#masterless samurai

[savage-kult-of-gorthaur]

"I WAS A YOUNG CARTOONIST AND A PIG IN SHIT AT THE SAME TIME... I WAS JUST BATHING IN ALL THESE INFLUENCES...."

PIC(S) INFO: Spotlight on assorted house ads for Frank Miller's "Ronin" (Rōnin), the cyberpunk comic book limited series published by DC Comics between 1983 and 1984. The series was written and drawn by the aforementioned Miller with artwork painted by Lynn Varley.

ZACK SNYDER: "...Now, do you feel like when you did Ronin, were you just starting to push the boundaries? Like you said, "Daredevil" was kind of getting to do the work you wanted to do, but then I feel like with "Ronin" there's this kind of like, “Here's what’s going on inside my head,” kind of a vibe."

FRANK MILLER: "Oh, absolutely, but I'll tell you... it was another thing, which is, it was me going crazy over having discovered within a very short period of time both "The Lone Wolf and Cub" series by Kojima Goseki and the work of Moebius and others. I was a young cartoonist and a pig in shit at the same time. I was just bathing in all these influences and I threw them all into "Ronin.""

Sources: www.inverse.com/entertainment/frank-miller-zack-snyder-interview, https://forum.sanctuary.fr/t/page-s-de-pub/185608/246?page=9, HipComic, & Pinterest.

[uncle-mojave]

I love how the concept of the wandering samurai in samurai films where the protagonist is either an exile or a masterless samurai and goes around seeking revenge and justice for what has been done is the EXACT same concept as the wandering antihero in Westerns who is either an exile or an unassociated cowboy and goes around seeking revenge and justice for what has been done.

And I also like that they team up every once in awhile.

[littleeyesofpallas]

So I guess this is a good time to do a recap of some old Ukitake posts: [1][2][3][4][5][6]

Ukitake[浮竹] Juushirou[十四郎] actually has one of my favorite names in the series as it feels like it says a lot about his core concept beyond what we're really given in canon. The family name reads uki-[浮]: "Floating" and take-[竹]: "Bamboo." That same "floating" is part of the word fuurou[浮浪]: "vagrant/vagabond" and a few other colloquial terms, a generally circling around a homeless person or a drifter. (In fact the other half of that compound word, [浪] is the "wave" in ronin[浪人]: "wave man/person" as in a masterless samurai.) Bamboo being a staple lumber in Japan of course but also notorious for its fast and rampant growth, as it is quick to spread and choke out other plants in an environment. The idea of "floating..." or "vagrant bamboo" gives an impression of being plentiful and common, even excessive.

The personal name, Juushirou[十四郎] just reads "14(th) Son" which always implied he came from a large family. A profile in the back of vol. 18 long ago confirmed he had brothers and sisters, but curiously all younger than him. The implication seemed clear that as a sickly person from a big family, he was poor and that there were 13 prior children who died before him, which is really the only reason you'd name a child the way they did. This feels like it works in tandem with the family name to again emphasize a family of many, but also almost expendable. The big family is also why he's got an affinity for children

That said it always felt to me like the backstory should have been more grim? Like rather than just praying to a god to save his life, it seemed more like he should have been a sacrifice made to ensure the family line continued. Like first 13 kids died, they were afraid he was their last chance, but he was sickly, so they sacrificed him to basically ensure the next ones would come out alright. Hence the kids younger than him surviving in spite of the ominous past implied by his name.

(Also the "shiro" phonetics in his name as a homonym with shiro[白]:white point to his hair. Kubo makes an explicit joke about this as Toshiro, also white haired, shares a similar wordplay, his name Toshirou[冬獅郎] meaning "Winter Lion Son.")

Then there's his shikai, Sougyo-no-Kotowari[双魚理] which reads "PairFish's Reason/Logic/Natural way of things." (sougyo-kyu[双魚宮] is the Japanese name of the constellation Pisces.) It appears to be an allusion to daoism/onmyodo, and the yin-yang diagram of balance, and this theme gets built upon by other contextual information like the zanpakutou arc's designs borrowing from onmyoji, and Ukitake's presence in conjunction with fish imagery and metaphor in the Jaws of Hell arc.

The little preamble to that chapter, about the two fish in balance until one dies and then the other grows bigger, is itself synonymous with sougyo-no-kotowari: The Natural Order of Two Fish.

The release command [波悉く我が盾となれ]: "All Waves be my shield," [雷悉く我が刃となれ]: "All LightningBolts be my blade" is fairly straight forward and just evokes the image of a stormy sea, which actually seems to have surprisingly little to do with the rest of the themes in play? I mean sure, waves and fish and floating, but when the floating and fish are less than literal the waves and lightning without any additional reading feel kind of out of place?

Of note: the onymoji was a prestigious class of sort of advisor in the japanese imperial court was at its peak in the Heian period, the long standing era of peace in ancient Japan that came just before the descent into the civil war of the Sengoku period. (Subsequently the onmyoji lost most of their power and clout during the waring states period as power shifted from the imperial court to the shogunate.) They were associated with and consulted for a wide range of things from medicine, to architecture, to city planning and meteorology, and divination, and perhaps most well loved by media, as exorcists. This ties into things like his beyond bankai form in Bleach Brave Souls where they opt for a more shinto purification theme, in either case making him fit something of a paragon role as Shinigami as ""cleansing"" hollows rather than destroying them.

Actually those shinto motifs all link to the recent addition of shinto themes in Mimihagi pretty directly, but I'll get to that in a bit...

It's worth noting that with Kyoraku's emphasis on a leisurely city life in the capital(Kyoto), and the onmyo mystic themes of Sougyo-no-kotowari, Kyoraku and Ukitake appear to both represent aspects of the Heian period, and thus cultures that predate the Sengoku period, and the rise of the samurai, lending to their role as two of the most senior members of the gotei 13.

People often forget but technicaly Ukitake was the first captain we were introduced to, well before Byakuya showed up, the Captain title just wasn't present at the time. When Rukia has her flashback to a then uncertain event while Ichigo fights Grandfisher, it's Ukitake she's hearing speak and that we catch just a brief glimpse of the back of the head of. Like I said there were no captain ranks in the story a that point, so he just appears as long flowing white hair over an all black shihakusho. I think his hair was always meant to help him embody an element of balance between black and white, and thus the very series title: Bleach.

I think there was always an implicit siniste quality to the idea of "Balance" underlying the shinigami that Kubo tried to gesture towards with the general vibe of the Soul Society -v- Rukongai dynamics, the Shibas, that flicker of a twist in the Fullbringer arc that Ichigo just ignored, and even with a lot of the loose and ultimately unfulfilled themes he set up for the TYBW arc with Yhwach's plans for a new world and Juugram's Balance schrift.

Oh I forgot the whole MIMIHAGI bit, despite teh being the whole subject of this week's episode:

東流魂街七十六地区『逆骨』に伝わる単眼異形の土着神。

An indigenous God of Grotesque/Suspicious Single-eye passed down in East Rukongai 76(th) zone "Sakahone(Reverse Bone)"

太古の昔、天より瀞霊廷に落ちて来た霊王の右手を祀ったとされるもので、自らの持つ「眼」以外のすべてを捧げた者に加護をもたらすと言い伝えられている。

(In)Ancient Times, From Heaven to the Seireitei the fallen right hand of the Rei-Oh is said to have been enshrined.

浮竹の行った『神掛』は、体内に宿るミミハギ様の力を全身の臓腑へと広げる事で、全ての臓腑をミミハギ様に捧げ、その依り代になる儀式である。

Ukitake's performed "Kamikake(God debt)" was, the power of MIMIHAGI dwelling in the body spreading to the whole of the viscera/entrails, offer up all of your entrails to MIMIHAGI-sama, it is a ceremony/ritual to become a Yorishiro*

『神掛』を成功させた浮竹は、霊王の右腕そのものとなった。

Ukitake succeeded at/with "Kamikake", he had become the right hand of the Rei-Oh.

*i don't have a more concise way to translate this... the translation listed run something like "object representative of a divine spirit"/" object to which a spirit is drawn or summoned"/"object or animal occupied by a kami​" and it's specifically a shinto thing.

When you see big deified trees with the shimenawa ropes and shide paper talismans, those trees are yorishiro. or rather they're Shintai, because a Yorishiro is a thing capable of being host to a kami, the Shintai is after they've been deified. (And technically when you do that to a person it would be called Yorimashi, not Yorishiro. I don't know if that's meant to specifically dehumanize Ukitake or if its a broad enough term that it doesnt really make a difference. Although if you really wanted to stretch it you could argue that Ukitake is an object and not a person because he did die from his illness and the thing deified wasn't a "living" person it was a corpse. Which would very curiously position him as an inversion of Ichigo, who was human, "died" in that his soul was deliberately severed from his body, but continued to operate as nominally human while getting to dip a toe into the shinigami powers and the spirit world.)

These little eye catch data cards really aren't giving us anything new huh?

[reignsan]

Tamamo Aria and Cu Chulainn are masterless rogue servants in Samurai Remnant who can be recruited to help Iori.

[firelightmuse]

Possibly a silly question, but Yume is very much associated with the phoenix from what I understand? Given Zenos' dying and returning from the grave in the MSQ, is there some link between the concepts of death and rebirth in their stories and characters? Is this something you've already explored? Or is it incidental to their relationship?

Ohhhh this is a very good question!! I’ll be happy to explain Yume’s symbolism with the Phoenix and how it also ties into her relationship with Zenos as well.

So to give a bit of context, Yume’s association with the Phoenix is something that goes back to her history before she arrived in Eorzea and became an adventurer. After she was stopped by her Daimyo father when she attempted seppuku, Yume was banished from her homeland, never to return and she was stripped of all her titles and status.

Though Yume had not been successful in taking her own life, her banishment proved to be the beginning of a new life for her, as forever after she would be known as a ronin, a wandering masterless samurai. Thus, she marked the beginning of this new life with a tattoo of a phoenix on her back, which I have a reference for what I imagine it to look like below: 👇

Another theme that surrounds the Phoenix is the idea that fire not only is a force of destruction but also of healing, a cleansing of the soul, and rebirth, and I believe both Yume and Zenos have this symbolism in common, as after each “rebirth”, they have been transformed from the people they once were, and especially in their latest rebirths, after their final clash in Ultima Thule at the end of EW 6.0.

Both Yume and Zenos have had literal and metaphorical rebirths throughout their lives, as Yume had her metaphorical rebirth detailed above, and she literally died and came back to life after her battle with Zenos in Ultima Thule, while Zenos has now literally (and metaphorically as I write it anyway) died and has been reborn twice, once after he took his own life after his battle with Yume in Ala Mhigo, and once again in Ultima Thule.

As they have both been through a literal and metaphorical rebirth after Ultima Thule, they are starting yet another new life, but this time they are walking their paths together. They have finally arrived at the understanding that the emotions that they have been feeling for one another is in fact love, and no other person they have ever met has been able to fully understand them except for one another. After EW, they have been reborn from the ashes of their pasts as enemies, and they now live together as lovers.

I think that’s the extent of how much I can explain Yume and Zenos’ association with the Phoenix without just babbling on incoherently, so I’ll end it here. Thank you so much for the ask @mimble-sparklepudding!!! If you or anyone else has any other questions about Yume and/or Zenos, please don’t hesitate to ask! 💖

[bluntblade]

One thing I keep asking myself now in relation to Ahsoka is: does Filoni like samurai films? Does he have thoughts about any of them? And if he does, why isn't any of it in the show?

For contrast, regardless of anyone's views on The Last Jedi, Rian Johnson engaged with the genre. Rather than just pull from things that had already been used by Star Wars, he explored. He understood the themes of Rashomon and Three Outlaw Samurai, and understood why those films work. You can tell that he has a relationship to and appreciation for the material. He borrows Rashomon's "three versions of the story" and echoing that film, the truth lands in a murky in-between which exposes a critical error by a character, but also incites them to an act of real moral courage. The energy of Three Outlaw Samurai, meanwhile, comes through in the slovenly DJ and the frantic, scrappy melee combat.

In the same way, Andor and Rogue One are applying more than just the aesthetics of espionage thrillers and modern war movies to SW (also they understood what those aesthetics are for). For that matter, TCW's Umbara arc used Vietnam War film nods pretty well.

The Mandalorian, I think, has increasingly lost the sense of having anything to say with its Western elements, and in Ahsoka and its repeated riffing on samurai movies, it's even more frustrating. Characters pose with their lightsabers in ways that mimick the likes of Toshiro Mifune, there are musical echoes, the framing vaguely evokes those films at times... yet it stops there, at the surface. They're not doing anything more than The Jedi was when borrowing frames from Yojimbo back in Mando S2. It begins to feel solely performative, doing homage to the things which influenced Lucas because they influenced Lucas (and missing the fact that Lucas adored these films because they are terrific works of art).

And that doesn't even get into how much of Kurosawa's actual style isn't imitated at all here. Kineticism, the thing which the master did better than basically anyone else, is pretty much absent, let alone his dramatic use of weather and smoke.

The reason I'm harping on about this is that Filoni and his writers room could really have made hay if they dug into these stories, because they would've found themes that informed the story they were ostensibly setting out to tell. Plenty of Kurosawa films are about ronin (sometimes left masterless by a war that destroyed their clans) and their ambiguous, often fraught relationships with the rest of the world.

Seven Samurai, Yojimbo and Sanjuro all get into this stuff. The former also asks searching questions about what place there is for a warrior in a land at peace, which Masaki Kobayashi's Harakiri explores through a much darker and more cynical lens. All of that feels extremely applicable to an Ahsoka who is meant to be scarred by her experiences and feels a gap in her life, where so much of the Jedi's traditional role as peacekeepers and protectors was meant to go. (There is a similar struggle at the heart of David Kirk's wonderful Musashi Miyamoto novels).

But instead we end up with this very shallow attempt at doing homage, which comes out as rather disrespectful in itself when you break it down.

[butterfilledpockets]

Are Leo, Raph and Donnie going to know Ronin is a Mikey because he tells them, or are they going to have to work it out through process of elimination? I’ve never read the Last Ronin (and I never intend to - I want my heart to stay unshattered) so I don’t know how he thinks of or refers to himself. Is it going to be weird for him to be called/referred to/thought of as Mikey again?

that is to be seen (wonk)

I will give you ronin canon comic insight though, Mikey is mainly called ‘Mike’ ‘Michelangelo’ the big boy versions of Mikey, (I think he is referred as Mikey once or twice in flashbacks or by April) he calls himself A ronin (masterless samurai) but never outright makes his name that.

You’ll have to wait and see how Ronin Mikey plays out :))

[ohnoitstbskyen]

Do you have a favorite trope in design? Like a concept that your rational brain knows is bad/cheesy/overused but can't help but love? I'll buy literally any league skin with a porcelain white and gold color scheme on a hyper-smoothed over design I have prestige aatrox and haven't even touched the champion

Ronin.

Like, masterless samurai wandering warrior types? It fucks. It rules. Absolutely love them, even when they suck and even against my better judgment.

[itsmarjudgelove]

A look back at the previous post.

Most of the sixty films of the Kurosawa-Mifune tandem are considered film classics. Some of the most famous ones are Rashomon, Seven Samurai, Hidden Fortress, Throne of Blood, Yojimbo, and Sanjuro. Mifune played a samurai in them. Believe it or not, Mifune is the first to admit that he is only a student of kendo. Even so, many great masters of Japanese swordsmanship said that Mifune's handling of the Japanese katana was perfectly demonstrated in the film.

In Japan, it is possible to return to the world of the samurai by visiting any old city such as Kamakura, Kyoto or Nara. Toshiro Mifune is known throughout the world for many such roles, dedicated to some of the famous ronin - or masterless samurai.

During the filming of Tsubaki Sanjuro, Kurosawa's story about the exciting life of ronin during the early Tokugawa period, Mifune became acquainted with the ancient kendo school of swordsmanship, "Kotoh Eiri-Ryu". The name of the school means "Wonderful sword flickers in the darkness of the shadows". Mifune's sporting blood fueled the story, which is, of course, legendary. During feudal times, a swordsman from this school could take out more than eight people in just five seconds.

[douglysium]

Demon Saber: Yasuke (Full Profile)

*Note that all information in this profile is subject to change at any time.

Class: Saber

True Name: “Yasuke(弥助)”

Nickname(s): Yasufe, Yisake, Isaque, Weapon Bearer, Demonic Weapon Bearer, The Obsidian Samurai, The Hand of Innovation, Demon Saber, Demonic Saber

Characteristics

Species: Heroic Spirit, Human

Gender: Female(Is fine with male pronouns though)

Height: 192cm/1.9m(6ft 3in)

Weight: 82kg(180lbs)

Blood Type: Unknown

Place of Origin: Unknown(Somewhere in Africa)

Birthday: Unknown

Age: Unknown

Personal Information

Addresses self as: Watashi / Boku / Ore / Ware

Likes: Wrestling, Swords, Innovation, Telling Stories, Listening to/Reading Stories, Oda Nobunaga

Dislikes: Traitors, Having to deal with sneak attacks, Outdated Traditions, Akechi Mitsuhide

Talents: Swordsmanship, Bodyguarding, Combat Strategy, Martial Arts, Learning new things

Natural Enemy: Akechi Mitsuhide

Image Color: Red, Black, and Dark Green

Affiliations

Oda clan

Oda Nobunaga

Oda Nobutada

Family Members

Unknown

Servant Stats

Type: Heroic Spirit

Source: Historical Fact

Region: Japan

Alignment: True Neutral

Hidden Attribute: Man

Armaments: Wakizashi, Katana, Matchlock Pistol, Armor

Known Summoning Catalysts: A piece of an old painting, A piece of her helmet.

Qualified Servant Classes

Saber

Obviously, Saber is Yasuke’s most natural and preferred class. “What kind of samurai doesn’t know how to use a sword?” In this form, she wields a sword gifted to her by Nobunaga.

Archer

Considering what Yasuke is known for, having her be eligible for the Archer class is quite surprising to many. As Nobunaga’s weapon-bearer and an expert warrior, she has had the opportunity to learn how to use many different weapons. Nobunaga even gave her some of her guns at one point as a gift “As much as I appreciate the sentiment even I have to admit that giving someone like me guns is… an interesting choice for a present to say the least. Although, they ended up coming in handy, so at the time I just didn’t understand the full picture.” As an Archer she dual-wields two of Nobunaga’s guns as Anti-Divine and Anti-Mystery Anti-Unit Noble Phantasms that deal extra damage to servants with higher divinity and/or mystery. However, she is unable to make them levitate or summon a near endless amount in the same way Nobunaga can. She also wields a special mechanized bow that fires flaming arrows.

Lancer

“Being both a weapon-bearer and a handpicked warrior can come with perks every once in a while.” Turns out a spear was also gifted to Yasuke as a weapon at some point. It resembles a spine in appearance and can both bend and extend in length.

Assassin

“I’ve mastered many different styles and seen many forms of combat.” She considers Assassin to be an awkward class to be summoned in. As an Assassin, she mainly relies on her martial arts skill.

Berserker

Interestingly, as a Berserker Yasuke, despite using a sword, favors hand-to-hand combat. Her fighting style is that of many different forms of martial arts and she uses various wrestling techniques at any given opportunity. Her fighting style consists of using her sword to get close to or disarm an opponent before fighting them in hand-to-hand combat. Once she has beaten them she will usually try to finish them with the sword or go for another round.

Many of her moves are famous wrestling moves and she gladly takes the role of a heel. “If I serve a demon then I must be a heel.” Despite the Madness Enhancement, she can be pacified by turning on a wrestling or martial arts program, but this only works if there are no foes left to fight.

Shielder

At one point Yasuke learned how to use a shield in order to be the best bodyguard she could be. Although, it is definitely not the weapon she is most competent with and she is restricted to protecting one or two people at any given time. She considers it unwieldy

Avenger

As an Avenger she manifests as a time in her life in which she was a ronin or a wandering masterless samurai. She wandered not only Japan but also the world.

Gunner

“Well, of course, I can be a gunner if I wield some of Lord Nobu’s guns.” In this form, she can actually make the matchlock rifles she has float in a similar manner to that of Nobunaga. However, she still has way fewer guns being limited to ten. Her matchlock pistol also becomes a weak Noble Phantasm.

Parameters

Strength: A

She has been described by many as incredibly strong, as strong as ten men even, so it is only natural that she has a high strength stat.

Endurance: A

“I must be able to keep vigilant for as long as possible.”

Agility: B+

Her reaction speed and agility when on the defensive are decently high.

Mana: D

Luck: A-

NP: E - EX

Class Skills

Magic Resistance: B

Cancels spells with a chant below three verses. Even if targeted by High-Thaumaturgy and Greater Rituals, it is difficult for them to be affected. She has apparently fought a few mages on a couple of occasions. However, it was nothing too powerful, at least according to her. She is capable of blocking spells that are A-rank and below with her katana Noble Phantasm if they have a small enough radius. It does not completely protect her from any explosions or similar sorts of aftershocks that result from the spell, however. This aspect of her Katana pairs well with her defensive fighting style.

Riding: C

At C Rank it allows her to manage beasts and vehicles if she has received the proper training and adjustments. Most vehicles and animals can be handled with above-average skills. However, she cannot ride the likes of Phantasmal Species such as Monstrous Beasts. Due to the fact that she does not have an anecdote of riding anything special or worth mentioning, she receives a lower rank in this Skill for a Saber. She is a quick learner though.

Personal Skills

Guardian Knight: C

A rare skill that grants the Servant a temporary attribute bonus if acting in the defense of others. In Yasuke’s case, it grants her a boost in her defense and reaction speed when protecting someone she has tasked herself with defending. “A bodyguard’s greatest threat is an impeccable defense?”

Presence Detection: E-

A somewhat unusual skill for someone like Yasuke to have. At such a low rank it only allows her to detect when a servant is attacking her or someone nearby and when a magic spell is targeting her or someone nearby. Although, it does not tell her where the assault is coming from, forcing her to rely on her other abilities to avoid such an attack. It also nullifies any Presence Concealment that is of equal rank or lower. In some sense, it can be considered a form of insurance against mages and assassins. Its rank is higher when she is summoned as a Shielder.

“When you’re a bodyguard you have to be ready for all kinds of sneak attacks.”

Reduced Earth: E+

“I’ve picked up a few martial arts tricks.”

It is a technique that cuts down the distance between opponents instantly. However, at such a low rank it only allows her to move a “few extra steps” or meters. So she mainly uses it to throw opponents off during battles or to essentially “jump” short distances. It’s effectiveness seems to increase when she is moving in to protect someone or something.

This skill would be a much higher rank if she was summoned as an Assassin.

Protection from Arrows: D

A skill that grants an increased defense against ranged attacks by predicting the projectiles’ trajectories through exceptional means. In Yasuke’s case, it allows her to dodge slow moving projectiles and helps lessen damage she would take from projectiles she can’t avoid by either catching them or ensuring they don’t hit any of her vital organs. Apparently, this skill is one of the tricks she picked up on her travels.

Mind's Eye (True): C++ 

A skill that allows for a calm analysis of battle conditions even when in danger and deduces an appropriate course of action after considering most possibilities of how to escape from a predicament. In Yasuke’s case, it is leagues more effective when dealing with a sword-based attack or opponent and it’s somewhat more effective when dealing with someone utilizing hand-to-hand combat. It also becomes more effective when she is considering how to protect someone or something.

Charisma: C++

A skill that increases the ability of allies during group battle. In Yasuke’s case, it is at C++ Rank because of the status Nobunaga granted her and the apparent popularity she had. It is at its strongest when concerning defensive formations and stances. It also seems to gain strength if she is the center of attention.

Noble Phantasms

Hasebe II: The Powerful Cutter- D- - A(Anti-Unit and Anti-Unit(Self)), Maximum Number of targets 1

A short katana that was gifted to her by Nobunaga. It was a sword that was eventually used as a ceremonial one before being given to Yasuke. She ended up naming it after Nobunaga’s sword after being unable to come up with a completely original name after thinking about it for a good week. To this day she still spends time trying to come up with cool sword names and will run them by her Master on such occasions.

An unmentioned fact is that it is actually a demonic sword, albeit one that is normally very weak. It is also symbolic of Yasuke’s status as Nobunaga’s weapon-bearer, bodyguard, and retainer. Thus it boosts Yasuke’s Strength, Endurance, and Agility stats along with her Eye of the Mind(True) by one rank at the cost of decreasing her luck by one rank when using the sword to defend someone. If she kills someone with this weapon it becomes more powerful for a period of about 24 hours by temporarily harvesting the soul of the one she has killed. During this time the Noble Phantasm becomes one rank stronger at the cost of lowering Yasuke’s luck stat for the duration of this period. It also causes the blade to become bigger. Which can make it awkward to move in enclosed spaces. It maxes out at A-rank(requiring four souls to reach that level). However, this factor of the sword rarely reaches its full potential in battle since Yasuke doesn’t like to go around killing random or innocent people just to make it stronger. It can still give her some sort of advantage when fighting one opponent after another. Due to being a ceremonial sword, its rank has a somewhat low starting point.

By releasing the sword’s true name it becomes a full-length Katana with a blade made of a red “beam” energy. While in this form the gemstones on the sword and its scabbard glow. It has a special ability that allows Yasuke to actually withhold any damage the sword might deal in this form until later. This means that Yasuke can strike an opponent and then wait until the time is right before choosing to have the wound take effect. When someone is struck by this sword without being damaged any cuts or stabs that would normally appear manifest as seemingly harmless glowing marks instead. Also, the sword’s True Name cannot be unleashed on Nobunaga herself. If she were to attempt to hurt Nobunaga with the blade it would simply pass right through her(not that she would even dream of doing such a thing anyway).

“Behold the manifestation of my status and skill. Hasebe II!!!”

Nyuyoku Buredo: Wash away Their Facade- C+(Anti-Unit), Maximum Number of Targets- 1

This Noble Phantasm can be described as the recreation of a very famous moment. It is a Noble Phantasm that is tied to Yasuke herself and thus it can be used with any blade or sufficiently sharp object she is wielding, no matter the quality. Although, it is more effective if the blade is well built.

When the true name is released it covers the blade in a vortex of water that acts like a high-pressure water cutter. It boosts the sharpness and effectiveness of the blade to that of a Noble Phantasm if it is not one already. 

However, its true purpose is that when an enemy has their actual body physically struck by the blade they will be forced to reveal their True Name, Parameters, skills and Noble Phantasms, and Yasuke will immediately be made aware of all these things even if she is in a situation where she can’t hear them for whatever reason.

This Noble Phantasm can be used to make it seem like her Wakizashi is a Noble Phantasm unless the enemy is paying close attention.

“With this water, I will wash away anything that covers your true self. Nyuyoku Buredo: Wash away Their Facade!!!”

The Head of Nobunaga: The Battle has Yet to End- E-Ex(Anti-Unit(Self)), Maximum Number of Targets- 1(Self)

Before Nobunaga died she entrusted Yasuke and Ranmaru with taking her head and delivering it to her son, in order to prevent it from falling into enemy hands. Yasuke considered it the ultimate form of trust and believed she would not fail as long as Nobunaga was with her. This Noble Phantasm is a manifestation of that.

Luckily it manifests as a red crystalline skull, as opposed to a literal head because according to Yasuke “That would be too creepy, even for me.” It resembles a demonic skull, and when active its eye sockets are filled with an illusionary blue fire while allowing Yasuke to gain one of Nobunaga’s Personal Skills as long as this Noble Phantasm is active. She can use this to catch an opponent off guard or temporarily gain new abilities.

By releasing this Noble Phantasm’s true name she can summon any of Nobunaga’s weapons, be they Noble Phantasms or not. However, she is limited to only being able to summon one weapon at a time and she cannot do things like make guns float. So her use of these Noble Phantasms tends to be much more limited in scope.

This Noble Phantasm’s final ability allows Yasuke to recreate the act of safely delivering her friend’s head with Ranmaru by sacrificing the Noble Phantasm. By doing this Yasuke can recreate any one of Nobunaga’s Noble Phantasms in their entirety, with potentially floating guns and all. However, this can only be done once since the sacrifice of the Noble Phantasm is a must. This Noble Phantasm is not restricted to just the abilities, weapons, and Noble Phantasms of Archer class Nobunaga, rather it can utilize these things from any class that Nobunaga would be eligible for under normal circumstances.

Whenever the skull is used it will announce the name of the ability, weapon, or Noble Phantasm Yasuke is drawing upon with Nobunaga’s voice

Oddly, this Noble Phantasm will not manifest if Nobunaga is currently summoned or “alive” in any way. So if both Yasuke and Nobunaga were to be summoned into the same Holy Grail War, or if Yasuke was summoned in an era where Nobunaga was still alive, Yasuke would have the Noble Phantasm sealed away until Nobunaga dies.

“As long as Lord Nobu san is with me I will not… no... I CANNOT fail. BEHOLD THE HEAD OF NOBUNAGA”

Misc

Wakizashi- Yasuke wields a Wakizashi and will sometimes dual-wield it with Hasebe II. Unlike Hasebe II it is not a Noble Phantasm but it’s much heavier than a normal sword and its sharpness and quality easily surpass that of any normal weapon. On rare occasions, Yasuke will throw this weapon to catch enemies off guard.

Matchlock Pistol- She tends to only use this weapon to catch opponents off guard, deal with non-servant opponents, distract opponents or draw the attention of opposing servants. It is not a Noble Phantasm and while it is leagues above a normal pistol it isn’t too effective against most enemy servants and has to be reloaded when it runs out of ammo.

Armor- Yasuke wears samurai armor that resembles a strange blend of armor from the Sengoku period and that of a ceremonial Japanese Ground Defense Force uniform. The mask she wears is helpful for hiding her identity. It is also capable of altering her voice as long as she wears it.

One thing of note is due to her many travels and love of stories she is pretty good at determining the identity of servants from many parts of the world. She usually needs to at least see a servant’s Noble Phantasm to even begin to make an educated guess and even hearing the name of someone a servant met may be enough of a clue to help her narrow down the identity. However, she is still fallible and one can trick her into coming to the wrong conclusion about a servant’s identity or they can simply keep their identity and life details under tight wraps. She would also have no way of guessing the identity of any servant that came after the time period in which she was alive. So she would be unable to guess the identity of any servants that are modern enough or from the future.

Background

A lot of Yasuke’s background is wrapped in mystery due to a major lack of proper records when concerning her life before serving Nobunaga. Whenever asked or pressed about most of the gaps in her life she usually just says “That doesn’t matter. Not anymore at least.” What is known is that she did have some sort of sufficient combat experience and training before meeting Nobunaga. There is much speculation about where she is from and she admits that she doesn’t remember where she was born. Although, she refuses to say anything about where or who she was raised by. When it comes to the many speculations surrounding where she was born she simply says “If you can name it I’ve probably been there at least once.” She is someone who has definitely traveled to many places, and she says out of all them when excluding Japan she spent the most time in Mozambique “but that isn’t saying much.” She has also been to places like South Sudan, Ethiopia, and many others.

Yasuke was brought to Japan as a bodyguard and former slave tasked with protecting an Italian Jesuit priest named Alessandro Valignano in 1579 and excelled in learning new things, such as the Japanese language, very quickly.

She eventually came into contact with Oda Nobunaga. She went on to quickly impress Nobunaga with her strategic mind and fighting prowess and was thus made a samurai, bodyguard, and weapon-bearer. While making a foreigner a samurai-like this would normally be odd, to say the least, Nobu, as a King of Innovation, was not bound to traditions or tactics she considered needless.

Yasuke and Nobunaga had many talks and Yasuke often regaled her with stories and experiences from all around the world, and as they grew close Nobunaga granted her many things such as houses and the like. One of Yasuke’s most treasured presents from Nobunaga was an ornate ceremonial katana. This katana was surprisingly a relatively weak demonic sword and it lacked a name. When asked about the gift’s name Nobunaga simply shrugged it off and said something like “Name it whatever ya want.” After about a week of being unable to come up with a new name she eventually just decided to name it Hasebe II after one of Nobunaga’s swords. The name was meant to be a symbolic placeholder but it ended up sticking. To this day Yasuke is still trying to come up with a cool name that’ll knock Nobunaga’s socks off. Yasuke went on to hang out, and sometimes even eat, with Nobunaga and various members of the Oda family

Everything changed however when Nobunaga was betrayed and attacked by an army led by one of her retainers Akechi Mitsuhide. Yasuke valiantly fought against Akechi’s forces. However, it was clear they were going to be overwhelmed. Nobunaga was eventually defeated and committed seppuku with Mori Ranmaru acting as her kaishakunin by cutting off Nobunaga’s head. Before her death, she tasked both Ranmaru and Yasuke with returning her head to her son after she died while Ranmaru was given the task of burning the rest of Nobunaga’s body and Yasuke with protecting both Ranmaru and the head as they made their way to Nobutada. This would prevent Akechi and/or his army from obtaining her head or body and it was a great sign of trust. To this day Yasuke considers it one of the greatest signs of trust she has ever received. She is not absolutely sure if this trust stemmed from some sort of friendship or a strictly pragmatic trust in her abilities but to her, it doesn’t matter. 

“Let me put it this way. If the first option is true then that means I was a good friend until the very end and if the second option is true then it means that she actually understood my abilities, and knew the place I came from didn’t matter.”

She managed to follow through on her promise to Nobunaga and delivered her head to Nobunaga’s son. She ultimately chose to fight with Nobunaga’s heir, Oda Nobutada and fought alongside his forces during the final battle.

After the loss, Yasuke was captured by Akechi who considered Yasuke a foreigner unworthy of being killed. He went on to say that he would at least think about changing his mind about the statement if Yasuke died with dignity by committing seppuku. Yasuke refused and Akechi decided to send her “back to that temple of barbarians,” with the said temple being a Church. Akechi did not care what happened to her after that. 

The records of what happened are lacking but Yasuke fills them by saying that she managed to escape after losing her sword, becoming a ronin that wandered around the world.”

“I am loyal to lord Nobu and care about Japan because she cares. You should make sure you have an actual connection to people and aren’t just serving a transient country for no reason.”

Akechi would eventually be defeated by Toyotomi Hideyoshi but Yasuke still wants a chance to get her revenge on him.

Appearance

Usually clad in an armored uniform and a large red cloak that helps obscure her true identity. Although, she does take her mask off on occasion when relaxing, taking a breather, or when she is dealing with kids since many people find the uniform’s mask menacing.

Even when her mask is off she is constantly vigilant and on guard, not letting herself lose focus for even a second.

When not wearing her uniform she is extremely tall, has dark skin, and has a lean body type. She has short dreads that have red tips.

Personality

By default, she talks in a respectful manner but will swear and talk down to someone for whom she has lost respect. Most traitors fall under this category but she does not automatically hate all people who choose to abandon their allegiance to someone nor does she inherently hate all acts of betrayal. “There just needs to be a reasonable justification for it and not hurt those I care about.”

She is a quick learner of most things and adapts to new situations quickly. She loves to talk but “does not talk without purpose” and can thus come off as quiet when she has nothing to add. When she begins to talk a lot she is usually asking questions, educating someone, giving advice, or telling a story of one of her adventures. She is also just as fond of listening to the stories of others as she is telling her own.

While she does hold some level of respect for laws and power structures she is always questioning them and will not follow them without thought. If they do not hold up to scrutiny or serve no purpose she does not usually care to follow it or what other people think of her ignoring it.

While for the most part, she will follow any orders a superior gives her, she will ignore any order that puts her, her master, or friends in danger. However, if she has a strong enough attachment to someone or deems it strategically necessary she may be willing to risk her life for them.

While she doesn’t go out of her way to attract attention she is not one to “waste the spotlight.”

Yasuke’s ways of thinking are about as flexible as Nobunaga’s but more bound by common sense. Despite that, she still trusts Nobunaga’s judgments and when asked to do unusual things will just say “I suppose I just can’t see the full picture yet.”

During a Holy Grail War Yasuke is uncomfortable with leaving her Master’s side unless absolutely necessary. She considers Masters to be too strategically important to be left without any means of protection. “Besides, it plays to my strengths as a bodyguard.” Likewise, she will gun directly for other enemy masters if given the opportunity. Yasuke is also unafraid of incorporating or utilizing modern technology to her advantage and using all aspects of the terrain to gain an edge.

She enjoys reading comedy and gag manga/comics in some of her free time.

Servant Interactions

Nobunaga(Archer)- She has great respect for “Lord Nobu chan” and trusts her judgment. She enjoys spending time exchanging stories with her and is willing to fight for her at a moment’s notice.

“Lord Nobu, with your long-range attacks and me staving off close-ranged attacks we’ll be almost unbeatable.”

Nobunaga(Avenger)- Yasuke seems to have great respect for each of the different versions of Nobunaga. 

“I’ve served many Nobunaga and they all have such interesting stories to tell.”

Nobunaga(Avenger) Third Ascension- “You got taller...”

Nobunaga(Berserker)- “A swimsuit? ...Maybe I just don’t understand the full picture yet…”

Mori Nagayoshi- “Lets show any traitors the full power of our wrath.”

Mysterious Ranmaru X- “I know you’re not quite the same Ranmaru but… thanks for the help… I owe you one.”

Okita Souji(Saber)- She is in awe of Okita Souji’s swordsmanship. “It’s kind of strange that such a natural counter to Lord Nobu is always showing up around her.”

Okita Souji Alter- “The story of how you came to be is interesting.”

Okita Souji(Assassin)- “If I had a jetpack like that I could perform all-new strategies and techniques thanks to the aerial mobility it provides. I just have to figure out how to get my hands on one of those.”

Oda Nobukatsu- They are both willing to give it their all in support of Nobunaga. 

“Just so you know Nobukatsu. I can also protect you if need be.”

“If anyone disrespects Lord Nobu they will have to answer to both of us.”

Chacha- “If you ever need help sleeping I can regale you with one of many stories.”

Master Swordsmen- “Those movements… I wonder if I can incorporate them into my style”

Sakamoto Ryoma- She respects him as someone who embraces innovation and doesn’t limit himself to useless or self-defeating traditions. Although, she does find his outlook a bit overly optimistic at times.

Oryou- She’s a bit nervous about the fact that Oryou is a powerful dragon from the Age of Gods. if she’s friends with Ryouma she must not be a monster or anything.

Okada Izou- “I put up with you more than I should…” 

Despite not outright saying it, due to not wanting to deal with any negative reactions he might have, Yasuke sees a bit of herself in Izou. As someone, she could have become her life gone a little differently, a warrior who can only kill. Not everyone seems to understand the tragedy of a warrior who can only kill but she hopes that one-day Izou can find his own “Lord Nobu.” Due to all this, she is more willing to put up with Izou’s bad attitude than most other people are but occasionally has to draw the line when his manners get too atrocious.

Akechi Mitsuhide-  “Eat shit and die...” 

She is waiting for the perfect moment to strike him down.

Muramasa- “If you get the chance do you think you could upgrade my wakizashi into some sort of Cursed Sword or something. Oh and if you can give it a cool name too, like god slayer, or something…”

Samurai- “Your skills are befitting of your status”

Hang Tuah- She has great respect for his loyalty and sees a bit of herself in him. She considers him a bit naive, however.

“This is a servant who understands the importance of not leaving their master unguarded.”

“I say we should defend to the best of our abilities, with your invulnerability and my bodyguard skills, Master could be almost untouchable.”

“You’re lucky to have Taming Sari with you.”

Julie d’Aubigny- “Well I’m not one to waste the spotlight either…”

“Her charisma reminds me of the good ol’ days.

Damarchus/Karna Santa- “Y’know I know a thing or two about boxing too. Just don’t take my head off please.”

Damarchus- “I’m willing to spar with you if you refrain from using your wolf form.”

Genghis Khan- “The sheer effectiveness of your battle tactics reminds me a bit of Lord Nobu’s. I can see why you guys get along.“

Oryou(Avenger)- “A world where one doesn’t have the other sounds quite scary for multiple reasons.” 

Yasuke does seem to have an understanding of this version of Oryou’s plight due to her understanding of the importance of “human” bonds.

*Hang Tuah, Julie d’Aubigny, Damarchus, Genghis Khan, and Oryou(Avenger) are all fan-servants created by MochiBoni, Omegazplayer and Paisen respectively. You can check them out on Twitter. And here are the profiles for each respective servant

Hang Tuah- https://docs.google.com/document/d/12mjNkmjnhIIeLgGRvSlVVLhRQqWd4cbEDygfQHSLPCg/edit

Julie d’Aubigny-https://twitter.com/Omegazplayer/status/1416650069206573057?s=20

Damarchus- https://docs.google.com/document/d/1jArzQOnAWnvSv8MRelYSl1x5DZj-gUndaBmPtO74icw/edit

Genghis Khan- https://docs.google.com/document/d/1BbeM2KDRc1h2ti3xgzD52pTQXJZiL7B6FVIfuC19WFg/edit 

Oryou(Avenger)- https://twitter.com/_paisean/status/1487720881124085762?s=20&t=VKNtelIYD5mRXWxflaC-iA 

Martial arts users- “Hmmmm, we should spar sometime. I could definitely learn a thing or two from you.”

Wrestlers- “I know a thing about wrestling too. Don’t be afraid to go all out against me.”

Quetzalcoatl- “I’m happy to play the part of a heel if you need one.”

Miyamoto Musashi- “I’ve been to many places… but going to a whole nother world is far beyond me.”

Dialogue examples

“Class Saber, True Name Oda Nobunaga... Oh, you’ve already met her? Then I am Yasuke.”

“Get behind me, Master.”

“How about Lighting Cutter, No. That doesn’t make any sense.”

“Damn, all the good sword names have been taken.”

“These remind me of that time where… Actually, I’ll just tell ya later.”

“Alright you piece of shit, you’ve officially lost all fucking respect from me!!!”

Death Lines

“So this is what it’s like to die in combat...”

“Stay safe Lord Nobu san...”

“Please run… Nobunaga”

Wish for the Grail

“Well if Lord Nobu was there then I would just trust her to make the best wish so I would let her have it… but if she wasn’t there I would wish that I was strong enough to win that final battle for her…”

Fun Facts

If she was playable in FGO she would be a 4 star servant.

In FGO the Head of Nobunaga would act as a skill that would increase her defense and give her a random buff based on Nobu’s Personal Skills and Noble Phantasms at random.

She would have good compatibility with a master like Kiritsugu Emiya. However, she would not be among one of his most compatible servants.

She would have terrible compatibility with someone like Shirou Emiya since protecting him would put an immense amount of stress on her.

Her Magic the Gathering alignment would be center Blue-Red-White and secondary Black.

If she was in the Epithet Erased universe her Epithet would be Armory.

If she was in the Hunter x Hunter universe her nen type would be Conjuration and her hatsu would be similar to Knov’s and revolve around storing and summoning various types of armor and equipment.

She is pansexual.

Her overall servant rank is around B+.

Ranmaru also has access to Nobu’s head as a Noble Phantasm(at least they would if I designed them).

She carries Hasebe II with her at literally all times.

Her favorite Pokemon are Kabutops, Golisopod, and Samurott.

If she had a Pokemon type she would be Fighting and Dark.

If you want to see my thought process and inspirations behind Yasuke’s design you can see it here:  https://docs.google.com/document/d/1pt-paxkKpp7jrJv05aqC4luS-4LRpjTv3M2r_3SzUKA/edit 

Visual References

[nerves-nebula]

ok so miyamoto usagi is from a comic called usagi yojimbo. he's a samurai (a ronin so he's like masterless and its the cause of a lot of angst) but there's crossovers w him and the tmnt going wayyy back like he's in the 87 show and the turtles even show up in his comics. usually he's either frenemies w leo and they fight and then begrudgingly become friends like in the comics or they're like immediately uhh infatuated with each other and just have Hella Respect (Gay) like in the 2003 show.

the other usagi that's often in art w leo is yuichi usagi. he's from his own lil netflix show for kids and is generally a lot less angsty. tbh i know very little about him but love the art. would love to see rise's usagi one day....

but i absolutely adore 03 leo and usagi. they're great and like since wayy back their ship name was like katanashipping bc they are both all about it yanno. made me really interested in usagi and his world as (spoilers?) they kinda maybe accidentally end up there a bit and other shenanigans.

anyways usagi is cool. vouching for him.

OH MY GOD WHAT??

I THOUGHT THESE WERE differeNT ITERATIONS of thE SAME GUY ?? they're DIFFERENT PEOPLE??? Miyamoto is Yuichi's ANCESTOR??

[actuallysaiyan]

I Still Want You Around(Part II)

The Peeping Rōnin(Part II)

warnings: mentions of smoking, drinking, partying, mentions of a loss of a loved one, insinuations of spying pairings: Nanami Kento x Fem!OC taglist: @beneathstarryskies @seireiteihellbutterfly summary: With the party planned for the new manager, the new tenants begin to wonder what he'll do to help fix up the old house. Kimiko makes Kento believe terrible things about our poor Rōnin. The party begins, leaving poor Karin nowhere to go as they take control of her room. Kento confesses something to Karin, making her realize they are more alike than previously thought. Kindred spirits, perhaps. a/n: I'll be using some Japanese terms here and there within this fic, but nothing crazy. Chabudai= short-legged table used in traditional Japanese homes. Rōnin= A masterless Samurai, unemployed salaryman or a secondary school graduate who has not yet been admitted to university.

Masterlist

The next morning, Kento and the movers are at the old boarding house. Despite the fact that the movers are there to help Kento move the heavier things into the house, he’s still out there with them. Karin sits in the doorway of her room, watching as the movers lug heavy furniture into the manager’s room. Her eyes nearly bulge out of her skull when she sees Kento. He’s got his sleeves unbuttoned and pushed up, showing off veiny and muscular forearms. His chest is puffed out a little too, and Karin’s jaw nearly drops when she notices he’s got a few buttons opened there too. A small amount of chest hair is visible, and she feels her heart stop when she sees a bead of sweat get swallowed up by the hair.

“Eyeballin’ the new manager, huh?” Kimiko teases, elbowing her in the side.

Karin grips her side, “Ow! No! What the hell?”

But there was no denying it. The man was gorgeous, how could she not sneak a peek? Especially when he was working just as hard, if not harder, than the movers themselves. He’s an impressive man, that’s for sure. But his looks were sublime. The man looked like a Greek god, an ADONIS! There wasn’t anything that could make Karin think otherwise.

“Ah don’t be shy,” Kimiko whispers in Karin’s ear. “He’s pretty damn good lookin’!”

Karin whips around to face her red-headed neighbor, “What the hell? That’s our new manager!”

Just in that instant, Kento is passing by with a heavy looking box. He looks at both women, his brows furrowed a little. Karin wishes she could just be swallowed whole by the ground. Kimiko laughs, pushing over Karin. Karin squeals as she falls nearly in front of Kento, who’s trying not to laugh at the entire interaction.

“Sorry! Sorry! Didn’t mean to,” Karin says, dusting herself off and returning to her room.

How embarrassing! He really must think she’s an idiot.

“Good going, Karin! Way to really fall on your knees!” Kimiko says, chuckling as she leaves the room.

The minute some of the other movers come in, she’s quickly flirting with them. Karin scoffs at Kimiko’s feminine wiles. She feels so plain Jane compared to Kimiko. Ever since she moved here, she wondered if she could even compare to the redheaded woman. Karin never felt like she was someone special to begin with, so seeing someone with such sex appeal just oozing from her, it made her nervous.

Karin settles in her room, sitting at her desk. It’s such a nice day out, and yet she’s confined to her room. There’s a rustling sound coming from the closet and soon Mr. Ide is poking his head from his usual spot in the hole in the closet that connects their two rooms. He’s resting his head on his hands, a big smirk on his face.

“So, young Karin, are you ready for the party tonight?” he asks, looking right at her.

“As long as it doesn’t require being in my room, then yeah sure.”

Mr. Ide smirks even wider, bringing his hands together and rubbing them together. He’s plotting for this to happen exactly as the young woman explains against it. There’s nothing he enjoys more than to torment Karin to no end.

“Your room, you say? How generous of you to offer this to us!”

Karin grumbles and finally turns to the man. She’s got her pencil gripped so tightly in her fist, it looks like it may snap. Eraser dustings fly up into the air, polluting the room even more than before. Mr. Ide narrows his eyes playfully, watching her reaction.

“No! No no no! Not my room, I just said that!”

Mr. Ide, “Your room? Your room, you said?”

She cries out, snapping her pencil. She shoves it aside, and grabs another one from the desk. Karin is exasperated, desperate to try and study even more. Mr. Ide slides into the room even closer, and he pokes her cheek. She turns away violently, growling something angry under her breath before getting up.

“How am I supposed to get any studying done around here?!”

She stomps towards the doorway, slamming it behind her. She watches as Kento brings more boxes into his room, stopping to take a break. He smiles at her sweetly, then approaches her after he’s set the last box down into her room.

“I’ve heard that…you have trouble getting into college. Is that true?” Kento asks her, trying to make conversation.

Her cheeks burn and she looks down at her feet, “Uh…well…yes.”

She wished even more so that the floor would swallow her up. Kento waves at her before heading outside to assess the situation of what the front entrance looks like. He picks up a broom and begins sweeping, cleaning up the sidewalk and the walkway into the home. There’s a lot of work to be done around this place. The last manager didn’t really do a good job at keeping the place fixed up and clean, but Kento isn’t a stranger to hard work. He’s got his hands full, but he’s going to work hard and work proudly. 

A loud commotion is heard from outside and Karin ducks her head outside the door to see Sei coming in. He stops at the front door, noticing the new animal that’s gracing the yard. Sei exclaims loudly as the dog pokes her nose out and begins licking the child’s face. Sei squeals softly.

“MOOOM!” Everyone comes rushing at the sound of this, noticing Sei and the dog happily getting along.

“Phew, and I thought you were dangerously hurt.” Mrs. Orito says, lighting up her cigarette as she sits on the porch.

Kimiko smirks, “Oh, so you’re a dog kind of guy.”

Kento steps over to the dog and rubs her ears, making the dog whine happily. He then smiles at the residents of the house. He was hoping that they wouldn’t have an issue with the dog, seeing as he was not about to part without Hinata. Hinata had been his best friend for some time now.

“This is my dog, Hinata.”

Mrs. Orito laughs, “Hinata? Ain’t that a name for a woman?”

Kento smiles down at the dog, “Exactly.”

Eventually, Mrs. Orito brings Sei inside after she’s done with her cigarette. Mr. Ide and Kimiko head back inside. Kento continues to sweep outside, leaving Karin feeling a bit dejected by all of this. With the new manager and everyone just teasing her, how else is she supposed to feel? She heads back inside, hoping that Mr. Ide would just leave her alone.

Kento enters the house once more after he’s done sweeping the entryway. Kimiko waits for him just outside the manager’s room. She’s got a trick up her sleeve, so she puts on her cutest pout. Kento smiles politely to her, and she beckons him closer.

“You know, there’s something I’ve been meaning to talk to you about. I had mentioned it to the last manager, but he hasn’t been around in a long while,” Kimiko begins.

Kento nods, “Of course. I’m the manager now. You can tell me anything.”

With Karin watching them from her room doorway, Kimiko makes a move. She leans in closer, grabbing his hand gently and then reaching up on her tiptoes to be able to whisper something in his ear. Karin grumbles as she watches the scene before her. She’s green with envy.

“A peeping Tom? Er…peeping Tammy? Really?” Kento inquires, his stomach flipping with anxiety from the knowledge he’s just received.

Kimiko nods, “Yes, let me show you.”

She grabs him by the wrist, pulling him towards Karin’s room. Kimiko pushes Karin out of the way, claiming her to be a spy. Kento carefully assesses the situation, wondering when to intervene when it comes to these two young women. They seem to be mostly friendly towards one another, but if the situation from earlier should define anything, he has his doubts about what Kimiko has to say and figures she must love to gossip.

“See? Here’s the hole!” Kimiko announces, her finger pointed at the poorly patched hole in the wall.

Karin looks away, ashamed of what she’s being accused of. This isn’t exactly the best first impression for the young rōnin to make. Kento steps closer to the whole, inspecting it further. There was no disputing this; it was a poorly patched hole. 

“I swear it wasn’t me who made it!” Karin cries out, her head in her hands.

Kimiko pokes her in the chest, “Oh yeah?! Then who did? Rodents?”

Kento begins pulling the boards off, noting that he’ll have to do a bit of patchwork. But it would probably only take him the better part of the afternoon. It wasn’t anything he couldn’t fix. He finally looks back at the two young women, hoping for more of an explanation than he just got.

“Can’t you see how it’s coming from the other side?!” Karin exclaims, hoping to get the blame shifted to Mr. Ide.

Kimiko and Kento exchange a glance, and he then begins to think about who’s on the other side of the wall. A shiver runs down his spine. Already he thinks Karin is pretty cute, but he didn’t want to believe that one of his tenants was a pervert. He looks at her, eyebrow cocked.

“Isn’t…doesn’t that mean…” He begins, unable to finish his question.

Karin throws her hands up in defeat and walks back over to her desk. She sits down, unable to even answer that insinuation. Kento sighs, making his way back to his room. He’s got the tools and materials to fix up the holes in the wall. Maybe he’ll just choose to ignore the situation and not think about how this makes Karin look right now.

Kimiko sticks her tongue out at Karin, making the young rōnin flip her off. Then Kimiko stalks off, proud of herself for the drama she’s just caused. Karin returns to her studying. She’s got a test tomorrow, so she really should just be focused on that. Kento returns and he bends down to begin working on the holes in the wall.

The young rōnin looks over and her jaw drops again. How could he make something so simple look so good? Her eyes are nearly bulging out of her head. Kento then looks over at her, causing the heat to rise in her cheeks. She’s returning to her studies very quickly, humming in a way that makes her seem nonchalant. Kento smirks, but he’s also sporting a light dusting of pink on his own cheeks. It’s been a while since anyone has looked at him like that.

“So, it’s a review test, hm?” He asks as he begins fixing the wall.

“Rearview…is good?” Karin answers, staring at his butt.

Kento turns around, “Review test! I said "review test!”

“Oh uhm, yeah! Review test!” 

Karin scratches the back of her neck nervously, clearly getting caught in a troublesome situation. He was surely going to think she was a pervert now. Kento chuckles softly, returning to his work. For a little while, the pair work in silence. Karin finishes up her studying and Kento finishes patching up the wall. He stands up to admire his handiwork.

“Lookin’ good, manager!” Kimiko exclaims from the doorway.

Kento whips around to look at the young woman, his cheeks burning even more. Karin rolls her eyes, not wanting to show just how jealous she is that Kimiko is showing the new manager so much attention. Kimiko shrugs her shoulders and smiles.

“The patch job, I mean. It’s almost as good as new,” Kimiko explains, laughing softly.

Kento chuckles, “Well, thank you, Kimiko,”

Just then, Mr. Ide comes in and smirks at Kimiko. He has a few bottles of sake and some cans of beer in his arms. Mrs. Orito is just behind him, a playful look on her face. Karin is shaking her head, trying to signal to everyone that this wasn’t going to happen in her room at all. It just couldn’t happen in her room!

“Perfect timing, manager! Time to celebrate your homecomin’!” Mrs. Orito sits down at the chabudai.

“Oh– well, I guess I could have a drink.” Kento sits down with all of them.

Karin sighs loudly, trying to return to her studies once more. Of course, leave it to these whacky people to ruin her night. They all begin to drink, toasting to the new manager. Kento is kind, joining in on the festivities. Yet, in the back of his mind, he worries about Karin. She has a review test tomorrow. It could be detrimental to her if she doesn’t do well.

“Maybe we should move this to my room?” Kento suggests, hoping to get the other tenants to join in.

Kimiko leans in, a little more buzzed now, “Nahhh, come on. If the rōnin fails her test, she’ll have a reason why. Some people just want to play the victim.”

This is the last straw. Karin snaps her pencil once more, and she gets up. She opens the door, sliding it shut violently. There are tears in her eyes as she makes her way over to the entryway, opening the door to get just a bit more fresh air.

“Hey,” Kento calls from just behind her. “Are you alright, Karin?”

Karin turns to face him, a sarcastic smile on her face. “Does it look like I am?”

He shakes his head, sighing. “No, I suppose it doesn’t.”

He then places his hand on her shoulder and squeezes softly. She looks up at him, allowing their gazes to lock. She sees how his eyes are this brilliant amber color. Karin swears she could get lost in his eyes forever. Then she looks down, ashamed of everything that’s happened today.

“I wish they wouldn’t call you that nasty cruel name.” Kento finally says.

Karin cocks her head to the side, “rōnin?”

Kento nods, “Yes. It’s a terrible term. It’s hurtful.”

Karin is surprised to hear this from him. Was he a rōnin as well when he was her age? She knows it’s not the end of the world to be a rōnin. Lots of people take time off to study and get better at their craft. Though it would surprise her that someone like Kento would have been a rōnin. He just seems so well off.

“That’s what they used to call me…when I was unemployed. I uh…was a salaryman for a long time. Then, I was unemployed.”

Suddenly, Kento is shy and looking away from the young woman in front of him. Karin isn’t sure how to reply, so she steps forward and gently gives his shoulder a squeeze this  time. He smiles softly and looks at her once again.

“I became unemployed when my wife passed.”

Karin feels her heart drop. His wife? Did she hear correctly? There’s a frown that forms on her face, her heart aching for the man in front of him. He lost his wife and was called an awful name. It must have hurt him so much to see his former colleagues and friends treat him in such a way.

“Please, don’t worry about this. I have faith in you, Karin.”

His words ring loudly in her mind and then he reaches to tousle her hair so playfully. With that, he bids her goodnight and heads towards her room to kick the rest of the tenants out. The music and ruckus stops, with all the tenants piling out and giving Karin the stink eye.

But nothing else matters right now…all that mattered was that Kento had faith in Karin.

[izzysarchivedblogs]

clint x steve

send ships or characters. it's goofy hours.

Mun Answer

vomit / don’t ship / okay / cute / adorable / perfect / beyond flawless / hot damn / screaming and crying / i will ship them in hell

So at one time, maybe i'd have; but with how valuable of a dynamic they have in the comics, and how important Steve is to Clint; but also like Steve is like The Male Authority Figure in Clint's life that like is different from all his past ones; and there's so much and it's so much of like a important platonic and resspect based dynamic; to like romantic ruins it for me. and i don't ship it like that cause of the value of Steve being Captain America and his relationship with Clint; like Clint takes on Ronin, truly, becasue he is lost, but a Ronin is a masterless samurai. Captain America/Steve was that master. So him being dead rally affected him.

Clint Answer

vomit / don’t ship / okay / cute / adorable / perfect / beyond flawless / hot damn / screaming and crying / i will ship them in hell

❝ Does the retirement home know you've wandered this far? ❞ But everyone were all in agreement that Steve Rogers was hot; he especially liked when old Glamour Pants' eyes sparkled when he was angry. He really doesn't wanna examine his father figure issues through his whole thing about Captain America and Steve Rogers (whose kind of like his hero, the ideal of the person he'll never be on the inside but wanted to be). Okay, maybe there's something there but...

❝ C'mon, you know you're America's wet dream. ❞

[reignsan]

Arjuna is in Samurai Remnant as a playable character! He is a Rogue Servant, a Masterless Servant who can be recruited to join you in a sidequest.

[ghostlysundae]

ive never heard of rogueshipping do ramble on about it please ^^

Ok! So like, they just have so much interesting potential as a couple. Fave ship of all time, it feels so fun and poetic, it works with different types of fun dynamics like rivals/lovers or vigilante x criminal for example. My own headcanon though just has them meeting during the prime empire final, helping civilians get to safety before splitting off then officially being introduced to each other by the ninja a bit later. Mostly cuz in my rewrite Ronin has undergone more growth, but in show canon Ronin's never actually shied away from helping innocent bystanders during disaster so honestly still a pretty plausible way for them to meet. There's also just something so appealing about masterless samurai from 2 different worlds meeting and falling in love. Not to mention the antics that come out of someone new to the real world trying to romance someone who's been hardened by it. Like, Okino gets all his love and flirting advice from Kai and really cheesy romance films. The plot twist being: Ronins actually super into that, give that man a bouquet of roses with with little foam hearts in it and he'll be thinking about you for the next week. I can also imagine both he and Okino are pretty touch starved, having not come from particularly affectionate places. So when they do eventually become a couple they show a lot of physical affection. For example, Okino would do things like gently kissing the back of Ronins non mechanical hand to make sure he feels it.

Thats kind of everything I can think about at the moment. Thank you for the ask!

[cynthiaandsamus]

Apparently Chappell Roan is a singer and not, as I thought, Dave Chappelle becoming a wandering masterless samurai