#nara gif

[horechattalove]

💐⭐🍊🎀⋆ ˚｡⋆奈良の公園の鹿⋆ ˚｡⋆🎀🍊⭐💐

[mariamegale]

Your hands are so heavy. Shh, don't touch me yet. Or else the dress will tear, and it's no good. The tears in the dress must appear on their own, during the dance. Just like the Earth is torn apart.

Pathologic 2 (2019)

[doyeons]

nara — mysterious (170112)

[aishiteru-kenshin]

( Narcissus of Saho River, Nara, Japan )

[stealingpotatoes]

trying out pixel art animation w my beloved nara pathologic!!

(support me on kofi!)

[dahyun]

150110 nara for anon 🧡

[gabrielokun]

[hollybrook]

"the christmas season is about to ramp up like crazy. i say, we have one last night of extreme fun before things get outrageously busy," nara pushed.

[lustrous-dawn]

Some years ago-

The Ho-oh gazed into the pale dawn sunlight, a crisp morning breeze brushing over his form, chasing the chill away. He sat in the small pavilion on the outskirts of Bell Tower, grateful for the lack of foot traffic. 

He needed the quiet time to think this over. 

Zhen rubbed at his wrist, but he couldn't rub away the feeling. The memory of the contact burned.

Dammit…

Have a nice sleep. Gods he could have phased it any better than that. He hadn't meant to sound so glum. 

Yet it hurt, it hurt to see that smile being the last sight he would see for some time to come.

And now the weight of watching Johto, in his lonesome, weighed heavily on the Ho-oh's shoulders, slumping. 

"I'm ready for this…!" He tried to pump himself up, making a small cheer. It was only a couple of years. What could happen? He faltered. "Who the hell am I kidding…" He couldn't always rely on his friend to bail him out. Zhen's confidence waned as he rubbed his face. 

Then small footsteps edging closer alerted him to another presence. His gaze shifted forward, his posture growing tense. 

The young shrine maiden approached from the pathway, recognition flickering in his gaze, his frame relaxing. 

"Nara," he said in greeting, her face alighting with a soft smile. 

Nara stood at the small entrance of the pavilion, beneath the cherry blossom that bloomed a blush peach that colored the clear water of the pond nearby. Gently plucking the petals from her rose hair, she quietly stepped inside, Zhen quickly shuffling to allow her to sit beside him.

He never minded her. In the short time he had known her, he knew he could trust her quiet company. Pen and paper in hand, she silently gestured towards him, her golden gaze light, her smile never receding. 

"Are you alright?" She motioned with her hands.

"Peachy," he said with a grin. And just like that, the pair fell into a quiet conversation, her frame quivering as she laughed. She wrote about her previous day, the small Swablu nestled against her collarbone. As the Shrine maiden, she tended to several duties within the Tower. He rarely saw her as it was but he knew she was diligently at work, taking her job seriously.

"Is Piko doing well?" He asked, the Swablu perking up at its name being spoken. With a small chirp, it flew, rubbing its head against his cheek excitedly. "Haha! I missed you too, little guy!" 

"Piko is doing well, thanks to you that is."

"I did nothing special," he scoffed. When she handed him the injured Swablu months ago, her face was frantic, filled with worry, he knew naught what to do. He merely looked after it, tending to it every moment he could. 

Her brows furrowed at that but she didn't press any further. Instead, she wrote, "How are the monks?"

Zhen scowled, anger rising in his voice. "The same as always." Flinching at his silhouette, they quickly round the corners and disappear from his sight. 

"I just want someone to treat me like normal." Zhen made a frustrated sound, the anger slowly ebbing away from his voice. "For Gods' sake, I may be a god but I'm not going to kill you just for expressing your opinion. They cower before me. It's fear, not respect." 

He dared a small glance towards the woman sitting by his side. She didn't fear him. She calmly sat, hands in her lap, her eyes looking attentively at him. It was the first time in ages, outside of Ginjiro that is, that he felt he was heard and listened to. It was strange. 

"Your peers then?" 

"Most of them have sticks up their asses," he complained. It was suffocating to remain in their presence for long. The Ho-oh felt out of place and quietly dismissed himself before hearing much further. He didn't believe in causing fear to get desired results. They called it effective. 

They couldn't be all the more wrong. 

"I see you." 

"That's-"

"Ginjiro sees you. Not because of your status. Not because you're pretty," she wrote, ignoring his sudden glare at the word pretty. "He sees what it is inside, Zhen. We" -she places down her pencil, slowly motioning toward her eyes, her fingers pointing towards him, his chest- "see you." 

Zhen fell into silence, allowing those words to sink in. He could imagine his friend ribbing him for having such a sorry look on his face now. His friend, who was now in a deep state of slumber. 

I feel… 

His gaze became vacant. 

Nara began to write furiously. Glancing down, he saw, "They are stupid beings. You try so hard for them and yet they still do not see the light that is in front of them." 

Stupid? 

He chuckled. "There are stupids in a stupid world," Zhen laughed. "They're not my people. I don't care about them. Now, do you want to get something?" Zhen rose to stand, the sun warm against his back, a smile flirting across his lips. "It'll be my treat~" He extended his hand.

Nara sighed. She couldn't help but feel worried. The shadows in the depths of his eyes. But she quietly placed her hand in his. "Let's."

[alucard007]

[sewsoft]

Nara deer bowing for snacks

[mariamegale]

A dancer knows the lines. Only a dancer can bend and extend them - it's a sacred art. These days we're not dancing because of the mourning… But when happier days come, you will see how far we can extend the lines of body.

[misterlemonztenth]

07-01-24 | The one thousand Sika Deer who live in Kyoto's Nara Deer Park are fed unique park biscuits by visitors. Who would not wish to exchange a sacred greeting with a loving gentle deer? misterlemonztenth.tumblr.com/archive

[roziist]

nara doesn't like taking pictures

[hms-tardimpala]

For FFWF, I'm sending a question bomb back to you, friend <3 Soooo how is it going along with breaking in that ship tag? Care to tell us about them, like what sort of characters they are and what their dynamic is?

Or if you would rather talk about your experience with rarepair ships in general I would be interested in that too <3

I'm so happy to get this ask! Heads-up: it might get long.

So I'm not breaking in a ship tag, what I said yesterday was that I was writing for a small ship and, as a reader, I had found no fics for some pairings I were looking for. Your ask might change that however, but I'll say more about this a little lower...

I can tell you about the small ship I'm writing for currently! I'm entering Know No Shame mode so here it is: it's Alan Grant/Billy Brennan from Jurassic Park 3.

Yes, of all things. I'm the first who's surprised. This time around I'm seeing something in them that I want to explore. I think you of all my writer friends can appreciate a teacher/student dynamic best. They're two brilliant scientists (Billy has to be to be Grant's dig site manager) in the hot Montana badlands, they act sort of like a married couple in the movie (they're a package deal), Grant has a history of dating younger paleontologists and Billy is his very devoted easygoing assistant that acts as an intermediary for his misanthropic professor.

There's potential for: hero worship, We Shouldn't Do This™ angst, establishing a healthy relationship despite status and age gap, and I've never written a student character, especially one who has to finish a PhD after he's been traumatized by the animals he was studying, so that's interesting.

Like, the movie isn't much, but it gives me just enough to want to write a study of their relationship during and post-canon.

And now I realize that both fics I'm currently writing are about fixing an established relationship after a big falling-out (partly, at least). Well, well.

Now, for my experience of rarepairs. I mostly read (and write, so far) in big to huge fandoms and I'm generally into the main ship (which is why I see Billy/Alan as a rarepair, although you might think that with 181 fics, they're not in this category). But sometimes (often, actually) I get interested in a media that has a very small fandom and I happen to ship characters that very few people seem to be interested in.

When that happens, I end up reading as many fics about that ship as I can find, and I really make sure to kudo and comment to thank the author. Fandom is never more a community than when it comes to rarepairs.

As a writer, so far I'm enjoying the experience. I feel more free because virtually nobody is watching and I can really write the thing for me, and me only. That's such a pleasure! It's really just me and my notepad, that feels great. I feel like a kid!

And about breaking in a ship tag... One of the ships I failed to find fics for the other day is Juan Borgia/Christoforo Castanea, or really Juan Borgia/any man for the show Borgia. Christoforo in himself is a tiny and unimportant character, but I'm seeing some gay subtext around Juan Borgia, and I can't believe I'm the only one! There's something about the desperate way he kisses men on the mouth especially his brother that I want studied!

Your ask inspired me, and I now have a couple of interesting ideas to explore the character's possible homosexuality/bisexuality in a fic. That would include writing about him and Christoforo and him and his brother, so I would functionally be breaking in two ship tags: Juan Borgia/Christoforo Castanea and Juan Borgia/Cesare Borgia (because Juan is an ugly duckling but he deserves to be invited to the sibling fuckfest).

Thank you so much for asking me this, Nara, I loved talking about it. And thank you for the inspiration, I'm now going to let these ideas simmer. I love you <3

[fablesfancies]

The Dress™

The human RAD Transfer Student has a moment of weakness. Naturally her First Man has to capitalize...

Tags/warnings: Fluff. (XD) Hurt comfort sort of. Mentions of being homeless (Past tense)

⁺˚⋆｡°✩₊⁺˚⋆｡°✩₊⁺˚⋆｡°✩₊⁺˚⋆｡°✩₊⁺˚⋆｡°✩₊⁺˚⋆｡°✩₊⁺˚⋆｡°✩₊⁺˚⋆｡°✩₊⁺˚⋆｡°✩₊⁺˚

Nara paused, ignoring Mammon’s lecture about gambling instincts to peer at the window. There it was. The dress.

She’d seen it hundreds of times when she’d scrolled socials, waiting for the various security guards to pass her. The dress every woman online had fallen in love with. And she was no exception. Swirls of silvery constellations over navy blue deep enough to appear black as the night itself. 

It really did capture the magic of night. Even on the worst ones. Even when the humidity was strong and the heat too much for the tent…The night sky above loomed like a blanket over the world. And sometimes Nara could even look at it and forget the despair, searching for constellations, despite knowing none of them. She’d made up more than a few, connecting dots and making stories for them. 

“Oi!” Mammon’s shout in her ear nearly sent her halfway down the street. “Wait a sec! Don’t go wander’n off again!”

“Don’t yell in my ear!” She countered, rubbing at it.

“Why’d ya stop?” He complained. “I was just getti’n to the good part.” 

He turned to look at the window. Nara grimaced. It was bad enough she’d indulged in the mania in her own realm. She didn’t need demons on her case about her flights of fancy.

“Hey, that’s the dress Asmo was talki’n about.” Mammon mused. “He was all gung-ho about getting his hands on that ‘human star dress’. Guess I can see why.”

“It’s pretty.” Beel offered his assessment.

“He’d definitely pull it off.” Nara agreed, ignoring the bitter sting in her throat. It  was fine. Asmo would look good in it. And it wasn’t like she could afford one of her own. Better to leave it. Now. Before she started feeling any more want for it.

“I don’t even want to think about it.” The second born grumbled. “He’ll have a whole party about goi’n out in it.”

“Hmm.” Beel agreed.

Hot tears welled up. Nara turned her head, trying to stop them. She wasn’t a toddler! She wasn’t even a teenager! She had no right to be jealous. And even if she did it was pointless. She didn’t have time or money for frilly things. Nice things got damaged too easily. Poor people like her didn’t have any need for them.

Her insides hurt. Like hunger hollowing out her stomach not that long ago, a bitter cavern gnawed at her chest. The marks along her collar heated.

“Nara?” Mammon’s voice sent a chill of icy panic down her back. 

“S-sorry…” She shook her head. “I think something from the restaurant hit me wrong…”

“Man, talk about a waste,” He sighed, squatting down. “Lord Diavolo treats you and you can’t even enjoy it…”

“What…are you doing?” Nara blinked, hoping it cleared any residual tears.

“Well don’t just stand there,” the second born grumbled. “Climb up.”

“Huh?”

“You’re really maki’n me spell it out?” He grumbled, cheeks flushing. “If ya ain’t feeli’n well, let me carry you back. Don’t want ya passing out.”

“Lucifer would be really mad,” Beel agreed.

“I-I can walk!” She argued. “I’m heavy!”

“You’re not that heavy.” Beel hoisted her up, earning a startled cry. “You weigh less than my usual weights.”

“Oi, Beel!” Mammon shot up. “You’re gonna drop Nara holdi’n her like that!”

“I’m not you.” The ginger retorted, shifting Nara slightly in his grip.

“Please put me down,” She pleaded. Maybe she’d be lucky and he would drop her. Anything to change the terrible feeling in her chest.

“Put her on my back,” Mammon demanded. “She’s my human! We have a pact!”

Beel frowned, but slowly moved her towards his older brother. Nara tried to protest, but saw the passing demons staring. Her own cheeks flushed in embarrassment. Fine. Let them carry her. Whatever it took to get away from here.

Mammon surprised her with his own strength. Then again, demons and humans weren’t as evenly matched as they might appear. He adjusted her against his back, allowing her a moment to glance back. She tried to envision the work of art in a vacuum. A concept or art piece meant only for the eyes and not to wear. Her heart sank again, realizing that it was something others would wear. Just not her. No matter how very badly she wanted it.

Nara turned her face into Mammon’s back and screwed her eyes shut. If she was lucky, she’d never see it again. Never remember what she couldn’t have. Instead, she should turn to what she did. She had shelter. Beel, kindly sharing his room with her despite her eating his food. Food, kindly provided by Lord Diavolo. And Mammon’s kindness. As much of a swindler as he was, he didn’t have to carry her. 

That dress wouldn’t feed her. It wouldn’t shelter her. It wasn’t going to help her free Belphegor. And she wouldn’t trade her bonds to Mammon or Levi for it. So she should just forget it. 

⁺˚⋆｡°✩₊⁺˚⋆｡°✩₊⁺˚⋆｡°✩₊⁺˚⋆｡°✩₊⁺˚⋆｡°✩₊⁺˚⋆｡°✩₊⁺˚⋆｡°✩₊⁺˚⋆｡°✩₊⁺˚⋆｡°✩₊⁺˚

“Why are we here?” Levi groaned as the four made their way down the line of shops. “You said we were going Manga shopping!”

“I said we were goin’ to get supplies for the sleepover at Diavolo’s.” Mammon frowned.

“So Manga.” 

“And snacks.” Beel added.

“We can stop at those shops before we leave,” Nara offered quickly, trying to stave off a fight at the pass. “Did you guys make lists?”

“Of course!” Levi snorted. “I’m no Noob.”

“I didn’t…” Beel admitted. 

“You can work on writing one as we go,” She suggested. “On your D.D.D.?”

“Okay,” he nodded seriously. “Is there anything you want to bring?”

“I’m thinking of making popped Devilcorn,” She offered. “Since everyone seemed to like it, maybe Lord Diavolo and the Purgatory Hall folks will too.”

“Ooooh!” Levi brightened at that. “I know the exact anime movies to bring to go with them!”

“Fine, fine!” Mammon waved them off. “But first things first!” They came to a halt at Majolish’s entrance.

“New clothes?” Nara tilted her head. 

“You don’t have a dress for the dance yet, right?” Mammon grinned broadly.

“I guess I was going to use one you got me last time,” She shrugged. 

“Wouldn’t work!” He corrected, pushing open the doors and ushering them inside. “It’s a party by Lord Diavolo! You gotta wear somethin’ new!”

“Those clothes are new.” She deadpanned. She was ignored as Mammon flagged down a staff member.

“He means fancy,” Beel clarified. “It’s formal.”

“How formal?” 

“We’ll be in our demon forms.” Levi shrugged. “So, pretty formal.”

“Are…demon forms formal?” 

“Yup.” Levi pulled out his D.D.D. and began tapping away. “We only use them in combat or official events.”

“Ah…”

“Or when we get mad.” Beel admitted sheepishly. 

“Right…” Levi looked away.

“Oi, Nara!” Mammon waved her over. “Hurry up!”

Nara sighed and moved to join him. “Are you sure this is in the budget?”

“Yup!” He beamed. “The great Mammon has you covered!”

Nara spared a glance to the shopkeeper. The female demon flashed a sweet smile.

“Lord Lucifer and Lord Diavolo set up a line of credit for you to use for your event,” She explained.

“They did, did they?” She raised an eyebrow at her demon companion.

“I was the one who reminded `em!” The boyish grin remained stubbornly in place. “An’ anyway, I’m the one who found the perfect thing for you!”

“You picked something out already?” She felt a tinge of disappointment. True, he had the better fashion sense between them in a general sense. But she’d have liked the experience of trying a few fancy dresses on. Maybe work up her confidence at finding a good fit.

“Trust me,” he insisted, herding her towards the changing rooms. “You’re going to love it!”

Nara was ushered in, giggling staff tying a blindfold around her eyes.

“No peeking!~” One insisted.

“Okay?” She didn’t fight the process. Her outer clothes were soon tugged off her body, leaving her to shiver for a moment against the cool air of the dressing room. Then her shoes were pried off, leaving her bare toes on hardwood. They wiggled against the grain of the flooring as her arms were brought up again. 

Something soft and wispy settled over her head. Cool silky material slid down as the dress was settled by expert hands. The back tightened comfortably. Coos of appreciation fill her ears.

“He may be a greedy guy,” One of the workers observed. “But Lord Mammon knows his stuff.”

“Let’s go!” Another giggled.

Nara’s eyes took a minute to adjust. The first thing she saw was Mammon’s face. His cheeks flushed, eyes brighting to a golden hue as he took her in. His hand was firm over his mouth, but if she had to guess, it was probably hanging open a little. Those warm eyes lingered, before he dropped his hand, showing one of the largest grins she’d seen on him yet.

“What?”

“Well, see for yourself.” He gestured to the mirror. 

Nara turned to meet her reflection. Her heart stopped.

Her body was swathed in night. Delicate trails of golden constellations ran over the lines of her body. It shimmered with each little twist, reflecting golden starstuff all around her. She turned back to Mammon, skirt swishing pleasantly against her legs.

His grin had somehow grown wider. His cheeks were painted that rosy color that suited his tan cheeks as much as his smile suited his face. And his eyes were sparkling as much as any star on her dress. Her dress.

“Toldja you’d love it.”

“Woah!” Levi choked as he moved to get a closer look. “You look just like the Princess of Night from The Princess of Night!”

“Pretty.” Beel agreed, his own soft, kind smile conveyed more than his words suggested. 

“H-how did you know?” She found herself choking up.

“You damn near cried about it,” He pointed out. “And your pact sigils don’t light up for nothin ya’know. Figured it was important to ya.”

“So that’s what that was…” Levi nodded sagely. “I felt it…You rarely get that level of jealous…”

Solomon’s warning rang in her mind. ‘When you bond to powerful demons, you’ll both experience the extremes for a while. Be careful not to feed too deeply into Greed with Mammon.’

“Though I suggested a few changes.” Mammon continued. “I like you better with a bit of gold.”

“I hate to praise him,” Levi sighed. “But the scumbag did a good job.”

“You could’ve left the ‘scumbag’ bit out.” 

Nara felt  the tears rushing to her face. It really was hers. Her dress. Like the one she’d wanted but better. Only hers. She was in her own Star dress.

“H-hey!” Mammon’s spine straightened as he sat up. “What’s wrong?!”

“Sorry,” She shook her head. “I just…haven’t felt this pretty….maybe ever. And I…” Hadn’t wanted anything quite as badly as this in so long…

“I know,” His smile returned, soft and understanding. “Can’t have my human ignore the one time she wants to be greedy.” he held out his handkerchief. “I like it when you do. Getting what you want suits you.”

She smiled back at him. “Thank you, Mammon. Thank you.”

⁺˚⋆｡°✩₊⁺˚⋆｡°✩₊⁺˚⋆｡°✩₊⁺˚⋆｡°✩₊⁺˚⋆｡°✩₊⁺˚⋆｡°✩₊⁺˚⋆｡°✩₊⁺˚⋆｡°✩₊⁺˚⋆｡°✩₊⁺˚⋆