Character Feature: Roronoa Zoro from One Piece

Since Brandi @ Blkosiner’s Blog commented about Zoro sounding ‘awesome’, I decided that my first character feature would be about Zoro.

*Sorry it’s taken me so long to do a feature, or really, post at all—we just got back from driving to Pennsylvania, we had VBS (3+hrs a night) last week, and we’re thinking about moving to GA within 2 months, so…the vice of time has been tight!*

If you guessed that my first post would be about Axel, you were right up until the moment above. Not to worry; Axel has a huge claim to fame, so it won’t be long. :3

The Profile:

Name: 
Roronoa Zoro (say that 3 times fast with proper Japanese pronunciation! O_O)

Former bounty hunter and Straw Hat pirate

Nicknames: 

Pirate Hunter Zoro

Marimo (lovingly given by Sanji, meaning "moss-head")

Stats:

Age: 21
Birthday: November 11th (guys, that's my birthday, too! :D)

Height: 5'11"

Weapon of Choice: Katana

The Chronicles of Me (a mini-series of mini-stories and other such things)

This may sound stupid to you, but I’ve always wanted to complete a manga series titled The Chronicles of Me. (Great title, huh?)

Many of the events in my life could’ve made perfect manga panels…if only I could DRAW.

I suppose that my lack of artistic skill would be hilarious in and of itself, but eventually my failure to draw would become annoying, and then it the “manga” would ago up in flames—flames that I’d start to spare myself and everyone else around me from needless torture.

**Aside from that…it’s already the 20^th of May??!!!  Definitely feel like I missed half of this month o_o.**

K, back to The Chronicles of Me…

Even though I can’t draw, I can still share a mini-story or two about the randomness of life/dorm/nerd weirdness. Don't worry, though, this isn't going to be an every post kind of thing! ^_^' 

I am considering doing a few posts featuring artists from Deviant, a post or two about Axel, eventually an author interview...but for now I am trying to keep my head attached and promote serenity rather than stress by not doing a whole lot of blogging (I'm getting details for scenes and settings in SPHERES patched up right now). 

TCOM, excerpt 1

~If we were affiliated with characters in One Piece~

*Names have been altered for the protection of the guilty. As for me, well, I have no problem being compared to Zoro, so…

SANJI 

                “You know, I could totally see myself with Sanji,” Hannah says, jarring me out of the One Piece episode we’re watching. Whipping my head from the laptop screen, I give her a look that says ‘you’re kidding, right?’

When You Read Manga, Everyone Wins

Whether you’re a reader or a reader/writer, reading manga is almost always a win-win: a win for the author, a win for you, and a win for your would-be audience as a writer if you are one.

Manga, for those who are unaware, are Japanese graphic novels. As you’ve probably guessed, America doesn’t exactly have a colossal collection of manga, which is sad. 

On a happier note, there are some places where you can find fairly good collections: in stores like Barnes and Noble, Books-A-Million, and other chain bookstores; big-city libraries; and sometimes—sometimes—local libraries will have small-medium collections. In addition, you can find certain titles online (manga that haven’t been licensed yet).

Like any other genre, manga isn’t for everyone—but you’ll never know if you don’t try it, right?

As readers (and writers with a reader’s eye), we generally want to read things that are enjoyable, interesting, and informative…which is why manga is such a good choice! 

Alright, maybe manga isn’t exactly what most would call ‘informative’ unless we’re investigating slightly-out-of-the-norm Japanese culture, but it’s easy to read, hilarious, and undeniably quirky—which, to me, is interesting.  

As writers, we want to read things that are all of the above with a particular bent toward craft. After all, one of the most important components of developing our craft as writers is reading. Reading everything. (Although, now that I think about it,  “everything” is a bit intimidating…)