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Oolie's Great Big Foxglove Thread

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deactivated28752859652

PostPosted: Mon Dec 17, 2007 8:45 pm


Believe it or not, I actually have 70+ word documents on my computer relating to the world of Foxglove, at least two of which are over 60 pages long. Now, these have really only been seen by my eyes, so I thought it was about time to bring some of them out into the light and get your opinions on some of the concepts contained within.

So, what to choose for the first one.... how about some of the central concepts to Foxglove?

~F~ section of the Foxglove Encyclopedia
Families.
There are thirteen distinct families of kitsune, almost like sub-species of the plain kitsune. Each one rules over a domain or element, and has powers that reflect this.
The family a kitsune belongs to can be told from their appearance, chiefly their eye colour, and is inherited from the female parent. Hair colour can vary, and may be inherited from the male parent.
Below is a list, in order of ranking, in the form of: Family name – Domain – Eye Colour – Hair Colour

Tenko – Heaven – Gold/Silver – Silver/Gold/White
Reiko – Void – Black – Black
Tokiko – Time – Blue – White/Silver-grey/Silver
Seishiko – Soul – Royal Purple – Silver-grey
Kiko/Koryo – Spirit – Grey – White/Silver-grey
Naruko – Thunder – Pearl – White/Cream
Kuko – Wind – White – White
Biko – Fire – Orange – Red/Red-and-black
Yamako – Mountain/Snow – Brown – Brown/Black/Brown-and-black/White
Taiko – Ocean – Turquoise – White/Grey/White-and-grey
Toko – Earth – Deep Brown - Brown/Black/Brown-and-black
Moriko – Forest – Green - Brown/Dark-brown-and-black
Kako – River – Light Blue – White/Black


~F~ section of the Foxglove Encyclopedia
Forms.
All supernatural creatures are accredited with three forms. These are:

Physical – the creature’s ‘real’ form. For kitsune, this is their fox form, for Fei Lian it is the ribbon.

Illusionary – any form that is not taken as the creature’s original form. This includes non-human creatures appearing as humans, creatures that shapeshift between many forms, and the like. In addition, in animals that transform into humans or other animals without powers, their new form is illusionary.

Ethereal – the real presence of a supernatural being, all have this. It is usually tied to an elemental force, and gives them any power they have. Most cannot enter this form while alive, and need a god to perform the separation.


~K~ section of the Foxglove Encyclopedia
Kitsune bi.
A universal kitsune power, this is the ability to create fire, usually from the palms of the hands. In the Taiko, Naruko, Kuko and Kako families, it takes the form of an electric current instead, in Tokiko and Kiko is blue, in Moriko is green, in Yamako is white and in Seishiko purple.


~S~ section of the Foxglove Encyclopedia
Star Balls.
It is said that getting hold of a kitsune’s star ball indebts them to you, and this is indeed true – for the star ball holds their rights in the eyes of the family. There are six of these, as follows:

Tsuro – Passage: the right to create portals and travel between the realms
Sewa – Servitude: the right to follow a leader or master
Chii – Status: the right to hold a place of status in the family
Kakureba – Shelter: the right to be sheltered by another kitsune or family
O-namae – Name: the right to given and clan name
Inochi – Life: the right to live

A kitsune betraying the family is traditionally punished by the removal of one or more of these rights, and they become more drastic further down the list. This removal is done by making a scratch through the ideographs (which are engraved on the star ball) and this lets all the other kitsune in the family know that this right has been removed. Removals of rights are announced at the Kitsune no Kagi, the Fox Council, to all other families.

Star balls are kept by the family in a room with specialised shelves – they can number in hundreds. Work starts on one after the announcement of a pregnancy, and they are made from soft white rubber carved with ten panels and filled with a kind of scentless perfume. When the kitsune’s name is announced, it and its parents names are added to the rights for identification.

The perfume used to be regarded as the elixir of life – this is not so, it is merely an enchanted scent. Over the years, the scents associated with the kitsune’s memories are magically added to the perfume (which is sealed away) and on their death the star ball is slashed open. The scents will then play through in order, repeating once finished. Traditionally, this is left for one cycle in the realm of the dead kitsune and then moved to their grave, where the perfume is scattered so that their memories will continue to play out for all time. It eventually fades into the ground, but can be contained if eternal playback is desired.


Perhaps that will make some of my ranting a bit clearer? So, um... any comments?
PostPosted: Thu Dec 20, 2007 11:40 pm


So, what's Foxglove about?

Raincrow
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deactivated28752859652

PostPosted: Fri Dec 21, 2007 1:30 am


*smacks forehead and giggles* Oh, right! Gees, I'm a numbskull!

For the last few hundred years, the heads of the families have chiefly moved all Nogitsune into illusionary worlds - most have entrances in Japan, one or two have some in other countries. A notable few kitsune live in different countries.

The story focuses on England, present time, where a young Moriko boy accidentally stumbles out of his family's world into modern society. He is befriended by a human girl, and eventually integrates into society.

However, there are other kitsune in England. The biggest defining feature of these is that they all have some reason not to be in Japan; some trivial, some tragic. After the main characters have been introduced, we launch into the real story. In Foxglove, we trace the stories of a few of these, such as Shigure Kako, Fubuki Yamako, and Shinneri Tokiko. In essence, Foxglove is a collection of 'stories of interest', I think someone described them as.... I can't remember the word, but like life-stories. It's really an entertainment thing.

It's episodic, and the major theme which has emerged over time is loss and dealing with loss. There's a fair bit of romance, but each one is different, and contains it's own element of the loss, whether it be because they were brought together through loss, separated by loss, lost each other or anything else.

Does that help to clarify?
PostPosted: Fri Dec 21, 2007 8:29 pm


Ah, yes yes. I remember you mentioning some of this, but I never really strung it all together in my head. Eeeenteresting.

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