#airisu — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #airisu, aggregated by home.social.
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#Airisu: The Crow and the Witch
Himeji Castle (Airisu POV): Post 63
#Wss366 Treble #TimeTravelAuthors 9/4 WhateverInside the passage hung a feline odor, strong enough to wilt feathers, and paw prints littered the dusty floor. We turned left in the direction most of them led.
“It’s walking on its hind feet,” Sumika said after a few meters and pointed to where the marks of the forepaws ceased, leaving only the rear ones.
“Indeed, that’s because it’s a nekomata. Be glad this passage is wood, not stone,” I replied.
“Why?”
“Because your ‘cute’ kitty can spit fireballs. I doubt it wants to burn its mistress’s home down.”
“Oh!”
“It could be worse. We might have run into a gotokuneko. They’re about #treble the strength.”
“Treble? What kind of word is that? Just say three times.”
“It’s a perfectly good word.”
“Whatever. And what about ‘gotokuneko?’ You’re not making that stuff up, are you?” Mistress asked.
“Moi? Me? Make stuff up? I’m wounded. No, I studied this kind of thing when I was a woman.”
“You know you’re a lot more human-like than when we first met. You almost talk normally, barring words like ‘treble.’”
“Awk, chicka, cawa! Pay attention, there are lights ahead,” I cawed, irratated.
“How could Glinda-chan say such a thing? Hmph! Just when I was thinking she had more than one brain cell, she says utter rubbish. But no, she’s nothing more than a three-toed sloth.”
#TootFic #NMFic #Crows #Otherkin #Fantasy #UrbanFantasy #TimeTravel #Serial #SlowBurn #Sapphic #Folklore
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#WordWeavers 9/3: Share a line from your WIP that reveals more than the speaker intended.
“I’m impressed. My fledgling is growing up to be a wise crow like me. I knew joining your murder was a brilliant idea!”
#Airisu has lots of lines like that that reveal her ego and bias.
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#WordWeavers Sep 2
What would your MC notice first upon entering a crowded room?Awk!!, Motion! Feet! Danger! Danger, Will Robinson!
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#Airisu: The Crow and the Witch
Himeji Castle (Airisu POV): Post 62
#Wss366 Mole #TimeTravelAuthors 9/2 WhateverMore seriously, we rounded the screen in time to see the cat cross the space beyond and disappear behind a triptych. An image painted on the edge panel caught my eye. It depicted a woman summoning a giant skeleton, with a dog-sized frog at her feet. “Takiyasha-hime,” I thought.
The portrait’s most interesting detail was the large, yellow tear-#mole below one of her eyes. That was no coincidence. The mark was an inauspicious one, and I suspected the painter had intended the figure to be recognized as ill-fated before the viewer ever noticed the skeleton.
It was easy to see how a place like this might acquire a sinister reputation, even becoming considered cursed. That would make it an ideal location to hide a secret entrance.
My supposition proved correct. When we slipped around the partition, we found an alcove draped with drab, dusty wall hangings, and concealed behind one of them was an opening to a narrow passageway.
#TootFic #NMFic #Crows #Otherkin #Fantasy #UrbanFantasy #TimeTravel #Serial #SlowBurn #Sapphic #Folklore
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#Airisu: The Crow and the Witch
Himeji Castle (Airisu POV): Post 61
#Wss366 Rock #ScribesAndMakers Share a Pun #TimeTravelAuthors 8/30 Whatever“Hush!” Sumika responded as my laugh echoed in the room.
“What a spoilsport!” I griped mentally. “And where was the groan? Didn’t my pun deserve one? Alas, punsters always get pun-ish—Ack, I was #rocking it!”
#TootFic #NMFic #Crows #Otherkin #Fantasy #UrbanFantasy #TimeTravel #Serial #SlowBurn #Sapphic #Folklore
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#Airisu: The Crow and the Witch
Himeji Castle (Airisu POV): Post 60
#Wss366 slake #ScribesAndMakers Share a Pun #TimeTravelAuthors 8/28 WhateverSome of the shaman’s advice was finally coming in handy. She had said, “From the fourth floor… Find your way into the walls as soon as you can.” With luck, the cat would reveal a secret passage.
I repeated, “Follow the cat, or we’ll lose it. No #slacking, girl! Mush!”
Sumika started after the pussy, and we were just in time to see it disappear behind a lacquered screen.
“Hurry, hurry!” I urged. “It’ll be a cat-o-strophe if we lose it! Ack, ack, ack.”
My laughter echoed, surely inspiring further ghost stories.
#TootFic #NMFic #Crows #Otherkin #Fantasy #UrbanFantasy #TimeTravel #Serial #SlowBurn #Sapphic #Folklore
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#Airisu: The Crow and the Witch
Himeji Castle (Airisu POV): Post 59
#Wss366 Sloth #TimeTravelAuthors 8/26 Whatever“One of Osakabe-hime’s retainers,” I cooed softly, not wanting to scare any more maids with ghostly presences.
“Where?” Mistress asked.
“The cat. See its eyes and look closely at the tail. There are two of them, hidden by an illusion.”
“But it’s so cute!”
“Agh! #Slothful creatures! No doubt it will report us to the Lady,” I said.
“Quick, it’s moving! Follow it,” I said, as it slunk out of the room. “It’ll show us the way.”
#TootFic #NMFic #Crows #Otherkin #Fantasy #UrbanFantasy #TimeTravel #Serial #SlowBurn #Sapphic #Folklore
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#Wss366 #Stable #TimeTravelAuthors 08/25. Emojis your character/s would use
#Airisu: Everything including the kitchen sink.
Bijou #TheTimeTravelingGhost: Text
Sumika: A few standard ones.
Emily: None; she doesn’t even know what the word means. -
#Airisu: The Crow and the Witch
Himeji Castle (Airisu POV): Post 58
#Wss366 Bun #ScribesAndMakers Salient #TimeTravelAuthors 23. Animals in your story“What?” Sumika stopped in her tracks at the top of the stairs, panic written on her face as she scanned the room. Unlike the utilitarian expanses of the lower floors, the space before us was filled with fine-quality furniture, tapestries, screens, and accoutrema, items made by Japanese craftspeople and Chinese artisans. Even a Persian carpet adorned the area in front of us.
My cry couldn’t have been more ill-timed. A frightened servant carrying a tray of #buns looked for the source of my cry.
Sumika froze, waiting for the maid to scurry out of sight behind a fine screen showing a willow tree, and then presumably she fled as far from the ghostly voices as possible.
Rather than watching the woman, my gaze rested on a luxurious, sleek, gray cat lying on a Chinese bureau. The #salient feature from my point of view was not its pampered condition, but its violet eyes, which watched our every move.
#TootFic #NMFic #Crows #Otherkin #Fantasy #UrbanFantasy #TimeTravel #Serial #SlowBurn #Sapphic #Folklore
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#Wss366 Pet #TimeTravelAuthors 08/23. Pets or animals in your story
Pets
I have always felt #pets are more work than they are worth. You need to keep track of them and justify their being in the story. That being said, Bijou, before the rabbits killed her, had a lab rat she was fond of. It’s mentioned a few times. The longest passage is in Time Argonaut: .
Patroclus chirped happily upon seeing me, hoping for snacks. As the first animal to time-travel, I pampered him. Having risked his life for me, he deserved hazard pay. No matter how I felt, I wouldn’t ignore him.
After feeding my time-argonaut his favorite treats and stroking his pink-dyed fur...
Animals
I have a great deal of fun with animals by placing characters within their minds so their perceptions blend with the animal. This takes place in “The Crow and the Witch” when #Airisu becomes a crow. There is also a long section in #KonbiniIdol where Ume witnesses several scenes through the eyes of a frog. For example:
A long, thin tongue flickered into view — mine, but not mine — and vanished. My mind recoiled. — The Empress’s frog?
Was I…
Mikawa’s whispered cry of “Sssheee sss…” seized my attention before I could grasp the last thought. Through the fog came one thought: Mikawa. Then came a sharp click — my receding human mind supplied a label, “the Empress’s fan” — and a stab of instinctual fear. “Bad things. Danger. Mistress angry.” Fragmented feelings tumbled in my head, pushing out rational thought.
“…minnneee…” The sound tapered off and vanished, like a dragonfly swooping past too fast to catch. Part of my mind recognized these sounds as the last I’d heard from Mikawa, as Takiyasha banished her. But it was the fan’s click that dominated my thoughts, signaling danger.
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#Airisu: The Crow and the Witch
Himeji Castle (Airisu POV): Post 57
#Wss366 Tang #TimeTravelAuthors 8/22 WhateverArmed with the map of the fortress and its grounds, we continued toward the citadel. The parade of passages, gates, and courtyards along the way was bewildering. I had forgotten just how bad it was to be a ground-hugger. If only I could take off and fly, I would be at the castle within minutes.
The evening chill had set in by the time we passed through the last gate and entered the main building.
The Spartan interior took me by surprise. I’d been expecting opulence. The #tang of oil rather than incense flavored the air. Instead of tapestries and painted screens, stacks of supplies and siege equipment dominated the room. It was so cavernous I could have flown around unhindered.
On climbing to the next floor, we found the same thing. It was largely an open space with arrow slits in the walls. Guards were resting in small clumps, chatting. Their voices echoed eerily.
I imagined what the scene would have been like during wartime, with soldiers milling about. The air would have been filled with battle cries and the sound of flying arrows. Just the idea of their hectic motion made me want to seek shelter in the rafters.
Fortunately, the guards at the stairs and checkpoints were casual, and we reached the fourth floor without issue.
Of course, as the mountain shaman had warned, that’s where the problems began.
As we entered, I cawed, “We’ve been seen!”
#TootFic #NMFic #Crows #Otherkin #Fantasy #UrbanFantasy #TimeTravel #Serial #SlowBurn #Sapphic #Folklore
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#WordWeavers 22. Which character would make the worst roommate?
#Airisu by far. Loud, rude, egotistical, demanding
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#Airisu: The Crow and the Witch
Himeji Castle (Airisu POV): Post 56
#Wss366 Welcome #TimeTravelAuthors 8/16 WhateverBeyond the archway stood a body of water, several paths, and a passage in the wall. One of my friends, a big bill, was enjoying the pool. I hoped he got leprosy.
Mistress looked around and said, “Hum?”
What did the mountain shaman mean by saying it would be easy to climb to the fourth floor of the fortress? It would be a major feat to even reach the castle, which loomed ahead, off to our right.
My opinion of Sumika’s prior incarnation plummeted. No wonder Glinda-chan was such a pigeon.
While I stewed, she moved into an alcove where no one would overhear us and reached into her robe.
“A map,” she said, pulling out a printed sheet and waving it in front of me. “And you thought I was a silly starling!”
“I’m impressed. My fledgling is growing up to be a wise crow like me. I knew joining your murder was a brilliant idea!”
“First, I am not yours! But thank you. That is the first nice thing you’ve said to me, even if you’re confused about who’s mistress here.”
“You’re #welcome, Mistress.” I suppressed my laugh as too noisy for our current situation.
#TootFic #NMFic #Crows #Otherkin #Fantasy #UrbanFantasy #TimeTravel #Serial #SlowBurn #Sapphic #Folklore
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#Airisu: The Crow and the Witch
Himeji Castle (Airisu POV): Post 55
#Wss366 return #TimeTravelAuthors 8/14 What everI’d pictured that once we entered the castle’s gate, we would cross a yard and enter the main citadel, much like a European castle. There was indeed a large courtyard, but I already saw things would be more complicated than I’d assumed. Ahead rose buildings, walls, and sprawling paths. Above us, my nosy, big-billed cousins circled, so I couldn’t even scout.
Sumika unhesitantly followed one of the broad avenues that led around a vast green. I hoped it was the right way.
As if reading my mind, Mistress said, “I visited Himeji when I was a kid. This part’s easy, but it turns into a maze later. I got lost on the #return trip; what a nightmare! Someone found me crying in a dead-end courtyard. So embarrassing.”
I managed a soft coo. “Ohooo oh.” I could picture it. Even though I hated kids, it touched my heart.
“There’s another gate ahead,” she said after walking a good way and navigating two more intersections.
We slipped through this barrier as well, then stopped.
“This is where it starts getting complicated,” Sumika said.
“Starts,” I thought. “I’m already lost.”
#TootFic #NMFic #Crows #Otherkin #Fantasy #UrbanFantasy #TimeTravel #Serial #SlowBurn #Sapphic #Folklore
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#WordWeavers AU 12: If your main character had a comfort food, what would it be?
#Airisu: Chicken nugs!
Sumika: No, they aren't good for you. -
#PennedPossibilities 1093: Name something you love about your MC.
#Airisu: Is a wise-cracking smart-ass. She is fun to write.
#NMPP #NMPrompts -
#WordWeavers 2026.07.29 — What’s your MC’s least favorite mode of transportation?
#Airisu: An ambulance. A car is bad enough without that siren and flashing lights. Ack, ack, ack. An ambulance, get it?
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#WordWeavers 7.25 — What wrong assumption do people make about your MC?
Bijou the #TimeTravelingGhost: That she is wacked-out, superstitious, academic. Fact is, she is right.
Emily Pan: That she is a lonely, unhappy spinster. Actually, she is proud of being an independent woman.#Airisu: She is just a silly bird brain. "Contraywise, I am a brilliant bird brain."
Sumika: She is a bubblehead. She is quite intelligent, only she has learned to hide it as unlady-like. -
#Airisu: The Crow and the Witch
Himeji Castle (Airisu POV): Post 54
#Wss366 Steer #TimeTravelAuthors 7/24 What everThe servants we were tailing gossiped about events in the castle. One woman was talking about something that happened by the well, and the others tried to #steer her away from the subject, especially as we drew near the guards at the gate.
Sumika edged closer to them, trying to eavesdrop, but all we could make out was, “Well, I wouldn’t have turned the Lord down! What did she expect?” This may or may not have had anything to do with Okiku, but it sounded ominous.
One good thing came of the discussion, though. The other ladies looked at the young gossip with distaste and tried to draw away from her. However, she was oblivious and followed them, so they ended up milling just outside the gates.
The guards seemed more interested in watching the show than doing their duty, and we slipped into the fortress.
#TootFic #NMFic #Crows #Otherkin #Fantasy #UrbanFantasy #TimeTravel #Serial #SlowBurn #Sapphic #Folklore
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#Airisu: The Crow and the Witch
Okiku Part II (Airisu POV): Post 53
#Wss366 Flock #TimeTravelAuthors 7/17. How honorable are your characters?The shrine priest showed us to a small outbuilding and, we soon possessed a straw cloak. I had pictured something cruder. The woven work on the cloak was elaborate and must have taken time and skill to produce.
At the same time, they brought us rice and boiled greens. “What about me?” I started to say, but Sumika shushed me.
After the priest had left, she explained. “This is so we don’t get upset with them and sic Seirei-tsukai on them. It’s not real hospitality. Besides, I’ll share.”
That seemed unduly honorable to me. If they were cowards, she should demand more. Extortion is a noble, time-honored art. What “weasel” wouldn’t engage in it? But I didn’t complain. I had my dollop of rice. [Note: The priest compared Sumika to a weasel in the last episode.]
Speaking of admirable traits, I took the opportunity to tell Mistress how proud I was of her handling of the shrine priest. Sumika, the silly creature, blushed and pretended she hadn't done anything special. I was again reminded of how funny humans were. I was glad to have finished with that.
Enchanting the cloak turned out to be totally boring, and she soon completed her work, leaving us with nothing to do until evening.
Eventually, the shadows grew longer, and we decided to leave.
“No basket,” I announced. “I’ve had enough of that.”
“Of course not,” Sumika said. “Get on my shoulder, and I’ll put the cloak over you.”
It wasn’t ideal, but it beat that basket, so I did as I was told.
Outside the shrine, people were streaming into the castle. Overhead, a #flock of jungle crows circled. None of them paid us any attention. We were invisible except for our shadows, and even they seemed weak.
Mistress fell into step beside servants carrying baskets. She kept her distance so they wouldn’t bump into us, but close enough that our shadows blended with theirs. And all without my giving her any directions. I was beginning to think that maybe she wasn’t a pigeon brain after all. Could she have been hiding her intelligence when we first met? Women did that, didn’t they? Humans!
Ahead, the castle gates loomed. I hoped she would continue to do well.
#TootFic #NMFic #Crows #Otherkin #Fantasy #UrbanFantasy #TimeTravel #Serial #SlowBurn #Sapphic #Folklore
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#Airisu: The Crow and the Witch
Okiku Part II (Airisu POV): Post 52
#Wss366 spirit #TimeTravelAuthors WhateverThe shaman had led us to believe that we would be welcome at the Ō-Inari Shrine. This was apparently not true. The castle crows were downright hostile, and the priest frowned at Sumika, pinching his mouth and brow.
“Have you and your #spirit come to cause us more trouble?” the priest asked. He gestured at me, implying I was a spirit.
“Seirei-tsukai told me to ask you for a straw cloak and a place to work till evening. Then I will be on my way, demanding nothing more from you,” Mistress replied.
That was more like it. After her performance dealing with Dōken-Shin, I hadn’t expected her to show any spunk. The word “demanding” might have been a little harsh, but she was firm. Excellent! If the priest thought my mistress was a proper Edo lady who would defer to him, she’d set him straight.
However, that assessment proved premature, as he promptly responded, “What makes you believe we have such a thing, or even if we did, why would we give it to you, a witch from the hills?”
Oh, how I wished at that moment that Mistress could turn people into toads!
Sumika, not rising to the bait, walked to the offertory box, the mist boiling around her, and dropped the last of our coins into it. “Because it would please me, Seirei-tsukai, and Arakawa Dōken. I have come with open hands; I hope not to return to them with empty ones.”
“Bravo, Mistress,” I cheered to myself. I wondered if the priest recognised Dōken-shin’s name, but her threat had been wonderfully worded. Tit for tat, I say.
Not yet conceding, the priest asked, “How should the farmer respond when the weasel demands to be fed?”
To my surprise, Sumika matched his metaphor. I didn’t know she had it in her. “He should remember that the weasel is friends with the kitsune of the peaks.”
The priest’s shoulders slumped, and he took a step back. “I believe we have one. I’ll fetch it as a favor to you. But please tell your mistress that the kitsune and the white egret dwell on the plain, not the mountain.”
I was unsure what he meant by egret, but the rest of the metaphor was obvious: “We serve Ō-Inari, not the mountain shaman,” i.e., "Bug off." So rude!
#TootFic #NMFic #Crows #Otherkin #Fantasy #UrbanFantasy #TimeTravel #Serial #SlowBurn #Sapphic #Folklore
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#Airisu Sorry, the wrong post was made to begin with. The one above is the correct one.
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#Airisu: The Crow and the Witch
Okiku Part II (Airisu POV): Post 51
#Wss366 bastion #TimeTravelAuthors WhateverThe street I saw outside the basket was busy with vendors setting out their goods. People stared at Sumika and whispered to each other. I bet they’d be talking about the fine lady who wandered into town unaccompanied for months.
The scene swayed as Mistress hurried along, and before long I felt seasick. Ugh, I closed my eyes and huddled in misery—“idiotic large-bills, stupid mistress.”
“Here it is,” I heard her say. I hoped she meant we had reached the shrine.
There was the splash of water and the sound of Sumika cleaning her mouth. Thank goodness! We’d arrived at Inari Ōkami’s shrine, and I was still in one piece. I knew what would follow but still wasn’t expecting the violent jerk as she clapped her hands and then rang the bell.
This had been a dumb idea! I should have flown ahead. I could have avoided the clumsy, large-billed crows.
The basket swayed again, and I heard the crunch of gravel underfoot. Finally, we stopped, and the basket settled on the ground.
“You can come out now. We’re in the shrine,” Mistress said.
“Yeah, I know,” I muttered.
I flew out as soon as her sleeve left the top of the basket. “You pigeon…” I began to say, but then shut my beak. I could feel the sacred energy around us, snaking like a thin white mist through the shrine precinct. Facing us was a robed priest. This was no place to draw attention to myself. Instead, I smoothed my rumpled feathers, trying to look inconspicuous.
While I made myself presentable, Sumika bowed and said, “Kannushi-sama, Seirei-tsukai sent us. Please forgive our sudden appearance.”
Since she had things under control, I looked around. The precinct was typical of a Shinto shrine. The kitsune statues with their red bibs, the worship hall’s vermilion banners, and the offertory box all proclaimed Inari’s presence. White mist seeped from the sanctuary and rolled over the box. It swirled in the air, forming halos around the priest and the statues.
In alarm, the words “Jungle crows!” almost escaped me. Were they hiding nearby, spying on us?
I looked around. Above the morning sky arched, bright with the newborn sun. Small clouds drifted across it, but no large-billed crows. Behind me stood a line of scarlet Torii gates, and towering above it all was Lord Aoyama’s #bastion: Himeji Castle, home of Osakabe-hime.
Ack! Those sneaky offspring of a mangy scarecrow were circling the snowy-white citadel.
#TootFic #NMFic #Crows #Otherkin #Fantasy #UrbanFantasy #TimeTravel #Serial #SlowBurn #Sapphic #Folklore
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#Airisu: The Crow and the Witch
Okiku Part II (Airisu POV): Post 50
#Wss366 Warp #TimeTravelAuthors Whatever“Hurry,” Sumika said, holding out the basket. “Lady Osakabe’s crows are coming.”
I looked towards the castle and saw black dots growing larger by the second. It was too late to escape, so I did the only thing possible: I hopped into the basket.
“Clicky, clack, crolark.” It was cramped and smelled nasty in there. The only saving grace was that I could peer through the #warped weave.
Mistress draped a kimono sleeve over the basket, and my panic swelled. I had to use the human portion of my brain to force it down, reminding myself that if I struggled, I would damage my wings and feathers.
“Ack!!!” I cawed.
“Quiet! They’ll hear you!”
This was hard. I considered sticking my head out. That would make things much better. Then I heard a jumble of large-bills cawing.
“I don’t recognise her,” cawed the first voice.
“She's an outsider,” responded a second voice.
“I sense magic. Has a kitsune possessed her?” asked a third jungle crow.
“We must tell the Lady,” the second large-billed cawed.
“Clicktoo, look for a kitsune,” a commanding voice said. “The rest of you fly to the Lady and inform her a spirit summoner lurks in the town. I’ll watch her and come later.”
There was the sound of wings and then silence.
“Ha ha,” I thought. “My mistress is so smart! We showed those stupid spawn of a cowbird.”
I peeked out between the willow lathes and saw we were moving down the road. That explained the basket’s rocking. Up and down, I bounced, knocking against the sides. It was all I could do not to swear or say, “Stop that, you lumbering ox!”
#TootFic #NMFic #Crows #Otherkin #Fantasy #UrbanFantasy #TimeTravel #Serial #SlowBurn #Sapphic #Folklore #Yokai
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#Airisu: The Crow and the Witch
Okiku Part II (Airisu POV): Post 49
#Wss366 Pointer #TimeTravelAuthors What's a lie a character believes about themselves?The path to Himeji Castle descended steeply, and we soon lost sight of the shaman as the mist closed in around her. It was hard to imagine that she was a previous incarnation of my mistress. Their levels of competence were so different. Still, it gave me hope that Sumika would mature. A classy, wise familiar like me needed a fantastic mistress.
We walked to town mostly in silence. At first, I tried to give Sumika some #pointers to help her mature, but stopped after she told me I was being egotistical. Me egotistical? I can’t imagine a more modest crow, but I shut up rather than rekindling her earlier animosity.
In the town, people had begun to stir. I could already hear the ring of an anvil in the distance and the cawing of large-billed crows, nasty things, from the castle’s rooftops. Even without Seirei-onna's warning that they served the castle’s kami, I wouldn’t have wanted to meet them: an event that seemed almost predestined.
Despite the early hour, Sumika drew a crowd. An unaccompanied woman in a gentlewoman’s kimono wasn’t something people here saw often. She was sure to draw the kami’s spies.
I glanced toward the castle’s roof. “Mistress…” I began in warning.
“Shh.”
“Maybe if I fly ahead…”
“I said, hush. I have a plan.”
“A plan? This pigeon brain has a plan? Perhaps I was rubbing off on her!”
“There one is,” she said, turning in at a hut on the town's outskirts.
What did she want there? No one had risen yet, or the occupants had already left for the fields, so she couldn’t have come to request something. Was she planning to hide in the house until evening? That didn’t seem likely. This new turn in Mistress’s behavior had me stumped.
I watched as she picked up an old willow basket, replacing it with a string of coins.
“Please hop in,” she said to me.
“Ack!” I cocked my head and looked at the container. After my reaction to the car, did she think I let her shut me up in that thing? Time had broken its weave in places, and feathers were caught on the snags. I could imagine what it must smell like inside.
“Trust me. It’s for your own good. I’ll let you out as soon as I can.”
The castle wasn’t far. I could fly there and wait, I thought. That was a much more attractive idea than getting into a cramped basket where I might catch some fowl disease. Ack, ack, ack. Even at a moment like this, I was a hilarious comedian.
Basket or castle; that was the question.
#TootFic #NMFic #Crows #Otherkin #Fantasy #UrbanFantasy #TimeTravel #Serial #SlowBurn #Sapphic #Folklore
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#Airisu: The Crow and the Witch
Okiku Part II (Airisu POV): Post 48
#Wss366 Crossing / #Tanabata or #StarFestival (JP) #TimeTravelAuthors Memorable weather in your storyThat settled things, and after another round of tea, stew, and barley grain, the shaman led us out into the night fog. She turned and began following a shale-littered trail that climbed to the top of a ridge. On the far side, the murk parted, revealing Himeji Castle below. It stood white against the velvety black sky, glittering. Mist swirled around it, like ghostly arms embracing the fortress. Above, a slender moon and bright stars shone. As we gazed, a comet streaked across the heavens. I would forever remember the beauty of that scene.
“The cowherd seeks his lover,” Seirei-onna said. “#Crossing for one night is more than I shall ever have. Now go. The way is open for you, as it is closed to me.” She gestured to a path leading down to the lights of the castle town below.
#TootFic #NMFic #Crows #Otherkin #Fantasy #UrbanFantasy #TimeTravel #Serial #SlowBurn #Sapphic #Folklore
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#Airisu: The Crow and the Witch
Okiku Part II (Airisu POV): Post 47
#Wss366 Rank #TimeTravelAuthors Whatever“From the fourth floor,” the shaman said, “you’ll need to climb to the top of the fortress. Find your way into the walls as soon as you can. The princess of Himeji Castle is known as the Lady of the Walls for a reason: she is to be found there, not in the open. She’ll try to drive you off with #rank odors of the grave, corpse orbs, and fearful specters. Ignore them all. Know your sutras and repeat them; then fear of death will have no hold on you.”
Sumika shifted uncomfortably under me. I would need to teach her some basic mantras.
“If a young woman in a jūnihitoe kimono approaches you, make your request, but if a crone accosts you, show her this.” The shaman withdrew a bow-shaped catalpa wood talisman from her robes. “Tell her, ‘As you have failed to protect what your mistress Seirei-tsukai holds dear, she commands you to help us.’”
Mistress’s hand shook as she took the charm. “What if she refuses?”
“She won’t, but if she does, you are undone. You have yet to reach your full power and still lack the skill to bind her. One last warning: Lady Osakabe is cunning. She will find your desires and use them. Deal with her honorably, but don’t agree to anything unless you understand exactly what it is.”
#TootFic #NMFic #Crows #Otherkin #Fantasy #UrbanFantasy #TimeTravel #Serial #SlowBurn #Sapphic #Folklore
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#WordWeavers 7.6 — Which of your MCs would be most likely to win a dance off?
Shish, she was a professional idol, took tons of dance lessons, etc.
Unless #Airisu beat her out, being a cute crow. Who could resist a crow dancing in the middle of a dance floor?
Oh! A dance off! Still Shishi. She would have the stamina to just keep going, and she would feed off the audience's energy. (Crows don't have the stamina for it.)
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#Airisu: The Crow and the Witch
Okiku Part II (Airisu POV): Post 46
#Wss366 Fourth #TimeTravelAuthors Whatever #ScribesAndMakers 4th sampleI didn’t know whether to be proud of Mistress’s resolve or to be terrified that she agreed to rescue Okiku so easily. What I knew was that she should have consulted me. My feathers were at risk as well as hers.
“You understand Okiku-san can’t be your girlfriend,” I interrupted.
She shrugged. “Where did you get the idea that this was a romantic thing? Someone needs help, and I want to do it.”
“Bloody hero,” I said and would have shrugged if I could. Some people just can’t be honest with themselves.
“Sorry for the interruption,” Sumika said. “She can be peevish at times. I would be happy to aid you.”
The shaman stirred the fire before speaking again. “As you pass through the town, keep your familiar close. Lady Osakabe has many retainers. Among them are great, large-billed crows that watch the town and drive away wandering spirits. Her Ladyship does not care for curious eyes.”
The old lady eyed me; the warning was as much for me as for Sumika and I took it to heart. I had no wish to tangle with my larger cousins, nasty, vicious brutes that they were. And if they served Osakabe, they wouldn’t be ordinary crows.
I huddled closer to Mistress’s head. This was bad news.
“Pass through the castle gates in the evening along with the final rush of servants,” Seirei-onna continued. “If you mingle with them, your shadow will remain unnoticed. Provided you avoid torches or other lights, you should have no trouble reaching the #fourth floor. After that, Lady Osakabe’s retainers keep sentinel in the shadows, and your passage will be observed. It will be your turn to guard your mistress, Karasu-sama.”
Again her gaze fell on me.
I cocked my head and peered at her. “Guard Sumika?” I asked.
“You sense what she can’t. Be her eyes.”
“Ack! More bad news,” I thought.
#TootFic #NMFic #Crows #Otherkin #Fantasy #UrbanFantasy #TimeTravel #Serial #SlowBurn #Sapphic #Folklore
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#WritersCoffeeClub 6/25. Share a passage you've written containing onomatopoeia.
Snip from "#Airisu: The Crow and the Witch
I saw a pattern and burst out, “Sumika’s got a girlfriend. A mushy, crushy girlfriend.”
Mistress raised the book as if she were about to bash me with it, and I took off for the shelf again, screaming, “Oggily, puggily, pie. Your blush is as bright as the summer sky.”
And it was. Her cheeks had flushed a brilliant crimson. If I’d still been human, I would have said she was cute. Ah, heck, even as a crow, I thought she was adorable, all flustered.
End Snip