Ring?? [Okay. He will do a jewelry raid. See what it takes!]
Uh... [Glances up at the ceiling.] Noble courting rituals are such a pain. They're whole big family affairs. Everything is pre-arranged. They might have the courting, but it's separated by those dividing screens, so that people can't get all -- solely attracted on physicality, and are forced to be reminded that it's not about the couple to be wed, it's about the whole family, the political union. There's tons and tons of chaperones, and they do stupid formal things, but sometimes there's a lot of elegance, and courting by waterfalls or watching sakura blossoms if the kids already like each other. A lot of it is legal stuff, hammering out contract negotiations, because -- like I said, it's almost never romantic in my time.
It was for Oichi. So it was pretty different for her. Katsuie is older than me, younger than our father, but Katsuie was one of my best Generals. I was so scared he'd side with Nobuyuki, but he didn't like my Uncle, so even though he was on Gozen's side -- my mother, he agreed too, that I was doing things right. It was tough to part with him. My brother-in-law.
I sent them away into hiding. Only Hideyoshi knows how to find them. Every character in his name: Hideyoshi Toyotomi is borrowed from my other generals. Did I ever mention that? Hide is from Mitsuhide Akechi, of course. Shi is from Shibata Katsuie. I couldn't even attend their wedding. That was part of the arrangement. So that he could get dismissed and go into hiding. If I was there then... [So much looking at the ceiling! But then into Klaus' eyes searching for the thoughts in there.]
Ugh, it's so religious in Japan. The weddings. There's prayer beads, sharing sake... [Nobunaga does smirk at that and wink, because he knows Klaus knows how Nobunaga feels about that!] and sometimes they bind their pinky fingers together with red ribbon. [Extends his for Klaus to take.] This symbolizes the red thread of fate. Yato's able to cut those, so normally that'd be like... the worst thing ever! [Laughs!!!] Very blasphemous. That's why I like him. He's like the God version of myself. My AU twin.
Hmmm... Unfortunately there's nothing to really show the difference for engaged people right now in Japan. It's all family stuff. And political. Even for the lower castes. So everyone would just know, if they were part of it. Nothing to show off.
With Kichou, he has his own emblem. A sparrowhawk fused with a swallowtail butterfly. Not his family's, his own. I got dramatic when I first met him, thinking we were destined. [Nobunaga doesn't realize Klaus is jealous or guilty about the relief, he would be glad for it secretly! But tell him not to be guilty at all!!!] So I wanted it engraved on lots of swords, whether I gave them to him or not. Chou is butterfly. And my family, including Ieyasu even though his relationship to the Oda clan is more abstract, is deeply rooted in hawks. My father raised them his whole life, and passed that onto me, and me to Ieyasu.
Sparrowhawks are the tiniest hawks. [Moves his hands to show the size!] Very cute, but always angry. They are even more bitey than I am! You cannot handle any of them without getting bitten. And not affectionately. Kichou is the same way. Allying with me, I thought: this is a partner who can help me change the world. He is like the tiniest gorgeous angry hawk. And I thought he was embracing it with his mark. Embracing me. Wanting the same vision of the future together.
It was his way of forsaking his father, Dosan. The whole clan. And the Taira clan has a swallowtail butterfly, so he had to make his own mark different from it. And I used to say tell him to his face he was like a sparrowhawk. Just the way he looked at me, like he was assessing how good my innards would taste. And he would say, "This is because you are seeing me walk away from you. This is just my swallowtail trail." Like I couldn't see the rest of him either. Maybe I didn't. I always thought I did. I thought I knew him better than myself. Now? I have no idea. He wouldn't tell me things, so how was I supposed to know anyway?
Kichou still uses that mark, and I am the only one who can't look at it, without wincing at my childish past. I guess he left a deeper mark on me than the other way around.
If I got married now... [A soft grin, since that's the plan, isn't it?] They would be part of my family. So they would gain the Oda mon. To show everyone they are mine. I am not saying giving you my mark makes you married to me, obviously. Many of my soldiers have it. But it's also closer than my other generals, because they are not my family, Oda clan. So I would have to get you something different that says you are my partner, and therefore equal, or better, but not a soldier. You decide your own path, but still you could show it off, I am your family too.
Is a ring big enough? [He wanted to keep it secret, but it's fine, he can just surprise him with the actual object, not that he wants to get him one!!!] Would you ever consider a tattoo of my mark?
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timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2023-01-02 09:32 am (UTC)Ring?? [Okay. He will do a jewelry raid. See what it takes!]
Uh... [Glances up at the ceiling.] Noble courting rituals are such a pain. They're whole big family affairs. Everything is pre-arranged. They might have the courting, but it's separated by those dividing screens, so that people can't get all -- solely attracted on physicality, and are forced to be reminded that it's not about the couple to be wed, it's about the whole family, the political union. There's tons and tons of chaperones, and they do stupid formal things, but sometimes there's a lot of elegance, and courting by waterfalls or watching sakura blossoms if the kids already like each other. A lot of it is legal stuff, hammering out contract negotiations, because -- like I said, it's almost never romantic in my time.
It was for Oichi. So it was pretty different for her. Katsuie is older than me, younger than our father, but Katsuie was one of my best Generals. I was so scared he'd side with Nobuyuki, but he didn't like my Uncle, so even though he was on Gozen's side -- my mother, he agreed too, that I was doing things right. It was tough to part with him. My brother-in-law.
I sent them away into hiding. Only Hideyoshi knows how to find them. Every character in his name: Hideyoshi Toyotomi is borrowed from my other generals. Did I ever mention that? Hide is from Mitsuhide Akechi, of course. Shi is from Shibata Katsuie. I couldn't even attend their wedding. That was part of the arrangement. So that he could get dismissed and go into hiding. If I was there then... [So much looking at the ceiling! But then into Klaus' eyes searching for the thoughts in there.]
Ugh, it's so religious in Japan. The weddings. There's prayer beads, sharing sake... [Nobunaga does smirk at that and wink, because he knows Klaus knows how Nobunaga feels about that!] and sometimes they bind their pinky fingers together with red ribbon. [Extends his for Klaus to take.] This symbolizes the red thread of fate. Yato's able to cut those, so normally that'd be like... the worst thing ever! [Laughs!!!] Very blasphemous. That's why I like him. He's like the God version of myself. My AU twin.
Hmmm... Unfortunately there's nothing to really show the difference for engaged people right now in Japan. It's all family stuff. And political. Even for the lower castes. So everyone would just know, if they were part of it. Nothing to show off.
With Kichou, he has his own emblem. A sparrowhawk fused with a swallowtail butterfly. Not his family's, his own. I got dramatic when I first met him, thinking we were destined. [Nobunaga doesn't realize Klaus is jealous or guilty about the relief, he would be glad for it secretly! But tell him not to be guilty at all!!!] So I wanted it engraved on lots of swords, whether I gave them to him or not. Chou is butterfly. And my family, including Ieyasu even though his relationship to the Oda clan is more abstract, is deeply rooted in hawks. My father raised them his whole life, and passed that onto me, and me to Ieyasu.
Sparrowhawks are the tiniest hawks. [Moves his hands to show the size!] Very cute, but always angry. They are even more bitey than I am! You cannot handle any of them without getting bitten. And not affectionately. Kichou is the same way. Allying with me, I thought: this is a partner who can help me change the world. He is like the tiniest gorgeous angry hawk. And I thought he was embracing it with his mark. Embracing me. Wanting the same vision of the future together.
It was his way of forsaking his father, Dosan. The whole clan. And the Taira clan has a swallowtail butterfly, so he had to make his own mark different from it. And I used to say tell him to his face he was like a sparrowhawk. Just the way he looked at me, like he was assessing how good my innards would taste. And he would say, "This is because you are seeing me walk away from you. This is just my swallowtail trail." Like I couldn't see the rest of him either. Maybe I didn't. I always thought I did. I thought I knew him better than myself. Now? I have no idea. He wouldn't tell me things, so how was I supposed to know anyway?
Kichou still uses that mark, and I am the only one who can't look at it, without wincing at my childish past. I guess he left a deeper mark on me than the other way around.
If I got married now... [A soft grin, since that's the plan, isn't it?] They would be part of my family. So they would gain the Oda mon. To show everyone they are mine. I am not saying giving you my mark makes you married to me, obviously. Many of my soldiers have it. But it's also closer than my other generals, because they are not my family, Oda clan. So I would have to get you something different that says you are my partner, and therefore equal, or better, but not a soldier. You decide your own path, but still you could show it off, I am your family too.
Is a ring big enough? [He wanted to keep it secret, but it's fine, he can just surprise him with the actual object, not that he wants to get him one!!!] Would you ever consider a tattoo of my mark?