Ghostly Roses from Chu

More on this piece in a later post. Doda is 53 here.

His background: He's a pirate working with the Dutch during Japan's Sakoku (isolation period from 1600-1853), or the Edo period. He was born approximately April 16th, 1603 on the island of Shikoku along the Seto Inland Sea coast. He comes from a long line of sailors/pirates. His great grandfather of part of the Wako who traded(raided) with the Chinese. His grandfather and father were connected with the Murakami Suigun. Shiomi, himself, worked on the Shuinsen, Red Seal Ships, which could legally trade. By the time he meet Doda, he was work with the Dutch as a pirate. He can speak Japanese and Dutch fluently, but can't read or write in either language. He knows very few Kanji characters from memory. He can ask for lodging, food, water, alcohol, and directions to the nearest brothel in many languages found along Dutch trade routes. Shiomi is known as Taifu (typhoon) by his crewmates because of his renowned navigation skills, literally being able to navigate through a typhoon.

He is the oldest of four children. All of the siblings have a water motif with their names. Shiomi means tide viewing or viewing the tide. He and his brother, Arashi meaning storm, share a mother. Miho (beautiful water) and Shiun (dewdrop) share a father.

I've had Shiomi for less than six months and I already have multiple versions of him. I'm working on a Dungeons and Dragons build for him. Writing and playing with him is going to be a challenge because Shiomi has autism. Sometimes he yaps too much, sometimes he stands too close. "The nail that sticks out gets hammered down" is a Japanese idiom. Culturally, emotional suppression is normal and expected but Shiomi doesn't understand and cannot comprehend it. His nail always pops back up no matter what is said or done to him. He has a big heart, but a bigger mouth. He's a sweet, cheeky, and ornery bastard whose smile you want to slap off his face. When overstimulated, he'll rock back and forth or bounce his leg. When excited, he'll briefly flap his arms. He's self-aware and does try to explain himself. Which usually goes very well because Shiomi definitely had that autistic rizz. He has no trouble finding fun or partners.

D&D Shiomi has a blue ringed octopus named 小瑠璃/Koruri, meaning Little Lapis Lazuli. She has Audrey Two’s sass and is spoiled by Shiomi. He’s a Fathomless Warlock (6 levels) and Bard: College of the Moon (5 levels).

Relationships

Doda: He was the navigator on the ship home to the Netherlands after her detour through Japan to find her daughter due to gross miscommunication and the selfness of man. They became very close on that journey and Shiomi has been a constant present in her and her daughter's life. He and Doda have a friends with benefits relationship.

Doda belong to @softly-and-tendrly

Bonus Lore: Shiomi has tattooing from gunpowder on his shoulder. It’s not something he likes to talk about and the problem isn’t the problem anymore. His trust in intimacy with others was shattered. Doda was his first partner after.

Spoilers Below

Mizu: This is where the fandom part comes in. Shiomi is still working as a pirate with the Dutch by the time Mizu is heading off to London. He acts as a connecting point between Mizu and Doda. Mizu thinks he's an absolute weirdo but he's well meaning and so sincere, it's annoying and makes her disparately miss Ringo.