# data[].attributes.body
the ryu parties tend to be held whenever one or two of the ryus makes it into the society papers. in the ryu estate, there are more songs played than the usual setlist intended for a ball. also when songmin and minho host them, there tends to be more alcohol bought than usual, leading to people getting frisky on the occasion.

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Drums of War - (Admiral YI, Extra History)

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Drums of War - (Admiral YI, Extra History)

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the moon shining on the path led to our deaths. 

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battle name: battle of daegu
location: daegu, joseon
duration: april 10th -- august 10th, 1657
role: second lieutenant
casualties: 10+
status: tbd.

to be updated.

battle name: battle of jeonju (idk)
location: jeonju, joseon
duration: march 21th, 1660 -- july 25th, 1660
role: brigadier general
casualties: tbd.
status: tbd.

to be updated.

battle name: battle of iksan
location: iksan, joseon
duration: may 3rd -- august 28th, 1665
role: general
casualties:
status:

# data[].attributes.body
♘ full name: ryu songmin

♘ titles: marquess

♘ d.o.b: february 14th, 1840

♘ age: 28

♘ orientation: bi-curious

♘ birthplace: gwangju, joseon

♘ current location: hanseong, joseon

♘ occupation: navy daejang

♘ r/s status: single / marriageable + interested in one

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status: positive
relation: close friend
description: —

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status: neutral — slightly negative (on her end)

relation: acquaintances

description: —

# data[].attributes.body
status: neutral — positive
relation: acquaintances love interest
description: —

# data[].attributes.body
status: positive (?)
relation: close friend, childhood friend
description: they used to play a lot when their fathers would immerse themselves in ministry meetings, play pretend like they’re in a different reality. when they were young adults, they would spar as a way of release of adrenaline. regardless, songmin gradually learned from him how to let go of his excessive reliance on rationality.

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status: positive — guilty towards one.

relation: colleague / friend

description: —

# data[].attributes.body
status: positive
relation: best friend
description: he first met the young lad when he was 15, and when the other was 14, in the palace kitchen. although he wasn’t one to make friends easily back then, he was enthralled by the other’s food as it satisfied the young soldier-in-training’s hunger. throughout their adulthood and mourning period, they grew even closer, even to the point of revealing their traumas to each other.

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status: negative (on dan’s side)
relation: former friend, military comrade
description: tbd.

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status: complicated
relation: ex-fiancé
description: betrothed to her at the age of 21, then had his engagement annulled with her around september 1862. they shared an emotional connection with each other, but unfortunately it didn’t last with songmin’s philandering ways backfiring on him.

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status: positive

relation: first cousin

description: —

# data[].attributes.body
status: positive
relation: biological sister
description: tbd.

# data[].attributes.body
positive traits: studious, stoic (in the face of war), intellectual, witty, curious, ambitious, patient, knowledgeable, impersonal, observant, helpful, friendly, diplomatic

negative traits: impulsive, uptight, sarcastic, workaholic, strict (only in certain cases), excessively self-critical, manipulative, pessimistic

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clan: ryu, house of the willow tree

famously known as a military family with generations of lineage that previously served in the royal army as high-ranking military officers and ministers in the monarch's assembly. head of the house is duke ryu, current minister of war under the queen's rule.

members: duke ryu (npc), duchess ryu (npc), ryu songmin, ryu minho, ryu yeonhwa, ryu hwayoung

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likes: teasing his siblings, tea, forbidden literature, instruction manual illustrations, deep conversation, nature, Impressionist art, politics

dislikes: etiquette rules (though he had to enforce them), beliefs in superstition (finds shamans to be ineffective), diffusing awkward situations, doing more than what’s necessary, avoidance, sycophants, charlatans

hobbies: playing the geomungo, janggu, and puk (double-headed barrel drum), writing and reading poetry, tea making, horse riding, playing janggi, calligraphy, attending concerts of pansori / traditional theatre, exploring through mystery archives in libraries within the palace, drinking

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songmin knows how to cook, but he prefers to have others cook for him. although he is known for his polite manners and more introverted demeanor generally, songmin is a picky eater and can get fussy about the food he eats, a nuisance to other royal chefs and maidservants. the only person he has not expressed complains about their food to is his best friend, ha jaesang.

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status: positive
relation: half-sister
description: they often bicker with each other, but it’s often in lighthearted good fun. regardless, he would be willing to defend her, even if they don’t often see eye to eye on various subjects. despite not sharing the same mother, it never made him see her any less of a sibling than he did with the others.

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Songmin is ambidextrous, proved to be advantageous for both his literary studies and technical military field.

His ears turn red whenever he gets nervous.

As a method of coping, he counted his bruises and lashings meticulously.

Motto: “principle is one but its manifestations are many.”

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tw: mentions of parental abuse, blood, suicide

On February 14th, 1840, a seed was planted in the backyard of the Ryu Manor, blossoming into a willow tree, one of the very few of its existence. Simultaneously, an infant’s cries were heard throughout the mansion. Originating from Gwangju, the little sapling quickly grew into a tall tree in its short duration of life.

Although the willow tree is quick to age, nothing was more fitting as a symbol for the Ryu family than a tree that braves adversity in complete sturdiness.

The very first tree represented none other than Ryu Songmin. He was the first son of the Ryu clan, thus making him the next in line for head of the clan and granted him the “golden child” title at birth. Though, at times, it felt more like a curse than a gift. Sometimes he wished he were to take on the more arboreal form, yearning to grow wildly and be held together by its unruly roots.

Like his younger siblings, he was showered in opulence, wealth, lavish items, and enough leisure time for play and study. Yet none of these saved the Ryus from the prying eyes on them from the ton, and the scandals and tribulations that plagued the family.

He not only learned that with whispers that followed him when he went to school and lived his life in military camps; he witnessed the vitriol that increased when the truth about his sister Yeonhwa was unveiled, alongside his mother, duchess Ryu, caught in a crossfire, for simply not abandoning her due to her “impure” lineage.  (Not only their mothers were different, she was a courtesan and one of his father’s concubines.) Although it changed and affirmed people’s negative reception of the family, the family bond remained unbroken.

He and his siblings attended the same royal academies (seowons), studied banal and long winded Confucianist classics that did not hold a candle to what he learned in his real life experience. He did well and received high marks, but only to placate his strict father, assuming that’s the case for all his siblings as well.

Especially with him being inseparable from his siblings during his childhood (even with his youngest sister being bedridden), well, until Minho was separated from them in 1853. When news of Minho’s being kidnapped spread like wildfire through the manor, the maids, siblings, and caretakers were in panic. But when Songmin ran out of the door in search for him, his elders adeptly dragged him back into the household, while the whereabouts for Minho were unknown during the time being.

Then the day after, Duke Ryu (his father but later on he downright wanted to not call him that) brought him into his office just to chastise him for not being a good enough “protector” and telling him he should have kept him in his line of sight at all times. And proceeded with disrobing his dallryung to lash out on his body through whipping. He held back his tears and his screams out of hurt, and mustered the ability to hide them with stoicism, while blood continually dripped from his open wounds and dried blood remained on his uniform, just from being whipped. The walls of their estate were enough to block out his whimpers from his siblings.

Out of prying eyes, his mother would console him with soothing words, but it was only a mere bandage over his open wounds.

Over the years, he viewed them as battle scars. Suffering in silence became a pastime of his. Going to the well, to soothe himself of his healing scars, and contemplating the worth of his life. The detached heads of frayed dummies gathered into a pile as Songmin slashed through them with his practice swords and spears listlessly, and he practiced alone to prevent his little brother from asking him questions for the meantime.

But he eventually had enough of the routine. In the summer of 1855, he ran away from his suffocating home and strolled by a reservoir, about to plunge his frail body into the water – until a pigeon holding a letter in its beak, dropped it on the ground. Initially, he thought it to contain an omen, his father finally found him and was about to take charge of his fate, or even worse, this will be the last time his siblings see him, and he cannot spare a final breath or his final blessings in the upcoming stages of their lives.

Once he opened the letter, and gingerly took it out of the envelope, he was pleasantly surprised by the kind words. And even words of admiration. There was no name attached to the sender section, but he didn’t care to speculate at the time. The person helped him save his own life, and sent him genuinely kind words unrelated to frivolous achievements.

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❇ alias: xianzhou (former. fruittart) / songmin
❇ pronouns: she / her, he / him (referring to my charas)
❇ writing style: 3rd pov, para
❇ activity level: ★★☆☆☆
❇ inspiration level: ★★★★☆

21+, capable enough to handle mature themes. connections are unlimited, but not my threshold for threads (up to 6). don’t force endgames or romance onto my characters, thank you. profile will be updated constantly.

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skills: sword fighting, commanding naval fleets, drawing realistic paintings, historical knowledge, memorizing military protocol and principles by heart, archery, sneaking out in restrictive entrances, woodwork, spearheading, telling palatable lies, handling weaponry.

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“It is one thing to study war and another to live the warrior’s life.” — Telamon of Arcadia, mercenary in 5th century B.C.

Early on, he had to study military principle classics and train exhaustively starting at the meager age of 4. Even though the studies have been arduous and Joseon’s military forces were only a fraction of its power centuries ago, he always had the potential and drive regardless of the complications that were ahead of him.

As a form of solace, isolated in his little room, he perused through novels about the lives of various generals, and even biographical diaries that were transcribed and translated by historians. But none had caught his attention like Yi Sun Shin, whose gallant spirit can be felt through his broad strokes written across the parchment. He was a man not just of fancy titles and achievements plastered over placards on museum artifacts; he was a man of principle and a stable rock withstanding the worst of tsunamis.

He also wondered if his back would be ridden of its lashing marks, if he were to be as gifted from the beginning.

The military life may seem within an arm’s reach to someone of his status and his connections (his maternal grandfather being the former Minister of Defense), but the physical ardor and the hard headed mentality he needed to adopt was more than he anticipated.

After his seven years spent in a seogwa, he eventually took the military service exam at the age of 16, around the same time his little brother conscripted himself in the army. He planned to take it when he turns 21, but he had the premonition that something bad will happen to his family if he didn’t enlist soon. He felt the weight on his shoulders, the eyes on him as he obliged through his speech examinations, and even more so on the cavalry portion, when he almost fell off his horse. He felt that he was awfully young, but Minho was 14. Well, that certainly expedited his military journey, as he found Minho a couple months later when he was promoted to being a second lieutenant, from being a mere corporal soldier.

He remembered seeing a young face among the other soldiers he led in his first assignment, feeling the need to keep not only himself out of trouble, but the young boy as well.

But when he was assigned to his first post in Daegu as a second lieutenant officer, it wasn’t just overseeing the beautiful mountains while in cavalry. Soldiers, even himself, who endured starvation, sought death (of their opponents) just to live. And as he rose ranks over the years, he became directly responsible for not only his life, but their lives as well.

He traversed around the rocky mountains of Joseon, as well as the lush plains, assigned to posts in different cities, such as Iksan, Jeonju, Gongju, and Sangju (Gyeongsang province). And even in the outskirts of Hanseong, where he fought marauders terrorizing innocent families in the villages, out of the guise of quelling peasant rebellions.

Even though all of the bigger conflicts between Joseon and the foreigners mostly preceded a couple centuries before his birth, he still needed to “clean up” conflicts at the borders, notably between the Jeolla and Gyeongsang provinces.

In fact, those conflicts were the most severe, especially the naval battle that took place in Jeju. At the age of 24, he not only fought one of his first battles as a general of the Central Army but commanded the fleet, standing tall on the kobukson (turtle ship) as he surrounded the enemy fleet, some of his ships going through the narrow strait. Minho accompanied him as one of the captains of their forces.

But as confident as he was in the victory, he also let his brotherly instincts take over him as he shielded his little brother from an incoming bullet, saving him from a chest wound but giving himself a shoulder injury.

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Rumors were made in passing about Songmin being a rake and his constant visits to the gisaeng house alone, especially scandalous during his military service. He was grateful he wasn’t born a woman and that he didn’t need a chaperone following his every move. He disregarded them as gossip made out of ennui, it’s not like others had much to do in their boring lives.

The common dream for a yangban man is to be betrothed to a beautiful woman (or women) of high status, attaining a high-ranking position, military exploits, and constant accumulation of wealth.

He always doubted the actual validity behind “true love”. Infatuation, while ephemeral, was more tangible and in line with his reality compared to the abstract nature of “love at first sight”. The only semblance of it in his eyes was the letter he received from an anonymous person, when a messenger pigeon flew to the river he frequented. And he felt the marriages between the clans were always as a means of acquiring power, and not out of genuine interest.

However, after many relationships and flings, it became clear to him he didn’t know what he wanted out of a partner, or out of love in general. Love is an enigma and a battle he had to fight all the same, except not just with his partners but within himself.

The distance he carved between his persona and his real self grew the more relationships he had been in, repelling the urge to fully show his true self and maintain the palatable image of the typical charming and confident man. But one person has managed to come close.

At the age of 21, he was betrothed with the only daughter of the Lee clan, who he met when he was only eight years old, in a social event both of them attended with their respective clans. To him, it just reaffirmed was clearly motivated by power and status, he witnessed snippets of conversations about the future engagement between Yeonhwa and the eldest son of the Shin clan while passing by adult conversations when he was a child, occurring months later in the same year. So he figured that is how these supposed marriages go.

During the duration of the engagement, he couldn’t help but think she was such a find. She was beautiful, smart, and even mildly capable with combat. In their brief relationship, they would go horse riding in the marshes and even watch in awe of the mountain peaks Hanseong had to offer.

But two years later, there were love letters he obtained that stuck too much out of military journals and books. And it was unfortunate the young lady came across them, and subsequently their engagement ended there.

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In 1866, he opened a quaint military academy in Hanseong that taught little kids basic weaponry techniques, leadership skills, and how to row a boat. It was open every summer ever since. Due to the start of the social season, he went to Hanseong, instead of his home at Gwangju, to accompany his little sister and his family. As always, his mistakes will always follow him in the form of gossip, but who knows; he may be a totally different person today than he was five years ago.

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skirmishes against bandits
preventing cheonmins from uprising (before queen min's amendments on the class courting system)
raids against his military camp

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ryu songmin was born in gwangju, joseon, as the eldest son of the ryu clan, as well as next in line for head of the house.

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the cacophony that ensued with minho's disappearance (and overall absence in the estate) was hard to forget.

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songmin halted his studies in the seowon, as he felt literary studies weren’t his forté, in spite of his caretaker’s insistence on getting a perfect score on the gwageo.

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songmin took the mugwa (military service exam), and passed all three stages, recovering from a mishap as quick as possible.

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songmin betrothed to lee nari, the only daughter of the lee clan. unfortunately the engagement fell through sometime in september 1862.

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mourning period commenced after news of the king’s death spread throughout joseon. the social season was on pause for three years before resuming in the present.

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songmin opened a small military academy for a younger demographic in hanseong, teaching theoretical and practical military skills. it is only opened during the summer.

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songmin has recently been appointed as a jwarang in the ministry of defense (in the six ministries).

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+ lorem ipsum. will be updated with retcons.

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status: positive — amicable
relation: biological brother
description: his right hand when it comes to war. his brother of the same blood in the ryu estate. although they may not be as inseparable as they were in the past, they still treasure their brotherhood dearly.

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status: neutral — positive
relation: biological mother
description: despite his struggle to feel vulnerability, his mother has always been a nurturing and loving soul to him and his siblings.

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status: negative
relation: father
description: his father, who he grew to despise over the years, was overly strict with him and treated him more like a soldier under his garrison than a son. while they both display austerity towards military training, he faced the brunt of the abuse, some of it life threatening, while he’s isolated from everyone else.

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mbti: intj — the architect
enneagram: 3w2
temperament: melancholic-choleric
astrology: aquarius sun, cancer moon, pisces rising
moral alignment: chaotic neutral

a man that is expected to keep up with many roles: a dutiful son, protective brother, the brave and ambitious general, understanding mentor and a “marriageable” man. on the outside he appears to be charismatic and content with what he had, perhaps that can be due to his privilege. but at times he feels he had lost touch with who he truly is, and fatigued by playing roles he has outgrown.

overall a high achieving man on his own accord, his achievements on both land and sea speak for themselves. but he always struggled with being vulnerable with others, very careful with how much he can let others in.

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reply speed

very sporadic. can go from several hours to several days/weeks. depends heavily on mood which is turbulent. right now, i am facing some sort of writer’s block, which is why i’m taking longer on some threads than usual.

more on writing style

laps lock enthusiast. idk why, i just hate capitalizing. i only capitalized for post system letters. not a huge purple prose user though i do fancy word variety at times.

writing length

heavily depends on plot. generally would label myself as a para writer, sometimes delving into novella when i have enough to write about our dynamic and plot. willing to write anything, except one liners and script.

genres

not the pickiest person out there, but i am partial to angst/romantic angst as most of us are.

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no poking for replies. i do keep track of them, plus frankly, i think it’s just annoying.

continuing on replies, my speed varies depending on my mood, inspiration, and busyness.  i never really have a timeframe for them.

i usually prefer plotting, although open endedness or an element of spontaneity is always nice to have.

no endgames as of now, though we can always have past romantic connections.

implied sexual content is my threshold for anything “smutty”, otherwise i don’t write it at all, especially in public rooms.

i usually mirror (not in style but in word count/length) unless you explicitly tell me not to or due to my own volition.

starters depends on whether i volunteer or offer to write it, or on the flow of the plot itself.

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battle name: battle of the weeping willow
location: jeju, joseon
date: february 18th -- june 6th, 1864
role: general / commander of the fleet
casualties: 50+
status: victory

alternatively called, battle of three abundances. took place along the korean strait, the opponents threatening not only the few willow trees but attempting to claim jeju for themselves, with no avail. he still sustained injuries though.

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songmin had visited the graveyard, using the promenade as a means of a conduit to get there for four years. it was to honor his friends [ min juwon ] and [ oh sungsoo ] who died in the battle of iksan but nonetheless displayed brave and heroic feats. the latter was one he had an infatuation with, but his unsaid confession died with him. there is an added layer of austerity in his demeanor ever since, though he had learned to fill the void they left.

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(began in summer 1861)

his arranged engagement set by his father was not enough to rein in songmin’s libido, evident by his frequent visits to kisaeng houses. one in particular, he kept on visiting.

he noticed that the woman who followed him appeared often in his visits to the establishment. the name, seo min, was short and sweet to point, much like the woman’s directness. songmin, not immune to beautiful women, went to such lengths to reel her in, even booking a visit to the shaman.

even though he was skeptical of the beliefs set by them and her people, he was not skeptical of their compatibility. under the duke’s (and his sister’s) watchful eye, songmin snuck out often with min on their little rendezvous. they would often cause a ruckus and splay ink over their faces, which often gave the madame of the gibang, seo rim, migraines and earned consequent scoldings from her.

it is easy to assume reports from min ceased to relay to yeonhwa, to conceal their relationship from public scrutiny. but the public already caught wind of songmin’s various affairs with lower class women, spread out from city to city, despite his family's political association.

little regrets were held between their three year relationship. some people were surprised by songmin’s commitment to a mere kisaeng. until they were confronted by an external force looming over them.