513 Posts
1312 EP
EXP
Total
"best worst staff member"
shaggy-Rank Quirk:
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Post by Darren Blanco II on Feb 3, 2019 20:16:45 GMT -4
Black steel shone bright under the rising sun, reflecting the light that was slowly covering Japan in all directions, slicing through rays of light as the dao went through the motions, effortlessly searing through the air like the wings of the Chinese phoenix which shared its name with the school. It was a beauty of a blade, black for the carbon steel used in its construction with its single edge lighter than the back of the blade. It was made for cutting, with curve and weight. It looked more like a tool of war than a hero’s weapon.
The grace which with the weapon was handled clearly betrayed an experienced practitioner. The Chinese swordsman with long hair twirled it around, slashed, parried imaginary blows, swiped and cut behind him, in front of him, up and low, right and left in fluid motions; the attacks never seemed to end, instead transitioning gracefully into another stance, another sway, another side-step followed by a kick and a thrust.
It however contrasted with his rather… Unkempt demeanor. While he was wearing the uniform of his school, as they were instructed to do at all times, Zhao Shou was not the best at uniform discipline. He tried his best, but his shirt always came tucked out and the buttons of his vest never seemed to align correctly, so he kept it open. It made him look rather goofy.
Nonetheless, it couldn’t take away from the sheer display of skill. It was early morning, about 6:40, and the sun was barely rising. Zhao developed the habit to wake up early to practice his moves before work and school called on him. The news that he had been recruited by Fenghuang High had been the best, as now he could practice freely and his family was taken care of. His love of the proud history of China pleased the officials, and he was well-liked of the personnel at the school for his helpful demeanor, often cleaning his room himself to save them the trouble. It was no surprise that he was picked among those who would represent the country in UA’s sports festival.
And now, here he was on Japanese soil, having invaded their soccer field for his practice -- spear taolus required a lot of space, after all. He was here to compete with the students of the very first hero school and said to be some of the best. Zhao couldn’t be more excited. He was about to meet strong opponents against which he could test his skills against, so he couldn’t afford to be rusty!
But more than anything, he hoped to meet an expert in Japanese swordsmanship and test their mettle with his dao, jian and qiang resting in their cloth scabbards against a nearby wall. The rivalry between the two countries was real, and that was even truer in the martial arts world, and Zhao Shou as determined his country proud. |
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802 Posts
1 EP
EXP
Total
17 Years
Female
"Steelheart"
Student-Rank Quirk:
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Post by Tetsuko Shindou on Feb 4, 2019 6:30:09 GMT -4
The early bird catches the worm, as the old adage claimed.
Tetsuko Shindou had long since taken that advice to heart, and as the sun rose on the Land of the Rising Sun, the young swordswoman departed from her dorm room for some early morning training. If she got up this early, the crowds around the sports festival would be light, and some of her more favoured training grounds would hopefully be free. Donning her UA tracksuit, Tetsuko left behind a still sleeping Elise as she headed down toward the soccer field. Practicing her kata as the sun rose overhead, her feet dancing lightly along the grass as her blade cut through the beaming light... It sounded like the ideal way for her to start her day.
However, Tetsuko had made a fatal assumption, in believing that she would be the first to get the soccer field. Yet, that wasn't at all to say that she would be disappointed.
It was the shining steel that first caught her eye as Tetsuko approached the soccer field, the reflected light of the rising sun the cut through the air. Immediately, her eyes widened in surprise. To her, the sight was as clear as the rising firey orb. It was a swordsman that Tetsuko was witnessing. A swordsman on U.A. grounds, one that Tetsuko had not yet met...
None of the blade wielders she did know used metal weapons, as the vast majority utilized their Quirks to create their tools. She, technically, used both. Approaching with a curious eye, the Shindou girl quickly deduced that this boy wasn't a U.A. student. Even from a distance, it was clear he wasn't wearing the uniform. A foreign school, then? Which meant that this sword style... It had to be...
Chinese!
The deft twirling and graceful movement between stances was indicative of an Asiatic style, the movements far and away from any European form that tetsuko had seen. Yes, this was a Chinese swordsman in the flesh, one wielding what looked to a sabre, a dao. Tetsuko's eyes glistened with intrigue, with curiousity, and a burning pride. The ironblooded girl had come to this school as a swordsman, after all, so to find a foreign opponent who possessed those same skills was a blessing upon her training. Without a sword in her own hand, Tetsuko wasn't immediately obvious as a follow bladesman, but approached the practicing boy nonetheless.
As she got closer, she spotted his other weapons nearby... It looked like he wasn't just familair with blades. A weapon wielder like her, one that Tetsuko felt immediately obligated to calsh against, for the sake of her own country's pride, for the sake of her own ambitions of becoming a worthy enough swordsman for her family's name!
"Hey. You're from Fenghuang, right?" Tetsuko called out in a sudden and unnannounced query, once the boy had finished his current kata (or the Chinese equivalent). The Shindou girl's question might have seemed to come out of the blue, but if Zhao glanced her way he'd see thw swordswoman smiling slyly toward him. "I couldn't help but notice your swordsmanship. That's a dao, isn't it?" If he was as much a weapon master as Tetsuko thought, then this would easily suffice for an introduction and explanation. "I've heard a lot about Chinese swords and their arts, but I've never seen them in action. Nor have I gotten the chance to test my own blades against them." Right as she said that, iron sprouted from Tetsuko's palm, shaping itself into a katana in her hand. Her primary blade, the standard katana she called 'Yukifuri'.
"My name is Tetsuko Shindou. I'm a practitioner of Kenjutsu, trained in the Jikishinkage-ryuu style. It's good to see another weapon wielder."
For a fellow swordsman, that was all the greeting Tetsuko felt she needed. If they wanted to convey more about themselves, they could do it with their blades.
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513 Posts
1312 EP
EXP
Total
"best worst staff member"
shaggy-Rank Quirk:
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Post by Darren Blanco II on Feb 6, 2019 1:01:17 GMT -4
“Ni hao! Yes, I am!” answered the boy in the middle of his taolu, not stopping his practice for conversation. It was not that hw was particularly rude, more than he wasn’t very aware or interested in social conventions of politeness. He finished it with a jumping downwards slash, before flourishing his weapon to rest against his shoulder.
Zhao Shou had a wide and honest smile plastered across his face. It seemed the gods decided to answer his prayers, and gifted her with a Japanese swordswoman. “That is a dao, yes,” he continued with accented Japanese. “It’s a great sword. The weight is perfectly distributed for cutting, and it’s made of great iron,” he said while looking at the girl straight in the eyes with an even wider grin -- clearly a reference to the quality of historic Japanese iron, low enough that it would be considered pig iron in any other country. But this apparently wasn’t a problem for her, as she sprouted her own blade from her palm to the melody of Zhao’s “oooooooh”. She introduced herself at Tetsuko Shindou, of the Jikishinkage-ryuu school.
“Zheng Shao, Shànghǎi Wān Wŭshù,” he answered, grabbing his sword upside-down by the hilt as he joined his hand for a traditional salute. “It sounds nice, but it just means Shangai Bay Martial Arts,” he grinned, but then his grin turned into a malicious one. Zhao wasn’t usually one to pick fights, but he knew all too well what Tetsuko’s careful choice of words meant; he met other swordsmen before, and they all wanted to defend the honor of their master, or their school, or some other old guy they idolized.
It was all fine with him. He was always ready to let his gong fu speak for himself. The easygoing swordsman ran his hand against the spine of his black blade. “Are you sure about this? It’s carbon steel. Cuts really well. Surely a big school like yours has practice blade, yes? What do you Japanese call your wooden swords… Bokkaken, is it?” He grinned again, showing teeth and pride in his stupid joke. He knew it was called a bokken, and he knew what word he was “confusing” it with. It was becoming quite clear to the little Samurai Jane that the man opposing her had more in common with Zhang Fei from the Romance of the Three Kingdoms than with a Shaolin master, only the grace of his earlier swordsmanship betraying his hidden skill.
And besides that, to be frank, Zhao Shou was a bumbling idiot. |
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802 Posts
1 EP
EXP
Total
17 Years
Female
"Steelheart"
Student-Rank Quirk:
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Post by Tetsuko Shindou on Feb 9, 2019 6:35:32 GMT -4
If his weapons didn’t give away his country of origin, his language did. The boy’s bilingualism wasn’t too surprising really, though, it did remind Tetsuko how much she needed to work on her own language skills… Even her English was barely passable. As the boy continued his pattern, Tetsuko took no offence to the fact he didn’t stop it. If he broke his focus and didn’t complete it because of her, the Shindou girl would’ve considered that her own offence.
Much as Zheng’s own prayers had been answered, so had Tetsuko’s ever persisting wish to find and clash against as many swordsmen as she could. The summit of her own school, an immoveable heart, wasn’t something that could be achieved without testing her skill against others. A blade’s edge was best tested against someone who could rival it. The Chinese boy also confirmed Tetsuko’s guess at the blade, describing its cutting edge and high-quality iron. The last one was a clear jab, judging by the look on his face, but Tetsuko didn’t show any signs of offence. ”Is that so?” She said calmly, looking over the blade. It was true, that Japanese iron was of low quality, but that wasn’t something she’d dispute. The ingenious and enterprising smiths of her country had used what was at their disposal and crafted techniques to bring the most out of this material. There was no dishonor nor shame in that.
”A pleasure to meet you, Zheng Shao of Shanghai Bay Martial Arts.” Tetsuko greeted with a small bow of her own, the formality sounding almost condescending off her tongue, what with that incredibly nondescript-sounding martial arts school, in comparison to her own, more historically based primary style. Of course, she held great honor in being a part of this school, and even Zheng could see her desire to uphold that honor. The Shindou swordsman was, however, cautious enough to know that whether she approached Zheng as a Shindou or a practitioner of Jikishinkage-ryuu or as any other title mattered not in an actual fight. So long as he was a wielder of a blade, she would pay her respects, and not underestimate him after seeing that display.
Without even needing any explicit confirmation, they’d confirmed with each other their intention to duel. Zheng’s taunts as he flaunted that high-quality blade of his brought a small grin to Tetsuko’s face. He wasn’t wrong about the quality of the steel, Tetsuko knew what good materials looked like thanks to the various steel mills in Kashima, and his blade was made of some of the best. A high-carbon steel, it seemed. Not that she was dissuaded. ”They’re called bokken, and they won’t be necessary. My iron comes within my own body, I’m essentially fighting with my own will in hand.” Tetsuko declared as she flourished her blade in front of her, before running the fingers of her other hand along the ridge of the blade. ”If I wasn’t willing to clash my will against your steel, I wouldn’t be much of a swordsman.” Tetsuko declared with complete seriousness, delivering such a line as though it were normal. Will, blades, iron, steel, none of it was particularly relevant in all truth, as much as their won respective skills… How those skills collided would have to be seen!
”Anything else?”
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513 Posts
1312 EP
EXP
Total
"best worst staff member"
shaggy-Rank Quirk:
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Post by Darren Blanco II on Feb 11, 2019 9:37:31 GMT -4
“Are you mocking me?” asked Zhao with a large grin as Tetsuko respectfully bowed to his school. “My school isn’t really the kind people usually bow to. Ah, doesn’t matter if you are. Lots of future losers mocked it before a fight. Some Japanese, too. Always they underestimate Chinese wushu.” His smile was as wide and honest as ever. It was hard to tell if he was even aware of the provocations he kept throwing.
“Then, if you have a blunt sword already…” He held his left palm parallel to his chest, one half of a Chinese salute, lazily keeping his other hand gripping the handle of the dao that rested on his shoulder. His head made the slightest of bows, more of a nod really. It was clear that the boy had done without the influence of a master for years, as evidenced by his tenuous at best understanding of respect and pre-fight manners. “Please hold for a second!”
He scurried back to the bleachers, where he left his other swords and his spear in their scabbards, themselves wrapped in fabric. He for a fleeting instant showed a hint the grace he displayed earlier as he slid his dao back into his scabbard with care, his weapons seemingly the only thing he treated with respect. He wrapped the saber back into the fabric and unfolded that of his jian.
Out came two scabbards, one noticeably heavier and fancier than the other. Zhao picked the cheap-looking one and drew out the blade with a twang. The care he displayed earlier vanished without a trace, though upon closer examination it would be clear that the twangy blade he pulled was a training one, designed to be abused in sparring and to bend instead of pierce if used to thrust. Contrary to the single-edged curved dao, the jian was a straight double-edged sword closer to an European arming sword, though much lighter and far more suited to fighting a speedy katana than the cumbersome saber. Newly-armed with his cheap-looking training sword, Zhao trotted back with the same idiotic smile as before. “Ok, I’m ready!”
And once again, the graceful movements came back as he calmly drew his stance, holding the sword high over his head with his off-hand pointing forward. There was barely any weight on his lead foot, adopting what was called in wushu the cat stance, ready to pounce in any direction. And once again, the idiotic smile left place to a much more mischievous look as Zhao’s eyes seemed to sharpen.
“You go first, samurai girl!” |
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802 Posts
1 EP
EXP
Total
17 Years
Female
"Steelheart"
Student-Rank Quirk:
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Post by Tetsuko Shindou on Feb 18, 2019 8:55:46 GMT -4
Zhao misunderstood her somewhat, Tetsuko shaking her head lightly at the accusations and following taunt, yet with a slight grin on her face. ”Chinese, Japanese, whether you should bow or not, I couldn’t care less. Words mean nothing next to actions, let’s see if your pride in your school is well placed. I just know mine is.” Tetsuko retorted, growing a bit irked at the boy’s rather… Talkative nature. He could flap his gums almost as quickly as he could swing a blade, though the difference was that the latter was done with much more thought behind it.
Talking aside, what both of them really wanted to was spar, and it looked like they were leading up to a clash of steel and iron once the safety concerns were addressed. A blunt sword would be more than enough for Tetsuko to trade blows with this boy, compared to a bokken it was mostly ideal. Of course, still dangerous if she used it recklessly, but Tetsuko was skilled enough to go too far in sparring matches, barring any kind of unintended accident. Zhao gave the most unenthusiastic of bows to Tetsuko, the Shindou girl realising just how casual his school must have been. He didn’t have the best etiquette nor respect, something she’d have no trouble hammering into him, picking up where his masters had failed.
Firstly, however, Zhao needed to trade out his own weapon, swapping the actual dao for what looked to be a much more different and less specialized weapon, a jian. This particular weapon was clearly designed for training, displaying for too little weight and too much flexibility to be an actual cutting tool. It didn’t bother Tetsuko any, though it was interesting to see that he treated his weapons with some level of respect. His saving grace, against all his rudeness and unnecessary talking, seemed to be that he understood the worth of a good weapon. Tetsuko could only hope that was another mark of his skill, lest this prove rather uninteresting if he was just an enthusiast…
With that cheaper and simpler sword of his, Tetsuko withdraw some of the iron from her own, retreating it back into her own body to make her own blade even less capable of doing damage with its low weight. It was only far given what her opponent had, to match his weapon in terms of actual lethality. When it came to fighting fellow wielders of the blade, Tetsuko liked to diminish any natural advantages, leaving just their skills to clash and see who could come out on top.
Once he was ready and had proclaimed it thus, Zhao assumed a rather interesting stance, not too dissimilar from some of the high-guard stances she’d learned in her own art. When the Chinaman asked her to begin, Tetsuko sighed lightly, before raising her own sword. ”It’s Tetsuko Shindou. Here I come, Zheng-san.” Without any further ado, Tetsuko would move forward, in an even stance with her blade at a guarding position slightly below neutral. That light and agile blade of his, she needed to test it against her own offensive capabilities first. Tetsuko started with a thrust, raising her blade up rapidly and lunging the tip forward toward Zhao’s upper body, following it up by quickly tilting back her hands and delivering a central downward slash. Starting things slow let her gauge her opponents, and hopefully, would let her play into the more counter-heavy side of her own style. However, these plans were only lightly considered, given how much she expected to surprised by the other boy's unique Chinese arts...
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989 Posts
EP
EXP
Total
26 Years
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Post by Maya on Mar 17, 2019 9:33:36 GMT -4
DarrenTheMod:12(x2)=24 EXP
Tetsuko:17(x2)=34 EXP
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