迷いの森

-- important items in Robin's inventory (pt 3)

Robin's family were magic users, practicing a sort of divination for many centuries known as Onmyōdō. Originally an art based in China, the divination relied upon star charts, horoscopes and other related calendars.

The art also involved rituals of purification, which many Shinto priests used to protect shrines, give thanks to kami for harvests, and some were done to protect the emperor from illness or harm. The spread of Onmyōdō rites, however, did not occur due to state sponsorship, but rather is thought to have been the result of its growing popularity among the nobility and the common people who used Onmyōdō as privately sponsored rites and personal magic to invite blessings and avoid misfortune.

A method of this magic was the creation of prayer slips, ofuda (お札/御札, honorific form of fuda, 'slip [of paper], card, plate'). Certain kinds of ofuda are intended for a specific purpose (such as protection against calamity or misfortune, safety within the home, or finding love) and may be kept on one's person or placed on other areas of the home (such as gates, doorways, kitchens, or ceilings). Paper ofuda may also be referred to as kamifuda (紙札), while those made of wood may be called kifuda (木札). Omamori, another kind of Japanese talisman, shares the same origin as and may be considered as a smaller and portable version of ofuda.

Robin carries Omamori with her into battle, but also keeps them on her person while at home. The Kobayashi-Calatia property is marked by several ofuda, which keep the grounds sacredly pure.

Essentially, these slips are embued with the sacred power of the family's god/kami, the Sun Wolf, a sort of form of Amaterasu-omikami. When attached to yokai or cursed objects or places, the slip activates, creating pure heavenly light that removes all impurities.

Miyuki, Robin's mother, only created a stack of these slips. Robin does not know how to properly bless and imbue new slips, so she only has a limited amount to keep herself safe.

Robin believes she is cursed, that she is left alone in the Lost Woods because her family died. The balance between worlds, between purity and impurity, has been off-kilter ever since Miyuki and Lincoln were killed by curses themselves.

In certain Shinto/onmyodo beliefs, the women are said to contain more "yin" or Kegare (穢れ) attached to their souls. They are closer to the supernatural and the dead. This is why the Kobayashi clan is led by women, the girls leading their rituals. Their bodies are thresholds, vessels where the invisible world seeps through. They carry the burden of harae (祓 or 祓い) ritual purification because they are both the bridge and the battleground for impurity to be cleansed.

Robin, however, feels that she is too stained to ever be made clean again. She blames herself for Miyuki’s death, for failing to inherit her mother's prayers, her mother’s sacred dance. Without the Kagura, the yokai roam freely. Without the Kagura, the Sun fades from the Lost Woods a little more each year.

Sometimes, she thinks she was born wrong... Not a shrine maiden meant to purify, but a wolf meant to devour. Shapeshifting feels less like a gift and more like evidence of her impurity: a body too wild, too mutable, unable to remain purely human. A girl caught in-between, just like the woods she guards.

The other women of the Kobayashi bloodline were graceful and radiant in the records kept by the Kodama Archives. They were called "Children of the Sun," golden beings who never faltered, who could perform the Kagura with such brilliance it could drive back the darkest yokai. But Robin isn't. Her sun is a dying one, flickering low behind the trees.

In the old teachings, Kegare is not a punishment. It is a natural consequence of living, of death, of grief. But Robin has yet to forgive herself enough to believe it. She clings to the idea that she must atone for a crime she cannot name, that she must stay here, in the heart of the Lost Woods, until she is worthy of forgiveness.

—— shapeshifter

Robin only has two shapes: the girl, and the wolf. There is no in-between. No soft transition. One moment she breathes with a human chest and remembers her name, the next she is fur and fang and hunger sharpened into something holy.

She does not speak of the first time it happened. No one had to tell her how. It was as natural as breathing. Her bones cracked not from violence, but from memory—ancestral, instinctive, divine. In her girl-shape she is too small to carry the rage. In her wolf-shape she cannot cry. So she moves between them, each form bearing what the other cannot.

when Inu Kobayashi performed the Sun Wolf Kagura ritual, she was not pure enough for the effect to be permanent. In addition, her desire to stay on her beloved Earth among mortals had made her unable to let go.

When the ritual was completed, her soul was split into two halves, unable to ascend and return to the Celestial Plane. Instead, it waited. The kami of the Sun Village let their wrath and disappointment be known, and they placed a curse upon Inu's clan. They would always bear daughters, all with incredible power, until they could completely perform the ritual.

Inu's soul was eventually born again as twin girls born to the last heir, Miyuki. These girls were seen as a bad omen, forcing Miyuki to flee deeper into the Lost Woods with her husband to raise their daughters in secret.

One twin was Inu's power, her ties to the tennyo. This twin was named Robin. The other twin, born without nearly as much power and containing Inu's human longing and rage... Was Haruka.

Haruka and Robin were close as children. They shared an inseparable bond, able to feel one another's emotions to a finite point. If Haruka was upset, Robin was always there to cheer her up. If Robin had a nightmare, often, Haruka also had the same.

However, there was often a sense of disdain and rage within Haruka. She yearned to have the same power and destiny that Robin held as the marked wolf daughter. The elder twin worked hard, becoming the forest's guardian when their parents died.

It was this disdain, this insanity, that led to Haruka's unraveling and disappearance. Severed from her twin, she wanders the forest alone.

Robin feels this ache, this sudden disappearance of her twin deeply. There's always a longing for Haruka to return—whether in person or back to her soul, so they may be as one again.

— the three shrines

In Robin's journey, the ultimate goal is to find her way to the mythological Sun Village, the home of her ancestors. With nothing to go by other than prophetic dreams and an old mural left behind by her mother, as well as help from local cryptidzoologist Henrik and the shadow boy Kagemori, Robin has to seek out and purify three shrines connected to the Imperial Treasures.

Just as the Sun Village itself is a copy of Ise back in the 900s, the treasures that Robin seeks are copies of the Imperial Treasures— the mirror, the sword and the jewel. Having these items in hand will allow her to find the Sun Village and perform the Kagura to seal away the Dark One for good.

However, what Robin doesn't know is that each of these shrines' purification rituals further opens up her inherited powers left long sealed. The more these powers unlock, the sicker her body becomes. She has random fainting spells, random coughing fits where she can barely breathe. Hallucinations.

The ultimate goal is that these shrines are creating a new god. A new deity to protect and watch over the Lost Woods, as there has not been a guarding kami in more than several centuries. In performing the final purification ritual, the Kagura, Robin will die.

for the "i don't need your help" one

you can get lost.

i thought i told you i had this under control.

you never listen to me.

i was taking care of it.

leave me alone.

are you happy now?

you just stepped in and ruined it for me.

that was completely unnecessary and you know it.

i had it under control.

you didn't need to show up.

can't you let me handle my own shit?

i would have appreciated it if you asked first.

i had it handled!

you didn't need to do all that!

what part of "i don't need help" do you not understand?

they were about to give it to me before you showed up!

i had something going and you ruined it!

what, you mean you don't trust me to handle it myself?

you trained me better than this.

you can't just show up every time and save me.

what's the point in putting me out here if you're not going to let me do it on my own?

i thought you trusted me to take care of this by myself.

you taught me this.

i'm never going to forgive you for this.

that was uncalled for.

what happens when you're not here one day and i have to take care of things on my own?

how am i ever going to learn if you keep stepping in?

i'm not you.

for the "i'm just trying to help you" one

i heard you struggling.

i was just trying to help you.

and this is the thanks i get for trying to help?

things were getting out of hand. i had to step in.

you never would have done that by yourself.

it's okay to ask for help.

it's not that i don't trust you. i don't trust [them].

a minute longer and you'd be dead in there.

i had to make sure you were okay.

of course i trust you. this was never about trust.

i'm not going to risk your life like that!

i should have been there sooner.

if i'd only reached you faster.

a simple "thank you" would suffice.

you could thank me for saving your ass back there.

sure didn't seem like you had it under control.

things were getting out of hand, and i stepped in.

i'm in charge here, not you.

i'm not going to put your life at risk like that again.

we're done here.

i'm not arguing with you.

i saved your life, and this is how you repay me?

i just wanted to make sure you were okay.

maybe i crossed a line back there, sure, but i did it for you.

it's because i care about you.

of course you're capable. that was never up for debate.

you're not ready.

next time, let me handle it.

clearly you need more time before i let you do that alone.

if you are sending to a multi-muse, remember to specify the muse that the sentence starters are being sent for .

who . . .

“ Who are you? ”

“ Who do you serve? ”

“ Who taught you that? ”

“ Who’s really in control here? ”

“ Who are you running from? ”

“ Who did this to you? ”

“ Who’s coming for us? ”

“ Who do you think I am? ”

“ Who else knows about this? ”

“ Who are you trying to protect? ”

what . . .

“ What are you? ”

“ What do you want from me? ”

“ What are you hiding? ”

“ What were you planning to do? ”

“ What just happened? ”

“ What did you see back there? ”

“ What did you promise them? ”

“ What happens if I don’t let you go? ”

“ What are the rules I’m not supposed to break? ”

“ What happens after the portal closes? ”

where . . .

“ Where did you come from? ”

“ Where are we? ”

“ Where are you going? ”

“ Where were you when it happened? ”

“ Where does this path lead? ”

“ Where did you get that scar? ”

“ Where is everyone else? ”

“ Where should I stand? ”

“ Where did you put the body? ”

“ Where were you hiding all this time? ”

when . . .

“ When did this start? ”

“ When were you going to tell me? ”

“ When was the last time you felt safe? ”

“ When do we leave? ”

“ When did you stop trusting me? ”

“ When does this end? ”

“ When did you realise the truth? ”

“ When do things go wrong? ”

“ When did you choose this path? ”

“ When will you look at me and be honest? ”

how . . .

“ How long have you been watching me? ”

“ How did you survive? ”

“ How much do you remember? ”

“ How are you this calm right now? ”

“ How bad is it? ”

“ How did you know my name? ”

“ How far are you willing to go? ”

“ How many lies have you told me? ”

“ How do you live with this? ”

“ How are we supposed to fix this? ”

are . . .

“ Are you human? ”

“ Are you okay? ”

“ Are you lying to me right now? ”

“ Are you scared? ”

“ Are you tired? ”

“ Are you hiding something? ”

“ Are you bound by oath or by magic? ”

“ Are you trying to start a fight? ”

“ Are you always this dramatic? ”

“ Are you going to explain or just stare? ”

do . . .

“ Do you trust me? ”

“ Do you remember your name? ”

“ Do you remember me? ”

“ Do you miss them? ”

“ Do you always talk this much? ”

“ Do you have any idea what you just did? ”

“ Do you ever sleep? ”

“ Do you want me to stay? ”

“ Do you think I’m stupid? ”

“ Do you believe in fate? ”

have . . .

“ Have you eaten yet? ”

“ Have we met before? ”

“ Have you been here long? ”

“ Have you done this before? ”

“ Have you ever killed someone? ”

“ Have you been lying to me? ”

“ Have you lost anyone? ”

“ Have you forgiven yourself? ”

“ Have you always been like this? ”

“ Have you already chosen a side? ”

is . . .

“ Is this place real? ”

“ Is something bothering you? ”

“ Is that weapon even legal here? ”

“ Is this your idea of a joke? ”

“ Is this your way of flirting? ”

“ Is someone watching us? ”

“ Is it supposed to hurt like this? ”

“ Is there a way out? ”

“ Is this what you wanted? ”

“ Is it too late to turn back? ”

can . . .

“ Can I ask you a weird question? ”

“ Can you hear that? ”

“ Can I trust you? ”

“ Can you keep a secret? ”

“ Can we slow down? ”

“ Can you help me bury a body? ”

“ Can you look at me? ”

“ Can we talk about what happened? ”

“ Can you stop pretending? ”

“ Can you promise me something? ”

will . . .

“ Will you stay with me? ”

“ Will you tell me the truth? ”

“ Will this ever end? ”

“ Will you protect me? ”

“ Will they come back for us? ”

“ Will you remember me? ”

“ Will you choose a side? ”

“ Will you regret this? ”

“ Will you still look at me the same way? ”

“ Will you stop me if I’m wrong? ”

should . . .

“ Should I be worried? ”

“ Should we be running? ”

“ Should I follow you? ”

“ Should I be afraid of you? ”

“ Should we pretend this never happened? ”

“ Should I stay or go? ”

“ Should I believe you? ”

“ Should I be honest with you? ”

“ Should we trust them? ”

“ Should I have come here? ”

would . . .

“ Would you do it again? ”

“ Would you lie to protect me? ”

“ Would this have been different if I had stayed? ”

“ Would you really let me die? ”

“ Would you have saved them instead? ”

“ Would you still care if you knew the truth? ”

“ Would you leave if I asked? ”

“ Would this hurt less if I understood? ”

“ Would you forgive me? ”

“ Would you choose me this time? ”

could . . .

“ Could you survive without me? ”

“ Could this world exist without you? ”

“ Could this get any worse? ”

“ Could you teach me how to do that? ”

“ Could you be wrong? ”

“ Could you be lying to yourself? ”

“ Could you forgive them? ”

“ Could this be a trap? ”

“ Could you handle the truth if I told you? ”

"THE  KITSUNE,  'AISHIREIKO'  AS  YOU  CALL  THEM,  ONLY  SPOKE  OF  THE  YOKAI,  THEIR  DARK  ONE  AND  YOUR  EAGERNESS  TO  RENDER  BEINGS  OF  DARKNESS  ASUNDER.  THOUGH  SHARP,  THEIR  EYES  COULD  NOT  PIERCE  MY  VOID  AND  SO  THEY  ONLY  SAW  ME  FOR  THE  EVIL  OF  MY  POWERS  ON  THE  SURFACE."  Same  as  you,  between  the  lines,  though  he  didn't  wish  to  to  emphasize  the  similarity  when  it  was  an  easy  superficial  conclusion  to  draw.  Those  who  walked  in  shadow  and  served  the  light  were  an  anomalous  rarity,  no  matter  where.

As she listened to the words of the darkness, the sword slowly lowered. Even for all the panic she had felt in even smelling the scent of the kitsune, Robin still had enough of an even head to know that perhaps Darkrai wasn't here out of malicious intent...

"I'm... Lost?" She echoed the creature's choice of words, brows furrowed together in confusion. They only relaxed as her intuition spat back that the darkness would do anything to try and survive an encounter with the light.

"Why are you here? And what do you want of me? Is it just curiosity?" No, never that simple. Gods were incredibly strange things. They never showed their true desires.

Even if she felt deep suspicion... Some deep part of the wolf woman yearned for a meaningful connection of any kind. The Lost Woods was a lonesome place.

# 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