Everything is on pause right now. I just started school, and Iām busy, exhausted, and distracted by several major problems with no immediate solution. As such, I will not have time in the next few weeks to make any significant progress on my fanfiction.
Mugen, Jin, and Fuu are often in my thoughts. No Roads Where Weāre Going is a huge story; weāre not even half way through it yet. I have so much more planned. At this rate though, it will probably take a couple of years to finish it. Itāll be one of those long running fics with sporadic updates.Ā
Edward is still in my thoughts too. Iāve got the next two chapters planned and outlined for Barefoot Cowgirl, but Iāve had difficulty filling in the details. It will happen eventually.
If youāre a reader whoās in it for the long haul with No Roads or Barefoot Cowgirl, then get yourself a Fanfiction.net account (if you donāt already have one), and click āFollow storyā at the end of any chapter. Youāll get an alert in your inbox each time an update is posted. Alternately, you can always check my FFN profile for the latest status.
Between updates, if youāre really jonesing for new information, youāre welcome to ask questions about the story. I might even provide spoilers if you ask for it. Just be sure to tell me how far ahead you want to go, so I donāt inadvertently spoil too much. (There will be some big reveals later in the story.)
Feel like encouraging me? Write a review, send me a private message on FFN, or send me a message here on Tumblr. Iād love to hear from you.
Thatās all for now. Thanks, as always, for taking the time to read my stories.
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This is a semi-update, but really itās just my stream-of-consciousness explanation of whatās happening in my brain right now.
Before I even start, let me make it clear that I am still working on the story. Itās not dead.
After struggling for more than a year to keep this story moving forward, and trying unsuccessfully to understand what the big hang-up is so I can get past it, I finally realized that itās all a matter of psychology. Not only do I have to get inside the charactersā heads, but I also have to dig deep into my own heart and mind, and find within myself the emotions I want to communicate through the characters and their story. But what happens when Iād rather leave my own psyche undisturbed so I can navigate through challenging times without opening the proverbial floodgates and causing myself to fall apart?
I feel a great sense of responsibility to keep writing and finish the story. I also feel disappointed in myself for not being able to do it. Itās not fair to the readers, but most of all, itās not fair to Mugen, Jin, and Fuu. I know it sounds weird to say that about fictional characters, but in my mind, they were reborn when I started writing about them. To me, theyāve morphed into something new and different, above and beyond the anime. I think of them as people. Theyāre independent. And now that Iāve given them new life, I feel like their story deserves to be told. They deserve that closure. The readers deserve closure too, and as an author, so do I. The question is, can I stay motivated to write this story when I have so much difficulty crawling out of my own fragile shell?
Then I think, maybe I should stop digging so deep. Maybe I can tell the story in a different way. Maybe I donāt need so much depth and detail. I could whip out new chapters a lot faster if I skipped over some of the heavier and darker emotions. But then would it still be the same story?
This is my ongoing challenge.
I havenāt given up yet, but I tell ya... this shit is no picnic.Ā
Iāve found that many websites, particularly those edited by fans, donāt use the correct definitions for the main charactersā names in Samurai Champloo. I enjoy translating Japanese kanji, so I thought Iād do a little analysis and try to clear up a few misconceptions. Iāll do some character analysis along the way.
Iāll start with Jin, because heās easy. His name is usually translated correctly. Mugen and Fuu are much more complicated.Ā
Jin (ä»)
Definition:
Benevolence, compassion, humanity, charity.
Benevolence is one of the virtues of Confucianism, as well as a virtue of Bushido.Ā
Martial arts schools that are influenced by Bushido translate the word in a variety of ways - you might see it defined as any of the words above.
I have this head canon theory that the characters grow into their names over the course of the series. When we first meet Jin, heās not very compassionate, and heās not really in touch with his own humanity. Iād say heās almost as ill-tempered as Mugen, although heās not nearly as vocal about it as Mugen is. He manages to be polite even when heās irritated, but he usually comes off as cold and uncaring.
However, as the series progresses, he comes to embody the qualities defined in his name, particularly in his rescue of Shino, and when he starts to become more concerned with Fuuās well-being. He commits the ultimate act of compassion and humanity when he sacrifices himself to save Fuu.Ā I like to think that Fuu brings out his benevolence, and by the end of the series, his character traits are more aligned with his name.Ā
Incidentally, the four diamonds on Jinās kimono make up the kamon, or family crest, of the Takeda clan. Because of this, itās often assumed that Jin's full name is Takeda Jin. (In Japanese, the family name comes first, and the individualās name comes second.) Iāve written about the Takeda kamon in my glossary of Japanese terms used in my fanfiction. If youāre curious, go here and look for the word āmon,ā and you can learn a little bit about Takeda Shingen and fuu-rin-ka-zan.
Mugen (ē”å¹»)
Definition:
No illusions, or not an illusion (i.e., the real thing).
ē”å¹» does not mean infinite, however it is a homophone for a different word spelled ē”é, meaning limitless, boundless, or infinite. (Infinite and infinity are not the same word - infinity is ē”é大.)Ā
The word mugen is also a homophone for these other words:
Mugen (夢幻): dreams; fantasy; visions
Mugen (ē”é): incessant; uninterrupted (referring to Mugen Jigoku, the eighth and most severe level of Buddhist hell)
Iāll talk more about the infinite definition in a minute. First, letās look at the kanji.
Gen (å¹») means illusion, and mu (ē”) is a negator meaning none, nothing, nothingness, not, un- (as a prefix), or non- (as a prefix). (If youāre a Death Note fan, you may recall Ryuk explaining to Light that users of the death note canāt go to heaven or hell when they die. They can only go to mu, nothingness. Itās the same word.)
Just like Mugenās sword, his fighting style, his clothing, and pretty much everything else about him, ē”å¹» is a unique name. Iām aware that Mugen is the name of a video game character, an auto manufacturer, and a piece of software(?), however, none of these use the spelling ē”å¹» or its associated definition. Itās not a common word. Iāve actually never seen ē”å¹» written in a sentence. Try looking it up - youāll have a hard time finding it. At best, youāll find the two kanji separately, but even then, itāll be hard to find å¹». Thatās because the word å¹» is not usually pronounced gen.
Gen is the onāyomi or Chinese reading for å¹». However, as a stand-alone word, å¹» is usually read as maboroshi, using the kunāyomi or Japanese reading. That means youāre more likely to find å¹» in a dictionary if you search for maboroshi instead of gen. Once you find it, youāll see that it has both pronunciations.
ē” is very common - I see it all the time. Itās almost always pronounced using the onāyomi reading mu. The kunāyomi or Japanese reading is -naiĀ which is a negating suffix attached to the informal form of verbs and adjectives. Youāll see it written in hiragana almost exclusively.Ā
Any time you put two kanji together, you canāt mix the onāyomi and kunāyomi readings. Itās has to be one or the other for the whole word. So å¹», pronounced maboroshi by itself, becomes gen when combined with ē” to form mugen.
Given that the word mugen,Ā spelled ē”å¹», is so uncommon and near impossible to find in a dictionary, I have to assume that the creators of the series made a very deliberate decision when they chose this spelling for Mugenās name. They could have used ē”é, which is much more common, but they didnāt. Because of this, I think itās necessary that we respect their decision in choosing the spelling of ē”å¹» with the definition of ānot an illusion,ā rather than discounting it in favor of ē”é meaning āinfinite.āĀ
But that doesnāt mean infinite is irrelevant. It just means that it wasnāt the original intent.
ē”å¹» (not an illusion) is the only kanji spelling given by Manglobe, as shown in the image above. To the best of my knowledge, they have never used the kanji ē”é (infinite). Iāve looked at a hell of a lot of resources, and Iāve never seen it used anywhere except on websites edited by fans who obviously didnāt bother to look up the correct kanji.
What this means is that the definition of infinite did not become canon until episode 18, almost two-thirds of the way into the series. Of course, now itās baked into the collective fan consciousness as if Mugenās name always carried this meaning. But originally, it didnāt.
My personal head canon: The fact that Mugen chooses the meaning of infinite, when the original meaning was not an illusion, is a symbol of his character development. He was illiterate up until episode 18, and he had some insecurities about it. When Fuu quizzes him on the character meĀ (āmehā) and he gets it wrong, heās pretty pissed off. He even blames her for making it a trick question. But then he learns to overcome this obstacle through his own hard work, and he feels a deep sense of accomplishment for having done so. He pushed himself beyond his own limitations and expanded his potential in a way that heād never done before. Hence the definition of limitless or infinite.Ā
However, I think the original definition still holds true. Mugen is who he is, and heās very up front and straightforward about that. No frills and nothing inauthentic. Heās the real deal.Ā When it comes to protecting Fuu, he can always be counted on to get shit done. I like to think the same thing was true when he was a pirate. In fact, my theory is that he might have acquired his name during his days of piracy. The word mugen did not originate from Ryukyu, so maybe it was given to him after he left Miyako(?). (Insert your personal head canon here.)Ā
I believe that both definitions of mugen - not an illusion and infinite - can be applied to his character. Not an illusion is the essence of who he is at the beginning of the series, and he grows into the definition of infinite as the series progresses.
That being said, Ā ē”å¹» is still the only official kanji spelling. If you want to spell āinfiniteā in reference to Mugenās name, use the infinity symbol (ā) like Mugen does. I consider that to be canon (as of episode 18) because itās actually shown on screen and spoken by Mugen. Itās the most accurate.Ā
ē”é, on the other hand, is not canon. It is never shown on screen or spoken by the characters, and it doesnāt appear in any of the source materials.
Sorry to all those people who tattooed ē”é on themselves or bought t-shirts with it... but I guess you can choose whatever kanji spelling/definition you want. Watanabe-san is notorious for leaving certain details open to interpretation, so if you feel so inclined, go for it.
Fuu (風)
Definition:
Manner, method, style, tendency, demeanorĀ (i.e., a personās approach or way of doing things, or a personās outward bearing or way of behaving)
Yeah, thatās right... the word fuuĀ does not directly translate to wind as many fans believe.
If you thought my explanation of Mugenās name was long and complicated, then buckle your seat belt. Iām going to talk about the definition of fuu, and Iām going to challenge the theory that fuu is short for fuukinchou.
Regarding kanji, I already mentioned the onāyomi or Chinese reading vs. the kunāyomi or Japanese reading. With some kanji characters, the different readings actually have different definitions. One kanji can represent multiple words. 風 is an example of this.Ā
Fuu is the onāyomi reading for 風. The kunāyomi reading is kaze, meaning wind or breeze.
Kaze as a stand-alone word always means wind. Fuu as a stand-alone word usually carries the definition above (when not written in the context of Chinese texts).Ā
However, when 風 is used in a compound to form other words, it can be read as either fuu or kaze. When read as fuu, it may or may not mean wind, depending on context. (Japanese is so context dependent that it can be maddening for a newbie whoās trying to translate straight from a dictionary.)
Here are a couple of examples where fuu means wind in a compound:
Fuusoku (風é): wind speed
Taifuu (å°é¢Ø): typhoon; hurricane
And here are some examples where fuu means manner or style in a compound:
Fuuzoku (風äæ): manners; customs
Fuumi (風å³): taste; flavor
Fuushi (風åŗ): satire; irony; sarcasm
Mukashifuu (ę風): old fashioned
Examples are taken from Tangorin online Japanese dictionary
So you can see, itās not as simple as saying that 風 means wind. The real answer to the question of what does 風 mean is, it depends. Is it being used by itself, or is it part of a different word? Which word? Whatās the context? Japanese is tricky like that.
What does all of this mean for Fuuās character?Ā
Fuu has her own distinct style, and her own way of going about things. Just look at her physical appearance - she is not dressed like a typical young woman of Edo period Japan. Her hair is lightened (my theory, because it looks like a modern hair color for girls whoāve lightened their hair), her hair is in a modern-ish updo instead of a traditional style, he kimono is bright pink - which wasnāt common back then, her obijime is a giant pink bow tied off-center - which is relatively common now, but wasnāt back then, and her fingernails are manicured with flowers painted on them.
Regarding her manner or tendencies - she has a strong personality and sheās willing to go to any lengths to accomplish her goal. Sheās a young, unmarried woman traveling with two older, unrelated men, which would have earned her a great deal of disapproval and criticism in Edo period society, but she obviously doesnāt care. Sheās tough enough to boss Mugen and Jin around. In one episode, she literally grabs Mugen by the back of his collar and drags him through the street. Who else could get away with that besides Fuu? She also has a natural tendency to want to help other people, which is something that neither Jin nor Mugen, nor many of the side characters possess. Sheāll help a complete stranger, even when it might derail her journey. Sara is the best example.
However, despite the fact that fuu doesnāt directly translate to wind, we canāt ignore the running allegory throughout the series of the pinwheels, which are powered by wind - although, the first pinwheel we see is moved by Mugen when he flicks his fingers at it.Ā
The color of the pinwheels is almost always yellow, and in the episodes with Sara, the pinwheels blur into sunflowers when theyāre spinning. It might be a way of associating wind with Fuuās travels to find her father, and maybe Mugen sets the whole thing off by flicking that first pinwheel before he enters the tea house.Ā
Fuu seems to be naturally pulled in the direction of her father, even though sheās unsure which direction that is. So essentially sheās drifting on the wind until she finally gets to Ikitsuki Island. In those episodes with Sara, when Fuu sees the pinwheels spinning into sunflowers, sheās actually in the process of drifting way off course by helping Sara on her journey.Ā
She seems uncomfortable with not knowing where sheās headed, always depending on Mugen and Jin for support and stability, but at the end of the series, she drifts off again towards an unknown future, and she finally seems to be at ease. I donāt know if that piece of her character development indicates that the wind has subsided, or if it just means that sheās content to ride it, wherever it takes her. This is all just my theory, of course. (Insert your own head canon here.)
So, just like Mugenās name, I think itās reasonable to say that you could apply a double meaning to Fuuās name as well, and perhaps she grows into both definitions as the series goes on. She has her own distinct style, and sheās also drifting on the wind to reach her goal.
Now, as for the theory that Fuu is short for Fuukinchou: I call bullshit.
Fuukinchou (ćć¦ćć³ćć§ć¦ or 風ē“鳄) is a modern word meaning ātanager,ā a family of birds. Notice that it has a katakana spelling rather than a hiragana spelling. When katakana is used, it usually indicates that a word represents something foreign. And indeed, the natural habitat of the tanager family of birds is restricted to the Americas, with about 60% of the species native to South America. They do not exist as a native species in Japan, or anywhere else outside the western hemisphere.Ā
So... You know that pretty bird in the series with the red face and breast? The one in Mugenās memories when heās dying? The same one that flies away during the end credits of the final episode? Not a tanager. Sorry, guys.
From that fact alone, the idea that Fuu is short for fuukinchou doesnāt make any sense at all.
Need more proof? Letās look at the kanji.
風ē“鳄 is actually made up of two words, not three: fuukin (風ē“) and chou (鳄). Fuukin is a musical instrument - an organ or harmonium. Look up é¢Øē“ on Google using the kanji, and look at the images. All organs.Ā
Chou (鳄) is the word for bird. So fuukinchou literally means organ bird, although I think the definition is more figurative than literal. I think organ probably refers to the birdās song, equating it with a music instrument, but thatās just a guess.
You can break fuukin down further into fuu (風), which in this context means wind (remember, I talked about using the onāyomi or Chinese reading when multiple kanji are put together), and kin (ē“), meaning harp or koto. The koto is a Japanese string instrument. The harp is a European string instrument, probably introduced to Japan in the late 19th or 20th century, during or after the Meiji Restoration when western classical music started making its way to Japan.Ā
The Japanese probably assigned a kanji character to the harp by associating it with the closest Japanese instrument. A harp functions a lot like a koto, so letās give it the same kanji. Thatās a common method of assigning kanji characters to ideas or objects for which there is no existing Japanese equivalent.
Thus, when both kanji are taken literally, the translation of fuukin is wind harp or wind koto. Figuratively, it represents the organ. It makes some sense, given that the sounds coming out of pipe organ are controlled by air or wind. Applying this word to describe a family of birds makes some sense too, if youāre talking about the sounds they produce.
If Fuu was going to be short for anything, it would be fuukin, not fuukinchou. But Iām saying that purely hypothetically, just to play devilās advocate, because even this is fundamentally wrong - fuu is not short for fuukin.
Just for the sake of argument, if we were to assume that fuukinchou is made up of three words, where the first word is fuu - which itās not, like I described above, but again, Iām playing devilās advocate - you simply cannot take a word like 風ē“鳄 and decide that the first kanji is an abbreviation. Why? Because 風 is already a word on its own. Youāre committing two sins here - youāre dividing fuukinchou incorrectly by breaking it into three words instead of two, and youāre trying to create an abbreviation using an independent word. Fuu is fuu is fuu. Itās not short for another word.Ā
Not only that, but 風 is the first kanji in many other compound words, and itās not an abbreviation for any of them. Can you imagine it if was? Fuuki, fuudobyou, fuukei, fuudo, fuuchou, fuusoku, fuuja, fuukin ... all of these are words spelled with 風. If 風 was an abbreviation, which one of these words would you be talking about?
Plus thereās the obvious fact that Fuuās name is spelled 風, not 風ē“鳄. Fuukinchou does not appear anywhere in the source materials. Not in the series, not in The Roman Album, not in Battle Cry: The Art of Samurai Champloo, and not in any interview that Iāve read.Ā
Nope. I hate to burst your bubble, but Fuuās name is not short for fuukinchou.
Thatās the end of my spiel. Let me know what you think, and feel free to ask questions if you need clarification or more details. Iām happy to talk about it. Iād also love to hear other theories and ideas.
I can tell you right now that Chapter 13 will be another long one, and it will probably take me a really long time to write it. Hopefully it wonāt take 8 months like Chapter 9 did, but I make no guarantees.
In the meantime, I will try to pump out Chapters 10 and 11. Chapter 12 will be more difficult to write, but it shouldnāt be super long.
At the end of August, Iāll be starting classes for my second degree, and that might cause a slow-down in my writing. I canāt predict how thatās gonna go, so weāll have to wait and see what happens.
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No Roads Chapter 9 has been so difficult in so many ways. Itās been the toughest challenge of this entire story so far.Ā
The editing process has led to a few re-writes and expansions of certain scenes, and there are a few specific issues Iām trying to correct.Ā
The sheer size of this chapter has made editing difficult because of the amount of time it takes to read and re-read through the whole thing from start to finish. Iām a very slow reader.
Iāve considered getting a beta reader, but I feel uncomfortable with the idea. I donāt like anyone to judge my work before itās complete, and I have trouble taking criticism objectively. This story has become so personal. Itās hard to imagine anyone else understanding what it means to me, especially a total stranger. The only person who ever gets to read my work before I publish it is my friend, who some of you might know as myĀ āmilitary consultant.ā We know each other so well that I know exactly what to expect from him, and I donāt feel embarrassed or attacked when he gives me feedback. In fact, heās the only friend whoās ever read my work, period. I donāt tell people I know in real life where to find my story.Ā
I suppose itās odd... Iāll only let someone whoās familiar to me read a new chapter ahead of time, but Iāll only let strangers read it after itās complete. Weird, huh? I guess Iām kind of neurotic like that.
No Roads Where We're Going: Chapter 10 in progress.
I wrote a little spiel about where my brain is at with regard to āNo Roads Where Weāre Going,ā and writing in general. Here.
Barefoot Cowgirl: The Cycle of Death and Rebirth: Chapter 3 in progress.
Unnamed Attack on Titan Fanfic: Yeah, I know... I shouldn't start a new fic when I'm already behind on the others, but I just can't help myself. One-shot featuring Reiner and Bertolt, in progress.
Perspective Evolution: Indefinite hiatus. If you're a reader who really wants a new chapter/one-shot for Jin and/or Fuu, send me a message, and I might grant your wish. But if nobody is interested, then PE moves to the bottom of the priority list. As such, Iām going to mark itĀ ācomplete,ā since I donāt plan to add anything more.