#council of swordsmasters

[star-fiend]

One Punch Man, chapter 148, "The Line"

[sashakielman]

Writer in Motion Fall 2022

I’m very pleased to be participating in this Writer in Motion round! Our prompt and my resulting short story follows below. Next up is self and beta editing--I’m very interested in what my partner will have to say! The final piece will be posted on Sunday, October 16, 2022.

The cliffs called her.

She did not fear the heights; she did not fear the sea.

The only thing she feared was that someday, she would not be able to escape the confines of walls and linger out of doors; that she would be trapped, far from the sea she loved, far from the cliffs she called home. 

Nature was her temple, her cathedral. She went through the motions of her daily life, lighting candles, saying prayers, performing courtesies, but as soon as she could escape the boredom of routine and the claustrophobia of a crowded castle, she would. 

Here, she could sit in silence with nothing more expected of her. She could breathe freely, basking in the silence and the solitude, only rocks and waves to keep her company.  

She could imagine herself a scholar, spending hours in the library, studying and learning what she chose to her heart’s content.

She could imagine herself a knight, riding her horse across the world, defending her home with honor and glory. 

She could imagine herself a bird, flying away from her problems, singing across the sea and sky.

She could imagine herself anything than what she was rather than facing the reality she so detested and dreaded.

Here, where the wind and the salt in the air stung her cheeks and turned them red, she could claim her tears were nothing but the result of the environment she so cherished.

It was strange to feel so at home and at peace alone, outside, while she felt so anxious, uncomfortable and alone, surrounded by people. No one else seemed to experience her struggle--at least, those that could understand it--or perhaps they had resigned themselves to their fates in a way she had not.

Her mother’s face was the very picture of frustrated, patient resignation, until the day she died.

She would not die like her mother, weeping in agony, sacrificing her life for the potential of another’s. 

She would ensure it.

With those precious few moments that remained to her at the seaside, she swore a solemn vow to herself. She would always remain true to herself, to what she knew to be the truth of gods and humans, until the day she died. Or she would die trying.

She smiled as she heard the first shouts in the distance through the wind.

“Princess! Princess!”

She sighed, got up and brushed the dirt and sand from her dress, and turned to face them. 

It was perhaps only by virtue of her position that her father allowed her to be trained as well as the finest swordsmasters in the realm. She could ride as well as the horsemasters, speak multiple languages, and debate politics with anyone. 

She was her father’s daughter as much as she was his heir. 

He was the crown. 

She did not want the crown. 

She wanted freedom, to feel the sunlight kiss her face rather than courtiers and their false flattery. 

She was no beauty--that much was evident to all--but nor was she plain, and so that made their words all the more prickling across her freckled skin. 

None of them praised her freckles, nor her hair, also marked by her time out of doors. She would have appreciated them praising her intellect, her curiosity, her kindness. 

Instead, they tried to tell her that her smile was radiant as the sun, that she was a gift to the realm, and on and on in a vain attempt to convince her father they could be trusted, or they should be appointed to his Council, or some other self-serving sort. 

It was all she could do to not roll her eyes at every session. 

Her father never had an answer as to why, if her smile was so radiant and she was such a gift to the realm, that none of the assembled lords ever asked for her to consider marriage with any of their children. 

Marriage was a different sort of freedom, one she both dreaded and desired. She could still yet hold hope that someone, someday, would love her for her true self. 

Before she died, her mother told her that she knew God had someone very special saved for her.

She resisted asking her mother why God was waiting so long to send her this special person. 

Perhaps someday, she would know. Perhaps someday, she would actually meet them. 

Until then, she had to take her destiny into her own hands. 

No one questioned her taking extra food from the kitchens that night. She had been a regular presence there over the years, gossiping with the servants and begging for bread, cheese, and honey when it was the lunar phase of her cycle. 

They might have been surprised to see her in her riding cloak and her training gear, vambraces in place, sword at her side, her bag filled with food and books slung over her shoulder. 

Her jewelry--only that which was most precious to her--was hidden among her possessions, her hair was braided and wrapped under her hood. 

The sea and the wind beckoned to her, calling her away once more, and away she went, her horse galloping in the moonlight. 

She breathed a sigh of relief, a prayer in her heart, and felt freedom caress her skin.

[weebianplebeian]

I just want to reblog this and stress this: Kamikaze lost his entire squad. He didn’t lose 20% of his squad. He didn’t even lose 50%. He lost his whole squad.

All of the S-Class heroes (and the protection squad) are having quite possibly the worst day of their lives. Darkshine and Tatsumaki are getting their shit rocked for the first time ever. Genos is once again getting his shit rocked. Bang just lost a shirt and the sanity of his former student. CE had to see his surrogate father get turned into giblets, and so on and so forth. Its just not a good day to be a hero right now.

But Kamikaze? I'd arguably say he's getting the worst of it right now.

webcomic spoilers ahead:

In the original flow of the webcomic, BS beats him up, he loses his sword, gets talked down to by a teenager and his students also get beat up and that's about it.

In Ch. 69 of the manga we got introduced to the Council of Swordsmasters, a group that’s shown to be pretty close with AS.

Not only has AS had to put down his fellow swordsmaster in the first chapter they were introduced (Haragiri), but now he’s had to see the last three be killed in horrible ways. Two of his best disciples are knocked unconscious, and the last one is going to have a foot smooshed on his face. Can you imagine the guilt he’s going to feel when this is all over? Mind you it’s implied that it took a bit of convincing from his students to let them fight on their own.

ONE created the Council of Swordsmasters to make AS and his fans suffer.

[imsosocold]

I find it funny (in a twisted way) that Amai Mask questioned Atomic Samurai's decision to bring his disciples along with him to the Monster Association raid out of concern that they weren’t strong enough. And later on Atomic’s friends from the Council of Swordsmasters came unannounced to join the battle and almost immediately ended up dead or disabled. 

[aforrestofstuff]

Oh fuck it’s been two weeks already uuuhh Chapter 148 expert review time!!

Sorry for skipping out on chapter 147. I was too busy doing nothing.

First off: oh my god it’s normal Garou my sweet boy I haven’t seen you in ages—

Also a lot of people have been pointing out the height difference in this pic, and I was gonna say that could be attributed to Bang always being hunched over but he’s definitely not hunched over here!! Fucking manlet! Little bitchboy! Googoo gaga bitch! Gonna get his ass beat by an 18 year-old prick while also being short. Pick a struggle, Bang.

Ngl I thought Garou’s irises were tears for a second and I got all up in my shit about it but turns out he’s just cooked out of his fucking mind. I mean, his brain is medium rare at this point. What the fuck is up with him. Why is he standing like that. Why are his feet so skinny??? He’s standing on pogo sticks??

I thought Garou and Bang’s little dumpster scuffle was pretty cool. Murata’s fights are always really well choreographed and his posing is amazing. Only issue is I kinda thought their inevitable beat-down would be a little more climactic? The story thus far has been pretty plateaued and we haven’t really had a proper buildup towards this moment, I think. It’s just been one fight after another, and so far this feels no different. But, I could be getting too far ahead here. The fight’s just begun, maybe something will happen that’ll shift my opinion. But so far… yeah this seems like just another segment of punches being thrown.

I will say though, I do like Garou’s obvious improvement in this rematch with Bang. It was kind of expected since he’s gone through a lot since the Hero Hunter arc, but seeing him actually land a solid hit on the old fuck was really satisfying. He’s grown! He’s gotten stronger! Good for him! He’s still going to hell for nearly killing Mumen, though. But good for him!

Garou’s nonverbal-ness throughout this fight does bring mixed feelings in me, though. I was kinda looking forward to he and Bang’s banter; like maybe they’ll reveal things about Garou’s past that we didn’t know about or something. A few people have brought up that it could be because Garou’s asleep in this fight like he was with PPP and Darkshine, and if that’s the case then I’m a little disappointed. This confrontation was long overdue, and if Garou’s not even lucid throughout it then that could be a lot of character growth being missed out on. But like I said, it’s still early on. Maybe things will change.

I’m thinking impure thoughts.

Man what the FUCK is this.

Also, what he says here kinda stung at first. Like, wow, Garou is more teachable when he’s literally a monster that just makes animal noises and doesn’t have any signs of even being lucid?? Made me a little nervous about how Silverfang treated Garou in the past, since he’s kind of treating him as just a vessel of strength right now, not as something that was once human, much less his beloved disciple. I know Silverfang is objectively Not a good teacher or caregiver but I wasn’t expecting him to just disregard Garou like that.

I talked with Kiyoko about it and turns out it’s a bit of a translation error. Silverfang does say that, but it’s with no regards towards younger Garou and more towards how present Garou is a lot more receptive to picking up techniques. So, it’s more just banter and not a “I’m disgracing all the years I’ve taken you under my wing” sorta thing. I’m happy about that. One of the more compelling things about their relationship is the lingering guilt and love Bang still holds for Garou.

EDIT:

Also I just love the “you twisted punk” line. A lot of the dialogue in the manga is a little eeeehhh sometimes (not at the fault of anybody, by the way. Translations just be like that) but that line just feels so human. Very boomer, very witty, very funny.

So, Amahare and Nichirin are both dead but hey we got a funky lil’ sword and side quest out of it.

Portal magic, motherfuckers. I thought the use of his necklace for this was really clever.

I’ve said before how I thought the manga was overloaded with deadly situations and yet lacking death, but boy has Murata turned all that shit around. Granted, I still think the heroes have too much plot armor but this is a nice change of pace. Now we got actual blood being shed. Yay.

We had some reveals here, which I thought were cool. Apparently Nichirin was Kamikaze’s teacher, which gives me some feelings. Nichirin was also Spring Mustachio’s teacher, but Spring Mustachio is nowhere near Kamikaze’s level yet. So, Nichirin died before he could see Spring Mustachio become a master, and Spring Mustachio watched his master die without having completed his training. That shit’s fucked! The council of swordsmasters is disbanded, so who the fuck is he gonna have as a teacher now? Is he gonna go under Kamikaze’s wing? Because clearly, we haven’t seen all of that fucker (and his disciples) yet. Now we got a fucking side quest for some gay little sword or something.

This makes me… kinda excited for Kamikaze’s arc? Like, holy shit we might actually get a decent chunk of the story told around him (and maybe Spring Mustachio if Murata doesn’t forget about him because I certainly did). Idk if this is the best place for this massive lore drop but yay now Kamikaze has a working sword and a life mission to go on once we get up to speed with the webcomic. Also RIP Nichirin, your character was just used for plot progression lmao sucks to suck.

Golden Sperm looks like the shit I took today. I knew this was coming from the webcomic but nothing could’ve prepared me for the actual cyst this dude is.

Also, his gay little mask or whatever is literally just a face copy of serious Saitama lol. I fucking hate this bitch I want to stick him in some soup broth and whack him against a brick wall until he no longer making a schlorping noise. Anyways.

In conclusion, still stan Bomb because he’s trying his fucking best, even after getting his shit rocked by an 18 year-old edgelord lmao. Also, he didn’t rip his shirt off pre-fight like a fuckboy.

[the-nysh]

Don’t let Garou and Bang distract you from the fact that the Council of Swordsmasters arrived to the scene, engaged in battle and all died before Metal Bat arrived (from the slingshot chapter)

Pure tragic horror, just one after another 😔 and I doubt Bang & Garou are even aware of...what just happened over there. FU's cinched the most kills (pure yikes, that shit's nasty and traumatizing), while Homeless Emperor's still chillin on stand by, and welp oh geez, looks like we've already got Golden Sperm on our hands now too! D: Point is, shit's fucked;; (welp, there even goes the wc Genos panel as feared...) and it's looking like Metal Bat & King had better stay back (from harm) for as long as possible, ack;;

[alexthegamingboy]

Toonami Weekly Recap 11/23/2019 (The Forge Edition, Week 3)

My Hero Academia Shie Hassaikai Arc Season 4 EP#65 (02) - Boy Meets...: Izuku battles Sir Nighteye to get his stamp and approval to join his agency. However, midway through battle, Nighteye reveals a secret about All Might that shakes Izuku's confidence greatly.

JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Golden Wind EP#05 - Find Polpo's Fortune!: News of Polpo's apparent suicide reaches the organization, along with suspicion that Bucciarati knows the location of Polpo's hidden fortune. Meanwhile, Giorno is introduced to the other members of Passione: Leone Abbacchio, Narancia Ghirga, Guido Mista and Pannacotta Fugo. After learning of Polpo's death, Bucciarati takes his team on a yacht to Capri to retrieve Polpo's fortune and attain the rank of capo. Narancia, Mista and Fugo mysteriously vanish, leading Bucciarati to suspect someone has sneaked onto the yacht and is targeting him for the fortune. Giorno deduces that the others are still alive and acts as bait to lure out the enemy Stand, prompting Abbacchio, who initially distrusted Giorno, to bring out his own Stand.

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba EP#07 - Muzan Kibutsuji: Tanjiro enters the demons' swamp to fight two of them, while Nezuko protects Kazumi and the human girl from the other. Although the air is thin and the swamp is dark, his Water Style shows its true power when underwater, allowing him to create a whirlpool that eviscerates the two and return quickly to the surface. The siblings confront the final demon, who has been severely injured, and Tanjiro demands that he tell him anything about Muzan, causing the demon to become completely terrified, shocking Tanjiro. Nezuko falls asleep after her battle and returns to her box as Tanjiro comforts the devastated Kazumi and returns Satoko's hair ribbon he found in the swamp. Kazumi is in grief at first, but after realising that Tanjiro had gone through something similar, apologises. Tanjiro journeys to Asakusa per his Kasugai crow's directions, and to his horror, locates Muzan living in disguise as the father of a human family by following his scent. Muzan, recognising that Tanjiro is from the Demon Slayer Corps, casually slices the neck of a passerby, turning him into a demon.

One-Punch Man 2 EP#07 (19) - The S Class Heroes: Child Emperor (S Class Hero Rank 5) uses his robot Underdog Man No. 22 to analyze a monster named Eyesight's poisons to find a cure for the paralysis. Child Emperor then proceeds to detonate Underdog Man when it's near Eyesight, but that did not successfully kill her as she hardened her skin. Eyesight then manages to find Child Emperor, but is interrupted and eaten by Pig God (S Class Hero Rank 10). Pig God decides to go after the other monsters in Y-City afterwards. Garou tries to go after Watchdog Man (S Class Hero Rank 12), but a monster beats him to it. Drive Knight (S Class Hero Rank 9) interrogates a monster he spared after killing the others. Death Gatling (Class A Hero Rank 8) gathers other heroes to fight Hundred Eyes Octopus, but Flashy Flash (S Class Hero Rank 13) arrives and grievously wounds it with his incredible speed. Right when Flashy Flash is about to unleash his final move, Tatsumaki (S Class Hero Rank 2) arrives and kills Hundred Eyes Octopus with ease, berating Flashy Flash for being too slow before leaving, but not before Flash insults her back. Amai Mask kills monsters in his concert and Mumen Rider and Tank Top Master defeat monsters in the hospital. Atomic Samurai attends a meeting with the Council of Swordsmasters (Nichirin, Amahare, Zanbai, and Haragiri) to discuss the Garou problem. Haragiri reveals that he has sided with the Monster Association, and gives the sword masters 3 monster cells which will amplify their strength, speed and skill at the cost of their humanity and turning them into monsters. Haragiri tries to kill Atomic Samurai (as Atomic Samurai is too much of a threat). but Atomic Samurai slays Haragiri before leaving with his disciples (Bushidrill, Iaian and Okamaitachi) to find the Monster Association base. Meanwhile in the Super Fight Tournament, Saitama defeats Sourface and Choze before facing off against Suiryu in the finals, with Suiryu promising to show Saitama what martial arts are all about. During the fight Suiryu begins to express his disdain about the hero lifestyle, and tries to persuade Saitama not to become a hero since it is pointless and boring to do heroic justice and save the day. Instead, Suiryu remarks that people with great strength such as Saitama should seek thrills, just like him before he kicks Saitama in the head. Angered and annoyed, Saitama lets the kick connect, knocking the wig off his head. Finally exposed, Saitama throws a short range punch while exclaiming that if Suiryu's goal is to seek fun, he shouldn't try to make himself stronger than he is currently. However, Saitama restrains his punch before it hits Suiryu, which creates a powerful shock wave that blows off Suiryu's clothes, exposing his muscular body and leaving him in a state of deep shock. Despite Saitama being disqualified, Suiryu still attacks Saitama in anger, even using his final attack (Void Phoenix Ascension Fist). Saitama is unfazed by the assault. When Saitama says that martial arts are techniques that make you look cool, and starts spinning around, Suiryu tries to attack Saitama yet again but is knocked back by Saitama into a wall while taking Saitama's white belt, resulting in Saitama's pants falling down. Despite Suiryu embarrassing Saitama with that action, he is still in deep shock that he lost. In the post-credit scene, Genos wakes up from the wreckage, and a monster is heading toward the Martial Arts Tournament.

Dr. Stone Village Games Arc EP#14 - Master of Flame: Magma tricks Kinro into consulting the referee so he can attack from behind and win the match for himself. He then has Mantle throw his match against Chrome in order to disqualify Kohaku, who fails to get back in time. Faced in a one-sided semi-final match against Magma, Chrome uses his own tears with Suika's mask to create a magnifying lens that can start a fire. Needing to buy time, Gen returns and uses his "sorcery" to distract Magma long enough for Chrome to set fire to Magma's clothes and win the match.

Fire Force EP#17 - Black and White and Gray: Shinra is freed from his bindings by Hibana and immediately heads back to the workshop, bypassing the fight between Arthur, Flail and Mirage. Inside the workshop, Giovanni continues to destroy Vulcan's equipment until he breaks Vulcan's projector, which reveals the key to Amaterasu. As Giovanni attempts to kill Vulcan, Shinra blasts his way in the workshop and knocks back Giovanni. Lisa uses her magnet-based pyrokinesis to subdue Shinra, but Vulcan has Iris press random buttons to eject magnetized metal equipment which nullifies Lisa's powers. However, as Hibana was aiding Arthur against Flail and Mirage, one of the metal equipment Iris ejected inadvertently hits Hibana and knocks her out. Shinra is able to gain the advantage over Giovanni and knocks him outside the workshop. Once outside, Shinra finally meets Sho and is overjoyed to finally reunite with him. However, Sho uses his incredible speed to subdue Shinra and seriously injure Arthur. Victor arrives in the nick of time and uses a truck to pickup Shinra, Arthur, Iris, Vulcan, Yu and Hibana to escape. Just as Sho is able to catch up with the group, Joker intervenes and matches Sho's speed and power as they fight. As Shinra and the others escape to safety, Joker retreats, but not before damaging Sho's sword. Yu is taken to the hospital for his injuries as Vulcan agrees to go to the 8th for safety. Victor denies Hibana's claims that he led Sho and his followers to Shinra. At the Company 8 firehouse, Vulcan is surprised to see that the 8th is not like how he perceived the Fire Force to be. The next day, Vulcan returns to the workshop with Shinra and Arthur to visit his father and grandfather's grave one more time. Vulcan tells father and grandfather that to save the world, he will have to break his promise and join the Fire Force.

Food Wars!: Shokugeki no Soma Totsuki Autumn Election Arc EP#20 - The Dragon Lies Down and Ascends the Skies: With the challenge of creating a curry dish set, many of the contestants set off to visit their families and study up on spices during the remainder of the summer. Soma stays at the dorms to try out various spice combinations. The Autumn Election preliminaries soon arrive, and it is revealed that only the top four from each group will make it through to the tournament phase. As the contestants begin cooking, Soma appears to have fallen asleep.

Lupin the 3rd Part 5 Enzo Bron Arc EP#23 - Just Then, An Old Buddy Said Something: Enzo is triumphant about capturing Lupin III, but coldly disregards the reappearance of his long-lost daughter Ami. Zenigata and Yatagarasu take the wounded Lupin and the remorseful Goemon into custody, while Fujiko remains Enzo's willing prisoner, secure in her faith that Lupin will return for her. Although hunted by the police, Jigen later intercepts the prison transport carrying Lupin and Goemon and frees them using a sub-armory of weapons stashed in his car. However, despite the technological odds against him, Lupin refuses to reject his lifestyle as a master thief, and instead seeks refuge in the Grand Duchy of Cagliostro. Hidden below the ruined castle, Lupin turns the tables against Enzo by using PeopleLog to air the dirty laundry of the world's governments. As Shake Handz begins to suffer from the first wave of repercussions, Lupin and his friends initiate the first phase of their final strike.

Black Clover: Elf Tribe Reincarnation Arc EP#96 - The Black Bulls Captain vs. the Crimson Wild Rose: The Midnight Sun members all begin to disintegrate as they too are sacrificed to fuel the resurrection. All over the Clover Kingdom humans begin to transform as the souls of the elves are reincarnated into their bodies, including most of the Royal Knights. Patry declares that the extinction of humans has begun as the reincarnated elves begin their attack. Yami is confronted by two elves in the bodies of Owen and Marx but he manages to knock both elves unconscious. He is suddenly attacked by the elf possessed Charlotte whose blue roses have turned red. As they fight the elf still acts and moves like Charlotte and Yami realises the resurrection had removed all the lingering effects of her childhood curse and the elf is now using Charlottes full magical power as it was meant to be. Sol arrives to save Charlotte but is eventually convinced by Yami to leave with the Wizard King's body. Yami angrily confronts Charlotte for allowing an elf to control her. The elf responds with one of Charlotte's most powerful spells. Yami, knowing the spell could completely destroy the city, uses his Dark Cloaked Dimension Slash to try and stop it. Back in the Midnight Sun's base Noelle and Kirsch prepare to fight two possessed Royal Knights, one of whom is Luck.

[theycallmebabycakes]

General Iroh, the Dragon of the West. First son of Fire Lord Azulon and heir to the throne. Father to Lu Ten, Prince of the Fire Nation.

There was a shimmer of pride in your belly as you thought of how powerful your General Iroh was. You might only be a servant, a petty bodyguard tasked mostly with pouring tea, but you were servant to the heir of the Fire Nation. General Iroh’s power glowed in a room of lesser men, and by mere proximity that light also showed in you. Other servants got out of your way as you passed through the Fire Nation Army’s tent city. All you were carrying was a letter, but people jumped at the sight of you as if you carried the weight of the world.

“A letter from your son’s Commander, General,” you said, bowing as you entered General Iroh’s tent. The General had a small table in front of him, his dinner getting cold as he read the latest report from the front lines. The Outer Wall of Ba Sing Se was breached, and your esteemed master had plans for the next one.

“Thank you, (F/N),” he said, immediately setting down the scroll and reaching for the one in your hand. General Iroh always stopped everything when his son was involved. You hadn’t met Prince Lu Ten, but with how often his father spoke of him, you felt like you knew him well.

You had only turned your back for a moment, checking the heat of the teapot, when you heard a strangled sound behind you. A shock of fear ran through you - had the General been poisoned? Attacked, with you right there in the room? You spun around--

And found General Iroh crying, the scroll you’d handed him crumpled in his clenched fist.

--

General Iroh, the Dragon of the West. First son of Fire Lord Azulon and heir to the throne. Father to Lu Ten, Prince of the Fire Nation, now passed. 

When people got out of your way now, it was always with a slightly pitying look on their faces. It wasn’t you they pitied, but your master; General Iroh had taken his son’s death badly, and everyone knew it.

The Seige of Ba Sing Se wasn’t going as well as it had before. In fact, it was being abandoned even as you marched to your master’s tent. General Iroh had lost his son, and his momentum in the battle had followed shortly. You bowed as you entered his tent, silent this time as the small group of Fire Nation Army leaders muttered over their map of Ba Sing Se. General Iroh sat at the head of the table, shadows under his eyes and a distant look on his face. He stared into his teacup, listless.

You gently took the teacup from your master’s hand, drawing the attention of the others. To be so forward with the Prince of the Fire Nation, the Dragon of the West--

“Please forgive the intrusion,” you said, bowing deeply. “I come bearing news from the Homeland.”

“This must be important,” one of the leaders said. You didn’t look up from your bow, instead sinking to your knees.

“Fire Lord Azulon has passed. All members of the War Council have been recalled to the capital at once, to observe the crowning of the new Fire Lord...” You paused, not wanting to finish. The men and women in the room waited with baited breath, ready to start posturing for their new Fire Lord. “Fire Lord Ozai will be crowned in one week’s time.”

--

General Iroh, the Dragon of the West. Brother to Fire Lord Ozai. First son of Fire Lord Azulon, now passed.  Father to Lu Ten, Prince of the Fire Nation, now passed.

The procession was slow. You had packed General Iroh’s things on the same night as the announcement, but it took more than a week to get to the Fire Nation capital from Ba Sing Se. Now you walked next to your master’s palanquin, slowly but surely headed toward the castle. The new Fire Lord stood at the door, his crown in place and a welcoming smile on his lips. There was a glint of pride in his eyes that didn’t seem quite befitting of a man whose father had died only a week ago.

“Fire Lord Ozai,” General Iroh said, bowing deeply before his brother. His younger brother, who should not have been Fire Lord before him. Iroh had taken it well, but you were still seething. General Iroh had been conquering the Earth Kingdom while his little brother sat at home, and yet Fire Lord Azulon had seen fit to make Ozai his heir?

“My dear brother,” Ozai said, that little smile turning into an almost wolfish grin. “Welcome home. I only wish your return didn’t have to be on such sad tidings.”

“As do I. It has been a long time, my brother. We have much to discuss.”

“Of course. But first, won’t you greet your niece and nephew? They’ve been looking forward to your return.”

“Of course! It is wonderful to see you again, my dear Prince Zuko, and my darling Princess Azula.” General Iroh bent to offer a hug to his extended family, and you watched out of the corner of your eye as Prince Zuko accepted the hug. Princess Azula hesitated, even glancing at her father, before joining in.

“But where is your wife? I have missed my sister-in-law Princess Ursa dearly.”

“My wife will not be joining us,” Fire Lord Ozai said. There was a sudden coldness in his voice, and you could almost hear the warning - “don’t ask” - in the way he said it.

“I miss Mom,” the young Prince Zuko said, his voice barely above a whisper. Too quiet for Fire Lord Ozai to hear, but just loud enough for your ears.

--

General Iroh, the Dragon of the West. Brother to Fire Lord Ozai. First son of Fire Lord Azulon, now passed.  Father to Lu Ten, Prince of the Fire Nation, now passed. Uncle to Prince Zuko, heir to the Fire Nation throne.

It was late, almost midnight. You were practicing with your swords, attacking a straw dummy with all your might. Sometimes the dummy was Fire Lord Ozai. Sometimes it was one of the other Generals, whispering behind their hands as your master walked by. They didn’t respect General Iroh as they should. So the Battle of Ba Sing Se hadn’t ended as well as they’d expected - so what? General Iroh had still gotten further in that siege than anyone else in history. He deserved respect.

“Wow, you’re really good at that,” a voice behind you nearly made you drop your swords. Spinning around, you nearly pulled your back trying to bow and turn at the same time. Prince Zuko, his eyes a little reddened, stood just under a nearby tree. How long had he been watching you practice?

“It’s an honor to hear you say that, Prince Zuko,” you managed. General Iroh liked Prince Zuko, and though he was a little stuffy and definitely a crybaby, you’d decided you liked him, too. At least, you liked the little Princeling more than his awful younger sister.

“You don’t have to be so formal,” he whined. The Prince rubbed his eye, still staring at the swords in your hands. “Where’d you learn to be so good at that, anyway?”

“My father and mother were both skilled swordsmasters,” you said, straightening up from your bow. There was a long pause, but you swallowed and stepped forward, holding the swords out to the Crown Prince. “Would you like to try them?”

Prince Zuko started flailing at your dummy, the swords flashing. You might have laughed, if he weren’t swinging hard enough to hurt himself.

“You’re holding them wrong,” you said. He paused, turning to look at you as he panted. You approached, gently correcting his grip and posture with nudges from your feet and tugs from your hands. “Keep in mind, these are dual swords. Two halves of a single weapon. Don't think of them as separate, 'cause they're not. They're just two different parts of the same whole.”

[iasfuturekings]

Clans of Hoshido: Inazuma (稲妻)

One winter night, the sword smith was brought a core of foreign, ancient metal that sparked blue. The mystery traveler cloaked in white offered an insurmountable sum of money for a nebulous request.

“Forge me a sword that will call forth the heavens and bring hope from afar.”

Not fully understanding what the traveler meant but persuaded easily by coin, the sword smith worked for thirty days undisturbed in his shop on the highest peak of the northern mountains. He returned to his patient customer with a dazzling blade fitted in white and gold. The patron tried the blade for himself in an empty clearing and brought forth a bolt of lightning. Pleased by the workmanship, the patron pulled back his cloak, revealing the divine visage of the Dawn Dragon Dion. As thanks, the dragon blessed the smith with good luck in addition to the original payment, and the two hoped they would meet again.

Dion never truly returned to the north mountains, but the smith made well with his newfound riches and spent the rest of his life forging swords and teaching his sons and daughters to do the same. Years later in the war of divided states, Nariko, a descendant of the swordsmith, had a chance encounter with  a man named Nobuyuki, the young lord of the  rising Yamato clan, wielding the great white sword forged by his ancestor. Becoming the most unlikely of friends, the young lord and swordsman joined arms in a great quest to unify the east lands. To defeat the last of the opposing lords, the two reforged the lighning sword into a better one, which Nobuyuki inscribed “Raijinto”. Nariko’s family gained great renown for assisting the Yamato Clan, who eventually won all of Hoshido.

Today, the family of Inazuma have moved beyond the art of sword making to wielding swords themselves and governing the land. Now a noble family, the Inazuma are loyal to the Hoshidan crown, maintaining a friendship with the Yamato clan that has endured for centuries. The Inazuma domain is now also home to many sword smiths who have learned the Inazuma technique of sword making and enjoy a great many patrons from many warriors in the east lands. A sword made in an Inazuma smithy is said to be unparalleled.

Wait why did I put a fox in that aesthetic photo set?

Crest Design

The stylistic motif of lightning is called “inazuma”. In this case, you have some of them put together to form a knot. It’s nice and square-ish, and is shaped in reference to the auspicious Buddhist symbol called “manji” in Japanese (and solely in reference to that, nothing else). Patterns using manji as a base appear commonly on courtesans and military heroines like Tomoe Gozen, or clothing of warriors and sumo wrestlers.

On another note, in consideration of the unfortunate implications that follow the manji, I had rotated the symbol to be a square rather than a diamond. If there is still an issue with the design, I will change it to a triple inazuma instead of four.

Notable Members

Souji - the former head, Hana and Isamu’s father, a good friend to the previous king and died valiantly defending him from an assassin

Isamu - Hana’s brother, current head, Third Seat of the Council of Seven, considered to be very weak willed compared to his father

Hana - Royal retainer to Princess Sakura, Isamu’s younger sister

Ema - Hana and Isamu’s cousin, Sky Knight Corps, a young, spirited sky knight in training who is a little too proud of her inexperience

Nariko Inazuma - official founder and first matriarch of the Inazuma family, a skilled swordsmith and companion of first king of Hoshido

Fun Notes and Facts

It’s rather surprising that Hana comes from snow country, but hey, what can you do?

One of the Inazumas’ training regimens involve working out in the biting cold to build tolerance (yes, Isamu does that stuff too)

Also they often complain of how hot it is in the capital even though the weather is fair

The Inazumas are a major supplier of weapons to the Sky Knight Corps, who are always in need of well crafted naginata

As per tradition, most of the Inazumas are samurai, so Isamu is also a swordsmaster

Most people assume that Hana is the more diligent sibling of the two, but anyone close to him know full well how many hours he spends actually working and training

Hana often talks of her brother in high regard and gets annoyed when people are surprised

Ryoma often jokes that Isamu is better off being a ninja because he doesn’t like declaring his presence in battle and hates shouting

Most of his students (those who see through his pushover personality and are “nuts” enough to ask some lazy person to teach them) greatly respect his patience and nurturing teaching style

Hana also intimidates any students who think they can push her brother around, so there’s that, too

The Inazuma are understandably a parallel to the Lovells, much like how the Amachi mirror the Albrands

Considering the tension Hana and Silas both have in the original game, maybe they can find common ground over this

Claudia and Isamu would get along pretty well, too, and Isamu would have a lot of sympathy for Claudia losing her girlfriend

Isamu and Ryoma are good friends with each other, although Ryoma often is surprised that Isamu hasn’t died because of his merciful nature

Hana and Ryoma worry that Isamu is too much of a doormat and often try to get him to stand up for himself more

Hana really loves her brother, she really does, but she hates it when Isamu sacrifices stuff for her

It would suck to kill him if you didn’t persuade Rinkah beforehand at the Nestrian opera house, and it would suck to tell Hana and Ryoma you killed this nice guy who didn’t deserve to die

Out of the entire council, Isamu is okay with Azura’s place as part of the royal family

Azura keeps staying out of his way because she doesn’t really fathom he could be genuinely nice

He reminds her too much of Thomas, too

The wild foxes are very friendly to the Inazumas and are often allowed to just roam around their grounds

Isamu objected greatly to Katsura Chiura’s attack on the Kitsunes, in one of his rare less pushover moments

He persuaded Queen Mikoto to close off the Kitsune’s territory as prohibited hunting grounds

He makes it imperative that he visits the fox shrines in the south once every year, and has had run ins with the likes of Kaden, who initially liked to mess around with him but then just stopped pranking him because the guy’s just too nice and accepting to make fun of

After Kaden’s village is destroyed by Faceless, Isamu and Hana help the survivors establish a new home in his domain, much further away from their original home (they can’t go back because the Faceless are kinda toxic to be around)

The Inazumas have a contentious relationship with the Fire Clan that Rinkah and Kumagera come from, so there’s been talk that Isamu may have to marry Rinkah for better relations

Kumagera and Souji were fairly civil but stayed out of each others’ way, with a few territorial disputes

Isamu tries to make amends by returning any stolen land bit by bit, although this has lowered the other nobles’ opinion of him. Not like he really cares, to be honest.

Coincidentally, a possible promotion for the Oni Savage class is the Blacksmith class, so that fits right in with the Inazuma domain’s specialty

Music Accompaniment: Wei - Overture DEEP BLUE I. History

edit: 6/1/17 - Thank you, yonah952, for noticing the typo!

[signutai]

Okay so my copy of the English version of OPM Vol. 10 got here today and here are some of my thoughts: - Bang signing Charanko’s cast on the characters page. - I wonder if Charanko even knows because he seems to still be unconscious and it’s on the bottom of his foot. jfc bang - Spring Moustachio and Golden Ball on the characters page also, how sweet. - It looks like Spring Moustachio has a side job washing dishes or something? Unexpectedly wholesome, and he looks like he’d work in a fancy restaurant. - And the freaking Tanktoppers on the characters page. They’re such a bizarre family and I love it. - Of course Garou pops up out of nowhere when people are talking about him, he can probably hear his name being said from miles away because he’s such a needy, attention-starved child. - “I can’t believe you came to visit. I’m so happy, Saitama.” Mumen continues to be the single most pure person in the history of the universe. - Can I offer you a nice banana in these trying times? - “Silver Fang has trained an evil demon.” I’m sorry but this makes me laugh so hard for some reason. Maybe it’s the bitter, sullen look on his face as he says it. - Saitama hears that Tanktop Master defeats his opponents with a single punch and immediately offers him a banana too. - BUSAIKU - King’s picture in his guidebook is so precious. - Also he has Lightning Genji’s autograph? How sweet. ;~; - Smelly, beat-up weirdo shows up and asks to be taken to Busaiku’s neighborhood. Busaiku sees nothing wrong with this. - He will, however, draw the line at said smelly, beat-up weirdo asking to borrow his book. His priorities are clearly in order. - Garou’s dorky-ass little smile as he reads about the monsters. That is all. - “Chumpo” - Charanko is having precisely none of Saitama’s shit. - Saitama looks actually upset when he says, “Poor you...a side casualty of the Hero Hunter...” - It’s interesting that even though Saitama can’t remember Charanko’s name or who he is most of the time, he did remember when Charanko told him that he faced Garou head-on, even if he seemed disinterested and changed the subject immediately after. - Dammit, Charanko, leave your bandages alone. - I always love shots of Charanko cleaning the dojo floors because he seems super into it. You do you, charred ankle. - “I doubt you would do it...but no taking my place!” you had ONE job, saitama - Garou chopping a pint glass in half, because that’s not extra at all. - Golden Ball faking out Garou by acting drunk and catching him off-guard is BEAUTIFUL. - And he actually manages to do some damage! - Garou: -dodges a powerful volley of attacks with no effort whatsoever- “My eyes have adjusted.” EXTRA EXTRA READ ALL ABOUT IT - SPRING MOUSTACHIO TO THE RESCUE - “You weren’t at the bar so I went looking for you.” I’m not saying they’re boyfriend but...boyfriends. - Also, on the subject of him, since we know now that he’s a disciple of Nichirin from the Council of Swordsmasters, is the...handkerchief-turning-into-a-sword thing something he learned there or did he just...pick it up along the way? “Yes this next technique I will teach you is a little something called ‘I lost my scabbard one day and wondered if it was strictly necessary.’” - Actually pretty damn impressive swordwork there. - Sure, Garou, impale your hand on his sword, because that’s not extra either. - Garou “I’m Gonna Kill Every One Of You” walks away from a fight because his opponent’s out of ammo. I totally buy that you’re a merciless hero killer, dude. - His face when he wakes up after Saitama knocks him out is kind of precious. - Also doesn’t seem overly concerned about waking up in a pile of garbage, surrounded by crows. Also somewhat concerning that no one thought to call someone about the bloody, beaten-up dude lying unconscious in trash. - Genos: still dedicated to getting Saitama some hair. - Garou’s shack makes me sad. Someone find this stupid murderpuppy a real home. Does that place even have running water? When’s the last time he bathed? There’s a lightbulb hanging from the ceiling, though it’s not on now, so the place must have had power at some point. Did he just stumble across this decrepit old hovel and go, “Ah yes perfect, this is mine now.” And he sleeps under a wall of hero pictures, that’s not creepy at all... - Did he not learn basic first-aid at any point? Sure, just wrap your wounds up, it’s fine. - METAL BAT - “What the--?! Is this hell?” i’m fucking snorting, mbat is #relatable - Wanna slap that HA guy and his kid. - Good job you losers, you made Zenko cry. UNFORGIVABLE - “I’m the one who should be crying!” me too, bat, me too - Honestly I want to make fun of Saitama for not remembering the name of the Fist of Flowing Water, Crushed Rock, but I can barely remember what order the words go in either most of the time. - “Ha ha, you think you’re big enough for this super fight? I’ll just use you for choke hold practice again!” In other news, I hate Sour Face with a burning passion. I am amazed that Charanko stuck with his training for a year before Garou went on his rampage, since it’s obvious he was treated like absolute shit at the dojo. - Still unsure why so many people imagine Garou as being all big and beefy when he is a literal noodle. - Saitama actually sticks up for Charanko because Charanko faced Garou head-on and was brave! Good! Someone treating the fuzzy kumquat with a little kindness for a change! - Metal Bat, lounging casually on a dead monster, shoving sushi in his face. Amazing. - Centisenpai. If that’s what we’re going with, okay. - Garou: doesn’t remember much of the night before, still remembers to swing by the park to see if the kid with the book is there again. - Their budding friendship is adorable, especially knowing where it ends up. - I mean. Beating yourself repeatedly in the head with an unbreakable metal bat works, I guess. In other news, that is not related in any way shape or form, his intelligence is a three. - He is incredibly badass, though. God I love my terrifying son. - Only Metal Bat would see a giant fucking centipede that towers over buildings and get excited. - Onto the bonuses: glad that the one that was left out of the last volume is here now. - Tatsumaki: hates being called in to fight monsters, hates having nothing to do. Just hates everything in general, I guess. - Her pajamas are cute. - King is the OPM-verse equivalent of a brony and I love him. - He’s so upset that Saitama ditches him for the costume contest, aww. - DARKNESS BLADE, legit one of my faves - Darkness Blade...slicing his head open with his own shoulder armor...legit one of my faves... - Darkness Blade, getting his armor destroyed so we can see his nice abs. - Isn’t it a general rule to wear something under your armor? - Can’t remember the name of his own attack. Though, in his defense, he is bleeding profusely from the side of his head. - A SINGLE PANEL OF ATOMIC SAMURAI AND THE KIDS MY LIFE IS SAVED - Bushidrill’s hair is so poofy here, I want to touch it. ;~; - AND HIS DRILL. AND BURRITO-NESS. - What are you shaming yourself for, Bushido drill? I am so curious. - Fubuki being Fubuki is charming in its own way, I will admit. - “I’ll make them join my dojo as grunts! Charanko will be happy to have junior members!” you expelled him remember jfc bang, again - RED MUFFLER - DARKNESS BLADE (again) - STINGERRRRRRRRR - In which Stinger learns that Class-S is certifiably and batshit insane. - Darkness Blade’s hair just looks more and more messy every time I see it. Wonderful. A+. I approve. - Red Muffler’s Class-C friends probably don’t believe him when he tells them how many higher-ranking heroes he’s met and fought alongside. Little guy is everywhere. - Fubuki being badass! Yes! All in all, a very good volume, I love it, I’m incredibly happy with this one.

[unyixldingwill]

♔ My Personal File ♚

Satsuki Kiryūin (鬼龍院 皐月 Kiryūin Satsuki) is one of the main characters in Kill la Kill. She is the president of Honnōji Academy's Student Council, and rules over the surrounding land. She has absolute authority over the academy and is regarded with reverence by many of its residents.

Prideful to say the least, Satsuki is extremely intelligent, calculating, patient, while simultaneously unwavering and iron-fisted. Unlike with Ryūko Matoiand Senketsu, she had no shame in wearing the Kamui Junketsu in its most revealing form; she claims that her actions in donning Junketsu are, like the Kamui's name implies, "utterly pure". Satsuki refers to people as "pigs in human clothing", and justifies that the weak and foolish must be ruled. Due to her steadfast convictions, she also possesses a natural charisma and ability to lead others. In spite of her pride, Satsuki is shown to be pragmatic and determined, willing to cast aside pride and using whatever means necessary in order to secure victory, even if it threatens her life. When fighting Ragyō, Satsuki noted that her willingness to fight her mother and the Life Fibers was due to revenge, noting that great causes are born from personal desires.

In spite of her behavior at school, Satsuki is not heartless. While very harsh and not very willing to tolerate failures, she does care a great deal for the Elite Four; and is as protective of them (in her own hidden ways) as they are to her.

History

Satsuki was the first born child to Ragyō and Sōichirō Kiryūin, and soon became the first failed test subject of being fused with Life Fibers. However, after Sōichirō learned the truth about Ragyō, he knew that he would be punished if he betrayed her. He secretly taught a 5-year-old Satsuki about her mother and the secrets of Life Fibers. He then revealed that Junketsu will be her "wedding dress" before he took an infant Ryūko with him into hiding.

During her rise to power, she helped Ira Gamagōri save a boy who was being forced into jumping off the roof of Rinne-Dō Junior High, discovered Hōka Inumuta following his hacking into the Revocs Corporation's computer systems, and was impressed with Uzu Sanageyama's fighting skills. Upon Honnōji Academy being established, she became the school president with her followers becoming the Student Council's Elite Four.

When Ryūko Matoi arrived at Honnōji Academy and bonded with Senketsu, Satsuki snuck into her mother's house and bonded with Junketsu.

Powers and Abilities

Physical Prowess - Satsuki is accepted as the most powerful fighter of the Academy with almost superhuman physical strength, speed, endurance and reflexes. Her middle-school self was able to emit a fighting spirit capable of downing 500 men, and she was able to incapacitate Ira Gamagōri despite his superior size, age and with him wearing steel armor. Even when stark naked, and with her hands restrained, she still had enough skill and power to kill multiple COVERS using nothing more than her two altered toenails.

High Intelligence - She is also highly intelligent and manipulative as seen by her plan to take down her mother and the various people she deceived and manipulated in the process. Likewise she demonstrated a strong sense of patience and willpower, to endure the capture and torture at the hands of her mother, while slowly planning an escape route and having the forethought to alter two of her toenails using the same material as her sword Bakuzan.

False Toenails - Satsuki also has two toenails made of the same material as the Bakuzan, which she can use just as effectively.

Secret Sword Bakuzan (秘剣縛斬 Hiken Bakuzan?) Satsuki is a master swordsman who wields the Bakuzan, a black-bladed katana in a white sheath with an edge that is claimed to be keener than Ryūko's Scissor Blade. Its strength is so great that one slash is enough to damage a transformed Kamui. While durable enough to clash with Ryūko's Scissor Blade on their multiple battles, the Bakuzan was eventually broken when clashing against Ragyō's fist. 

Swordsmaster - Bakuzan was a special sword capable of severing Life Fibers, that was noted by Satsuki to have a sharper edge than that of a Scissor blade. It was eventually broken in half in the battle against Ragyō. The shards are eventually reforged into Bakuzan Gako and Bakuzan Kōryu, a long blade and short blade respectively, which are given to Nonon and Ira Gamagōri respectively. Bakuzan Kōryu is then passed onto Uzu, as Gamagōri claims that he is more proficient with blades. Both blades are returned to her by Sanageyama and Jakuzure. Now holding two blades, their effect is the same as the twin Scissor Blades, being capable of damaging Life Fibers beyond their regenerative powers. Satsuki's skill with these blades is extensive and adaptable, as she has gone toe-to-toe against various other sword wielding opponents.

[sashakielman]

Writer in Motion: Week 3

This past week was beta editing! A huge thank you to my partner, Steph Whitaker, for her helpful and insightful comments that made this a stronger piece!

The cliffs called to her.

She did not fear the heights; she did not fear the sea.

The only thing she feared was that someday, she would not be able to escape the castle walls’ confines and linger outside. That she would be trapped, far from the swirling sea she loved, far from the soaring cliffs she called home. 

Nature was her temple, her cathedral. She went through the motions of her daily life, lighting candles, saying prayers, performing courtesies, but as soon as she could escape the boredom of routine and the claustrophobia of a crowded castle, she would. 

Here, she could sit in silence with nothing more expected of her. She could breathe freely, basking in the quiet and the solitude, only rocks and birds to keep her company. Few in the castle dared come so close to the cliff’s edge. She could sit and dangle her bare feet over the water, if she so chose. 

She could imagine herself a knight, riding her horse across the world, defending her home with honor and glory. 

She could imagine herself a bird, flying away from her inheritance, singing across the sea and sky.

She could imagine herself anything than what she was rather than facing the reality she so detested and dreaded.

Here, where the wind and the salt in the air stung her cheeks and turned them red, she could claim her tears were nothing but the result of the environment she so cherished.

It was strange to feel so at home and at peace alone, outside, while she felt so anxious, uncomfortable and alone, surrounded by servants and nobility. No one else seemed to experience her struggle--or perhaps they had resigned themselves to their fates in a way she had not.

Her mother was the very picture of frustrated, patient resignation, until the day she died.

She would not die like her mother, weeping in agony, sacrificing her life for the potential of another’s. 

She would ensure it. She had known that in her soul since her mother died.

With those precious few moments that remained to her at the seaside, she swore a solemn vow to herself, with nature as her witness. She would always remain true to herself, to what she knew to be the truth of gods and humans, until the day she died. Or she would die trying.

She smiled, eyes closed.  A soft breeze stirred her auburn hair in the sunlight as she heard the first worried shouts in the distance.

“Princess! Princess!”

She sighed, got up and brushed the dirt and sand from her dress, and turned to face them. 

“I bring a message from your father, princess,” the lead lady in waiting said, breathing heavily.

It was perhaps only by virtue of her position that her father allowed her to be trained as well as the finest swordsmasters in the realm. She could ride as well as the squires, speak multiple languages, and debate politics with anyone. 

She was her father’s daughter as much as she was his heir. 

He embraced the crown and his duty to their people, but she did not want the crown, or the weight of responsibility it brought with it. 

She wanted freedom, to feel the sunlight kiss her face rather than courtiers and their false flattery. 

She was no beauty—that much was evident to all—but nor was she plain, and so that made their words all the more prickling across her freckled skin. 

None of them praised her freckles, nor her unstyled long hair, also marked by her time out of doors. She would have appreciated them praising her intellect, her curiosity, her kindness. 

Instead, they tried to tell her that her smile was radiant as the sun, that she was a gift to the realm, and on and on in vain attempts to convince her father they could be trusted, or they should be appointed to his Council. 

It was all she could do to not roll her eyes at every session. 

Her father never had an answer to why, if her smile was so radiant and she was such a gift to the realm, that none of the assembled lords ever asked for her to consider marriage with any of their children. 

Marriage was a different sort of freedom, one she both dreaded and desired. She could still yet hold hope that someone, someday, would love her for her true self. 

Before she died, her mother told her God had someone very special saved for her.

She resisted asking her mother why God was waiting so long to send her that special person. 

Perhaps someday, she would know. Perhaps someday, she would actually meet them. 

Until then, she had to take her destiny into her own hands before it would be too late to escape her fate.

No one questioned her sneaking extra food from the kitchens that night. She had been a regular presence there over the years, gossiping with the servants and asking for bread, cheese, and honey when it was the lunar phase of her cycle. 

They might have been surprised to see her in her riding cloak and training gear, vambraces in place, sword at her side, her bag filled with food and books slung over her shoulder. The princess usually dressed simply when she visited the kitchens, and she would not drag in mud from the training yard. 

Her jewelry--only that which was most precious to her--was hidden among her possessions. Her hair was braided and wrapped under her hood. 

The sea and the wind beckoned to her as she stepped into the night’s darkness, calling her away once more. Both she and her horse were silent as she placed the saddle, before they escaped the palace’s confining walls, galloping away in the moonlight. 

She breathed a sigh of relief, a prayer in her heart, and felt freedom caress her skin. 

The wild breeze rising from the seaside cliffs welcomed her home. She would be free to be the person she was always meant to be.

[sashakielman]

Writer in Motion Week 2: self edit

Round two for my piece! I only made a few small wording changes. Off to my beta reader next!

The cliffs called to her.

She did not fear the heights; she did not fear the sea.

The only thing she feared was that someday, she would not be able to escape walls’ confines and linger outside; that she would be trapped, far from the sea she loved, far from the cliffs she called home. 

Nature was her temple, her cathedral. She went through the motions of her daily life, lighting candles, saying prayers, performing courtesies, but as soon as she could escape the boredom of routine and the claustrophobia of a crowded castle, she would. 

Here, she could sit in silence with nothing more expected of her. She could breathe freely, basking in the quiet and the solitude, only rocks and waves to keep her company.  

She could imagine herself a scholar, spending hours in the library, studying and learning what she chose to her heart’s content.

She could imagine herself a knight, riding her horse across the world, defending her home with honor and glory. 

She could imagine herself a bird, flying away from her problems, singing across the sea and sky.

She could imagine herself anything than what she was rather than facing the reality she so detested and dreaded.

Here, where the wind and the salt in the air stung her cheeks and turned them red, she could claim her tears were nothing but the result of the environment she so cherished.

It was strange to feel so at home and at peace alone, outside, while she felt so anxious, uncomfortable and alone, surrounded by people. No one else seemed to experience her struggle--at least, those that could understand it--or perhaps they had resigned themselves to their fates in a way she had not.

Her mother’s face was the very picture of frustrated, patient resignation, until the day she died.

She would not die like her mother, weeping in agony, sacrificing her life for the potential of another’s. 

She would ensure it.

With those precious few moments that remained to her at the seaside, she swore a solemn vow to herself, with nature as her witness. She would always remain true to herself, to what she knew to be the truth of gods and humans, until the day she died. Or she would die trying.

She smiled, eyes closed,  as she heard the first shouts in the distance through the wind.

“Princess! Princess!”

She sighed, got up and brushed the dirt and sand from her dress, and turned to face them. 

It was perhaps only by virtue of her position that her father allowed her to be trained as well as the finest swordsmasters in the realm. She could ride as well as the horsemasters, speak multiple languages, and debate politics with anyone. 

She was her father’s daughter as much as she was his heir. 

He was the crown. 

She did not want the crown. 

She wanted freedom, to feel the sunlight kiss her face rather than courtiers and their false flattery. 

She was no beauty--that much was evident to all--but nor was she plain, and so that made their words all the more prickling across her freckled skin. 

None of them praised her freckles, nor her hair, also marked by her time out of doors. She would have appreciated them praising her intellect, her curiosity, her kindness. 

Instead, they tried to tell her that her smile was radiant as the sun, that she was a gift to the realm, and on and on in a vain attempt to convince her father they could be trusted, or they should be appointed to his Council, or some other self-serving sort. 

It was all she could do to not roll her eyes at every session. 

Her father never had an answer as to why, if her smile was so radiant and she was such a gift to the realm, that none of the assembled lords ever asked for her to consider marriage with any of their children. 

Marriage was a different sort of freedom, one she both dreaded and desired. She could still yet hold hope that someone, someday, would love her for her true self. 

Before she died, her mother told her that she knew God had someone very special saved for her.

She resisted asking her mother why God was waiting so long to send her this special person. 

Perhaps someday, she would know. Perhaps someday, she would actually meet them. 

Until then, she had to take her destiny into her own hands. 

No one questioned her taking extra food from the kitchens that night. She had been a regular presence there over the years, gossiping with the servants and begging for bread, cheese, and honey when it was the lunar phase of her cycle. 

They might have been surprised to see her in her riding cloak and her training gear, vambraces in place, sword at her side, her bag filled with food and books slung over her shoulder. 

Her jewelry--only that which was most precious to her--was hidden among her possessions, her hair was braided and wrapped under her hood. 

The sea and the wind beckoned to her, calling her away once more, and away she went, her horse galloping in the moonlight. 

She breathed a sigh of relief, a prayer in her heart, and felt freedom caress her skin.

[weebianplebeian]

Are you satisfied with how strong the Council of Swordsman (or at least just Nichirin) are?

If anything they've exceeded my expectations!! Part of me knew that if ONE gave them a whole chapter to be introduced earlier in the story, then surely they would be at least somewhat important to the upcoming fight. Especially since they were introduced as people our favorite "I only acknowledge the strong" samurai guy sought to consult after fearing that Bang may not be able to take down his own student.

Spoilers below:

I am of course a little sad that Zanbai died, and in such a brutal fashion too!!! ;^;. He was honestly my favorite of the group, I was looking forward to seeing more of him and his Buddhist monk aesthetic. But I guess SOMEONE needed to die to show just how deadly FU has become. Dude really showed up to help his buddy out and then paid the ultimate price :(((

I hope Amahare and Nichirin survive, what kind of council only has one member?? OR maybe they don't and that becomes one of the biggest factors as to why AS goes to challenge King in such a pushy manner HMMMMMM

Also a little off topic but I do love how Nichirin's slashes look like rain...,

[weebianplebeian]

Murata do us the big disrespect¿¿¿??? stop killing the characters like that sir¿¿¿ Sir. We trusted you. And yet you. do us. the big. whole a s s . disrespect. unbelievable.

me and the five other big-brained council of swordsmasters fans when we show up to murata and ONE's place of residence:

[weebianplebeian]

just a few thoughts I’ve been having (manga and webcomic spoilers ahead)

I think besides the fact that all four of them had such brutal deaths, the thing that fucks me up the most is that there’s absolutely nothing left of Amahare. He doesn’t have a body to bury anymore because of how disgusting VFU is. Well actually I think I saw part of his sword left so there’s that…

AS being the only surviving member of the council and being given the task to find the moon sword gives him a better incentive to take a break from the HA later on (in addition to his iconic run in with King and Bang’s retirement). Acquiring both the moon and sun swords will probably be instrumental to his training.

On a lighter note it really does seem that Nichirin was AS’s master (or at least a mentor figure since I’m seeing a lot of opm jpn twt fangirling over Nichirin’s statement). The guy must have been one hell of a versatile master to train someone like AS AND Spring Mustacio. I wonder how long he raised AS for….

How in the goddamn are lai and AS gonna explain to Kama and Drill what the hell happened when they wake up