I'm right in the middle

I have continued my kendo practice, which is a VERY big influence in The Crescent Chronicles. It is sword fighting, of course.
here are some images from the first practice of the new year. We started out with 1000 suburi (overhead practice strikes).

After we did 1000, Ebihara Sensei said we did not do them well so we did 100 more……pain.

Ken-Zen Institute in Manhattan

A classic recipe from Houttica. The shrimp and caught in the Gulf of Spadia and the coconuts come from all along the Borantine coast.

Saute onion and garlic
Add shrimp and saute until pink (Zarrotta prefers the shrimp to keep their tales)
Add two cups of creamy coconut milk and a few spoonfuls of dijon mustard.
Throw in some peas for color and texture
Simmer until just reduced to sauce
garnish with dill and serve as hot as possible

This works great with scallops too…

Merriam-Webster defines trope as a “figure of speech.” In storytelling, a trope is just that — a conceptual figure of speech, a storytelling shorthand for a concept that the audience will recognize and understand instantly. Those familiar with Stylistics might know of Roland Barthes ‘Codes’ – it’s the same idea here (There’s even a Rags To Riches ‘Code’). According to the Codes theory, a Code/Trope is an attempt to “give meaning to what would otherwise be a series of happenings. They are… constructs and patterns of behaviour.” Above all, a trope is a convention. It can be a plot trick, a setup, a narrative structure, a character type, a linguistic idiom…

The Crescent Chronicles contains examples of the following tropes:

Action Girl

Hot Chick With A Sword

Badass Normal

High Pressure Blood

Walking The Earth

Knight Errant

The Lancer

Anti Hero

The Vamp

Heroes Prefer Swords

Katanas Are Just Better

Wooden Katanas Are Even Better