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rayshippouuchiha · 2 months ago

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Hi, Ray! The author of Foxes, Pillars, and Sea-salt Rust here!!! Someone recommended my fic here????? I'm so honored!!! 🥹

So I would like to put forth my own recommendations too. I put it in my fic's AN's also, but I highly recommend Far Beyond the Woods of Dawn by wolfghost (and the entire Drag My Dark Into The Dawn AU series the fic is part of, and I suggest you access the series while logged in, because a couple of the fics are registered users only, I promise it's worth it) and The Weaver by Concerned_Brown_Bread! Both feature OCs as protagonists, a Senju for the former (Tobirama's granddaughter) and an Uchiha for the latter (Itachi's elder twin sister).

Drag My Dark has to be one of the most immersive fiction experiences I've had, up there with the manga Otoyomegatari (if you know, you know), the character psychology is top-notch, the author expertly weaves worldbuilding into the narration in a way that it's so seamless and not at all like an infodump, I like to describe it as “a slice-of-life except that the characters live in a horrible war-torn war and that affects how they navigate their lives”. The world just feels lived-in. There's information about how wars cause sanctions and prices to rise and a good highlight on what it's like to be a civilian in this kind of world. The protagonist is still a child, but the author captures children in their writing so well. She's a traumatized young child and she acts like that!! Her trauma informs how she views everything, and her being raised by civilians (long story, read the prequel to find out lol) affects how she views shinobi and the world at large! I can't wait for what the story has in store for her. We're entering the Kirigakure arc 👀 (also heavily featuring so far are Tsunade and Kushina!! Kushina's chapter has got to be one of my favorites)

The Weaver takes on a different vibe and path regarding the politics and worldbuilding, but also really plausible and I love how the author incorporates academic excerpts from the future like snippets from a history book into the chapters itself like it just gives this work such a grand feel of “oh things are gonna have consequences, we're along the ride of a big, world-changing tale”. The characterization is top-notch in this fic. You really do feel the complicated dynamics between the family members, how for all that Itachi is a prodigy he is also just a child and thus lacks the perspective to see propaganda for what it is, and the author does so brilliantly by contrasting him against his twin sister, the protagonist, who's a reborn adult (a politician in her past life who died of heat stroke before election day, which is objectively the funniest premise for a reincarnation EVER). The protagonist is witty, smart, funny, relatable, and just all-around very good. She lives rent-free in my head, can you tell? I know the fic is on hiatus but I had the privilege to read the unpublished chapters because ✨beta✨ and I promise you, it's very well worth it.

Both fics give weight to civilians instead of immediately dismissing them as “weak and stupid”, I love love love both fics and please please please read them I promise they're amazing! They have very different vibes but they're both amazing.

As for my fic, yeah I did base my protagonist off of Sansa Stark, LOL. I even tried to incorporate Sansa's lines from the first book into my own writing to really sell the vibe!

I love Whirlpool Queen, Maelstrom King but the politics in Foxes, Pillars, and Sea-salt Rust take on a very different shape from WQMK's— a bit more like wolfghost's Drag My Dark. I too will feature civilians in this fic! Daimyo's and nobility and merchants and commoners alike! Please look forward to it! I have Plans™ for Uzushio's politics and its role in the world as a whole.

Hello lovely!!! Glad you dropped by to drop some recs!

#RayRambles #Fic Rec

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normal-horoscopes · 6 years ago

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The Signs and Empire:

Aries: An empire of fire and salt water. Fertile island fortresses patrolled by many-armed stone sentinels wielding golden flamberges. Rivers of fire spilling into the sea.

Taurus: An empire of honey and snow. Castles that stand as decadent art. Colossal ghostly spirit foxes watch over forests of cherry trees.

Gemini: An empire of rain and silk. Glittering iridescent cloaks and wide brimmed straw masks. The aqueducts flow ever deeper into the mountains.

Cancer: An empire of time and woodlands. Citadels of fossilized lumber strong as any metal. Old rusted weapons jut from the grass like weeds.

Leo: An empire of roses and bridges. Subtle stonework hewn rough by ages of wear. Stone blossoms wilting as the season passes.

Virgo: An empire of tombs and amber. The spires of the great necropolis are visible over the labyrinth walls, as kongamato patrol the skies.

Libra: An empire of sand and glass. The libraries of a thousand cities stolen, collected in the grand archives. A library of libraries.

Scorpio: An empire of blood and stars. Nothing is left of this great people, but their decedents know their history well. Spilling blood on the great story-stones that dot the overgrowth brings whispers of the past.

Ophiuchus: An empire of wind and hooves. Steeds like a thunderstorm, heavy and dark. Leaving only nursing trees and pillars to the dead in their wake.

Sagittarius: A landless empire of wanderers. Cloaks of feathers and ritual smoke. Comfortable boots and hospitality, though they are the guests.

Capricorn: An empire of stories and loss. Ruins buried under ice, unseen for generations.

Aquarius: An empire of brass and coal. The corpses of war machines that now dot the landscape. Rusted green in the autumn rains.

Pisces: A sunken empire. Pillars of shining black salt break the waves, the deeper recesses of the grand palace lie sodden and unexplored.

#aries #taurus #gemini #cancer #leo #virgo #libra #scorpio #ophiuchus #sagittarius #capricorn #aquarius #pisces #astrology #zodiac #horoscope #the signs #the signs as #normal horoscope

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lunarowena · 5 years ago

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OC Aesthetics + Associations

bold what applies feel free to add options and edit! Tagged by @aban-ataashi. Thank you! I took a while to respond, so I’ll just open tag. Calendula Qantu (Pillars of Eternity) COLORS red. brown. orange. yellow. green. blue. purple. pink. black. white. teal. silver. gold. grey. lilac. metallic. matte. royal blue. strawberry red. charcoal grey. forest green. apple red. navy blue. crimson. cream. mint green. cobalt blue.

ELEMENTS fire. ice. water. air. earth. rain. snow. wind. moon. stars. sun. heat. cold. steam. frost. lightning. sunlight. moonlight. dawn. dusk. twilight. midnight. sunrise. sunset. dewdrops. magic. BODY claws. long fingers. fangs. wings. tails. lips. bare feet. freckles. bruises. scars. scratches. wounds. burns. spikes. feathers. webs. sweat. tears. feline. scales. fur. chubby. curvy. short. tall. average height. muscular. lean. piercing. tattoos. lithe. WEAPONS fists. sword. dagger. spear. arrow. hammer. shield. poison. venom. guns. axes. throwing axes. whips. knives. throwing knives. pepper sprays. tasers. machine guns. slingshots. katanas. maces. staffs. wands. powers. magical items. magic. rocks. pyre. teeth/fangs. rifles. words.

MATERIALS gold. silver. platinum. titanium. diamonds. pearls. rubies. sapphires. emeralds. amethyst. metal. iron. rust. steel. glass. wood. porcelain. paper. wool. fur. lace. leather. silk. velvet. denim. linen. cotton. charcoal. clay. stone. asphalt. brick. marble. dust. glitter. blood. dirt. mud. smoke. ash. shadow. carbonate. rubber. synthetics.

NATURE + WEATHER grass. leaves. trees. bark. roses. daisies. tulips. lavender. sunflowers. petals. thorns. seeds. hay. sand. rocks. roots. flowers. ocean. river. meadow. forest. desert. tundra. savanna. rainforest. caves. underwater. coral reef. beach. waves. space. clouds. mountains. poppies. galaxies. stardust. sky. rain. storm. sunny.

ANIMALS + MYTHICAL CREATURES lions. wolves. eagles. owls. falcons. hawks. swans. snakes. turtles + tortoises. bugs. spiders. doves. robins. ducks. vultures. whales. dolphins. fish. octopus. sharks. horses. cats. dogs. rabbits. hares. crows. ravens. mice. lizards. unicorns. pegasus. dragons. rats. livestock. tigers. panthers. deer. foxes. bats. bears. crocodiles + alligators. coyotes. seals + sea lions

FOODS + DRINKS sugar. salt. bitter. candy. bubblegum. wine. champagne. hard liquor. beer. coffee. tea. soda. spices. herbs. apple. orange. lemon. cherry. strawberry. watermelon. vegetables. fruits. meat. fish. pies. desserts. chocolate. cream. caramel. berries. nuts. cinnamon. burgers. burritos. pizza. french fries.

HOBBIES music. art. watercolors. gardening/growing plants. smithing. sculpting. painting. sketching. fighting. writing. composing. cooking. sewing. training. dancing. acting. singing. martial arts. self-defense. electronics. technology. cameras. video cameras. video games.computer. phone. movies. theater.libraries. books. comic books. magazines. cds. records. vinyls. cassettes. piano. violin. guitar. electronic guitar. bass guitar. harmonica. harp. woodwinds. brass. bells. playing cards. poker chips. chess. dice. motorcycle riding. flight. climbing. running. swimming. healing/medicine.

STYLE lingerie. armor. cape. dress. tunic. vest. shirt. sweater. boots. heels. leggings. trousers. jeans. skirt. jewelry. earrings. necklace. bracelet. ring. pendant. hat. crown. circlet. helmet. scarf. brocade. cloaks. corsets. doublet. chest plate. gorget. bracers. belt. sash. coat. jacket. duster. trenchcoat. hood. gloves. socks. masks. cowls. braces. watches. glasses. sunglasses. eye contacts. makeup. ties. uniform.

MISC balloons. bubbles. cityscape. light. dark. candles. war. peace. money. power. clocks. photos. mirrors. pets. kisses. diary. fairy lights. mental health problems. sadness. bittersweet. happiness. optimism. pessimism. loneliness. family. friends. assistants. co-workers. enemies. loyalty. smoking. drugs. kindness. love. hugs. revenge.

#tag meme #oc meme #watcher calendula

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dragonie · 4 years ago

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oc aesthetics + associations

tagged by @rebelfatebinder yonks back! tysm fghgjf <3

tagging: anyone who wants to!

Jane Finn (Fallout: New Vegas)

COLORS red. brown. orange. yellow. green. blue. purple. pink. black. white. teal. silver. gold. grey. lilac. metallic. matte. royal blue. strawberry red. charcoal grey. forest green. apple red. navy blue. crimson. cream. mint green. cobalt blue.

ELEMENTS fire. ice. water. air. earth. rain. snow. wind. moon. stars. sun. heat. cold. steam. frost. lightning. sunlight. moonlight. dawn. dusk. twilight. midnight. sunrise. sunset. dewdrops. magic.

BODY claws. long fingers. fangs. wings. tails. lips. bare feet. freckles. bruises. scars. scratches. wounds. burns. spikes. feathers. webs. sweat. tears. feline. scales. fur. chubby. curvy. short. tall. average height. muscular. lean. piercing. tattoos. lithe.

WEAPONS fists. sword. dagger. spear. arrow. hammer. shield. poison. venom. guns. axes. throwing axes. whips. knives. throwing knives. pepper sprays. tasers. machine guns. slingshots. katanas. maces. staffs. wands. powers. magical items. magic. rocks. pyre. teeth/fangs. rifles. words.

Noora (Pillars of Eternity)

ELEMENTS fire. ice. water. air. earth. rain. snow. wind. moon. stars. sun. heat. cold. steam. frost. lightning. sunlight. moonlight. dawn. dusk. twilight. midnight. sunrise. sunset. dewdrops. magic.

Irwaen Nightshrike (Elder Scrolls Online)

ELEMENTS fire. ice. water. air. earth. rain. snow. wind. moon. stars. sun. heat. cold. steam. frost. lightning. sunlight. moonlight. dawn. dusk. twilight. midnight. sunrise. sunset. dewdrops. magic.

Lackadaisy (DnD)

ELEMENTS fire. ice. water. air. earth. rain. snow. wind. moon. stars. sun. heat. cold. steam. frost. lightning. sunlight. moonlight. dawn. dusk. twilight. midnight. sunrise. sunset. dewdrops. magic.

#<3 #irwaen nightshrike #courier jane #watcher noora #lackadaisy

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sensamlove1 · 5 years ago

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Top Rated Alabama Attractions

When you have to make a plan for Alabama on this vacations then this is your best choice, because this is the best place for the vacations and also peple called the great destination point for the vacations. In Alabama there are several number of attractions are available and this city is rich with the historical and natural beauty. Also, there are lots of fun and lots of things you can do and many places to visit. From soaring mountains to sparkling lakes, there are many things to do and see in North Alabama. Not only you just find the outdoor adventure there, also there are an array of wonderful attractions that will keep you and the family entertained for weeks on end.

Here we have List of Some Top Rated Alabama Attractions that are explained below:

National Memorial for Peace & Justice: Stark and harrowing in its simplicity, this memorial stands in the honor of 4400 African American victims of execution. Make great rectangular steel slabs, each the size and shape of a coffin, are inscribed with the name of a county, and the dates of every documented execution incident within that county or the name of the fatality. The enormity of the space and the mute documentation of the slabs underlines the ubiquity of racial violence in American history.

Sloss Furnaces: The Sloss Furnaces establish one of Birmingham's can't-miss sites. From 1882 to 1971, this was a pig iron–producing blast furnace and a pillar of the Birmingham's economy. Nowaday, instead of a wasteland it's a National Historic Landmark, a red mass of steel and girders rusted into a Gothic monument to American industry. Quiet avenue pass cobwebbed workshops and manufactured the lines that form a photographer's dream playground. A small museum on site analyze the furnaces' history.

Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge: Many Year ago, salt-lashed oak forest, inundated coastal prairie and best quilts of sawgrass covered the Gulf Coast. Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge gelatin this environment, and it is heart-meltingly beautiful. Ypu can also find here Foxes, ospreys, otters, alligators, blue heron and sea turtles, as well as you can also found the four trails, none of which exceeds 4 miles in length or has appreciable elevation gain.

For the more information about Alabama then you have to visit the VisitMontgomery Site. On the website there described the all information about the Alabama attractions and what things to do in Alabama. All are mentioned on the website and also give all detail of the places with the location.

#things to do in Alabama #Alabama Attractions #Attractions In Alabama

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tired-reader-writer · 2 months ago

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“She is a lantern-holder on the water, a task for the apprentice miko, but the kannushi allowed her this, and none protested this allowance. [...] The kannushi recites a prayer aloud, and the miko trace the rhythm of the ripples of the water's surface as she does. Upon the kannushi's face, the mask of the Shinigami. Upon the miko's faces, the masks of the ayakashi that serve him, of the countless and many Uzu-no-Mikoto. They flicker to life in moonlight, glow like ghosts upon the darkened sea. The kami they represent are neither gentle nor serene.”

The shrine of the sea in Uzushiogakure, formerly known as Uzunoshima.

—Foxes, Pillars, and Sea-salt Rust: Chapter 1

There are other descriptions of this shrine in the chapter, of course, but they're so specific it's honestly hard to find photographs that fit them, and yes the kannushi and miko are all Uzumaki, they're supposed to be red-haired, but good luck finding any photographs of miko with red hair, LOL.

The shrine (and what it represents) is very important to our protagonist, Hoshiori, and will be quite the part of her character further down the line.

If you haven't seen my fic announcement post, Foxes, Pillars, and Sea-salt Rust is about Hoshiori, the younger granddaughter of Hashirama and Mito born in Uzunoshima (Uzushiogakure), offering to take Kushina's role as a jinchuuriki. The prologue, or rather chapter 1 here, serves to set the context for that decision to come. The chapter, and the fic as a whole, will cover a lot of worldbuilding and political dynamics of the Elemental Nations.

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tired-reader-writer · 2 months ago

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Because the AO3 author's note box has a character limit and my author's note was way too long even when I split it into two (honestly crying right now like literally I'm legitimately distressed), here's the full fucking thing in all its glory.

This is the fic it was supposed to be attached to.

Sooooo, yeah! This is the first chapter of what will be a longfic following Hoshiori— it's functionally a prologue I realize but I didn't want to name it a prologue because I didn't want to deal with the thing where it turns out like “Chapter 2: Chapter 1” because it hurts my delicate sensibilities, LOL.

Many, MANY thanks to my dear friend wolfghost who kindly agreed to beta this fic… *checks time-stamp* six entire months ago! Oh wow I really took forever in actually delivering the chapter to you, my fucking god.

First things first, I would like to say that the worldbuilding here might be very unfamiliar to y'all because of how much it departs from other fics— heavily inspired by wolfghost's Drag My Dark Into The Dawn series (please do check it out, it's very good, realistic exploration of war and trauma) the dynamics between civilian and shinobi are… well. It'll get explored in more detail in the future, please look forward to it! I will note that this isn't supposed to bash civilians. I know they're causing problems right now and will continue to, at least some of them (a specific subset of civilians), but I want to give the civilians a proper chance in this fic because they rarely do ever get the chance to shine! In a similar vein, I seek to not bash any character in this fic (well I think it's impossible to truly bash Hiruzen because man's just That Bad from the outset but I digress), not Hashirama, not Tobirama, not Madara, not even Jiraiya, no one, even as they have caused problems and will continue to cause problems down the line (particularly with Jiraiya). The choices they make will inevitably impact someone in a negative manner. The narrators will end up disliking one person or another. It will happen. I just hope y'all enjoy this absolute hot mess of a web.

Marigolds symbolize… a whole lot of things, both positive and negative. I felt that they were a fitting flower for many reasons which I won't state here because I want to hear you guy's thoughts! I will give you a hint in that “万寿菊” consisting of kanji for thousand, longevity, and chrysanthemum respectively, means marigold. Let me know what you think they represent here!

As for the name Uzunoshima… well, the island had to have a name before it became Uzushiogakure, before the Hidden Village system was established here, and I decided on this name to imitate Japan's island names such as Tokunoshima, Tanegashima, Kagoshima, Hikoshima, Kamishima, Tomogashima, almost said Hitogashima before realizing that's a fictional island but it *is* based on a real island, specifically Tomogashima, so yeah! Funnily enough, I originally wanted to name it Zokunoshima meaning “island of thieves” because the Uzumaki were originally pirates and that just sounded like a name the rest of the world would give them and the Uzumaki would have their own endonym for it but I feared it might've gotten too confusing for my readers, so I decided against it.

Toyonabe and Niezaki are, of course, not names or places found in canon because I guess I have to do all the work establishing place names here. The name Toyonabe consists of the kanji 豊 (abundant, lush, bountiful, plenty) and 鍋 (pot), because it's a bit of a melting pot port city situation, and the region it's in, Niezaki, consists of kanji 沸 (to boil, to cook) and 崎 (peninsula). It was originally part of Yu no Kuni who trades openly with Uzunoshima despite everybody else being afraid of the Uzumaki, before Hi no Kuni would eventually annex the area. They still bear the name. I also like to think that the region has volcanoes and the hot currents from the region meet the colder waters from other places and the temperature shenanigans gave the Sanzu strait its signature whirlpools along with some quirks on the ocean floor probably, but it's not important so I didn't mention it. Just a fun thought.

My sincerest thanks for my good friend reipastuminen on ao3 for helping me name Niezaki and Toyonabe. Truly, you were a godsend.

As for the Sanzu strait, it's named for the Sanzu river in Japanese Buddhist belief, one that souls of the dead must cross to get to the “far shore” (Higan) aka the afterlife. Why do you think I named it Sanzu strait? Tell me about it!

Imo-mochi is a type of mochi made of potatoes.

I headcanon that Tobirama is an albino man rather than it being just Anime Logic™, and so I ended up incorporating that headcanon into the fic. Yes, his eyelashes are black, but everyone has black eyelashes in Naruto, I think it's just the artstyle. It's a bit of an unusual headcanon, I know, but please don't try to pick a fight with me over it. I've already seen people try to discredit the headcanon and it's exhausting.

The Natsuboshi festival is… about four celebrations rolled into one. The Tanabata festival, of course, and the Bon Odori festival, also the celebration of the ocean, and the Shichi-go-san celebration. Shichi-go-san because it just felt appropriate to smudge it a little for the seventh year ceremony for children here, and ocean day because it happened to be in the same month as Tanabata (July), and Bon Odori because… Actually, it's interesting how Bon Odori and Tanabata were originally the same celebration historically in Japan, held in the seventh month of the traditional Japanese calendar, but eventually drifted apart because Tanabata moved to the western calendar's July, and Bon Odori stayed in its original month which was the seventh month in the Japanese calendar but fell on August. Some places in Japan do celebrate it in August still, though. And since I decided well there's no reason for there to be two calendars I just smushed the two festivals back into one. I've already cried bitter tears wrangling calendars in my other fic, Winds of Wolfsong, if I have to do it for this fic too I will start to cry. The name of this festival consists of the kanji 夏 “summer” and 星 “star”.

The tale of Orihime and Hikoboshi will be symbolically important for Hoshiori!

Uzunoshima has two time systems, the 24-hour system for everything else, and the traditional Japanese time system (which has varying hour lengths according to season) for the shrine, just like how many cultures today have a western calendar and a traditional calendar, just on a smaller scale. The hours were counted from nine to four, backwards from noon until midnight, and the numbers one, two, and three were not used because those were the times used for Buddhist monks to call to prayer. Uzunoshima is primarily Shinto though, but I wanted to keep this irl Japanese tradition. Dawn and dusk are marked as the sixth hour in this time system. Each hour is assigned an animal from the Japanese zodiac as it is irl, and I won't go into detail but the two hours mentioned in this chapter were: usagi-ji (hour of the rabbit, dawn, six strikes), and tatsu-ji (hour of the dragon, five strikes). Now I have no proof the hours were called like that irl, I just wanted to do this because I found it neat.

The bell strikes would come from the island's shrine here, and Kazuma compares the prayer voices to the tremor of the tsurigane, which are also called oogane irl but I realized, hey, the “tsuri/釣” in the word means “to strung up/to fish” and Uzunoshima is an island, it felt fitting so I went with the term tsurigane.

The gods Fuchi-no-Kami and Uzu-no-Mikoto aren't irl Shinto deities, obviously, I found that the gods from the usual pantheon didn't click with me, and in Shintoism which is an offspring of animism, a mountain can be a kami, a tree can be a kami, a rock can be a kami, almost anything can be a kami, really, so I felt comfortable in just making new gods up. Fuchi-no-Kami is the goddess of the sea (only to the Uzumaki though, Susanoo fills that role for others which makes up for funny religious conflict as the Uzumaki insist Susanoo and other such ocean deities are actually Fuchi-no-Kami's children LMAO) and Uzu-no-Mikoto are her daughters, representing the whirlpools. Uzu-no-Mikoto's name is pretty self-explanatory, but the word “fuchi/淵” means abyss/depth/deep pool/deep waters and I thought it was appropriate for both the sea between the Kiri archipelago and the Continent. Also yeah the archipelago is named Kiri for the mist that envelopes all its islands, Mizu no Kuni as a collective has not been properly established at this point in time though it will start to do so eventually.

The Shinigami… actually, it's quite the interesting case. I always did think the term Shinigami sounded odd for a single deity, it sounded plural, so I looked into it and… yeah! Shintoism does not have a singular death deity, and historically, Shinigami were depicted as many death gods or as youkai-like vengeful spirits who possess people and drive them to suicide. Obviously, the Naruto world seem to have a singular death god, so I kept it that way, but made a small nod to the historical portrayal of Shinigami as vengeful spirits via the detail of ayakashi (phantoms) serving him. And since the Shinigami mask came from the Uzumaki in canon, I thought why not, and made him the consort of Fuchi-no-Kami. The ayakashi… their name can be translated as “strange phenomenon of the sea” and they're said to be phantoms who appear on the water's surface, and there are many types. Though interestingly, the ayakashi in Noh theater where their name is written in kanji (the non-Noh ones are written entirely in hiragana, I know, it's confusing) 怪士 meaning “strange warrior”. I decided to stick with the sea phantoms interpretation for my sanity's sake.

Though a lot of the Uzumaki's faith is a certified me-original (as is their matriarchy, I know canon featured a dude next to Hashirama, shush, if Kishimoto can retcon his own stuff I can retcon his stuff as well), the belief that a child is not fully human until the age of 7 and “belongs to the gods” is not! It's a belief found in Japan's history, where they had a practice called “mabiki/間引き” meaning “thinning out an overgrown garden” which is slang for… infanticide. Yeah. It was such a common practice, too. I'm not putting it in the story, though. Other such beliefs will be making an appearance in the future as well, particularly with the Hyuuga. Do look forward to it!

Both miko and kannushi are women here, they can marry, miko can become kannushi on Uzunoshima. No, it is not how it works irl, but I'm doing this to simplify it and keep my sanity. The prayer chanted during the ceremony is based on what little I could find of Shinto prayers called “norito/祝詞”, also the beginning of one of the poems “divine gods noble and fearsome” is also based on my feeble attempt at translating the beginning of a norito addressing the gods. AGH! I'm not gonna go into the kagura dance because this author's note is unmanageably long already.

Chitose-ame (千歳飴, thousand-year candy) is given out to children at the shichi-go-san celebration, meant to symbolize healthy growth and a long life. The bags typically have cranes and turtles on them, two animals which will be important to Hoshiori. The lines “A thousand years for the graceful cranes, ten thousand for the gliding turtles” are based on a saying “鶴は千年、亀は万年” (cranes live for a thousand years, turtles live for ten thousand years).

The civilian-shinobi relations on Uzunoshima are decidedly less well-defined and distant compared to their mainland counterparts, mainly because the Uzumaki did not regard themselves as shinobi in the first place and did not see fit to adopt those labels before the reforms, but also because they are a small island nation and so relations are gonna be more intimate whether Kokuen likes it or not. Mainland relations will take on a slightly different flavor. You'll see.

The fuuinjutsu rankings are based on the Japanese martial arts “dan/段” ranking system, going from shodan (first dan, lowest) to juudan (tenth dan, highest), and the Uzumaki wear these waist sash tassels to signify what rank they are. The ornaments are jinbu, an actual accessory seen with Chinese hanfu garments.

I am aware hanafuda refers to the cards and not the game, you can play many games with those cards, I just didn't feel like specifying a particular game. Also, the symbolism in those cards… yum.

I ended up inserting little poem snippets between scenes, this is my first real attempt at poetry, and I do not think I can keep it up for other chapters, so it'll have to be a prologue-exclusive! They're not based on any Japanese poetic structure, as I am not learned in that area (my Japanese is barely N4! I can't even keigo! 😭) The first one and the last are based on Japanese songs I've heard, though! Keep an eye on the mention of yorimashi, human vessels that attract the kami and allow the kami to dwell in them for rituals and ceremonies. Doesn't it remind you of… jinchuuriki? 👀

And, yeah, this fic is absolutely infested with OCs, and that's a feature not a bug because Kishimoto did not see fit to give us Uzumaki characters and so I have to fill in the space myself. Let's talk about their names!

Hoshiori: 星織, “star-weaver” or “to weave the stars”, a direct reference to the folktale figure Orihime

(Senju) Kazuma: 和守, 和 meaning “harmony, peace, concord, sum/add” and 守 meaning “protect, defend, obey, guardian”, together it can mean something like “to protect peace”. It just sounded like something Hashirama would name his child.

Tsurue: 鶴衣, 鶴 meaning “crane” and 衣 meaning “clothing, garment”, and so her name is a reference to The Crane Wife folktale

Tsurue and Kazuma's names represent… aspects of their daughter.

Kiho: 祈帆, 祈 meaning “prayer” and “帆” meaning sail, so her name would mean “prayer to sail”

Haine: 波音, meaning “the sound of waves”, it's a Summertime Render reference

Kofune: 小船, meaning “small ship/boat”, also a Summertime Render reference

Kokuen: 黒炎, meaning “black flames”, a recycled Magi OC LOL

Gyokuen: 玉炎, 玉 meaning “ball, sphere, jewel, gem” and 炎 meaning “flames”

Mana and Shinpei's names don't have kanji, sorry kids I kinda gave up (Shinpei's name is a reference to Summertime Render. Again.)

Unusual though the worldbuilding choices may be, I *am* basing them on the little snippets we got in the Chuunin exam arc, such as: this, this, this, this, this, this, this and this

Also recommended is The Weaver by concernedbrownbread! The politics in that fic takes a very different flavor from mine and wolfghost's, but captivating nonetheless! Please give both a try, I promise you it is very worth it.

#foxes pillars and sea-salt rust #naruto #naruto shippuden #Naruto au #naruto fic #naruto fanfiction #naruto oc #I hate my life #fuck ao3 fuck everything

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tired-reader-writer · 2 months ago

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Working on the author's note for SSR first (the summary is next) and... this has got to be the world's longest author's note on a fanfiction. It's 2,468 words.

#foxes pillars and sea-salt rust #naruto #naruto fanfiction #naruto au #I had to explain my worldbuilding choices and inspirations okay!!!!#man I really did stuff a lot of it in the chapter

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sanhatis-abyss · 2 months ago

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Those graphics are amazing, and feels like a prologue from a movie!

“She is a lantern-holder on the water, a task for the apprentice miko, but the kannushi allowed her this, and none protested this allowance.

[...]

The kannushi recites a prayer aloud, and the miko trace the rhythm of the ripples of the water's surface as she does.

Upon the kannushi's face, the mask of the Shinigami. Upon the miko's faces, the masks of the ayakashi that serve him, of the countless and many Uzu-no-Mikoto. They flicker to life in moonlight, glow like ghosts upon the darkened sea. The kami they represent are neither gentle nor serene.”

The shrine of the sea in Uzushiogakure, formerly known as Uzunoshima.

—Foxes, Pillars, and Sea-salt Rust: Chapter 1

The shrine (and what it represents) is very important to our protagonist, Hoshiori, and will be quite the part of her character further down the line.

#foxes pillars and sea-salt rust #naruto au #friend's writing

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rayshippouuchiha · 2 months ago

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if anyone liked whirlpool queen maelstrom king i think this fic will be of interest to them, it only has one chapter so far (the author called it a prologue) but its already jammed with worldbuilding information and it doesnt feel like an expositon dump

the an was so long the author had to insert screencaps into it. it was necesary because the notes are also filled with information

the fic is this one https://archiveofourown.org/works/59853406/chapters/152684008

foxes pillars and sea salt rust

the author recced two other fics far beyond the woods of dawn and the weaver i havent read them so does anyone know if their worth it

!!!

#RayRambles #Naruto #Fic Rec

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tired-reader-writer · 2 months ago

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BROKE 10K ON THE WIP WOOOOOO

#foxes pillars and sea-salt rust

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tired-reader-writer · 3 months ago

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3.2k words so far on the WIP!!!

#foxes pillars and sea-salt rust #dear wip please stop combating me on every sentence T_T

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tired-reader-writer · 3 months ago

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Me? Rolling four celebrations into one because two of them used to be the same thing historically and another one is held in the same month as one of those two and the other one I made up and didn't know where to stick it?

It's more likely than you think.

#foxes pillars and sea-salt rust #hola how's it going I'm kinda screaming over here #how do people DO worldbuilding I'm crying

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tired-reader-writer · 7 months ago

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Some old picrews of the protagonist of my upcoming Naruto fic: Uzumaki Hoshiori (featuring a chibi Akemi— @akatsukitrash 's OC from their fic Far Beyond the Woods of Dawn, I'm too tired to fetch the link rn). The problem w picrew is that there doesn't tend to be a wide range of options for skin tone... heck, some picrews don't even allow more than 1 set skin tone. Hoshiori's skin is supposed to be dark.

I find that I don't feel very compelled to make picrews of my Wolfsong OCs, I don't know why but I just... don't. Probably because I've had experience w picrew and kinda realized it won't be able to capture their character to my satisfaction.

[I made a lot of Hoshi picrews back then, so expect a part 2 in the reblogs.]

#Foxes Pillars and Sea-salt Rust #Uzumaki Hoshiori (OC)#went rummaging in my gallery looking for smth but I forgot what I was looking for #school has not been good to me y'all

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tired-reader-writer · 11 months ago

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“When was it?” he wheezes, “When did you start to stray? You're the Shodaime's granddaughter, why would you deny his legacy?”

Glaring eyes search for answers in her storm-grey ones. What does he hope to find? What does he see?

She hopes it's anger. She hopes it's hatred. She hopes it's rage.

Let them choke to death on shame.

“Turn back, woman, before it is too late. Things can still be fixed. Stop this nonsense, Orochimaru must have poisoned your mind.”

Oh, Mother Uzu, he sure loves to talk.

“You're wrong, Jiraiya. The poison was in me,” she says. “Konoha put it there.”

“What are you sayi—”

“To tell the truth, I've always hated this world. The violence it justifies, the falseness it calls peace. That… I was willing to suppress.” She smiles. A sad, bitter little thing. “But I suppose I crossed the line when Konoha stood by and watched as Uzushio fell.”

“Wha—”

“It's funny, isn't it? I was just going to be content as an obedient doll when I came here. I was going to serve—” no matter how miserable it made her, “—I was going to be loyal. If you people had just deigned to honor the alliance, we wouldn't be here.”

“That's bullshit. We did our best. Sensei did his best. You're just using it as an ex—”

“Konoha murdered Uzumaki refugees before they could ever reach there.”

He looks like he'd just been punched in the gut. Or trapped, perhaps. Caught red-handed in a way he would not escape.

“What?”

“It's true. Did you not know? Or are you just playing dumb? There's no way you can't know. You're the Hokage's most trusted protege, a hero in your own right. Sarutobi Hiruzen would not lie to you.”

“Hold on a minute—”

The cold soaks through layers and grips them at their core, heavy enough to make him feel as if he's standing in the flow of a flooding river. Thunderclap pulses in time with her beating heart— cold in a way that has nothing to do with the rain and everything to do with her wrath.

Anger enough to rival the roaring of the skies— Wasn't it supposed to burn?

She's sure it would, if the fox-god's chakra coursed through her.

It's fine, though. He'll give it if need be.

For now, though…

“Did you think,” she says, teeth bared in a caricature of a smile, “that I wouldn't know? That I wouldn't find out? Konoha didn't even bother to do something so simple as accept refugees, and you still expect me to stay?”

“This is a mistake.” His voice wavers. “It had to be Shimura, sensei had nothing to do with that!”

“Oh, but I'm afraid he did.” She steps forward. She wasn't expecting him to stagger back.

“Tell me, Toad Sage, do you think a man known to be a God of Shinobi would be so incompetent as to be completely unaware of what his Council members are doing?”

“Stop it…”

“Kirigakure's invasion deprived me of my friends, my parents... and my students. My children. They were no older than nine, when I left.”

To his credit, the man looks distraught enough at the revelation. “You were an Academy teacher.”

She ignores him. “In the name of glory and conquest, that village... They slaughtered everyone from Uzushio and destroyed my home.”

She looks up at the sky, pale dots peeking out from behind tattered clouds. Cold. It's so cold.

“I hear them every night. The screams and cries of my brethren...

Avenge our deaths...

Tear apart the world that failed us…”

She grabs him by the throat, and yanks.

“They're whispering in my ear right now, even as we speak,” she hisses in his ear, low and venomous.

Heat and pain shoots through her arm, and next thing she knows, he's a few feet in front of her, gasping for breath.

There's a bloody kunai in his hand.

It doesn't matter. She'll heal soon enough.

Has the signal come yet?

“You condemn us, but you're just the same! What of all the children you're taking with you? There's no way they'll be safe outside Konoha's walls!”

“They will inherit a world without bloodshed. Be glad for them. They themselves are the future that I will live and die for.”

“You think this will work? You're leading them to their slaughter. You've never been a hero, Hoshiori. Even in comparison to Tsunade, you've always lagged behind.”

Ooh. Hitting her where it hurts now, is he? Too bad she's gotten good at pushing it aside.

“And that matters because?”

“You're delusional.”

She tilts her head, a gesture so childlike it must look alien on her. “Do you think me a coward for turning away from this?”

“I do,” he spits. “You're a coward and a traitor.”

“A traitor…”

She chuckles, soft and dainty. That's sure to piss him off. “Yes.”

There's the signal behind her— she doesn't need to see it to know. She feels it. Even drenched and battered by rain, she feels it.

“I'll betray.”

~~~

This ficlet is the accompaniment to this one with Orochimaru, I had actually written this a long time ago but chickened out before I could upload it, I feared it was somehow bad, outlandish, too self-indulgent. Try as I might, I still struggle with that sort of stuff.

But now it's here, with @akatsukitrash 's encouragement!

The context is that Uzumaki Hoshiori, Hashirama and Mito's granddaughter imported from Uzushio to become the second jinchuuriki in Kushina's stead, spurred into action when a young Kushina came running to her for comfort after finding out she was to leave for Konoha and none of the adults would tell her anything. Many things happened in the middle, I won't get into it for now, but things snowballed into Hoshiori secretly laying the foundations for a new home outside of Konoha, resolved to put an end to the shinobi system that let such horrors happen to her homeland and students.

Orochimaru was the first to be folded into the project. Tsunade will... come later. Hoshiori is giving Jiraiya a chance, but he's tied his identity and worth so intimately to Konoha that he refuses to entertain any other option.

#naruto #naruto shippuden #naruto fic #naruto oc #Foxes Pillars and Sea-salt Rust #Uzumaki Hoshiori (OC)#Jiraiya #rotten egg's shitty writing

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