#Tsukimi Festival Date night

[krisdreaming]

a little birdie told me you wanted fall themed fic ideas, so here I am!!

I feel like a cute fall themed idea is a coffee date and then a walk through the local park where you admire the colors of the leaves!!

And turns out the day is quite windy, but the reader didn't bring their jacket, so the character gives them their own jacket so the reader won't be cold😭😭❤❤

Is it kinda basic? Yeah, but I feel like you could make this into something really cute

Thank you for believing in me, because I actually came up with a pretty cute idea for this :')

Pairing: Tsukishima Kei x gn!reader

WC: 769

A/N: In Japan around this time of year, they celebrate Tsukimi, aka the moon viewing festival. I really love the idea of it, and so the idea to incorporate it into a fic popped into my head! And of course, who better to write it for than our own Tsukki?? The play on words is, of course, that Tukishima's family name contains the character for the moon (Tsuki).

"Look at this!" The poster just catches your eye as you're leaving the coffee shop. It's advertising a Tsukimi event at the nearby park, and it's this evening. "This month has gone by so fast, I almost forgot that it's Tsukimi already!"

Kei leans in to get a closer look at the poster and merely hums in acknowledgement. You tug on his hand. "C'mon, why don't we go? It's only a few blocks away, and it's such a perfect evening." You gesture up at the clear sky, already in its full sunset glory.

"You sure?" He raises an eyebrow. "You don't even have your coat," He points out, and you shrug your shoulders in your t-shirt.

"It's not even cold today! Don't try to make excuses just so you can be a stick in the mud." You pause, donning your best pleading look. "Please?"

He sighs, but his grip on your hand tightens. "Well, alright," He agrees, and you grin. "Only because you said please."

You laugh softly. "Thanks, Kei." You swing your linked hands lightly between you. The walk to the park isn't far. When you get there, you find it strung with soft lights, and a few small food and drink stands are giving off delightful smells.

"I guess you want some dango?" He gestures to the nearby stall, and you nod quickly. It wouldn't be Tsukimi without dango. With your snack acquired, you soon make your way to one of the benches set up throughout the park. You have a clear view of the sky once seated, and you look up into the darkening twilight.

"How soon do you think the moon's going to rise?" You ask, glancing at your boyfriend.

He shrugs. "How should I know?" He slides his arm around your shoulders, and you gladly settle in closer to him. Now that the sun is gone, the warm autumn day is turning into a cool autumn night. You try not to shiver in the cool breeze, not wanting to prove him right about the jacket.

You try to keep up a conversation, but it isn't long before you're clenching your teeth to keep them from chattering. "You're not cold, are you?" Kei asks with a smirk, and you shake your head stubbornly.

"I'm fine." You force out.

"Sure," He says, pulling his arm away and letting even more cool air against your skin. You can't help hugging your arms around yourself. Before you can react, he shrugs out of the jacket he's wearing and drapes it across your shoulders with a click of his teeth.

"I don't want you to be cold," You mumble even as you pull the jacket tighter around you, relishing the body heat still clinging to the fabric.

"It's not even cold today," He mimics your earlier words in a squeaky voice, and you immediately punch his shoulder.

"You're so mean to me!"

"Only because you deserve it," He shoots back, sliding his arm around you again and giving your shoulder a gentle squeeze when you pout. His fingertips skim your arm through the fabric of his jacket, and you rest your head in the crook of his neck.

Soon enough, the moon does make its appearance, and you lift your head to look up at it more fully. The autumn moon really does look larger than normal, and seems to shine just a little bit brighter through the crisp night air.

Eventually, you can't help it. You shift your gaze from the moon in the sky to the man beside you. The moonlight softens his features, and your eyes trace the curve of his nose. You feel warmth swelling in your middle the longer you look at him, taking a few moments to memorize his moonlit face in this moment.

"What are you doing?" He finally turns to you, as if sensing your gaze on him.

"Viewing the moon," You answer nonchalantly with the beginnings of a cheeky smile. He rolls his eyes.

"I was wondering how long it was going to take," He sighs at your joke, his exasperated look almost strong enough to disguise the soft smile quirking at the corners of his lips.

"What?" You ask innocently, and reach to sandwich his face between your palms. "You're my moon, Kei."

"You're insufferable," He replies softly, but he closes the gap between you and presses his lips to yours. His fingers soon come up to cup your face, and he deepens the kiss.

"But you love me anyway?" You ask when he finally pulls away.

"Yeah," He says in a low voice, thumb grazing your cheek. "Unfortunately."

[eanul-rmbl]

mitsuru tenma all stories list

//ooc, enstars again, for personal use so dont mind it

literally a story of all the stories mitsuru finds himself in (excepting the mitsuru idol stories/birthday stories/ etc). I havent read most of the, but I plan on doing so.

SOURCE, ENSTARS READING GUIDE:

Crash Course: Reminiscence * Marrionette (Reminiscence * End of the Marionette's Strings), Tanabata Festival (Challenge! Tanabata Festival), Tsukimi Live (Night of the Full Moon * Hopping Moonlight Luna), Motives of Good Boys (Scout! BADBOYS), Human Comedy (Moment * The Repayment Festival of Moving Forward Toward the Future)

Good to Read: ChocoFes (Sincerely! Bitter Chocolat Festival), Purple Wisterias of May (Falling Cheery Blossoms * Wisteria Purple of May)

Others: Sweet Halloween (Lots of Monsters * Sweet Halloween), Summer Camp (Summer of Clear Skies! Summer Camp), Snowball Fight (Throwing! A Snowy Silver-White Snowfight), Performance (Performance! The Tragicomedy of Romeo and Juliet), Air Ride (Gacha Story), Amusement Live (Amusements * The Life Part of Cats and Rabbits)

MITSURU-CENTRIC (Mitsuru is 5* and main character, or he's in most of the the chapters)

BASIC: Tanabata Festival, Chocolat Fes (Sincerely! Bitter Chocolar Festival), Summer Camp (Summer of Clear Skies! Summer Camp), Motives of Good Boys (Scout! BADBOYS), Little Kings, Snowball Fight (Throwing! A Snowy Silver-White Snowfight), Mail Delivery, Tsukimi Live (Night of the Full Moon * Hopping Moonlight Luna), MUSIC: Black Bunnies (Wander! Black Bunny in UNDERLAND), Soleil, High and Low (Wandering Yumenosaki/ School Trip to the Mainland), Sports Survivors,

RA*BITS-CENTRIC (Ra*bits story, but mitsuru isnt the 5* or main character)

BASIC: Marching Band, Reminiscence * Marionette (Reminiscence * End of the Marionette's Strings), Toy Box, Sweet Halloween (Lots of Monsters * Sweet Halloween), Human Comedy (Moment * The Repayment Festival of Moving Forward Toward the Future), Amusement Live (Amusements * The Live Party of Cats and Rabbits), Transparency and Masks, Happy Spring (Yell* Sprawling Happy Spring), Summer Night Festival (Luminescence * Summer Night Festival), Snow Globe

MUSIC: High Five! (Resume * Growth-Spring High Five!), Bogie Time (Variety Show & Tags/ Bogie Time!), Sanctuary (SS/6th Stage; Sanctuary), New Start GO! (Members of Society * Off to a New Start GO!), Parallel World (Infinity * Parallel World of Our Potential), Color Code

MITSURU SUPPORTING CHARACTER (hes either a 4* here, or apparent during a good amount of chapters):

BASIC: Sports Festival (Burning Up! Yumenosaki Academy Sports Festival), Greek Legends, Phantom Thieves vs Detectives (Showdown! Magnificent Phantom Thief VS Detective Brigade), Mall Live (Bounce! Hearts and Flowers Bloom- Mall Live), Fruits Parlor, Sweet & Bitter (Melty * Sweetly Unraveling Chocolat Festoval), Bouquet of Desire, Purple Wisterias of May (Falling Cheery Blossoms * Wisteria Purple of May), Air Ride (Ukiyo Air Ride), Performance (Performance! The Tragicomedy of Romeo and Juliet), Romantic Comedy (Carol * White Snow and the Christmas Eve Starlight Festival), Billiards, Technicolor Flowers (VERY IMPORTANT),

MUSIC: Date Plan A to Z (Shuffle! A to Z), Gemstone Sphere (ALL CHAPTERS!!), Dolly Knight, Blush Flash, Escape Mansion (Riddle * Solution/ Escape Mansion), Ougonten, Sweet Sweet Hunger,

MITSURU-SIDE CHARACTER (hes not really important at all here):

BASIC: Summer Lesson (Late Summer Lesson (Trickstar)), Ballet (Leap! Principal of the Lake's Surface), Milky Way (Dance Performance! Thoughts That Bridge the Milky Way), Magical Halloween (React * Magical Halloween), Dream Travel (Depart * Blue Skies Dream Travel), Pleiades Night (Lost Star * Wavering Light Pleiades Light), Sports Festival 3 (Competition! Yumenosaki Academy Sports Festival 3; mainly epilogue), Zodiac 2, Decorate (Decorate * Crimson Chocolat Festival), Book Fair (Spring Breeze * Iconic Book Fair), Military,

MUSIC: Mission of the Spy, Frontline Watchdogs, The Matchless Warrio, Dramatica, Hot Winter, SS Finals (SS/ Final Stage: SS), Tiger of Indomitability, Free-spirited City Rider, Seven Bridge (Yumenosaki Divided/ The Tanabata Festival that Bridges Hope (literally only the prologue, but its important to adorara)), Grand Slam (Battle of Yumenosaki! The Sports Festival to Declare Your Prescence), CROSS FIRE (Shuffle * Festival of the Blazing War Dance), Nighthead (SHUFFLE * The Unknown Holy Night and Nighthead), Graduation (Beyond Turbulent Dreams/ A Graduation Standing With You), Illusory Noctiluence, Private Room, White Bear (2 chapters, but it looks cute so read it), Gourmand's Scent (Prologue, Epilogue), Fleeting White (Epilogue)

[depressedhatakekakashi]

Tsukimi Tradition's

Prompt: Comfort Object

Words: 2266

For: @animetrashmuffin who got to read it a little early, but I hope enjoys the spell-checked, not just written on my phone, version <3

@kakashiweek

Festivals were important to Kakashi. No matter what he was doing he always tried to make time to slip into a festival and see the activities.

Usually, he would be accompanied by Gai. They would play festival games, win prizes, and eat until their stomachs were bursting. It has been a tradition of theirs since they were children.

This time, however, Kakashi had other plans.

Plans that Gai supported enthusiastically when Kakashi told him about them.

“Enjoy yourself, Rival,” Gai clapped him on the back and gave him a thumbs-up. “I’ll see you there anyways, and if Iruka permits I might steal you away for one competition.”

One competition. That was all Gai was asking in return for ditching him for this one festival. It wasn’t a lot to ask, and Kakashi was sure Iruka would be more than happy to see them playing a festival game.

He was always telling Kakashi about how much he enjoyed their rivalry, though he admitted to finding it a little over the top at times.

A fact Kakashi wouldn’t change for the world. His rivalry with Gai simply wasn't the same if they were acting like normal adults.

With Gai’s support, Kakashi moved on to the next stage of his plan.

Asking Iruka to join him for the festival.

Finding the Academy Teacher was easy enough. One stop at the window to Iruka’s classroom and Kakashi had sights on the man. There, sitting behind his desk marking tests, Iruka created the most beautiful picture that Kakashi had ever seen.

A picture Kakashi would gladly stare at forever, if only he had the time. 

Two quick rasps on the door and Iruka looked up from his paperwork, a frown sinking into his handsome face when he saw Kakashi sitting there on the window ledge waving at him.

Setting aside his pen he stood up and stormed towards the window, a lecture about proper etiquette no doubt brewing in his mind.

A lecture that Kakashi had heard more than once since meeting Iruka, and which he had the pleasure of listening to at least once a week since asking the man out on their first date.

As he reached the window, Iruka flipped the lock open, slid the glass upwards and opened his mouth to begin his lecture.

Kakashi cut him off before he could even begin. “Tomorrow,” he smiled. “Come to my place in the morning.”

“Your place?”

“Mmhmm,” reaching out, he tapped a finger against Iruka’s nose. “I want to spend the day with you before the festival.”

Allowing the words to sink in, Iruka’s frown deepened. “Don’t you have work to do, Hokage-sama?”

A shiver ran through his body when he heard that honourary from Iruka. A sick, repulsed feeling settled into his soul.

“Please, don’t call me that,” he begged. “And I took the day off.”

Iruka blinked. “You… took the day off?”

“Yes.”

“Is that allowed?”

“Legally? No. If something happens that requires my attention I have to leave,” it was a major downside to the job, but he could live with it until Naruto was ready to take over from him. “Tomorrow, though, I don’t care.”

“Kakashi…”

“My place,” leaning in a little, he pressed his masked lips against Iruka’s cheek in a quick kiss. “Nine am sharp.”

“You won’t be late?” Iruka asked with a hint of doubt in his voice.”

“To my own house? Iruka,” he threw a hand over his chest and gasped as if he was insulted by the implication. “If I could stay in my house for the rest of time I’d be a happy man.”

“You’d miss Me.”

“I would, yes. But you can sleep over.”

“You would miss your competitions with Gai.” 

Slapping a hand over his boyfriend’s mouth, Kakashi did a quick check of the area. When he was sure No one wasn’t around to overhear Iruka’s words, he dropped his hand back to his side.

“Don’t say that out loud,” he sighed. “If Gai catches wind of such words he’ll never let me hear the end of it.” 

Iruka simply shook his head and chuckled. “So, nine?”

“Nine,” with the time confirmed, Kakashi leaned back and winked. “See you then.”

With that, he was gone. Off to collect everything he needed for tomorrow. 

The Tsukimi festival was one of Kakashi’s favourites. Not just because it was a simple, relaxing festival that focused on enjoying food and viewing the autumn moon, but because this year it was on another special day.

September fifteenth, Kakashi’s birthday. 

It was a festival that held a lot of fond memories for him. Memories of him and Gai hanging out sharing homemade treats and playing festival games.

The fondest memory Kakashi had, though, was from when he was younger. Before he had joined the academy and started on his path toward becoming a shinobi.

When his father was still with him.

Back then he would spend his mornings listening to stories of the festival and watching his father make Mochi. He’d always watched his father closely. Memorizing every little move he made to create the perfect Treat for them to enjoy during the moon viewing. 

After years of repeating that process every year, Kakashi still hadn’t managed to copy the delicious treat his father had made. No matter what he did to perfect the recipe, it never tasted the same.

It never provided that sense of safety and comfort that his father’s homemade mochi had.

This year he hoped to change that.

No, he had to change it. 

Iruka would be coming over in just a few minutes and he wanted to share that tradition with him. To spend his day gently rolling red bean paste into the dough with the man who had stolen his heart.

It was the only way he wanted to spend his birthday. With Iruka by his side, a beautiful moon shining down on them, and one of his favourite treats in hand.

At Nine O’clock on the dot, there was a knock on the door telling him Iruka had arrived. 

After waking up at the crack of dawn and preparing everything, it was finally time to begin his day. A day dedicated to Iruka and the Tsukimi festival.

Taking a moment to double-check everything, he smiled to himself as he looked at the spread he had set out. 

Red bean paste in a bowl ready to be rolled into balls. Dough cooked and warm, waiting to be filled and displayed.

He had even brought out some ingredients for Tsukimi Dango after deciding not just to share his family traditions with Iruka, but to make some of their own.

Together.

Today was going to be perfect.

“Kakashi!?” Iruka’s voice called out from behind the door. “Kakashi if you’re still sleeping I will smother you with your pillow!”

Satisfied with his work, Kakashi made his way towards the door and opened it to find Iruka standing on the other side.

Iruka’s jaw hit the floor as soon as he saw Kakashi standing there smiling at him. “You’re awake.”

“I am.”

“And not late.”

“I’m not that bad,” he defended himself, a little insulted by the implication. “I haven’t been late for the last two dates.”

“The last two dates were in the hospital,” Iruka fired back. “And you were three hours late for the date before those.”

“That-“ he held a finger up and cringed when he thought back to that particular date. “Was not entirely my fault.”

“You were still late.”

“And I’m still sorry about that fact,” stepping back, he extended an arm out towards the little kitchen in his apartment. “But I am here. I’m on time today and I have a lot planned for us.”

Taking a cautious step into the house, Iruka narrowed his eyes. “What exactly do you have planned?” He asked as he peered into the kitchen. 

“Well, first we’re going to cook,” Iruka’s face scrunched up into a horrified expression. “Ok, correction. You’re going to help me make the Mochi and dango. You can handle that, right?” 

“That I can handle,” Iruka agreed, making his way towards the kitchen with cautious, slow steps. “But, umm… are you sure you want me to help?”

“Yes,” stepping forward, Kakashi slipped his hand into Iruka’s. “It’s something I do every year for the Tsukimi festival. I thought this year I’d share it with you. If you want.”

Suddenly his great romantic idea didn’t seem so wonderful anymore. With Iruka standing there at his side-eyeing all of his hard work he felt a little like a fool.

A love-sick puppy that was desperate to connect to his partner with something he had cherished for years. A tradition he had only shared with his father and Gai in the past.

Iruka turned his head slowly, a soft smile stretching across his lips and a sparkle of excitement in his eyes. “I’ve never made Mochi before,” he admitted. “Are you alright with teaching me?” 

His heart fluttered at the invitation.

Squeezing Iruka’s hand, he tugged him towards the kitchen. Excited to begin their day together. “I would be more than happy to teach you.” 

The look on Iruka’s face as he watched Kakashi working was priceless. A mixture of awe and deep concentration, his eyes stayed glued on Kakashi’s hands. Following every little thing that they did.

Kakashi could practically imagine the notes Iruka was making in his head. They were notes he had made himself once when he was much younger standing at his father’s side watching him do the same thing.

“You’re amazing at this,” Iruka whispered. 

A sweet compliment, but Iruka had no idea what he was talking about. Kakashi was skilled of course. He’d had years of practice to get the method down.

Amazing, though. That was a description better saved for a man who had been buried years ago.

“The method is easy to remember,” his fingers moved with ease, muscle memory taking over as he placed a ball of red bean paste in the center of the dough and began pinching the dough shut around it. “Just a few ingredients, a little bit of stove use. I think even you could manage it if you gave it a shot.”

His jab was rewarded almost immediately with a flick to the ear. Iruka’s way of telling him not to be rude. 

It was a warning that Kakashi hardly ever listened to when they were out in public and Iruka was silently complaining about how he spoke to other people, but in the safety of home with just Iruka by his side, Kakashi chose to listen.

Just this once.

“I bet they taste wonderful,” leaning into his side, Iruka nuzzled his cheek against his shoulder. “The best Mochi in the world.”

Kakashi balked at that.

“There’s no better Mochi than my dad’s,” he knew it was a dumb thing to say, but it was true. His father’s Mochi wasn’t just an enjoyable treat. Eating it brought with it feelings of warmth, comfort and even safety.

His father’s mochi wasn’t just food. It was an experience.

The experience of being surrounded by his father’s love.

A feeling he hadn’t felt in far too long.

“I bet you’re wrong,” reaching forward, Iruka plucked one of the completed Mochi off of the pile. “I bet your Mochi tastes just as good, if not better.”

Kakashi rolled his eyes. “Those are for the festival,” he reminded his partner. “And I stand by what I said.”

“No one will mind if you try just one Mochi,” Holding the treat out in front of Kakashi’s face, Iruka grinned bright and beautiful. A smile that Kakashi was confident he would never get enough of. “Come on. Try it and you’ll see.”

“See what, exactly?”

“That your Mochi is just as good as your fathers,” he beamed. “And that you’re selling yourself short.”

His hands stilled, leaving the mochi he was working on half-finished as he turned to look at Iruka. What he was greeted with was an overwhelming look of love. 

A love that could easily seep into his bones and claim his entire being, if only he would allow it to. If he would simply stop guarding himself for just a moment and allow Iruka in completely.

Without any walls between them.

“Iruka…” he glanced down at the ball of Mochi in Iruka’s hand. A small treat with such a huge weight in it. If he tried it and it wasn’t as good as his father’s he’d be disappointed. On the other hand, if it was somehow as good as his father’s he’d feel like he was destroying something precious.

To lose that little bit of comfort that he looked forward to every year, replacing it with new memories that might never live up to the past.

“I’m not sure I can,” he admitted, placing a hand over Iruka’s wrist and pushing the offering away. “I’ll have it at the festival. Like I’m supposed to.”

“Alright,” retracted his hand, a frown tugging that beautiful smile off of his face. “It’s your birthday so you get to do what you want.”

“It is,” lowering his hand, he focused back on the Mochi that still needed to be made. “and I would like to finish these Mochi so we can relax a little before the festival.” 

Iruka leaned back into his space. With an arm sliding around Kakashi’s waist and his head resting against his shoulder, he sighed. “Happy Birthday, Hokage-sama.”

Tilting his head and turning it towards Iruka, Kakashi pressed a kiss against Iruka’s forehead. “Stop calling me that.”

[coinandcandle]

Autumnal Equinox

Leaves are starting to turn, the air will get a little chilly, you know what time it is: Sweater weather the Fall Equinox! This year in the Northern Hemisphere, the equinox lands on September 23rd.

What is the Fall Equinox?

One of two yearly equinoxes, when the day is equal to night. The Earth’s axis won’t tilt away from or towards the sun, as the sun is exactly above the equator. In the context of astronomical seasons, this equinox officially marks the beginning of fall.

In the Northern Hemisphere, we celebrate the equinox either on September 22nd or 23rd. In the Southern Hemisphere, this equinox is celebrated on March 20th or 21st.

During this time, the Southern Hemisphere will be celebrating their Vernal Equinox!

Equinox vs Solstice

What’s the difference between an equinox and a solstice? The equinox occurs twice a year and during this time the night and day are equal; the solstice also occurs twice a year but rather than night and day being equal, the day is shorter on the winter solstice and longer on the summer solstice. Here’s a simple way to help you remember:

Equinox is made up of the Latin “aequus,” meaning equal, and “nox,” meaning night, since the daytime and nighttime are equal during the equinox; Solstice comes from the Latin “solstitium,” which means “stopped sun.”

History and Holidays

The full moon nearest to this equinox is referred to as the “Harvest Moon”, referencing the extra time given to the farmers to gather their crops in the light of the full moon before the frosts start. For full moon meanings, check out my Full Moon Meanings post!

Perhaps one of the most popular stories, in ancient Greece the people believed the fall equinox to be the return of the goddess Persephone to the underworld where she remains until the spring equinox.

In Mexico, a large pyramid called Chichen Itza was built by the Mayans. On the equinoxes, the sun perfectly hits the pyramid to create an effect that looks like a snake slithering down the steps.

In Peru there is a stone monument called Intihuatana that serves as a solar clock, marking the dates of the equinoxes and solstices.

This equinox marks the first day of Mehr or Libra in the Iranian calendar. This day marks the festival of Mihragan, an Iranian and Zoroastrian holiday that celebrates the Yazata Mithra.

In China, many celebrate Zhōngqiū Jié (Simplified: 中秋节; Traditional: 中秋節), also known as the Mooncake festival or Moon festival, is held to celebrate and honor the moon. Held on the 15th day of the 8th month in the Chinese Lunisolar calendar, the day that the festival is held can range from mid-September to Early October in the Gregorian calendar. This holiday is also observed by folks in Vietnam and Taiwan.

Japan has Shūbun no Hi (秋分の日; "Autumn Equinox Day") which is a public holiday celebrated on the 22nd or 23rd of September. This holiday was repackaged as a secular holiday but originally this day was Shūki kōreisai (秋季皇霊祭), a Shinto holiday. Moon-viewing festivals are held on this day called Tsukimi (月見) or Otsukimi (お月見), and Jugoya (十五夜) in honor of the autumn moon.

Japan also has Higan (彼岸, "Distant Shore") observed by Japanese Buddhists and is held not only on the fall equinox but on the spring equinox as well. During this holiday Buddhists will return to their hometowns and pay respects to their ancestors.

In South Korea Chuseok (추석), meaning “autumn evening” is a three-day mid-autumn festival celebrated near the autumnal equinox. This is seen as one of the most important festivals of the year.

Dożynki, a Slavic harvest festival, was traditionally held on or near the autumnal equinox but is celebrated in the modern day on the Sunday after the harvest season.

While it is possible that Celtic cultures celebrated or observed the autumnal equinox, there has yet to be a historical name found for it. If the Celts did celebrate this astronomical event, they likely wouldn’t have named it “Mabon”. I have not been able to find any article about the Celts possibly celebrating the fall equinox that has genuinely historical resources. Please send me your resources if you have them!

This is not a complete list of holidays on or surrounding the equinox, just a few that I have found! Please feel free to add more in a reblog or comment! <3

It's important to note that most of these are not considered witchy or pagan holidays. Witches and Pagans can and do celebrate these if they are a part of the culture, religion, or belief systems involved. We should only label these holidays as they are labeled in their respective religions and culture.

The Equinox in Modern Witchcraft

So, how about the modern witches who want to celebrate?

As we welcome Autumn, cultivate the energy of the season: Summer is coming to an end, things are starting to change, crops are being harvested, and leaves are turning many shades of warm colors despite the weather growing colder.

Equinoxes balance day and night, where in your life do you need more balance? How can you obtain this balance?

Reaping what you sowed; Allow yourself a time of relaxation as the seasons begin to change. Working hard non-stop and never taking the time to chill out will cause burnout like no other. Reap the rewards of your hard work!

Correspondences

Deities

Generally, deities to do with Autumn or Harvest deities, including but not limited to: Mabon or Maponus, Persephone, The Morrigan, The Dagda, Lugh, Osiris, Vertumnus, Modron, Eurus, Demeter, Dionysus, Adonis, etc.

Colors

Red

Yellow

Brown

Orange

Rocks/Crystals/Stones

Tiger’s eye

Citrine

Carnelian

Herbs/Plants

Chives

Thyme

Rosemary

Sage

Sorrel

Hyssop

Orange

Fennel

Activities

Go berry or apple picking.

Create a simmer pot with the corresponding herbs.

Go camping and appreciate the nature around you changing.

Have a bonfire with friends and family (maybe burn things but do so safely)

Create a feast for either your family and friends or just yourself!

Do a bit of a Summer’s End Cleanse—for real, clean your house physically and metaphysically.

If you work with any deities or spirits, set out offerings for them.

Clean and rearrange any altars you may have out.

This is not an authoritative list, these are just some correspondences and activities that you could use or participate in this holiday. Celebrate however you'd like!

References and Further Reading

Autumnal Equinox - Britannica

Fall Equinox - History.com

Fall Equinox - Farmer’s Almanac

September Equinox - Wikipedia

many other links sprinkled throughout the post

Enjoy my posts? Consider leaving me a tip on my ko-fi!~

[aishiteru-kenshin]

Autumn Moon Viewing

Late September — Mid-November Tsukimi means nothing more than "looking at the moon." However, the Japanese custom of holding special moon-viewing parties, in autumn in particular, dates back over a thousand years. Harvest Prayers Autumn moon-viewing, or tsukimi, has long been a popular pastime in Japan. Traditionally, it was a way of expressing gratitude for a good harvest and hopes for similar bounty in the future. On the old lunar calendar, the full moon appeared on the fifteenth night (jūgoya) of each month. The best night in the year for observing the celestial body is said to be the fifteenth night of the eighth month of the lunar calendar, known as jūgoya no tsukimi.

According to traditional reckoning, autumn was from the seventh through the ninth months. The exact midpoint of the season, the fifteenth night of the eighth month, was called chūshū (mid-autumn), so another name for the full moon that night is chūshū no meigetsu (the mid-autumn moon).

The custom of jūgoya moon-viewing began in China during the Tang Dynasty (618–907) and spread to Japan thereafter. The aristocrats of the Nara (710–794) and Heian (794–1185) periods enjoyed moon-viewing parties at which they played music and composed poetry. By the Edo period (1603–1868), tsukimi had come to be a popular practice even among commoners, and was closely associated with autumn festival traditions involving thankful offerings of freshly harvested rice to the gods. Moon-Viewing Decorations The place where people gather to view the moon, such as a veranda or window, is known as the tsukimidai. It is traditionally decorated with such offerings as rice dumplings called tsukimi-dango and produce like taro as well as susuki, or pampas grass. There may also be special displays associated with the tea ceremony or ikebana. 1. Tsukimi-Dango These round rice dumplings represent the full moon. The shape is also considered to be auspicious and eating tsukimi-dango is said to bring health and happiness. One tradition is to display 15 dumplings to match the fifteenth night, while another calls for 12 dango, one for each of the months. 2. Susuki Five or ten plumes of pampas grass on display represent the bounty of rice plants, which they resemble. 3. Taro As taro bulbs produce many shoots, they are associated with a large and prosperous family. 4. Autumnal Produce Seasonal produce like edamame soybeans, chestnuts, and pumpkins are also offered during the moon-viewing festival. The Rabbit in The Moon In Japan, instead of the Man in The Moon, the moon is said to present the image of a rabbit pounding mochi rice cakes with a mallet. According to one theory, this is based on a Buddhist tale that later became well known in Japan. Another theory is that it is a play on the word mochizuki, meaning “full moon,” which also sounds like the word for pounding mochi.

[stellartales]

zhongli ▪︎ glazed moon

pairing: zhongli x traveler!reader

genre(s): comfort + mild angst + fluff

summary: liyue harbor is once again preparing for another festival — the mid-autumn festival. but somehow she simply couldn't bring herself to join the others in the celebration. definitely not when her heart is aching in melancholy for her missing twin. — | m.list

background: this scenario takes place during the mid-autumn festival - as quoted from wikipedia - it is the second-most important holiday after Chinese New Year with a history dating back 3,000 years, when China's emperors worshipped the moon for bountiful harvests.[2] The celebration is called Chuseok (autumn eve) in Korea, Tsukimi (moon-viewing) in Japan and Tết Trung Thu (Mid-Autumn Festival) in Vietnam

this event celebrated by the chinese is usually spent eating mooncakes and drinking teas. lanterns are also an important aspect of this festival. unlike the yuanxiao fesitval or mingxiao festival (which is the fictional festival featuring best boy Xiao in GI) where lanterns are released into the sky, lanterns are hand-held. this is a festival i celebrate every year hence i'm familiar with it — feel free to read up about this on wiki!

a/n: don't mind me, this is just a random idea that popped in my head. i'm in the mood for some angsty stuff these days so just had to get it out. Flute version of 无羁 (Wu Ji) from the drama 'Untamed' was the song which inspired my angsty mood while typing this. pardon my errors (I may have missed them and i kinda wrote this on a spur sooooo yea)

Please do me a favor and reblog this. Thank youuuu ❤

the vitality of liyue harbor has always been astounding; an envy of the seven nations.

bright, bustling streets even in the darkness of nights was enough to show the nature of the city.

though, today it was a different kind of bustle. stores were already closed; even the nocturnal businesses that one would only see at night.

the moon had been bright and round the past few nights while the people busied themselves for another festival to come.

— the mid-autumn festival, an annual festival celebrated by the people of liyue or at least that was what zhongli explained yesterday when he extended an invitation to her to join him and others in moon-gazing today.

tonight, the moon shone bright and full in the clear dark sky, seemingly more so than the previous nights.

strategically rooted to the ground of a spacious balcony overlooking the gentle waves below, the stone tables were in a perfect spot beneath the brilliant moon.

colorful mooncakes of various flavors and teacups filled with steaming tea laid before her.

she sat at one of the round stone tables with some funeral parlor staff and of course, zhongli himself who has been rather busy ever since she arrived—

the cheerful chatters and laughter drew her eyes away from the empty seat beside her and to the tables across theirs.

his archon days were over, he said.

he was simply trying to experience a mundane life as 'zhongli' now, as the geo archon had put it when she expressed her surprise at his involvement with a festival fabricated by the mortals' minds.

and indeed—

her gaze idled on him.

— he was doing it too well.

illuminated by the golden glow the table lanterns emanated, the cordial and relaxed atmosphere was warmed by attentive eyes and smiling lips.

all on him.

apparently, some things never changed. whether he was rex lapis or zhongli, he carried an alluring elegance and charisma. clinging to every word and his occasional hand gestures, they were like moths drawn to a flame.

she could understand why; she liked hearing him talk. she would have gone over too, if not...if not for this weight on her heart.

it has been nearly a year since she was in teyvat looking for her twin. these few days in the harbor, the full moon was a constant reminder of how time has passed, and yet...

a heavy sigh escaped her. a longing gleam waned in her eyes as she lifted her gaze to the sky.

they used to talk and eat under a full moon just like this, a bitter ache clenched her heart.

her teeth sank into her lower lip as it trembled.

please...not now. her hands curled into shaking fists as she tried to hold back the tears threatening to leave her eyes.

not now. not at this party. she silently pleaded with herself, her squared shoulders shaking. it took all her willpower to not let the dam break.

but one managed to escape her anyway.

—shit.

she was up on her feet fast and slipped away from the party as subtly as she could.

stumbling out of the party half-blind with tears wasn't exactly the best situation to remember about the cloak meant to keep her warm on an autumn night.

luckily, she didn't end up falling off the stairs she currently sat on.

autumn in liyue was typically not cold, but tonight seemed especially so.

she shivered to the chilly breeze brushing against her back. goosebumps crawled across her skin, particularly on the areas her dress failed to protect against the cold.

she couldn't quite bring herself to go back for the cloak. not with the mess she was now.

the sight of the round moon above wavered in her vision as tears quietly trailed down her cheeks.

under the vast, seemingly endless night sky, she felt small...

— her knees were drawn closer to her chest, curled fingers digging into her dress.

...and extremely powerless.

where is he? why can't she find him? is he even in teyvat? Is he even...still alive? does he even exist anymore?

—a dreading sense of hopelessness echoed in her heart and summoned another wave of tears wavering her vision.

under this wide, endless sky and its luminous moon, she felt alone, truly alone in the presence of the joyous cacophony of laughter and playful yells coming from the festival she left behind.

a nasty voice prompted by the noise taunted her — of how no one would notice, even if she were to walk right out of liyue harbor right now.

drowning in harsh, relentless thoughts, she failed to notice the gaze of a pair of wise, golden eyes on her back, soft with concern.

long legs covered the distance between them in a quiet, graceful stride; the gentle clacks of his loafers whenever their heels hit the ground slipped past her notice too.

not even when he climbed down the steps to settle himself next to her, a step above hers.

not even the inevitable proximity between their bodies caused by the short stairs spacious for one but narrow for two.

only until his coat was off his shoulders and wrapped around hers—

"why the tears on the mid-autumn festival?"

—she jolted with a sharp gasp, her widening eyes snapping over to him.

the calm and prodding gaze that met hers was accompanied by the tender brush of his thumb across her left cheek, right under her tearing eye before switching over to her other.

"zh-zhongli?"

she stayed stunned, unsure she was feeling so because someone noticed she had left or was it because of this simple gesture.

zhongli has always been a mentor-like figure to her. his words, his wise gazes, the comforting pets he occasionally gave on her head and back had always reminded her of how she was a mere child in his eyes.

but tonight...this, nothing about the gentleness his hand or his eyes emanate felt normal. or was she just delirious?

the strange stutter of her heart caused by the hand on her face, the blush heating up her cheeks made her tear her gaze away from his, flustered.

zhongli let his hand drop back onto his knee, but his eyes stayed.

crossing her arms to hold onto his coat sitting on her shoulders, she thought hard to recall his question.

"i can't help thinking about my brother, that's all." she looked back at him, smiling.

a smile he thought reminded him of the moon when it was not yet full — a quiet light melancholic with vague sadness.

"don't worry about me, i'll be fine." she slipped a glance over her shoulder in the direction of the festival. "you should go back there, zhongli, they need you. what's mid-autumn festival for liyue without you?"

she moved to remove the coat from her shoulders, but a hand wrapped around her wrist stopped her.

"but what's mid-autumn festival without you, my dear friend?"

zhongli regarded her intently, his eyes boring into hers for a second before shifting to focus on his coat.

there was something else in his eyes when they return to hers; it came and went in a flicker. "...keep this on, it's chilly today."

"thanks..." she murmured, her shoulders sinking as she yet again returned her thoughts to her brother.

"aether..." the pain she guarded showed on her face. "will i ever be able to see him again?"

tears started to well up in her eyes once again.

"i'm sorry, zhongli, i'm so sorry..." a quiet sob broke through, "today is supposed to be about the mid-autumn festival, and yet...here you are, listening to me."

zhongli's mouth opened then snapped close.

he always knew what to say whenever she was in a pinch. however, it was tears this time, and he wasn't exactly sure about what he should do about his body's urge to extend his arms out to her.

he was already more than a thousand years old.

as the former geo archon, he was the immovable rock. emotions and impulses he used to hold within himself in his younger days were buried deep under the sands of time...or at least they should be.

so where did this come from? was this strange stir an inevitable part of being a mortal?

"you know what?"

her movement to rise from the spot beside him turned his head back to her.

resolute hardened the glint in her tearing eyes, "i don't want to hold you back any longer,"

her fingers curled into a shaky fist, nails digging into her palm.

"....the people need you. i-i think i should just go bac—"

his hand flew out before he could think any further; his body was faster than his thoughts this time.

her next breath puffed out of her, in surprise and bewilderment as her body was tugged and cocooned by a breathing warmth before she could understand what happened.

and when she did, her eyes flew wide.

cheek pressed against his neck, she found herself held to his chest. she could feel his chin atop her head and his arms around her.

he was beside her a moment ago, and now he was behind sharing the same step as her, broad enough to accommodate them. was she the one who moved? or did he?

she didn't know how but she couldn't find the energy to care —the scent of musk and lingering tea engulfing her was an alluring comfort that made her want to stop trying.

so warm. really, really warm.

and so was his voice. "...but you need me." a hand caressed the back of her head.

there was a pause before a feigned cough ensued. "i meant, this."

[thoughts-of-a-bibleophile]

confessions under the moonlight

hey. so...it’s the last day of HCS week and i’m finally posting my first fic for day 1. life just really didn’t want me to participate this week aaaaaaaa

the good news is i have three fics basically done already that i just need to reread and look over, so those should be coming either tonight or tomorrow fingers crossed?

this is for full moon! it’s definitely still rough, so sorry in advance, but i want to post something before this week’s over, so i hope you enjoy!

one day i’ll put these fics on ao3.... as soon as i figure out how to use ao3....

summary: may invites steven over to her house for tsukimi (the japanese moon festival). baking and shenanigans ensue.

The sky was clear and blue, the air crisp and the wind sharp in a way unique to only autumn. Rustboro was one of those cities that changed colors with the seasons: Currently, the trees were either yellow or totally barren, leaves scattered along every sidewalk.

Under the eaves of the Kalossian restaurant in a tucked away corner of the city, two trainers sat outside for their weekly lunch. Neither of them knew when weekly lunches had become a regular occurrence, but neither of them were willing to put a stop to them either. So every Tuesday at noon, they met here, partially because Steven only had an hour lunch and couldn’t travel too far from Devon, and partially because May had become quite fond of the little bistro they always frequented.

As they were discussing their plans for the next week over coffee, the late autumn wind ruffling their hair and shifting the curls of steam wafting from their drinks, she mentioned it offhand.

“What are you going to be doing for tsukimi?”

Steven dropped the roll he was holding back on his plate, processing the question.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, are you and your dad going to be hosting some sort of party? Or are you going to be keeping it between the two of you?”

He blinked. “My father’s going to be out of town on a business trip, but... Why would we have a party? It’s just another Thursday, isn’t it?”

May furrowed her brow. “Wait. Have you never celebrated?”

“I mean, I suppose I went to a festival when I was younger-?”

“You never had the little dumplings? You never had to eat that weird grass?”

“Grass? Why are you eating grass-?”

“Oh Arceus, that explains so much,” she said, more to herself than him.

“What does that mean?” he said, a touch indignant.

She ignored him. “Come to my house on Thursday. You need to experience a tsukimi, Littleroot-style.”

“I don’t need to experience it, May,” he replied. “And I wouldn’t want to inconvenience you or your family on such late notice-“

“Are you kidding? My mom is always of the opinion ‘the more, the merrier.’ And she’s been asking me to bring you over to meet her anyway-“

“She wants to meet me?” Steven asked, bemused. Did he do something to offend her somehow?

“It’s not important,” May said quickly. “She just wants to meet, uh, the previous champion and all that, you know.”

He wanted to counter that he had been at her Champion coronation and easily could have met her then, but May switched back to the original conversation before he could say anything.

“Anyway, she has the best dango recipe, which you have to try! She’ll ruin you for all other celebrations.”

“Are you sure it won’t be an issue for your family?”

“No, not at all. Really.”

It wasn’t like he really had anything else to do that night besides paperwork for Devon and it was always nice to spend time with May, he reasoned.

“Alright, it’s a date.”

-

At 4 p.m. on Thursday, Steven stood outside May’s house with a bottle of sake in one hand, the other hesitantly raised up to knock.

The other day, it had been easy to say yes to today, but now that he was here, he felt nervous for whatever reason. Perhaps it was because he wanted to make a good impression? May had said that her mother wanted to talk to him, so maybe he had already squandered that first impression, so tonight he would have to make up for it, somehow. It would be easier to do that if he knew what he had messed up in the first place though.

He shook away his anxious thoughts, realizing he had been standing outside a few minutes longer than necessary, all because he was lost in his thoughts, as usual.

Steven took a deep breath, steeling himself for whatever was to come, and knocked twice.

No answer.

He frowned, wondering if maybe he hadn’t knocked loud enough. He tried again, a little firmer this time.

Again, no answer.

He... was at the right house, wasn’t he?

One glance at the name plate said that he was at the Hawthorn residence, so he hadn’t messed that up. Did he somehow show up at the wrong time?

“Hello?” he called to the closed front door. Was he supposed to meet somewhere else-?

“Steven!”

His head turned at the sound of May’s voice. She was at the house across the street from where he stood, waving at him.

“I should’ve told you, but things got so crazy- We’re actually going to be celebrating here! Come on over!”

Suddenly Steven felt foolish for knocking on her door for Arceus knows how long. As he walked toward her, he prayed she hadn’t been watching him be an idiot for the last few minutes.

She wore a bandana as usual, keeping her bangs back from her face, as well as a cute red apron that he noticed had a little torchic embroidered on one of the pockets. It was both incredibly different from what she normally wore, but somehow so very May that he couldn’t help but smile.

She was nearly bouncing in place as he approached. Then her eyes noticed the bottle in his hand.

“You didn’t have to bring a gift, you dork,” she said, elbowing him in the side.

“I just thought it would make for a good first impression,” he said, shrugging.

May rolled her eyes. “You worry too much. She’ll love you.” She grabbed his arm and dragged him in. “Let’s go!”

Half-stumbling through the door, it took him a moment to take in the room before him.

To the left, the living room blended into the dining room, covered in moon-related decorations. There was an open archway at the back with voices coming from it that he could only assume was the kitchen. To the right, there was a set of stairs with a string of azumarill lanterns hung along the banister, a door that looked to lead outside at the very end of the hall.

A few people he recognized from Professor Birch’s lab were hanging up more lanterns along the wall as well as other decorations he wasn’t sure of the names of while the few kids that were there folded origami in the living room.

Some looked up at their arrival, casting them - or more likely, him - confused looks that quickly morphed into some form of recognition.

May ignored them all, though, and marched him straight into the kitchen, despite the gaggle of people standing in their way.

“Mom, Steven’s here!” she announced to the three people flitting about in the kitchen.

One woman, her brown hair matching May’s exactly, looked up from where she was stirring what looked to be noodles in a large pot.

“Oh, it’s about time!” She placed her cooking chopsticks to the side and rushed over to them. He was about to hold out a hand to shake before she embraced him in a hug tight enough to squeeze the life out of him.

“Mom, please don’t kill him,” May said from his side, sounding exasperated.

Mrs. Hawthorn released him and he let out a small gasp of relief. “I’m so sorry, Steven; I just get a little overexcited with my hugs, you see. I’m a bit like a mama Ursaring at times.” She laughed. “Oh and you’ve brought sake as well; you’re so sweet! I’ve really been so looking forward to meeting you after everything May’s told us about you-“

“You’ve talked about me?” Steven asked May, glancing at her.

“Only good things, don’t worry,” May said with a laugh.

“I’ve only heard the best things about you, Steven, honestly, you should hear some of the things she says about you-“

“Ooookay Mom,” May cut in quickly. “I’m sure you guys can talk about that later when I’m not here.”

May’s mother gave her daughter a look that Steven couldn’t interpret, then turned back to him, beaming. “We’ll just have to catch up later.” She took the bottle from him. “Please make yourself at home.”

He had a feeling that something had transpired that he wasn’t privy to, but he didn’t think now was the time to ask about it.

May pulled him away before he could say as much, saying, “Sorry about her. She can be...a lot.”

Steven thought about his own father, with his tendency to ramble and his over exuberant personality, and only nodded in understanding. “No, she was great, honestly. Where are we going now-?”

“Steven Stone?”

They both turned to the person addressing him. Professor Birch‘s son - Brendan, if Steven remembered correctly. He took in the two of them, eyes darting between them, to May’s hand on his arm, and then back to their faces.

“Didn’t realize you would be here.”

“May invited me,” Steven replied, not entirely sure why he felt like he was being analyzed.

“Did she?” Brendan asked, smiling in a way that could Steven could only describe as mischievous, his eyes meeting May’s in another look that Steven couldn’t figure out.

“Yes, Brendan, I did, and we’re going to go help my dad decorate now, aren’t we, Steven?”

Before Steven could say anything, May turned them away from the living room and toward the stairwell. He felt like he was missing something here, but he had a feeling if he asked no one would tell him what it was.

The Petalburg Gym Leader and May’s father, Norman, was talking to Professor Birch by the back door by the stairs, a handful of foldable chairs against the wall as well as a coil of lights.

“Hey Professor, hey Dad. I’ve brought you guys a helper,” May said.

They both looked up at the two, Professor Birch with a smile, Norman with ... a much less friendly expression. All of the nerves that had begun to ease after meeting May’s mother immediately swarmed back at the frosty reception. Did Steven mess up his first impression with her father somehow as well? What had he done? He couldn’t think of any animosity between them when he had been Champion, but surely something had happened.

“Steven Stone,” Norman Hawthorn said with a curt nod. “I hope your father is doing well.”

“Thank you. He’s actually in Johto right now on business.”

“Well, please tell him hello from me when you see him next.”

“Of course. I’m sure he would be pleased to hear from you.”

Professor Birch, on the other hand, was quite excited to see him and cut in before the conversation could get more awkward.

“Steven, it’s been so long! How’s your team doing? How’s that little Beldum you hatched?”

“It’s doing well, Professor. Thank you again for watching after him while I was away.”

“Oh, it was no trouble; he was a delight! I’m glad you’re here! We can use all the help we can get!”

“What ... exactly are we doing?”

“We’re setting up everything outside.” Professor Birch nodded at the stacks of chairs beside them. “That’s the best part of the celebration: It’s all about appreciating nature and what better way to do that than outside with food cooked from the garden we’ve cultivated here in Littleroot?”

“What can I do to help?”

“Help set up the lights in the back before it gets dark. Vigoroth will take care of the chairs,” Norman said, pulling out a Pokéball.

“I’ll head outside to grab the ladders,” May said, already halfway out the door.

“May, I need you in here!” her mother called from the kitchen. May groaned.

“Never mind, I guess,” she grumbled. As she passed him to move to the kitchen, she gave him a half-smile. “I’ll catch up with you later?”

“I’ll be here,” he said, smiling back.

“May!” her mother called again. May rolled her eyes at him before heading to the kitchen. Steven watched her go, only to feel a coil of lights shoved into his arms a moment later. He glanced back to see Norman giving him that frosty look again and Steven cleared his throat, feeling the nerves even more than before.

“Lights, right. Let’s get started then.”

-

Two long tables sat out in the backyard under rows of string lights as the sun set. The sky was ablaze in streaks of orange and peach, the sun turning the trees to gold and everyone outside into long shadows. Steven had thought he had gotten over being impressed by sunsets after his years of traveling, but he had to admit that Littleroot had some gorgeous ones.

As they had set things up, Professor Birch told him that it was primarily the Birches and Hawthorns tonight, as well as a few lab aids and their kids who hadn’t had family to go to for the holidays. Ever since the Hawthorns had moved to Littleroot, they had tried to make it a tradition to hold a big celebration like this, with Professor Birch’s wife taking the lead on dinner while May’s mother handled decorations. Though they had been doing this for so long that they didn’t need directions nearly as much as before, so she normally handled desserts with May.

Once the lights were hung, Professor Birch sent Steven over to help set the table. Brendan was already there, so Steven started at the opposite side.

“Did May’s dad scare you off yet?” Brendan asked after a bit of silence between them.

Steven looked up in confusion. “What?”

“I’m just kidding, dude, don’t worry.” Brendan raised an eyebrow. “I mean, you know how this looks, right?”

Steven’s brow furrowed.

“Oh dear Mew,” Brendan muttered with a sigh. “You’re the first person she’s brought home since she moved to Hoenn and, short of bringing you for Christmas, tonight’s a pretty big deal for her family?”

“She just told me I had to come to try the dango,” Steven said lamely.

Brendan groaned. “Steven, with all due respect, as much as I know you like rocks, I didn’t think you would be as dumb as one.”

“Excuse me?”

“It looks like you’re dating,” Brendan exclaimed, sounding exasperated. “You know, you and May? In a relationship?”

It suddenly felt way too warm for a late autumn night. May and him? Dating? That was ridiculous; she had said so herself that her mother had wanted to meet him and she wanted him to try some sweets. Sure, he admired her in a dozen and a half ways and thought she was incredibly strong, kind, passionate- And he was getting off track. None of those meant that he wanted to date her or that any feelings he may or may not have were reciprocated.

“Th-That’s not what this is,” Steven managed, trying to not sound as confused as he felt. “She just wanted me to actually go to a tsukimi celebration and introduce me to her mother-“

Brendan gave him a look that could only be read as “really?”

“As far as I’m aware,” Steven tried instead. “We are not dating.”

“It sure looks like it, dude,” Brendan said with a snort. “Her mom and dad think so, at least.”

They were done setting the table, but Steven’s mind was replaying several scenes over in his head from the last few months. They definitely could have been seen as dates and that... explained a lot in hindsight, he thought. 

Before he could ask Brendan anything else, Mrs. Hawthorne and May came out with a handful of dishes. Behind them, Professor Birch carried a giant pot with what smelled like curry in it. Once they were placed onto the second table, Professor Birch called, “Dinner’s served!”

May caught his eye across the way and he felt himself smile and raised his hand in a wave. Behind him, Brendan groaned. “Hopeless, the  both of you.”

-

Steven found himself sitting next to May, much to Mrs. Hawthorn’s insistence, and across from Brendan, who kept smirking at both of them.

May ignored him, instead talking to her mother on her right or Steven on her left. Dinner was delicious, but Steven was barely able to focus on that or on the conversations May tried to start, his mind circling back to his earlier talk with Brendan.

It certainly explained why his father always seemed to be asking about May and telling him to bring her for dinner sometime. It also explained why Wallace had asked what was going on with them At the time, Steven had said nothing because he hadn’t thought anything was going on. But clearly something was, whether either of them knew it or not.

“Steven?” He felt a hand on his arm and turned to see May looking concerned. “Is everything okay?”

Suddenly every touch and look from her felt so much more real and Steven recoiled on instinct, only to feel even worse when her brow furrowed at his movement.

“Everything is fine here,” he said, his voice sounding strangely cheery even to his own ears. “Is everything fine with you?”

“Uh, yeah, I’m good.” She frowned. “Did you end up drinking some of that sake? You’re acting kind of weird.”

“What do you mean? I’m acting perfectly normal right now.”

May just stared at him for a moment, searching his face as if she would find an answer to his strange behavior, but then shrugged. “Okay, but if you need to go home early, just let me know. We won’t be upset-“

“No, no!” he interrupted. He was making a much bigger deal of this than he needed to and probably worrying her when she already had so much to think about. What was wrong with him? “I’m fine, really, I’m sorry for worrying you.”

She looked at him for another moment, then nodded, smiling slightly. “Okay, I believe you. But seriously, I won’t be mad if you don’t feel well or need to leave early.”

“Okay,” he said. Brendan caught his eye and mouthed “smooth” and Steven wished the ground would just swallow him up instead of letting him continue to make a fool of himself.

-

Things had gotten easier after dinner: Professor Birch has engaged him in a long discussion on evolution and May’s mother had asked him to help start the fire in the pit they had moved their chairs around. Despite the string lights and the fire, the moon was bright overhead, shining like a silver coin with a scattering of stars around it.

An hour or so after dinner, May had caught up with him and pulled him back into the kitchen. He resisted the urge to pull against her. Because, really, he did want to spend more time with her, but he also didn’t know how to act around her now that he knew what it looked like. Did she know that they looked like a couple? Did she... like it? Did she want to be one?

His head was full of so many what-ifs and questions for her and himself that he didn’t do anything but smile politely as they walked into the kitchen with Mrs. Hawthorn.

“Wait, what are we doing now?” he asked, realizing he hadn’t actually learned why he was there in the first place.

“We’re making dango, of course.” At his confused look, she rolled her eyes. “What, you thought we just bought them pre-made at the store? My mom would kill me if we served store-bought dango.”

“Oh, don’t be dramatic, May,” Mrs. Hawthorn sighed. “They’re just so much better when you make them by hand, of course.”

“I’ve never made them before-“ Steven started, but Mrs. Hawthorn simply patted his arm.

“Don’t worry, it’s easy! May’s made them for years now, so she can show you the ropes.”

“It’s really not that hard,” May assured him. “If I can do it, you definitely can.”

“Well, I’ll check on you two in a bit,” Mrs. Hawthorn said with another one of those looks at May that he now had a feeling meant she wanted to give them some alone time.

He glanced at her, wondering if he should ask about everything now, but she was instead holding an apron out to him: blue with a little aron embroidered in the pocket, just like hers.

Steven laughed at the sight and May scowled. “What?”

“No, nothing,” he assured her, grinning. “This just reminds me of something my dad would’ve gotten me as a kid. I had so much aron stuff, but I don’t think he ever got me an apron.”

“Well now you can add an apron to your collection,” May said. After he put it on, she grinned. “I’m glad it fits.”

“Wait, did you get this for me specifically?”

“I- Well,” she started, looking away from him and fiddling with the straps of her apron. “We only have two aprons here and they’re already being used by me and my mom, and I knew you would need one, and then I saw that one the other day and I thought it would be cute on you, so... I got it.”

Steven felt his face warm, but just because the oven was likely on and not because he was thinking about her calling him cute-

“Um, thank you,” he tried, hoping he didn’t sound as awkward as he felt. “I appreciate the thought- about the apron, I mean. It’s great, really.” Nope, definitely sounded as awkward as he felt.

“Of course,” she said, still not looking at him. “So, um, let’s start, shall we?”

He nodded, not trusting himself to speak lest he make more of an idiot of himself than he already had tonight.

Theoretically, it wasn’t a difficult recipe: 3 and a half ounces of rice flour, 2/3 of a cup of water; combine the flour and water; mix until it becomes a dough, then form the dumplings.

He primarily fetched ingredients for her, watching her work and mentally taking notes on how it all worked. He wasn’t sure what he was going to use this knowledge for in the future, but he still took notes regardless.

“How long have you made these?” he asked as she stirred in the flour.

“Ever since I can remember, honestly,” she replied. “Even when I was little, I remember my mom sitting me on the counter and asking me to help make the dango into balls, all the while telling me the story of the azumarill on the moon.”

“The azumarill on the moon?” he asked as he watched the last part of the flour fold into the dough.

“You don’t know the story?” May asked. When he shook his head, she simply shrugged. “It’s just a kids story, but I always liked it.”

“Could you tell me it?”

“Do you really want to hear it?” she asked, skeptical.

“I do. Would you?”

There was a moment of silence and Steven wondered if she would decide against it. He then wondered if he had somehow overstepped some boundary that he wasn’t aware of, but after another minute, she began.

“The story goes that there was a hungry old man who asked a vulpix, an aipom and an azumarill for some food.”

She mixed the dough with ease, like she had been making this for ages, which, he supposed she had. The faintest smile was on her face as she spoke and he tried to imagine her as a little girl, wearing an apron just like this, eyes wide as she heard this story for the first time.

“The aipom used his tail to get berries, the vulpix caught him some fish, but the rabbit only had grass to offer,” she continued. “So the azumarill built a fire and then jumped in, offering himself as food for the old man.”

Steven frowned. “This is a kids story?”

“Hey, I swear it has a happy ending,” she insisted with a laugh. “The old man revealed himself to be the moon god and, grateful for what the azumarill had done, saved him from the fire and thanked him. Then the moon god brought the azumarill to live with him on the moon. Legend has it, he’s still up there, making mochi for himself and the moon god. And speaking of-“

May pulled the dough from the bowl and onto the counter with a thump. Steven jumped slightly, too caught up in the story to notice that the dough was finished.

“So I’ll roll this out and divide it into 16 pieces, then we’ll make them into little balls,” she explained.

It was quiet for a moment as she worked the dough, both of them lost in their thoughts. Steven’s had settled considerably - perhaps it had been the repetition of making dumplings that had helped his mind stop running in a million circles.

“It was just a dumb kids story,” she said. “Sorry if I bored you.”

“No, no, that wasn’t it,” he replied. “Sorry, I was just thinking. I liked it, really.”

“I just- I thought it was pretty amazing that the azumarill did so much for someone he didn’t know, y’know?”

Steven was quiet, but May continued. “And then to live on the moon and have mochi for the rest of my life? Sounded like a good deal to me.”

He laughed and after a second, she did, too, and it seemed to break the awkwardness that had been lingering since they began baking. He didn’t know why he had been so nervous before. Even if they looked like a couple and people thought they were, it was nothing a little explanation couldn’t fix. The important thing was that he and May were still friends and that she would still be there for him at the end of the day; that was all that mattered.

“I know I asked earlier, but are you okay, really?” May glanced over at him, worry still in her eyes.

He sighed and leaned against the counter as she divided the dough into sixteen pieces.

“I am. I’m sorry for acting so strange earlier. I was just stuck in my head. We’re okay.”

“Okay, good,” she said, smiling, and he felt himself warm at seeing it. He had felt that before, but he had always just brushed it off as admiration and friendship before. But now he was starting to rethink it all.

“Alright, we’ll each do eight,” May instructed. She picked one of the dough pieces up and began to roll it. “Just fold the piece into itself and roll it between your hands until it’s a smooth ball like this.” She showed him a near perfect sphere, then placed it on the baking tray.

It was simple, really, but some inner perfectionist made him want the spheres to be as perfect as possible, which made him significantly slower than her. When she had finished her batch and he was only halfway through his, she laughed.

“They don’t have to be perfect, Steven. They’re going to be eaten either way.”

“I know,” he said, despite still rolling the ball in his hand because it was a little bigger than the other three.

May grabbed his hands in hers to stop him. He glanced up from his hands to her. She smiled and he could see the amusement in her eyes.

“They’re already great, Steven, really.” She took the dough ball and exchanged it for another slice.

“How’s it going, kids?” Mrs. Hawthorn said, popping her head in the doorway.

“Almost done, Mom!” May said.

Mrs. Hawthorn walked toward them to look over their work. 

“Great job, Steven! I would never have thought this was your first time doing this.”

“Well, May did all of the work,” he said.

“No, I couldn’t have done it without you,” she insisted.

“I just handed you ingredients-“

“Yes, but you’ve already made almost half of the dango yourself.”

“Well, however much work you did, you did very well, dear,” Mrs. Hawthorn said with a warm smile. “I’ll let the others know that you’re almost done.”

They thanked her and went back to finishing the last two slices.

Once they finished, May dropped them into boiling water and cleaned up their space as the dumplings cooked.

“Okay, so it wasn’t just me being in my head,” he admitted as they put away the rice flour. “I talked to Brendan earlier and-“

“Oh Mew, what did Brendan say?” she asked with a laugh.

“He- Honestly, it’s nothing. Don’t worry.”

May turned her full attention to him, her eyes narrowed in suspicion. “What did he say?”

Steven brushed a hand through his hair, wondering why he even brought this up in the first place when they had just dissolved the tension they had had. How did he even explain this without making things awkward again?

“He, er, said that it looks like you brought me home as... your date.”

The bubbling of the water was the only sound between them for far too long. May’s face was red now and she very pointedly looked away from him. Steven’s own face was warm and he knew better than to think it was the steam from the dumplings.

“I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable because I’m here or feel that you’re forced into doing anything or acting in a certain way. I genuinely thought I was just coming over to make these,” Steven gestured to the pot. “I just- don’t want things to get weird between us, if that’s not what you intended.” His voice quieted at the tail end of the sentence, wondering if she had heard him and, if so, if she would explain to him what she did intend.

She still wouldn’t look at him, though, instead stirring the dough balls and fishing out the ones that were apparently done cooking.

“I just want to know what’s happening right now, May,” he said. “Regardless of what happens tonight, nothing will change. At least not for me.”

She let out a long exhale, then glanced over at him.

“I- I really did want you to just experience a Littleroot tsukimi and enjoy yourself,” she started. “I... know what a lot of people have said about us and how this looks, but I know we’re not ... that.“

The question was at the tip of his tongue, but he held it back, waiting as she spoke again.

“I know we’re not and I’m sorry if tonight made you feel uncomfortable or if Brendan or my dad said something that freaked you out. They’re honestly the worst and I can’t believe they would interrogate you tonight-“

Steven touched her shoulder and, like he had earlier, she shied away. His hand held empty air and he was surprised at how much such a small reaction hurt.

“It wasn’t them, May. Sure, Brendan explained things, but he just told me what I probably should’ve known about a while ago. Your dad didn’t say anything. It’s just me. I just want to know ... how you feel. About us.”

He felt foolish for not being able to say it. They were adults for crying out loud; why was it so difficult to ask if she wanted something more, if she did actually want to date him?

You know why, a voice whispered in his mind, all of his flaws and insecurities coming to the forefront of his mind. Flighty even in the best of times, inexperienced in far too many things, travels too much for any steady relationship, hyper focuses on far too many weird hobbies-

May didn’t get to answer, though, because Mrs. Hawthorn popped back into the kitchen just then, her eyes lighting up when she saw the finished dango.

“Right on time! I’ll just take these outside.” She grabbed the baking tray and began walking out. She looked over her shoulder, nodding at them. “And that means you kids too!”

Steven followed her outside, May behind him. He felt less like he was walking somewhere and more that his body was moving for him. There was still so much unsaid between them; would they ever actually have a chance to talk it?

He felt a hand on his wrist pull him back. He looked back at her, but she was very much not looking at him.

“Mom, we’ll be there in a sec,” May said, sounding a lot more normal than he felt right now.

Mrs. Hawthorn smiled mischievously at them. “Don’t take too long, you two!”

Steven shifted from foot to foot once they were alone, just imagining the things she could be thinking about.

It was quiet for far too long between them and he hated it. He wanted to do something, anything, to break it, to go back to the joking and laughing from before. He never should have said anything to begin with; maybe then things wouldn’t be as bad as they are now-

“This is not at all how I thought this was going to go,” May said, startling him from his thoughts. “Honestly, I wasn’t sure if I was ever going to go through with this, but I guess now is as good a time as any other.” She took a deep breath, then another. Steven couldn’t breathe.

“I like you. A lot. Like, more than I ever thought I would like someone.” Everything around him froze at her words. Time slowed, yet his heart rate and breathing sped up even further, feeling like an azumarill tapping its foot against his chest.

She was looking at everything but him, her arms crossed tightly in front of her and her face still so red it almost matched her bandana. It was ridiculously cute.

“If you don’t feel the same way, I completely understand and I won’t bring this up ever again, but... I just needed you to know, especially after everything that happened tonight.”

“May-“ He stepped toward her.

“No, no, I also want to say that if you don’t want to be friends or talk anymore after this, I understand that, too, I just-“

“May,” he said again.

“What?!” she exclaimed, finally looking at him. She looked upset, more upset than he’d ever seen her, and he felt horrible for being the reason for it.

A hundred things popped up in his mind to say, things he had heard were romantic or gallant, but all he could muster was a quiet, “I like you, too.”

“As a friend, though, right?”

“No! I mean, yes, of course as a friend, but also as more than that, as more than a friend,” he stammered out. He wanted to hug her and do something to make her feel better, but his hands just fluttered uselessly above her shoulders.

“I- I’ve always admired you; I’ve been in awe of your strength and skill in everything you do since I first met you,” he tried to explain. “I always thought that was all that it was: admiration. But, something changed. I don’t know if it was tonight or if it was on one of our lunch dates that I never realized until now were dates or if it was when you stepped out of the Cave of Origin like a living legend and I realized I was so grateful I hadn’t lost you.” He was rambling, oh Mew, he was rambling; how did people do this?

“I care about you, May,” he said, feeling like something in him had lightened by telling her despite the anxiety he felt for even saying the words. “And whether that’s as a partner or just as a mentor or as a friend, I want to be there for you.”

She still looked at him in almost... disbelief. “You, Steven Stone, like me?”

He smiled, hoping it would quell the doubt in her eyes. “I, Steven Stone, like you, May Hawthorn.”

“Okay,” she said with a breathy exhale that could have almost been a laugh. “Okay.”

Before he could think about what to do next, she flung herself into his arms with a real laugh this time, the one he heard almost daily over the phone and over food, the one that made him want to be the one to make her laugh like that again and again.

They just stood there for a moment and it felt like the puzzle pieces that had broken apart between them earlier that night were fitting themselves back together again.

May pulled back slightly, looking slightly sheepish, though her eyes shone brightly in the moonlight.

“So I know we definitely did this out of order, but do you want to go on a date with me?”

Steven laughed. “After all the apparent dates we’ve been on already?”

May rolled her eyes. “The other ones didn’t count because we didn’t even know they were dates.”

“We definitely did this out of order,” he said.

“Well, now we can do everything in order and do all the cheesy first date things, right?” She bit her lip as she looked up at him, as if she was trying to keep from smiling too wide.

“Right,” he agreed, his mind already thinking of all the things he wanted to do together, all the things he wanted to give her. “Does tonight count?”

She looked above them and the moonlight sparkled in her eyes. He couldn’t look away.

“Dinner under a full moon - not bad,” she said. “But I think we can do better.”

“Tomorrow then. At that sushi place in Rustboro, then a late night flight?”

She smiled and Steven swore it was brighter than the moon itself. “It’s a date.”

-

dango: rice dumplings similar to mochi that are made during tsukimi to represent the moon!

thank you for reading this - i’m sorry again for not having posted anything this week, but i really hope you enjoyed! again, i’m going to try to figure out ao3 tomorrow - work has just been A Mess and i haven’t had a chance to until now.

i also want to thank the discord for helping me work through my writer’s block and just being really lovely <3 y’all are the best!!!

[renaxwrites]

Eleven

.05 - Girl Almighty

synopsis: the number Eleven had always appeared in milestones of your life. it was a constant, and you didn’t know why. but you would soon find out when you study abroad in japan and meet Him.

pairing: tsukishima kei x fem!reader

warnings: mentions of death, depression

masterlist: here :)

a/n: this honestly was such an endearing chapter to write. we finally learned what happened in y/n’s past, and her bond with mizuki grows strong. also, for this chapter and the next, I’m doing a lot of cultural research to try and incorporate it in the story, and it feels really cool to be exploring the culture! hope you guys enjoy this one 🥺💕 yes I cried at one in the morning finishing this and what about it

previous || next

Her light is as loud as as many ambulances as it takes to save a savior.

Sleep. School. Practice. Home. Repeat. Soon, you were nearing the end of September without even knowing it. As the weeks had flown by, the tension between you and Tsukishima had only grown. Only, it wasn’t a ‘bad’ or ‘awkward’ kind of tension. It was more like a ‘something-is-happening-between-us-but-neither-of-us-know-what-it-is-or-how-to-address-it’ kind of tension.

As if the universe was tired of this ‘tip-toeing around each other’ crap, a special event was coming up that was definitely going to stir the pot. The Harvest Moon Festival.

“Tsukiiiii! Are you excited for Tsukimi tomorrow?” Yamaguchi teases. Tsukishima knowingly groans.

You look up from your camera, contemplating whether you should keep the last shot even though Tanaka photo-bombed it. “The moon-viewing? You guys do the festivals here, right?”

Yamaguchi nodded. “Yeah, it’s kinda ironic, isn’t it? The festivals usually fall around Tsukki’s birthday, so we usually do a joint-celebration! But this year, it’s a little earlier, so we won’t celebrate his birthday at the same time, but it’s still exciting!”

Tsukishima peers down at your camera, pressing the delete button faster than you can react. “Shouldn’t you know about it? You are Japanese, right?”

Pettily, you recover the photo from the recently deleted section. You were going to delete it anyway, but you just wanted to spite him. “I did celebrate, but I’ve always wondered how much more authentic it would be to celebrate it in my mother’s home country. It sounds like a lot of fun!”

Yamaguchi realizes you haven’t gone to the festival before, so he cheerily invites you to come along with him and Tsukki, to which Tsukishima replies, “My mom would probably force me to drag her along anyway. Might as well.”

His statement and tone implied that he didn’t want you to join, but you felt his gaze on you with a slight glimmer of hope in his eyes.

You agree, but are quick to come to a devastating realization.

“But I don’t have anything to wearrrrrr!” Cue two clueless-looking boys not knowing how to react.

Upon hearing distress, Yachi comes dashing to your rescue. “Y/N!! I heard your cry! I’m actually going shopping tonight for a new festival outfit, did you want to go with me?” She really was a savior at times.

You throw your arms around her in gratefulness. “You’re an angel! I would like nothing more than to accompany you! I’ll just text Mizuki to let her know where we’ll be…”

Yachi ponders for a moment. “Actually, do you think she would mind coming? I don’t want to bother her at all, but my mom’s staying late again, and I like having an adult’s second opinion…”

Fortunately, Mizuki was more than happy to bring you two to the downtown shops later that night. Once practice was over, you and Yachi bid your farewells to the boys and met up on the street corner, with Tsukishima trailing behind. Mizuki began to wave from under the streetlight, letting Tskishima know that dinner was already made, and that you won't be back too late. And so, the three of you were off!

                                 ─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Although your current location was quaint and serene, downtown was the opposite. There were endless amounts of shops, stands, and everything in between. Shoppers were bustling about, kids were frolicking in groups, and the smells of various foods wafted in the air. The energy in the downtown district was definitely lively and contagious.

Mizuki took a deep, content breath and turned to the two of you. “Alright ladies! I have a few shops in mind, so we can stop by those first just to ease into it. Let me know if you need anything! If you want to even stop for a snack, I certainly won’t hold you back, not when it smells as good as this! Alrighty, let’s goo!!”

The first shop was very quaint, but you were a bit clueless as to what you should be looking for. Good thing Mizuki and Yachi was there to guide you! You apparently were in search for a yukata, a more informal traditional robe that is similar to a kimono, but not quite. Great! Now that you knew what you were on the hunt for, how were you supposed to decide what color or pattern? Every shop you stopped by were overflowing with more patterns, colors, and combinations than you can possibly imagine.

By the third shop, Yachi had already picked hers, and was currently being fitted. She chose a radiant yellow, decorated with white carnations and pink morning glory flowers print.

“You look like a ray of sunshine, Yachi! Yellow definitely suits you,” you and Mizuki shower her with praise, causing her to flush pink.

You laugh as you admit, “This must be what prom dress shopping feels like, haha.” The two ladies curiously look at you, and you’re quick to explain how back at home it’s a huge deal to find the dress, since prom is the most anticipated formal event for American high schools.

Needless to say, the pressure of finding one that spoke to you began to worry you. You bring your hand to your locket. Mizuki noticed this, then eyed your locket for a brief moment.

“I think I know the perfect one that would go along with your locket. We’ll stop by once Yachi’s fitting is done,” she offers you a warm smile to calm your nerves.

Once Yachi’s outfit was purchased, the three of you head to a shop that was in an easy-to-overlook nook. The second you step inside, you’re greeted by two eager women, ready to meet your requests. You browse, but begin to feel a bit of gravitation towards the back of the shop. The invisible force brings you to a halt. In front of you is an absolute masterpiece.

The overall color was navy blue, as dark as the night sky above. But the design was what made it stand out. The yakuta was sprinkled with constellations, and thousands of silver stars were scattered around the fabric. Around the waist was a deep red obi, a wide silk sash designed with light moons and stars lined all around it.

You were speechless. It was perfect.

Mizuki looks over and finds you with your jaw slightly agape, looking entirely mesmerized.

She turns to the women and tells them, “That’s the one for her.” And they get to work on your fitting.

During your fitting, Yachi went to buy a couple of snacks for you to share, leaving you and Mizuki alone, with the two women helping. You raise your arms over your head as they measure your waist. Suddenly, you catch her drying what looks to be a couple of tears.

“What’s wrong, Mizuki? Are you alright?”

She tenderly looks over and chuckles, wiping another tear that managed to escape.

“It’s nothing, really. I just always wondered what it would be like to go dress shopping with a daughter…” she looks down at her hands, wringing them deep in thought. “My sons are wonderful, and I wouldn’t give them up for anything in the world, but I always loved shopping with my mother, even if it was buying a mere hair accessory. Her calling me beautiful... and, I don’t know...it kind of felt like that for a moment.”

She looks up at you and smiles. “You haven’t been with us for too long, but I speak for both myself and my sons when I say we are grateful that you’ve been led into our lives.”

You jump off the pedestal and tackle Mizuki into a tight embrace. “I’m glad I came, too.” She hugs you back, and you look at each other, and suddenly burst into laughter at your tear-stained faces.

“Alright, that’s enough baby tears. Now, get on up there so we can see the finishing touches,” she gently urges you. Just as the last details were being made, Yachi comes back, just in time.

She does a dramatic gasp. “Y/n, you look beautiful! It’s like all the stars wanted you to wear them!” She almost drops her snack out of pure shock, but manages to catch it.

Mizuki helps her carry them and agrees. “She’s right y/n. It also matches your locket color perfectly. I can see that it’s important to you, so it’s like both a piece of home and a piece of here going hand in hand.” Even the two women who fitted you were quick to offer their praise.

You look down at your outfit and tenderly put a hand on your locket. “It’s perfect.”

                                  ─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

The three of you drop Yachi off at her house, and once you were sure she was safely inside, you and Mizuki begin your trek home. There’s a comfortable silence between you two. The stars in the sky were glistening and drowned you in tranquil light.

Mizuki thoughtfully looks over at you. She’s carefully thinking of something she wants to say.

“Is there a story to the locket?”

You stop in your tracks and look up at the stars twinkling above you. The moon’s serene appearance gives you the courage to respond.

“This is the first gift my parents gave me, on their official wedding day. And now it’s the first and last thing I look at every day. It’s one of only things remaining from them that I own.” You look over to find sad eyes.

Mizuki’s eyes were not viewing you in the sense of pity, which you have always gotten for the past year. Instead, she was looking over with the most wholesome look in her eyes, wanting to help and protect you.

That encourages you to go on.

“My mother and father went out on one of their weekly date nights. They liked to go out on Friday nights to get ice cream down the road. They’ve done it since even before they got married. It was normal. Nothing out of the ordinary.”

You choke up.

“Almost a year ago now. My parents were on their way home. They got hit by a drunk driver. Eleven at night. I open the door to complete strangers telling me that their passing was instant, that there was nothing that could be done. November eleventh was the day that my life fell apart.”

You look up at the stars again.

“My relatives took care of me for the rest of the year. I wallowed in depression. Hardly moving, hardly eating. Hell, it even hurt to breathe. Knowing that my dad wouldn’t pop his head in my room just to tell me a joke to annoy me on purpose. Knowing that my mom wasn’t there to drink tea with me while she told her favorite childhood stories. Knowing that I wouldn’t see them dancing in the kitchen to their cheesy love song. Knowing they weren’t there.”

Your eyes are so clouded with tears your vision is extremely blurry, but you manage to lock eyes with her in understanding.

“My relatives thought it would be a good idea for me to transfer somewhere new for the start of high school. I had always wondered at the beauty of my mother’s home country. The way she would light up whenever she mentioned something as simple as the cherry blossoms floating in the breeze, or how the stars seemed to shine differently. Well, she was right about that,” you chuckle at the thought.

“So here I am, in Japan. Here to discover myself, but more importantly, I’m here for them too. I know they are always watching me from above, but this locket keeps me grounded at times when I need them the most. It reminds me of the times we’ve had. I think of the future they wanted me to strive for, it pushes me forward. I would give anything to heal the heartache, to fill up the emptiness of their missing presence. But I know they want me to be happy. It’s why I was brave enough to travel to a new place I’ve never been to, because in the end, I know I’m not alone. This locket reminds me of all that.”

More comfortable silence follows. Mizuki puts a warm hand on yours.

“Y/n, you are the bravest soul I have ever come to meet. If fate is what brought you here, then I am glad for it. You have such a bright, intelligent, endearing and determined soul. And I know for a fact that your parents are looking down on you right now and are smiling at the sight of their brave little girl persevering the odds. And there is absolutely nothing in this world that could demolish the love your parents have devoted to you. You really are special, y/n, don’t you ever forget that.”

The two of you embrace once more. You check the time, and the lateness caused the slow trek to a brisk walk back home.

It was Eleven o’ clock.

There’s something happening here. I hope you feel what I’m feeling too.

taglist: @jiminslonglostjams @fantasymirror @shewastheriot @lukes-princess @iamthepenguinwhosearseisonfire @its-bnha-babe @desi-studys @shootooooo @noya-senpai-imagines @animefan7420 @anpancari @tsukkx @cadabby @thoebe-fly @it-was-just-a-ship

[hirako5hinji]

[ Continued | X ]

@viciousvizard​ said:

“Okaeri, baldy. Ya sure took yer time comin’ home!” Hiyori complained, slowing her pace to stand opposite him.

Whenever Hiyori sensed Shinji’s reiatsu close by, her feet would rush towards the hallway in order to see him as soon as he entered the threshold of their house. Shinji would sometimes tease her, saying she must miss him if she practically ran to greet him at the door. Hiyori pretended that it was always for the snacks he brought home and nothing more. She never remembers that her eyes are always on his face, long before they even see the food. And it is the same again today, as she stares at his cheshire grin and wonders what the occasion is – until he mentions the festival.

Hiyori had actually forgotten about it. An autumnal moon viewing festival. It was a festival that had often evaded her until she had joined the noble society of shinigami and back then, she had just munched on festival food that Kirio generously provided her squad. The majority of the 12th division used to get the day off early so they could prepare to- well… look at the moon and admire its beauty and other romancy-aristocratic idiocy like that. Of course, aristocratic figures like Shunsui Kyoraku and many others liked this festival. It was an excuse to have an early evening binge on sake and just stare vapidly at the moon. Hiyori had not felt the gravitational pull of the moon in quite a long time.

But as she peers inside the bag, sees the stash of festival food all individually wrapped and feels the warmth of his fingers graze over her own… the petite visored makes an exception. Maybe this year, she could also stare up at the sky and see something other than a cold and lonely moon.

Maybe Shinji could show her a new way of looking at things. The way he had lit up her world with the constellations, he could do the same with this festival too.

His energy is infectious and she finds her lips lifting into a faint smile. Standing on the tips of her toes, she delivers a small, quick kiss and holds his hand.

“Yeah, I’ll get ya some saké- I can make gohan and we can add the chestnuts ‘ta our dish too!”

         These days, it was like having a little cat in his once empty, echoing quarters, little comet tail flagging high in the air as it came running to the door whenever he came home, mewing inquisitively and demandingly for attention and treats. This little kitty with the large, glowing feline eyes would wind around him nonstop, nipping at his fingers and head butting him with affection, purring roughly the whole time-

         Shinji accepted her nuzzle kiss of greeting, one large, lean hand, coming up to caress the back of her head, tugging her closer to brush his mouth against the crown of her gilded head.

              “ Sake and kuri gohan sounds like a good plan, I’m in. ” He handed the bag of snacks and delicacies over to her, before stooping over quickly to toe off his waraji and slip on indoor slippers at the genkan. “ Lemme go take a quick bath to freshen up first and then I’ll help out- ”

         Twenty minutes later, he stepped out of the ofuro, hair still slightly damp, lanky, whipcord lean body clad in a loose cotton yukata. The seasons were changing once more, and the air was finally starting to cool after a dry, scorching summer. Shinji was enjoying the pleasant chill, drying his hair quickly with a towel before padding to the kitchen to find Hiyori.

              “ We should switch out the summer shoji screens in the house for winter ones soon, ” he commented as he rejoined her. The current wooden koshi sliding doors in place were made deliberately latticed and well ventilated to cool the house down during the sweltering, humid warmth of summer, but would not retain heat well as winter approached… But switching out all the panels in the house for insulated yukimi screens could be done over the weekend. For now…

         Shinji surveyed the dishes which had been plated; the tsukimi dango piled in a neat little pyramid on a serving dish, the kuri gohan still cooking in a claypot over the charcoal hearth. A pot of houjicha was gently steeping, so Shinji grabbed the cups and snagged the teapot first, carrying it outside to the engawa. After a pause of consideration, he went back into the house  and brought out blankets and a thin layer of bedding, spreading it out on the clean wooden flooring and making the space as inviting as possible.

         Overhead, the full moon hung heavy and pregnant up on the midnight skies, a soft, full glow that illuminated the entire realm. The man broke out a few paper lanterns they had in storage as well, lit them up and hung them around the patio where they would be sharing their meal.

         When Hiyori finally came over to inspect the area, his preparations were complete. He smirked faintly at her, visibly pleased by the cozy result of his handiwork. “ How’s it? Not too shabby for an impromptu date night, don’t ya think? ”

[rayraywrites]

Title: To the moon and back, remember?

Characters: Miyuki Kazuya, Kuramochi Youichi

Relationship: Miyuki Kazuya x Kuramochi Youichi

Rating: General Audiences

Total Word Count: 2082

AO3

Zine: @daiyanozine​ (Kisetsu)

Summary: Selenophile: (n) a person who loves the moon.

A thought danced across his mind which pulled a laugh from his lips. Perhaps it was an odd thing to do, considering he was currently standing at-bat with his gloved hands wrapped sturdily around the bat. He had already nodded towards his coach, their plan firmly at the forefront of his mind. But even as he adjusted his grip, shifting his fingers a hair's breadth down the bat, he still felt a bubbling in his throat as the chuckle threatened to come out once again. The rival catcher had already given him an odd look, but he didn't deign to answer, rather adjusting his stance one last time before nodding at the umpire. 

The catcher signalled his pitcher and received a dutiful nod in response. Even as the rest of Kazuya’s body tensed in preparation of the pitch, he kept his shoulders and arms relaxed. His eyes tracked the ball's trajectory, eyeing the pitcher's release for a fraction of a moment before swinging his arms to slam the bat against the ball. The force of his swing sent it far, towards the backboard. A moment's pause as the spectators, his team, the opposition and even the commentators held their breath to see if the outfielder would make it to the ball fast enough. 

The ball slammed into the wall, a loud thud reverberating across the field. Noise flooded back into the stadium rapidly, fans jumping up from their seats to scream in unison with his team. As he took his lap around the bases, a fist raised towards the sky, he let the laugh unfurl and echo into the field. There was a part of him that wanted to shout and exclaim his joy, perhaps due to the influence of a certain loudmouth southpaw.

After all, they were another step closer to the Japan Series. Another step towards bringing them back to the top.

But instead, he allowed his breathing to stabilize as he walked into the bullpen, already removing his helmet and gloves to pass to one of his teammates. He accepted the quiet congratulations of his coach with a characteristic nod, even if the smile on his face was a shade more mischievous than normal. 

As he turned towards his bag, reaching in to grab the extra bottle of water, he could feel Youichi staring at his back. Slowly he turned around, putting in extra care to make the turn smoother than he normally would. His eyes raked over the white uniform, the lopsided black hat resting on Youichi's head. The accents of burnished orange only acting to further his belief that Youichi could make any colour work for him. Cackling to himself, his mind went back to the stray thought that had caused his laughing fit initially. A quick glance to his phone told him the relevant date, as well as alerting him of the lack of practice or game. He ignored the curious look Youichi sent towards him, instead turning back towards the game. His homerun had shaken the game up, the rest of his teammates using the momentum to score more runs and widen the gap.

Yomiuri Giants | 8:7 | Hanshin Tigers

The game ended soon enough, the results spoke for themselves, even if it had been a tight finish. They packed up quickly, the bow swift in its function, none of them willing to let their presence transform into pity towards the losing team. As he put away his catcher's gear, with the ease of experience backing up his rapid movement, he could see Youichi patiently waiting for him. Even if neither had ever said anything to the team directly, there was an understanding that after games, both would be glued to each other. As he stood up, Kazuya didn't reach over to grab Youichi's hand, nor did Youichi try to pry the bag off Kazuya's shoulder onto his own. Instead, they showed their attention through the softening of harsh smiles into teasing smirks, the quick shake of a head as one of them prompted the discussion of a meal outside or at home. 

When they found themselves in the comfort of their own home, a relief from prying eyes, Kazuya let his walls fall a bit. Both of them dropped their bags onto the ground near the entrance - making a silent promise to deal with them later. Youichi wandered over towards the couch, lying down lazily. Kazuya's own trek towards the kitchen led him through the living room; he took a moment to run his hands through Youichi's hair and tugged on the strands enough to hear a pleased hum. Padding into the kitchen, he started the rice and began pulling out the side dishes he'd prepared the day before. He stood in front of the stove and waited to reheat the curry. When the sound of familiar footsteps entered the kitchen, he could feel himself perk up slightly. A hand came to rest on his lower back, as Youichi stood beside him in their kitchen. They both felt the exhaustion of a well-played game taking hold of them until it was entrenched in their bones. And yet the simple banter that pervaded their relationship was almost as comforting as a good night's rest would be.

Kazuya found himself nodding off, while standing, as he listened to Youichi retell the familiar story of Sawamura's failed attempt at grabbing Nori's attention back when they were in college. If it hadn't been for the beeping of the rice cooker, he would most likely have dozed off there, and by the teasing lilt to Youichi's voice, his momentary slip-up had not been lost. He chuckled tiredly before turning back to take the pot off the gas. His thoughts of reaching around Youichi to grab the plates were interrupted as Youichi spoke again.

"Hey Kazuya, why were you laughing at that last at-bat?" Youichi's voice held the same gruffness it always did after a long day, but to Kazuya it was a soothing balm. Registering the question, he started laughing again and shook off the squawk of confusion before replying.

"It's nothing, I was just wondering if you had anything planned for September 13th?" When he saw Youichi shake his head, he grinned brightly and continued, "do you want to join me for Tsukimi? It's the Mid-Autumn festival this month, so I thought with both of us having a day off, we might?" At the end of his offer, Kazuya's voice had gotten a bit quieter as he felt the nerves creeping up. He had turned away from Youichi to remove the rice from the cooker so he couldn't see his face but the hand that settled in his hair was gentle. The tension in his shoulders melted away. 

"Sure, yeah. Ma never did much for Tsukimi so I don't know how much I could help, but of course Kazuya." Youichi's hand continued to run through his hair, scratching at the back of his neck lightly. Kazuya groaned slightly, resisting the urge to slump back onto Youichi's shoulder. 

The days passed quickly, Kazuya ruffling through age-old recipes that he had put away a lifetime ago. His hands moved in familiar patterns as he formed the dango, memories of gentle hands wrapping around his as he learnt to form the dango for the first time, a laugh like wind chimes echoing in his head. The soft smile on his mother's face blossoming into a wide grin as his father tried to sneak one out of the kitchen. The teasing beration, as she lightly smacked his shoulder, while Kazuya stood on his stool beside the counter and laughed. The simultaneous ruffle of his hair and kiss pressed to his cheek.

There were tears in his eyes as he stacked the Tsukimi dango, and he could feel tightness in his chest as he laid out the pampas grass on their balcony. Youichi had been suspiciously silent, instead choosing to simply assist where he could - buying the sake and cleaning up after Kazuya's cooking frenzies. But as Kazuya's hand shook placing the last of the food in bowls, Youichi was there to pull him into a tight hug. His fingers grasped the back of Youichi's shirt and he found himself burying his face into the junction between the neck and shoulder. A pained sound threatened to escape his mouth but he managed to repress through brute force. The soothing hand running between his shoulder blades, coupled with the banal utterances in his ear was enough. 

He pulled away, a shaky smirk on his lips as he rapidly tried to patch himself up. But when they locked eyes he froze at the look in Youichi's eyes. Anger and concern had given away to a feeling Kazuya could only place as love. A love that made his insides melt into a gooey mess and ended all sarcastic remarks. 

He was sure that Sawamura would have cried at their "shoujo" moment. 

Youichi's hand came up to cup his cheek, but rather than allowing the touching moment to continue, Kazuya grasped the hand and quickly stood up. Walking the two of them towards the balcony, he held his arm out to display all the hard work he'd done. The full moon shone bright in the sky giving everything a light glow - the food sat carefully on a low table in front of a few blankets and pillows that Kazuya had found. The pampas were displayed around the table, fanning around the sake and cups. Shifting his hand from holding Youichi's wrist, he intertwined their fingers before sitting down. Youichi shifted closer, the both of them pressed thigh-to-thigh and then draped one of the blankets over their laps. 

"Ne Youichi, did you know that Tsukimi is actually inspired by the Chinese Tang Dynasty?" His focus was on the sky, watching as the stars bracketing the moon twinkled cheerfully, but he could feel Youichi's eyes on him. Shifting slightly at the intense gaze, Kazuya continued speaking in the same soft tone, "mom used to say that the moon was the reflection of all the good you did each year, so Tsukimi was when we got to see all our hard work in the resplendent full moon." 

The squeeze of their intertwined hands brought a smile to his face, a slight blush decorating his face. "This was always her favourite festival, she loved making the dango because my dad loved eating them. But, after she..." he took in a shuddering breath, turning into Youichi's shoulder for a moment before pulling himself away again. "We stopped doing any celebrations, after all, dad and I loved them for her." 

Silence permeated the night, not uncomfortable, and not pleasant. It just was.

"Ma, Autumn has always been her favourite season. Chiba always held some harvest festival, so she would take me to go eat takoyaki in the stalls, both of us dressed up." Youichi's voice was light and breezy, eyes shining with happy memories of the past, "Grandpa always complained that he wasn't interested in festivals even though he would come to the rest. I didn't get it when I was little, but he was trying to let us have something, just for us. Mother and son." 

Youichi popped one of the dango into his mouth, chewing thoughtfully for a moment before speaking again. "But you know, with Seidou, college, and now the team, I haven't really been back for any Autumn festivals in so long." 

Kazuya tensed, nervous about what Youichi was leading up to, but his fears were quickly dashed as Youichi leaned in quickly to press a soft kiss to his cheek. "Doesn't mean I’m opposed to this. The moon, the delicious food, and you." He blushed, and though a smirk valiantly fought to appear on his face, the vermilion betrayed his pleased thoughts. Still, he wouldn't be Kazuya if he didn't respond in some way.

Baring his teeth as his grin widened, Kazuya leaned closer until his face was only centimeters from Youichi's. A wicked glint flashed in his eyes, and when Youichi's breath visibly caught as his tongue dipped out to wet his lips, Kazuya's heart raced. Hands reached up to cup Youichi's face, fingers framing the face he would gladly come home to each night. Pressing their lips together, he savoured the moment with a yearning for more that burned inside him.

The moon beamed down upon them, casting a luscious silvery hue across the entire balcony. A spotlight upon their devotion, a highlight of their love.

[japanese-sweets-2010]

★ Sep. 13, 2019 Chimoto, Tokyo: tsukimi-dango (lit. moon viewing-dumpling) ——– Sweet rice dumplings mixed (and, as a result, colored) with ground leaves of a green, fragrant herb ‘yomogi’ and sprinkled probably with potato starch flour – not mold ! – to prevent sticking. Dusted with roasted soybean flour 'kinako’ according to taste. ——– What comes to your mind when you see the moon at night? Does the Earth’s natural satellite have any particular significance in your culture? The moon – especially the full moon in autumn – is something special to Japanese people, who hold the traditional 'jugo-ya’ festival to view the harvest moon and celebrate its beauty. ——– 'Jugoya (lit. fifteenth-night)’ refers to (1) the full moon on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month and (2) the traditional celebration observed on that day. These two are also known as 'chushu-no-meigetsu (harvest moon in the middle of autumn)’/'imo-meigetu (lit. [offering] sweet potato-harvest moon)’ and ’[o]tsuki-mi (moon-viewing)’ respectively. ——– Apparently, the celebration dates back to the Heian period (A.D. 794-1185), and is now very popular among Japanese people. On/around the day of 'jugoya’ coming in September or October in the Gregorian calendar, people honor the beauty of the 'jugoya’ moon by displaying decorations made with 'susuki (Japanese pampas grass)’, offering – and, of course, eating – 'tsukimi dango’, taros/sweet potatoes to the full moon and so on. ——– #wagashi #japanesesweets #sweets #tea #teaceremony #chanoyu #food #foodie #dessert #beautifulcuisines #foodart #patisserie #cuisine #japan #japanese #matcha #tokyo #東京 #和菓子 #お菓子 #スイーツ #お茶 #抹茶 #茶道 #ちもと #月見だんご https://www.instagram.com/p/B25HRNrgDMV/?igshid=rik4cv9sr8m0

[recentanimenews]

You Mustn’t Run Away From This Evangelion-Themed Bar In Tokyo

When you first arrive at Evangelion Sakaba (bar), you're greeted by a huge picture of Gendo Ikari looming over you from above the door. Stoic and composed, he was bestowing a simple but important mission on everyone who entered the establishment, telling them to “Drink.” Seeing as I am not Shinji, I decided not to argue with the man and did as I was told.

     Evangelion Sakaba is located in Ikebukuro, Tokyo, and serves drinks and bar food based on the popular anime. It’s actually the second time that Neon Genesis Evangelion has been brought to life in edible form, and this one also has a time limit on it, with a planned End of Evangelion (Bar) date of September 1, 2019.

    So if you’ve ever wanted to… drink Lilith’s blood or eat an Angel (which, let’s be honest, wouldn’t be that weird given the show’s subject matter), then you better hurry before it closes. But is the trip really worth it?

  I definitely thought so.

        At first glance, Evangelion Sakaba looks like a typical Japanese pub, with its simple décor, slightly dimmed lighting, and all the menu items being plastered on the walls on vertical signs in classic izakaya fashion. But it’s not like the Evangelion parts of it are hidden away. No matter where you turn to, you will always have Shinji, Asuka, or Rei staring at you from the random posters decorating the bar, or from the screens playing selected scenes from the anime. And if that’s not enough for you, there is always the bar menu.

  Evangelion Sakaba understands that it will take more than a few Evangelion pictures to bring in the fans, which is why they went all out on the food and drinks. Some items are beautifully creative in their simplicity, like the Second Impact Tomato Salad, served in a glass with a lit sparkler (a horrible cataclysm that wiped out 2 billion people has never seemed so festive.) Then there is the Grilled Chicken With the Spear of Longinus or the Itawasa (thinly cut slices of fish cake) in the shape of the Angel Sachiel.

        Sachiel is actually the one character you’ll see the most on the Evangelion Sakaba menu. He was the Angel with the Plague Doctor Mask face that could cause cross-shaped explosions and was almost torn apart by Shinji piloting the EVA-01. Well, you can similarly go to town on Sachiel’s likeness with such menu items like Sachiel Shumai Dumplings, Sachiel Meunière, or Chicken Wings Sachiel, which consists of two chicken wings and Sachiel’s face in the middle constructed out of a boiled egg. Sweet and a bit tangy, it was an incredibly fun treat that puts you in the mood to try out more of the menu.

    Other items were simply based on lines from the anime, like the “Position Target In The Center And Pull The Switch Tsukimi Tsukune,” a minced-chicken dish with an egg that kind of resembled a target being centered, or the “I Mustn’t Run Away Jjigae Stew,” which was named so because of how spicy it is. For something a bit lighter, you can always try the pickled eggplant and cucumber in the shape of the EVA-01, with eyes made from karashi mustard.

    The best dishes, though, were the ones with pun names, especially the “Anta, Bataa?!” butter corn dish, which was a pun on Asuka’s famous line “Anta, Baka?!” ("What are you, stupid?") because “bataa” is “butter” in Japanese and it sounds close to “baka.” Don’t give me that look, no explained joke has ever made anyone laugh. At least not while they’re sober. Thankfully, Evangelion Sakaba can help you with that thanks to their selection of themed drinks.

  I started out with the Mark.06 glass wine, named for the EVA unit introduced in Rebuild of Evangelion. It’s white wine dyed blue, and much like its namesake, it packs quite a punch. Even with a full stomach, this thing went straight to my head, which is kind of fitting if you know the unit’s entire story.

    Another interesting parts of the alcoholic drink menu was the Asuka-themed Shikinami Tomato Sour because she’s a redhead and tomatoes are red so it makes total sense because you can’t make sours from, let’s say, cherries? Though I guess cherries are sweet which isn’t the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Asuka. The Rei-themed Ayanami Soda Sour similarly tried to capture the essence of the seemingly cold, emotionless character with a drink with an entire popsicle inside it, for which the bar should probably win some kind of award.

  The non-alcoholic menu had some stand-outs as well, like the Kaworu Mojito but, to me, the highlight of the entire night was the LCL, which on the show is the blood of Lilith that allows pilots to sync up with their Eva units. It was one of the best things I ever tried.

    The drink comes in two parts: a glass of ginger ale mixed with pineapple and grapefruit juice, and a vial of orange and cranberry juice. You mix them together and the results are something else entirely. It first tastes a bit too sweet but before the sweetness can overwhelm you, you get hit with a sour wave that balances everything out and brings the entire thing home. If THIS is what all of humanity is going to turn to, then I’m switching over to the Angels’ side and helping them bring on the Third Impact because it is going to be delicious.

  * ALL IMAGES ARE COPYRIGHTED. ALL RIGHTS ARE RESERVED.

  Would you like to visit Evangelion Sakaba? If so, what’s the first thing you’d order there? Let us know in the comments!

-----------------------------

  Cezary writes words on the internet. You should follow him on Twitter.

  Do you love writing? Do you love anime? If you have an idea for a features story, pitch it to Crunchyroll Features!

By: news+feed@crunchyroll.com

[wild-pineapple-butt]

@blackroselovesyou continued from here

Perhaps it was the full moon lighting up the night sky, or the excitement of the festival, or whatever the case might be, Renji had felt daring tonight.

He and Trouble were finally able to get away from the Seireitei for once, having a date night out at the Tsukimi festival. There were tons and tons of people, most of which whom didn't even know who they were.

They didn't have to worry about prying eyes or their positions within the Gotei at this moment. They could simply just be them.

"It's okay," Renji chuckles as he pulls away from the kiss slightly before leaning in and pecking her on the lips lightly. "Nobody's watchin'. Everybody's too busy enjoyin' the festival, why would they care 'bout two people enjoyin' a private moment, hm?"

[groovynerdtree-blog]

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Gifu Castle

Today is  "Chushu (中秋),"

August 15th of the old calendar is called "Chushu (中秋)," so it is also called "Chushu no Meigetsu (中秋の名月)."

Tsukimi (月見) or Otsukimi (お月見), literally moon-viewing, also known as Jugoya (十五夜), refers to Japanese festivals honoring the autumn moon, a variant of the Mid-Autumn Festival. The celebration of the full moon typically takes place on the 15th day of the eighth month of the traditional Japanese calendar; the waxing moon is celebrated on the 13th day of the ninth month. These days normally fall in September and October of the modern solar calendar. The tradition dates to the Heian era, and is now so popular in Japan that some people repeat the activities for several evenings following the appearance of the full moon during the eighth lunisolar month. Tsukimi traditions include displaying decorations made from Japanese pampas grass (susuki) and eating rice dumplings called Tsukimi dango in order to celebrate the beauty of the moon.[1] Seasonal produce are also displayed as offerings to the moon. Sweet potatoes are offered to the full moon, while beans or chestnuts are offered to the waxing moon the following month. The alternate names of the celebrations, Imomeigetsu　(literally "potato harvest moon") and Mamemeigetsu ("bean harvest moon") or Kurimeigetsu ("chestnut harvest moon") are derived from these offerings.

Tsukimi refers to the Japanese tradition of holding parties to view the harvest moon. The custom is thought to have originated with Japanese aristocrats during the Heian period,[citation needed] who would gather to recite poetry under the full moon of the eighth month of the solar calendar, known as the "Mid-Autumn Moon." Since ancient times, Japanese people have described the eighth solar month (corresponding to September on the contemporary Gregorian calendar) as the best time for looking at the moon, since the relative positions of the earth, sun, and moon cause the moon to appear especially bright.[citation needed] On the evening of the full moon, it is traditional to gather in a place where the moon can be seen clearly, decorate the scene with Japanese pampas grass, and to serve white rice dumplings (known as Tsukimi dango), taro, edamame, chestnuts and other seasonal foods, plus sake as offerings to the moon in order to pray for an abundant harvest. These dishes are known collectively as Tsukimi dishes (月見料理 tsukimi ryōri). Due to the ubiquity of sweet potato or taro among these dishes, the tradition is known as Imomeigetsu (芋名月) or "Potato harvest moon" in some parts of Japan. From 862 until 1683, the Japanese calendar was arranged so that the full moon fell on the 13th day of each month. In 1684, however, the calendar was altered so that the new moon fell on the first day of each month, moving the full moon two weeks later, to the 15th day of the month. While some people in Edo (present-day Tokyo) shifted their Tsukimi activities to the 15th day of the month, others continued to observe the festival on the 13th day. Furthermore, there were various regional observances in some parts of Japan on the 17th day of the month, as well as Buddhist observances on the 23rd or the 26th day, all of which were used as pretexts for often late-night parties during the autumn throughout the Edo period. This custom was brought to a swift end during the Meiji period.[citation needed] Festivals dedicated to the moon have a long history in Japan. During the Heian period elements of the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival were introduced to Japan. Members of the aristocratic class would hold moon-viewing events aboard boats in order to view the moon's reflection on the surface of the water. The writing of tanka poetry was also an element of such mid-autumn moon viewing festivities. There are specific terms in Japanese to refer to occasions when the moon is not visible on the traditional mid-autumn evening, including Mugetsu (無月, "no-moon") and Ugetsu (雨月, "rain-moon"). Even when the moon is not visible, however, Tsukimi parties are held.  < From Wikipedia >

[recentanimenews]

In Time For Eclipse, "Fate/Grand Order" Celebrates Its Moon Goddess

While astronomy geeks are getting all worked up about that solar eclipse, Type-Moon geeks will be able to get hyped about “Does Moon Goddess Dream of Dumplings?," an English translation the in-game event for mobile game Fate/Grand Order. The in-game event runs from August 17 to 24, and features a brand-new story written (previously presented September 25th in Japan) by Fate series creator Kinoko Nasu and the introduction of the Moon Goddess, a limited time 5-star Heroic Spirit of the Archer class.

  The in-game event coincides with the Moon Festival known as tsukimi, which is a tradition that dates back to the Heian period (circa 794-1185) in Japan. During the event, players will be tasked to solve the mystery surrounding an enigmatic Heroic Spirit who appears on the night of the Moon Festival:

  Tonight’s the Moon Festival: a time when people gaze at the moon  and give thanks to the Moon Goddess. To celebrate, Chaldea has prepared its own mini Moon Festival. As such, we’ve been making lots and lots of nice dump…lings… Wait, where are the dumplings?!

  Players will also have a limited time opportunity to summon a brand-new Heroic Spirit, Orion, who is a character exclusive to Fate/Grand Order within the Fate series. Event limited rewards available for summoning include new Craft Essences Moon Goddess’ Bath («5 SSR), Moony Jewel («4 SR), and Mooncell Automation («3 R). The Event Limited Craft Essence Moonlight Fest («5 SSR) will also be available only through playing the quests. 

  The servant is illustrated by I-IV with Nobutoshi Canna as the voice of Orion and Sawashiro as Artemis.

  Bath of the Lunar Goddess - illustrated by Shigatake

  Moonlight Festival - illustrated by I-IV

  Moony Jewel - illustrated by Shima Shinoji

Mooncell Automaton

  ------ Scott Green is editor and reporter for anime and manga at geek entertainment site Ain't It Cool News. Follow him on Twitter at @aicnanime.

By: news+feed@crunchyroll.com

[recentanimenews]

Bookshelf Briefs 7/25/17

Dreamin’ Sun, Vol. 2 | By Ichigo Takano | Seven Seas – First of all, I get what the author is trying to do with Zen, and yes I know there are guys like that in real life, but oh my God I want him OUT OUT OUT of this manga, he is making me very unhappy. Aside from that, this was a decent second volume, mostly focusing on Shimana’s burgeoning love, though there are signs of a larger plot, mostly involving Taiga, who remains the only adult in the room (which is sort of sad, given I’m sure we haven’t even begun to dig into his own issues). Shimana herself can be hard to take, but she grows on me as the book goes along. You can tell this came out before orange, which is stronger, but this is still quite a decent book. Only lose the moments of Zen. – Sean Gaffney

The Full-Time Wife Escapist, Vol. 4 | By Tsunami Umino | Kodansha Comics (digital only) –Mikuri and Hiramasa make incremental progress toward genuine couplehood in this volume, particularly when Mikuri’s aunt gives them a voucher for a night’s stay at a swanky premium inn. I am always delighted to see that, beneath Hiramasa’s stoic exterior, there exists an inner spaz with the hots for Mikuri. At one point, it gets the better of him and he plants a smooch on her, which he’s then incapable of explaining. Meanwhile, Mikuri has realized that she loves him, but while he’s reining himself in lest he drive her away, she worries she’s just forcing her desires on him. After the kiss, there may be hope, but she’s just too scared to admit her feelings. In less capable hands, their failure to communicate and just get together already would be supremely frustrating, but somehow Umino provides just enough payoff to make it work. Looking forward to volume five! – Michelle Smith

Haikyu!!, Vol. 13 | By Haruichi Furudate | Viz Media – We’re still in the middle of the qualifiers, and our heroes are taking on a team that likes to have FUN when they play. I was honestly expecting them to get curbstomped, but this isn’t that kind of manga (or sport, really) and once again Karasuno has to work hard and try new things in order to break through and beat them. We see how other teams can try to use their own moves against them (though I doubt they’ll be trying Hinata’s wall-jumping anytime soon). Then we go up against a normal, good team who’s simply well-disciplined and OK in all aspects—as noted by everyone, a bad draw for the eccentric Karasuno students. Will they win? And how injured is Daichi? Excellent shonen sports. – Sean Gaffney

Honey So Sweet, Vol. 7 | By Amu Meguro | Viz Media – How much you enjoy this volume will, I believe, depend on how much you sympathize and see yourself in Miyabi, who has absolutely no idea what to do with the feelings she now has and is also filled with social anxiety, leading to several bad choices throughout this book. I felt bad for her despite her being aggressive about trying to steal Taiga, because we know she has no hope whatsoever. Meanwhile, Nao is noticing what Miyabi is doing but is repressing her own feelings, which fortunately she gets told quickly is the WRONG thing to do. What follows manages to be sweet and cute, even if it’s about a girl trying to break up an already established couple. Nothing is fluffier than this series. – Sean Gaffney

Liselotte & Witch’s Forest, Vol. 5 | By Natsuki Takaya | Yen Press – Sometimes it is hard not to read this series and see echoes of Fruits Basket in it, particularly in this volume, as Vergue is acting an awful lot like Kyo. Fortunately instead of Liselotte, his interaction is with Anna, who gets to show off more of her true self and browbeat him into thinking about his circumstances. It’s probably the scene I liked best in the volume. Liselotte is not having an easier time of it; she’s traumatized at seeing her brother at the festival she’s trying to quietly spy on, and she finally meets up with the Woglinde, who magically gives Liselotte back her hair but I have no doubt is likely going to be more of an antagonist than anything else. Save up, as we’re caught up with Japan, but still good. – Sean Gaffney

Nichijou: My Ordinary Life, Vol. 9 | By Keiichi Arawi | Vertical Comics – Again, so much of the humor in Nichijou is about things simply being strange and bizarre for their own sake—you may let out a laugh at the bizarre goings-on, but this is the type of manga to inspire headtilts and chuckles more than tears of laughter. We get a flashback to Yukko and Mai meeting Mio, who is starting at a new school and is not prepared for it to be as super weird as it is, and also flashforwards to the future, where the Professor is going to school, Nano is keeping house, and strangely Nakamura is living with them. Oh yes, and in separate chapters, Yukko and Mio almost die. If you love Nichijou, you’ll love this. If you don’t, well, you likely dropped it long ago. – Sean Gaffney

Princess Jellyfish, Vol. 5 | By Akiko Higashimura | Kodansha Comics – It’d been a while since I read any Princess Jellyfish and I’d kind of forgotten how wonderfully unique it is. I haven’t read a story where a bunch of otaku work so hard at a real-world challenge, but they’re really trying to make a go of this clothing line. Meanwhile, Kuranosuke, who’s been the voice of encouragement this far, is getting a dose of reality on the state of the apparel business. I also love how Tsukimi has begun to change (and even to date!) and that Jiji, too, is getting out into the world and rediscovering some practical skills. I hope this series ends happily, but I appreciate how much detail we’re getting on the complexities of what they’re attempting, even if it means success is unlikely. Very highly recommended. – Michelle Smith

The Water Dragon’s Bride, Vol. 2 | By Rei Toma | Viz Media – Not quite as disturbing as the first volume, but this is still a very dark and dramatic manga. We learn that Asahi is not the first person to have been spirited away to this world, and that the one she finds out about (a female doctor) never returned home and is buried there. Not the sort of thing you want to find out if you’re missing your mom and dad. As for the Water Dragon, he’s as annoyingly petulant as ever, making sure Asahi is not killed off, drowned, etc. but also treating her like an annoying pest, to the amusement of his fellow gods. I expect more romance in future books, as we end with the ever popular “10 years later,” showing us Asahi all grown up. Solid. – Sean Gaffney

By: Michelle Smith