迷いの森

# MAYOINOMORI⸻ come get lost in the lost woods. independent original lore SHAPESHIFTER oc ft . many au's written for mature audiences / explicit content will only be written with adults

ᶦⁿ ᵗʰᶦˢ 𝙙𝙚𝙚𝙥, 𝙙𝙖𝙧𝙠 𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙩 ᵀʰᵉʳᵉ’ˢ ⁿᵒʷʰᵉʳᵉ ᵗᵒ ᵍᵒ, ᴵ ᵃˡᵒⁿᵉ ᵃᵐ ᵘⁿᵃᵇˡᵉ ᵗᵒ ˡᵉᵃᵛᵉ

— examples of doorways into the Lost Woods

The Lost Woods is not easy to find. Often, those who come across the forest realm have fallen in by complete accident. Much like "null zones" in the Backrooms lore, these holes within the veil appear and mend themselves at complete random. It's because of this that it's hard for anyone to research the phenomena or prove it exists.

The most common entryways are—

Tunnels

Sculptures

Gaps in trees/split tree trunks

Doors

Dark corridors over stairs/staircases

Shrine gates/torii

Bridges over nothing

|| ⋆｡‧˚ʚ🍓ɞ˚‧｡⋆ 𝙲𝙷𝙰𝙾𝚃𝙸𝙲 𝚂𝙴𝙽𝚃𝙴𝙽𝙲𝙴 𝚂𝚃𝙰𝚁𝚃𝙴𝚁

(Add "+🔁" or "+ reverse" for the reverse)

“Don’t panic, but I may have accidentally joined a cult.”

“Good news: I found a sword. Bad news: It’s haunted.”

“How many chickens are too many chickens?”

“The raccoon is not our pet. Put it down.”

“I need you to distract the cops for… reasons.”

“The good couch is on fire.”

“Do you think we could fight God? Hypothetically.”

“I replaced all your mugs with skulls.”

“There’s no law that says we can’t rob the mayor.”

“The plan is flawless. Step one: chaos. Step two: profit.”

“That’s not my blood, and that’s all I’m willing to say.”

“I bought a cannon.”

“Quick—pick a crime!”

“You can’t prove I’m the one who summoned it.”

“This is fine. I’m fine. Everything’s fine. (It’s not fine.)”

“Why is there a medieval knight in our kitchen?”

“I think the fridge is possessed.”

“You said you wanted excitement!”

"I don't care. You need me."

"I won't risk the loss of you. I can't."

"We just need the courage to fight."

"Welcome to your rule, My Queen."

"Are all powerful men so insecure?"

"I've seen your death. You suffer, too."

"A compromised king is not a king at all."

"We'll see whose death is more painful…"

"I know what it is, to make a mess of love."

"No, he won't. Because he'll never find you."

"No matter what happens, you are my light."

"I slept with her fiancé. Just once. On a dare."

"My dear, never give up a crown. To anybody."

"The truth is, that child is whoever I say he is."

"I am more than your friend. I am your queen."

"But how can I possibly help you? I'm irrelevant."

"We are the outside world and we surround you."

"I want the same world as you do, the better one."

"Tell that to the people starving outside our walls."

"If you release them, you will be smiling on murder."

"I'm immune to the plague, My Queen, but not fire."

"A new king needs to know who his real friends are."

"You will survive this. I know this because I survived."

"There is nothing older or stronger than royal blood."

"We must think practically. We need to buy a horse!"

"If you want something to die for, I can give it to you."

"A favour for a favour, and it keeps you on the throne."

"The only thing that matters is that we face it together."

"Innocent men shouldn't die alone. You won't die alone."

"If you treat people as your enemy, that is what they become."

"I don't carry poison everywhere! I might accidentally kill myself."

"The only alliance I'm interested in is temporary, delicious, in bed."

"I pray the day will come when I no longer regret that I loved you."

"I'd like to apologize for the plague, famine, and religious violence."

"I can't always be your husband first. Sometimes I have to be king."

"I simply didn't have time before falling ill to murder that household."

"The beginning is often promising. The trick is to keep it going that way."

"You think you're untouchable, that your sins will stay buried… but they don't."

"Rise and shine! The only people in bed past noon are drunks and reprobates."

"What are you doing out here? There's a party inside to celebrate the new king."

"We do greater things when we act as one, when we trust each other as equals."

"You will be hanged for what you did to me. You will suffer and die, and I will live."

"Out of all the people you could have slept with, did it have to be one of my ladies?"

"You are not the man I fell in love with. And you are not the king I want to rule beside."

"Take my hand. Trust that I can get you through this, because I swear to you that I can."

"They will define who you are perceived to be, your place in history. Do not let them win."

"I know you're both very romantic, but I doubt this is the future together you had in mind."

"Oh, the things I have done for you, how I have protected you… You think that I don't love you?"

"And I learned that if you hold on to foolish romantic expectations, it'll make it that much harder."

"You didn't come here because your heart bleeds for your starving countrymen. What are you hiding?"

"For all that you claim you are trying to protect us, I have lost all faith in you. And the man I thought you were."

"They tried to destroy you by taking your pride and your strength, but those things cannot be taken. Not from you. Not ever."

Send one or more emojis ( + descriptions ) for the kind of ship/dynamic you’d like to write with my muse! ( for multimuses, please specify. )

ROMANTIC

❤️ committed, romantic relationship 💘 friends to lovers 💔 used to be together but broke up ❣️ skinny love 💗 slow burn 💌 one muse has a crush on the other muse 💕 mutual pining 💝 romantic relationship of convenience 🏫 highschool sweethearts 💒 arranged relationship ( dating, engagement, political, etc. ) 💋 one-sided romantic relationship ( specify which muse, Sender or Receiver ) 🖤 lovers to enemies 🤍 enemies to lovers

SEXUAL

💖 a sexual relationship that could turn romantic 🧡 friends with benefits 👄 a sexual, non-romantic relationship 🏩 sexual relationship of convenience 🔥 unresolved sexual tension 💟 developing sexual relationship ( may include romance ) 💞 one muse approaches the other out of convenience ( specify which muse, Sender or Receiver ) 🔪 enemies with sexual tension

FAMILIAL

👪 biological family 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 adopted family 🧑‍🤝‍🧑 family by choice/found family 👩‍👧 older/younger siblings 👭 twins 👥 cousins or extended family 👣 estranged family/feuding family 👨‍🏫 one muse is a teacher/mentor for the other muse ( specify which muse, Sender or Receiver ) 🚸 coworkers like family 🟡 family out of circumstance ⚪ pretending to be family

PLATONIC

💜 friendship 💙 queerplatonic partners ( an intimate, non-romantic committed relationship ) 💚 friends like siblings 💛 childhood friends 💧 friends due to traumatic experiences 🤝 coworkers ⛔ reluctant friends ✅ enemies to friends 🌈 developing friendship ☀️ friends of circumstance 👔 strangers working together ☕ one muse works in service of the other ( specify which muse, Sender or Receiver ) 🕴 partners in illegal activities 👯partners in crime trope ⚡ sparring partners 🩹 friends forced to work against each other 🟥 one muse makes a deal or contract with the other ( magic or non-magic. ) ( specify which muse, Sender or Receiver )

ENEMIES

🦴 mortal enemies 💀 enemies ⚔️ rivalry 🗡️ one-sided rivalry/grudge ( specify which muse, Sender or Receiver ) 🧠 enemies as narrative foils 💬 enemies because of conflicting ideologies 🤫 one muse is secretly an enemy/traitor to the other muse ( specify which muse, Sender or Receiver ) 😨 one muse is using the other muse for their benefit ( specify which muse, Sender or Receiver ) ❌ guilty by association 🚫 friends to enemies 🪓 occupational enemies 🩸 enemies tolerating each other for a common goal ⚫ enemies using each other out of convenience ⬜ coworkers who hate each other

The young woman watched in awe as Robin leapt high into the air. For a moment, Moana was fearful that the ushi-oni would swallow her whole. But her fears never came to be. The warrior had slain the beast.

The monster was defeated, but Robin knew she couldn't quietly go to lick her own wounds at this point. No, she had gotten too involved with the other girl's safety. There was no clean getaway.

The burn didn't even hurt. She had been so amped up on adrenaline, there was barely any sensation on her face at all. Just an ache of weariness, the buzz of a hunt completed.

Somewhere, in the back of her mind, Robin remembered fussing over Haruka's wounds the same way. At first, her twin had been ashamed, but let her younger half help her. But eventually, she began pushing Robin away, even when wounded to near infected state...

The shifter let out a loud, begrudging sigh. With a flick, she removed the blood from her sword, before sheathing it cleanly at her hip.

"Okay. Lead the way, little Chieftain."

The  descriptors  are  all  correct  in  one  way,  wrong  in  others.  Kami  is  a  term  he  had  not  heard  in  centuries  ever  since  Hisui's  name  changed,  though  it  was  the  closest  in  its  broad  meanings  that  fit  him.  "YOU  CAN  VIEW  ME  AS  A  'KAMI'  OF  NIGHTMARES."  So  far,  he'd  done  nothing  to  use  his  own  powers  and  already  turned  into  a  waking  bad  dream  that  evoked  long-buried  fears...  whether  the  Kitsune  knew  of  his  own  nature  he  couldn't  guess  at.

Slowly, the pieces of the puzzle begin to click into place. While what the creature said was true about light and darkness, there still was a deep, lingering doubt that clung to the wolf's heart. She had never known a creature like this. Never.

A god of nightmares. Mornings brought wide awake, blind, hands clawing at her face as panic ruins her. The curse of her heritage, to witness such terrible visions and be rendered blind from the power before being allowed to see again.

It was like viewing the cause of those painful mornings, having a face to blame. A bump in the night made manifest.

"What do you know of me, dark kami-sama?" Even for her distrust, he was given the barest of respects. A god was a god. It would not be wise to disrespect one.

"The fox, Aishireiko. You met them. I can smell their stench on your shadows. They're a cruel and evil creature. You'd do well not to trust a word they say." Out of habit, her voice turned formal, brought tight from a growling throat.

You drool in your sleep.

Don't you dare sleep in those clothes!

Did I wake you?

You're going to end up with a sore neck if you sleep like that.

You're supposed to turn off the alarm clock, not break it.

Are you always this grumpy in the morning?

Keep your cold feet away from me!

The bed's big enough for both of us.

You can rest. I’m here.

Just how many pillows do you need?

Now that you're awake, can you let go of me?

Oh, so even you get bedhead.

You talk in your sleep, you know.

When was the last time you slept?

You kick in your sleep.

If you're not tired why do you keep yawning?

You were having a nightmare.

I'm going to smother you with a pillow if you keep snoring.

Would you stop stealing all the blankets?

I can leave the light on if it helps.

You can use my shoulder as a pillow if you like.

I hate morning people.

Please tell me your not just now going to bed.

Do you often have nightmares?

Five more minutes…

Ugh, somebody turn off the sun.

Can I sleep here tonight?

Can you even find your bed in this mess?

You’re exhausted. Go to bed.

You don't need more coffee, you need a nap.

You can have the bed, I'll take the couch.

You look way too comfortable for someone who has to be at work in twenty minutes.

You're warm. Don't move.

You always look so peaceful when you’re asleep.

Your desk is not a bed.

You sleep, I'll keep watch.

While he didn't know many stories, he was always a good listener. The Keepers kept most tales tucked away in the annals of time, hidden away from him. Whenever he'd grow to curious and ask why, Tasheen would tell him that he would have to wait until he was old enough. But, for what it was worth, his uncle would fill his head with stories of their gods; of the Great Bird, of the dragons and the heights they climbed. He even told anecdotes from his and his father's youth. Nata devoured such knowledge greedily.

Robin ran her fingertips along the old ink, translating the words into English as she went. She knew the story by heart by now, having performed the same nightly ritual for years growing up. It was a tale that clung to her hide tight as thorns.

"Long, long ago, there lived an old bamboo wood-cutter. He was very poor and sad also, for no child had Heaven sent to cheer his old age, and in his heart there was no hope of rest from work till he died and was laid in the quiet grave. Every morning he went forth into the woods and hills wherever the bamboo reared its lithe green plumes against the sky." She spoke gently, but enunciated where it was best appropriate.

"When he had made his choice, he would cut down these feathers of the forest, and splitting them lengthwise, or cutting them into joints, would carry the bamboo wood home and make it into various articles for the household, and he and his old wife gained a small livelihood by selling them." Within her own mind, she could recall the image of bamboo, considered an invasive species. There were certain groves of it in the Lost Woods, but not nearly to the extent of her ancestral home's.

"One morning as usual he had gone out to his work, and having found a nice clump of bamboos, had set to work to cut some of them down. Suddenly the green grove of bamboos was flooded with a bright soft light, as if the full moon had risen over the spot. Looking round in astonishment, he saw that the brilliance was streaming from one bamboo. The old man, full of wonder, dropped his ax and went towards the light. On nearer approach he saw that this soft splendor came from a hollow in the green bamboo stem, and still more wonderful to behold, in the midst of the brilliance stood a tiny human being, only three inches in height, and exquisitely beautiful in appearance."

The image on the page revealed just that; a tiny doll-like woman emerging from the bamboo, cast in a divine light that caused the old man to stare in disbelief.

. . . Would she be fit to be called a mother of sorts? . . . No, a sister. They are siblings in loneliness, in sorrow and uncertainty. They both carry scars that they bore at ages far too young for them to have, inside and out.

With a semblance of a sister and guardian figure, Nata at least feels safe here, and the yawning of the forest all around them doesn't seem so scary. In a wood infested with demons and monsters, Robin's home is a sanctuary, and he feels he can sleep to her stories.

His warm, small body produces a wave of comfort she had thought impossible of having again. Within her own mind, Robin remembered her beloved twin sister Haruka... The eldest by several minutes. Yet she had been small and skinny, when Robin had been well built and sturdy from a very young age. They had snuggled up to read bedtime stories just like this, especially after their parents died and all they had was one another...

And despite Nata quickly fawning to avoid any conflict, the wolf girl can't help but want to do the same. Maybe it would be good to read such stories, to build a better skin against the wounds of grief...

"This one... Is called the Tale of the Bamboo Cutter." Robin began, opening the faded book and sliding the one side for Nata to hold, while she held the other. The old book sat heavy in their laps, smushing the old futon blanket.

"It doesn't have any swordsmen or adventurers, but it is about love and a princess..."