STATUS:
Phew, novel outline done. Now to tally how many characters I'll need, based on outline roles. Protag, Antag, yep, lackeys, support cast...Okay so in total I need to fill out--EIGHTY CHARACTER SHEETS?!
3 days ago
Current
Phew, novel outline done. Now to tally how many characters I'll need, based on outline roles. Protag, Antag, yep, lackeys, support cast...Okay so in total I need to fill out--EIGHTY CHARACTER SHEETS?!
9
likes
16 days ago
@Kuro: Congrats, you've received the "Fully Developed Frontal Lobe" DLC!
10
likes
1 mo ago
Happiness is the acceptance of problems, not their solutions. *eats the fortune cookie*
6
likes
1 mo ago
If an argument/spirited debate/conversation takes up more than a handful of back-and-forth statuses maybe that means it should be in PMs instead.
4
likes
1 mo ago
Oh also, on art: If you feel you don't measure up to "the old masters," look up the camera lucida, Claude glass, etc. Dudes 100% considered tracing to still be real art. Just don't "steal" from IPs.
1
like
Bio
On CST time, United States. Typically busy most of the week and do most posting/replying on weekends.
Hyun-Woo slipped his thumb into the sash at his waist, nudging it just enough to push his sheathed jian through. With both arms free, though he almost felt naked without a "cane," he approached the young lady again. Being taller and generally more fit, he caught up with her stride easily.
@OwO "Please, let me help you carry all that." he offered. Sichuan was too far out of the way for him at the moment, but it would be remiss of him as a martial artist not to help someone clearly struggling. At the very least he could make sure she got to her lodgings for the night without being run over by more people or damaging her scrolls. "I am afraid my own quest does not go as far as Sichuan, as I am seeking the Mountain Ravine Fist School here in Henan Province. But I would gladly accompany you to an inn. This is my first time in Xincai, you see, and I hardly know where to look myself."
If he were to go to Sichuan, how many more weeks or months would that add to his trip? Nonetheless, it wouldn't be right--as a man, as a martial artist, or just as a good person--to completely ignore this plight. Maybe one the stronger martial artists at the Mountain Ravine's school would be willing to take her? Or maybe there was something he could do to help her with her funds--even on the relatively short journey here (in the grand scheme of things) he had seen and heard of martial artists doing various tasks for those with need. In the time after such a long and grueling war, there were many fighters whose purpose for training now seemed to be gone. For some of them, without a war to fight, a life as a mercenary was the only job that could make use of their skills.
Hyun-Woo's task was merely to deliver a letter from his father, which he wasn't doing for payment. He had wanted to see the world, after becoming more proficient with his own Cultivation, and his father had always regretted never visiting or staying in touch with the school he once trained with in the Middle Kingdom. So the son had offered to carry on that duty, and a month-and-some later here he was. It might be longer than that again before he could return home. He had given the sailors who brought him to Shanghai a letter to take back home, assuring his family that he had made at least that leg of the journey safely, but if he took too long--or jumped into a situation that got him killed--he couldn't imagine their grief. But in a way, this trip was also meant as a test--his father would never hear of him taking off into the wild blue yonder without some assurance that he could take care of himself. And if he couldn't go as far as his father once had, then he had no business stating some lofty desire as "seeing all of the Jianghu with his own eyes..."
@FeyblueKai watched the face Julian made as the other recruit chewed their food. He put his own biscuit into his mouth and sat there, mimicking the other student's rhythm. They gulped at the same time.
"Yeah!" Kai threw both of his fists up in the air with an excited grin. "I'm gonna do my best, and be a hero just like Gramps!" He did it! He had made a friend! Again, as the bluette finished was was on his plate, he looked around the room at the others. Zenshin was talking about his training, or the lack of it, with Nathaniel. Nathaniel didn't seem so angry anymore, but there was something...slightly unnerving about how quiet he had been. Normally, people yelled at Kai when he did things like burst through doors and knock them over. But Nathaniel seemed focused on other things...and the wildling had no idea what thoughts the other boy might be having. Given how intense he had been thus far, the shift was unexpected.
Most of the others, meanwhile, seemed a little subdued in their conversations--maybe they weren't really wide awake yet? Ah...they weren't "energetic" like he and Julian were? Was that...something that needed to be fixed? He looked back at Julian.
"What made you wanna be a knight, Julian?" he asked. "Do you have a Gramps too?"
In other words, I don't think I have it in me to make a purely nice, altruistic, sympathetic character that bonds well with other people that doesn't have a dark psychopathic side that also wants to harm someone. I would pass out from the boredom.
Stories like these often work very well with protagonists who aren't purely heroic, but are motivated by other means. Maybe he could have a mercenary mindset, willing to work with others as long as the pay is good? Or a challenge oriented mindset that cares less who he works for, or with, as long as an employer can provide him with strong opponents to fight? Things like that would make it possible for him to interact with other players and the plot without supporting the same ideals or getting ganked, and could make for better character conflict when those ideals clash verbally. Or maybe talk to other players about interweaving the revenge plot, so that his reason for being around is something like "they have clues that I need, even if I hate their guts."
The warm, fruity, pepper-and-vanilla scent of cinnamon swirled with the soft florals and woody musk of agarwood. The incense couldn’t quite cover the horse dung, fire smoke, and other smells, but it made it much easier to ignore them. But the sounds were even harder to filter: people talking, sometimes in raised and angry voices, stubborn mules braying as they hauled creaking carts, and footsteps of a thousand different weights and strides. Rustling clothes, clinking armor, jingling coins…a girlish giggle and squeal, somewhere further down an alleyway. Yi Hyun-Woo felt warmth rise to his face, and turned his focus elsewhere.
The cobblestones under his feet were mostly even, save for a line he occasionally stepped across that had been worn further down. Wagon tracks. The sheathed tip of his sword absently tapped a pattern across the square bricks, noting the different sounds between fired clay, calcified mortar, and occasionally, simple packed earth. He shifted his weight slightly to one side, and felt the wind ripple against his sleeve as the person he’d sensed passed him. His head tilted to better gauge the sounds in front of him, and he breathed deeply through his nose. Baked goods, fresh fabrics, and occasionally even oiled metal. A marketplace.
Hyun-Woo opened his eyes for the second time since arriving in Xincai. The second time, because the first time at the gate had nearly overwhelmed him. Even though his sight had been restored, and he had traveled quite far by this point…it still felt like his mind could barely process everything at once. Especially in a place as bustling as the Middle Kingdom–the bright colors of silks, the artistry of buildings and banners, and the made-up faces of beautiful women, all of it and a thousand other things made him feel as if he were catching fever right behind his eyes. Perhaps the worst thing to get used to–especially once he started training–had been what he now knew as depth perception. Looking at the mountains and rivers of his homeland, and now the ever-grander Middle Plains, had been enough to bring him to tears. When he had embarked on this quest, riding across the ocean from Jeju-Do to Shanghai had nearly sent him into shock. And the trip overland afterward had been a new surprise every step of the way.
The world was so big now, compared to the dark void he had once wandered. Sometimes, it was still easier to travel that way…but he had to get used to it. Just like martial arts, he had to train the eyes he had not used for so many years…
He registered the sound of two bodies colliding, and turned to see a young woman fumbling with a pile of scrolls. A few rough men were moving in the other direction–was she trying to follow them? Or had they pushed her? No, wait, that man hurrying in the other direction, maybe that was what he’d sensed?
Hyun-Woo heard someone snicker. He closed his eyes and raised his eyebrows as the muscles around his ears twitched.
“Is she supposed to be some sort of scribe, or a street urchin?” “Stupid woman, out of my way! I’m going to be late…” “That’s what you get for associating with thugs like that…”
The young swordsman opened his eyes, and held his sheathed blade against his belt as he walked towards the girl. His boot gently stopped a runaway scroll, and he held out his hand to her.
“Are you alright, Miss?” he said, in a soft tenor. His pale, amber eyes were wide like a child’s, as he found it much easier to focus on a single person. He wondered what all the different expressions she was making meant–he hadn’t gotten used to navigating by those yet, either. "Did those men do something unchivalrous?"
"He's an Oni!" "Watch his club!" "Shoot him! SHOOT HIM!"
Kyo stopped the bandit's wooden club with his bare hand, and his claws dug furrows in the heavy oak as his grip tightened. His supernatural senses picked up the creak of bowstrings, and he jerked the human around to serve as a living shield. The shafts sank into the man's gut as the Oni lifted him clear of the ground, and he screamed again. A third bandit, maybe the smartest one of the group, turned and sprinted into the forest with sword in hand.
"I'll cut ya down, big bastard!" roared the leader, as he charged at Kyo's backside with that great wood cutting axe. The youkai lashed out with his club, but the ruffian actually rolled under it! Kyo stepped back as that thick blade almost cracked his shin--he was big and strong, but not invincible. Then something heavy hit him in the small of the back, and he stumbled forward. One of the other thugs had a fist sized iron ball at the end of a chain, which jerked back and began to loop in preparation for another attack. He barely got the slowly dying man in between him and the leader's next swing of the axe--the poor wretch finally died this time, after all that howling. Then the Oni planted his big foot in the corpse's back and kicked both of them clear across the road! The bandit leader lost his weapon, and hit the broad side of a tree hard enough to drive the breath from his lungs. As Kyo turned to the others, he swung his club to keep them at bay--that chain shot out again, and wrapped around the spiked iron rod.
"I'll hold 'em, get in there!" The remaining humans charged in with desperate shouts, and Kyo grinned.
"You're cute!" He flexed his muscles and roared, and yanked the human--not a small man by any stretch of the senses--bodily from the earth. The man arced through the air at hair raising speed. He barely had time to gasp as the forest around him blurred--and then he crunched against another tree. But Kyo couldn't revel in it--another arrow hit him, this time in the side, and he let out a pained bellow as he slammed his club into the ground. With one arm covering the wound he fended off his attackers with the other. A wild swing of his forearm snapped off a spear's haft, but a chipped sword left a wound across his chest. Shallow but ragged, it bled bright red over his pearl-white hide, and again he snarled.
"What'sa matter, you WEAKLINGS!?" the Demon screamed, hefting his weapon again and half-circling. Two more arrows hit the ground where he'd been, but the third snagged one his robes and took a chunk of the material with it. "Ain't no problem stealin' and killin' when it's peasants, but a li'l ol' Demon has you pissin' your pants?! C'MON!" It was half-bravado, but they didn't know that--he had underestimated the archers, hadn't even expected simple cattle rustlers and highwaymen to be that smart. His head snapped from side to side, fangs bared.
@Conscripts Then he saw the horses. More bandits?! Or--wait. These guys had actual armor and weapons? Who were they with? Youkai hunters?! Too many thoughts, too many enemies--!
"RAAAAAAGH!" Another roar, but it wasn't Kyo's. The bandit leader was back up, and with both hands on that axe he tried to carve out the Oni's spine. Kyo spun and blocked with both hands on his kanabo, and the two chunks of iron threw sparks against each other.
"SHADDUP!" His four black horns came down like a hammer. Kyo stood more than head and shoulders above the bandit; his skull slammed the man into the ground hard enough that a circle of dust actually blew outward around them when the bandit hit the forest floor. But now the rest of the Bloody Wolves Gang looked around in confusion--they too, had no idea who these newcomers were, and the archers hesitated to choose their targets while the other men faltered without their leader...
"I do not know if I have the talent to be great. I do not know if I can work hard enough to be great. But, now that my eyes have been opened to this world...I merely wish to see its horizons."
(Based on the 12 Jungian Archetypes) || The Face: The Innocent || The Soul: The Creator || The Self: The Ruler || The Ego: The Caregiver ||
[H I S T O R Y]
Hyun-Woo, third child of the Yi family, hails from the land of Goryeo. Among the great Taebaek Mountain Range, nestled between some of the lesser-known peaks, Yi Hyun-Woo lived in a simple, salt-of-the-earth village. In order to enter the Murim--the "branch" of Jianghu in Goryeo--one must have talent. A warrior can boast that their training, or their motivation, or their bonds among brothers, lovers, and comrades will overcome the gulf in talent all they like. The truth remains that no matter how hard one works, no matter their drive, if someone else works just as hard but has a smidgeon more talent, the second warrior will inevitably surpass the first. Thus the cultivation--and the suppression--of talent among each generation became a matter of life and death. Those who would pass on their arts wished for the greatest talents among their students. Those who wished to defeat their enemies despised the talents among students who were not their own.
How talented Yi Hyun-Woo might have been, is a question with no answer. For before he could even make a fist, much less hold a sword, the boy was fated to die. Born blind, his body wracked by pain and disease, the infant struggled even to breathe. Though his family held no great status or legendary feats, Hyun-Woo’s father had practiced martial arts in his youth and knew that great masters could heal the body with their techniques as well as they could destroy it. He also knew the legends of many such masters, and of these, the closest had supposedly ascended, to be called an "Immortal Sage," atop the peak of Azure Cloud Mountain.
The mountain held many dangers, and of these vicious brigands were by far the least. Hyun-Woo’s father was a man of little talent. Hyun-Woo, being expected to die before he reached two years of age, had not even received a name. Yet, for this nameless child, somehow a man of no talent ascended the mountain. Past the blue mists, above the swirling snowstorms, he climbed until his hands and feet were raw and covered in his own frozen blood. There, at the top, he did not find an Immortal Sage immersed in meditation.
He found only bones.
And yet, among the martial artists of the world there are many strange practices. Alchemy that infuses the spiritual energy of nature into medicine. Plants grown for a thousand years, devoured to increase one’s strength. Swords that can bewitch their own wielders. For those who practice forbidden, demonic arts, even cannibalism can be seen as a path to power...
The marrow of those bones saved Hyun-Woo’s life. Though still blind, and still frail, he lived. Though he required a cane, he began to walk. And unbeknownst to his family and village, a will apart from his own guided his steps. Over many years, it led him to move in certain ways, to breathe in rhythms, and his cane became far more than a blind child’s stick. Eventually, one moonless night, when every creature besides Hyun-Woo became just as blind, the ache in his bones drew him to the peak of Azure Cloud Mountain. There, beneath the place where his father dug up a Sage’s bones, he found a slip of jade carved by a blade. As he sat upon the mountain ledge, unperturbed by thousands of feet of empty space below him that he could not see, he traced the carvings with his fingers. He breathed the words. And he began to Cultivate.
He sat, cane across his lap, on the peak of that mountain for some time. His stomach rumbled with hunger, but he did not feel the need to stop. He could feel the sun's warmth as it rose, and as it crossed the sky, and as it caressed his back.
A storm gathered as the blue clouds turned purple, then black. Lightning rumbled, wind howled, and a blizzard cold enough to freeze birds in flight circled the peak. White lightning descended, and in the instant between the time it left the clouds and the moment it struck the ground, Hyun-Woo’s head snapped up and he saw it.
The boy awoke to another sunrise--to the first sunrise he had ever seen. His cane, broken to splinters and charred to cinders, still pointed the way one last time. Where the lightning blasted away the stones of the not-so-immortal Sage's resting place, he found one last gift: a metal box, its seal now melted away. Within lay a book of yellowed pages, though its ink had not faded. The title read thusly:
To My Descendants - The Inheritance of the Azure Cloud, The Art of the Flashing Sword
[M A R T I A L A R T S]
Azure Cloud Flash Sword
Silent Thunder
The Azure Cloud Flash Sword is a school of blade-mastery with a long history, yet one that has dwindled with time. Perhaps a century ago, one could hear heroic tales of this school’s chivalrous disciples from any traveling minstrel. Fifty years ago, Azure Cloud Flash Sword would still be known as a prestigious hall of swordsmen, producing many fine champions whose skills were deeply coveted. A score of years ago, tales of the Azure Cloud drifted here and there, shrouded in an unknown strength and mystique. Now, the name is spoken only in reference to a lost, historical art. Yet it seems there has been one last transmission, from an unknown Master to a single Disciple...
Nonetheless, this school of swordsmanship bestows its wielder keen senses and well-honed skills. Particularly in the speed of one’s draw, lunge, and thrust, it might not be hyperbole to say the Azure Cloud is unmatched. However, it is certainly not a strength-oriented sword. The straight, double edged blade favored by the style is that of a gentleman, one versed in scholarly arts as well as martial. Redirection, skillful cuts and disabling strikes, and evasive footwork are the domain of Azure Cloud Flash Sword. By using one’s inner energy, rather than external strength, the swordsman executes more advanced techniques.
Enhanced Senses - Because he was once blind, Yi Hyun-Woo's other senses and his awareness of his environment are different from a person who has relied only on sight since birth. His nose, his skin, his ears, and even his concept of his orientation in physical space are far more sensitive than a normal person's. Azure Cloud Flash Sword's reliance on these senses--for its sword has many similarities to arts like Taijiquan and Baguazhang--has bolstered them even further. While Yi Hyun-Woo's physicality and mastery of fighting may only be Third-Rate, his senses and perception of his surroundings could be considered a half-step from First Class.
Enhanced Reflexes - Combined with his senses, and the reliance on speed in the Azure Cloud Flash Sword, Yi Hyun-Woo has considerably faster reactions and better fast-twitch muscle memory than any "normal" person.
Timid Presence - Having once been unable to see people, Yi Hyun-Woo never learned any subconscious need to BE seen by others. His personality is certainly quite docile, but he isn't anti-social; nonetheless, this quality makes it hard for him to stand out in a crowd. That is a terrible disposition for anyone who wants to become famous or practice leadership. But it can be quite surprising when a young man with a sword speaks up at your shoulder, and you have no idea how long he's been there. If Hyun-Woo actually wants to be stealthy, he's much more adept at hiding himself because he takes into account more than just not being seen.
Wumei Jian - A mundane sword of steel, forged by Yi Hyun-Woo's own father. After his son was healed, the man ceased practicing martial arts entirely and put all of his focus into the art of smithing. A regular village blacksmith by birth and trade, he had only practiced martial arts when he thought he could rise up to take on the world. But now he used that knowledge, along with long years of practice, to craft this weapon when his son returned from that mystical journey on the Azure Peak. The sword has five layers instead of three, with softer plates added to its central ridge to increase its durability--it has better flexibility when clashing against other weaponry, but still holds a keen edge.
Azure Cloud Flash Sword's Lightning Arc Method - To the layperson, when one thinks of "Cultivation," one thinks of "drawing in" the Qi through breathing, meditation, alchemical pills, or other methods. That Qi is gathered, sometimes in enormous amounts, before a process of "refinement" begins, and the refined Qi is built up in "layers" or circulated through the body in a specific way, or otherwise altered from its natural state through "condensation." And with large amounts of condensed, purified, properly flowing Qi, one gains great power.
Through the Lightning Arc Method, however, the process of "drawing in" and "purifying" the Qi is, in a sense, simultaneous. Though not completely free of impurities until later on in the Cultivation process, the raw energy is simply "split" into two rough masses--"positive" Qi, and "negative" Qi. It is unclear whether the Azure Cloud Flash Sword's masters intended these readings to mean the same thing as "Yin and Yang" or as "good and bad," or "clean and unclean," but whatever the case the art's practitioners are taught very specifically to separate the Qi into these two categories.
The Positive and Negative Qi is then circulated through the body in a fashion like most other Cultivation Arts--the Cosmic Circuit, the Three Furnaces, the Twelve Principles, the Eight Extraordinaries, etc. However, the key of the Lightning Arc Method is that the two Qi Masses are kept in a specific alignment throughout the body: When Positive Qi enters the right side of the body, Negative Qi is entering the left side. When Positive Qi travels downward along the Cosmic Circuit into the Lower Dantian at the base of the Conceptual Vessel, Negative Qi is traveling upward along the Governing Vessel to enter the Upper Dantian. It requires the practitioner to maintain specifically rhythmic breathing, and to keep track of two circuits at once--there is no question that, for a beginner, this rhythm will falter. Thus, developing mental and physical reflexes is paramount--if you are certain you cannot avoid every failure in life, then you must learn to react to those failures as efficiently as possible.
The interplay of the two Qi types, and the philosophy behind the method, informs all techniques of the Azure Cloud Flash Sword. Many martial artists demonstrate their prowess through "explosive movement." They let out a great shout or exhalation, move with an almost mechanical efficiency of the body, and unleash the most power possible, through the smallest impact point possible, to the weakest target possible, as quickly as possible. There are certainly many techniques within the Azure Cloud Flash Sword that still utilize this concept--but Lightning is different from Fire. It does not burn constantly. And unlike Water, it does not "flow" smoothly. It builds within the clouds, and then, in less than a blink, it strikes the earth, arcing in jagged spikes and straight lines! It is when the breath of the Azure Cloud Flash Swordsman becomes still...the Positive and Negative Qi crash into one another, like a line of little children marching in place when the leader suddenly stops. And this clash of two opposing natures produces, in a single instant, a power that is not only their two strengths "added" together, but "multiplied" by the catalyst blade!
Earthward Step - A method of the “Walking and Breathing” practices used by many martial arts. The Azure Cloud’s method relies on the body’s natural rhythm of tension and release, both for the user and the opponent, as well as straight-line, high speed movement. For an instant, the swordsman may even seem to disappear from sight. Hyun-Woo can only travel a short distance at a time with this technique, but it is one of the most well-practiced in his arsenal.
White Lightning Snake Fangs - This sword form teaches the Azure Cloud disciple to strike from any position like a coiled snake, to be ready at all times. From the scabbard, no matter where it is in relation to the user’s body, the swordsman must be able to draw and cut with a single motion in a fraction of a second. It requires extreme flexibility of the arm, straining the joint if used too many times in succession.
Drifting Storm Cloud - A defensive form that must be practiced for long periods at a time, because it informs a great deal of Azure Cloud Flash Sword's ability to deal with enemies if their lightning-swift movements fail to dispatch the foe within the first instant of combat. Like some forms of Taijiquan, it allows the opponent's sword to make contact, and then reacts to their strength or redirects it. Yi Hyun-Woo has also incorporated his experience of using a blind man's cane into this blade, making his own sword into an extension of his senses. As a result, despite being a subsidiary form, it might be said that this is currently his most effective mode of fighting.
No real changes; it's good. You're free to put him in the character tab.
I saw that a 0th post is already present in the CS tab, but did you want me to wait until you added your own character in a 1st post or anything like that?
Here's my CS, with some of the alterations we discussed via PM. If I still need to change anything or if something could use improvement, please let me know! I also welcome feedback/critique from other players!
"I do not know if I have the talent to be great. I do not know if I can work hard enough to be great. But, now that my eyes have been opened to this world...I merely wish to see its horizons."
(Based on the 12 Jungian Archetypes) || The Face: The Innocent || The Soul: The Creator || The Self: The Ruler || The Ego: The Caregiver ||
[H I S T O R Y]
Hyun-Woo, third child of the Yi family, hails from the land of Goryeo. Among the great Taebaek Mountain Range, nestled between some of the lesser-known peaks, Yi Hyun-Woo lived in a simple, salt-of-the-earth village. In order to enter the Murim--the "branch" of Jianghu in Goryeo--one must have talent. A warrior can boast that their training, or their motivation, or their bonds among brothers, lovers, and comrades will overcome the gulf in talent all they like. The truth remains that no matter how hard one works, no matter their drive, if someone else works just as hard but has a smidgeon more talent, the second warrior will inevitably surpass the first. Thus the cultivation--and the suppression--of talent among each generation became a matter of life and death. Those who would pass on their arts wished for the greatest talents among their students. Those who wished to defeat their enemies despised the talents among students who were not their own.
How talented Yi Hyun-Woo might have been, is a question with no answer. For before he could even make a fist, much less hold a sword, the boy was fated to die. Born blind, his body wracked by pain and disease, the infant struggled even to breathe. Though his family held no great status or legendary feats, Hyun-Woo’s father had practiced martial arts in his youth and knew that great masters could heal the body with their techniques as well as they could destroy it. He also knew the legends of many such masters, and of these, the closest had supposedly ascended, to be called an "Immortal Sage," atop the peak of Azure Cloud Mountain.
The mountain held many dangers, and of these vicious brigands were by far the least. Hyun-Woo’s father was a man of little talent. Hyun-Woo, being expected to die before he reached two years of age, had not even received a name. Yet, for this nameless child, somehow a man of no talent ascended the mountain. Past the blue mists, above the swirling snowstorms, he climbed until his hands and feet were raw and covered in his own frozen blood. There, at the top, he did not find an Immortal Sage immersed in meditation.
He found only bones.
And yet, among the martial artists of the world there are many strange practices. Alchemy that infuses the spiritual energy of nature into medicine. Plants grown for a thousand years, devoured to increase one’s strength. Swords that can bewitch their own wielders. For those who practice forbidden, demonic arts, even cannibalism can be seen as a path to power...
The marrow of those bones saved Hyun-Woo’s life. Though still blind, and still frail, he lived. Though he required a cane, he began to walk. And unbeknownst to his family and village, a will apart from his own guided his steps. Over many years, it led him to move in certain ways, to breathe in rhythms, and his cane became far more than a blind child’s stick. Eventually, one moonless night, when every creature besides Hyun-Woo became just as blind, the ache in his bones drew him to the peak of Azure Cloud Mountain. There, beneath the place where his father dug up a Sage’s bones, he found a slip of jade carved by a blade. As he sat upon the mountain ledge, unperturbed by thousands of feet of empty space below him that he could not see, he traced the carvings with his fingers. He breathed the words. And he began to Cultivate.
He sat, cane across his lap, on the peak of that mountain for some time. His stomach rumbled with hunger, but he did not feel the need to stop. He could feel the sun's warmth as it rose, and as it crossed the sky, and as it caressed his back.
A storm gathered as the blue clouds turned purple, then black. Lightning rumbled, wind howled, and a blizzard cold enough to freeze birds in flight circled the peak. White lightning descended, and in the instant between the time it left the clouds and the moment it struck the ground, Hyun-Woo’s head snapped up and he saw it.
The boy awoke to another sunrise--to the first sunrise he had ever seen. His cane, broken to splinters and charred to cinders, still pointed the way one last time. Where the lightning blasted away the stones of the not-so-immortal Sage's resting place, he found one last gift: a metal box, its seal now melted away. Within lay a book of yellowed pages, though its ink had not faded. The title read thusly:
To My Descendants - The Inheritance of the Azure Cloud, The Art of the Flashing Sword
[M A R T I A L A R T S]
Azure Cloud Flash Sword
Silent Thunder
The Azure Cloud Flash Sword is a school of blade-mastery with a long history, yet one that has dwindled with time. Perhaps a century ago, one could hear heroic tales of this school’s chivalrous disciples from any traveling minstrel. Fifty years ago, Azure Cloud Flash Sword would still be known as a prestigious hall of swordsmen, producing many fine champions whose skills were deeply coveted. A score of years ago, tales of the Azure Cloud drifted here and there, shrouded in an unknown strength and mystique. Now, the name is spoken only in reference to a lost, historical art. Yet it seems there has been one last transmission, from an unknown Master to a single Disciple...
Nonetheless, this school of swordsmanship bestows its wielder keen senses and well-honed skills. Particularly in the speed of one’s draw, lunge, and thrust, it might not be hyperbole to say the Azure Cloud is unmatched. However, it is certainly not a strength-oriented sword. The straight, double edged blade favored by the style is that of a gentleman, one versed in scholarly arts as well as martial. Redirection, skillful cuts and disabling strikes, and evasive footwork are the domain of Azure Cloud Flash Sword. By using one’s inner energy, rather than external strength, the swordsman executes more advanced techniques.
Enhanced Senses - Because he was once blind, Yi Hyun-Woo's other senses and his awareness of his environment are different from a person who has relied only on sight since birth. His nose, his skin, his ears, and even his concept of his orientation in physical space are far more sensitive than a normal person's. Azure Cloud Flash Sword's reliance on these senses--for its sword has many similarities to arts like Taijiquan and Baguazhang--has bolstered them even further. While Yi Hyun-Woo's physicality and mastery of fighting may only be Third-Rate, his senses and perception of his surroundings could be considered a half-step from First Class.
Enhanced Reflexes - Combined with his senses, and the reliance on speed in the Azure Cloud Flash Sword, Yi Hyun-Woo has considerably faster reactions and better fast-twitch muscle memory than any "normal" person.
Timid Presence - Having once been unable to see people, Yi Hyun-Woo never learned any subconscious need to BE seen by others. His personality is certainly quite docile, but he isn't anti-social; nonetheless, this quality makes it hard for him to stand out in a crowd. That is a terrible disposition for anyone who wants to become famous or practice leadership. But it can be quite surprising when a young man with a sword speaks up at your shoulder, and you have no idea how long he's been there. If Hyun-Woo actually wants to be stealthy, he's much more adept at hiding himself because he takes into account more than just not being seen.
Wumei Jian - A mundane sword of steel, forged by Yi Hyun-Woo's own father. After his son was healed, the man ceased practicing martial arts entirely and put all of his focus into the art of smithing. A regular village blacksmith by birth and trade, he had only practiced martial arts when he thought he could rise up to take on the world. But now he used that knowledge, along with long years of practice, to craft this weapon when his son returned from that mystical journey on the Azure Peak. The sword has five layers instead of three, with softer plates added to its central ridge to increase its durability--it has better flexibility when clashing against other weaponry, but still holds a keen edge.
Azure Cloud Flash Sword's Lightning Arc Method - To the layperson, when one thinks of "Cultivation," one thinks of "drawing in" the Qi through breathing, meditation, alchemical pills, or other methods. That Qi is gathered, sometimes in enormous amounts, before a process of "refinement" begins, and the refined Qi is built up in "layers" or circulated through the body in a specific way, or otherwise altered from its natural state through "condensation." And with large amounts of condensed, purified, properly flowing Qi, one gains great power.
Through the Lightning Arc Method, however, the process of "drawing in" and "purifying" the Qi is, in a sense, simultaneous. Though not completely free of impurities until later on in the Cultivation process, the raw energy is simply "split" into two rough masses--"positive" Qi, and "negative" Qi. It is unclear whether the Azure Cloud Flash Sword's masters intended these readings to mean the same thing as "Yin and Yang" or as "good and bad," or "clean and unclean," but whatever the case the art's practitioners are taught very specifically to separate the Qi into these two categories.
The Positive and Negative Qi is then circulated through the body in a fashion like most other Cultivation Arts--the Cosmic Circuit, the Three Furnaces, the Twelve Principles, the Eight Extraordinaries, etc. However, the key of the Lightning Arc Method is that the two Qi Masses are kept in a specific alignment throughout the body: When Positive Qi enters the right side of the body, Negative Qi is entering the left side. When Positive Qi travels downward along the Cosmic Circuit into the Lower Dantian at the base of the Conceptual Vessel, Negative Qi is traveling upward along the Governing Vessel to enter the Upper Dantian. It requires the practitioner to maintain specifically rhythmic breathing, and to keep track of two circuits at once--there is no question that, for a beginner, this rhythm will falter. Thus, developing mental and physical reflexes is paramount--if you are certain you cannot avoid every failure in life, then you must learn to react to those failures as efficiently as possible.
The interplay of the two Qi types, and the philosophy behind the method, informs all techniques of the Azure Cloud Flash Sword. Many martial artists demonstrate their prowess through "explosive movement." They let out a great shout or exhalation, move with an almost mechanical efficiency of the body, and unleash the most power possible, through the smallest impact point possible, to the weakest target possible, as quickly as possible. There are certainly many techniques within the Azure Cloud Flash Sword that still utilize this concept--but Lightning is different from Fire. It does not burn constantly. And unlike Water, it does not "flow" smoothly. It builds within the clouds, and then, in less than a blink, it strikes the earth, arcing in jagged spikes and straight lines! It is when the breath of the Azure Cloud Flash Swordsman becomes still...the Positive and Negative Qi crash into one another, like a line of little children marching in place when the leader suddenly stops. And this clash of two opposing natures produces, in a single instant, a power that is not only their two strengths "added" together, but "multiplied" by the catalyst blade!
Earthward Step - A method of the “Walking and Breathing” practices used by many martial arts. The Azure Cloud’s method relies on the body’s natural rhythm of tension and release, both for the user and the opponent, as well as straight-line, high speed movement. For an instant, the swordsman may even seem to disappear from sight. Hyun-Woo can only travel a short distance at a time with this technique, but it is one of the most well-practiced in his arsenal.
White Lightning Snake Fangs - This sword form teaches the Azure Cloud disciple to strike from any position like a coiled snake, to be ready at all times. From the scabbard, no matter where it is in relation to the user’s body, the swordsman must be able to draw and cut with a single motion in a fraction of a second. It requires extreme flexibility of the arm, straining the joint if used too many times in succession.
Drifting Storm Cloud - A defensive form that must be practiced for long periods at a time, because it informs a great deal of Azure Cloud Flash Sword's ability to deal with enemies if their lightning-swift movements fail to dispatch the foe within the first instant of combat. Like some forms of Taijiquan, it allows the opponent's sword to make contact, and then reacts to their strength or redirects it. Yi Hyun-Woo has also incorporated his experience of using a blind man's cane into this blade, making his own sword into an extension of his senses. As a result, despite being a subsidiary form, it might be said that this is currently his most effective mode of fighting.
Hells yeah, I've been waiting for an RP like this to pop up for a long time!
Just to clarify, since this is more "Wuxia" and less "you thought Legendary Rank was the peak of cultivation? You've still got 13 Dimensional Realms and 72 Constellations to work through, boyo!" where do things like monsters, Demon/Spirit Beasts, or just general supernatural things like ghosts, necromancy, etc fall? Will we be sticking to mostly Street Fighter-esque applications of Qi, or is stuff like "Five Element Magic/Illusion Arrays/Summoning Arts/etc" present as well?
Hopefully starting out this many provinces over from Mifu is okay. Left it open and chaotic enough that it'd be easy for others to hear or notice if anyone else wants to get involved.
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