Okuni

Face-up artist(s):

Me

Body blushing artist(s):

Me

Date of acquisition:

Arrived Jan 24, 2023

Provenance:

Ordered directly from Iplehouse.

Reason for choice:

Needed a sculpt that looks quite playful and deceptively innocent. Also, she's to-scale with the other dolls she is a companion to.

Best Points:

That adorable face, and the nSID female body poses reasonably well (considering Iplehouse dolls aren't known for their engineering).

Worst Points:

Not sure if this will change with age, but her joints are quite creaky.

Eyes:

Silent Paradise RT8

Wig:

Varies (she likes tinting her hair into a variety of pastel colors, but she defaults to pink)

Favourite colours:

Tends to gravitate towards blacks and reds

Fashion style(s):

Mix of East Asian traditional and more modern feminine styles

Key fashion accessory:

A small, bronze hand mirror

Name story:

She is named after the historical Izumo-no-Okuni (出雲阿国), the foundress of kabuki.

Character age:

Around 28 (only for the L5R timeline)

Character gender:

Bisexual

Offsite roleplay:

This doll's character is not available for offsite roleplay.

EDO PERIOD TIMELINE (to be clear, this doll is the "Mirrored Okuni")
Relationship tree here.

When the human lady known as Izumo-no-Okuni passed away, she left behind a bronze mirror that had become imbued with her longing for Adhara, a woman she loved, but unfortunately never got to meet again. The mirror developed a consciousness of her own, taking on the name and the form of the first Okuni. She also inherited Izumo-no-Okuni's feelings, and with a lot of effort on her part (and a lot of luck from the universe), the Mirrored Okuni managed to get herself reunited with Adhara.

The Mirrored Okuni's relationship with Adhara, however, got off to a bad start. Adhara still loved Izumo-no-Okuni deep in her heart, but she wondered if the Mirrored Okuni's love for her was just an empty echo. Apart from this setback, Adhara was already in a relationship with another, a man named Guórén. As a result, the Mirrored Okuni often subjected Guórén to jealous pranks, antagonizing him. However, after observing how well he treated Adhara, the Mirrored Okuni found herself falling in love with him as well (albeit at a lesser extent than her love for the female object of her affections), which complicated things even further.

Although it took a while for Adhara to overcome her confused feelings, she eventually realized that what love she felt for Izumo-no-Okuni was now directed towards the Mirrored Okuni, to the other woman's absolute joy. Furthermore, instead of letting their common affection for Guórén cause them strife, the two women decide to love him together. Guórén was willing to take himself out of the picture if being with her girlfriend was what made his beloved Adhara happy, but to his surprise, he found himself being included in the loving bond they shared -- a gift he would be extremely grateful for.

L5R RPG TIMELINE
Relationship tree here.

Bayushi Kaguya's ever-loyal best friend, Shosuro Okuni possessed all the charm and attractiveness that Kaguya lacked. She was trained early on to be a "face-changer" by one of the Scorpion Clan's acting troupes, and she accordingly learned the skill to change masks near-instantaneously, and with only the subtlest of gestures. Her front as an actress served to hide her true profession as a shinobi, working to infiltrate other clans and gather intel for the Scorpion. However, Okuni had another secret, one that she kept even closer to her heart: she was also Kaguya's lover, a relationship which began after her best friend's husband went missing under suspicious circumstances.

Despite her strong bond with Kaguya, Okuni always accepted the fact that she had to take second place to her lover's spouse. Interestingly enough, she hated Kaguya's first husband, Bayushi Isamu, but approved of the new man her lover was slated to marry, Ikoma Jinsuke. Jinsuke was aware of Okuni's relationship with Kaguya, and tolerated it because he knew just how much his wife-to-be loved the Shosuro girl. Unexpectedly, Okuni developed feelings for Jinsuke. Even more unexpectedly, their common attraction to the Lion samurai brought Okuni and Kaguya even closer together in love. Jinsuke eventually returned Okuni's affections, despite not admitting it publicly. Kaguya was still the person he loved first and foremost, but his bond with Okuni was strong enough for him to act as her spiritual anchor when a backfiring spell turned her into a mirror-bound wraith.

She was also the mother of Ikoma Airinko, Jinsuke's youngest child, whom Kaguya raised as her own.

Mirror Ghost 2 by Yela Gatchalian-David, on Flickr


Turquoise Necklace by Yela Gatchalian-David, on Flickr


The Big Three, together by Yela Gatchalian-David, on Flickr​