Samurai 7

SAMURAI 7

It wasn't until long after my initial exposure to anime that I was introduced to SAMURAI 7.

As most people know, SAMURAI 7 is based on the Akira Kurosawa film THE SEVEN SAMURAI, which has been remade in films such as THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN. From the first episode, I was hooked. And almost immediately after that, I began writing for it. A longtime fascination with Japanese culture and history, not to mention a four-year stint of playing a female samurai in my husband's LEGEND OF THE FIVE RINGS game, seemed to make this inevitable.

Then, based on my years of playing Nasami in John's campaign, I thought to myself, "I wonder what would happen if Nasami were to hook up with that group?" The answer became history. Almost overnight, her role in that story came together, tying in to several plot threads of the original anime - Hyogo became the brother of the woman who tried to assassinate her, she became the unofficial sensei and rallying point for the women in the series, and often became the impetus behind the scenes for things happening (or filled in gaps in the story of 'first we're here, now we're there'). All it took were a few continuity changes, and voila, we had seven samurai... and a samuraiko.

To my undying amazement, my book SAMURAI 7: THE SWORD OF THE SOUL became so incredibly popular that I get fan mail for it. It's received hundreds of rave reviews, been mentioned in blogs and FAQs, and is included on lists of the 'best Samurai 7 Fan Fiction.' The demand came for more Nasami/S7 stories, and so I obliged. The ultimate compliment? Nasami began appearing in other people's stories. As a result, I later created the LiveJournal forum SAMURAI_8, where I answer questions, post articles, and help in my own small way to draw people into my version of the S7 universe.

THE SAMURAI 8 Dream Voice Cast

In the event that I ever manage to get THE SWORD OF THE SOUL animated and voice-acted (or any of my other S7 work), I want the following voice actors for these characters:

NASAMI - Rebecca Paige
KUROSHIN - Justin Cook
YOSHIO - Troy Baker
SHUJIRO - John Gremillion
NOREIKO - Scarlett McAlister
KAMINARI - Rob Mungle
MUYUKO - Dameon Clarke
UJIRO - Chris Patton
CHISORA - Jason Liebrecht

Check out what others have said about my writings!

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THE	SAMURAI 8	STORYLINE
DURING THE WAR
	Brave Words, Braver Deeds	Kindred Spirits*
	Fire Dance
	That Which Breaks a Man

POST-WAR, PRE-SERIES
	Autumn Leaves	Nothing Changes	The Silence
			Threads of Tears**
DURING THE SERIES
	Have Some Rice	Les Samurai

Episode Timeline	The Sword of the Soul
Episode 3	Chance Encounter
Episode 3	Sparring Practice
Episode 3	Swords and Secrets
Episode 4	Samurai vs Samurai	Poem to a Water Priestess*
Episode 4	True Identities
Episode 5	The Decision	I’m in the Mood for Rice
Episode 6	Know Thine Enemy
Episode 6	A Matter of Honor	Unspoken Love Song*
Episode 6	From Bad to Worse
Episode 6	Escape from Kougakyo
Episode 7	I Won’t Let You Defeat Me	When I Look in Her Eyes	Threads of Silk**
Episode 8	The Price of Honor	No Choices	Love Poem from a Geisha*
Episode 8	Samurai No Longer
Episode 9	Trust and Betrayal	Mirror Images
Episode 10	The First Step Into Death
Episode 10	Following in My Footsteps
Episode 10	On the Road to Kanna
Episode 11	Unfriendly Welcome	Dinner Time	The Assassin’s Song*
Episode 11	Preparations for Battle	It’s All Fun and Games	The Dragon and the Crane
Episode 11/12	Despair, Darkness, and Death	The Greater of Two Evils*
Episode 12	To Do What We Must	The Vow*	Master Your Sword, Master Your Self*
Episode 12	All Things are Possible	And So It Goes We See All, We Know All	In This Dangerous Game *A Special Kind of Sake*
Episode 12	Honoring Death, Honoring Life	*The Scent of Roses*	Have You Ever...?
Episode 12	Fleeting Moments	*A Touch of Moonlight*	It Would Have Been So Easy
Episode 13	A Time for War	Thirty Minutes	*Within Each Other*
Episode 13	This Far and No Farther	Death Comes to Kanna*	A Samurai is One Who Kills
Episode 14	Sentenced to Death
Episode 14	Samurai Uprising
Episode 14	The Revenge of the Eight
Episode 15	The Calm Before the Storm	*In Passion’s Silence*	Possession
Episode 16	There is No Death
Episode 16	Never Forget What You Are	I Know Them So Well*
Episode 17	Rise from the Ashes
Episode 17/18	No Matter the Cost
Episode 18	Return to Kougakyo
Episode 19	Absolute Power	En Passant
Episode 20	The Execution	Eternal Loyalty, Eternal Love
Episode 21	A Hollow Victory
Episode 21	Matters of the Heart
Episode 22	The Cost of Pride
Episode 22	Bittersweet Reunions	Whispers in the Darkness*
Episode 23	Divided Loyalties
Episode 23	Once More Unto the Breach
Episode 24	The Word of a Samurai
Episode 24	Seven Against an Empire
Episode 25	Into the Jaws of Death
Episode 25	Kanna’s Last Defender	Close Enough to Hold
Episode 25	Do Not Go Gently
Episode 25/26	As the World Falls Down	The Kiss
Episode 26	The Choices We Make	*Ronin Lovers*	Beautiful In His Eyes
Episode 26	In Search of the Future	Forever Yours	Threads of Home**

POST-SERIES
Extended Time Period
	Images and Words

Immediately
	Food Fight	*The Black and Awful Chaos of the Night*	*Sensations in the Dark*
	The Daimyo’s Offer	For Loyalty, For Love	*All's Fair in Love and War*
	With the Rising of the Sun	*Lessons in Love*

One Year Later
	Seishin no Samurai	Dancing with Snowflakes*
	*Painting His Portrait*
	You’ll Never Know
	A Soul of Thunder*	Til the Stars All Burn Away

Twenty Years Later
	The Seven Flowers of Autumn

Fifty Years Later
	With the Setting of the Sun

ALTERNATE UNIVERSE
	Something Exotic	Secret Admirer, Not-So-Secret Heartache	Triple Return

*stories that are	part of the	'Dancing with Snowflakes'	Collection
**stories written	by SlpwlkingDreamer	from the Samurai_8	LiveJournal Community
*bold/italics*	*indicates stories*	*for mature readers*	*only (age 17+)*

THE SAMURAI 7 FAN FICTION COLLECTION

A Samurai is One Who Kills - Samurai are those who kill, and who must be prepared to carry the weight of those they kill. And for one man and one woman, they know this lesson better than most, because when you 'look into their eyes, and you'll see what they know... everybody dies.' (COMPLETE)

A Special Kind of Sake - Yukino decides to send Shichiroji a 'care package' with several bottles of the Firefly House's finest sake. But she obviously didn't plan on him sharing it, because it has one unusual property... which promptly wreaks havoc among the samurai! (For mature readers only.) (COMPLETE)

A Touch of Moonlight - Moonlight casts its delicate light, changing our perceptions and bringing dreams close enough to touch. The companion tale to The Scent of Roses, set just after Chapter 24 of THE SWORD OF THE SOUL. (For mature readers only.) (COMPLETE)

All's Fair in Love and War - Driven nearly mad after Nasami has gotten the upper hand on him, Kambei decides to take revenge in spectacularly devastating fashion. The sequel to Sensations in the Dark. (For mature readers only.) (COMPLETE)

And So It Goes - When Nasami left her Clan to seek enlightenment, she thought she could abandon her painful past. But as she spends time with Kyuzo, she realizes some things can never be left behind... or forgotten. NOT a Kyuzo/Nasami romance... or is it? (COMPLETE)

Autumn Leaves - Set prior to the SAMURAI 7 series, Heihachi is travelling on his own when he encounters an unusual peasant girl with a dream. (COMPLETE)

Beautiful In His Eyes - While recuperating in Kanna, Nasami confesses her darkest fear to Sanae. But can Sanae help the troubled samuraiko find her way to the truth? Or will Nasami's fears destroy her only chance for happiness? Set during Chapter 51 of THE SWORD OF THE SOUL. (COMPLETE)

Brave Words, Braver Deeds - During the height of the Great War, many battles were waged between the Great Clans in pursuit of honor and glory. From that time comes the tale of two samuraiko in the service of their daimyo, their Emperor, and their Empire. (COMPLETE)

Close Enough to Hold - The story of what really happened between Kyuzo and Nasami amidst the chaos of the Battle of Kanna. Spoiler warning... this takes place during Episode 25, and is a slightly different version of the events at the end of Chapter 48 of THE SWORD OF THE SOUL. (COMPLETE)

Dancing with Snowflakes - Tales of love and honor as ephemeral as the snow, and as eternal as the stars.   (IN PROGRESS)

Dinner Time - A fun and fast-paced one-shot on what dinner conversation between all of the samurai might sound like, done entirely in dialogue. (COMPLETE)

En Passant - Shimada Kambei promised to free Rikichi's wife and Honoka's sister from the Capital, but when things don't go QUITE as planned, Kambei gets some help from an unlikely source. A slightly different take on the rescue of Mizuki and company. (COMPLETE)

Enough to Let You Go - Love knows not its own depths until the hour of separation. A poem of two samurai who must set their own desires aside in the name of duty... even if it means they will never see one another again. (COMPLETE)

Eternal Loyalty, Eternal Love - When confronted with the reality of losing Nasami, there is nothing Kambei will not throw away in order to save her. A twist on the Execution scene in Episode 20 of SAMURAI 7.

Fire Dance - During Kyuzo's first visit to the old Capital, he encounters a distraught young woman of the Phoenix Clan in the Emperor's gardens. But like the enigmatic samurai, the young woman is more than she seems... (COMPLETE)

Food Fight - While Nasami and Kambei are staying at the Firefly House with Yukino and Shichiroji, Yukino hatches a plan to get the samuraiko dressed up for Kambei. But knowing Nasami will resist, the geisha resorts to unusual tactics! (COMPLETE)

For Loyalty, For Love - The Battle for Kanna is over, but Nasami is given an imperial ultimatum... wed another samurai, and abandon Kambei! But love will not be denied in this dark companion tale to The Daimyo's Offer! (COMPLETE)

Forever Yours - Right now, I can't remember yesterday, and I don't care about tomorrow. This moment is all that matters. Written for the 50_lovequotes LiveJournal community. (COMPLETE)

Have You Ever...? - Springtime... when a young man's thoughts turn to... certain endeavors. Except it's autumn in Kanna, and poor Katsushiro gets relentlessly teased after he makes the mistake of asking Shichiroji for some man to man advice... (COMPLETE)

Images and Words - A collection based on the LJ community 1_sentence challenge... portraying in images my take on SAMURAI 7, where a man and woman are torn between love and duty, and between their brightest hopes and darkest fears. (IN PROGRESS)

In Passion's Silence - One is ice, the other fire. One is shadow, the other light. But when Kyuzo catches Nasami alone one night, their relationship takes a turn neither could have predicted. Dramatic, sensual, and VERY intense. (For mature readers only.) (COMPLETE)

In This Dangerous Game - For a samurai, honor is everything. But can honor survive the irresistible call of temptation? Based on the song 'Dangerous Game' from JEKYLL & HYDE, the bittersweet feelings of Kambei and Nasami come to the surface at last.   (COMPLETE)

It's All Fun and Games - Gorobei is normally a fun-loving, easygoing individual, and his zanshin skills are second to none. But with the help of a certain samuraiko, Komachi and Okara manage to get one by the dark samurai, with hilarious results! (COMPLETE)

Lessons in Love - Although brilliantly capable and self-assured as a warrior, Nasami struggles to understand and accept herself as a woman, until one night at the Firefly House... (For mature readers only.) (COMPLETE)

Mirror Images - There are few things so painful as confronting the truth. A poem for Heihachi and Honoka... but which one of them is speaking? (COMPLETE)

No Choices - A samurai's word of honor is inviolate. If given, there is no taking it back. And even in a world where honor means nothing, for two samurai, honor may be all they have left... their honor, and each other. (COMPLETE)

Nothing Changes - Part farmer, part samurai. Part machine, part man. The more Kikuchiyo tries to change, the more things stay the same... for better, as well as for worse. (COMPLETE)

Painting His Portrait - A young and talented Scorpion artisan arrives at Kyuden Shiden'issen, commissioned by Nasami to paint a portrait of her husband, Kambei. But Seiyo is known for a very different style of art... and Nasami knows it! (For mature readers only.) (IN PROGRESS)

Possession - For years, Nasami has stood and watched as the things she wanted were taken from her. But the samuraiko has finally had enough, and goes after what she wants... and what she wants is Kambei! (COMPLETE)

Ronin Lovers - The true story of what happens between Kambei and Nasami after the fall of the Capitol... (For mature readers only.) (COMPLETE)

Secret Admirer, Not-So-Secret Heartache - It's Valentine's Day in Kanna Village, and to Nasami's surprise and delight, she awakens to discover a gift from a secret admirer! But who has given her such a lovely gift... and why won't any of the samurai admit it? Part One of the Matchmaker series (and the prequel to Triple Return). (COMPLETE)

Seishin no Samurai - A tale of what might yet become of the love between a ronin and a samurai, set approximately one year after the Battle of Kanna. (IN PROGRESS)

Sensations in the Dark - Shimada Kambei awakens one night to find himself trapped in a situation he cannot escape from... but by the end of the night, will he even want to? The prequel to All's Fair in Love and War. (For mature readers only.) (COMPLETE)

Something Exotic - Based on the story 'The Magnificent Samurai' by the FanFiction.net author dragonwrangler, a drunken cowboy staggers into town looking for something exotic... and finds it at a saloon known as the Jade. (COMPLETE)

That Which Breaks a Man - It is said that 'the past is a ghost that haunts you from the moment it exists until the moment you do not.' And for a young commander during the Great War, a once bright future becomes a memory he would sell his soul to forget. (COMPLETE)

The Black and Awful Chaos of the Night - Blood screams for blood, and not even death will keep Kyuzo from fulfilling a promise. He has sworn to defeat Kambei, but will he go so far as to destroy Nasami to do it? The lust for revenge. The longing for death. And a love that can never be. (For mature readers only.) (IN PROGRESS)

The Daimyo's Offer - Shortly after the liberation of Kanna Village, Shimada Kambei is offered a chance to again attain full samurai status, but with one big catch... he has to marry in order to do it! The companion story to For Loyalty, For Love! (COMPLETE)

The Dragon and the Crane - Never be afraid to follow your heart... because sometimes moments of perfect beauty can be found when you least expect them. (COMPLETE)

The Scent of Roses - Kambei wants a little time to himself for some peace and quiet, but a mischievous Nasami has other ideas... The companion tale to A Touch of Moonlight, set just before Chapter 24 of THE SWORD OF THE SOUL. (COMPLETE)

The Seven Flowers of Autumn - Twenty years have passed since a group of farmers and a handful of samurai turned an Empire upside down. In that time, lives have ended, and others have begun. And two young samurai journey to Kanna, as eight others had before them, and to their destiny. (IN PROGRESS)

The Silence - An intense oneshot of the unique relationship between the fair haired assassin Kyuzo and his swords. (COMPLETE)

The Sword of the Soul - A village where hope is lost. A world where money is power. An age where honor is forgotten. Farmers will defy bandits, samurai will defy an Empire, and one man and one woman will defy everything they have ever believed for the one they believe in. The story that started it all... My second full-length novel.   (COMPLETE)

The Threads Triptych - Three drabbles on the young koto player of the Firefly House named Kotori, whose past remains shrouded in the mists and rain that brought her to Yukino’s doorstep years ago. Created by the FanFiction.net author Sleepwalking Dreamer for the Samurai_8 community. (COMPLETE)

Thirty Minutes - The moment it takes, to make plans or mistakes... The night before the bandits arrive, Shichiroji urges a weary Kyuzo to try and rest. But old habits and pride die hard, until Kyuzo gives in to temptation in the hopes of finding some measure of peace. (COMPLETE)

Til the Stars All Burn Away - Nothing in this world is eternal, not even love. And for one samurai, there is no defense against grief, no weapon to drive back death. Set during the Bon Festival, one year after the ending of THE SWORD OF THE SOUL. (COMPLETE)

Triple Return - A month after Valentine's Day comes the day when a man shows his appreciation for a woman's affections. And a teasing Shichiroji is determined to make sure that a certain smitten samurai upholds the tradition. Part Two of the Matchmaker series (and the sequel to Secret Admirer, Not-So-Secret Heartache). (COMPLETE)

Waterfall - A deliciously intense oneshot poem about two forces of nature... both ancient and powerful and completely unstoppable, until the two merge and flow with one another into a single perfect union. (COMPLETE)

We See All, We Know All - Shortly after arriving in Kanna Village, Kambei and the other samurai are startled when a group of women comes wandering into the village. Who are these women? And exactly HOW do they know so much about the samurai? A fun drabble with a large guest cast... (COMPLETE)

When I Look in Her Eyes - Truth, like beauty, is in the eyes of the beholder. An experimental poem from eleven perspectives about how we see what we want to see, expect to see, hope to see, and fear to see. (COMPLETE)

Within Each Other - Three very different samurai, with one common need... each other. An intense one-shot drabble poem based on the piece "The Ritual" from Trevor Rabin's score for THE ONE. (For mature readers only.) (COMPLETE)

With the Rising of the Sun - Six months after Kambei and Nasami have arrived at her family's holdings by the sea, Nasami journeys up to the cliffs near Kyuden Shiden'issen to bid good morning to Amaterasu... set approximately seven months after the ending of THE SWORD OF THE SOUL. (COMPLETE)

With the Setting of the Sun - As the sun rises on one destiny, it sets on another. A life is left behind, a legacy is passed down to the next generation, and a legend is at long last called home. Set fifty years after the end of THE SWORD OF THE SOUL. (COMPLETE)

You'll Never Know - Since the moment they first met, there were things Kyuzo wanted to say to Nasami that he never once spoke aloud. But the time has come at last where even he must speak... no matter how painful the truth may be.   (COMPLETE)