If there was something that wasn't covered (or you thought my roleplay was the pits) please do not hesitate to ask/tell me! Enlightenment comes through questions, after all. Well, for some people. I gather that with others it comes from hacking off a whole lot of limbs and then deciding that that was really fun. (Lookin' at you, Sozen)

So...what did O-Washi have that Junpei didn't, aside from muscle definition?

He was almost freakishly nice, and, for all of you Freudians out there, just like his father. If the Agasha had been a little more proactive in his pursuit of O-Washi, it is likely that Fuichi would have turned to Junpei for comfort. Also, other than a 'kindred spirits' line, there really didn't seem to be that much interest from the other side. At least, not on the level of O-Washi's FLIRT!!! assault.

You've got him there; Junpei's oblivious.

So, what's something from your background that never made it to the light of day?

Daidoji Fuichi wrote: If the Agasha had been a little more proactive in his pursuit of O-Washi, it is likely that Fuichi would have turned to Junpei for comfort.

Ah but Qian-Fan would never have been proactive in that. His background has him emotionally damaged and frightened of making close connections. The brazeness of the 'Can I join you?' shocked him into action though. Too little, too late, which if you know Qian-Fan's background is the story of his life.

Isawa Junpei wrote:You've got him there; Junpei's oblivious.

So, what's something from your background that never made it to the light of day?

Most things got mentioned. I think that only two things might have been oblique, and they were that a) His sister was part of Matabei's last stand outside Kurako's throne room, and

b) The Legend of Cloister B at Shinden Asahina.

When Sozen's group sacked the temples at Shinden Asahina, a little-known and embarrassing altercation took place. The Crab assumed that there would be no resistance from the ultra-pacifistic Asahina, and, in many respects, they were right.

The resistance came from the Daidoji.

As the Second Squad under Gunso Kaiu Horitsu entered Cloister B, they discovered to their delight that several of the artists had been given jade to add to their creations. Accordingly, they moved door to door, disturbing the isolation of men and women who had not seen a non-Crane, indeed a non-Priest, for years. Most surrendered their materials without protest. However, when they came upon the East Wing, things took a turn for the worse.

Now, the East Wing was home to not only some of the younger priests, but also to a pair of convalescing Daidoji Heavy Regulars. The Crab continued their door-to-door raiding until they came to Fuichi's room. They threw open the door, expecting either another serene scene of abjection or a terrified surrender, but they received neither. They were ignored. Fuichi was absorbed in his work, adding almost infinitesimal detail to a miniature devotional statue of (ironically) Kisada, Fortune of Persistance. The time had almost come for the Jade inlay on Chikara, and so his tiny supply sat next to him in plain view.

The Crab shouted at Fuichi to drop the chisel and give them the jade. They were, again, ignored. Incensed, the gunso strode forward and grabbed the Crane by the shoulder.

It was a mistake that would embarrass the Crab machine for a generation. Shocked out of his reverie, Fuichi reacted in the way he had been trained by his Father--with as much magical power as he could throw in an instant. The gunso and both attending hohei were thrown through the rice-paper wall by the sudden gale, where they found themselves in the conservatory staring into the cold eyes of the Daidoji bushi.

The Crab were routed from the cloister by a tiny, effeminate novice and a pair of wounded hohei. It took Sozen himself to restore order to the situation, mostly by having the Abbot order the novices who had joined the Daidoji to stand down and then beating the three Daidoji into unconsciousness.

The Crab brushed the entire situation under the rug, and the Asahina weren't eager to publicize the event either, but before he left Sozen pronounced the unconscious stripling a true Iron Crane.

So, with that background, I'm guessing Musasha was everything horrible you expected of a Crab? Any other thoughts about him?

That he was extraordinarily dense. Really, I don't think there was a way for Fuichi and Musasha to be any more completely opposed in terms of character. I was absolutely shocked that their scene together went so well.

Out of curiosity, what would have been Musasha's reaction to O-Washi and Fuichi getting together?

See this post.

Musasha understands happiness the way any Crab does.

Fuichi was another fun character to follow.

There was a brief meeting between Seiko and him. His thoughts on her?

He thought she was a bit of a moon-calf, but because of that she was a Crab he could be comfortable with.

I dread to ask what he really thought of Qian-Fan, but here goes . . .

Fuichi thought Qian-fan was really, really harsh. Also, definitely part of the Phoenix ultra-arrogance squad. Fuichi had no concept of people thinking they were better than others, considering that he lived 1) at the dockside in Mura Sabishii Toshi, working on ship repair and 2) in a space with no heimin whatsoever. He had no idea that there was so much intolerance in the world, which was why Rinzuki's attitude toward Dageki was such an enormous shock, as was the general attitude toward the gaijin.

Qian-fan played into that, but he was a step worse because he seemed (to an ultra-pacifistic forgiveness-machine) like he was out to get Junpei. Fuichi was so hard-wired to be kind, merciful, and see the best in most that he had no way of interpreting Qian-fan's attitude as anything other than intentionally cruel, and it terrified him to think that Junpei (and later he himself) was going to be interrogated and judged by people with Qian-fan's worldview.

He also felt bad that Qian-fan had had eyes on O-washi, because Fuichi's pretty much just like that. I had considered having him offer to 'share,' but I couldn't see that going over well.