#natsume spring exchange

[blisslilacwisteria]

Hi hiiii @dragon-in-a-mug!!

Here is my gift to you for the @natsume-ss Spring exchange!!

What if Natsume and Nyanko meet sooner?

Some trops you said you like were found family, fluff, hurt/comfort

(Here is no hurt tho, only comfort jeje)

Hope you like it 🩷🌱

[cozyspeaches]

@blisslilacwisteria I absolutely adore these two as a ship and went so far to make a comic for you for the @natsume-ss spring exchange!

Also sorry the setting is in the snow, its for plot💙

[inkmoose]

A little Natsuyuu Spring Exchange gift for @cozyspeaches

I loved your prompt ideas; hope you enjoy!!!!

[astralibrary]

hi @marykedoesart, this is my gift to you for @natsume-ss' spring exchange!

you said you like tanuma/natsume and heartfelt, emotional themes so i went very symbolic with this, haha. i really love the idea of using imagery from the fish pond in tanuma's backyard to represent these two and their dynamic, so that became the concept i ran with. i'll explain my whole thought process below, but in the meantime i hope you like it! 💖

pls bear with me here bc this is going to be very long and wordy lol

so there's a definite theme of separate worlds here; while the environments are both pretty abstract, the idea was that tanuma is sitting in his house looking out towards his backyard where the pond is, representing the "real world," whereas natsume is in a more fantastical underwater setting, representing the world of youkai. also there's the implication that he's sitting at the bottom of the pond, aka completely immersed in that other world, while tanuma can only perceive hints of it in the reflected light & shadow on the wall.

tanuma's side is lit by the glow of the setting sun, and natsume's by an otherworldly blue light. also, there's their clothes: tanuma is in his regular school uniform while natsume is in a yukata, something that pretty much all humanoid youkai wear.

next, their poses; they're both sitting exactly the same way as a reflection of each other but natsume has his head bowed while tanuma is looking up; this is meant to represent their different approaches to their relationship. natsume is definitely more closed off, both as a defense mechanism and because he wants to protect tanuma & keep him away from the dangers of youkai. tanuma, though, is open and contemplative, maybe even hopeful; he wants to be let in and he wants to help, even if it is dangerous.

the lighting reinforces these conflicting attitudes, with tanuma's side being brighter and warmer while natsume's is darker and colder, representing this sort of "optimism vs pessimism" dynamic.

so now, the fish. the bridge between their different worlds, basically. on natsume's side it's a real fish while on tanuma's it's a shadow cast on the wall, which is obviously the original conceit of the scene in the source material: natsume can literally see the fish, while tanuma can only see its shadow. still, even if it manifests differently, it still exists to both of them, so it's a connection between them concerning youkai.

so they're both in their separate worlds, but because of this connection they affect each other, maybe in small ways at first; as the fish crosses over the barrier it leaves little effects, little disturbances behind. on natsume's side, bubbles drift up towards the surface, little pockets of air like little lifelines showing the way, and on tanuma's side little droplets fall and create ripples in the reflected water, these small things that grow and grow outward until they're not so small anymore. little feelings that bubble up and ripple out, hoping to reach the other in their own way.

the fish brings these feelings across the barrier, endlessly looping around them as they endlessly call out to each other, trying to navigate this relationship they have; it's possible to bridge the gap between them as long as they look and listen and learn to embrace the things that make them different just as much as those that bring them together.

and that's about it! my goal was to make a symbolic piece about their struggle to understand each other but with a hopeful note, so hopefully that comes across! i hope my explanation at least sort of made sense and wasn't too confusing! (to be completely transparent i only had about half of that in mind while i was drawing it, the rest sort of came together as i was writing this. neat!)

and finally, here's a still frame in the original higher resolution so you can see it a bit nicer! 💖

[raens-art]

This is the piece I made for @natsume-ss's spring exchange for @adventure-waffles! They didn't really have a specific prompt, so I just meshed two of the characters they liked + spring vibes. I hope you had a pleasant spring and wishing you a pleasant summer ☺️

[wemightbothberobots]

Don't lose hope, for we shall meet in the future.

My Natsume Yuujinchou spring exchange gift for @ocean-chariot !! I hope this is cool for the Natsume meets his friends when he's young! Have a great week!!

Thank you a lot @natsume-ss for hosting this event, its always cool to spread the love for our Natsume <33!

[mess-m3ss]

Natsume Spring Exchange 🌻

To: @milkteabutter

I've drawn the Natsume's family going on a family trip to see the Sunflowers as they bloom!

Drew them all a little older when Natsume chose to stay with the Fujiwara family ❤️

Hosted by @natsume-ss

[adventure-waffles]

@natsume-ss spring exchange piece for @tobiyooo! Surprise! It was me the whole time!

Some nice and soft found family, as Natsume deserves 🤎

[pondlilies00]

Hi @bravenfearless here's your @natsume-ss spring exchange gift! The idea of Natsume and Nyanko-sensei playing volleyball was so cute. Usually I hate drawing multiple people but this one just came to me.

Also, I couldn't help but make a bonus sketch. I found it so funny that for Natsume and friends, this is a totally reasonable game but for passersby, they just witness this "normal" cat fly like 10ft into the air and crush these two kids at sports.

[raichana-artblog]

Showing off

Hello @wrenoftherain-art I got to draw this group of Yokai appreciating Nyanko's transformations skills. I imagine he brings it out from time to time just for fun!

I hope you have a lovely spring exchange! @natsume-ss

[joelletwo]

[ID fromt alt: natsuyuu fanart of tanuma and taki walking down a blooming garden path, taki turning back to take tanuma's hand and holding a flower crown in her other, a matching one on tanuma's head]

happyyyyy @natsume-ss spring exchange to @pondlilies00! i loved your idea of a flower-themed spring-y piece and im so glad you like tanuma and taki, i dont get to draw them or see them nearly enough!! and tanuma got left out of the flower crowns hangout before, i had to make up for that. i hope you enjoy!!

[anduefex]

Happy @natsume-ss spring exchange, @idak04! I thought Hiiragi should get to have a nice spring day also, as a treat.

[inkydoc]

a collection of doodles for @raens-art for the spring exchange of @natsume-ss :3

decided to draw the kids hanging out making flower crowns while Kogistune takes a nap. Tanuma is making an extra crown to replace Taki's that ended up on Nyanko-sensei's head :D

i also added some portraits of the Dog Circle boys getting some flowers later during the day, i imagine they've been watching the kids having fun from afar and then hounded Natsume for some flowers :D in the evening Nyanko-sensei ended up relaxing in a hot spring after the ordeal he had to go through (Taki's love and affection)

spring may be over now, but i wish you good times for the rest of the year 💚🌸🌼

[cinnavalleys]

@natsume-ss natsume spring exchange for @treecakes !

i absolutely love dressing up characters and thought your prompts were perfect! it was very fun trying to find pieces i imagine tanuma would wear. hope u like it! <3

[akabloom]

my @natsume-ss spring exchange gift for @natsuni-ghostmoon !

I saw that one of the prompts was cherryblossoms and went a little crazy w them..but I really wanted to go with something cute and simple like a lil tanunatsu hangout ^_^

I hope you have a lovely spring! 🙏🩷🌸

[treecakesarts]

My @natsume-ss spring exchange gift for @kikijidraws !

I combined Matoba with your prompt of Nyanko-Sensei shenanigans, though it seems to be pretty mild shenanigans- I wonder what they’re talking about? I hope you enjoy your gift! :)