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ghostPastry
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#1
Old 12-23-2022, 08:49 PM



A Mushi-shi based RP by zigbigadorlube: & ghostPastry:

The discussion so farX


Quote:
Originally Posted by ghostPastry
i think i'm most interested in trying a Mushi-shi inspired RP! It's been a long time since I've watched it, so maybe it could just be inspired by the Mushi mythos? Maybe it could be combined with the "school for the gifted" plot, where we're both studying under the same Mushi master. and one of us could have been born with the ability to see mushi, and grown up surrounded by them and has formed a bond with different mushis, so they go to the master to improve their skills. whereas the other one just suddenly started seeing mushi and is totally freaked out about it and wants to stop seeing them, so they go to the master to learn just enough about them to get them to go away.
Quote:
Originally Posted by zigbigadorlube
Oooh, that sounds really interesting, I really like this plot idea! The freaking out character really resonates with me, haha! Would you be interested in playing the character that has already bonded with the mushi? Should one of us play the master too or should it be a shared role?
Quote:
Originally Posted by ghostPastry
Definitely! I'd have fun with that. I think it could be cool to have it be a shared role, so when one of us is talking to the master, the other one could be playing them. And the master could be some sort of kooky oddball who has an unpredictable personality, so every time we write them, they could sound different. And it would be fun to have them speak in like all really vague metaphors and koans that our player characters have to figure out, like each time we talk to him we get some new sort of educational quest to unravel.


OOC thread


Last edited by ghostPastry; 01-19-2023 at 09:06 PM..

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#2
Old 12-23-2022, 08:56 PM

Ghost's character profile [WIP]






Suru Glas

Age: 26

Pronouns: They/he
Quote:
Originally Posted by ghostPastry View Post
Suru is pretty open about what they prefer. I like to write it so I'm using them equally, but in a way that mostly tries to make sense? I mostly just choose which one feels right for him in the moment, how he would do for themself, like if I've said 'he' a bunch of times in a row, I'll throw in a 'they' next.

But for other people referring to him, he's fine with whatever's easiest and doesn't mind if someone else exclusively refers to him as 'he' or exclusively as 'they', or whatever level of mixture works for that person. He also has something referred to as "reverse mirror pronouns", where basically he chooses whichever pronoun out of he/they that doesn't match the person they're talking to.
Gender: Masculine Agender

Special Skills: Light fragment manipulation, healing surface-level wounds, speaking and understanding Mushi language, seeing almost all types of Mushi, conflict resolution between humans and Mushi.

Species: Human spiritworker

Home: Currently, the daigaku (university) dormitories.
Their family home is out in the rural rice paddies,
in the plains a good distance from the hills.

LikesX


• Bitter things like coffee, dark chocolate, tea, and certain alcohols.
• The sound birds wings make when they flutter to land on a branch.
• The feeling of his feet hitting the cold floor in the morning.
• The cold side of the pillow, putting on a jacket that's been sitting absorbing the cold,
shimmying under covers that haven't yet been warmed by body heat.
• Silk linings inside clothing
• Ice skating


DislikesX


• Sweet things, syrups, or anything that tastes too artificial.
• Sticky things like honey, or glue. Even toothpaste or anything too viscous squicks them.
• Being surprised or sudden, abrupt loud noises.
• Not doing well in his studies, disappointing their master, not completing an assignment.
• Being away from Mushi, not being able to go outside.


Ambitions: To solve a great riddle the master once posed to them. It sounds trivial, but the answer to that koan would unlock all the mysteries of the mushi to Suru.

Greatest Fear: Drowning

Biggest Flaw: He's much too serious. He struggles to understand jokes or sarcasm, and he's not amused when the master pokes fun at him, or tries to bring humor into his teachings (but the master often does it anyways). They also overthink every vague thing the master says, until they've gotten themself even more confused than when they started.

Name Origin: first name is from the Dajare (pun) "To ignore a bug" Mushi o mushi suru (虫を無視する)
last name is of German origin, meaning glass or to shine, glimmer, or glow.

Statistics

Funny ◻︎◻︎◻︎◻︎◼︎ Serious
Loud ◻︎◻︎◻︎◻︎◼︎ Quiet
Violent ◻︎◻︎◻︎◻︎◼︎ Pacifist
Educated ◻︎◻︎◻︎◼︎◻︎ Simple
Good ◼︎◻︎◻︎◻︎◻︎ Evil
Patient ◻︎◼︎◻︎◻︎◻︎ Hurried
Organized ◼︎◻︎◻︎◻︎◻︎ Messy
Conscientious ◼︎◻︎◻︎◻︎◻︎ Scatterbrained
Warm ◻︎◻︎◻︎◻︎◼︎ Cold
Content ◻︎◼︎◻︎◻︎◻︎ Angsty
Wise ◻︎◻︎◻︎◼︎◻︎ Naïve

BiographyX




A cold winter morning, sipping an even colder tea with ice, in quiet contemplation with others of like minds is the perfect day for Suru. He was born in Lübeck, Germany which is in a colder area of the country, and he lived there until they were 6, so they got very accustomed to the cold, and he fell in love with the calm quiet of a snowy field and frozen water.

Moving to Japan was quite a culture shock, and it was worse because his parents divorced and their mother took him back home with her, to her parents' rice fields, and he went from a midsize city kindergarten to helping their family work on the fields. But once he got used to it, they started to grow very fond of the quiet of nature, and the minimalist beauty of the sprawling fields across the plains. His room is always very clean and clear as well, he prefers white walls with nothing hung up except for their prayer flags, and no decoration but a small white Amitabha statuette.

He was always able to see some types of Mushi, even as an infant, but the Mushi of the city have learned to blend into their surroundings better for their protection, and appear much different than the Mushi of nature. So if you asked him, they would say they only started seeing Mushi after moving to Japan.

It wasn't until he was 20 that he went off to seek greater knowledge. For most of his life, he didn't realize that Mushi weren't just another type of animal or bug. Japan had always seemed like another planet to him, so their strange effects and abilities made sense to them. Whenever he told their mother and family about the Mushi he saw, their family just assumed he had an active imagination and liked to tell stories. They were always encouraging him to be a writer, but his passions lie with the bugs. He found out from a traveler that stayed the night with them that the creatures he so loved were actually Mushi, and the traveler told him of a great Mushi-shi master who knew all the ways of the Mushi.

When Suru arrived at the master's temple, it was empty. The master was nowhere to be found. Suru searched the grounds, but came up empty. They felt too shy to yell for the master, who might have been asleep in his room. This was Suru's flaw, his shy, quiet nature. A naturally warm person, he found himself alone more often than he wants, because he doesn't know how to speak up for himself and ask for what he wants. So he sat in front of the master's seat in the temple, in quiet meditation.

When he opened his eyes after about an hour, he saw the air filled with Mushi, some he had never seen before, and some which were familiar. The most prominent were the iridescent snakes pirouetting through the air. The light refracted off of them, red, and green, and yellow, and blue, again and again in a dizzy maze, and it filled Suru with wonder. A serpent came down from the sky and began to whisper in Suru's ear. It created a circle around his head, and filled his vision with prismatic light, and then, very gently, it closed in, pressing against Suru's temples. He was suddenly filled with the greatest need to know everything about the rainbow serpents, and he felt that he would go to any lengths to be near them. His mouth also felt incredibly dry. The serpent released his head and flew out the door, and the rest of the Mushi flew out after it. Suru rose to his feet and rushed after them, and they led him to the small well for drinking water, and he began drinking uncontrollably.

Out of nowhere, the master seemed to appear, and he came and sat next to Suru at the well.

"So you have fallen enamored of the Kouda." he stated, a slight grin on his face. "They'll lead you to the water, but they can never make you drink. That is a choice you make."

Suru turned to him, confused, wiping away the water from their mouth with the back of their hand.

"The rainbow serpents?" they asked

"If you know them by that name. You'll find there are a great many things in this world that can match a form."

"You are the grand master of the Mushi?" they asked. The master nodded. "Then you could be the only one to teach me the true nature of form. Tell me, how can I understand these strange creatures?"

The master began to tell him a story.

"There were once two men named Jizo and Shuzanshu.
Shuzanshu was a traveller, who arrived one fateful day.
asked Jizo,
'Where have you come from?'
Shuzanshu said,
'I have come from the South.'
Jizo said,
“How are the Mushi in the South these days?”
Shuzanshu said,
“There is much lively discussion.”
Jizo said,
“How could that match with our planting the rice field here and making
rice-balls to eat?”
Shuzanshu said,
“How could you then save the beings of the Three Worlds?”
Jizo said,
“What do you call ‘the Three Worlds’?
And so it was.”

Suru stared at him blankly, completely stumped. He had never considered himself to be stupid, but in that moment he felt like a newborn child.

The master broke out in laughter! He nudged Suru in the ribs, and then got up. Forgetting their thirst now that the effects of the serpent had worn off, Suru stood and began to follow the master, who was already starting to walk back to the temple. As Suru got in line with the master's steps, the master began to speak and explain that the creatures they had seen were the Kouda, and that the grounds were filled with them. The master warned to always carry a water flask on their person, and to fill it often. He began to ramble and Suru missed a lot of what he was saying, but it was along the lines that Suru should think about the story the master told, and give him their answer in the morning.

The morning came, and Suru was convinced they had come up with an answer. They arrived to class, and proudly declared:

"I have solved it! Jizo has never traveled outside of his home, so how could he possibly know there were three worlds, let alone two!"

The master just smiled and shook his head, and told Suru to take a seat so they could begin their lessons. The master didn't bring up the riddle for the rest of the day, but Suru couldn't get it off their mind. For the next five years under his mentorship, Suru always had the riddle in the back of their mind, and at least once a month, they come to the master with a new guess.


Last edited by ghostPastry; 01-23-2023 at 06:29 AM..

zigbigadorlube
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#3
Old 12-23-2022, 09:19 PM

zigbigadorlube's character profile



Gisela Rain Tanada

Age: 22
Pronouns: She/her
Gender: Female
Special Skills: Seeing mushi, predicting the weather
Species: Human spirit seer
Home: A recent addition to the Master's house, Gisela's family home is
a remote rice-farming village over the mountains.

Likes:
Cats
Sweets
Rain showers

Dislikes:
Mushi
Pickled foods
Her father

Ambitions: To prove her father wrong and make something of herself.
Greatest Fear: That her father was right and she'll never amount to anything.
Biggest Flaw: Clumsiness

Statistics:
Funny ◻︎◻︎◼︎◻︎◻︎ Serious
Loud ◻︎◻︎◼︎◻︎◻︎ Quiet
Violent ◻︎◻︎◼︎◻︎◻︎ Pacifist
Educated ◻︎◻︎◻︎◼︎◻︎ Simple
Good ◻︎◼︎◻︎◻︎◻︎ Evil
Patient ◻︎◻︎◻︎◼︎◻︎ Hurried
Organized ◻︎◻︎◻︎◻︎◼︎ Messy
Conscientious ◻︎◻︎◻︎◼︎◻︎ Scatterbrained
Warm ◻︎◻︎◻︎◼︎◻︎ Cold
Content ◻︎◻︎◻︎◼︎◻︎ Angsty
Wise ◻︎◻︎◻︎◼︎◻︎ Naïve

Name OriginX

Gisela—derived from an Old High German word “gīsal”, which stands for “hostage” or “pledge” (a term that goes hand in hand with traits like trustworthiness and honor).

Rain—to fall as water in drops from the clouds.

Tanada—terraced rice fields.

Her name may be roughly translated in two ways. First as "A Pledge of Rain (for the rice fields)" as in the hopes of her family at her birth, and second as “Fallen Hostage (from the rice fields)” as in her current life situation.

BiographyX

Born during a year of drought, Gisela’s birth was ill-fated timing for her poor family. With little to provide except for a name, her father called her Gisela Rain, hoping to summon rain from the heavens to save their remote rice-farming village. Gisela’s name, however, failed to deliver. Her father’s disappointment in his second daughter was ill-concealed throughout her early life, and her name was often the butt of jokes in her village.

As she grew, her father’s hopes for his daughter fell away completely. She was a plain, simple girl with little ambition or otherwise useful traits. Once her older sister married away, Gisela was left to provide for her parents—farming, cooking, and cleaning. Even in these simple areas, she could not live up to her father’s expectations, primarily due to her innate clumsiness. Since the first year of her birth, her father hadn’t believed that Gisela would amount to much, and, not having been proven otherwise in her first 15 years of life, he tossed her out of the village, preferring to focus his attention on their third daughter who showed more promise.

Released from the small village she had viewed as her prison, Gisela had hopes of journeying to see the ocean, finding an honest man to call her husband, and building a small life for herself. At the age of 20, she had to admit that these dreams were certainly just that, dreams. None of the men she met were interested in a penniless vagabond and certainly not one as simple and untalented as herself with a penchant for disaster. She continued to roam, picking up odd jobs here and there to sustain herself.

During a trip through the mountains, Gisela came across a sparkling pool of water one evening. Crouching to refill her water skin, she stared down at the shimmering water. It seemed particularly clear and a good source to drink. Dipping her fingers into the water, she watched the ripples spread outwards, and as they did, she could see an image of herself in the water. Not as she was, her hair unkempt and tangled with leaves, her clothing patched, but as she imagined she one day could be—a radiant beauty, graceful, with a handsome well-to-do husband and charming children.

Gisela leaned forward to get a closer look, but her hand slipped, and she fell into the pool and became entrapped in the shining images, her beautiful future whirling away out of her control as the water spun around her and began to pull her under. For once, Gisela was lucky, and a traveling Mushi Master saved her from drowning. As she lay panting on the grassy bank, Gisela could see some of the shimmering water sinking into her skin, gathering to form an iridescent raindrop tattoo on her forearm.

While the Mushi Master saved her from drowning, he could not dispel the lingering effects of her first encounter with the mushi. As she continued to travel, Gisela began to see odd things. Most people thought she was crazy and either drove her away or took pity on her insanity until one fateful day when she heard tell of a man crazier than herself who spoke of odd creatures and floating symbols—the Shīfu no Kouda. After months of travel, she found herself at the gate of the daigaku, where she hoped to meet with The Master of the Rainbow Snake and have her wretched curse removed.

Last edited by zigbigadorlube; 12-29-2022 at 02:13 AM..

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#4
Old 12-29-2022, 03:08 AM

Gisela thrashed, moaning quietly in her sleep. Her eyes moved quickly beneath her lids, her hands involuntarily twitching at her sides. Tiny drawings flashed across her subconscious as if turning the pages of a book, each containing sketches of odd-looking creatures that became increasingly disturbing and violent. The ink of their lines spread and multiplied until they flooded her vision entirely, strangling her with their inky darkness...

• • •

Gisela woke with a cry and sat bolt upright, her chest heaving, her skin slick with sweat. Her head whipped about, taking in the unfamiliar room. "Where am I?" she asked the darkness, not expecting an answer. Looking down at her hands gripping the futon, Gisela noticed the black-bound book slipping off the covers. "Oh, that." Gisela sighed and let herself fall heavily back against the pillow.

She was in the home of the Shīfu no Kouda, the Master of the Rainbow Snake. He had given her the book to look at last night following their first meeting. It had been both satisfying...and terrifying. To most, the man probably seemed completely bereft of his senses, speaking of creatures that the eyes couldn't see, but to Gisela, it was a deliverance from insanity. She had been beyond relieved to find that the odd shapes and monsters that had been chasing her since her accident weren't the inventions of a lunatic.

No, she wasn't going crazy. The first Mushi Master had said as much, but she'd had her doubts.

Yesterday she'd spoken with the Master of the Rainbow Snake for hours over steaming cups of tea. She'd pleaded with him to remove "the curse" as she thought of it, but the Master had waved away her requests saying that she "had great potential" and should "stop rejecting her destiny" and needed to "train her mind". Nobody in her 22 years had ever seen any sort of potential in her. So while the situation was anything but ideal, she'd found herself agreeing to an apprenticeship with an old man she barely knew doing who knew what. Whatever, it came with housing and three square meals a day so it was worth a try at least.

With a huff, Gisela threw off the blanket and stood up, shivering lightly in the cool morning air. It was still dark out and after sliding open the outer door, she judged it was at least an hour before sunrise. Running a hand through her messy brown hair she inhaled deeply. She could smell the approaching autumn, the faint earthy tones of the season mixed in the morning air. It would be a nice day.

Stepping out into her sandals, Gisela wobbled slightly as her ankle threatened to roll. Righting herself, she looked around the compound. To the south was the large gate she had walked through yesterday afternoon, the stone path meandering around a small pond and approaching the main house. That was all she had seen yesterday before stepping inside for her meeting. Now, spotting a small well, Gisela stepped forward and splashed her face and arms with the cool water to wash away the sweat from her sleep.

Feeling refreshed, she stepped back inside, dressed, and put away the bedding. Standing in the middle of the room, she looked down at the black-bound book. The information and drawings inside made her uncomfortable. Shivering again, Gisela poked the book with her toe. When nothing happened, she picked it up between two fingers and stuffed it under the blankets, hoping to forget about it for now. With that out of the way, she stepped back outside meaning to explore what she could of the house and the grounds before the master called upon her to continue their discussion.

Last edited by zigbigadorlube; 12-29-2022 at 01:37 PM..

ghostPastry
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#5
Old 12-30-2022, 08:13 PM

It had been a warm day for fall, as far as Suru considered it. Although the leaves were turning the hearty browns and oranges that indicate the coming of the ethereal winter, the breeze still clung to the stifling warmth that characterized the summer, and the grass still held on to its bleached yellow tips from the scorching sun that showed no mercy during the hottest months. Although anyone else would be wearing a light jacket, Suru’s turtleneck sat waiting in his closet, and he wore only a short sleeved v-neck. They looked in the mirror, placing small wildflowers they liked to gather each morning into their hair, and he flicked the chain of wooden-carved flowers that hung from his ear, making them twirl around and make a slight clunking noise against each other.

Suru had been up since 5am, contemplating and meditating. He always sucked in his breath deeply, paying attention to the oxygen as it flooded into his veins, and exhaled fully and slowly, savoring each moment of the air, slightly chilled through pursed lips, leaving his lungs. It brought them great comfort and contentment, but there were more important matters. The most important job, they thought, was coming to their studies with a relaxed mind. Whether his mind got riled up again during his heavy thoughts was of no consequence to Suru; he could just bring his focus inward again, and recover his energy. Stress can be dissipated, but ignorance cannot be cured.

The gong rang ten times, signaling the 10am breakfast. Suru had agreed with the master ahead of time that they would meet for breakfast that day and discuss what they had learned during their breaks– because for Suru, bettering themself never takes a day off.

Suru arrived at the master’s small house– more a shack than a house, but the inside was filled with all the things that make a true home, and felt very comforting to be inside. Uro curled up within every crevice, Kouda dangled on every photo frame, Yasabi grew on the curios and taxidermies, and Mugura hung from the ceiling like vines. Suru greeted the master first, and then went around appreciating and greeting all the little Mushi, careful not to touch the Kouda.

Settling into their seat across from the master after their greetings, Suru noticed a third cushion next to them.

“Master, will a guest be joining us today?”

“You’ll have to adjust yourself to the course, and learn to steer a different way before you’ll greet the dawn,” the master stated matter-of-factly.

Of course, Suru never expected a straight answer from the master. It used to frustrate them, and they would spend hours questioning the master, receiving less and less sensical answers, and getting increasingly confused. But now they had learned they could never anticipate the master’s ways, and it was better to accept the first answer and try to solve it himself.

Reminded of solving, Suru spoke.

“I have a guess for the mystery you once posed to me, master.”

The master got a glint in his eye, and gave an encouraging smile.

“Give us your attempt then,” the master said, almost amused.

Suru flushed and gripped their tea cup harder, hating to feel like they were being poked fun at. They turned their focus inward, paying attention to the warmth spreading and retreating from their face and ears, and taking deep, calming breaths. When they felt centered, they spoke:

“The three worlds are within us, and we must learn to balance the spirit of the city and the spirit of nature within us.”

The master paused for a long moment, the smile never leaving his face. Suru averted his gaze, and began fiddling with a piece of Mugura that poked through a floorboard in the ground, finding comfort in the motion and the energy being given off by the Mushi.

“Wrong. Try again!” he belted out in a voice as clear and loud as a bell. Suru narrowed his eyes and set his mouth in a thin line. “Oh, try to find some lightness in the situation! You’ve found a wrong answer! What else could be so great?”

Suru huffed, and took a bite of their rice ball. They set the ball down, and focused on chewing the one bite mindfully, aware of each grain of rice being crushed between their teeth, admiring the simple flavor of the grain, and remembering the connection they have to their parents, they–

“You are doing it again,” the master interrupted.

“Yes, master?” Suru inquired.

“You are finding the path to calmness through a treacherous forest.”

Suru furrowed their brow, not understanding. They chose not to question further, being the type to keep most things to themself. They would take this on as another mystery of the master’s to solve. They changed the subject. “Are we expecting someone to join us for breakfast today?” they asked as simply as they could, trying not to leave any room for the master’s interpretation.

“Without her contributions would be impossible,” the master said, and then brought his tea cup to his lips for a long sip.

Suru took in another deep breath, to keep themself from rolling their eyes. So, it would be a “her”. They had to assume the answer was in the affirmative.



It was unfortunate that Suru had to assume, both for Suru and for the master, who was trying to teach Suru to stop assuming and start asking the difficult questions. The master did not want to make it easy for his students to ask or answer a question, because life and the construction of language are not easy.

The master wanted to surprise Suru with the new student who would be joining them, and give her time to find her way around the grounds before breakfast. He didn’t want to put an exact time on her, but to give her the freedom to arrive when she is able; he never liked to teach through deadlines, especially not when food is on the line! He had written her instructions, but of course, like his teachings his instructions required a little thinking on your feet as well.

Last edited by ghostPastry; 01-19-2023 at 09:23 PM..

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#6
Old 01-03-2023, 09:41 PM

Gisela gazed out over the grounds of what was to be her new home as the sun rose slowly over the trees behind the house, casting long shadows that would disappear as it reached its peak later in the day. Yesterday the Master had spoken to her in the tearoom, one of the first rooms of the house overlooking the pond. Since then, she had yet to explore any further. Apart from the main house with its wraparound covered porch, she could see a smaller building set at the back of the grounds past the pond and a small trickling stream. She stared at the wooden structure for a long time. She couldn’t pinpoint why but just looking at it gave her a chill for some reason.

Tearing her gaze away from the “creepy place”, she took in the two small bridges, one leading to an even smaller building while the other seemed to lead to an empty expanse of dirt and grass that she couldn’t fathom a use for. Shrugging, she started to walk slowly that way, stopping to crouch down at the edge of the stream to look for fish or turtles or frogs. As she listened to the gently burbling water, something popped its head up out of the water. Imagining it might be a turtle, Gisela leaned closer, careful to balance herself against a rock, only to reel backward with a muffled squeak as a misty white…thing…floated up towards her.

Landing flat on her back, Gisela whipped her head around just in time to see whatever it was go floating away off towards the creepy building. "It must be a mushi..." she muttered to herself. Looking down at the shimmering tattoo on her arm, she sighed. Well, it could have been worse. She could have fallen face first in the water and half drown to death like the last time...

Huffing lightly, Gisela got to her feet and crossed the bridge to investigate the smaller building. Looking behind her, she made sure that no one was watching before she lay her ear flat against the door. Hearing no sounds from within, she opened it a crack and let out a sigh of admiration. Inside sat a large wooden bathtub. Currently it was empty but she could already imagine how it would feel to sit soaking in it at the end of a long day. Slipping off her sandals, Gisela stepped inside and turned in a circle. An entire building, just for the bath! This was way better than bathing furtively in the cold streams outside her childhood home. Just for fun, she stepped into the tub and sat down. She leaned back, resting her arms on its high sides and her head on a small towel at the back. Closing her eyes she sighed again wistfully.

• • •

A loud gonging brutally shattered Gisela’s impromptu nap. Her legs jerked against the tub and for a moment Gisela was utterly confused about where she was and what she was doing. Spotting a bar of soap on the stool nearby she realized she must have dozed off. Regretfully she closed the door and looked back out towards the house as the last of the gonging faded away. The noise stirred something in her memory. In her mind’s eye, she could again see the odd note that had been slipped inside the book that the master had given her yesterday.

One gong times ten will sound when the golden rays are shining
Follow the sound for a feast of learning.

At the time she had no idea what it was about and assumed it was some scrap of a leftover poem but now she wondered if it wasn’t something more. The Master rarely did things the ordinary way from what little she had seen of him. What if this was some sort of test? She wouldn’t want to fail and get thrown out before she could even have one bath in that ginormous tub! Looking left and right, she tried to recall the sound of the gong and where the noise might have come from. The creepy building sat to her left as if mocking her and somehow just knew that must be the place.

Stepping back into her sandals, she quickly approached it before se could change her mind. Setting her stance wide, she took hold of the door and after gulping, quickly slid it open. Silhouetted by the sun streaming in behind her, she caught sight of the Master sitting peacefully in front of a half-eaten breakfast and another person seated across from him, presumably the other student he had mentioned to her yesterday. Were those flowers in their hair? Was that some sort of uniform? Maybe she was supposed to pick some before coming? Giving her head a shake, she pulled herself back from the intrusive anxious thoughts.

"Um, good morning," she said, giving a small awkward bow. "Is it time for the first lesson?" she asked, patting the back of her hair, hoping it wasn't too mussed from her slumber in the tub earlier.

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#7
Old 01-06-2023, 09:32 PM

It wasn’t often that Suru was frightened by the opening of a door. He was always very conscious of his surroundings, and had been known to hear someone’s footsteps from outside before they entered. But even with his awareness of a shift in the atmosphere and subtle new sounds, the sudden sliding open of the door with the clunking, scraping wood and paper noise it caused, sent a jolt down Suru’s spine, and made him turn around to look at the new entrant much more quickly than he would have normally.

Noticing that his shoulders had become tense, they took a deep breath, sending calming oxygen through their veins, imagining ice spreading slowly over him, freezing him one inch at a time; a practice he kept even when not anxious. The practice helped them center themself, and they often clung to it like a security blanket without even realizing it, sometimes becoming too lost in his own visualization to appreciate the hard realities around him for their true value, outside of ‘good’ or ‘bad’.

“How eager you are,” the master spoke first, his voice blooming into Suru’s consciousness, pulling them out of their meditation. “The thin tree must fill its leaves with sunlight before it may give shelter from the sun.”

“You’ve arrived just in time for breakfast,” Suru translated. “Here, sit.” they said, with no inflection to their voice, giving no indication of any emotion. They brushed aside the Mugura that tendriled over the cushion next to them, and motioned for the new student to sit. “I’ve been told very little about you,” Suru said with a thinly-veiled glance at the Master. “But I’m sure you have a name, and somewhere you’re from. Since we have time before our studies, perhaps you can tell me about yourself.”

“Suru, please,” the master interrupted. “She hasn’t even gotten comfortable yet, and I’ve yet to serve her any tea or rice balls. She’s barely arrived, and you’re already hounding her. Please, Gisela, take a moment to center yourself and arrive at the feast that precedes education.”

Suru blinked, adjusting to the master’s shifted tone. He sounded so proper in the moment, as though he were hosting a royal tea party. It was always different with him, like shifting water– and Suru was frightened of swimming. But they had learned not to get reactive when they became confused with the master’s manner of speaking; but instead, to take the moment to release their self-doubts and defensiveness as a practice of mindfulness. So they shut their mouth, and released, allowing the new arrival time to situate herself.

Last edited by ghostPastry; 01-19-2023 at 09:23 PM..

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#8
Old 01-17-2023, 02:03 AM

Gisela’s gaze fixated on the Master as he spoke. Her mouth went slack after he spoke, trying to puzzle out what the hell he was talking about and was grateful when the other individual in the room spoke up to translate for her. She nodded dumbly and watched as he brushed the cushion next to him. Was he worried it might be dusty or something? Either way, it was a nice gesture, and she approached the cushion and sat down. She was eyeing the food on the table and had just lifted her hand to pick up a rice ball when he spoke again.

The Master must have seen the disappointment on Gisela’s face because he interjected on her behalf, though he did mention serving her tea and cakes. Oops, well, it was a good thing that this…Suru…had interrupted her then. She wouldn’t have wanted to commit a faux pas before even getting started. She’d never had to put so much thought into such small actions before. It would be wise, she thought, to be more careful to follow the others before jumping in going forward.

Sitting back on the cushion and wriggling slightly to make herself comfy, Gisela nodded to the Master. Closing her eyes, she inhaled deeply, and then slowly exhaled before opening them again. When she did, something slithered through the air past her face. Gisela jerked backward, nearly toppling off of her cushion. As she righted herself, she blushed, embarrassed by her reaction. "Um, sorry...I was startled," she explained sheepishly.

Taking another deep breath, this time with her eyes open, Gisela exhaled again and hoped that would appease the Master enough to serve her a cup of tea. She was pretty parched after her exploration of the grounds. Turning towards Suru, she gave a slight bow of her head, "I’m Gisela, it’s very nice to meet you," she said, briefly inclining her head.

"I’ve been sort of here and there lately, but I come from a small village to the south of the mountains. There’s not much to tell about it really..." she trailed off. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to talk about herself, but her reason for leaving home and her travels somewhat embarrassed her, and she wasn’t quite sure how to speak of them to this stranger.

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#9
Old 01-19-2023, 09:18 PM

A mysterious glint crossed the master’s eyes at Gisela’s sheepish reaction, and he silently slid a cup of tea and a plate with a rice ball filled with jelly from freshly-harvested berries towards her, giving her an easy out.

The master waved his hand over the table, and a swirling group of Mushi followed the gesture, leaving a trail. His hand came to rest over a lemon on the table that Suru had freshly picked that morning on his way over. “It is never beneficial to squeeze juice out of a lemon grown from a sickly tree,” the master said, peeling the lemon with an ungroomed fingernail. “But it is not the lemon’s sickness that turns the juice bitter…” he continued, freeing the fruit at last from its inedible peel, “it’s the tree.” he said firmly, squishing the lemon into his drink, where some of it splattered over the rim onto the sleek wood of the table below.

Suru squinted their eyes as they mulled over the master’s words, resisting all temptations to grab a napkin and wipe up the mess below them. Around their home, Suru had been expected to clean a mess as soon as it was made, and old habits are hard lost. But they didn’t give in to the urge, and instead focused on the shapes the liquid was making over the sworls of the wood, the way it reflected the mushi swimming through the air above it, and the way it dribbled over the edge of the table onto the mushi growing in the cracks in the floor. He took a deep breath in at the same time as Gisela, and held his breath until she let hers out, welcoming in calmness and tranquility.

Suddenly the master slammed his palm on the table, squishing the lemon beneath it, and he stood.

“Enough talk! If we’re not to become stuck in the ground like the trees around us, we’d best get moving. Grab a rice ball, grab an orange, you might get peckish or meet an animal just as peckish as you.” the master stood, and began to shuffle off, walking like a man much older than his age. “Ohohoh!! Sitting does make one awfully stiff. What say we get some movement in, my eager wild sables?” the master said, standing tall and beginning to hop as though on a child’s hopscotch trail, heading in the direction of the nearest bridge leading to the training grounds.

Suru was still sitting as the master began barreling out the door— at times the man seemed to appear and disappear out of thin air. They took some time to smooth their clothes and reach and grab a couple oranges and a rice ball, then stood and began to exit, not giving any indication to Gisela of what she should do. Then they thought better of it, and started to walk back over to her, looking very much like they might have caught some sympathy and that they were going to explain what would happen next… but then they just grabbed a cloth hanging off of a hook behind her and started wiping off the table. They just couldn’t resist; they couldn’t bear to think of it getting sticky and hardening on such a nice table.

The master seemed to pay no mind that neither of them had begun to follow him, and he continued on towards the bridge.

Last edited by ghostPastry; 01-19-2023 at 09:23 PM..

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#10
Old 01-30-2023, 10:42 PM

Gisela gratefully accepted the tea and cake that the Master slid her way. Her hands wrapped around the warmth of the cup as she raised it to her lips and silently inhaled the herbal aroma. She closed her eyes and took a brief sip, grateful for the warmth it brought in addition to whetting her dry mouth. She set the cup down on the table and took a bite of the rice ball he had offered and watched as he waved a hand over the table. She paused mid-chew when, at the edge of her vision, she caught sight of something swirling in the air above the table. Whatever it was seemed to disappear as soon as she noticed it though and she resumed chewing her meal.

Gisela listened politely as the Master began to share more wisdom with his two pupils. She furrowed her brow trying to make sense of what he was saying. As she chewed, she tried to translate in her head. Don’t squeeze juice from fruit plucked from a sick tree—that sounded reasonable enough, it was never good to eat something that was rotten. But…no, wait, he wasn’t saying the fruit was rotten but rather the tree itself? She had seen trees that had withered or succumbed to some sort of disease but never one bearing fruit. What was he getting at, was this a nature survival class or was he going to help her stop seeing these ghastly mushi?!

Gisela was surreptitiously trying to look over at Suru for guidance when the Master’s hand suddenly came crashing down on the table. Gisela gasped and this time did topple off of her cushion, coughing as a glob of sticky rice tried to choke her. The young woman unceremoniously threw herself at the table and grabbed the remaining tea. Ignoring the heat, she took big gulp and set the cup none too gently back on the table. Using the back of her sleeve she wiped away the tears that had begun to form in her eyes and watched as the old man shuffled outside. She sat crouching, her mouth agape, trying to process all that had happened in the last 30 seconds when Suru similarly leapt up and started to leave only to return a moment later to wipe off the table.

"Um…” she began but they were both gone. Not wanting to be left behind, she gulped the remainder of her tea, slipped an orange into her sleeve, and after grabbing another rice ball, jumped up and dashed after them.


The Master skipped and hopped like a giddy child, his feet thinking against the wood of the bridge before being muffled again by the dirt path on the other side. There he stopped abruptly and stood silently, surveying the dirt, the sky, the trees, his body swaying slightly. ”A stiff tree must let go and be limber in the face of great wind…or be lost,” he said quietly. Without looking back at his students, the Master nodded to himself, as if absorbing his own sage words. Then, he turned to face Suru and Gisela. ”You!” he said, pointing a shaking bony finger at Suru, ”are like a cedar, stiff, like you have a twig up your…” he motioned to his backside. ”And you!” he pointed at Gisela this time, You are like a sapling. You bend, but have no strength in your trunk.” The Master let his arm fall, allowing it to be exaggeratedly limp for effect. ”Neither of these is good. You must yield…BUT WITH STRENTH!” he added with finality, clapping one balled up fist into his flat palm with a smack. ”Now we will begin.”

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#11
Old 02-28-2023, 05:55 AM

Suru stopped a few steps after the master, backtracking a bit to stand and observe the trees, the sky, the dirt… they began to become preoccupied with taking in their surroundings. They focused in on the bugs, each individual leaf, the barely visible heads of sprouting fungus, the bird’s nests, the animal tracks, how each life in the forest can intersect with all the lives around it, and how each being can truly need s—- their teeming thoughts were interrupted by the master’s fiery change of tone– ”You! Are like a cedar, stiff, like you have a twig up your…” the master made a gesture that made Suru’s ears flush with color. This wasn’t the first time the master had insinuated that Suru was inflexible, but it was much easier to swallow when they were being told in private, and foreign objects in dark places were not involved.

Suru began to lose themself in contemplation again. It was odd, they thought, studying next to someone again. It had been a while since another student had studied under the master, so Suru had had him all to themself. They had grown used to the master’s strange style of teaching, but the dynamic totally shifted with two students of such different temperaments, and the master once again felt like a stranger. Suru’s thoughts trailed off, and their eyes traced a Kouda that tendriled through the clear sky.

”Now we will begin,” the master said, with a smack of his fist into his open palm. He began to guide Gisela and Suru through a series of breathing exercises and simple stretches. “You must plant a temporary root– each stretch will build upon the last, and you will soon find yourself in a forest of stability.” The master contorted his body into several odd shapes resembling different stages in the growth of a tree, pausing to settle into each pose as he made them. “Let yourself truly arrive into your pose. Think: how can you find more length in your trunk? How can you grasp the sun’s rays with each leafy finger?” The master took deep breaths, and let a smile form over his face.

Suru followed each movement very fastidiously, with scrutinous precision. They snapped from one pose to the next, not able to mimic the fluidity between poses that the master so gracefully exerted, but upon settling into the pose, they stretched as fully as possible into each of their limbs, focusing on “breathing into the pose” as the master had once instructed them. No smile bloomed at the corners of their lips, like on the master’s tranquil face, but instead each muscle seemed to tense, pulling their features very taut and flat, with a thick furrow in their brow.

Suddenly, during a pose the group had been holding for a particularly long time, Suru was caught off-guard by the feeling of winding vines creeping up their calves. Looking down, they saw a form of Mushi they had never seen before. It had a long, thin body like the branch of a tree, with lush leafy vines all wrapped around it, tendriling off to drag on the floor behind it. Out of the corner of his eye, Suru could see a similar creature creeping up behind Gisela. Distracted, Suru began to go off-balance and tip over, falling unceremoniously on the aforementioned butt with a stick up it. The stick stood several feet away, but the vines sprouted out of it like arms, and stretched to hug Suru’s ankles tightly. Suru shook one foot, and the leafy vines withdrew, curling up to shyly cover the place where a face might be on the stick. Suru curiously looked up at the master. There must be some reason for this creature to appear after he had been talking about trees the whole morning, is this what the master could have meant when he said that thing about leafy fingers and the sun’s rays?

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#12
Old 04-07-2023, 09:48 PM

Gisela emerged outside to see the Master skipping across the nearest bridge and Suru following behind at a more sedate pace. Shaking her head she couldn’t help but wonder what exactly she had gotten herself into. She picked up her pace and jogged until she caught up just behind Suru. When he stopped she moved to stand beside him, awaiting further instructions. When the Master suddenly jabbed a finger in Suru’s direction, it was all Gisela could do not to jump. Listening to his criticism, she almost caught herself laughing but quickly pushed the giddiness aside, especially as the Master was turning in her direction.

Gisela blinked as the Master spoke. She supposed there was some truth in what he had to say. Taken literally, her limbs weren’t very strong. Would they be doing some strength training exercises? She could already envision herself having to carry increasingly heavy objects across the compound and up and down the mountainside. It made her sore and tired just thinking about it. Thankfully it seemed they would be starting with something a little less extreme. Gisela did her best to follow the breathing exercises and simple stretches but was quickly lost in it all. Temporary roots…forest of stability…lengthening her trunk? And how did one “arrive” into a pose?

Contorting her body in a desperate attempt to follow the Master made it quickly apparent that she had a definite lack of grace. Far from fluid movements flowing one into another like the Master, Gisela almost seemed to be tripping over herself each time she moved. Any hope of synchronizing her breathing to the poses was impossible when she could barely keep herself upright. Beads of sweat broke out across her forehead as she wobbled on one ankle, straining with all her might to stay in place and praying that they would change positions soon though the Master seemed oblivious to her silent pleas.

Suddenly, Suru seemed to collapse next to her and as she turned to see what had happened, Gisela lost her own balance and thudded hard on her backside. ”Ow…” she muttered, shifting to her knees and rubbing her bum as she studied Suru. Realizing he was intently looking at something, Gisela followed their gaze and while at first she saw nothing, the air seemed to shimmer. Gisela blinked and rubbed her eyes. When she reopened them, her gaze came to rest on some leafy…stick…thing. She blinked again. This thing could only be a mushi but for some reason it didn’t scare her as much as some of the others she had seen. Maybe it was the unassuming appearance, seeming more like a plant than an unnatural object floating in the sky.

Curiosity getting the better of her, Gisela slowly crawled towards the mushi, carefully keeping an eye on it for any sudden movements. Surely if something went wrong, the Master would intervene? At least that’s what Gisela told herself as she reached a finger out towards its slender…body…

 


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