The Practitioner

“We practice in times of peace,
Just as we practice in times of war.
We perform for show,
And we perform in the dark.
Three wooden swords, head held high —
I have no interest in being useful.
I do this thing because this is who I am:
The person who makes of himself a practice.”

I don’t remember what I was thinking when I started this sketch, but by the end of the process, I had something like the solitary master — the character who practices and seeks mastery, knowing he would just as soon never use it.

“I’m not a coward, I’ve just never been tested” said the Mighty Mighty Bosstones in 1997. This character has shades of Syrio Forel and Hirayama Kujūrō. He only carries wooden practice swords, but if he was forced to use them, they would be all he needs.