...Notes...

Clothes: Hironah seems to get her sense of style from Takaeyama... I based her outfit off of the traditional style worn by Corduran martial arts instructors. There are a few modifications: the three-quarter sleeves being the most obvious in the pic.

Dawn and Dusk: It wasn't until I was halfway done with this picture that I realized this will be the first picture of Dawn and Dusk that I've made public (I've drawn the swords plenty of times). They're somewhat inspired by Japanese katana... but (anyone who knows anything about katana knows this) they are definitely *not* katana. There are some pretty obvious differences... For example, while I liked the wrapped hilts of katana, the actual versions are far more intricate than Dawn and Dusk are. Also, katana are not capped with anything other than metal, while the swords in question are capped with onyx. Lastly, katana are not pairs. If there are two swords, one is quite noticeably shorter than the other. I've had a lot of fun borrowing styles from a variety of items found in our waking world (weapons, clothing, words, names, etc), but don't really feel the need to make them *exactly* as they are on earth. Dawn and Dusk are a blend of eastern and western elements that I happened to feel fit with Keisuke's character while I was doing his development.

The Banners: That's a mantra written on them. For the sake of clarity, most of the signs and things you'll see connected to "The Dark Oath" and most things written in "Encircle the Sun" are done in plain English... but that's more of a translation. The written language of Diasminion looks more like what you see there. What's written on the banners is an older version of the language, still used by the Night's Herald.

Where is she anyway?: Hironah is at the entrance to a training hall at Kamitouki, which is the name of the school where she grew up and the style of martial arts it teaches.

Hironah: Developing how her character was meant to look was a bit of a challenge. In my mind she always favored her mother, but had certain elements about her persona that made people recall Keisuke... not so much that she really *looks* like him, just that she made the same faces or performed the same actions. I think there's a lot more of Keisuke than Ayame in this particular picture, just as there's more Takaeyama than Blue. Hopefully as I do more pictures of her, the blend of her character will be more obvious.