how did u choose your username?
oh, this is a fun one!! i think i considered being swordtold at first, for that very ancient myth vibe of the sword being this narrative tool for adventure and structure and physical time, the parable being passed down through the centuries until it meddles into modern day rhetoric and ideology – a kind of fantastical tool, a spark of magic, of possibility.
i like the arc of the story of a place being physical / having it be held by time and hand alike, wearing with the years and having it become something different to each holder, each reader, each experience fantastical and individual.
having that kind of physicality to it; swordheld is the action of taking up and holding the sword yourself, choosing your own narrative, leading your own story. self-identity has always been something i struggle with (a novel concept i know, i know), so it felt right for this blog, since most of my older blogs before this one have been just me silently reblogging and never really posting anything myself, and i wanted this to be the change to that.
i've always had trouble wranging my social anxiety, esp. on the internet, and previously thought that keeping my words to myself helped keep the timeline cleaner, in a way, no messy thoughts for others to sort through, especially ones i believed no one would want to read anyway? but it never felt right, keeping myself apart from it all, esp. not in the way i so avidly enjoyed reading others' posts and additions, keeping their words close to my heart.
i wanted it to reflect that this was a space i was holding for myself? and i'm a little slow on the uptake sometimes, but this - this i think i got right. i love being here, on this blog, and the joy that it brings me. everyone else enjoying it too has been a wild ride that i never expected, and still surprises me, one that brings a little extra thrill to my heart whenever i think about it.
i had other urls that i liked, but i didn't want this blog to be tied directly to any of my fandom/story interests, since i wanted it to really just be a sort of archive of artistic inspiration and resource, like a little library or museum. i use them now as lil sideblogs of more niche interests now, which is rather lovely.
it hasn't always felt like it fit perfectly, the way that i'd like, but for some reason i can't think of really wanting to change it anytime soon. it feels mythic yet modern in a way that feels like puzzle pieces finally slotting into their place, something my own and inspirational to me, like a lantern i'm holding to make my way by. my own kind of light, if that makes sense – a star i know by name.
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(click for better quality, ID under the cut!)
nobody is sure exactly why they hang out, least of all the two of them
[Image ID: a digital comic drawn in all red-pink tones following Nagito Komaeda and Kokichi Oma at Hope’s Peak Academy, 20XX.
Panel One: Nagito stands left with a calm expression while an agitated Kokichi follows to the right, a bit behind as they walk down the hall between classes toward the viewer. They are respectively labelled “Just saw Hajime” and “(still) playing emotional chicken with Saihara”.
Panel Two: Kokichi smugly twirls a strand of hair around his finger, side-eyeing Nagito. “Hah, where the hell do people even get the idea we’re at all alike, Komaeda-chan? As if!”
Panel Three: A thoughtful Nagito stops to consider, pressing the forefinger of his robotic hand to his chin. “I suppose through a certain lens it kind of makes sense. You are the Ultimate Supreme Leader, correct?” In the foreground, Kokichi replies “last time I checked~”. In the background, however, we see his emotional response to Nagito’s question shove the speech balloon out of the way as it exclaims (in Oma’s head) “Damn right!”.
Panel Four: Nagito, unbothered, puts on a cheerful expression. “So, you’re just as Worthless as I am, Ouma!” The word “Worthless” is larger than the others, superimposed over Nagito’s face. A small arrow points to Nagito, stating “0 sarcasm detected”. Kokichi, in a sub-panel, smiles and tilts his head while one eye twitches. “what.”
Panel Five: Nagito, posed like Kokichi’s own mischievous sprite with his forefinger to his lips as he grins, begins to tear into Kokichi. “It’s not like you have a real talent. All you have is a set of mediocre, dubious “skills” spread too thin to be “talents” of their own. You’re only useful to push people with real futures toward their hopes. You’re a stepping stone too!”
Panels Five and Six are separated by a scene. The truth bullet interface, loaded with a crossbow arrow rather than a bullet, appears along the diagonal panel division. The fletching of the arrow is labelled “Dissociation to Cope”, with the implication being it will be shot at Kokichi in the style of a Class Trial. Kokichi stands over both panels with his back turned to the viewer. The topmost “X”-shaped stitch on his jacket is exaggerated and highlighted, as it crosses in the direct path of the arrow and gutter between panels.
Panel Six: The panel is spread into four distinct parts, separated by the figure of Kokichi with his back turned.
In the first, Kokichi uses lockpicks on a doorknob as three shadows (Shuichi, Himiko, and Tenko) wait in the background.
The second shows a close-up of a cork board and a string connecting two polaroids of indeterminate people. There are labels beneath each reading “(Wei)rd” on the left (Kiibo) and “Trust(worthy)” on the right (Shuichi). Between the two photos, Kokichi has written “Protag?” on the corkboard itself.
The third, smaller scene shows Shuichi standing at his podium during a class trial, depicted across from Kokichi. The back of Kokichi’s head is to the viewer. The figures are small enough Shuichi’s expression cannot be read.
The fourth scene shows a dying Kokichi lying on the hydraulic press in the Exisal Hangar, eyes closed and hands neatly folded on his shirtless, bloodied chest as he waits for it to close. The empty bottle of Strike-Nine Antidote lay on the ground beside the press.
Panel Seven: The scene returns to the school hallway. Nagito is shown in profile, while Kokichi is simplified in the background blankly staring at the ground. Nagito speaks up: “Ah, sorry. I still talk too much...”
Panel Eight: Kokichi takes out a lockpick, presumably hidden in his hair, with a “shhHING’ sound effect like a sword. His expression maintains a smile, but it has turned manic; there is no catch of light in his eyes as he stares at an offscreen-Nagito with a three-quarter view. Beside Kokichi, text reads: “DICE- murder No, maiming Yes” on one side and “So mean!” on the other. Kokichi says: “Alright, lucky-boy, how about a ten-step head start?” In an octagonal sub-panel, Nagito holds both hands in front of his chest in a placating gesture. He replies “fair....” with a withering look. End comic. End image ID.]
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