Do I have Horrible Timing, or What? · 5:37pm April 30th
I’m trying to spin a fun little air-pirate fantasy here, and on the day the chapter where my characters have a little “debate” about swordplay releases, some lunatic with a katana goes on a murderous rampage in London. In order to keep the comment section of the chapter (mostly) free of things unrelated to pretty pastel ponies, I'm directing people to this post, where they can discuss, debate, or just plain rage if they want.
I’ve been involved in sword martial arts for most of my life, and in particular, iaido, kendo, and kenjitsu for the past 20, and I’ve learned to quickly recognize the signs of the dangerous idiot who inevitably fastens on the katana as a “magic” sword that will allow him to live out his deranged fantasy as an anime character.
Of the ones I’ve met, exactly none have lasted long or gone on to achieve any sort of skill with a sword, because that takes work. If we are fortunate, they go on to become “backyard cutters” who hack at water bottles and such, and often lose their fingers or impale themselves trying to do “secret ninja moves.”
Unfortunately, the pathetic drone in the news today chose another path. Whatever his fantasies were, the real outcome of his rampage is tragedy and death, and his reputation solidified forever, not as an anime hero, but as a brutal madman senselessly attacking innocent, unarmed people.
Wow, I had no idea that happened.
Don't know what else to say; it's one of those things where I feel a sad kind of relief that I don't understand some of my fellow human beings.
Gonna read the new chapter first, then kill the mood by googling this tragedy.
Aint the world grand?
5778783
What is wrong with people?
5778780
Good plan.
One good thing about the "isekai" trend is that at least some such people are instead choosing to get hit by trucks. At least that way, there's only one casualty instead of several.
It's also only a day after Matt Easton, known antique sword trader, historian and fencing teacher, uploaded a video to his YouTube channel discussing his attempts to sway British postal services from implementing a surprise total ban on the delivery of swords.
It's been unlisted now. What unlucky timing, indeed.
This is the first I’m hearing of this particular nutball. I just wish he could’ve kept it to himself, or found a way to ask for help that didn’t involve bared steel.
5778793
I know Easton! (by reputation only) Evidently, if you want an antique British naval cutlass, he is THE guy.
I hope the panic-response to this isn't a total ban like the one Australia passed some years back. I have been to iaido taikai in Japan and got an earful from Aussies about the horrific nonsense they have to go through.
I guess it's the question of whether sweeping bans are justified in an attempt to control abusers who are a tiny fraction of irresponsible people. I'm all for reasonable licensing, registration, restrictions, etc., but simplistic, absolute bans... not so much.
5778794
That type seems to be all too common, and we have never developed a reliable way to identify them early on and treat them.
Unfortunately, this is now a very common occurrence in London and my nearest city Birmingham, which has a fatal stabbing every 14 days. London is significantly higher and a lot more shootings.
Machetes' are the general weapon of choice , but increasingly cars are being used. There are regular reports of youth's being run down in Birmingham.
hmmm... idiots
what can I say
I collect knives and blades for two decades, having over forty different kinds from all over the world....and guess what? I never attacked anyone.
now how exactly did this moron aquire katana I would like to know, because correct me if I am wrong, but in UK you need a licence for a butter knife and Store refuse to sell it to you if you are not 18+
it is of course just philosophical question and it only set me in my view that banning weapons only affect law abiding citizens, because criminal would not be dettered by "ban"
Knifings, shootings, and worse occur every day in this fallen word of ours. If we hesitate to write about guns and swords because someone misused them recently then we can hardly write about them at all, and nobody wants that.
5778801
For what it's worth, the statistics collected by Scotland Yard show that 70% of stabbings in England are done using kitchen knives. In addition to filleting knives and meat cleavers, Britain allows blades like pocket knives as long as the blades don't lock in place.
5778802
I agree, and that's why I didn't delay releasing the chapter. TV shows in the US used to delay episodes that involved mass shooters if they coincided with real-world incidents, but nowadays there's not much point in that because... Yes, I just checked, and saying "that happens every day here" is still holding true.
We had one of those in Quebec City a few years ago, also with a katana.
Personally, I'm wary of anything sharp. I am only too happy to let other people trim hooves at work. I'd cut myself.
fucking what >:| goddammit
5778807
"Murderous weeaboo," is not a phrase I wanted etched into my psyche. 
It's always a #$@&ing katana!
5778816
I know, right? How deranged does a person have to be to think that this sort of thing is going to turn out well for anybody?
5778819
Probably the result of the weapon's slightly exaggerated renown, leading to them being relatively easily available. Even if they are piece-of-shit-quality, mall ninja level wallhangers—it's still a long, somewhat sharp bar of metal you can slash and poke at people with.
5778803
ok, admit I didn't know that
and in all honesty the news titles are often exagerrated to get more clicks.
also...we had a mass shooting recently in Czech - in university - and it actually went all around thew world. Very rare occurence in my country, granted we have quite strict laws for guns and we are quite proud on them
5778807
We had one of those in America too, recently!
But in true American fashion he chose to Practice the Blade around cops. Then he decided instead of practicing the blade it would be better to give a practical demonstration on the cops.
The cops chose to give him a practical demonstration of their guns. I'm pretty 'fuck the cops' but that one I cannot blame them for.
5778858
It's the only situation they're actually trained for; the problem is that they keep getting sent to places where that training is inapplicable and applying it anyway.
As far as I can tell from the BBC News reports on Hainault, the police don't consider it a terror-related incident or specifically targeted. No prior convictions turned up in the suspect's record either. The closest thing we have to a motive at present is that at least one witness reported him shouting about belief in God, which - if I were to infer anything from a statement that unhelpfully vague - suggests a religious delusion: either some kind of paranoid schizophrenia, or - the one I find most plausible - falling into some version of cultish online radicalization (both a complete guess, it must be said).
Grim as it'll be, I wonder what kind of information will turn up at the trial.
5779081
Sorry that BBC link to Hainault isn't specific enough. I couldn't find a news tag that narrowed it down further to the exact incident, so this is the closest the site has to that. That's why there are other articles mixed in.
5779082
No worries! I'm more interested in the official reaction to the incident, anyway, though it would be nice to understand what went on there.
5779074
Pretty much yea. I watched the video and it was one of the few times I felt officers were fairly justified in use of force, and our would-be samurai learned that swords are fast but bullets are faster