[color=gray][indent][center][img]https://i.imgur.com/I2COHbZ.png[/img] [color=black][sub][h1]「雀の千声より[color=ed1c24]鶴[/color]の一声」[/h1][/sub] [sup][sup][sup][h1]S U Z U M E N O S E N G O U E Y O R I [i]T S U R U[/i] N O H I T O G O E[/h1][/sup][/sup][/sup]b e t t e r o n e c r y o f a [color=ed1c24]c r a n e[/color] t h a n a t h o u s a n d c h i r p s f r o m s p a r r o w s[/color][/center] [indent][color=black][b][color=A51319]N[/color] A M E[/b][/color] [indent]Hane Aki, The Red Crowned Crane. [indent]autumn ([b]羽[/b]) [color=ed1c24][b]|[/b][/color] ([b]秋[/b]) feather [color=ed1c24]羽秋、丹頂鶴。[/color][/indent][/indent] [color=black][b][color=A51319]A[/color] G E[/b][/color] [indent]Seventeen.[/indent] [color=black][b][color=A51319]T[/color] O T E M[/b][/color] [indent]Crane.[/indent] [color=black][b][color=A51319]A[/color] P P E A R A N C E[/b][/color] [indent]Only a few years out of maturity, Aki’s physique has not yet reached its full development/peak. His body is tight having a rather low body fat percentage and inlaid with prominent ridges where muscles bend and crevices sink. Vascularity can be clearly seen around the back of his hands as they branch off into his arms, chest, and legs. He has a particularly silent walk and overall mannerism about him, appearing as if he were just gliding along rather than walking. The traditional high bun most samurai wear their hair in has been cut, leaving his hair dangle unevenly across his skull, hidden by an amigasa. He has no distinction in voice or smell that sets him apart his contemporaries, but instead tends to store and eat berries as most cranes do. His hakama has been modified so the area above the knee and below has been cut and exposed to allow for more maneuverability. Aki wears a short happi jacket in plain white with the tsurumon imprinted in the back and black tabi on his feet. [/indent] [color=black][b][color=A51319]P[/color] E R S O N A L I T Y[/b][/color] [indent]Just as the process of folding a katana is repeated several times, so is the process of Aki’s maturation. Coming from a distinguished family of samurai, the eight virtues of Bushido were deeply engrained into his personality as a boy. Honor, loyalty, and rectitude above all no matter what the cost was or whatever internal turmoil had manifested. That’s not to say Aki was solely composed of these ways, rather the implementation of the baby crane allowed for other traits to grow in the young boy’s heart. He has a kindness to himself and his eyes. A strong bond of compassion and empathy has been forged and tethered to nature and the spirits surrounding. While he was not devoutly religious his pedigree aligned with the teachings of Shinto. Aki values cleanliness and order to the point of ensuring every meal is properly placed and cleaned afterwards. Some might see him as rigid or static, but it’s important for him to lead by example and truly cherish every aspect of life material or not. While he is nearly mute in acoustics when he does speak it is with a tinge of warmness that is both soothing and calming. Lastly, Aki goes to great efforts to ensure his movements are precise and articulated from his mind directly through his body even if he falters and relies on instinct.[/indent] [color=black][b][color=A51319]S[/color] T R E N G T H S[/b][/color][/indent] [center][color=black]天の鶴踊る [color=ed1c24][b]|[/b][/color] T H E H E A V E N L Y F L O W I N G C R A N E D A N C E[/color][/center] [indent][indent]Aki practices The Heavenly Flowing Crane Dance, a sword style passed down to each male of the following generation. The school primarily focuses on speed and uses Batoujutsu for its timing and targeting. The fundamentals of this school are surrounded by the family’s crest, the red crowned crane. Once the male in question has reached the age of 7 they are presented with a baby crane. The crane is used to create a symbiotic relationship and develop responsibility by keeping the crane alive and healthy. Not only does it instill character and responsibility, but also passively teaches the successor the foundations for specific sword techniques as they study the crane’s behavior. There are three milestones during this time: Adolescence, Puberty, and Succession. With each milestone the growth between crane and child directly translates to the growth in sword style. The connection becomes so empathic that if a crane is improperly raised the student will also reflect such deviation. If a crane becomes temperamental so will the owner and vice versa. If the crane were to die, the journey to succession would also extinguish. Conversely, if a crane were to die after maturation or in battle the owner keeps a totem with a feather in service of the bond.[/indent][/indent] [center][color=black]R O O S T I N G C R A N E[/color][/center] [indent][indent]After watching and mimicking the behavior of roosting for warmth done by cranes, Aki has translated the behavior into a Flowing Crane Dance technique. Instead of warmth, roosting has built up the muscles in his legs from practicing standing on one leg for hours. The cumulation of this practice for years has allowed for his grip strength in his feet to increase torque, strengthened his center of balance, and increase his movement speed.[/indent][/indent] [center][color=black]F L I G H T O F T H E C R A N E[/color][/center] [indent][indent]By stimulating the muscle fibers in his legs and allowing more oxygen to enter his blood, Aki can move at significant speeds that some rumors say leave three after images; a tribute to his mon.[/indent][/indent] [color=black][b][color=A51319]W[/color] E A K N E S S E S[/b][/color] [center][color=black]H E A V Y F O O T I N G[/color][/center] [indent]While Aki does move exceptionally fast, what the eye can’t detect in front of them can detect what’s beneath them. The strength and power in which Aki utilizes leaves behind foot prints in the ground from his feet crashing against the ground.[/indent] [center][color=black]S T I L L G R E E N[/color][/center] [indent]Still a pupil to his house, Aki has not mastered many feats or techniques associated with the Heavenly Flowing Crane dance, thus only leaving him to rely on his incredible speed and swordplay to date. [color=black][b][color=A51319]T[/color] H E M E[/b][/color] [indent][url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XHAZqxzdCvA][color=A51319]The Water Priestess | Mikumari no Miko[/color][/url][/indent][/indent][/indent][/color]