#new year shrines visit etc etc

[priscirat]

yukilisa hinomoris new year

[firelordsfirelady]

IV. Outburst

Author: @firelordsfirelady

Imagine: When Y/N—a princess of one of the Water Tribes—is told she’s leaving her tribe, she never expects that she’s to be betrothed to the Fire Lord’s son, nor was she prepared to be exiled the very day she arrived at the Fire Nation. With her life in the hands of her new fiancée, how will life change for the princess? 

Pairing: Zuko x F!Reader

Trigger warnings: arranged marriage, feelings of fear, banishment, mentions of burns/abuse, frustration, violence, betrayal

Word Count: 1167

Destined to be Yin and Yang

I own no rights to Avatar the Last Airbender or any of the characters/story.

Author’s Notes

The characters as all aged up so Zuko’s banishment happens when he’s 16 

Keep in mind I am bringing a unique world with inspiration from ATLA in their characters, some of the events that happen, bending, etc. Not many things may align or occur with what happened in the show. It’s intended that way, so I hope you enjoy it regardless.

See Y/N’s inspiration here. 

Destined to be Yin and Yang Soundtrack (YouTube)

Zuko made no mention of the cookies the next morning, but I anticipated as much from the Prince. The crew, however, raved about my cookies and were quite happy to hear that I would make them plenty of cookies during our time together. I kept my promise because every full moon I would make the crew a batch of cookies and then practice my water bending on the deck before heading to bed. Of course, I never let Zuko or Iroh be out of the cookie receiving as I would deliver their plates before going to bed. 

Thus began my new daily routine of lending a hand in the kitchen or helping with the dishes. I often found myself aiding in other chores around the ship, which only served to aggravate Zuko more. Zuko always made sure to make remarks about how informal of a princess I was, so I made it my mission to find ways to annoy the Prince further. Let’s just say that I was very good at it. 

The first time Zuko saw me mopping the deck, he made a snide comment that earned him an accidental flick of some water from the mop bucket. 

“Forgive me, Prince Zuko,” I had teased him that day. “I am merely just a princess who doesn’t know how to handle the mop.” Iroh hid his small chuckle at my comment, knowing all too well that I was more than capable of handling the simple mop. I think he found it mildly amusing that I teased the Prince often, and this served to agitate the Fire Lord’s son further.

Despite the banter from Zuko,  I had grown to enjoy life traveling around on a ship. As a young girl, I had dreamed of what it would be like to see the world outside of the Tribe, but I quickly realized that as the princess I would never have those opportunities. Especially since after the Avatar disappeared from the world a century ago, the nations decided to sequester away from each other to protect themselves.

With Zuko on the quest to find the Avatar, he has been researching the previous avatars. We have been to several Avatar shrines across the nations and have been frequenting the other Water Tribes. Zuko was sure that the next avatar would be a Waterbender, and so we stayed near in case the Avatar made his appearance. Each time Zuko got a hint or a tip that there was a chance of the Avatar appearing, the ship would speed to the new destination. Disappointment met Zuko at every new stop, and I felt my heart break more as I watched the hope slowly die from his eyes. Yet, at the next whisper of a sign from the Avatar, Zuko would begin the cycle all over again.

The months slowly turned into years, and Iroh and I met regularly to drink tea together. During our tea visits, Iroh would tell me stories of dragons and the origin stories of Firebending, and, in return, I shared the stories of the Water Nation and our origin. I enjoyed listening to Iroh’s great accomplishments and was glad that I had found a friend in Iroh.

While my friendship with Iroh grew, I could not say the same about my relationship with Zuko. Three years of the same routine with Zuko had begun to wear the hope in me down. I tried my best to make an effort with Zuko in hopes that we might be able to at least tolerate each other. I gave him cookies every full moon, and I offered information that I read at the shrines regarding the avatar that might help Zuko. I did get a small glimmer of hope when he stopped calling me an informal princess after the first six months of life on the ship. After two years, there was light banter between us that was somewhat jovial, but the banter was more teasing than anything else.

That all changed today when Zuko had met another dead end in his search for the Avatar. Once we arrived back at the boat, Zuko’s anger was palpable as he stalked on to the deck. Iroh’s face was a look of concern as he watched Zuko clench and unclench his fists. I chewed my bottom lip as I slowly walked onto the deck behind Iroh, who shared a concerned look with me. My heart increased its pace in my chest as I opened my mouth to say something to the Prince.

“Zuko—“ I started, but Zuko whipped around on his heel and his golden eyes were bright with rage.

“You don’t get the right to call me Zuko.” He snapped in anger. “You’re a good-for-nothing princess who doesn’t understand her place.” My breath hitched as I prepared myself for whatever else he was about to say. “I can understand why my father wants me to find the Avatar, but I can’t begin to wrap my head around why the hell he wants me to marry you.”

“You’re prancing around this ship like it’s a vacation home. Cooking with the crew, cleaning the decks, and not to mention you’re waterbending during the full moon.“ Keeping my face straight, I felt hurt cloud my heart as Zuko spoke his next words with so much hate. “You make cookies to compensate for what you lack as a person. You’re a pathetic excuse for a princess, and I hate that you’re my betrothed.”

Zuko was breathing heavily as he finished his rant, and I swallowed the lump in my throat in a pathetic excuse to calm the tears forming in my eyes. Silence fell upon the entire boat as I composed myself. Part of me wanted to scream at him that he wasn’t the only one suffering here. A tiny part of me wanted to wrap him in a cocoon of ice and then walk away. Another part of me wanted to hug him because I could see he was frustrated, and I was the only person who he was set on taking his anger upon.

I did none of those things as I shook my head and walked away. His words cut me deep, but I refused to let him see the tears that silently fell from my eyes as I made haste to my bedroom. Once behind the security of the closed door, I let the tsunami wave of tears flow as I cried into my pillow.

After a few hours of crying, I lay in bed and I stared at the ceiling. My eyes were no doubt red and puffy from the amount of crying I had done. Though my eyes burned, I could not tempt my body into a thoughtless slumber. So, instead of sleeping, I got up from bed and lit the oil lamp on my desk. I grabbed some blank pieces of paper and a pencil then began doing the one thing that would distract me the most right now: draw.

Tag List @chevysstuffs @puttyly @ginger24880 @night-fall-moon @hypnoticbeing

[writers-potion]

Aight I just remembered what I was gonna ask. I think It'll be my second ask because I do remember I submitted the same question I wanna ask months ago HAHA

Okay so, I'm writing a story that explores a lot of subjects, one of them is morality

So... How do you make a fictional religion feel "real" in a sense? Like I know there'll be shrines, temples, and stuff but I need to know more than just that.

Take your time and thank you! ✨

Writing Realistic Fictional Religion

Hi! Thank you for the question :)

Please refer to my posts about writing hateful gods and writing deities for stuff about writing gods! I'll talk more about writing religion in general here.

Religious Hierarchy

Think about how you'd want your religion to be structured:

Polytheism: the belief in many gods.

Monotheism: the belief in a single, all-powerful god.

Atheism: the belief in no gods. A belief in nothing is stil a belief.

Are there tiers of gods? (Gods above Gods)?

Is there a "Mother God" or "Father God" that must be worshipped over everything else?

How are religious leaders selected and trained?

What kind of actions (celibacy, vegetarianism) do the believers need to do in order to be a faithful person? Is there a consequence when they don't do this?

Religious Texts

The most important question a religious text should aim to answer is: where did the world (and therefore, us) come from?

Here are some story patterns you can use:

Creatio Ex Nihilo: God creates the world from nothing

Creation from Chaos: God introduced order into a chaotic world

Primal Couple: The first "couple" gives birth to the world

World Parent: A god sacrifices (a part) of their body to construct the world's elements.

Emergence: Before the current world, there existed another world. After a period of time is over, a new world emerges.

Earth-Diver: A deity sends over a person/animal, etc. to construct a world out of the barren land they've created.

This "Origin Story" will dicate the basic values that your religion thinks is the most important.

Religious Practices

You have the freedom to invent your own religious practices. When you are trying to invent one, consider:

The weather. Is the Sun in your world so blazing that all religious festivals are only held during the night?

What can you not do in the name of religion? Are you not allowed to have stuffed animals in your bed? Not eat blue stuff?

Who are the people that work the most during festivals/worship ceremonies? Are slaves exploited to prepare the feast? Are the women the only ones that works while the men sing? Are animals tortured or exploited in the process?

Sacrifices. What/when/how do you offer sacrifices?

You can also think about:

Who determines the kind of religious practices the other people have to follow?

Are the reliigous practice discriminatory and if yes, who do they benefit?

Religious Locations

Historically, religious lands have had the power to have its own rules and be protected. which will provide a good

One Location vs. Many: Is there a shrine in every home/street, or is everyone required to report to the city square every Saturday?

The Ruler's Castle: Sometimes, the king is considered to be the "son of god" and the palace is therefore the most sacred place.

One Unreachable Location: It can also be that in order to be ruly faithful, you need to visit a place that is so unreachable that people die trying.

A Moving Location: Does the god choose their new home every year?

A Constructable Location: If you draw a circle in bone ash, does the patch of land inside it become holy and no ghost can enter it? What if you lack faith and the circle construction doesn't work at a time you need it the most?

Question of Morality and Religion

While many religions preach equality and kindnes, it has been used to justify conflict and discriminate those who do not believe in it.

Does the deity promote such violence? Or is it the bad leaders?

Is the deity uncritical towards such behavior? Or do they actively step in?

Is the God falliable? Like the modern-day presidents, is the god's survival/power somehow dependent on the believers? Is that why they stay silent even when bad things are being done in their name?

Does the god favor rich people?

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* . ───

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[ahiddenpath]

Hidden's Digimon Fanfics

Happy Odaiba Day! I'm so happy to celebrate with Chosen around the world!

I've listed my Digimon fanfics beneath the cut!  If you’re looking for some digifics to read on this beautiful Odaiba Day, oh boy, have I got you! :D  I’m ahiddenpath on both AO3 and FFN. Please log into AO3 to see all of my works, and please note that some of my older works are only on FFN.

Canon Setting Stories

After August

Status: complete, Ships: none/general, Rating: general

Summary:  “A few days ago, they were the Chosen. Now they were just a bunch of bereft, displaced kids.” When the Chosen return to earth, they have difficulty resuming their old lives. The story dips into everyone’s perspectives as they struggle to overcome the trauma they faced in the Digital World and their longing for their digimon so they can rally around Taichi once more.

Infinite Possibilities

Status: in progress, Ships: none/general, Rating: teen

Art commissioned from kbondoxxxxav.

Summary: As more people meet their digimon partners, the challenges of digimon and humans coexisting on earth cannot be ignored. College student Anami Eimi begins her career in digimon research, hoping to help digimon and humans understand one another. When she discovers caged digimon in her new lab, she contacts the Japanese Chosen, setting off a chain of events that force the Chosen and their digimon to reevaluate the dynamics of their partnership.

This fic is set pre and post Kizuna, and is a mostly canon compliant expansion. It's a three phase story, the first starring OC Anami Eimi, then Izumi Koushiro, then Yagami Hikari. It explores the realities, challenges, and politics of digimon living on earth, and the nature of the Chosen/digimon partnership.

Can the Chosen and their digimon find the infinite possibilities that will sustain their partnerships into adulthood?

Ladybug House

Status: complete, Ships: general/Taishiro-ish, Rating: general

Summary:  After his seniors graduated and Mimi moved away, Koushiro is the last of the older Chosen attending his high school. Although Koushiro doesn’t let it show, Tentomon senses that he’s lonely and joins him on his commute to school. When the harsh cold of winter makes Tentomon shut down, Koushiro asks him to stay home instead of braving the elements. Tentomon refuses, citing Koushiro’s loneliness. This pushes Koushiro to reconnect with his friends, and he starts with the one he misses most…Focuses on the relationships between Koushiro and Tentomon and Koushiro and Taichi. Taishiro written in such a way that it can be interpreted as platonic or romantic. Explores what it means to be an adult and forge an adult life. Post Tri, pre Kizuna, canon setting. Complete oneshot.Minor characters: Kae Izumi, Daisuke, Miyako, Takeru, Hikari

Masks

Status: Complete,  Ships:  None/general, Rating: general

Summary:  Following the events of Kizuna, the Chosen slowly lose their digimon partners, all while struggling to launch their adult lives. Takeru has been smiling through it all, but Yamato is beginning to sense that he needs more help than he lets on… A story exploring grief, seeking, giving, and accepting emotional support, and navigating the line between expressing what you’re comfortable expressing and knowing when to seek help. Complete oneshot.

Sans San

Status: Complete,  Ships:  None/general, Rating: general

Summary: It’s New Year’s Day, and Koushiro and his parents are observing Hatsumode, the first shrine visit of the year. There, he runs into Taichi, who helps him achieve last year’s resolution. A short story about support and being loved as you are while still committing yourself to growth <3 Cover art gifted by a dear friend.

Mostly Canon Setting Stories (ie, canon setting with some differences, like OCs, non-canon couples, etc)

Growing Up with You

Art commissioned from Mitty (Tumblr deleted).

Status: complete, Ships: Koushiro x OC in the later half, Rating: general to teen

Summary:  A slow, simple story about relationships over time. The story focuses on Koushiro and OC Anami Eimi, following them through their childhood through the events of 01, 02, some of the movies, and beyond. This story is great for you if you love Koushiro and stories that are mostly canon.

Tri: Integrity Lens

Status: In progress, Ships: Koushiro x OC, Rating: teen

Summary:  Sequel to Growing Up with You. Follows Digimon Adventure Tri primarily through the eyes of OC Anami Eimi and Izumi Koushiro. This story is fantastic for you if you love Koushiro, or if you’d enjoy a retelling of Tri that emphasizes Chosen proactiveness.

A Gentleman’s Wager

Status: Complete, Ships: Koushiro x OC, Daiken, Taichi x OC Rating: teen

Summary:   When Taichi notices Koushiro’s stubble, things somehow snowball into a facial hair growing contest between most of the male Chosen Children. Humor/romance/drama. One shot.

Public Eye

Status: Complete, Ships: Daiken, Rating: teen

Summary:  Despite their best efforts, the Chosen couldn’t escape fame following their digimon adventures. When Daisuke and Ken’s relationship is exposed in a local tabloid, the backlash threatens their tenuous romance.

Exploration

Status: In progress, Ships: OC x Daisuke, Daiken, OC x Koushiro

Summary: An AU story where Motomiya Daisuke, Anami Eimi, Ichijouji Ken, and Izumi Koushiro are undergraduate students in 2024. This four chapter explicit story follows their exploration of sexuality and relationships in a consensual, queer-friendly way.

See You Soon

Status: Complete, Ships: Jyoumi, Rating: general

Summary:  Two independent Jyoumi short stories themed on long distance relationships.

AU Fics

So You Were Alive

Status: Complete, Ships: none/general, Rating: general

Summary:  Greymon meets Garurumon in the network and is glad to see that his friend is alive. Explores the possible (if unlikely) connection between the Agumon in the Digimon Adventure Reboot (Digimon Adventure:/Digimon Psi) and the Digimon Adventure Agumon. Oneshot. Contains spoilers for the Kizuna novelization and the first two episodes of Digimon Adventure:/Digimon Adventure Reboot/Digimon Psi.

Puits d’Amour

Art gifted by a dear friend.​

Status: In progress, Ships: Sorato (main), Jyoumi, others to come, Rating: general audiences

Summary:  Yamato and his brother, Takeru, were born to royal parents from different countries, who wed to seal the peace between their warring nations. The brothers were sent to live in Autun, their mother’s country, until coming of age- and now, Yamato is old enough to return to Hakone, his father’s country, where he will one day rule. Displaced and missing his home and his brother, Yamato wanders into a café selling pastries he often ate in Autun… And meets Sora, a woman who exudes welcome and comfort. A bakery/royalty AU about finding your home and your path.Main characters: Yamato, Sora, Jyou, Takeru, Mimi, but the entire Adventure/02 cast is included

Four Years

art by beeps (Tumblr deleted)

Status: In progress, Ships: Izzy x OC, Sorato, Jyoumi, others to come, Rating: mature

Summary:  An AU story where the older Adventure kids go to an American college. English dub names and personalities. Izzy/OC, Sorato, Jyoumi, Tai/?, some Takari. A story full of romance, laughs, drama, and fun things like partying and classes. The kids still have a lot of growing up to do, and they need each other to heal old hurts and go forward.  English dub names and personalities.

An added note for this one- I’m slowly editing and reposting.  There are a lot more chapters on FFN than AO3, so if you want to read everything available, go to FFN.

The Ouija Board

Status: Complete, Ships: Izzy x OC, Sorato, Jyoumi, Tai x OC, implied Daiken, Takari, Rating: teen

Summry:  Companion piece to Four Years, set in the future of the story.  English dub names and personalities.  Tai and Davis drag the boys to a local cemetery to invoke the spirits on Halloween night. Strange things start happening afterwards, especially to Izzy. When the boys finally own up to their seance, Amy is aghast to learn that they broke all of the rules a Ouija board puts in place to keep spirits in their own world… A four chapter humor/horror story.

Seeking Resonance

Status: Complete, Ships: Koushiro x OC, Takari, Sorato, Mimi x OC, (Included couples that are not end game: Koumi, Jyou x OC) Rating: teen

Summary:   An AU story that follows Koushiro as his long distance relationship with Mimi begins to falter, then branches out to include the friends who touch his life.  This is an emotionally complex story about the Adventure gang in their late 20s/early 30s trying to figure out what they need and how to be happy.

Voices

Status: Complete, Ships: Sorato, Jyoumi, Koushiro x OC, Taichi x OC, Takari mentions Rating: teen

Summary:   An AU fic set in Odaiba, featuring the older Chosen (Taichi, Yamato, Sora, Koushiro, Jyou, Mimi, and OC Eimi). The story follows them through their first year of high school in real time using journal entries, focusing on portraying character, and on delivering an authentic Japanese high school experience. Read on for teenage hijinks and school life :)

Crackfics

A Debtor’s Hell

Status: Complete, Ships: general/Taishiro-ish, Rating: teen

Summary:  Koushiro is in danger of failing his gym practical, and Taichi spends hours coaching him to pass. Suddenly, Koushiro finds himself in debt to his best friend, and when Taichi calls in the favor, our favorite nerd has no way out… Part actual content, part silly humor. Oneshot. Cross-dressing and some OOC moments.

[ganondoodle]

Oh man I saw your totk issues post and I agree 100%!! Those are all things that have really bothered me about playing totk, and things that made playing it not nearly as fun (the dungeons, the shrines, the building, etc).

Especially the map!! When I tell you I was so disappointed by the maps on totk, I was hoping for something new! It really just feels like a modded botw, not an official sequel.

I was wondering what your thoughts are on the concept of “what if they had sent link to the past instead”? So the surface map would feature huge differences in the land forms and buildings that exist, and we’d get to see more ganon whenever he visits Hyrule, or go out to the desert to see Gerudo town, etc.

If they really wanted no sheika tech, they could also just have it being newly built? And you could introduce the new characters and such, etc etc.

(I also think the past champions are such a missed opportunity? If botw is about grief and loneliness, and finding hope in the hopeless, and Totk is about coming together despite that, it could have been really interesting if Link had gone to the past! They could have used the past setting as an eerie reminder to what Link and Zelda had lost when the Calamity struck!)

THAT BEING SAID: I’m not as familiar with the legend of Zelda lore, and haven’t played totk very much! I wanted to know your thoughts on this because you seem to have a lot of story and game mechanic knowledge that could explain why this could be a bad/good idea!

(Plus, your discussions are always super interesting to read, as is your custom totk lore, so I’d love to know what you think���)

I’m sorry if you’ve already answered an ask like this! If that’s the case, feel free to point that out and I’ll go through your ask tag if you have one:) I hope you have a great day!⭐️

Hi!

im glad you enjoy my rants, i often feel like im being overly mean but tbh were else could i just rant as much as my heart desires without getting spammed by annoying people (certainly not on twitter lol)

i have talked alot, and i mean ALOT, about totk and my issues with it, both lore and gameplay wise, i dont claim to be an expert on any, though i am an old zelda fan and aspiring gamedev, i really only talk about what i feel about it, what i think about it, and by all means im biased as hell xD

if you dont know yet, the "ganondoodles rants" tag is where all my rants go, so if you are interested in reading more on my totk thoughts thats the way to search (given tumblrs search in blog works ..)

and to answers your question, i have touched on it briefly, sending link back in time before the shiekah tech existed would have been an easy way to excuse how they jsut got .. rid of it, bc they didnt, it literally didnt exist yet- and for reusing the map- though that argument falls a little flat bc ... they coud have already done that in present totk, like i brought up in one of said rants, things like flooding gerudo desert, collapsing death mountain, drying out zoras domain etc, and changing the location of the main populations would have already done alot without having to redo the map in its entirety;

the little changes to map itself really wouldnt that big of a deal if they didnt also send you to the EXACT same locations AND repeat the SAME LOCATIONS AGAIN but in the underground, like thats a fact i have talked about multiple times bc its so illogical in every way, anywhere theres a settlement on the surface theres a bigger mine below, its so stupid, the shrines conenct to a lightroot, the same, again, you dont need to explore bc theres nothing TO explore (its also extra weird bc theres one below taburasa (tarrey town) which .... link literally build with dumsda (hudson) a few years ago .. unless that got retconned too idk wth do i know anymore honestly- AND it makes the sonau extra weird bc why the hell do they have a bigass mine under every settlement ESPECIALLY UNDER GERUDO TOWN like, that just adds to my suspicions towards them)

anyway, link to the past was the point and yes, it could have solved a few issues (mainly shiekah tech and the whole "story" taking place AGAIN in the past completely disconnected from you the player) i personally am not so much a fan of it, but that mostly comes down to me just not liking time travel, i dont like going back in time, i want to play and do things in the here and now, i want to repair the damages of the calamity, find out its origins, maybe fix that too, i love to learn about past stuff too, but that more in text, no literal flashback (unless done well), i want to connect to the past but it also holds alot of mystery that maybe shouldnt be touched upon, some mysteries and unkowns are much more interesting when left as such, i want to THINK about things and come to conclusions that are logical and makes sense in hindsight even if it wasnt clear at the start, i dont want information and what to think about it told to my face over and over like im stupid

after botw i really didnt care much about the past, maybe about the acient hero who alot of people specualted to be of gerudo origin due to its red hair- which also got a monkeys paw curled bc in totk they do sth with but its so stupid and insulting that i do not accept it as canon, say what they want, there are no dog people anywhere in the past nor present botw/totk wtf is that i hate it- and its not even .. why is that the reward for that, it has literally NOTHING TO DO WITH TOTK ITSELF I COULD YELLLL AAAARGH

main point is that really, i wanted to explore the past .. in the present, i hoped to find broken old shiekah structures, old labs and maybe some left over damage and records from when the old king persecuted the shiekah for their tech, i wanted to know where the ancient energy the shiekah used was coming from, what the boss arena in the middle of hyrule castle really was- so many things just discarded and acted like they never happened or mattered; i dont want to travel into the past, i want to discover whats left of it, piece it together, discover dark secrets you can ask no one about bc all that knew about it are long gone- thats what intrigued me about botw, it felt like there was so much left to discover only for totk to throw it all away and just do its own thing .. but not commit to that hard enough either so its neither its own thing nor a sequel-

.. that wasnt really what you wanted to know was it? xD sorry i tend to ramble on if someone seems to give me permission to

to sum it up, i think it COULD work, sending link to the past instead, if done well, but so could canon totk have been, it could have been done well but wasnt for reasons i dont know and tbh even fear bc i worry its sets a dark future ahead of zelda; i personalyl am just not a fan of time travel so i dont have that much to say to it :O

[missmyloko]

What's In a Name? Part 25

On The Seventh Day of Fun I present... an addition to the oldest series! You'd think I'd be running out of kanji by now, and I admit that it's getting harder to find ones that I haven't covered, but you're in luck as here's a few that have yet to see the spotlight! Maru - 丸 Prefix or Suffix: Both Old Meaning: Circle New (Standardized) Meaning: Circle Found In: All Five Kagai A very masculine kanji, its main meaning is that of a circle, but it's also used as a suffix in the naming of important objects, such as ships, swords, musical instruments, etc. For these examples we'll be keeping to the main meaning, but just keep in mind the second meaning when thinking about how a person can present with that name. Examples 八重丸 Yaemaru (Gion Kobu): "Multi-Layered Circle," pretty straightforward yet also quite poetic. 千恵丸 Chiemaru (Pontocho): "1,000 Blessed Circles," this one's really neat as Maru has another hidden meaning: that of money! So, this could also translate as "1,000 Blessed Coins"! 勝丸 Katsumaru (Kamishichiken): "Victorious Circle," This is an extremely masculine name that likens to that of a battleship! 丸代 Maruyo (Miyagawa Cho): "Circular Era," let's do the time warp again? 福丸 Fukumaru (Gion Higashi): "Lucky Circle," like with the example of Chiemaru, this one could also use the hidden meaning of money and mean "Lucky Coin"! Hatsu - 初 Prefix or Suffix: Both Old Meaning: First New (Standardized) Meaning: First Found In: Gion Kobu, Pontocho, and Gion Higashi Hatsu is the kanji of firsts for events and milestones. Since people in Japan are celebrating Hatsumōde 初詣, the first shrine visits of the year, today it's quite the appropriate kanji. Examples 初福 Hatsufuku (Gion Kobu): "Beginner's Luck," plainly this one could mean "First Luck," but it's easier to translate it as the above. 豆初 Mamehatsu (Pontocho): "New Bean," since it's being used as a suffix it's describing the bean in this case, but it could also mean "First Bean." 初子 Hatsuko (Gion Higashi): "First Child," pretty straightforward, could also mean "Firstborn." Ji/Haru - 治 Prefix or Suffix: Suffix Old Meaning: Reign, Peace, or Heal New (Standardized) Meaning: Reign, Peace, or Heal Found In: All Five Kagai This kanji's a bit on the archaic side and doesn't have a very clear meaning, but it's a gentle kanji that brings prosperity. Examples 長治 Chōji (Gion Kobu): "Long Reign," this one could also mean "Long Peace." 幸治 Yukiharu (Pontocho): "Peaceful Happiness," pretty straightforward but a very happy sounding name! 秀治 Hideji (Kamishichiken): "Excellent Ruler," this meaning seemed to fit the best with the paired kanji. 美代治 Miyoharu (Miyagawa Cho): "Era of a Beautiful Rule(r)," this one can be mixed around to make a few combinations, but this one came out sounding the best. 豊治 Toyoji (Gion Higashi): "Excellent Reign," the meaning is nearly identical to that of Hideji, but "豊" can also mean "Wealth," so another meaning for this name can be "Wealthy Reign/Ruler."

[castleinthemist]

like. the thing i saw thrown around with pentimenty (and i've aired my greivences with this before but i feel magnified on it after playing prey 2017) was people saying 'it's a game where th choices don't matter' ONLY because they do not affect the major plot beats, or rather, they have very little bearing on how the overall structure of those beats will play out.

The execution will always occur, the peasents will revolt, the mural will be painted.

And so the strenght of the game isn't how you affect those it's how you affect the interpersonal relationship, waht you choose to share with them or withhold, and dynamics of characters in the town of tassing. The town. Which is in a way it's own character. That's why the game's acts take place over years, with much time in-between them ,you're seeing the effects of what you've chosen to do, the effects of how characters relate to each other and the small adjustments that occur based on your choices, your background, etc

it restricts your time with it (but makes clear what does pass time and what doesn't) so that you'll almost always find something new to see based on 'when' you choose to do it. Who you have dinner with and on what day, when you go and check a shrine or pass the waterfall, go visit this off the beaten path track and see something you mightn't have prior and such. Like, I missed an entire card game. and entire mini-game. And it didn't have a large bearing on the overall structure of the game but now i'm like 'oh cool! how do i get to that point? That hints that there was a whoel thing going on [there] that i could've seen and now i get to see that and my choices on the backgrounds may affect it.'

[quaranmine]

Hello, it's me the anon who write about their thoughts, intepretation and message about your fic. I'm glad you like my thoughts and such. I deeply appreciated it. Say i have a few questions, i was browsing your blog see. And i saw that you or someone you possibly reblog linked two other fics that connected to 'The incandescene of a dying light' universe. And i wanna ask is this canon to the first fic? Because if so, that's cool that the others are being inspired to write and attempt to connect their fics to your universe fic. Also i know this is probably irrelevant but i got ask. How are Scar and Grian doing to the year 2020 on the fic? Is scar still working to shoshone national park to this year i mention or he retired a long time ago? Is there an age limit for the employees working for the national forest like at this age you be immediately or forcedly retired with small benefits package just for your safety? Also i wonder what Grian and Scar reactions to the invention of the internet and smartphones during the 1990-2010's because i just take a little research about international calls during the 1980-1990's and ugh... that's a hefty price to pay for such calls. No wonder people avoid staying too long on international calls. Because the phones bills man, it's gonna burn your wallet. Anyway that's all of my questions. I hope i didn't bother or anythin' about my questions. Have a good time, writer.

Hello, nice to see you again in my inbox!!

Yes, my story has inspired several recursive works (which is the term for a fanfic of a fanfic) and I'd like to give them a shout-out!

I Waved Goodbye to the End of Beginning by @crazypercheron is a fantastic multi-chaptered work set the year after the main fic took place. It's about Cub visiting Scar's lookout and trying to offer him comfort as he realizes Something happened last year. It has a slower pace than the main story and really expands on a lot of details about Scar's life as a lookout.

The Evergreens Enfold the Shrine by @darkaviarymc is an amazing little story that asks the question of how Mumbo's story will be perceived later, through some college students (Gem, Etho, Beef) in 1995 telling a ghost story about Mumbo.

From Embers by @honeylashofficial is a great oneshot set in the same universe (but not directly referencing the main fic) about what happens when Impulse and Skizz go hiking in the forest and get injured.

The Phosphorescence of a Glimmer in Extrimis by TotallyNotAPlant is a little crack AU in which Mumbo is just. A cryptid in the forest.

Of these, TotallyNotAPlant's story is definitely not canon since it's a crack story, but the other three are sort of....dubious canon? Half-canon? They're not fully canon because they were not written by me, and I might have made different choices. (This does not mean I dislike the choices anyone has made, it just simply means we all have our own unique styles as writers. I am thrilled that other people are finding their own meaning in my work and I don't want to dissuade them from doing so by demanding they fit my exact mental framework.) Since they are recursive works, I cannot guarantee I won't ever end up causing continuity errors if I upload something new because I do have a few other works in this AU that might get uploaded. However, I'm incredibly pleased with the work that all these lovely writers have done, and I am willing to work around what they're doing if I can!

Scar and Grian are doing great in present day! I think they'd benefit from being able to communicate more easily now. Scar may or may not be retired by now--without taking exact birthdays into account, he'd be about 64 in 2020 since he was 33 in the main fic (and 68 today.) Grian would be approx. 59 in 2020 and 63 in 2024 (but i am not incorporating exact birthdays into this.)

As far as I know there isn't an age requirement for fire lookouts, just the physical requirements like being able to hike/haul water/chop wood etc. I have seen videos/read about older lookouts. The only Forest Service age requirements I know of is that wildland firefighters must be under 37, and law enforcement officers must be under 37 when appointed. Otherwise there is not an age where you are forced out of typical federal service, just an age you're eligible to retire like all jobs.

Based on federal hiring, Scar would either be a temporary appointment (<6 months, can be rehired on a yearly basis but not guaranteed. Most common for fire lookouts) or seasonal permanent (must work minimum 6 months, guaranteed rehire with benefits and retirement.) I'd prefer him to be seasonal permanent just for his, like, quality of life but his fire lookout appointment is only 5 months so he doesn't immediately qualify. Maybe they keep him on at the office for an additional month after fire season ends. It might be most likely that he was hired as a recurring temporary employee for the first few years and then offered a seasonal permanent position. OPM has information about how this worked in the 80s but it's a bit too in the weeds for me to bother with LOL.

The real question isn't his retirement or age though--it's if the lookout is even still in service. I personally do not think it would be. There are VERY few lookouts left in the 2020s. I found an article from 2016 that said there were only 3 left in operation in Wyoming, and I don't even know if that's still true 8 years later. There's plenty of out-of-service ones remaining, and you can easily rent them for a night to sleep in on recreation.gov. But very few remain staffed. By the time the story is set, most lookouts are already out of service. I think it's likely his lookout would go out of service somewhere in the 90s. I think he'd work there til it went out of service, but I don't think this is a job he can keep the rest of his career. He might be offered a career transitional job in the Forest Service after that but I don't know if he'd take it or not. He could be an interpreter or some other seasonal job. To me the loss of a fire lookout job isn't a sad ending for him though--it's just how life and careers change :) I don't really have a clear idea of what he'd do instead. He has a lot of random skills picked up from the work he does in the off season and I think he'd pretty easily find something else to pick up.

Reactions to internet: well, Grian's going to have to learn computer stuff to do his job! Remember how Mumbo was learning computer aided design but Grian didn't know much about computers? Yeah, buddy, AutoCAD is about to become an industry staple for architects in the 90s so you need to keep up. Poor Grian with all his hand-drafting skills.

In @darkaviarymc's fic there's a bit about Scar being active on those mid-90s message boards that I LOVE. I think he totally would do that and have all this knowledge about the outdoors but also weirdly specific extra knowledge. And tons of misspellings of course.

Grian and Scar would keep in touch. The growing accessibility of the internet would only help. The phone bills...yeah there's no great way around that in the early years. I also like to think Scar goes to visit Grian in England since he's never been at the time of the main story :)

[chernobog13]

Gamera making a mess in Kyoto Station during the climatic fight in Gamera 3: Revenge of Iris (1999).

At the time this film was released there were probably many people who cheered the two kaiju destroying the station.  Completed in 1997, the new station building is very modern design in a very old, very traditional, least modern city in Japan.  The local populace were not too keen on it at all.

In the ensuing 20+ years, though, Kyoto has become quite proud of its train station.

Kyoto Station is Japan’s second largest station buildings (Nagoya is larger), and is one of the biggest buildings in the country.

It is 15-storeys tall, and incorporates a shopping mall, a department store, a movie theater, a hotel, government offices, and dozens of restaurants.  Heck, the 10th floor is home to nearly two dozen ramen restaurants alone.

This staircase at one end of the station has animated lights in each step that display numerous different messages and images all day long.

Among the numerous other sites in Kyoto that one should see when visiting - temples, shrines, Toei Studios, etc. - the train station is worth a look as well.

I’m just glad they were able to repair all the damage Gamera and Iris did by the time I visited.

Photos by me, except for Gamera of course.

[minevn]

How do they celebrate the new year?

Minato: Minato invites you to visit the shrine with him and his grandparents. Since it’s cold out Minato will offer his coat if you’re still cold. Minato’s grandparents tease you two a bit, embarrassing Minato. After visiting the shine the four of you head home and Minato’s grandmother bakes a cake and makes the most delicious dinner you’ve had in your life.

Haruto: it’s tradition that you two spend new years together! It used to be you heading over to his house to celebrate and head to the shrine but then his parents… so now he heads over to your place and you two head over to the shrine together. It’s also the only time where Haruto is fine with you hanging out with Kage because he knows Kage won’t go out. Haruto makes sure to always give you extra winter clothes to wear when you two head out towards the shrine. He gets the same fortune he’s gotten every single time. Spends the night with you and if you’re dating he makes sure to kiss you at 12

Jun: Typically spends new years with her sister and sadly her parents. tags along whenever Aki spends new years with you and Haruto though! When you and Jun are dating Jun just tags along with you and Haruto just to spite him. Afterwards you two will head home and bake a cake together and warm up under the covers watching awful rom-coms

Hoshi: Spends new years setting up pranks and cooking food. Hates the cold weather so he doesn’t like going outside, you’ll have to force him to go outside. The first time he spent new years with you is when his dad invited you over saying you’re part of the family because you work at the restaurant. It was awkward and Hoshi hated having to go to the shrine. When you two get closer he’ll go to the shrine with you if you want and if you wanted to spend new years with Haruto he’ll tag along.

Habiki: He typically spends all night outside by the shrines. He starts off going with his dad and Hoshi if they can get him to go, and then dad and Hoshi will head home and Habiki gets carried away and spends hours just enjoying the cold and watching the people. He basically has the same routine with you, he’ll stay at the shrine for hours and it’d be nice if you stuck around, if you want to head home though, he’ll walk you home.

Kage: He doesn’t typically go out. He stays inside watching anime or gaming. He’ll come out if you’re over and stutter a hi. Not much changes when you two get closer or start dating. He prefers staying inside but he’ll spend his time inside with you! If you really wanted him to he’d go outside and freeze, has no fat on his body to keep him warm. He’ll actually get a good fortune.

Kei: Spends new years watching you, his family has basically disowned him. If you're at the shrine he'll go himself, just to be a little closer to you, right there in the present. He'll be right behind you and you won't even realize it. Once you head home so does he and he watches you from the cameras he has access to everywhere. When you're together he'll go to the shrines with you and then has cute couple activities set up for when you two get home. He'll have some objects for your favorite hobby set out(ex: reading-books, drawing-pencils and paper, etc etc), He'll have your favorite food and drink made already, and he has a sweet set of your favorite dessert, then he has a list of your favorite movies set out and ready to watch and a few new gifts.

Yani: Has typically spent every new years locked outside while her family celebrated, was lucky if she even got to go inside the dog house(they don't have a dog, it was a gift for Yani for when she was good). Wasn't ever allowed to go to the shrines. New years with you would be the first time Yani has ever done anything like it! Happily greets you. Is so confused that he ACTUALLY gets to go to the shrine and asks if he's been good enough to be able to. You don't understand and Yani drops it instantly. Every time you celebrate something with Yani or is kind to them they realize that their family was not normal and wrong. Has no clue how to celebrate, you'll have to show Yani the ropes. But you guys figure out fun stuff to do every year from now on :3

Aki: Doesn't spend new years with her family that much anymore since they don't like Jun, so Aki just spends new years with Jun. She'll meet up with you and Haruto at the shrines typically and you guys do all your hanging out there, then you two part and that's it. When you two start dating though Aki plans for a lot more and she's taking you away from Haruto. She has a picture book of you two from when you were younger until present day and she'll look through it with you and reminisce. She'll bring up the idea of scrapbooking and show you a gift she's been working on which is just an aesthetic version of the picture book. This year she want to do a collab scrapbook with you though, its okay if you say no or don't work on it everyday, she'll still do it! So now you two make scrapbooks for every year of fun with each other to give to each other and look back on

[abyssal-cryptid]

Even more Tears of the Kingdom thoughts (SPOILERS)

I cant figure out how long after Calamity this game is set. It's got to be at least some years, everyone else has changed but Link and Zelda

Link and Zelda have lived this time together in Link's house in Hateno <<33

Their Well holds Zelda's secret room

Also yes every well in this game has something so my favorite thing rn is just jumping into wells

Zelda had a school built to Hateno because she loves kids

I hate how so many people in this game who should know who Link is dont know him

You mean to tell Ive been living in Hateno for years and no one recognises me

Zelda is still referred to as princess which implies she hasnt allowed herself to be crowned queen

Ive spent like three hours just strolling in Hateno

I did get the camera and my enjoyment of the game has increased tenfold

HATENO TECH LAB HAS A RUINED GUARDIAN I REPEAT HATENO HAS A GUARDIAN REMAIN

Im so excited I missed seeing these everywhere

Purah's room has drawings of them and the divine beasts

You can just pick up the koroks who need to be reunited w their friends with ultrahand and carry them wherever they want to go. They also roll down hills

Me @ the forbidden ruins in Kakariko: "Let me in, let me innnn"

SIDON HAS A FIANCE

IM SO DISTRAUGHT

THEY SAW US SHIP LINK AND SIDON AND WENT "none of that here is his gf"

HUDSON HAS A DAUGHTER <<33

This game has cheese. I can die happy now

I am taking the elevator up every time I see a falling rock

Went to Akkala Citadel Ruins. Was looking at the views. SUDDENLY EVERYTHING GOES RED AND HANDS ARE CHASING ME WHAT THE FUCK

The way they dont let my boy have his long hair out on any fits is criminal. Could have tweaked the armor sets that much

Why is Zelda appearing everywhere and being an evil menace??? Zelda tf is going on w you?? Arent you supposed to be in the past

They looked at me, specifically, loving side quests more than my life and going "we have to give them more" and this is a good day

There's a golden horse???

Also I heard Yunobo is a dick in this??? Not my boy :(

I go to the Zora tower and there is a man nearly dead

ALSO OH MY GOD WHY DID ZELDA ATTACK KING DOREPHAN

Man was dying (Lets hope this doesnt age poorly because I dont think I could handle it)

So its been like five years at least since BOTW ended and like. Why does no one remember me and also where did all these new people come from that didnt exist here couple years ago?? Where were yall?? Having tea??

Kilton has a little brother <3

I should get back to the "first" main questline as in the Rito are dying in a blizzard but there's pretty flowers and mayoral elections

Did I already mention they did not nerf bows? They didnt and I love that, archers for life

Also I lost Hestu again and I need more inventory

I am afraid to venture into the Korok Forest

Stables are so fun. You get points from first visit, staying the night, registering horses etc AND THEY GIVE YOU REWARDS

I got the Traveler's Gear for General (my baby boy horse)

I found Big Horse and named him Babylon

Also saved this one guy stuck in a cave

Starting to get to a point where enemies drop 15-30 fuse power parts and life is getting easier

Ive activated like 20 shrines since I last did a bunch. I havent done them because what if I have to build vehicles (bad)

I miss cryonis

Havent done much in the sky tbh

I want my champions tunic. I however dont feel like going to the castle

Where the fuck is Ganondorf

I could always see him in BOTW I dont like this

I am kind of disappointed they didnt change the looks of old armor sets. HOWEVER. Cece's hat is all Im going to say. I wonder if I can wear that to Gerudo town

Im still a one shot to so many things

The Zora are dying (their water is turning into mud)

Gorons have malice pink eyes so dont trust theyre doing too well either

Barbarian armor fits so well with Link's messy long hair

Im still kind of shocked that the sheikah tech is just gone

How do I get into Hateno tech lab

Some of yall are actually building vehicles? Im avoiding that like the plague

Still salty about Sidon

I get taken for a little while and he gets engaged

His fiance did refer to Sidon as "my best friend"

The quote went "Im Prince Sidon's... oh forgive me. I am your best friend's fiancee"

She us cute but still

ALSO THEY MOVED MIPHA'S STATUE TO THE TOP OF PLOYMUS MOUNTAIN

THE ZORA'S DOMAIN STATUE IS NOW OF LINK AND SIDON

Why cant I marry him

Sidon carries Mipha's trident now (sobs)

When you meet him he goes "Its good to see you my friend" so happily

"By the way... I hope you know that I am truly happy to see you again after such a long time apart, my dearest friend"

I sobbed

He loves us so much

Just go visit him

Sidon wont marry me and Sonia and Rauru are married, cant a man find some love in Hyrule

[foster-the-world]

Japan

Japan was great for 9 out of 12 days. Such an amazing place. So much stuff the kids love. The highlight was def staying at my friends farmstay. She makes the most amazing food all from local sources. Brought home two bags of rice that her French husband farms. So delicious. We saw so much in such a short period of time. I think we had a good mixture of kid things and culture sights. On our fourth shrine Rebel said "not this place, again" HA HA! The girls are great and trying new foods. They were easy peasy on the 14hr + flights. Japanese often use Onsen - traditional hot springs that are split by sex and don't allow swimsuits. Wasn't sure how the girls would feel about it but they loved it. They called them naked pools. :)

Unluckily, we dealt with two illnesses and one lost purse. On Day 1 rebel threw up while we were waiting for the elevator to go out. Then spent the whole day in the room throwing up every teaspoon of water she would drink. I was getting nervous knowing we don't speak the language and wouldn't know the system for calling in an emergency. I talked to an American doctor - via the blueberry pediatrics system. They obviously couldn't prescribe anything in Japan but she calmed my fears. With nursing school I know just enough to worry about a few emergency situations that involve throwing up bile. As she wasn't in stomach pain I knew it was probably just gastroenteritis but felt better having a doctor tell me. The hotel found an English speaking ped. Total bill for visit and meds = $50. If were Japanese it would have been roughly $10. Immediately after taking meds she started getting better/keeping things down. Four days later my poor Mom came down with the same thing. Once again a different hotel helped us find a doctor. None could speak English so I used google translate. No way my mom could have left being near a bathroom and they wouldn't give her meds unless she came in. So I pretended I was the sick one. In more bad luck for my poor mom, the day before she left her purse on the bullet train. It had all forms of ID including her passport. This is incredibly unlike her. She is by far the most responsible person I know. Its much more something i would do. She was a nervous wreck. She's starting chemo two days after we get back so was worried about getting stuck, etc. Luckily, the Japanese are the most honest people on the planet - and someone turned it in. Thank God. She felt so horrible about it. Anyway, all things that are risks of traveling. I'm glad they were in the beginning/middle of the trip. By the time we left it felt like a million years ago. I'm also so glad my Mom came. So lucky to have a mom who is so helpful and always up for an adventure. At 70 its pretty impressive.

Jet lag coming back has been bad for me. Girls are fine after one night of waking up at 4am. They fall asleep a little earlier and are up around 6am - which is not bad.

[eddie-rifff]

today i went back to a catholic shrine shelby and i visited earlier this year and i picked up a pamphlet entitled "the good news about finding god in the workplace" (bc im about to start this new job in two weeks and i thought it was funny) and honestly apart from them in so many words that abortion was bad it was actually very comforting. it was like god gave you a certain set of talents and you should pursue what you're good at, dont overwork yourself, no work is insignificant, everyone should be paid enough to live off of, etc. color me impressed, catholics.

[justsasuke]

Could I ask for some Taka new years headcanons? Like quiet or rowdy night? Do they drink? Play games? Cook? Do Juugo and Sasuke sneak away to watch the fireworks alone? Do they stay up or is someone a party pooper with the “9pm bedtime” mentality?

yes absolutely!! I love this. I'm imagining this to be set in Japan or possibly even an alternate canon where things went how they should've

The Uchiha celebrate New Years very traditionally, with mochi making, a trip to the buddhist temple at midnight, etc. etc. and when Sasuke was younger that's what he did (insert Weird Uncle Madara trying to get him drunk at the age of 12) His friends were invited ofc. if they had no where else to go, but since New Year is a very family-centered holiday they were usually with their own families.

but after Sasuke moves away--I'm imagining the Uchiha estate is more in the country and he went to a city for a job or school? idk--he gets together with his friends + S.O. (read that Juugo)

They all gather at Juugo's apartment because it's the biggest (read that cleanest) and most conveniently located.

Suigetsu always volunteers to bring the beer but he only buys Sapporo beer even though he knows Sasuke prefers Kirin. This almost led to a fight but thankfully Juugo had a pack of Kirin beer in his fridge. (which, side JuuSasu note but I picked Kirin beer as Sasuke's favorite for the name but it also happens to pair well with yakiniku, and as we all know one of Juugo's favorite foods is beef. And I just think it's cute how it matches)

They spend most of New Years eve cooking and talking and chilling, and then when evening comes they eat Toshikoshi Soba (it's traditional in Japan), and mochi that was cooked a little too long because they got distracted.

On every other night of the year Karin likes to go to bed at 10 p.m., but on new years eve she's the most insistent that they stay up and go to the nearest temple to watch the bell ring all 108 times and ring in the New Year. (fireworks aren't really a thing on New Years, people always visit the temples/shrines instead)

When it's getting close to midnight they bundle up--because it's definitely cold--and make their way to the nearest shrine.

I imagine that it's snowing softly and their footsteps are crunching just a little bit and they walk in relative silence because they're soaking in the stillness of the world around them, and Juugo and Sasuke are walking so close their shoulders are bumping and when they do speak to each other it's in soft undertones.

When they reach the temple it's crowded and Juugo and Sasuke end up holding hands so they don't lose each other in the crowd (mostly Juugo losing Sasuke bc let's be real, Juugo is high visibility haha)

After they ring in the new year they go back to Juugo's apartment and pass out all over the living room and sleep for a few hours.

Suigetsu and Karin end up sharing the space under the kotatsu because Juugo settled on the couch and Sasuke fell asleep on top of him.

At 4 a.m. they get up to go see the first sunrise of the year and pile into Juugo's car. Juugo already packed breakfast and drinks, and Karin makes sure to bring blankets to make it cozy, and Suigetsu was going to get the front seat but had to go to the bathroom last minute so Sasuke takes it instead even though he's a crappy navigator and still half asleep. (he ends up dozing again during the drive)

They make it to the mountain just outside the city limits and drive up to the viewpoint and then sit and wait for the first rays of orange light and everything is perfect.

.. .. .. That's all I have for tonight. I had so much fun putting this together and sitting in some nostalgia. I hope you enjoyed it too. If you have any additional thoughts to expand this I'd love to hear them!

I hope you had a happy New Years eve and New Year day~

see you

[southkoreaandjapan]

Kyoto

July 4, 2023

Kyoto was the capital of Japan for more than 1,000 years - from 794 to 1868. It was not bombed during WWII mainly because it was had no industrial complex so what we are seeing are - for the most part - original. It's famous for its numerous classical Buddhist temples - (the largest complex of Buddhist temples is here) as well as gardens, imperial palaces, Shinto shrines and traditional wooden houses. It’s also known for formal traditions such as kaiseki dining, consisting of multiple courses of precise dishes, and geisha, female entertainers often found in the Gion district.

We experienced it all!

It is another HOT and muggy day with temps in the high 90s. We started our day early trying to beat the crowds and the heat and went to Fushimi Inari Shrine. Mark and I visited here in 2017 but it was remarkable no matter how many times you see it. The Torii Gate is a process of identifying a holy spot where the kami can reside inside in comfort. Families/or a single person can erect an Torii Gate anywhere making an area holy.

The Fushimi Inari Shrine is holy to the nth degree with more than 1,000 Torii Gates ranging from huge to tiny.

Torii gates represent the border between the secular world and the sacred worlds of the Shinto belief. The gates act as a passageway into a shrine's sacred space. It is not uncommon for a shrine to have more than one Torii gate. It can be described as a fusion of Shinto and Buddhism which once had a significant influence around Japan. In Buddhism, red is regarded as a color which represents the sacred atmosphere as well as vital force. As a result, ancient people started to paint torii gates standing at shinto shrines with red. Also the red color is believed to ward off the evil spirits and red color is used often for Inari Shrine, which enshrines the deity of harvest. 

This place is a sight to see.

Before you entire the main area of the Shinto Shrine (or the Buddhist Temple or a mosque) you must purify yourself. In this case, first by cleansing your hand, then bringing water to your mouth with your hand, rinsing your mouth, spitting the water in the trough and then re-washing your hands.

At this Shrine the fox is the protector.

The white papers tied to the lines at the bottom left are baaaaaad fortunes that people have received. By hanging them on this place they will not come true. I asked Ken to give me an example - thinking surely they couldn't be too bad -BUT the example he gave me was "you are going to be a car accident." I guess that is not as bad as "you have a horrible disease and will be dead in a week" - but maybe there are fortunes like that and if there are I'm sure they are hanging on the outside of the shrine.

The size of the Torii gates change as you go higher up the hill.

The backside of the gates have the name of the family, person, company, etc that paid to have it built. These gates do not last forever and as they age - they are replaced by a new gate. There is a long waiting list of "replacers". The cost, the size and the location are related.

As you get further into the "tunnel" there are breaks where there are personal shrines and/or where you can buy a fortune. It is very interesting.

The is a beautiful path that goes up the mountain - but we didn't have enough time to complete it. With "25 minutes to the top" sign and 40 minutes until we had to return to the group - I turned back. Anson continued but eventually also turned back. But not before he saw this...

The woods were lovely and in almost every location I saw a believer clapping twice before a shrine and then bending in prayer.

There at two types of Torii Gates and we have seen both. The Torii Gates at the Fushimi Inari Shrine - where we were today have a curvy top. The Torii Gates at the Ise Grand Shrine are flat. I actually read the Japanese word for each Torii gate - but really - what is the point- I can barely remember the English word... Obviously not all are painted red - (although my eyes keep seeing orange.)

From there we were went to lunch in the Nishiki Market.

This was a lunch on your own thing - but OAT supplied us with some money. There were lots of options - but the one option Mark and Jay were searching for was an option with tables and chairs. We found a couple of places and settled on one that offered dumplings and fried chicken. Anson continued to search but eventually returned to our location and as he looked at the menu he discovered that Carol had not actually ordered "chicken" but "chicken skins." Carol eyes got huge and she tried to put a stop to it - but to no avail. I wish I had taken a picture - I felt bad for her, but it ended up not so bad. The dumplings and chicken skins arrived and Jay had the skins and Carol had the dumplings. The skins were crispy and atop a salad and they looked good to me - but they were battered with gluten filled deliciousness. Anson had 2 kinds of dumplings; gyoza and Kyoto pork dumplings. No pics here but delicious!! This place was perfect because it was now raining and this market was covered. Sweet!

Next up the Golden Pavilion - another UNESCO World Heritage Site. Originally built in 1397 this was one of those things that is NOT original and has been rebuilt many times. The one you see behind Anson and I was built in 1957 after a monk suffering from mental illness burned it to the ground in a suicide attempt. It was re-built using the plans of the 1397 structure.

This place is simply spectacular!! BUT the temps were closing in on 100 degrees and there were lots of people so finding your zen there was tough. I will say if ZEN was to be found - it was there though. The gardens are just fabulous.

What follows is from the website: " The site of Kinkaku-ji was originally a villa called Kitayama-dai (北山第), belonging to a powerful statesman, Saionji Kintsune.  Kinkaku-ji's history dates to 1397, when the villa was purchased from the Saionji family by shōgun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu and transformed into the Kinkaku-ji complex. When Yoshimitsu died the building was converted into a Zen temple by his son, according to his wishes. Don't worry - there will NOT be a test!

The outside of the pavilion is gold leaf and we saw pictures of it in all four seasons and at all times of the day and night and it is just stunning.

In the evening, Mark, Anson, Jay and Carol and I opted to attend a performance at Gion Corner. Gion is the center of Geisha - FYI. Photos are forbidden here BUT you can get a great look at what we saw by visiting their website. You can switch it from Japanese to English in the upper right hand corner.

I lifted this from that website: "At the Gion Kobu Kaburenjo Small Theater, you can digest traditional culture and traditional performing arts that Japan boasts to the world, including Kyoto dance by maiko, Kyogen, bugaku, tea ceremony, flower arrangement, koto music, bunraku, and/or noh , in about an hour."

It was a great little  smorgasbord of Japanese culture - I think it may have been better to say a great little "kaiseki" of Japanese culture - but i figured most people wouldn't understand what I was talking about - so I'm sticking with the big buffet!

The night we saw the performance they did Bunraku but not Noh. Frankly I was happy about that because we saw Noh theater the last time we were here. Anson remembered that I took all the grandkids to the DIA to see a Bunraku puppet show a few years back - but it was fun to see it in Japan. The key to enjoying a performance in a language you do not understand is to read the synopsis in the brochure before you see the show. It is the case that performance art often translates in any language. Our favorite was the Kyogen comedy and the least favorite was the Bugaku dance. We followed the storyline of the dance but the music was not pleasant to our American ears and the discord was such that we couldn't tell if it was meant to be or just an error made by musicians. We did all agree that the costumes were amazing thought. Anson suggested that we find a YouTube of a different Bugaku performance and see if the music is similar. We will do that. We also recognized the "dance by Maiko" as the same dance we had seen the night before when the adorable Maiko was performing just for us.

After the show we went to the Kyoto train station - which is WAY more that a train station.

We opted - much to Anson's dismay- to go to an Italian restaurant. Carol and Jay are not loving Japanese food the way Anson, Mark and I are. But even the Italian restaurant had a Japanese flare. The two major differences were that for the first time there was silverware on the table and large paper napkins. The silverware on the table looked strange and I am quite comfortable with chopsticks BUT I wanted the kiss those silly napkins. It turns out that I just am more comfortable with a napkin in my lap. The "napkins" we have had are small wet wipes and while I appreciate them for cleaning my hands both before and after the meal - I don't love wiping my mouth with them. Anyway - Carol and Jay had a pizza and Anson and Mark has some kind of hamburger dish and I had both Mark's and Anson's appetizers: escargot in garlic and butter, and mushrooms in garlic and butter and a glass of wine. What was not to love!!!

On our way home we opted to hang out at the Kyoto station and listen to live piano music tied into this light show. Anson told us that Papa Steve does the same kind of things in his studio.

The temperatures were delightful and the night was young - sadly we are not - but we enjoyed the show. As we walked back to our hotel we saw realized the Kyoto tower was right there!

Funny story - Mark and I decided to do a selfie in front of the tower and Mark took one pic - then he said - Man, I just took one pic and I always take a bunch. I said - it will be fine. it wasn't....

It was another beautiful night in Japan.

Stay tuned.

[theclumsydancerblog]

Journal Ideas

Here are a few journaling ideas for your new notebook that you are promising to fill this time. I don’t know what time of journal any of you want to do (personal, bullet, just a writing me-time journal, etc), but here are a few ideas if you are ever stuck.

1. What does a dream day in your life look like?

2. What lessons are you currently learning?

3. Write a letter to your past self.

4. List 15 things you are grateful for.

5. What’s holding you back from living your dream life?

6. What do you wish others knew about you?

7. Yearly bucket list.

8. Cleaning routines (daily, monthly, yearly)

9. What emotions do you try to avoid? Why?

10. What makes you proud of yourself?

11. What drains your energy?

12. To Do List (life, personal, school, work, household)

13. What is your best/worst quality?

14. What are you jealous about?

15. When do you feel most alive?

16. Write a letter to your older self.

17. What do you love about each season?

18. What are the flowers in your favourite season?

19. What is your current obsession?

20. Write a letter to someone who has hurt you.

21. List 5 things that make you happy.

22. If your life had a playlist, what would be on it?

23. Describe your dream house.

24. If you could escape/go anywhere you want, where would you go?

25. If you lived in (insert fan universe), what would your life be like?

26. What’s the nicest thing someone has done for you/said to you?

27. What is an idea that has been stuck in your head lately?

28. What does your dream wedding look like? 

29. What does a dream date look like?

29. What was your dream job when you were a kid?

30. Recent dreams.

31. What is your favourite colour and why?

32. What is a random fact you know?

33. Write about your favourite animal.

34. One word page. (this page is for one word only).

35. Write about your favourite person.

36. Lyrics to a song you’re obsessed with/you’re favourite song.

37. Who inspires you at the moment?

38. Describe your room (diagram/planout)

39. Write about your pet.

40. Upcoming events this year.

41. Who would you travel the world with, where would you go?

42. If you were a natural phenomenon, what would you be?

43. What’s your earliest memory?

44. What’s a funny story that happened that you always think about?

45. Book/Movie/Series Review.

46. It’s the end of the world, who are you spending it with?

47. What superpower would you have if you had a choice?

48. What mythical creature would you be?

49. What’s your comfort food?

50. To 5 places you would visit in the world?

51. What is your dream pet?

52. If you were an animal, what would you be?

53. What day of the week would you be?

54. Write yourself in the alphabet (A is for Anime, B id for Bookworm)

55. Movie/book/series Watchlist/TBR

56. Write your favourite poem.

57. Collage page.

58. If you could change anything about the world, what would you change?

59. Set a timer for 5 minutes and write, do not let your pen leave the page and continuously write ‘til the timer stops.

60. What skill(s) do you want to try?

61. A dedication shrine page to your idol/favourite charcter.

62. Ships page (characters you ship, you fangirl).

63. Character profile of your favourite fictional character.

64. Introduce your friend group.

65. Quotes page (fill the page with favourite quotes).

66. What was the perfect day when you were a kid?

67. Doodle page.

68. Diary.

69. Annotations from books.

70. Favourite things said today.

71. World Events happening at the moment.

72. Favourite film and why?

73. What do you pack in your bag every day?

74. What’s your comfort time?

75. Wishlist (about ANYTHING)

So, there you ahev it. 75 pages worth of stuff to write about. I understand the pain of blocks when it comes to notebooks and journals. I hope this helps you and if you have any more suggestions, repost and put them up. I’m always looking for ideas. 

Now go forth young writers!