1st place in Derby #145: Spring, with 1146 votes!

A true samurai knows no fear. A true samurai knows only a devotion to his duty, and the protection of his lord. So while passers-by might laugh and yell in scorn, the true samurai does not care. For the true samurai died the day before, and as such, he can now do the things that are required of him, without fear.

Asleep? No, not asleep. The samurai is braced, with eyes closed in concentration. For is not the tree the home of the evil spirit that has hated the family of his lord for many generations? And does not the tree draw closer every year? Look at that stance, legs against well-buried stone. He is not resting. He is straining. Straining alone. For what need has the true samurai for the adoration and glory of others, if he in his heart knows his duty is performed?

And his katana, his strong right arm. Forgotten? No, not forgotten. That katana pins the very earth that would rise to shatter the palace of his lord, leaving the ancestral home in pieces. That katana traps the earth along the most volatile of fault lines, holding the land together at the very point where it would otherwise be most weak. That katana is not a loss. It is a sacrifice. A strong right arm giving freely out of duty to his lord.

So let the common rabble laugh and slander in the town. The samurai knows his duty, and will perform it at any cost. His name, his weapons, his very life, all are forfeit for the greater glory and safety of his lord.

Man, quit snoring, okay? They were buyin’ it! Help us help you!

Wear this shirt: when taking a nap between features at an all-day Kurosawa festival.

Don’t wear this shirt: to a renaissance faire. The two cultures did not meet until well after that period so they would have to ask you to leave and then you wouldn’t get to eat any turkey legs or fried dough.

This shirt tells the world: “If you DON’T keep an eye on them every second they’ll grow HUGE and kill EVERYBODY. Why do you think the Japanese invented bonsai in the FIRST place?”

We call this color: Internet Writers/Mostly Use Haiku To Cheat/The Color Is Brown

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