#natsume takashi x happiness

[paperlandings]

Footsteps

@natsume-ss gift for @polandspringz! I had a lot of fun writing this! I really related to what you said about liking the more subtle, emotional parts of the series as it pertains to Natsume’s feeling of belonging, and I hope I was able to capture that in this fic. Happy holidays and I hope you enjoy!

TW: implications of bullying, emotional manipulation, and child neglect.

Word count: 1784

When Takashi was five years old, footsteps meant that his father was coming to tuck him in.

The house was big, and old, and sometimes cold, but it didn’t matter because his father would always be there with a warm smile, a gentle voice, and kind hands. At night, there would always be a book tucked under his arm, and Takashi would sit up excitedly in his bed, eyes sparkling in anticipation.

“Read me a story!” he would say.

His father would chuckle and say that he would probably find the book boring.

“That’s okay,” Takashi would reply, scooting over to make space beside him.

His father would sit down, tipping the bed over ever so slightly, and open the book to whatever page he was on. Takashi didn’t always understand what was being read to him but the fact that his father was there, a warm presence next to him, was enough to lull him to sleep every night.

He vaguely remembered the feeling of a blanket being draped over him and the noise of a screen door sliding closed, and he would fall asleep to the soft thumping of his father walking away.

When Takashi was six years old, footsteps meant that the monster was coming.

There was a monster at the end of the hallway who was always following him. But the monster wasn’t real. Uncle and auntie had said so. So when there was knocking on his room door in the middle of the night, Takashi would jam his pillow over his head and ignore it.

But the monster was there. It followed Takashi around the house and knocked on his room door at night. It stood next to him at the table sometimes and called his name.

“What does it want?” they would ask.

“It wants me to draw it a mouth.”

And then they would laugh at him. And then the little girl who lived with him would glare at him. And then he would feel so, so alone.

Uncle and auntie didn’t mean anything bad, he knew that. But he also knew that they thought he was strange and stupid and had too wild of an imagination. They cared for him but they didn’t care about him.

His father would’ve understood though. His father would’ve held him and told him everything was going to be okay, and that they were going to get rid of the monster together. His father would’ve believed him.

He missed his father.

He wonders if uncle and auntie would miss him as he stepped into the car, watching his new home get smaller and smaller behind him.

When Takashi was eight years old, footsteps meant that someone was angry.

Then again, auntie was always angry. And when auntie was angry, his cousins got angry at him too. It didn’t matter that he didn’t do the things that he was accused of, they got angry at him anyway.

They said that he was the one who broke the vase in the hallway even though he had seen someone else do it. They said that he was the one who ate auntie’s cake in the fridge even though the crumbs were at the corners of their mouths. They said that he was the one who started that fight at school and they were only defending him because Takashi was weird and they were so nice. Nevermind that Takashi had never actually been anywhere near that fight.

Auntie’s sandals made a different sound than everyone else’s. They were louder, the slapping on the wood floor more sharp. They came with a decisiveness that he had never heard from anyone else. They made Takashi want to run away and hide in a place where they would never find him.

And when they sounded like that, they were always coming towards him.

Takashi thinks he might have preferred the monster.

When Takashi was thirteen years old, footsteps meant that he had to be very, very quiet.

Auntie always came home late. Uncle says it’s Takashi’s fault, and he thinks uncle might be right.

The first time auntie came home late, Takashi came to greet her at the door. He laid out her sandals for her, offered to make her tea, and tried his very best to make her like him. And then she looked at him, kicked the sandals aside, and blew past him and into her room.

She smelled strongly of alcohol, and Takashi pretended not to notice.

Auntie kept on coming home late. Takashi kept greeting her at the door and laying out her sandals. She kept on kicking them aside, harder and harder until one day they flew straight into his face.

“Just stay in your room so I can forget that you ruined my life!” she had yelled at him.

The next time auntie came home late, her sandals echoing in the empty hallway, Takashi stayed quiet in his room. Auntie came home late every day from then on.

He heard uncle yelling one night, telling auntie that she couldn’t keep on blowing their savings on alcohol, that they had Takashi to think about, that if people found out they weren’t taking proper care of Takashi they could get into very big trouble.

Auntie stormed off and slammed the door to Takashi’s room open, yelling at him that everything was hard because of him. That they could barely afford to live because of him. That she hated him. Takashi stayed quiet and hoped she would think he was asleep.

“He can’t hear you,” uncle said. “He’s sleeping. You’re wasting your breath.”

The door closed and Takashi let out a big, shuddering breath.

Tomorrow, he swore, he would learn to cut his own hair.

When Takashi was fifteen years old, footsteps meant the cold.

He could tell auntie and uncle didn’t like him much. He could tell they thought he was a dramatic troublemaker and a nuisance. But they were nice enough, and their son seemed to genuinely like him, and so he needed to stay with them.

He couldn’t make trouble. Even when auntie deliberately denied Takashi a scarf on cold days despite her son’s insistence. Even when uncle repeatedly forgot to think of Takashi when he brought home treats from work. Takashi wasn’t stupid. He could tell they hadn’t really wanted to take him in the first place. He had to be grateful that they did anyway and took care of him as best as they could bring themselves to. Besides, his new older brother was nice. He would sneak sweets into Takashi’s room when his parents weren’t looking, and loudly proclaimed that he didn’t like a certain shirt anymore and Takashi should have it even though they all knew that he had only bought it the week before. He would help Takashi with school work and insist on walking home with him when they saw each other on the way.

It wasn’t so bad, really, but Takashi was tired.

He was tired of people disliking him before even getting to know him. He was tired of having to be alone all the time. He was tired of going to live with a different person every half year, all of which never wanted him.

Which was why he had to stand down. He had to keep his head down and not do or say anything that would make them want to send him away because he needed to stay here.

He started going on runs at night to keep himself from going crazy. To let out all the pent up energy and emotion that he had to keep bottled up day after day. He focused on the sound of his footsteps on the asphalt and the bite of cold wind through his clothes and just runs until all he could think about was to go to sleep.

He’s grateful no one notices, but sometimes when he comes home to deafening silence and chilling darkness, he wished they did.

When Takashi is sixteen years old, footsteps meant kindness.

The first night he came home with Touko-san and Shigeru-san, they fussed over him until his ears rang. They asked him if his head was still hurting after his fall, what kind of food he liked to eat, what kind of clothing he needed, if he wanted a bed or a futon in his room.

Takashi’s head hurt. None of his previous guardians had ever asked him this many questions before. Especially not about his preferences. 

He apologized and told them he didn’t know, and when their faces fell, he frantically added that he liked manjuu.

The next morning, he found a box of manjuu with his name written on top on the kotatsu in the living room.

Every night after that, right before bed, he would always hear the soft thudding of his guardians’ footsteps coming towards his room. Either Touko-san or Shigeru-san or both would knock at his door, poke their head in, and ask him if he needed anything. Takashi always said no, until the night his body betrayed him and he sneezed right in Touko-san’s face.

She made a small sound of surprise and promptly ran out of his room. Takashi stared at his door in horror, thinking that was it. They were going to send him away. That had been so horribly rude of him and they were going to tell him tomorrow morning that they couldn’t keep him anymore.

And then Touko-san ran back into his room, an impressive pile of blankets in her arms, and proceeded to cover him in four layers of warmth before smoothing his hair back with a smile on her face and bidding him good night.

Takashi sweat like mad that night, but he never took any of his blankets off.

They didn’t send him away when he ruined one of Touko-san’s pans trying to make breakfast to thank her the next morning. They didn’t send him away when he ran home screaming and collapsed on the entryway. They didn’t send him away when he came home with a failing grade, or when he asked to keep the strange fat cat he had found in a shrine.

They were ecstatic when he brought friends with him for the first time. Touko-san fed them until they were full to bursting and Shigeru-san regaled them with tales of his most impressive fishing exploits.

And every night, without fail, they would still knock at his door, asking him if he needed anything. And Takashi would smile, thank them for their kindness, and fall asleep with his heart more full than it had ever been.

When Takashi is sixteen years old, footsteps meant that his family was coming.

[drowsycorvid]

The Occult Science and Research Club is here to wish you a Happy New Year! Let’s hope this one treats us kindly ~

[goodlucktai]

we’re all one phone call from our knees

@natsumeweek 2022 day 1; lost/found

read on ao3

(next)

x

On the coffee table, Kitamoto’s phone lights up. The screen displays an incoming call from an unknown number as the ringtone chimes merrily at half-volume. 

By itself, that isn’t so odd, except that it’s late. It’s past midnight, pushing closer to morning, and Takashi can’t help but glance at the phone and wonder  who on earth could that be?

The only people who call Kitamoto are his parents and sometimes his sister, who are all here in the apartment and asleep for the night. All of their friends rely solely on texts and emails to communicate, when they’re not just inviting themselves over to each other’s houses, cheerfully unannounced. 

“Make it stop,” Nyanko-sensei grumbles, pressing his face against Takashi’s knee.

“Yes, yes,” Takashi says, trying to nudge Kitamoto awake from where he dozed off against Takashi’s shoulder.

In the very beginning they were only friends by proxy. Kitamoto was always kind, but he was in another class, and really only ever hung out with Natsume outside of school because that’s what Nishimura was doing. Their mutual friend was the only thing they had in common.

But it’s been months since then, nearly a year, and now Kitamoto means the world to him. It’s weird to think back on a time when they were as good as strangers. 

Somehow, Takashi is acclimating to this surreal, sleepy little town, and all the people in it who are happy to see him. People who light up when he comes to their door. He’s getting used to being welcome. He still sometimes second-guesses his place at a sleepover, but not enough to not go.

After a few more nudges, Kitamoto heaves himself upright with a put-upon groan and answers the phone without checking the caller I.D. ‘Horrifying,’ Shibata had said with feeling when Taki did the same thing last weekend, and remembering it now makes Takashi smile. 

The whole evening is warm, and sleepy, and comfortable. Looking back, Takashi will marvel at how quickly it all came apart. Deflating as swiftly as a punctured balloon, a merry little ship capsizing in dark water. 

How Kitamoto’s sluggish, unbothered “Hello?” jumped into a wide-awake “Hey, Nishimura—hey—hey, what? What’s wrong?” 

How he bolted to his feet and went flying down the hall with a frightened “Mom!” that had even Nyanko-sensei tense up in Natsume’s lap. 

Within minutes, Kitamoto’s mother is running down the hall with Kitamoto right behind her, and his phone is in her hand, and she’s saying, “It’s alright, sweetheart, we’re on our way. We’ll be right there. Don’t cry, baby, it’s okay.”

Kitamoto is pale and shaken. He reaches for Takashi’s hand, like he’s forgotten that that’s something the two of them don’t really do. Takashi hastily shuffles his cat to the crook of one arm and stands up, reaching back. 

He doesn’t know what’s happening, but—but he knows all about bad phone calls. He knows all about the fear in his friend’s eyes, and the desperate, too-tight grip of his fingers. 

And it’s Nishimura on the phone. Nishimura, the very first friend Takashi ever made, who kicked down a door into Takashi’s life and then held it open behind him for everyone else to come along, too—a noisy parade of wonderful people who filled all the places in Takashi’s heart that he didn’t even realize were empty. 

Takashi squeezes Kitamoto’s hand back. It’s Nishimura. That’s when Takashi realizes he’s scared, too. 

The rush to the genkan for shoes and jackets, the tense flight down stairs to the car, and the drive across town must have happened, for them to have gotten here, but Takashi doesn’t remember any of it. 

When they spill through the front doors of the station, an officer is waiting for them by the desk in the lobby. He’s out of uniform with a badge hanging around his neck on a beaded chain, and trades polite introductions before turning to lead them down a short hallway. 

He’s talking while they walk, probably rightly guessing from her expression that Kitamoto’s mom is ready to bulldoze through walls one at a time if she has to. Takashi tries to listen, but their voices are quiet, and four pairs of hurried footsteps down the polished tile floor is enough to make it hard to hear what they’re saying. 

Kitamoto’s breath is shuddering, and he keeps looking down at his phone, and then back up at where they’re going as if he’s afraid to miss anything. He and Takashi are still holding hands, and Takashi can feel him shaking where their arms are pressed together. 

He doesn’t know what to say. He has no idea how to be a comfort. He thinks that if it helps Kitamoto to have something to hold onto, then he can at least do that much. 

Abruptly, childishly, he wants Touko. He wishes she was here. He’s grateful to have sensei, who hasn’t even complained about any of this yet, a warm and steady weight against Takashi’s chest. 

They finally pause outside a door, and the officer pushes it open and then stands back to let them in. Takashi follows Kitamoto-san into what looks like a lounge, with a small kitchenette and coffee bar on one side, and a seating area on the other. 

Takashi has been in and out of his fair share of police stations—once for truancy, that time he lived with a couple who didn’t let him out of the house, even to go to school; but usually because child services needed a safe place to plant him when a foster family washed their hands of him in the middle of the night—so the nondescript furniture and sparse wall decorations almost make this place seem familiar. He’s barely taking any of it in at all, the details of his surroundings blurring around him as his eyes skate around the room, searching for—

“Satchan,” Kitamoto says, breathless, like it was punched out of him. 

He goes running for the cluster of armchairs on the far side of the room, but Takashi stops dead in his tracks, his hand slipping out of Kitamoto’s grip.

Nyanko-sensei wheezes a bit when Takashi’s hold becomes tight enough to suffocate, but he doesn’t scratch his way free. He just wriggles to make enough room to breathe, needlepoint claws catching in the fabric of Takashi’s sleeve.

Takashi’s heart is racing. Something uncomfortably like grief builds up in his chest like a flash flood behind a dam. Makes it hard for the air to get in. 

Because Nishimura looks like something Takashi might have met in the middle of the woods somewhere. He looks like a ghost. 

Both of his eyes are blackened, and his lip is split, and one side of his face is bright red and beginning to purple—but it’s the way he looks at them. The dullness of his gaze, like he’s not really there. Like he’s gone away to protect himself, and whatever is happening in front of him can’t hurt him, because he’s safe somewhere else. 

Takashi understands. He’s lived that way, too. He knows how to disappear inside, how to make himself feel far away from the bad things, far enough away that it can’t hurt. 

Far enough away that you lose your sense of belonging anywhere. You lose your way back. 

He’d been starting to think of this town as perfect. He’d been starting to think, since he found a home here, anyone could. He thought people didn’t get lost here. 

He should have known better.

[ridiculouslly-ridiculous]

Kats Anime List (о´∀`о)

Open to any recommendations. This list is MY opinion.

Rankings:

Haikyuu

Jujutsu Kaisen

Space Dandy

Yona of the Dawn

Kimi Ni Todoke

Life Lessons with Uramichi Oniisan

Natsume’s Book of Friends

Kamisama Kiss

Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood

Fairy Tail

The Apothecary Diaries

My Happy Marriage

Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle

My New Boss is Goofy

Your Lie in April

Why Raeliana Ended Up at the Dukes Mansion

Skip and Loafer

Demon Slayer

A Sign of Affection

Attack on Titan

Horimiya

Fruits Basket

Kiss Him, Not Me

Sasaki and Miyano

Spy X Family

Kaguya-Sama: Love is War

A Silent Voice

Your Name

Our Love Has Always Been 10 Centimeters Apart

Given

Banana Fish

The Millionaire Detective

Kaiju No. 8

BLUELOCK

Komi Can’t Communicate

Cherry Magic!

My Hero Academia

Naruto Shippuden

Monthly Girls Nozaki Kun

Play It Cool Guys

Snow White with the Red Hair

Dungeon Meshi

Kuroko’s Basketball

91 Days

Heavenly Delusion

Link Click

Tsukigakirei

Blue Spring Ride

Yuri!! On Ice

My Dress Up Darling

Wotakoi: Love is Hard for Otaku

Ouran High School Host Club

Princess Jellyfish

Buddy Daddies

My Love Story with Yamada-Kun at Lvl. 999

The Disastrous Life of Saiki K.

Tomo-Chan is a Girl

Death Parade

Kotaro Lives Alone

A Galaxy Next Door

Gauken Babysitters

My Love Story

Tsurune

The Ice Guy and His Cool Female Colleague

The Yuzuki Family’s Four Sons

Mr. Villains Day Off

Kakuriyo

The Devil is a Part Timer

Steins Gate

Trigun

86 Eighty-Six

Ron Kamonohashi’s Forbidden Deductions

Seraph of the End

The Yakuza’s Guide to Babysitting

Sing a Bit of Harmony

Toilet Bound Hanako-Kun

Salaryman’s Club

Josee, the Tiger and the Fish

The Garden of Words

The Stranger by the Shore

Kono Ota Tomare!: The Sounds of Life

My Senpai is Annoying

Bungo Stray Dogs

Japan Sinks

Nodame Cantabile

Toradora

One Punch Man

Cowboy Bepop

Ghost Stories

The Way of the Househusband

Edens Zero

Angel Beats

The Royal Tutor

Bananya

I Can’t Understand What My Husband is Saying

The Girl and Her Guard Dog

Plastic Memories

Our Last Crusade or the Rise of a New World

Anohana

Akira

(As of August 22, 2024)

Watchlist:

Tokyo Ghoul

Soul Eater

Tokyo Revengers

Fire Force

Assasination Classroom

The Rising of Shield Hero

Cells at Work

Parasyte

Violet Evergarden

The Promised Neverland

Seven Deadly Sins

Kill La Kill

Banished From the Hero’s Party

The Daily Life of the Immortal King

Blue Exorcist

Black Butler

5 Centimeters per Second

Barakamon

Hanada-Kun

Ace Attorney

Hetalia

Mieruko-Chan

Daily Lives of High School Boys

Devils Line

Death Note

Sk8 the Infinity

Code Geass

Orange

Lycoris Recoil

I Got a Skill Cheat in Another World and Became Unrivaled in the Real World Too

Girlfriend, Girlfriend

The Angel Next Door Spoils Me Rotten

Classroom of the Elite

Sound! Euphonium

Astra Lost in Space

Shimoneta

Nana

Anime Guys I ✨simp✨ For (๑>◡<๑)

(In no particular order… kinda)

Jujutsu Kaisen

Toji Fushiguro

Nanami Kento

Gojo Satoru

Higuruma Hiromi

Choso Kamo

Yuuta Okkotsu

Fairy Tail

Gray Fullbuster

Loke

Rogue Cheney

Haikyuu!!

Bokuto Koutaro

Daichi Sawamura

Semi Eita

Matsukawa Issei

Osamu Miya

Ukai Keishin

Tanaka Ryunosuke

Ushijima Wakatoshi

Shugo Meian

Yona of the Dawn

Hak

My Hero Academia

Hawks

Natsuo Todoroki

Hitoshi Shinso

Shota Aizawa

Fruits Basket

Hatsuharu Soma

Life Lessons with Uramichi Oniisan

Usahara Tobikichi

Mitsuo Kumatani

Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle

Cursed Dentist

Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood

Roy Mustang

Naruto Shippuden

Tobirama Senju

Kuroko’s Basketball

Daiki Aomine

Taiga Kagami

Rinnosuke Mitobe

Ouran High School Host Club

Takashi Morinozuka

Play It Cool Guys

Mima Takayuki

As of February 3, 2023

[justaregulardecoratedemergency]

“off on your own again, are you?”

@natsumeweek day 1: wandering/belonging

a natsume yuujinchou x mushishi crossover - i don’t think i’ve come across any art with this particular concept, but it’s easy to imagine an alternate world in which natsume travels the lands as ginko does, without really having any place to call home. 

(and happy birthday, natsume takashi!)

[noctisfishing]

#NoctIsReading Multifandom One-Shots!

One-Shots I’ve read from fandoms I either love or are unfamiliar with, some I would like to try to get into! These writers are also wonderfully talented and are worth showcasing! Will add more to this list as I read :)

Current Fandoms:

Bionicle [Takua]

**Boku no Hero Academia [TodoDeku]

**Elder Scrolls (x2) [Ancano/Illia] **[Illia & Silvia]

Elena of Avalor [Victor & Carla]

Fullmetal Alchemist [Royai]

Good Omens [Aziraphale/Crowley]

**Harry Potter (x3) [Young Tom Riddle] **[Regulus Black/OC] **[Parvati & Lavender & Seamus]

LOST [Hurley]

**Naruto [SasuNaru]

**Natsume’s Book of Friends x Noragami (crossover)

Persona 5 [Ann]

Pokemon (x2) [OC Trainers] [Dr. Platane]

**Sherlock [Sherlock & Mycroft]

Supernatural [Cas & Dean]

**newly added Sep 29 2019

Fandom / Character(s) // Title // Rating // Author // Genre

Bionicle / Takua // Tale of the Toa Stones // T // ArcAngelofJustice // Adventure

Read this because: It’s a fun and light-hearted read-along of Takua’s journey. It gives and insight of his character and how the others in the story see him. The end left me intrigued!

**NEW** Boku no Hero Academia / Todoroki Shoto/Midoriya Izuku // The Elements of Life // T // Crezhul // Fluff (

Read this because: Deku is adorable as an android.

**NEW** Elder Scrolls / Illia & Sylvia // The Bastard // M // alcyonejonquil // Tragedy/Family

Read this because: I find it fascinating to read in the eyes of a mother who chose the path of evil, yet felt betrayed by her rebellious daughter who ended up choosing differently.

Elder Scrolls / Ancano/Illia // Heart // T // alcyonejonquil // Romance/Hurt/Comfort

Read this because: It’s written in the POV of Ancano and shows his soft, romantic side (especially going into this knowing that he’s a villain!) which makes this pairing intriguing.

Elena of Avalor / Victor & Carla Delgado // Dance Another Day // K+ // @lostbutterflyutau // Family

Read this because: It’s fluffy and this father/daughter relationship is so sweet. I love how Carla wants to keep her mother’s memory alive through dancing.

Fullmetal Alchemist / Roy Mustang/Riza Hawkeye (Royai) //  Duration 00:01:52 // T // @kuchee 

Read this because: It’s a story about a marriage proposal written in the form of an epistolary (letters/articles/etc.) and the two characters really only communicate through telephone. Also, I ship these two so hard.

Good Omens / Aziraphale/Crawley // my soul to keep // T // mistrali // Hurt/Comfort

Read this because: The interaction between these two is really sweet. and highly amusing. I am intrigued enough to actually start following this series. :D

**NEW** Harry Potter / Regulus Black/OC // Amortentia // G // unspeakable3 // Slice of Life/Romance

Read this because: Regulus likes to keep to himself, especially on the matter of this love potion, but when it’s finally revealed (at least, to the reader) it’s really sweet.

**NEW** Harry Potter / Parvati & Lavender & Seamus // Moving Forward // T // Emmeebee // Tragedy/Friendship

Read this because: Death of a friend after the Battle of Hogwarts. This fic encapsulates the mood of grieving and moving on. Bonus points for the clever pun towards the end.

Harry Potter / Young Tom Riddle // Tension // M // Atypical16 

Read this because: This story is so aptly titled. It’s written mainly through the eyes of a Junior Auror as she interviews Tom Riddle, though what hooked me was the way she realized just how powerful he was, and his cunning way of doing it.

LOST / Hugo Reyes(Hurley) // Last Man Standing // T // stephanie bean // Drama/Humor

Read this because: It shows you the kind of loveable, good-natured, take-no-crap kinda guy Hurley is. Hurley deserves all the love.

**NEW** Naruto / Naruto/Sasuke // Boy, Interrupted // G // @waffledogwrites // Humor/Romance

Read this because: Sasuke has feelings, but things get in the way of revealing them to Naruto. Things like his friends, his teachers, his own mouth. Entertaining read until the end.

**NEW** Natsume’s Book of Friends x Noragami / Natsume Takashi/Yato // a thread undone, a match unmade // G // minium // General

Read this because: It has an ethereal tone with Natsume entranced at the appearance and presence of a demon unlike any other (Yato). I am all for this crossover/fusion.

Persona 5 / Ann Takamaki //  And where hell is there must we ever be // M // @helloquotemyfoot // Angst

Read this because: It was awesome to read Ann’s torment and emotional thoughts as she and the others have to face Kamoshida. Plus, Ann is a freaking badass.

Pokemon / OC Pokemon Trainers // Unpacking // NR // skippingmud // General 

Read this because: It’s written in only dialogue between two Pokemon Trainers but you can sense what they’re both feeling as they talk to each other about training, and even having to set a Pokemon free.

Pokemon / Dr. Platane // Answering Machine // G // BlackjackGabbiani // Angst (

Read this because: It’s a short read but it will break your heart at the end.

**NEW** Sherlock / Sherlock & Mycroft // You make your deductions, I’ll make mine // K+ // PenguinofProse // Family/Friendship

Read this because: Spot-on characterization and banter between the Brothers Holmes, as well as the unspoken compassion in the friendship between Sherlock and John. 

**NEW** Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu / Kikuhiko, Sukeroku, Miyokichi // with the telling of it // M // jan // Romance/Tragedy/Angst

Read this because: This beautiful series doesn’t get talked about enough and I was happy to see the name pop up in a rec thread. The fic itself gets the tone of the series right and hits all the right feels of angst and tragedy. There’s also added hints of M/M which fits perfectly.

Supernatural / Casiel & Dean Winchester // Art & Soul // T // Jet44 // Hurt/Comfort/Angst

Read this because: I was entertained by the relationship and dynamic between these two. This was written with great depth of characters and scenery that I felt a sense of understanding what the series was about even if I’m unfamiliar. The appearance of ferrets was also great.

[salt-seeker]

I’ve Been Tagged~! ∑(ﾟﾛﾟ〃)

RULES: Chose any three fandoms (in any order) and answer the questions and tag ten people you want to get to know better.

Tagged by @ce-meyers (๑♡⌓♡๑) I’ve been noticed!

My Three Chosen Fandoms:

( 1 ) D. Gray Man | ディー・グレイマン

( 2 ) Natsume Yuujinchou | 夏目友人帳

( 3 ) Akatsuki no Yona | 暁のヨナ

Oh boy, it was pretty hard only choosing three, but phew, here they are!

1. The first character you loved.

( 1 ) Allen Walker - He was one of my first anime crushes ever and is still one of my crushes to this day ;v; My bb deserves so much happiness...

( 2 ) Natsume Takashi - Natsume is such a kind boy who’s been misunderstood for too long. However, I’m glad he’s learning to open up and the people around him are so supportive now. HE DESERVES ALL THE HAPPY.

( 3 ) Shin-Ah - Another misunderstood bby treated wrong ;w; I’m glad Shin-Ah is with the Yona gang now and can experience more happiness. 

2. The character you never expected to love so much.

( 1 ) Timcanpy - I’m not usually a mascot lover, but TIMCANPY. Alsakjdflsadjkf WHAT A CUTIE WHO DESERVES TO BE BY ALLEN’S SIDE.

( 2 ) Shigeru-san & Touko-san - The best (foster) parents ever. They’re so kind, loving, and understanding, and treat Natsume with such care. They’re also always there unlike most anime parents and are very realistic.

( 3 ) Zeno - I thought he was just the happy-go-lucky stereotype character to join in, but oh boy was I wrong. Zeno needs many hugs.

3. The character you relate to the most.

( 1 ) Allen Walker - Gotta love food man.

( 2 ) Natsume Takashi - Protecting happy days and hanging with friends is what I can relate to.

( 3 ) Yona - I relate to the fact that there were things I was naive in, but learned to understand and overcome.

4. The character you’d slap.

( 1 ) Apocryphos - Man there’s a lot more, but this man/thing deserves the biggest of slaps along with the higher ups in the Black Order.

( 2 ) Matoba Seiji - I’m beginning to see more of his character in the manga now, but he deserves a slap or two for his personality.

( 3 ) Kye-Sook - Again, there are several people I’d like to slap, but I choose this guy because most of the others got what they deserved, except him.

4. Three favorite characters (in order of preference).

( 1 ) Allen Walker, Neah D. Campbell, Kanda Yuu

( 2 ) Natsume Takashi, Nyanko-sensei/Madara, Natsume Reiko

( 3 ) Yona, Zeno, Shin-Ah

5. A character you did not like at first but do now.

( 1 ) Cross Marian - I thought he’d be some other old guy who was annoying, but man...he’s like a dad now ;w;

( 2 ) Matoba Seiji - I hated him at first because of how he treated Natsume and youkai, but I hate him a little less now because more of his character is being revealed.

( 3 ) Soo-Won - I have mixed feelings about this. I hate how he carried out killing Yona’s father, but I have to admit, in terms of ability to rule a nation, he has it. It’s just frustrating that the things went as they did, but I can’t help but respect his abilities.

6. Three OTPs.

( 1 ) Allen Walker x Kanda Yuu, Allen Walker x Timcanpy, Allen Walker x Neah D. Campbell - I ship these platonically.

( 2 ) Natsume Takashi x Matoba Seiji, Natsume Takashi x Natori Shuuichi, Natsume Takashi x Tanuma Kaname - The first one is my frienemy(?) ship, and the others are my bro ships. Bonus: I ship Natsume with happiness.

( 3 ) Hak x Yona, Zeno x Kaya, Hak x Jae Ha - This is my people-deserve-happiness + that-bro-ship ship. Bonus: I ship Zeno and Shin-Ah with happiness.

**TAGGING**

Hope the people I tag have as much fun as I did on this~!

@kenkamishiro @imanoturugi @pandaflavouredcookies @kawacy @akimumuu  @fuyuyuu @tomodachimeter @hisazuki @oyakorodesu @corokuro

[winterune]

J, K, M, and/or X for whatever you like! c:

J - Name a fandom you didn’t think about until you saw it all over Tumblr.

The only fandoms that I can think about now that I only found out from Tumblr and then went to see what they were and quite like them were Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso, and I guess Haikyuu. And then there’s Net-juu no Susume that I’ve kind of read the premise of but didn’t think much about then saw it on Tumblr and omg this is so cute! Similar thing happened with BnHA and Re:Zero (though they’re not ‘cute’ lol)

K - What character has your favorite development arc/the best development arc?

I’m probably biased but my favorite character arc is Natsume Takashi’s. It’s super slow but it’s there and I’m just so happy when I see this kid found the love that he deserves! And I want to add that Steins;Gate’s Okabe Rintarou also had a really great development so he comes close to second.

M - Name a character that you’d like to have for a friend?

NATSUME!!!!!!! But I guess I’d have a heart attack every now and then if Natsume’s my friend and then one day he’d go missing or he seems different or he comes home injured. Just look at how Tanuma and Natori are after they get to know Natsume better lol

X - A trope which you are almost certain to love in any fandom.

I am almost always certain to love quiet smart/genius tacticians, sometimes with a tragic past lol. Most notably Lelouch from Code Geass. There are also Ansatsu’s Karma Akabane and BnHA’s Todoroki Shouto (though he’s not much of a tactician) and Noragami’s Kazuma and P5′s Ren

Thanks^^ This was fun! From this ask meme

[caseyvalhalla]

@junecsea tagged me to gush about 10 favorite characters and by god this is the meme that was made for me. presented here in no particular order and under a cut because I HAVE A LOT TO SAY OK

Kurama (Yu Yu Hakusho)

I was in love with him from the moment I first watched him kill another demon in cold blood. Listen. When you can make murder terrifyingly sexy you don't need any other skills. When you're a violent nerd devoted to your aesthetic in addition to being more brilliant than anyone else, who trails rivals along who seem deeply confused about whether they want to defeat you or just want you, when you can summon literal fucking plant nightmares from the depths of hell and flip your hair like it's nbd, then you can step to Kurama. He's fucking beautiful and he will grow flowers in your corpse.

Roxas (Kingdom Hearts)

Look. Look.

Do you see this shit. Do you see this pure little smile and his teeth, do you see the way his eyes squint when he does it, do you see the genuine love exuding from his being and does it kill you because you know every inch of the pain and loss and invalidation he has been through and has yet to go through? Do you see it. Do you feel it crushing your soul. Are you crying yet because I am. I'm crying right now. (Look I also have an old meta post gushing about how much I love Roxas here.)

Kurapika (Hunter x Hunter)

Okay so once upon a time I was watching a thing and the first time this guy appeared onscreen he saw a spider and his eyes turned red and he wasted it and I was like "I feel this kid in my soul," and then he did this:

and I was like this is it, this is the end, I can feel my soul departing my body as we speak, I am now devoted completely to this boy and that friends, that was the beginning of the end. That is how you enroll yourself in Eternal Suffering. Would I have done things differently, would Past Me have turned away from this utter perfection, if I knew I would spend my ensuing years yelling 'PLEASE STOP THIS PLEASE LOVE YOURSELF GOD FUCKING DAMMIT WHY ARE YOU LIKE THIS' at television screens and manga panels? idk

Victor Nikiforov (Yuri On Ice)

So I wrote an entire fanfic that was basically my treatise on Why I Love Victor Nikiforov and So Can You. The thing about Victor is that you don't really get what his deal is until episode 10 and then it hits you all at once and it hits you hard. Like. This guy you thought was a rock star playboy world champion is actually an insufferable nerd who fell hopelessly in love with a sloppy undressed blackout drunk Yuuri Katsuki who pole-danced at a formal banquet and begged Victor to coach him in his underwear with his tie around his head and Victor. Did. He dropped everything for a pretty Japanese boy who showed him a good time because he was miserable and trapped alone at the top of a golden pedestal and dancing with Yuuri made him feel happy and alive again and he wasn't afraid to chase that happiness. Also just:

look at how pure this is. Really look. Feel it embrace your being. Feel it in your bones.

Wolfram von Bielefeld (Kyo Kara Maou/maruMA series)

Alright so I've already made a long post about all of the things I love and appreciate about Lord Bielefeld, former Third Prince, Mazoku of Flame, and fiance to the 26th Maou of Shin Makoku that you can read here but like. This guy. Do you love character development? Do you love it when characters realize that they were wrong, that they had toxic ideas and behaviors, and when they consciously set out to change them and make up for their wrongs and do better? Do you love seeing how love makes a character into a stronger and better version of himself even when there is no guarantee his love will be returned? (Also do you like canon queer characters? Because that is also a thing.) And yall I loved the anime but you really have to read the novels to see what a brilliantly realized character Wolf is and I just. Fucking LOVE him.

Prompto Argentum (Final Fantasy XV)

I'm positive at this point that Square Enix has made it their personal mission to destroy my life in particular and their weapon of choice is blond boys with spiky hair. Idk if I need to explain to you guys just how fucking much that scene with Prompto and Noct on the motel roof just fucking devastated me because a) of course it did and b) how could it NOT. He just. Wants to be loved. He just wants to be ENOUGh and it's oto lase i'md cryyy

Mikorin/Mikoshiba Mikoto (Monthly Girls Nozaki-kun)

I relate to Mikorin because I too

say things and immediately regret them

get embarrassed easily

fail at socializing and need to be rescued

desperately want to be helpful and looked up to

am weak to compliments and easily manipulated by them

take an eternity to warm up to new people and almost immediately revert to lurking in a corner like a gremlin

plan my life around video game releases

am a hopeless nerd who tries to be cool and often gives off the impression of being cool up until the reality of being a hopeless nerd becomes apparent

Nezumi (No.6)

Another canon queer in the lineup and another situation where the anime version of a character manages to not be as amazing as the original novel and again I wrote an entire post about him years ago that says much more than I could gush about here and is also full of spoilers but man. You know. This is a guy who specializes in portraying women in theater, who is so traumatized that he has a panic attack when his crush touches him, who cries when Shion kisses him goodbye and lies about it. He has mice friends. He builds robots. And he lives in a fucking book vault. He's a nerd and a badass and is so, so deeply messed up but not beyond redemption. I like to think he'll come back, eventually.

Natsume Takashi (Natsume's Book of Friends)

Why are all of these traumatized boys that I regularly cry about. Why do i love characters who tear my heart into pieces? At least Natsume is nice and soft about it. Like. Have you ever watched this show? Its like the feeling you get on a warm summer afternoon with just the right smell of grass in the air that reminds you of being young and carefree and ignorant of the world's cruelty and you ache for the loss of that simplicity and the sincerity with which your younger self experienced life. In the middle of this soft nostalgic melancholy is this boy who is slowly learning to love and trust the people (and spirits) around him after years of being ostracized and its. Fucking beautiful. It's slow and sad and gorgeous. I'm such a mess.

Keith (Voltron Legendary Defender)

I was not a huge Keith fan at first. I mean, he was there, he was kind of a boss, it was cool, and then s2 happened and he started to grow on me, and the s3 happened and GOOD LORD but you know. You know what, that fucking vlog. That is what did it. Not the show itself. A three minute promo clip where he muses on his bad temper and defense mechanisms and storms off stage because he's gonna cry. Apparently showing emotional vulnerability and fear of rejection is all it takes for me to be willing to fucking die for you. Please just let this boy be happy. Love him. Give him hugs. Get him the fuck back to the Castle and his family because being a Blade is great and all but it's gonna get him killed if he keeps going like this. Just burrito him up in a blanket and hand him off to Shiro, problem solved. Mostly.

aaaaaaaand i guess I will tag @sylvermyth, @the-smallest-kurapika, @adulterclavis, @deadfreckledboys, @xigspicelatte, @opallight, and @painpackerrisingsun to do this if you want to! Anyone I didn’t tag can definitely take up the meme as well.

[softyuu-ri]

Tagged by: @probablyalizard Thanks! I don’t think I’ve done one of these on this blog yet actually!

Rules: answer the questions and tag twenty of your followers that you’d like to know better

Name: Karli

Nicknames: ^

Zodiac: Scorpio sun ^_^

Height: almost 5′6″ but doctors always put down 5′5″ >:/

Age: 20

Orientation: ace idfk

Ethnicity: native/white/hispanic/latinx i’m just a whole mix I actually kinda wanna get one of those DNA tests done!

Favorite fruit: MANGOS

Favorite season: Spring ^_^ I love plants and flowers

Favorite flowers: smell wise i think lilac and lavender! looks wise maybe chrysanthemums or peonies ^_^

Favorite book series: not counting hp i loved all of Tamora Pierce’ series!

Favorite scent: vanilla tea, lavender + honey, frangipane in the oven, clean bedsheets, and fresh air in the spring in the morning when the grass is still damp and small birds sing quietly.

Coffee, tea, or cocoa: all of them!! warm drinks are so good and also cold versions

Cat or dog person: i love all animals but i think i’m a dog person. i’ve had both (still do!) but something about dogs they just make me feel so loved! i guess they’re more emotionally needy than cats or something but i just love feeling loved and my dogs are definitely better at that than my cats for the most part my personal cat is pretty needy tho he’s just not as nice abt it as my dog haha.

Average hours of sleep: 8-10

Favorite fictional character: ?!?!?!? idk!

OTP: uhhhhh natsume takashi x happiness, fulfilling relationships, kindness, and love?? my son he deserves so much

Dream trip: Extended traveling across europe! a month in france exploring the countryside, two weeks in paris, a month in greece, 2 weeks in rome, a month exploring north and south italy, a week in austria, a weekend in luxembourg, etc! aaa just thinking about it sounds so blissful, adventuring on my own meeting up with people here and there, learning history and seeing it, touching it, the feeling when you walk into some place rich with history and knowing you’ll never know all of it, that specific feeling when you experience how insignificant you are amidst the majesty and expanse of history and at the same time feel yourself slot perfectly into the continuing story as though you belong there precisely then.

Blog created: it just turned one the other day! i’ve been on tumblr for like 5 years tho?

Tagging: uhhhhhh idk!! most ppl have already done this a bunch so if you haven’t then go ahead!

[floweryfandomnerd]

I was tagged by @juuzous13donuts thank you very much ^-^

Goal: Tag nine people you want to get to know better

Relationship Status: Single and happy that way (no, I swear to you I am not the crazy cat lady. Please believe me, why would I lie?)

Favourite Colour: Yellow

Lipstick or Chapstick: Chapstick, I have like four in my bag right now and that’s after I lost a whole bunch of them

Last song I listened to: Not sure, but I think it was ‘The One’ by Ed Sheeran

Last movie I watched: Lego Batman, it’s actually really funny and kinda sweet too. I loved the ongoing joke of the Joker (haha) trying to ensnare Batman in a relationship.

Top three tv shows: Fullmetal Alchemist (both versions ofc), Natsume Yuujinchou and I’m torn between the nostalgic choice of Phineas and Ferb which I’m currently watching and Arslan Senki. Can I put them at a tie?

Top three characters: Never give me this question again, I have too many. Edward Elric, Natsume Takashi and Daryun. But ask me my top twenty in no particular order and you’ll get a less agonised decision

Top three ships: Edwin (Edward Elric x Winry Rockbell) because have you seen them? Arslan x Etoile and Almei

Okay I’m tagging @1messedupchildxnx @thelazyfanartist @renkocchi @atems-lover (I swear girl if you say Dragonball z I will punch you) @inoki-mikan @vazzle @al-is-my-pal @lostinparisphotography @queenbovine @kardowolf If you don’t want to do it just ignore me of course

[rukari97]

Natsume Yuujinchou Roku - OP  Scenery

I made this so I could have a new background for my anime/manga episode preview comparisons for this season x

Here are some shots of Reiko and Takashi

I’m always happy that they keep the ED style the same 

[goodlucktai]

Could I request some good bro Natori and Natsume stuff for prompts 1,2,3, or 5? Either separately or merged into one frankenfic?

PROMPTS LIST

1. “I apologise in advance for the inconvenience my murder is going to have on your life.” +2. “I hate you.” “Why? I’m lovely.” +5. “This is my life now. I have climbed this hill and now I will die upon it.” “Shut up. We’ve only been hiking for twenty minutes.”

x

When Shuuichi called the Fujiwara house to invite Natsume to the upcoming wrap party, he was braced for the type of dogged, exacting negotiations better suited a hostage situation. 

Instead, after a pleasant fifteen-minute conversation with Touko, he was painlessly gifted custody of his friend for the weekend. 

“Shigeru-san and I need to meet with one of his relatives about some of Takashi-kun’s missing belongings,” she says, a sliver of steel in her sunny voice that promises, in no uncertain terms, that these relatives will almost certainly have a fight on their hands. “I’d hate to have to bring Takashi-kun along, but I don’t like to leave him here alone, so this is quite the neat solution!”

Natsume is grim and resigned when they meet at the train station, an overnight bag slung over his shoulder, his ugly cat tucked into his arms. Shuuichi can’t help but beam at him, having come out of this arrangement fully on top. 

“Shopping!” he announces gleefully. “You’ll need something fancy for the party. And then we’ll get lunch-- my treat, of course. And if you don’t listen to me, Touko-san will be sad!” 

If looks could kill, Shuuichi would almost certainly have met his unfortunate end right then and there. 

xx

Natsume has been uncomfortable all evening, in a fixed position at Shuuichi’s elbow and nursing the same flute of champagne that was foisted upon him at the door. 

He’s in dark-washed jeans and a smart blazer, his hair tucked out of his face with a few strategic hair clips. He toes the line between youthful and stylish well, and his quiet personality comes across as shy instead of standoffish. The cast and crew are all delighted to finally meet the kid Shuuichi talked so much about, and Natsume is doing his best to hold up under all the attention.

So it had taken a bit of blackmail and bribery to get him here-- was that so unusual? 

Networking is a necessary evil, and usually Shuuichi is stuck at these functions until the early hours of the morning. But it’s only a couple of hours before Natsume starts to flag. He’s edging into nonverbal territory, only mustering eye contact for a few seconds at a time, and Shuuichi doesn’t waste time in steering him away from the press of the party and into an out-of-the-way office. 

“Who’s office is this?” Natsume asks quietly. When Shuuichi presses lightly on his shoulders, he sinks into a leather armchair without fuss. 

“Doesn’t matter. I’m famous, I can do whatever I want,” Shuuichi says with a winning smile. 

Natsume is recovered enough by then to scowl at him, a knee-jerk reaction. 

“I hate you.”

“Why? I’m lovely.”

After that exchange, Shuuichi feels alright about leaving Natsume alone with Hiiragi while he sweeps off to make their excuses, and say his goodbyes, and steal some food for the road. 

And now they’re bundled in coats and scarves, making their way back to the hotel. Natsume looks much livelier now that they’re outside, working on the second half of an egg sandwich that Shuuichi smuggled out for him. 

“I can’t believe you do that for a living,” the boy murmurs after a moment. “It’s exhausting.”

“You get used to it,” Shuuichi says. “And I’m good at talking.”

Being charming and personable on cue is one of his greatest skills. No closed door, or VIP entrance, or members-only sign has ever kept him out. 

When they get back to the hotel, an ugly cat is waiting for them outside. Natsume smiles to see it, his pace quickening, and offers the yokai the last bite of his sandwich. 

Madara takes it with a scoff. “This is all you brought me? I want barbecue!” 

“What kind of party do you think we were at?” Shuuichi mutters. 

“Maybe tomorrow, sensei,” Natsume says agreeably, lifting the cat into his arms. 

“Hmph. In that case, I guess I’ll pass the message along.” Settling into a comfortable loaf in the crook of the boy’s arms, the cat squints at them with shining, dark eyes. “Someone came for their name while you were gone.”

Shuuichi stiffens in alarm. They’re hours away from Hitoyoshi, where Natsume’s reputation proceeds him at every turn. To have been tracked this far, despite the wards... 

Natsume only looks mildly surprised. “Are they still here?”

“No, they’re waiting for you in the woods,” Madara says. “Human settlements make them nervous.”

Nodding as if this is all perfectly reasonable, Natsume glances at Shuuichi. Shuuichi, waiting for his cue, says, “Absolutely not.”

“Natori,” his friend says, with the same tone of a tired mother attempting to wrangle an unreasonable toddler.

“In what universe would I allow you to wander off into the forest in the middle of the night?” He opts to ignore the rich orange dusk above and around them, and the fact that the streetlights haven’t kicked on yet. Natsume’s eyebrows are inching toward his hairline, so he decides to play his trump card. “Your parents said I’m in charge.”

Hiiragi sighs deeply. It’s only after Shuuichi says it that he realizes how juvenile it sounded, but by then it’s too late. He has to double down. 

“Let’s just go inside, and we’ll discuss it over a proper meal,” he says with a smile. He waves Natsume toward the door, but Natsume doesn’t budge.

Shuuichi realizes he used up all his authority earlier, in forcing Natsume to the department stores and restaurants and the wrap party. The boy has played along thus far but he’s clearly reached his quota for the evening. He doesn’t even entertain the idea of listening to Shuuichi this time. 

“I’ll be quick,” Natsume says plainly. He turns back the way they came without another word. 

Shuuichi struggles with it for a moment, but he really doesn’t have any choice but to follow. It doesn’t help that the ugly cat is laughing at him, or that Hiiragi is judging him silently with every step.  

xx

Honestly, if Shuuichi were feeling marginally more generous, he would admit that there was some sort of cosmic justice at work here. He had forced Natsume out of his comfort zone all night, and now the tables have turned entirely. 

The trees tower around them as they pick their way up a faint foot trail, stretching up into a dark, endless canopy. The wind combs through branches and leaves in eerie, hushed whispers. They only have the shiki’s night-eyes and the flashlight on Shuuichi’s phone to see by. 

“This is my life now,” Shuuichi complains, out of breath. “I climbed this hill and now I’m going to die on it.”

“Shut up,” Natsume replies mildly. “We’ve only been hiking for twenty minutes.”

He certainly seems comfortable here, for all that he’s never been in these particular woods before. With his green eyes and silvery hair and thousand-yard stare, Natsume might as well be a mountain spirit himself sometimes. 

The thought cinches painfully in Shuuichi’s stomach, and he speeds up a bit until they’re walking alongside one another. 

“How do you know you can trust this spirit?” he asks.

“I don’t,” Natsume says, sounding surprised by the question. “How do you know you can trust any of those humans you work with?”

“Because they’re human.”

For a moment, they just stare at each other. Shuuichi can see his own incomprehension reflected in Natsume’s expression. There’s a sudden chasm open between them, a lack of understanding that goes both ways.

Natsume looks away first. He doesn’t quite hang his head, but he isn’t standing as tall as he was before. Shuuichi remembers, belatedly, just how many humans have hurt Natsume up to this point. He realizes that what he just said was very stupid. And on top of being grossly inconsiderate, he managed to alienate his friend at the same time.

This is what he gets for being so smug all day. 

He puts a hand on Natsume’s shoulder, throwing a line across the chasm and hoping it will hold. He squeezes, waiting until Natsume has mustered the courage for eye contact once more, and only when he has the boy’s full attention does he say gravely, “I have a lot to learn from you. I’m only sorry I won’t have the chance. And I apologize for the inconvenience my murder is going to have on your life.”

Natsume splutters, and then laughs, and those sad, clinging shadows peel away from him as easily as a broken spiderweb. “You’re not going to get murdered!” 

"Hm,” Shuuichi says, deeply unconvinced (and deeply relieved to hear his friend laughing).

“Honestly, if you’re this worried, why not just wait at the hotel?” Natsume asks. He’s animated again, picking his way ahead confidently. Shuuichi is happy to follow, leaving that painful, aborted conversation behind them for another day. 

“Because Touko told me to look after you this weekend,” Shuuichi says mulishly. He’s still clinging to the thin veneer of being in charge, for all the good it’s doing him. “How could I look her in the eye if I let you go charging off into danger?”

“Easily,” Natsume mutters. “Charmingly. And with a bouquet of roses, probably. You said it yourself, you’re good at talking.”

Now it’s Shuuichi’s turn to laugh. He thinks of his conversation with Touko earlier that week-- he thinks of how, even now, she and Shigeru are off getting into a fight with their family for their foster son’s sake, with Natsume none the wiser. 

“You’ve sorely underestimated how protective she is of you,” Shuuichi says ruefully. “That’s fine. I’m sure you’ll get to see it firsthand when I take you home, since I’ve made an absolute mess of this weekend so far.” 

Natsume tips his head curiously, but whatever he might have said is interrupted as they come around a bend that opens up to a glade.

There’s lantern light up ahead. The glow is unnatural, slightly off-color, and the lights sway even though there isn’t a steady wind. Hiiragi goes tense and alert at Shuuichi’s shoulder, and Shuuichi himself feels a cold thrill of anticipation, his fight-or-flight reflexes primed. But Natsume lets out a little huff of relief, and Madara says, “Finally!” as a rabbit spirit steps onto the path to greet them. 

It’s about as tall as Shuuichi’s waist and dressed in a neat yellow yukata. It greets them politely, and apologizes for making them go out of their way, and invites them into the glade. Madara jumps out of Natsume’s arms to lead the way, and Hiiragi follows distrustfully, but Natsume lingers for a moment. 

“What if Touko hadn’t said anything?” he asks, in the tone of someone testing a theory. 

For all of about three seconds, Shuuichi considers lying to preserve his dignity, but he gives it up for a lost cause. He sighs, and musses his hair up even more, and admits, “I’d still be here.”

Natsume might as well be a mountain spirit himself sometimes. But then there are times like these, when his face lights up like a summer sky, and he smiles as though he’s never been hurt, and Shuuichi has never met anyone more human than him.

[sorelliena]

3 fandoms tag

tagged by @lilith5th​

RULES: choose any three fandoms (in random order) and answer the questions. Then tag some friends xD

I choose:

Natsume Yuujinchou The Ancient Magus’ Bride Legend of Zelda

The first character you loved:

Natsume Elias!! BABY LINK MY LOVE--but if we have to talk crushes, for real, it was Zelda

The character you never expected to love so much:

THE FUJIWARAS HOLY SHIT??? SILKIE AHH SHE’S SO SWEET AND SHE C A R E S Ganondorf..... seriously why do I love him

The character you relate to most:

Honestly, in Natsume, Tanuma.  Because I’d play support role to MC. I find myself relating to Chise a lot ;_; what a well-rounded MC In Zelda?  I’m any of the NPCs who are cowering inside a village lmao

The character you’d slap:

Matoba 8′) but I love him ALL OF CHISE’S PREVIOUS GUARDIANS.  ALL OF THEM. Tingle.  Fucking get your shit together, man.

Three favorite characters: (these are in order of preference)

Takashi Natsume, Nyanko Sensei, Touko Fujiwara Elias, Chise, Ruth!! Zelda, Midna, Link!

A character you liked at first but not so much anymore TwT :/

Natori?? Honestly I WANTED him to be a villain. Honestly not a single one in Ancient Magus has disappointed me. I used to rly like Sheik but I’ve given up on another game with her in it.

A character you did not like at first, but they’ve grown on you:

I genuinely like Taki more and more.  She’s so sweeet ;o; Alice in Ancient Magus is really, really interesting.  I love her character arc! ...Beedle... -shudders-

3 OTPs: (not writing 3 each because I have no fantasy lol)

Natsume x Happiness fucking christ ELIAS AND CHISE BETTER GET MARRIED.  I also like Silkie x Spriggan. ...Zelgan........ i am full of sin

I’m tagging some people- but don’t feel obliged to do it! ^_^

@megapotatosaurus @cocoome @angelisangelic @ghirahims-left-shoe @ghiraheeheeheem @fruking-hetastucker

[kara-no-ai]

Tag nine people you want to get to know better!

tagged by: @have-a-heart-kaneki  every time your name pops up in my notification I both love it and hate the feels it brings 

Relationship status

Single

Favorite color

A deep red.

Lipstick or Chapstick

Neither.

Last song I listened to

Rokutousei no Yoru/Night of the Six Magnitude Stars by Aimer.

Last movie I watched

Eve no Jikan

Top three TV shows

I don’t follow a lot but if I had to choose something…….

1. Gotham 2. The Soup 3. Last Night with John Oliver

Top three characters

Just gonna choose 1 character I really love from a few of the series I’m into most at the moment.

1.  Totsuka Tatara

2. Natsume Takashi 3.  I can’t choose just one between Atsushi and Akutagawa so BSD Edgar Allen Poe 

Top three ships

Just gonna do the same with these

1. Mikoto/Totsuka 2. Atsushi/Akutagawa 3. Kaneki x happiness

Tagging: @swekana @mikototsu-trash @i-8-your-8-bits @sedd-seijuurou @aka-no-o  only if you’d like to, of course.

[goodlucktai]

Prompt! Natsume being protective of/worried for/taking care of Tanuma; OR more of your ffxv au. Or both ;)

x

They’re setting up camp at a haven in Duscae when Satoru says, “Oh, look—it’s Nyanko-sensei.”

Kaname looks up quickly, and Tooru gasps in delight, as the fat cat-like creature waddles up the rune-carved stone.

It’s carrying the notebook in a sling on its back, and Kaname hurries to meet it as Atsushi mutters, “I still can’t believe you call a messenger that stupid name, Satoru.”

“We go way back!”

“Madara,” Kaname says, “how are you? How is—“

“He’s fine,” the creature grumbles irreverently. “You’d know if he wasn’t. Hurry up and read his letter, I didn’t come all this way for my health.”

While his friends clamor around the squat cat-like astral, Kaname flips through the pages of a notebook eagerly to find whatever new message is waiting for him. He’s familiar and comfortable with magic as a concept, but the notebook is something he’s secretly in awe of. It’s as thin and sleek as it’s always been, the number of pages unchanging, but somehow it contains every note they’ve ever written and they’ve never once run out of room.

Kaname takes a moment to brush his fingers over a letter he wrote when he was ten, his childish handwriting hopeful and earnest where it’s preserved beneath a pressed syllablossom. 

But Madara is waiting, dealing with Tooru and Satoru’s affections with ill grace, so Kaname hurries to the last marked page. 

He reads it hungrily, pauses, reads it through more carefully, and then reads it for a third time to make sure he’s read it right. 

“Um, Madara,” he says slowly. “This says Takashi officially denounced the prophecy and left Tenebrae? And he’s waiting for us at the Tomb of the Pious?”

His retinue goes deathly silent, the only sound the rustle of the wind in the grass and the chatter of busy evening insects. Madara says, “That’s because he is, brat.”

“And you just left him there?” Atsushi demands. “The Oracle is just– roaming around Lucis somewhere? Anything could happen!”

Probably the only god who wouldn’t react violently to being spoken to so flippantly, Madara rolls his eyes. 

“He’s got that oar of his and he’s not afraid to use it. And a few of my friends are keeping an eye on him, not that I asked them to. He’s not as helpless as his public image would like you to think.”

“But why has he done this?” Tooru asks, frowning. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m delighted he made it away from an occupied state, but why now?”

“Because the Six finally told him the truth about the prophecy. The truth about what victory will cost,” the little god says. “And he told the Six where they could stick their prophecy, told his brother to pack a bag, and we left within the hour.”

The cat looks gleeful, but he’s the only one. Tooru covers her mouth, horrified, and Atsushi buries his face in his hands as if he doesn’t have the strength to keep his head up. 

Satoru whispers, “Sweet Shiva. We’re all cursed, aren’t we?”

Madara gives him a look that lacks the perpetual annoyance he has for the rest of them. “Why would you be cursed?”

“Don’t be like that, Nyanko-sensei! We’re in this together! If Takashi’s cursed, so are we!”

Kaname kneels, heart hammering. It’s taken him this long to wrap his mind around it, to catch up to the conversation. Takashi, his best friend, his fiance, the boy he promised his heart to whole years before the peace treaty was even a concept, is free. He’s here, in Lucis. He’s waiting for them.

“Where is he?” Kaname whispers. “Take me to him.”

“And what about your babysitters? And your car?” the cat asks dryly. 

“They’ll follow,” Kaname decides on the spot. In the corner of his eye, he sees Atsushi and Tooru gear up for an argument, and Satoru shut them down with two swift swats. “They’ll meet us– wherever. Just take me to him.”

The messenger eyes him up and down for a long moment. Then he makes a big show of rolling his eyes and tucking the notebook back into its sling on his back. 

“Show me your map.”

Madara points out an area of Cleigne, a hidden thicket where a royal tomb is waiting, two days’ drive if Atsushi bends the speed limit wherever he can get away with it. None of them are happy with Kaname’s decision to go ahead alone, but they know better than to put up more than a token fuss about it. He’s safer with Madara than he is with an army at his back. 

“You’ll see me soon,” Kaname says to his friends, loving them for the frustration and loyalty in their faces. “You’ll see us both. And we’ll walk together from then on.”

“Right,” Satoru says, lifting his fist to knock their forearms together. “Get going so we can get going. Sooner we leave the sooner we get there.” 

Madara transforms in a burst of heavy smoke, the runes of the Haven glowing a little brighter as he stands above them in his celestial body. 

“Hurry up, then,” he grumbles, his great voice rolling over them. Kaname climbs up without a second thought. He has time to wave once, and then Madara is leaping into the air and bearing them both away. 

They’re moving quickly, up and up, earth falling away and cloud-mist drenching Kaname’s shirt. He leans forward to shout, “Thank you, Ponta!”

“Don’t thank me, brat. He was hoping you’d come.” 

The admission warms Kaname from the inside-out, until he can hardly feel the cold air rushing past them on all sides. His fingers woven into the thick, downy fur send his thoughts back years and years, after the attack that almost cost him his legs, those stolen, weightless moments late at night when Takashi would help him onto the god’s back, so he could fly even when he couldn’t walk. 

“What was the rest of the prophecy?” he thinks to ask, distracted by thoughts of his love, of seeing him again after such a long time apart. Kaname’s heart is so light that he thinks, without this grip on Madara’s fur, he might float away. “What was the price?”

For a moment, Madara doesn’t answer. Then he says, “Don’t worry about it. It’s not a price we’re going to pay.”