you cannot hold me captive
welcome to hanami
You are standing within the greatest empire known to mortals.
Unlike any other empire or realm before it, Hanami has successfully brought together the strengths and minds of all known races. Though there was cause for hope and celebration at its foundation, Hanami is still only a young empire and she is fragile. Unpopularity with the other influential families
has weakened the imperial rule. It now falls to our youngest Empress yet to tend to the grievances and wishes of those that surround her in order to bring back the empire to its former state.
Whether it crumbles or prevails is up to you. Choose wisely because the fate of Hanami really is in your hands.
about the rp
Hanami is a 13+ original historical fantasy rp. It is a character-driven rp and one in which members and staff alike can take part in the constant lore and world development- making the world as creative and diverse as your imaginations will allow.
The rp was created with diversity and inclusiveness as one of the core themes and we hope members can enjoy this aspect of the forum as much as we do. We do ask that in all your research, you remain respectful and mindful of the information you use and the characters you create.
If you have any questions or queries, please don't hesitate to talk to the staff members! We're always happy to help you as best we can!
ORIGINAL HISTORICAL FANTASY
hanami v-sshi
Blueprint is a premade Proboards v5 theme designed and built by punki of Adoxography and Wicked Wonderland. HANAMI is the work of the mind(s) of VARDA. All characters and content are copyright their creators, and may not be replicated without their creators' permission. All images belong to their original owners.
updates
Chapter One: Sumuri Unrest
The crown has changed hands and now the youngest Empress yet sits at the head of an unsteady empire. With the outrage of the Oshima family in Sumi, suspecting their son to have been kept hidden from them within the capital for over a decade, all eyes now turn to Empress Aliyah to see how she will deal with her first challenge as ruler of the empire.
OOC: Staff Search
Hanami has reopened and is looking for dedicated members to join the staff team! We will be looking for people specialising in aesthetics, coding, writing and being social to join one of four staff teams to help us create the best experience for everyone! Please PM V-SSHI if interested!.
----> before the dawn; O P E N
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Post by Zuo Lige on Jun 4, 2018 7:16:13 GMT
[attr="class","burst"] [attr="class","whitenight"] ❝ Lige never needed an alarm clock, he always woke himself up at O-Dark-Thirty. People who would study his scheduled literally called him insane and while he would agree with them sometimes in all seriousness, Lige thought that he needed this kind of training to keep up with everything. What would happen if he stopped training to find out? Who knows, because he honestly wouldn’t stop unless something serious happened. That…or he found someone to SPEND the time with instead. The idea seemed like a farfetched one, because Lige would rather push people away than befriend them. Said idea was the one that had been driving him for the past ten years. His stage persona is what everyone loved, so why should he drop that for the real him? Yeah, our little one has problems, and they often manifested themselves as he looked in his mirror, straightening out his hair and getting ready for his morning run. The mirror doesn’t lie, and the bags under his eyes were very unsightly. With the route he had planned through the forest he was sure that no one would chance running into him. He skipped putting on makeup to hide all the imperfections on his face, ruffling his fingers through his hair. Yep…that was good enough, right? Slight bedhead never killed anyone….he’d have to come back to his home for a bath anyway. He’d style if then. PERFECT idea. Well, at least it seemed like a perfect idea to his still sleep-fuzzy brain. Slipping on the first pair of lightweight workout clothes he could find he set out into the soft darkness of the kisses of dawn. The edge of the forest wasn’t too far away from his home, and as he disappeared into the tree line he took in a deep breath. He could smell the dew of morning, and as his arms brushed against the leaves the dew collected on his skin. A soft smile spread across his lips, and as he kept moving deeper into nature, away from everyone and everything, he found his bliss. There was nothing else in this world that could calm and center him like this. All his worries and thought faded away, and his rhythmic running movements became his mantra, his body almost slipping into a form of moving meditation. He had been running miles before he sensed the gentle whirling of water, indicating a waterfall. Perfect, perfect…he was still on his desired path. When he ran like this he sometimes lost himself and veered way off his desired path. Lige kept his speed set to a brisk run before he finally found his way through the clearing and to the waterfall. His run slowed to a jog, and then to a walk as he approached the deep pond at the base of the waterfall. Lige found a shallow area, and with a grin and soft sigh let himself gracefully collapse into the shallow of the water. His brown eyes gazed up into the sky, watching as tendrils of light from the sun started to color and brighten the darkness. This was the perfect start to his day, and even though his clothes were now completely soaked and clinging to his body he didn’t seem to mind in the least. His blissful state made his lips softly purse together, humming a beautiful, yet slightly solemn tune. Lige’s fingertips danced against the surface of the water, his translucent scales starting to give a slight shimmer as if responding to his state of mind and the slowly rising sun. | [attr="class","white"] [attr="class","night"]  [attr="class","burstmini"]@someone1 [attr="class","burstmini"]@someone2 [attr="class","burstmini"]561 words [attr="class","burstmini"]notes: FOR ANYONE, YAAAAY |
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Mizushima Aoi
Merfolk
Genderqueer
Pansexual
Married
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Post by Mizushima Aoi on Jun 4, 2018 9:54:12 GMT
LOOKS ATTRACT - AND DISTURB -
THE SUPERFICIAL PEOPLE
The water felt fresh and cool against his scales and the eddies and currents created by the waterfall brushed playfully along his spine and down his tail, catching in his hair and ruffling his fins as they passed. It wasn’t quite as pleasant as the soft-sweet-sting of saltwater (but then again nothing ever would be) but it was wonderful all the same and, quite frankly, it just what Aoi needed after a long night spent in the company of some particularly trying clients. Honestly, how many times must he tell them no touching before they get it through their thick heads that he meant it? Why did they all think if they tried often enough he’d just give up and let it pass. Did they think him meek? Stupid? A pretty face they’d paid for and therefore nothing more than a doll to do with as they pleased? He might be a gisaeng but that didn’t mean they got to do whatever they wanted. He had rights, standards, stipulations…. If they’d wanted to touch they should have paid the extra fees beforehand rather than try and take liberties!
Aoi was just getting to his favourite bit in his well-practised rant (a section entitled “why I should be allowed to bite if you touch my mouth”) when a sound shook him from his thoughts.
Footsteps…Light and swift and barely audible but definitely footsteps and definitely heading at a steady pace towards the Aoi’s pond. Instinctively he ducked beneath the surface of the water, drawing back away from the shoreline and towards the safety of the waterfall. It wasn’t that he thought he was in any danger (after all Jinyin was known for how safe it was) but he was weary and cross and he didn’t much fancy being stared at if he could help it. Better to hide and let them go on their way than to potential end up being ogled at by some stupid man who couldn’t keep his hands to himself.
Still, despite his reticence, Aoi felt a prick of curiosity and he couldn’t help but peek as the footsteps drew nearer. Who on earth could be up and about at this hour?
It turned out to be an elf; pretty, elegant and a little sleep-worn and, Aoi thought as he watched them sink down into the shallows, staying.
He was trapped.
Well, not trapped. He had two options, really. One, stay hidden and continue to watch, much like those creepy clients he hated so much, or two, make himself known and, probably, make light conversation before taking leave and returning to his quarters….. There wasn’t really any debate as to which one he was going to pick, he didn’t much fancy skulking in a pond for who knows how long and, besides, he was growing tired.
With a sigh Aoi pushed himself away from his hiding spot and into clear view, allowing his head and shoulders to breach the surface and for his tail splash as it worked to keep him upright.
“It’s quite lovely here, isn’t it?”
510 Words | Zuo Lige
I think this is the fastest I've ever written a reply, sorry if there are mistakes or if it doesn't scan well :P
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Post by Zuo Lige on Jun 5, 2018 5:54:26 GMT
[attr="class","burst"] [attr="class","whitenight"] ❝ With the roaring of the waterfall he was very unaware of the movement by the merfolk so close by. Lige’s chocolate eyes just stayed gazing skyward, that light humming sound still making his lips vibrate ever so softly as he continued his melody. There was a problem when Lige was in this state – and that was that he really became lost as to what was around him. Feeling the water and nature around him probably would have clued him into someone else being around him …but it really didn’t. Lige’s eyes were still focused upwards when the merfolk rose to the surface of the water. The slight noise disturbed him for his peace, and his eyes darted towards the source. If Lige had been any deeper in meditation he would have been startled, maybe jumped or embarrassed himself. Lige, in all his practice, was able to stay calm and collected eventhough he was caught off guard by having someone else to share this beautiful sunrise with. He studied Aoi closely. It was obvious he was taking his time in studying him, as if he took the extra seconds to memorize exactly what he looked like. Lige always admired the beauty of the merfolk. While some might find them strange with Lige it was exactly the opposite. When it seemed his eyes had their fill of the merfolk he lead his head slowly fall back to its original position, his eyes once again studying the beautiful colors the clouds and sunrise was painting into the sky. “Lovely? Yes….sometimes I struggle to find the words to describe how I feel in moments like this…” He let his fingers caress the surface of the water almost like the water was his lover, a light sigh leaving his lips. While Lige didn’t feel a need to automatically start telling this new person to leave him alone, he decided to give this merfolk a chance to not annoy him. Most people annoyed him so much that he pondered the possibility of himself being the issue …but he quickly dismissed that as false. The sunrise continued to wash light over the darkness, the wildlife in the surrounding forest starting to waken up as well. The sounds of life and harmony went from a whisper to a chorus around them and Lige wished he could just stay here all day. His skin would prune and make him look like he was thousands of years old but he wouldn’t care because that time would have been worth it. Movement at the edge of the waterfall caused him to look away, a small colorful frog jumping across a few lily pads. The silence wasn’t bothering him, yet words came to his mind … words that he wanted to say to this man. “The great poets could write thousands of pages on such beauty and never repeat a word.” It wasn’t like Lige’s vocabulary was lacking, he was just a man of few words and for someone like him to write pages worth of poems on a single subject matter would turn out horribly wrong. | [attr="class","white"] [attr="class","night"] [attr="class","burstmini"]@someone2 [attr="class","burstmini"]515 words [attr="class","burstmini"]notes: He will be more talkative and interactive soon, promise, LOL |
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Mizushima Aoi
Merfolk
Genderqueer
Pansexual
Married
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Post by Mizushima Aoi on Jun 5, 2018 18:34:28 GMT
LOOKS ATTRACT - AND DISTURB -
THE SUPERFICIAL PEOPLE
The elf seemed in no hurry to respond to Aoi’s question if, indeed, he planned to answer it at all. Instead, he seemed to luxuriate in the moment, trailing his eyes over Aoi’s form without even a hint of shame and studying him with an intensity that was both intimately familiar to the mer and disconcertingly foreign. It was the same intensity he saw in many of his clients when they set eyes on him for the first time.... but it lacked something…. the edge of desire which so often lurked behind those hungry gazes, the greed which threatened to swallow Aoi whole if he didn’t watch his step. It was both deeply unsettling and strangely comforting at the same time and, had Aoi been but a simple green-gilled mer , he might have been shaken. As it was, however, he had spent too long as the object of people’s admiration to let yet another pair of eyes shake him. He stood his ground and, holding his head high and proud, looked right back.Closer than he was before, Aoi could see that “elf” wasn’t quite the right term for the man in front of him; scales glimmering under his eyes and along his neck, mirroring Aoi’s own.Hybrid then. Half mer – half elf. Still, without those scales I might never have guessed, he certainly has the look of an elf about him.
Like all elves, the hybrid in front of Aoi had a timeless quality to him, a sense that he was far older than he looked (Aoi could never tell) and that he had seen more than Aoi could ever imagine (that was, admittedly, debateable ). Like all elves, he was also extremely pretty but, and Aoi thought many others would agree with him here, he was also somehow prettier than most of his kind. He was certainly beautiful enough to give Aoi a run for his money and he couldn’t help but wonder if it was the mer in his blood that gave the hybrid his the edge. The vain part of him, the part which was proudly and loudly mer above all else, thought that it was.Looking closer still, there was something familiar about the man too, something that Aoi couldn’t quite place but couldn’t quite shake either. It was a familiarity which pricked at Aoi’s skin and made him curious as to where he could possibly have seen the elf before…. It wasn’t as a client, of that, at least, Aoi was certain…. He would have remembered a client who looked like that.Aoi was so caught up in trying to place the elf’s pretty face that he was almost caught off guard when the object of his study finally spoke and he had to work hard not let the surprise show on his face. Much like his gaze, there was something serene and tranquil about the way the elf spoke and it so matched the restfulness of the pond and the quite buzz of life around it that Aoi felt no rush to answer right away. It was only after giving the elf’s words some thought and formulating an answer that he felt the need to speak. “There are some who would say you do not need a thousand pages to talk about a beauty such as this. They would say that a single word would suffice and that those great poets whose words flow so freely are merely trying to catch a moment which should not be pinned to the page.”
587 Words | Zuo Lige
Haha, I don't mind. Hopefully this makes sense :P
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Post by Zuo Lige on Jun 6, 2018 8:50:42 GMT
[attr="class","burst"] [attr="class","whitenight"] ❝ The moment was still mostly silent between them, and he was thankful for that. It seemed like the merfolk couldn’t exactly place him. He could tell by those searching eyes that he was trying to figure out where he recognized him. A light sigh escaped Lige’s lips as he wondered how long it would take for him to realize. Hopefully he wouldn’t figure it out at all and they would be able to interact without this stranger being ‘star-struck’. It was hard to have an honest interaction with people, especially if they were trying to impress him, or asking him silly questions. Eventually his new acquaintance did speak, and his words made a soft smile cross Lige’s lips. He righted himself to be standing in the shallow water, grabbing the bottom of his shirt and sliding it off above his head, twisting the fabric to wring out the water. Lige then tossed the shirt away from the water, turning himself to face the mer. “Do you know what that single word would be, to describe what we just witnessed? Because in my own vocabulary I cannot find a word. Not even in elvish can I think of one.” He moved himself to slightly close the gap between him, his eyes still focused on the stranger. Maybe there was some word in another language that had such a meaning. If this word existed, he would have to turn this word into a new song of his. Lige’s eyes seemed to lose focus as his mind started to wander, still searching the memory banks of his mind for a word. It was almost …embarrassing. For someone of his skill he should be able to find a word. All the words that came to his mind were just too vague, too simple. When he thought of how his run would end, he didn’t imagine being near the base of a waterfall with a mer, having a somewhat intellectual conversation. However, he did have a schedule, and while this stranger showed promise in being able to hold his interest he needed to go back to his home and go about with the rest of the day. That was always the problem with planning every hour of your day …it was always annoying when things started to veer off course. With that thought he started to retreat towards the edge of the water, moving to lift himself out of it. It was a slight second guessing that made him only sit on the edge, his legs still dipped in the water. He reached for his shirt, wringing it in his hands again. Well, he would have to wait a bit for his pants to dry. Lige wasn’t about to run back to his home in nothing but his undergarment. Lige was confident nude, yet if it were to get around that he was streaking during his morning runs he might start getting audiences on a regular basis. | [attr="class","white"] [attr="class","night"] [attr="class","burstmini"]@someone2 [attr="class","burstmini"]492 words [attr="class","burstmini"]notes: He is turn my curiosity and his schedule xD |
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Mizushima Aoi
Merfolk
Genderqueer
Pansexual
Married
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Post by Mizushima Aoi on Jun 9, 2018 15:07:26 GMT
LOOKS ATTRACT - AND DISTURB -
THE SUPERFICIAL PEOPLE
Having spoken his piece, the elf became distracted, his mind seemingly elsewhere as he gazed off into some intangible distance Aoi couldn’t see. For a moment it even looked as though he would leave and abandon the conversation altogether and he clearly made a move to lift himself out of the water before, for some reason or another, deciding against. Aoi watched with interest as he settled back down at the water’s edge and wondered if he resented the elf for staying or if he was glad for the (increasingly fascinating) company to break the monotony of the early morning. He found he couldn’t quite tell but that he was no longer frustrated that his peace and quiet had been disrupted.Now that the elf was clearly staying for at least a while longer, Aoi realised he would need to respond to his last question (had it been rhetorical? It might have been but Aoi was never sure with these things) or risk coming across as exceedingly rude. For a second, he wondered whether it would be better to maintain a façade and try to pass as an intellectual, parroting words he’d read countless times during his days as a trainee, or to be honest and admit to not knowing much about such matters. It was tempting to lie, the part of him which had been trained to say pretty words and sweet things was screaming at him to lie…. But he was not at work anymore, this was his own free time and there was no real need for him to keep spinning a pretty web of words to keep his company happy. Plus, Aoi had a suspicion his present company might be more inclined to pay attention to what he was actually saying than his usual fair.“I’m afraid even if that single word does exist I have no way of knowing what it would be. I’m not a poet but I’m certainly not one of those ‘others’ either.” Aoi laughed a little as he thought about what to say next. “Perhaps it’s because I’m just a simple mer, but I don’t particularly have the desire to capture scenes like this and set them to paper. I’m far happier just living in them for the present moment and enjoying them whilst I can rather worrying about how I will convey their beauty to the rest of the world. Perhaps I’m just being selfish, keeping them to myself like that, or perhaps I’m simply too ignorant to understand why capturing such moments is important but….. but I’m happy to leave them be, to let them remain indescribable. I think that’s part of their charm, in the end.”
448 Words | Zuo Lige
Aoi doesn't know much about the philosophy of art I'm afraid :P
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