I am very excited to share a small bite of what's to come for @inu-spiration Tanabata Bang on July 7th, 2024. My artist and I are excited to share what we've created together with you this weekend! Looking forward to all the other creations everyone has been putting their hard work into!❤️
The heat was bordering on unbearable. Kagome’s nose wrinkled. If she could smell the sweat coming off of them all, she couldn't imagine what Inuyasha could smell. She almost felt bad for him… Except neither the weather nor the smell seemed to be bothering him in the least. Her moment of sympathy turned to jealousy. He's in those heavy layers, how is he not boiling like the rest of us? she thought, scowling. And she was even wearing a lightweight kosode and hakama! She had her sleeves tied back which helped a little, yet she could feel that uncomfortable trickle of sweat down the middle of her spine and the sticky cling of her top to her chest.
“Oi. There's a river ahead,” Inuyasha called from the front. “Maybe we can set up camp in the woods on the other side and take advantage of the river while we have it.” Given he was being uncharacteristically thoughtful, Kagome stared at Inuyasha in wonder. “What? We can get some fishing in and smoke them to keep. Stretch out the ninja food a bit more.”
She supposed he had been more aware of those kinds of things lately. Concern that they all had enough to eat, that they were not without shelter in extreme weather, that the water bottles were clean and full… Like his job as Protector had taken on more facets recently. Kagome felt her jealous irritation with him fade a bit. He was a good guy, after all. She should give him more credit where it was due.
“That is a good idea, Inuyasha. Thank you,” she murmured the last so that only he would hear. She watched his ears flick, the way his spine straightened telling her he'd heard her loud and clear. Of course, he wasn’t going to admit that he appreciated the acknowledgement, but she could see that he did.
He’d been more aware of her too, lately. A fact that had initially set her on edge. Was he apologizing for something? Was he feeling bad for her because of what happened with the infant? She had been so caught up in her emotions, in trying to rid herself of the darkness it had tried to tease into her heart to fester and grow, she hadn’t sensed his presence at all. Yelling out that she loved him had been the ward she’d needed to finally break its hold on her. The look Inuyasha had given her was so stunned… so pained.
She couldn’t handle his pity, so she tried to pretend nothing happened.
Written in the Stars: A Tanabata
Inu-spiration Bang: July 7, 2024
Mark Your Calendars:
Sign-Ups Begin March 15th
Hi everyone! We are very pleased to announce that our first inu-spiration event of 2024 will be a Tanabata bang!
Tanabata, or, "evening of the seventh," is a star festival held yearly in Japan. It celebrates the meeting of the dieties Orihime and Hikoboshi, whose stars are kept separate in the skies, and can only meet once per year. While the festivities can take place in July and August (often overlapping with Obon), the start of the festival is July 7. In honor of the festival, we hope you will join us for our sixth (!) Inu-spiration bang!
Sign-ups for the bang will begin March 15th and run through April 1st. It will be a traditional bang, meaning that artists will either draw to the story that a writer conceives, or the two will collaborate on the concept.
For more information, and to learn more about the schedule, check out our FAQ page!
@inu-spiration always comes up with such great themes! I had the privilge of working with @stardust414 and she created a stunning piece of art to go with our idea!
Read it on Ao3 and FFnet.
See (and swoon) over Stardust's art here!
Summary: Usually, Sesshoumaru paid the mortals no mind. They’d built him a splendid temple, and offerings littered the steps daily, but the gifts had begun to wane, and the murmurs of a goddess taking human form had begun to get louder.
Sneak Peek
A creak of the cottage door had him bounding back into the trees, unwilling to give up his cover even with his glamour firmly intact. He watched with wide eyes as a woman clad in pale robes and a determined glare stepped outside of the safety of her enclosure.
"Who's there?" she demanded. Sesshoumaru kept still, not wanting to relinquish his position even as her eyes flickered in his direction.
Breath stilled in his lungs as he was engulfed in an oceanic tempest, waves crashing upon his psyche as she held him captivated. The flush of her cheeks was nothing compared to the ferocity in her eyes, and it was a wonder he hadn't been burned on the spot.
She was stunning.
Raven curls fell around her shoulders, slightly tangled, as if she'd been pulled from a deep sleep. Chin raised defiantly, she scanned the area, hands gripping the door. She looked nothing like any goddess he had seen before, but he wished her to be one all the same. If he were a lesser being, he'd have grovelled at her feet—if only to get a better view.
"I do not fear you," she called out. "And you will find no solace here. Be gone before you meet the same end as your brothers." She was steadfast, like a warrior ready for battle, and Sesshoumaru remained still until well after she'd disappeared back inside.
Perhaps he'd been too hasty. Any female would've felt threatened if they'd heard noises outside their home so late at night. To his credit, he hadn't expected anything, let alone her, but he'd covered his tracks, his aura and presence hidden, so the fact she'd sensed anything piqued his curiosity.
Leaning back against the tree, intent on keeping an eye on her until she was willing to answer his questions, he rested one arm upon a bent knee, casting his gaze upward to the darkened sky. There must have been candles lit from within, as she'd glowed when she'd opened the door. But even as that thought crossed his mind, his brow pinched into a frown.
HAPPY 1ST ANNIVERSARY OF SPEAK NOW (TAYLOR’S VERSION)!!!!!!!!
Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) has been my favorite since its release on July 7, 2023!!! I really hope other people love this album just as much as other Speak Now Stans and I!!!!