taking more IG photos of our Airbnb, it was time to hit the scene and check out the hype around Momocon. What started out as just a “pick up my badge and go” operation turned into a full storm of fun and adventure. When we arrived at Momocon we took it like any other convention and didn’t pay it much attention, the jaded-ness of being a frequent convention goer showing. That is until we got our badges. We got them, so finally we had access to everything the convention had to offer. We rushed the escalators and slid down the rails to do so again until we reached the convention floor. The choices laid out before were the vendors alley, or the gaming hall. We chose the gaming hall for day one.

A concert of echoing laser sounds, dance taps, sirens, alarms, and winning shouts filled the floor and us with it, enveloped in its energy joined the fray. Game after game we played. Putting our bid to even win some the next day. New friends were made, cosplays were stellar, and I got to chill with one of my favorite Pokémon–Blastoise.

We caught wind of a very rare concert happening that night. One my close friend and I have been dying to see. It was the Bytes & Beats Nujabes Tribute concert featuring the NPC Collective, Richie Branson, Asheru, And our favorites–Substantial and Shing02. If you know anything about great anime then you know about Samurai Champloo. An anime that still stylistically, artistically, and musically, holds up and stands the test of time. Those who watched Samurai Champloo leave with a spirit of hypeness and angsty rebellion. That is if they’re the Mugen type. Those like myself who align more like Jin, feel the counter balance energy of flow. The subtle and instinctual vibrations of being in one's element–just riding the current. One of the biggest things to enjoy about Samurai Champloo is its music. Samurai Champloo had a lot of its music crafted by a Japanese DJ named Nujabes. In my eyes, Nujabes is a god among DJ’s. Shoot, a whole generation of young adults and older can thank him for all the music that inspired if not created the genre of chill-hop & lo-fi.

It was the type of music that could soothe the savage beast, could bring you to this place of perfect concentration like you took the limitless pill. The Beats Nujabes crafted was the type of music that makes you think of the perfect weekend drive by sunset cruising the city blocks or mountain roads or the plains of the countryside–windows down with your one arm doing the free flowing roller coaster motion. That feel good–I’m alive vibe. Then topped with the lyrical stylings of artists like Substantial and Shing02, enhanced everything passed the stratosphere and takes the listener to this otherworldly plain of profound worldly views and humbleness. Even with the uptempo joints it felt like every artist that blessed the track, and Nujabes blessing the beat, it just spoke humble confidence. In short, Nujabes was that dude!

Nujabes collaborated with many artists, but the two that he collaborated with and stood out the most were Substantial and Shing02. He worked on joint albums with both (that are historic for chill-hop culture and must listens) but it was with Shing02 specifically that the two together blessed anime fans worldwide as they collaborated on the intro theme song to Samurai Champloo–Battle Cry. A song so enigmatic that just the utterance of its name begins to make my head bop in rhythmic hip hop fashion. Needless to say, we were going to that damn concert!

It was Friday night, we were in Atlanta, we were looking fly, it’s our first time ever at Momocon and quite possibly our first and only time at this Nujabes tribute concert. We were gonna make sure we had a great fucking time. We did everything possible to make sure we got up close and personal to the stage. I may have stuff-armed a person or two….We made sure to take in all the ambience and to not miss a single beat nor lyric felt or heard. We expected greatness and would be damned if we didn’t have a chance to bear witness to it up close and personal.

The concert began and we were taken to a land of hip hop joy, geek excellence, and a dream fulfilled. The concert started at 11pm and didn’t end till about 3am. For those who waited and held out to the very end like my friends and I were treated to a very special rendition of Battle Cry. A new version with verses from every artist that graced the stage prior, and instrumental solos. This shit was absolutely BONKERS and I LOVED every single moment of it. I’ll add, it was made even better that after the show, the artists came out and interacted with the fans. A humble group of men for sure.

Friday was a blockbuster hit in our books. What happened on Saturday though put everything over the top.

Saturday was special. It was Kat’s birthday and all of us were doing our first ever group cosplay. We decided a while back that we’d do the teen titans in casual attire. This was based off the popular artwork of Gabriel Picolo. So, for me that meant I got to embody a character that I along with many others believe I emulate–Cyborg. I dawned the cybernetic blue and steel grey and white face paint, put on a DC Comics Cyborg shirt to rep him even harder, and topped it off with a colorful playstation jacket. Your man was looking fresh out here. To round out our cast of titans was Kat as Raven, Mike as Robin/Nightwing and Gabe as Starfire. Our rule was if we see a Beast Boy, we adopt him for a family photo; and sure enough we did.

We bursted into Momocon towards the backend of a DC vs Marvel Photoshoot. We got a couple pictures taken there then dispersed to get our own in front of the Momocon banner. That’s when it began to happen. It started off quietly by a singular person, then it built into a loud murmur from everyone I see, then it finally erupts into a loud “DOPE COSPLAY CYBORG” from groups of people. Wherever we went I was getting noticed, our team and group cosplay was getting noticed. I don’t think we ever knew it would become such a big deal. I know I didn’t at the time until it was pointed out to me that, every teen titans cosplay done by a group is ALWAYS lacking a Cyborg; everyone but ours. It was a moment that really struck home for me. It began to make more sense as the day progressed. Little kids were coming up to me saying “BOOYAH!” and singing the teen titans theme song. People loved us, they wanted our pictures, put us in videos, stopped what they were doing just to chat with us. It was major. It without a shadow of a doubt drove home the message to me that representation matters. I know some out there will say it’s not super important but after Momocon, after seeing little black boys and girls smile with joy and sing teen titans with me, after they get excited by the utterance of the word booyah by another black character, that families start showing me off to their kid cosplayers and other adult cosplayers of color pause everything because they NEED to take a photo with you...you just can’t ignore how important that is. To be able to see yourself as a hero. To see oneself as greater than for once, when most of–if not all of society says you can only fit into these certain boxes. To see someone else that looks like you in a positive light; that’s all it takes to break a negative cycle, that’s all it takes to create another hero. For a small moment in time, I was inspiring to those around me; and I hope that the sliver of inspiration that I sparked stays ignited in those I met. I know it surely will with me.

But I digress.

Beyond the massive success of our group cosplay, beyond the elation and fun had for Kat’s birthday, the icing on the cake was being able to meet a famous cosplayer by the name of KieraPlease. This was after an intense dance dance revolution session in which I sat and recorded video and got exhausted looking at everyone else go. It was pure happenstance, which resulted into pure happiness when we finally met. I don’t get starstruck often but I must say, words failed me for our brief interaction. I saw her, saw my friends, and shot my shot at a possible chat and photo opportunity for us all. I took the shot and it went in (KOBE!!). After the picture she hugged us all and had a nice conversation with the Ghouls (Kat & Gabe) which I’m sure made their day if the hug didn’t already. It’s great to note that as a team, we have this cosplay thing down well. When a pro says you got it, you freaking got it! More so, it was better to finally meet someone your used to seeing on a cellphone or laptop screen. A living breathing tangible person, who quite honestly is living her best life fully and truly can be looked at as a symbol of positivity; a role model even. Just like that, day two was in the books.

So, I think I brought you along far enough on my experience in ATL. Detailing 2 key days. Now let me change things up on you a bit and give you my overall thoughts of Atlanta and Momocon as a whole.

Atlanta itself is a hotbed of culture. On the weekend we went, that weekend alone had a bevy of major events happening all weekend long. There was Momocon, Caribbean festival and parade, a food festival, and Stone Mountain fireworks and light show to name a few. As one of our lyft drivers said, ATL is a hotbed of culture because it is made up of a lot of different cultures and people from around the US. Atlanta has its own swagger but it is the culmination of others that has shaped the way it is today. Atlanta is a Transplant City. Many people are moving to Atlanta because of the opportunities that present itself. From music, TV, movies, overall entertainment and broadcasting, the warm weather, the great food, the architecture, the various modes of transportation (ONE TIME FOR THE SCOOTERS), the cheaper housing, and generally you get more out of your earned dollar; why people move there makes sense. And like all major cities Atlanta has its issues, shoot the state of Georgia alone is a bit problematic depending on where you slide politically. But my time spent there will be one for the history books. It’s definitely a place worth traveling to again. Next time I go, I’ll be sure to do more exploring. I didn’t get a chance to travel the halls of Cartoon Network (IF ANYONE ONE IN THE HR DEPARTMENT IS READING THIS, HIRE ME PLEASE) so that’s reason enough for me to go back. That and I didn’t get to try some of Hattie B’s Nashville hot chicken or the slutty vegan sandwich. There’s always next time though.

As for Momocon….IN-FREAKING-CREDIBLE! Momocon has that extra something. That nudge to taking it up one more notch to make it great. No, it is not as big as DragonCon and maybe it won’t get the same recognition or acclaim but Momocon is a phenomenal con. Momocon brought me back to 2014, when I first started going to conventions. My first one at the time was Otakon and to this day I don’t think any other con will hold as special of a spot in my heart as Otakon. But Momocon, Momocon was dangerously close to taking that spot. Which lets me know and hopefully you, the reader, now that it’s just that damn good! The crowd size of the convention is comparable to say the Greater Philadelphia comic con. Meaning there’s a large crowd and over a thousand things to do but you never have to fear about missing out on something. You can and will get to everything you want if you have patience. The event staff from security to the PR and press team were absolutely amazing. All were easy to talk to and informative, helpful and never overbearing. What truly made Momocon as great as it is in my eyes, is that it at its core it remained an anime and gaming convention. It wasn’t a comic convention with anime sections, it was an anime and gaming convention that accepted comic lovers just as much as it did its anime and gaming fans. Anime and gaming is my bread and butter, it’s what got me into this geeky, blerd, pop-culture world I exist in currently. Momocon stayed true to that core value. The sheer fact they had Substantial and Shing02 performing live in concert said more than enough for me. Momocon you are in fact, a real one.

Atlanta….I’ll be back in the future. Whether that be for work or pleasure, or hell maybe to be a transplant myself and live there. All this kid from the burbs of Philly has to say left is…

Peace up, A-Town down.

Much love,

– Isaiah Luck aka Broku

Assistant Producer

Black Tribbles

[animebw]

Binge-Watching: Samurai Champloo, Episodes 24-26

It’s the conclusion to Samurai Champloo! And what a conclusion it is, filled with powerful emotional character work and some truly stunning clashes of steel. Alright, show, you won me over in the end. Well done.

Closure

The end of a journey is a weird thing. You spend so much time pursuing a single goal, reaching for it with all the strength in your body, and then you finally grasp it... so what then? What happens when the purpose you’ve oriented your life around comes to an end? How do you deal with that feeling? Do you accept it? How does it affect your approach to the journey’s end? It’s never an easy question to answer. But it’s a question that Shinichiro Watanabe is a master of exploring. And the finale of Samurai Champloo soars high by buckling down on its characters and exploring the various ways their pasts inform their place at the end of this tale.

Really, it was a given that the dark pasts of Jin and Mugen would catch up to them once more before their journey was out; that’s just how these stories roll. Of course the final bad guys would be a trio of brothers looking to take revenge on Mugen from when he destroyed their lives during his days as a pirate. Of course they would be bankrolled by a government agent who once convinced Jin’s master to try and kill him, opening the way for their dojo to become government officials in this new era of peace (which also explains a bit more about how the blind assassin Sara got involved in this mess; she was another assassin on the government’s payroll). Of course he would be tracking them to find Fuu’s father, who took part in some historic rebellion against the Japanese nation as a Christian convert. The mistakes and regrets all three of them have been alternatively running away from or trying to drag with them collide and clash in a single furious brawl, pitting their fears and desires and mutual compassion against each other in stark, unrelenting terms.

Mugen, Jin, and Fuu have been running all their lives, trying to either escape their pasts or find some sense of closure for them. It’s no accident that it’s Fuu’s drive to actively track down what she’d rather leave behind- the pain of her father leaving her- that instigates the entire journey in the first place, dragging the defiantly forwards-looking Mugen and Jin on a journey that leads them to confront what they were running away from. But something funny happened along the way that none of them were expecting; their journey to confront the past ended up giving them an unexpected road to the future; the friendship they found in each other. They came into each other’s lives without warning and became the best things for each other they’ve ever had, all without them even realizing until it became clear that their time together was coming to a close. Fuu’s attempt to instigate a sharing of backstories like a grade school teacher was proof of how far they’ve come, that they’re comfortable sharing these personal details with each other. And the knowledge that their friendship is about to come to an end weighs heavily on them all. Once this journey is over and they’re no longer bound by their mutual goals... who will they be? Who will they become with nothing left to push on for?

Moving On

The answer, of course, is the same answer given in Cowboy Bebop: you find a way. However much you might want to leave the past behind, you will always carry that weight. So carry it. And keep walking, because you never know quite where you’ll end up. Over the course of this finale, all three of our protagonists confront the weight they’ve been carrying... and make peace with it. Mugen comes back to save a friend in trouble, proving that he has the capacity to care. Jin kills the man who made his master betray him by utilizing the final technique he was taught. And most importantly, Fuu discovers that her father is just a sick old man: not a monster, juts a sad, ordinary human not worth the anger she’s been festering in. And she gets a chance to say goodbye before his crimes catch up to him at the end of a Shogunate sword.

Through the bonds they’ve come to share with each other, they are finally able to let the past go and walk forward into the future, heads held high. And Mugen and Jin putting their feud to rest by shattering each other’s swords in one final blow is a perfect symbol for that. These three loners have found themselves at last, found the people that were hiding underneath their broken shells. They are able to be open with each other for the first time, acknowledging the bond they’ve shared. For now, their journeys take them on separate paths, carried by the wind to find where the breezes of their newly open lives will take them. But they will always be better people for having known each other. And that’s a really damn beautiful sentiment.

Swords are Awesome

Something that I feel gets lost in some of my binge-watches is that as interesting as I find picking apart theme, character, craftsmanship and all those other high-minded artistic merits that a show can aspire to, above all else, I’m here to have fun. That’s why I have the Odds and Ends section: for all the enjoyable little tidbits that just aren’t meaty enough to expand into full paragraphs. But the weight of the other sections can eclipse those moments at times, and while I will always love talking about anime from this analytical lens, I also wish I could convey more when I’m just enjoying the ride and appreciating all the cool shit going on.

Thankfully, Champloo’s finale makes that a little easier on me, because it’s full of the of the COOLEST FUCKING SWORDFIGHTING EVER. Seriously, this show’s always had great action scenes, but the level of detail and creativity on display in these final battles is out of this world. Mugen’s first clash with the Shogunate official alone had so many cool moments. Using the haybale full of seeds to blind him? Sweet! His weird ghosting technique? Awesome! And it doesn’t stop there. His next duel with the crazy brother is set on a boat, so the physics of the enclosed space and the swaying battlefield make for one of the most uniquely choreographed battles yet. And then they both take a swim and have an utterly kickass underwater duel that ends with Mugen stopping the guy’s katar with his hand. I’m an amateur writer myself, and one of my stories involves an action scene where that exact thing happens. This show just knows all my trigger points when it comes to cool action beats.

But that’s not even the best part. The best part is the climactic duel between Mugen and, I swear to god, another character with an eyepatch voiced by Dio Brando. How the fuck does that keep happening? Is it just something about samurai shows that attracts the vampire lord to these one-eyed badasses? I don’t know, but he’s got a scythe on a chain that he whips around like a flail, and literally every single thing about that is the coolest fucking thing imaginable. His extended duel with Mugen had me laughing in pure joy the entire time. The way it escalates and spills out, every single blow landing with the impact of a sucker punch... aaaaagh, it’s so fucking cool! And how about Jin’s blitzkrieg with the Shogunate guy, both of them moving so fast you can barely keep up with their movements? Or that sick-ass flashback to Jin killing his master, with such stunningly expressive fluid animation my jaw hit the floor? Samurai Champloo’s been a rocky ride for me, but its sense of style has never failed to impress me, and this epic explosion of cool shit was the perfect note to go out on. Well done.

Odds and Ends

-”Centimeter.” I... don’t think that’s a real emotion, Jin.

-”Come on, don’t answer me with your stomachs.” aksjdhaskjda

-Gintama Hotpot: An epic battle of wits to honor the codes and traditions while getting as many tasty bits as possible. Samurai Champloo Hotpot: Everyone just stuffs meat in their bellies. Love it.

And with that, we are done. Expect my final thoughts a little later in the day, as well as what show will take its place!

[bunbuns-many-muses]

Today, Juuzou discovered upon regaining consciousness after a few fleeting hours of fitful sleep, was going to be one of those days. One of the days where, without rhyme or reason, everything felt wrong. Heedless of the time or whatever they were supposed to be doing that day, the tiny Special Class curled into as tiny a ball as they could manage, and tried to not want to bleed out. Hanbee and Nakarai could take care of the Squad for the day. Everything would be fine. Or, so they told themself.

Hanbee as per usual was worried about Juuzou. And who would blame him? Juuzou was the sun, the moon and stars...hell, as Miyuki said, Juuzou was their cosmos. And Hanbee, while not second in command like Nakarai was, was certainly filled with undying loyalty and adoration of their tiny squad leader. Juuzou was patient with him and his cowardice at times, and it was for Juuzou that he strived to be a bit braver in combat. To be as non judgemental and sweet like their precious leader. Nakarai had noted that Juuzou hadn’t called him with orders of what was needed to be done and while Juuzou may have marched to the beat of his own drummer when it came to getting things done, he certainly didn’t neglect to let them know if there was something needing to be handled. In all of his time working with him, the blond could scarcely remember a time Juuzou hadn’t given him direct orders, either verbally in person or on the phone. Glancing over to the right, he saw Hanbee checking his phone again, an obvious look of concern on his face.Miyuki sat in a chair with his legs folded underneath him while balancing a gigantic quartz crystal upon his head, having decided that the best thing to do at a time like this was to cleanse his chakra.To harness the energy of the late morning sun, the energies of the earth itself and the planets in the solar system in order to see if he could locate the astral body of their beloved cosmos, Juuzou. Tamaki sat down and while to the casual observer, he appeared to be watching Samurai Champloo on his cellphone, he wasn’t even paying attention to what Fuu, Mugen and Jin were getting themselves into. Nay, Mizurou was worried about Juuzou like the others. But if he piped up and asked if they should go to his house, Nakarai would give him that look again.Hanbee would be the one to break the odd bit of silence. “Everyone, it’s nearly 11AM. We haven’t heard from Juuzou. I haven’t. I know none of you have either. Shouldn’t we go over to his apartment and check on him? Even if we don’t ask him about work today, I want to see if he’s alright!’’

[kadin-harrow]

Catkid meme! Avos and Kadin smolcatte go!

If our characters had a kid together.

I’m gonna cheat since Kadin’s tribe is known for producing multiples. Identical twins!

Name: Phina (as in Menphina) Oryn Harrow, Rhala (as in Rhalg’r) Oryn Harrow

Gender: Girls

General Appearance: Skin a few shades lighter than Kadin’s. They each have the lion-type tail and slightly-sharper-than-a-typical-Keeper’s teeth, like Kadin’s. While they’re identical, there’s some slight variance - both have deep blue hair, but Phina’s has turquoise and green streaks, while Rhala has red streaks. Phina has one blue eye, one yellow-green, while both of Rhala’s are yellow green. Both are very small and stocky, and as they get older, very compact and muscular. Phina keeps her hair in a short pixie cut for practicality’s sake, Rhala dons a long asymmetrical hairdo with one shaved side “to keep people guessing.” About what, it’s hard to say.

Personality: They’re both ten ponze of trouble in a one onze bag. When they’re toddlers Avos and Kadin start to suspect that somehow, even though they’re little babies, their children are actively trying to kill them. Neither of them crawled for more than a week before they stood up and started getting into EVERYTHING. And they’re faster than their parents, the only saving grace is neither could resist the urge to collapse into self-satisfied giggling once some mischief was completed. It’s a miracle they lived through their childhood. Both were biters. Rhala never really outgrew that. Rhala is the instigator of the two. She ran before she could walk. She sees everything as a personal obstacle to be climbed and otherwise destroyed or defeated, living up to her namesake. Phina is a bit more on the reserved and thoughtful side, but when she was little she never hesitated to eat dirt or break valuable object like her sister. In fact, she probably blamed a lot of things on Rhala that she actually did.Phina is conscientious, and always had the heart of a warrior. From a young age, she was very aware of injustice - especially when she saw that people frequently condescend to Kadin when he’s on his own, or openly cringe at Rhala’s odd ways. While it wasn’t demanded of her, she grew up quickly because she felt she needed to be strong - taking to heart that strength should be used to protect the weak.  She is passionate, quick to anger but also quick to smile. As she grows older she learns how to pick her battles... a little bit. Barely. She never really learns how to chill.Rhala has so little impulse control it’s a bit of a point of concern. Only Phina, and occasionally her parents, are able to talk her out of any idea she gets into her head. Otherwise, if she wants to do it, it’s happening. She becomes very fixated on her goals and tunnel-visions a bit. She’s always there to back Phina up in her (constant) desires to do good but is herself rather oblivious to whatever isn’t currently right in front of her. That being said, these all-or-nothing desires can be dropped at a moment’s notice. Her mercurial temperament makes her an unpopular child, but as she becomes a teenager, she becomes kind of a poster child for rebellion and winds up having a bit of a fanclub from fellow kids who want to care as little as she does.

Special Talents: Much to their parents delight, both children are prodigies with the sword. Phina utilizes a more traditional style of swordplay, perfectly mimicking Avos’s style, where Rhala combines the swordplay with Kadin’s mixed martial arts, creating her own unpredictable, unique style that utilizes her entire body (think Mugen from Samurai Champloo). Rhala has an iron stomach and a slight resistance to poison. We know this because she’s constantly ingesting things that no living being should ingest, even into young adulthood, just out of curiosity.

Who they like better: Regardless of what Kadin and Avos are to each other when the twins are born (if they ever were anything more than a one night stand), Kadin would insist Avos be part of their life and encourage co-parenting. Thus, I imagine they have a similar measure of affection for both parents, who both seem the type who would like to play and spend time with their kids. When they were little Kadin was the favorite because he didn’t really care about things like bedtimes or homework, and his spontaneous nature and manner made him feel more like a best friend than a parent. Kadin is a big proponent of letting the children learn their lesson through real-world consequences. He’s still Rhala’s favorite because she always prefers to just be allowed to do whatever she wants even if it blows up in her face. Phina, however, grew closer to Avos through the sword training, and more admiring of Avos who behaved a lot more like an adult around them. Phina also has a very close relationship with her aunt Pelhi, one of Kadin’s older sisters who left the tribe.

Who they take after more: Phina takes more after Avos, though Kadin says she takes after Pelhi as well. Rhala takes after Kadin - she’s basically Kadin crossed with a thunderstorm and even less care for manners, no matter how much anyone tries to teach her otherwise.

Personal Headcanon: Phina is older, and while she gets into trouble she’s a bit more responsible, too. It drives her crazy, but she’s the one who inherited Kadin’s issues with reading and direction, though since she was educated with that in mind at a young age, she handles it much better. She hates that Rhala has no issues of the sort but is bored by books and unconcerned with her location. It was not fun under the circumstance that they got turned around somewhere without Avos present, and they had to depend on Rhala to get home.

Thanks for the ask @garlean-confessions !

[gunnerpalace]

Welcome to Bleach Rarepair Hell

To paraphrase:

Quark: ... I want you to try something for me. Take a read of this. Garak: What is it? Quark: A literary concept. It's called a rarepair. Garak: I don't know— Quark: Come on. Aren't you just a little bit curious? Garak: Hnhh... ugh... Quark: What do you think? Garak: It's vile! Quark: I know. It's so bubbly, and cloying, and happy. Garak: ... Just like my OTP. Quark: But you know what's really frightening? If you read enough of it, you begin to like it. Garak: ... It's insidious. Quark: Just like your OTP.

So, I’ve recently approached several people individually about Rarepair Hell’s collection of materials. (Yes, Rarepair Hell is also a place; there’s a chat.) But, I figure I’ve gotten a fair number of new followers lately who don’t have the time to go trawling back through old material, and that means it’s time to go on yet another advertising drive! Now if you’re new, you might be wondering what this is all about.

Put simply, below is everything publicly released that I know of that I or someone in the chat with has put out for one of our rarepairs. These tend to be obscure or heavily underrepresented ships that, in general, we’ve fallen for.

Why not have a look? You might be surprised. Italics denote actual fics, whereas their lack denotes fan art or other documents

Kūkaku-Byakuya - KuuKuya / ”Sakura Fireworks”

KuuKuya is one of the rarest of rarepairs. Between FFN and AO3 there’s something like two fanfics and one drabble for them—the fics are almost a decade old, and the drabble involves teen Byakuya. Google reports exactly four pieces of fan art of them from some age long past, of which I’d show you one. When I took over the ship, I decided KuuKuya sounded better than ByaKuu or ByaKaku or whatever, and here we are. Most of these fics (mine, at least) take place in the canon-divergent continuity of Demons of the Sun and Moon, which is why certain details are the way they are (for example: Kūkaku has both arms again).

The KuuKuya Prototype - The small collection of paragraphs that started it all (that is to say, both KuuKuya and Rarepair Hell itself). This was originally a proof of concept, and like the post explains, doesn’t really fit into anything that came after.

KuuKuya Headcanons - A set of headcanons I put together after writing the three fics below, as well as some other material. This lays out just a few of the reasons I think the pair work so well together, as well as some cute scenarios.

Ratio Decidendi - The first proper KuuKuya fic. It’s rather short and to the point. (Original, unedited version here. Bless you, Anon, whoever you were.) @sequencefairy shortly summed it up with: “Byakuya takes Kuukaku to a function. It goes about as well as you would expect. This fic is funny and sweet and a great example of someone who gets character.”

Terra Nullius (NSFW) - The first proper piece of KuuKuya smut, following after the above. (Original, unedited version here.) This is where everything went to hell. @sequencefairy summed this up with “This one… hooooo, this one is not safe for work. I mean, I read it at work, but I would not recommend that other people do that. Again with the spot-on characterization, and I just really always love how clear and immediate the writing is in any of Dux’s fic, and this is no exception.” This fic has caused no end of wild happenings.

Para Bellum (NSFW) - A follow-up to the above. (Original, unedited version here.) @sequencefairy summed this up with “Now, I am super biased about this fic, because I got to watch it come together over the course of a few days, because Dux leaves me presents in our skype chat (it’s really the best thing ever - always leave your friends porn for them to find when they get home from work) and well, I mean, he’s absolutely nailed their dynamic, and I am stinking jealous of how well he captures Byakuya - I can literally hear the man speaking as I’m reading this fic. Also it’s a sparring session that is foreplay that leads to really excellent smut and that’s really all you need to know about it before reading.”

Interstice Gray - An intimate, hazy piece of fluff set some indeterminate time after the above.

Next to Every Great Man is... - Written as a birthday present, much in the mold of the above, highlighting their familiarity with and understanding of one another.

Cozy (@sequencefairy) - A lovely piece of winter-themed fluff, I actually received a hardcopy of this along with a Christmas card!

Untitled KuuKuya Piece (@sequencefairy) - Kūkaku and Byakuya don’t always see eye-to-eye and enjoy a charmed existence, but even when they disagree, you can sense the crackling heat!

Pinterest Board (@sequencefairy, NSFW) - If you ever wanted a mood board for these two, there’s already a pretty great one.

Discussion Chatlog (with @sequencefairy​, NSFW) - A rare exception to not posting chatlogs, this is mostly theorycrafting about KuuKuya, although IchiRuki, UraYoru, and TatsuIshi (see below) also appear.

Yoruichi-Ichigo-Rukia - YoruIchiRuki / ”Neapolitan Ice Cream”

YIR is an AU OT3 that happened purely by accident. The core component, Grounded!, was originally intended to be something of a one-shot sex-comedy whereby Ichigo and Rukia meet not (supposedly) because of the machinations of Kisuke and Aizen, but rather the whimsy of Yoruichi. It then turned out that everyone reading it fell for their interactions. Ichigo and Rukia have always had this cosmic air about them, but we discovered that Rukia and Yoruichi are oceanic, and Ichigo and Yoruichi are tectonic; together, they’re everything from incredibly sweet, to hilarious, to ridiculously sexy.

Grounded! - A Bleach AU Idea Revised - The latest and greatest revision of the concept for Grounded!, this is both a design document and also contains significant portions of the actual fic, which is still being written. It’ll orient you to the setting and happenings of the AU, and hopefully interest you in the interplay that gets spun out as a result!

Planet-Side Spin (@sequencefairy) - Written as a companion-piece and sort-of-prequel to the below, this largely focuses upon Ichigo some six or so months after the events of the above. (Original here.) The tagline sums it up well: “Ichigo misses them like breathing.”

Up All Night to the Sun - Occurring at the end of Ichigo’s trip, Yoruichi and Rukia miss him quite a lot too. (Original here.) Purely fluff.

We’re Dancin’ All Alone (YoruIchi, NSFW) - Yoruichi, Ichigo, and Rukia don’t always wind up together at the same time, but they manage as best they can in other settings. One of the odd things about adding a third partner is you more than quadruple the work (you go from one pair to three pairs and the triad!); one of the joys is finding that all of those combinations have their own interesting and interrelated ways of working.

Heaven in Hiding (@sequencefairy, NSFW) - A very recent entry, with a delightfully sultry atmosphere. 

Fan Art for Grounded! (@gabecebro) A wonderful birthday gift that really sums up the premise of Grounded! as a whole.

Tatsuki-Uryū - TatsuIshi / ”Double Dragon”

TatsuIshi began (for me) as a mashup of TatsuHime and IshiHime into TatsuHimeIshi, and then became its own thought experiment. The least explored of the three rarepairs, it nonetheless has its own particular charms.

Untitled TatsuIshi Piece (Semi-NSFW) - Originally put together to briefly postulate a reason they could even occur, this also shows off some of the fireworks the fly when you put the two of them together.

TatsuIshi Headcanons - Made after the above to further illustrate the point. Much like the KuuKuya Headcanons, this is meant to lay out an idea of how they might behave and interact, along with a few scenarios.

Untitled TatsuIshi Piece (@sequencefairy, NSFW) - I told you about the fireworks? This is like a really great New Year’s bash.

Fan Art for TatsuIshi Headcanons (@mags-duranb) - This was the first piece of fan art I ever received for a piece of fic, and it illustrates one of the standout ideas of the headcanons post wonderfully!

General Fan Art (@mags-duranb) - We were by no means the first people to think of TatsuIshi, of course, and there’s some more lovely art for them here!

There’s much more material that isn’t on this list because it either doesn’t exist in an easily presentable form yet (which is to say, it’s mostly just chatlogs) or is unfinished. This includes everything from one-shots to companion-pieces, and even an AU of an AU featuring YoruIchiRuki in place of the cast of Samurai Champloo (with Yoruichi as Jin, Ichigo as Mugen, and Rukia as Fuu):

Yoruichi: How ironic that Ichigo is symbolized by a cock. Ichigo: I could say the same about you being a fish. Yoruichi: Are you insulting my hygiene, you bastard? I don't recall you complaining about it last night when you had your head down there for an hour. Rukia: Shut up, both of you! How could I possibly be expected to eat all that food? It's ridiculous!

Anyway, there you have it. I hope that you found something on this list that piqued your interest. If you did, I and others are around to chat with about it! Don’t be afraid to join the conversation. Or, to put it another way:

[canvaswolfdoll]

CanvasWatches: Seven Samurai

About time I start looking into the highbrow stuff much lauded by film historians and critics and the like. Become cultured and so forth.

Though the subject is a Japanese Film, so I’m still clinging to some of my innate nature.

I didn’t watch it dubbed though! Not that the Criterion Collection BluRay had the option. To be fair, I don’t watch live action material with English Dubs. I have my lines.

This probably won’t be the last time I venture into this general area. Akira Kurosawa[1] has a few other notable films I’m intrigued by (Rashomon and Throne of Blood are particularly tempting)[2]. As with all things, no promise of when or if I’ll get around to them.

Anyways, Seven Samurai. Let’s get into it.

Seven may have been too many samurai. Sure, I could (visually) keep track of Kambei and Katsushiro as the Veteran and Newcomer archetypes, and Kyuzo and Kikuchiyo[3] as the clear inspiration for Jin and Mugen of Samurai Champloo, but I was unable to track their names, not helped by the language barrier of the actual dialogue.[4]

Not that I feel it matters, since the movie’s not a character-driven piece by any means.

We open with a farm village soon to be attacked by bandits, which isn’t good. After some discussion, the farmers decide the best course of action is to recruit some samurai. So four farmers travel off to do just that, feeling their chances are slim due to having only food to offer.

Kambei is moved by their plight, and agrees to assist the farmers, becoming the commander of the operation and taking over the recruitment of additional samurai.

Kambei decides on forming a team of seven.

The section where the team is being assembled is my favorite part of the film, probably since it’s where most of the cast get the entirety of their development. Kambei recruits an old war buddy and some other random samurai, who then recruits a man who is obviously meant to be the comedic relief (Heihachi doesn’t get enough dialogue to make good on this). Kambei offers a spot on the team to Kyuzo, a man who wishes to test his skills, and Kikuchiyo (the proto-Mugen) stumbles in drunk and walks along with the group until they agree to let him in.

Then they walk to the village, then start planning for combat, then engage in combat, then come to a costly victory, and the end card goes up.

It’s combat heavy, and not particularly good combat either.

To summarize the deaths: ‘Tag, now play dead.’ The hits don’t even look like an attempt was made to look realistic. It’s both a little funny and very disappointing.

I mean, the fighting takes up most of the second half, you’d think a little more effort and choreography could’ve been put in.

Because of the focus on the combat, the movie can drag on a bit, especially since there’s relatively little character development, and it can be hard to track deaths and the samurai since the language barrier and lack of color strips away much of the distinguishing features. You can mostly distinguish the farmers from samurai since the farmers all have bald caps of vary quality, a trait shared only by the two least distinctive samurai.

Kambei makes a good leader figure, looking the oldest and carrying the most wisdom. He’s introduced using guile to save a young boy from a thief, which foreshadows the tactical forethought he puts into defending the village, though he uses relatively conventional methods in that case. He survives the film with a wistful comment about how, ultimately, the villagers won since the bandits are gone, more than half the samurai fell in the conflict, and all the survivors got out of it was food. Intentionally or not, the farmers got the samurai to work for no personal gain.

Were this a more modern film, Kambei would’ve been under one of the burial mounds after successfully mentoring Katsushiro to be some noble warrior guy.

Katsushiro[5] plays our Zeppo Marx: the young innocent looking to find his place in the world and woos the only young female (Shino). He apprentices himself to Kambei because he has to learn the trade from someone. He and Kikuchiyo provide most of the actual comedy in the film, despite previous attempts to pretend Heihachi would be the funny one. He’s mocked for his youth, used as a tool for slapstick when recruiting samurai, and is only added as one of the titualar samurai because they ran out of time and needed to bolster their ranks.

Katsushiro’s romance with Shino has some ambiguity: either it was an actual case of young love, or Shino was chasing a youthful indulgence before settling into a life of toil. Either way, it clearly ended when Shino’s father got upset when became… er… “damaged goods” by the film’s words. But hey, the kid lives, and that’s not nothing.

Which brings us to Kikuchiyo, who (in a modern film) would’ve fought with Katsushiro to be the de facto protagonist. I just called him Mugen when commenting on the film since I couldn’t remember names, and the creative genealogy between the two is very clear. Kikuchiyo is a low born with an overly fancy sword fighting tooth and nail to prove he’s the toughest. Heck, a rivalry with the film’s proto-Jin even causes some trouble!

He’s also a consistent scene stealer, and has the best defined personality, being brash and blunt, finding success not through talent or training but by sheer force of will. The other six didn’t even want him as part of the team, but he persisted in following behind and then succeeded in getting the village to actually meet with the samurai.

Kikuchiyo engages in slapstick, jokes about and teases his squad of militia farmers, and generally is the most consistently funny cast member, but when it comes time for him to be dramatic, Toshiro Mifune commands the scene that drives home the true tragedy of the farmers: these are men regularly preyed on by bandits forced to rely on samurai, who have casually destroyed their lives and homes in the name of their wars. Yes, the farmers have killed and stolen from Samurai in the past, but they had to.

Kikuchiyo wears his emotions on his sleeves, can’t stand still, and constantly has to be doing something, even if it’s hypocritically yelling at others for crying. He may be Proto-Mugen, but he also shows traits common with many Shonen Protagonists and lancers.

He is the quinticessal Red Oni, but has no Blue Oni to balance him.

A tragic take on the Monkey King.

You start the film for the prestige, but you stay for Kikuchiyo, a man who dies wearing a stolen name.

It’s a war movie that, while bloodless, still doesn’t hide the horror of war, even those of a romanticized age.

So, as it happens, I can actually recommend this high brow film, though I can’t promise it would be easy to love. It’s long, dry in parts, and could stand a few less quiet moments. But there’s a lot of recognizable beats and tropes and characters that continue to echo to this day, and the good scenes are really good.

So try and watch it. At least get to the part where they reach the village. If you get thrown out by how remarkably dull the battles are, I won’t blame you, but it’s worth the attempt.

Thanks for reading. I welcome any comments or questions you may have. I’ve written other reviews and sometimes even original content, and I have a patreon which I’d like to use towards making my own masterpieces. I look forward to what inspirations I can take from Seven Samurai.

Kataal kataal.

[1]Kurosawa Akira? Still don’t know how I should format these names. [2] Hidden Fortress might be a good companion to the Star Wars rewatch I keep meaning to do. [3] Ya know, the K names! [4] Really need to put effort into actually learning Japanese… [5] A name I presume means ‘fried castle’.

[ryukyuan-sunflower]

Edit: So amazingtoysha asked me advice for writing in a message which I posted a little while ago...and responding to the question gave me limited space apparently. So here is the full post of all the advice I wanted to give!

“Hiya! Thank you very much for reading Finding the Four Eyed Samurai. I am glad you enjoyed it thus far. Oh! Well...I’m far from a professional. My fanfiction, if it were a story unaffiliated with Samurai Champloo, would still break so many guidelines of professional published work. Perspective switching between Mugen and Fuu, purple prose, grammar, info dumping... My sins are extensive. This story is more like spewing out my heart onto the internet for fans that enjoy it :) You probably have seen the improvement over my 6 year period on fanfiction. I too am learning. However, if you are talking about just creatively writing for fun, practice, to send a message or even to just fulfill an inner fan, maybe I can give some advice. Some of the things I write will most definitely be things you already know but I’ll list them anyway. Since you mentioned you have trouble putting things into words, rather than plot points or characters, I’ll focus on that. 1. Start with small details and build up slowly. My writing process is actually very disjointed. I can not for the life of me write a story in order. I write all character dialogue first and fill in around it. When I first write a scene, I will simply start with something like: “She walked through the marketplace.” That’s it. Boring right? I will leave it for a bit if I’m stuck and move along to continue the scene in simple terms. When i come back, I start to imagine more if I were in that environment. This is where I think of the five senses. What would she smell, see, hear, touch or even...taste(?) lol. But when writing a scene, I also try to think about the mood it sets. If the character is feeling happy, the crowds will be rambunctious, the lights bright and the sights they see are fascinating. If they are hungry, it would be the smell of food that would command their attention. If the character is tired, the clamor and loud voices would grate on their nerves and the lights would be blinding. In the chapter I’m currently writing, Kyoto is much like Edo in that it is crowded and always lively. But because of the last chapter’s events...she can’t take notice of this energy. Without Mugen beside her, the crowds only make her feel more alone. So not only does the atmosphere set the mood, but a character’s mood can help you pinpoint what you should be describing in the environment. 2. Study! Read and read and read some more. This is advice I should listen to... Published novels, and sometimes even fanfiction can help you get a grasp on the flow of a story. You’ll also pick up words or descriptions that you wouldn’t have used otherwise. You’ll start to notice how the sound of a word in English can hold great weight. Think of how it comes off in the sentence: She scratched off the wallpaper until she could see the wood beneath it. She clawed at the wallpaper until she could see the wood beneath it. “Scratched” can be used in so many contexts. Is she redecorating? Is she curious what is underneath? “Clawed at” makes it feel frantic, like she is searching for something in a frenzy or perhaps is furious and clawed it off out of anger. It applies an uneasy feeling without stating it outright. There is a common phrase among writers. “Show, don’t tell.”  Show the character is upset through the clenching of their fists, the quiver of their lips. Dont just say “She was upset.” Personally, I am a HUGE HUGE breaker of this >.< But it is a very important rule if you wish to get better at describing. 3. More studying!!! As much as every writer will tell you to read, I think it is good to look at visual forms of entertainment too. For example, if I had only watched Samurai Champloo as my basis for Tokugawa culture, my view would’ve been severely limited. If you want to write a samurai drama: watch black and white chanbara films, watch modern day shows about Japan, documentaries, look at photographs or paintings, read comics, and even play video games like Tenchu or Onimusha that will give that vibe of the time period. Reading is good for molding thoughts into words. But if you’re writing about an environment you are unfamiliar with, you need to SEE it before you can describe something believable. I had watched a lot of Japanese movies and played a lot of Japanese videogames before writing my fanfic. It helped so much. 4. Take notes.  A lot of friggin’ notes. 

Sometimes the right wording just won’t come to you when you put time aside to sit in front of your laptop or a notebook trying to write it all in one go. Like I said before, I don’t write in order at all. Some people can. And some can’t. I keep a notebook and pencil by my bed in case I have any dreams. I even carry one in my purse wherever I go. Sometimes a sentence or a really good word will just hit you all of a sudden. If you are writing a very long story, you will make tons of notes and will find you won’t even use half of them until you’re in way later chapters. An example for me was in the last posted chapter. I was writing chapter 28 or so when parts of this line popped into my head out of nowhere: “To him, she smelled of fresh rain and sweet spring flowers. To her, he reeked of sake and the cheap perfume from the whore he’d bought.”

At the time, I had gotten caught in rainstorm. And I always liked the scent of rain a lot. This made me think of how much I hate the scent of perfume since it makes my nose hurt. This contrast unveils both of their feelings. Intoxicated Mugen adores her while Fuu is disgusted by his recent behavior. One little thought and bam! Jotted it on paper and then put it into Chapter 34. An idea can come from literally anywhere. So write it down and save it for later! 5. Keep an open mind. It is good to know where your story is going by the end or you’ll wind up lost halfway through. Despite that, don’t reject new ideas that come to you. My story was originally going to be 26 chapters. If I had pushed out all the crazy side stories my mind concocted, then it would’ve lost so much of what readers enjoy about it. Don’t be afraid to make your characters go through and overcome struggle. If there is a sweet scene that will help further a relationship, put it in. Build up ideas and cut out extraneous things later. 6. Know that it will not be perfect. It will be far from perfect. Story might be decent. Description might even be bad. Maybe it’s the reverse. But that is okay. If you’re a beginner writer, Fanfiction is a great way to start, in my opinion. While you are writing preexisting characters, it is like a studying exercise. You can build around them, and try to understand why the characters are the way that they are or what drives them. This can help in the future when designing your own characters and world in which they inhabit. 7. Share your story! Don’t hide it! Some will compliment you and others will criticize you. Sure, almost everyone on fanfiction isn’t some paid professional. But the feedback will really help. It will push you. A nice compliment will make your day. A bad one will push you to do better. When publishing a book, you have to write a whole manuscript and pay for editors. And if you’re beginning, you probably won’t even want to start that process. That’s why writing fanfiction as a form of practice can allow you to share what you put your heart into instead of locking away your story to a forgotten file on your computer. 8. All that matters is that you are trying, learning and will gradually get better. Almost everything in life does not come easy. The idea you have for a story is 10% of the work, while sculpting that idea through words is 90% of it. My Samcham fanfic when I started was...god...ughhhhhhh. Sometimes I still cringe XD However, I know that it helped me learn so much, not just about vocabulary, storytelling and history, but also about myself. 9. Don’t stop writing. You will get days, weeks, maybe months where you might not feel like continuing it. You might even drop the story altogether. But if you stop, so does your journey in learning. Press forward. If you post the beginning chapter and get only a few comments or barely any views, and it feels like not enough, know that people will only come to read the story you put so much effort into if you continue writing it! 10. Be proud when you look back on your previous work. As you discover your own voice and your storytelling evolves, it might be painful to look back at your earlier writing. Instead of punching yourself, laugh it off and realize how far you have come. All it takes is one step. Don’t give up :) Hope at least one thing I said can help you a little on your journey of creative writing ^^ ~RyukyuanxSunflower AKA Fenrir’s Lockhart P.S: If you need help with description or plot points, there are many beta readers on fanfiction willing to help. And although I tend to disappear often, shoot me a message on fanfiction about your story or something you’re stuck on and I’ll try my best to help!

[animebw]

Binge-Watching: Samurai Champloo, Episodes 15-18

In which the show finally comes into its own, death takes the spotlight, and I finally give the beatboxing samurai their due.

Things Come Together

Sometimes, you don’t know what you want until you actually get it. That’s true of a lot of things, but it’s especially true of the media we consume. Who in the gaming community would’ve thought back in 2011 that they’d fall head-over-heels for a world of blocks where you do literally nothing but dig and make your own objectives? Yet now, Minecraft is one of the biggest, most influential games of all time. It’s just how the world works: sometimes, you don’t know what you’ve been missing until you’re not missing it anymore. And in regards to Samurai Champloo, this most recent stretch of episodes made me realize that for all my hypothesizing and ballyhooing over why it wasn’t clicking for me, the truth was a lot simpler than different cultural storytelling norms or the disconnect of texture and text. The real reason I wasn’t getting invested was because I wasn’t feeling the camaraderie in the central cast.

It seems so complex in the moment, but looking back on it now, it becomes abundantly clear that Champloo’s biggest weakness up until this point has been that while all the characters were mildly interesting on their own, they just didn’t always feel like a cohesive unit. There were a few scattered moments, like the end of episode 10 when Mugen’s friends tell him not to die in their own ways, but their group dynamic never felt as lived-in as it should. And thinking back to Cowboy Bebop, that show’s biggest strength was the memorable interactions between its central foursome, an entertaining family dynamic that helped compensate for the stories themselves not always being the most interesting and the individual characters themselves taking a while to fully coalesce. That’s why Champloo’s felt like an also-ran compared to Bebop for so long; it’s got so many of the elements from Watanabe’s other show, but it was lacking in that central element that tied it all together. That’s what exacerbated those other issues I was talking about.

Why am I able to recognize this now? Because at long last, Mugen, Jin, and Fuu have clicked as a group dynamic. Maybe that last double-episode special about Mugen’s backstory finally jumpstarted things, but it’s definitely noticeable how much more cohesive they feel now. There are no shortage of entertaining side moments, snarky in-jokes, and expressive animation that sell this trio as having a legitimate bond. That entire scene where Jin struggled to catch fish while Fuu and Mugen laughed at him behind his back? Loved it. Jin and Mugen’s silent, purposeful escapade into the red light district? Their chemistry was so on point they didn’t even have to talk to get their meaning across. Fuu teasing Mugen for not being able to read, and Mugen taking that so personally that he actually learns? That says so much more about both of them than I feel like we ever got in the past 12 or so episodes. Watanabe has always been a master of detail, of little bits in the background that make the story’s focus feel that much more complete, and it feels like he’s been slacking in that department for a while. But now, he’s back in force, and as a result, Samurai Champloo has finally- finally- clicked with me. I can buy these people and their struggles. I can root for them to succeed. It took too long to get to this point, but it’s gratifying to see it turn out alright in the end. Welcome, Samurai Champloo. I’m glad you finally decided to show up.

Death and Rebirth

It’s lucky that I finally got invested in Champloo’s central dynamic right at this point, because this set of episodes also provides the most context into the forces driving them all individually that we’ve gotten thus far, and how those motivators affect their perception of their bonds, with the Lullaby of the Lost arc. For some time, each of the three central characters takes some time to themself to reflect on why they’re on this journey in the first place: specifically, what’s driving them to press on when it seems like they have no reason to keep moving. Jin confronts another one of his old dojo mates, who wants to make a name for himself by killing the guy who killed his master. Mugen confronts an older ronin, a lost soul who represents the meaningless path his life could be on. And Fuu, left alone, wonders if there’s a reason for her to be alive if there’s no one to notice her anymore. In some way, all of their stories confront the idea of death; they all struggle with the notion of what drives them to stay alive instead of just dropping dead. After all, Jin killed his master and left his old life behind, Mugen’s been an aimless wandered for all his life, and Fuu’s history is one of abandonment and loss. Assuming the sunflower samurai is her father, which every bone in my body is pointing towards after that dream she had, the reason she started this journey in the first place was to punish the family that had abandoned her, leaving her without purpose. And when you have no one and nothing to drive you forward anymore, is there anything left for you to do but lie down and let death in? How do you live when you have nothing left to live for?

It’s a theme Watanabe has tackled before, especially in Bebop, and the conclusion he arrives at here is pretty much the same: you find a way. Whatever little things you still have in this living world, let them be the reason you stay there. After all, you may imagine yourself as beautiful in death, only finding meaning once you’ve left this world behind, but as Okuru points out, death leaves no beautiful corpses. There’s nothing to be found in letting go: there is always something, however small, in keeping on. Mugen, Jin, and Fuu have found that something in each other, as much as any of them would be loathe to admit it; for all the shit they give each other, they genuinely do care about each other’s well-being. Their desires, however petty and basic, are desires nonetheless, and by helping each other fulfill them, they find meaning in a meaningless world. It’s a powerful statement, and it wouldn’t land as hard if the show hadn’t finally gotten a handle on making me feel the bonds between them that are supposed to be so meaningful. You push on however you can, in whatever little ways you can. And now that I’ve pushed on through the disappointing first half of Champloo, I’m more than ready to see what’s on the other side.

Beatbox Edo

You know, one of the downsides to feeling so down on this show for so long is that I haven’t really been giving it its due on the things it does right. So now, let me fix that and praise its sense of style, because it really is spectacular. Watanabe has a knack for fusing mismatched eclectic sensibilities into a single cohesive whole, like turning Cowboy Bebop into a jazzy space western through a combination of cinematography, aesthetic, and flow. For Samurai Champloo, he’s combined old-school Japanese aesthetics with more modern, “urban” hip-hop styles, and he’s somehow made the damn thing work, to the point where traditional shamisan singing works perfectly when paired with a trap beat. Samurai flicks, especially the battles, are all about the poetry of motion, and here that motion is augmented with the flow of a rap battle, so that the very traditional Edo the show takes place in feels like any roughshod city street corner of today. Random rapping samurai showing up out of nowhere to beatbox about the legend of a ghost hiding in the mountains feels right at home in this world, as does the recontextualization of master-less dojo students as graffiti punks. It’s this unity of unique style that makes Watanabe’s work so valuable, whatever other issues I might have with it.

Odds and Ends

-I guess you can call the spy lady breaking the vase over Mugen’s head as a transition to the mid-episode title card... a smash cut? Eh? Eh?

-I think that mine fight scene was my favorite from the show so far. So much fucking amazing choreography and weight.

-”Guess his libido plays second fiddle to his stomach.” Oh just kiss him already why don’t you

-Dude, do you know how many times I’ve wanted to see somebody just stab their opponent with arrows? Thank you for providing, Okuru.

-Oh sure, he may have taken a swan dive off a cliff while on fire, but I’m sure Okuru’s still alive somehow. The laws of thematic relevance demand it!

-”Call it an annoyance fee.” pfft

-Now, I ain’t saying nothing, but Fuu thought the graffiti contest was a contest over her, and Mugen ended up being the guy to win it... just saying.

Aah, it feels good to finally be on board. See you next time!

[ryukyuan-sunflower]

Do you think there is any significance to the painting "Backward's Beauty?" I noticed recently that Fuu often does that pose throughout the show. Often looking contemplative or worried.

Hello! Thanks for your question! Actually, yes. I find it very significant. I recently found some more information on this topic that I am using for my Samurai Champloo story. I think the contemplative/worried look of Fuu is meaningful to the term itself. To begin with, let’s talk a  little bit about the actual meaning.

The Japanese words for “Backwards Beauty” are “Mikaeri Bijin”. Another better translation is “Looking Back Beauty”. The term was popularized by the artist Moronobu Hishikawa when he made this Ukiyo-e (woodblock print) painting in the Tokugawa era, titled “Mikaeri Bijin”:

It was later printed on the first commemorative Japanese stamp in November of 1948. Having made drawing styles of his own creation, he is considered a forerunner for many future Ukiyo-e artists. He even inspired Vincent van Gogh. Samurai Champloo watchers will better know Moronobu Hishikawa’s work looking like this for the sake of mashed up history and an anime plot twist flair:

…Very little similarity besides the title. And anime viewers will see Moronobu Hishikawa looking very different than actual history. I highly doubt he was so flamboyant with long manicured purple nails, and purple lipstick. But hey, ya never know.

Since the making of this painting and many other prints by Hishikawa, the idea of Mikaeri Bijin has influenced Japanese culture for years to come (to the point where Samurai Champloo references it). There is a song by pop group Morning Musume using the title. Mikaeri Bijin refers to a woman who looks beautiful when looking behind her. It is considered coquettish, as she does not turn around to flaunt herself, but rather shyly glances over a shoulder. It also reveals a woman’s nape of the neck which is a sexual yet not raunchy display of the body in Japanese culture. The term itself has romantic undertones too, as it can refer to a woman looking at the man of her affections without expressing her feelings. Modern day Japanese people will use the term as a joke. As it can mean, “a woman who looks beautiful from the back…who turns around and is ugly”. Of course, this was not the case in old Japan.

Mikaeri though, as a word, is simply “looking back”. Looking back can represent looking back at the past, but pressing forward. I think this heavily describes Fuu as a character. She is searching for her past, and yet is forced to look onward as she travels across Japan. And yes, you are correct in saying Fuu is shown many times looking back. Even the opening credits has her doing so.

We can safely say, just as Hishikawa said in the anime, she is truly a beauty looking backwards.  Now from here, I’m going to diverge a bit. But I promise this will connect to the concept of “Mikaeri” or “looking back”. 

Many people wonder where Mugen, Fuu and Jin grew up. And while the anime never states it, it is very apparent for Mugen and Jin due to actual history. The Miyako Islands had a penal colony known as Taramashima in the Ryukyuan Islands during the Tokugawa time period, where Ryukyuan criminals were put. The paantu black figures that watch Mugen as he almost dies three times in his life are a Miyakoshima deity that chase off evil spirits during an annual festival. This is obviously Mugen’s birthplace. The Takeda clan, or more specifically, the real Mariya Enshirou owned the Kururi Castle outside of Edo. Since this was Jin’s caretaker, and teacher, and Jin was supposed to be heir to the dojo, we can assume Jin grew up there.

What about Fuu?

There is very little information to deduce where she grew up. We know nothing of the town. There is no recorded information I can find about an actual person names Kasumi Seizou. And we see she didn’t live in Nagasaki because that is where her father fled. But…her hometown could quite possibly be handed to us in the very first episode. 

Or should I say…the very first ending song.

“Shiki no Uta” or “Song of Four Seasons” is the ending song for the majority of the anime. A collaboration of the singer Minmi and the composer/arranger Nujabes, it was made specifically for the anime itself, and not by the artists separately. This is considering the anime’s first episode aired on May 19th 2004. But the song was only released in the album Samurai Champloo Music Record: Masta on June 23rd 2004, a whole month later.

The lyrics describe the seasons passing by from a girl’s perspective. And there is the repeated mention of someone they wish to follow, or the way they felt when they were “being held”. It can sound like a romance song, pertaining to Fuu’s relationship with one of her bodyguards. However, I think the song is more about finding her father, as that is the theme of the entire show. The montage of pictures for ending credits display memories of Fuu’s childhood, and her mother and father.The reason I bring this up is for a very specific lyric. Again…the song was made for the anime itself.

Lyric: “Summer comes to Uji, and in the fields are patterns of grass set out to dry.”

Uji is a town southeast of Kyoto that dates back to over a thousand years ago. Uji held no significance in the anime. Never did the trio go there. Never was it mentioned, nor is Uji a a super famous place to the rest of the world. But, Uji,  despite being a small city, is pretty notable in history. For one, the last chapters of the Tale of Genji take place there. The Tale of Genji was the first novel. By first novel, I mean FIRST novel. Ever. So Uji has many landmarks and statues referencing the book for tourists.

Uji is also well known for being a key producer of tea in Japan, as there are many tea leaf fields in the past and even now. The Tsuen Tea Shop still stands, and is the oldest tea shop in all of Japan. This perhaps explains the lyrics “Summer comes to Uji and the patterns of grass (plants/shoots) are set out to dry.”

Grass, being tea grass.

These are women during the Tea Harvesting Festival in Uji:

I’m no expert on botany, and I would like if someone could give more info…but it seems to me that these plants by Kasumi Seizou could quite possibly be tea plants. They look very similar.

So now, we can theorize based on the anime credit’s lyrics and pictures that Fuu was possibly born/raised in the town of Uji.

Here’s a little bit about Uji that will help clarify why this pertains to “Mikaeri Bijin”.

Long ago, the kanji for Uji was written to mean “The Way of Rabbits” or “Rabbit Road”. Rabbits… Seems pretty random right? Well, like anything Japanese, there is of course a  legend surrounding this:

Prince Wakairatsuko once got lost in the woods trying to find the way back to Uji. Upon walking, he saw a “Mikaeri Usagi” or “Looking back rabbit”. The rabbit would look at him, then hop along. It would stop again and again every little while, as if to tell the prince to follow him. Eventually, after following the rabbit for a time, he found himself in Uji again.  

This would be an example of a “Mikaeri Usagi” or “Looking back rabbit”:

Since then, the “Mikaeri Usagi” has been the motif of Uji, as well as the guardian of the Shinto Shrine Ujigami-jinja. The Prince the rabbit helped is also one of the three deities of said shrine. The Ujigami shrine, thought to be the oldest shrine in all of Japan, sells an array of rabbit trinkets.These rabbit charms hold fortunes for the future. 

The meaning of the“mikaeri usagi” is that it will help you find your path in life, if you ever feel lost. Just like the legend. Rabbits are also symbolized with this, because despite looking back. they do not ever leap back. Only move forward while contemplating the past. Across from Ujigami shrine, is another shrine called Uji shrine. Before the 1800s, The two shrines were connected labeled “upper and lower” Uji shrines… But…they were separated during the Meiji Restoration. Here is Uji Shrine nowadays, still preserved:

…Could it be?

There’s always the possibility Fuu once prayed to the guardian spirits of Uji shrine for her future. 

If Uji could very likely be Fuu’s hometown, and the “looking back rabbit” is a town icon…and she is called the “looking back beauty”, I can safely say that it described her perfectly. She looks back on her past, and from there forges her future. Mikaeri as a term both describes her and could reveal the location of her possible hometown.

Thank you for your question and I hope it interests everyone who takes the time to read or research this topic! ^^

~Ryukyuan-Sunflower

[canvaswolfdoll]

CanvasWatches: Samurai Champloo

It’s Samurai Champloo. I don’t know what I’m supposed to say to contextualize my watching it. It’s one of those animes like Cowboy Bebop, the ones everyone should watch because it’s art or whatever.

And I didn’t develop a hatred for it. I like it. It’s a good show. I don’t even know if I have anything particularly special to say.

It took me a while to have the time and access to watch it, but that’s not particularly interesting, either.

But it’s been awhile since I wrote a review, and it’s the last piece of media I consumed, so I guess I’m going to talk about Samurai Champloo.

Spoiler warning.

I haven’t watched any samurai films. It’s a gap I should address, at least watch Seven Samurai, but my admittedly unfair avoidance of non-english films[1] may keep pushing such a viewing back.

I am also a product of the American Education System, whose history curriculum alternates between ‘History of America’ and ‘History of England until America happens, with maybe some nods to Germany and Russia when they’re relevant.’ I was taught very little about Asia.[2]

So there’s a lot of personal context that is completely absent going into Samurai Champloo. Did you know the Japanese government persecuted converts to Christianity/Catholicism?[3] I didn’t! And meme videos can only get me so far, my people.

Despite these two holes, Samurai Champloo was still a consistent story. It explained enough for me to track the historical plot points (though I did miss out on the anachronism gags), and the Samurai action was still good even without me being knowledgeable about the tropes.

The action sequences were pretty alright. High praise, since I almost never like fight scenes. Sure, not all of them were perfectly engrossing, but there were enough that were both visually interesting and narratively weighted to excuse any dips in quality. The clear difference in Mugen and Jin’s combat styles was great. So often, in combat, the involved parties fight in such similar manners as to make them indistinct.[4] By seeing who was entering the fight in a particular episode, you immediately know if you’ll be watching a battle of art and technique (if Jin), or if you’ll be getting a rough and tumble scrap (if Mugen).

The only disappointment in that regard is we never got to watch the two mingle their styles against a singular opponent. There was a little bit in episode 25, but Jin and Mugen were more taking turns than cooperating, and ultimately Jin took the fight. Had I been in charge, the final fight should’ve been Jin and Mugen Vs. Final Boss from start to finish.

Heck, if allowed, I’d have the fight be won when Mugen and Jin silently swapped styles to disorient their opponent. A way to show how the two’s bond had grown, and that they’d studied one another over the journey.

Another nice change is the main trio’s names are both simple enough and repeated sufficiently for me to learn them. And I’m bad at names![5]

For the most part, it’s a delightfully goofy series. Fuu finds herself suddenly unemployed, and she easily got two skilled samurai in her debt, so she might as well pursue the tenuous lead she’s been meaning to resolve. The main trio all have backstories that are moderately fleshed out, but only enough to propel the plot and excuse a couple encounters.

Though considering how readily Mugen and Jin resolve their problems with swords, even that much probably wasn’t necessary. It’s very episodic in structure, with Fuu’s search getting further leads once in a blue moon.

A claim could be made that the actual focus was how three strangers grew together through travel, making the ending where they seperate a little melancholy despite them all finally reaching emotional fulfilment. Fuu saw her father, Jin found a reason to fight, and Mugen tempered his… temper and bloodlust.

Like when I watched Cowboy Bebop years ago, I found the series good, but wasn’t exactly blown away. I can certainly appreciate the place in history both Bebop and Champloo hold, and they’ve managed to age well, but once it was over I had a feeling of ‘That’s it?’ then a shrug as I looked for my next series. So little happened to justify their 26-episode runs, with a lot of the actual over-arcing narrative happening in brief moments and exposition, and the resolutions were also unsatisfying.

Champloo’s goofier tone made the trip endearing, especially with its intentional anachronisms leading to an episode about a baseball ninja trying to beat Americans at their national pastime.[6] However, it leaves the overall series tonally bumpy.

Sure, the tonal shifts can make it difficult to write off any episode too quickly, when what appears to be a tale of showing a Gaijin Tourist about ends with plot advancement to Fuu’s quest, but such revelations rarely up the stakes enough.

When a show really strikes the ‘comedy into drama’ note right, it’s an emotional Tower of Terror, where you’re in high spirits and suddenly get the adrenaline of a sharp and sudden fall. These moments in Champloo, however, are more like miscounting steps on a dark staircase and going up one more step than exists. Sure, you fall maybe 18-inches, and your heart skips a beat, but then you land on the top step and you’re just sort of embarrassed?

Jin and Mugen’s stories, meanwhile, end up having less meat. Jin’s quest to find a place in a world that traditional samurai are becoming rapidly irrelevant in has the potential to be interesting, but it’s paid off in the occasional student popping up to get revenge for their slain master and goes no further than that.

Which is still better than Mugen’s nothing. He used to be a pirate, and… that’s it. Yes, his past comes to haunt him in a two-part episode, but they had to pull three characters from nowhere for his final fight, and give them motivations that don’t sell. Mugen doesn’t remember them, which undercuts them just as hard as Poe Dameron to Kylo Ren. If Mugen doesn’t fear them or have any emotional response, why should the audience?

You have to be careful with characters too cool for school.

The journey is clearly meant to be the actual heart of the story, and that’s done well, until the ending, which is serviceable but (and this is going to be one of my oddest suggested fixes) it should’ve been more of a Shaggy Dog story. Still have Mugen and Jin’s final fights, yes, but have Fuu finally find the Sunflower Samurai after all that. Go to the cottage together, and have Fuu’s father succumb to his illness either after talking to Fuu or, if you want to be real wild, before she arrives (and his retainer can still give the final exposition).  This would’ve made the final scene of the three contently separating feel more in line. As it stands, the separation happens too close to and a part of all their emotional closure, that it feels odd for them to sever their relationship so abruptly. If the entire journey had been an anticlimax, it would’ve fit better with the anticlimax of their fellowship.

Anyways, it’s a serviceable series, just watch out for hype poisoning. Anime fans (especially old ones) can overvalue it. But it’s still worth it.

Thanks for reading. Feel free to send me questions and comments, or support my patreon, or look at the other neat work I do. I like creating, and love reactions to my creation.

Kataal kataal.

[1] I’m not always good at sitting still. I fidget and like to do small tasks while viewing media, so subtitles aren’t great for me. [2] And oddly nothing about Australia and Canada. Besides the former being a penal colony, I can tell you nothing about their history. [3] The show and my light research are ambiguous to specifics, and Catholicism tends to end up being a catch all. I also lack knowledge into religious history beyond a guy nailing a book to a church one time. [4] For example, compare Avatar: The Last Airbender to Legend of Korra. One has a sweet fight on a well, the other has generic arm movements. [5] Historically, I have the TV Tropes page up to remind myself on names. Not this time! [6] As well as a Air Bud reference of all things. I should probably check if that’s in the original Japanese or a clever Dub Gag…