#mushishi oneshot

[star-spacer]

Let's Go Fishing!

Adashino x reader x Ginko (can be read as platonic or romantic)

You and the boys take a dip in the river. When you're half yokai and have inhuman reflexes, a few fishes aren't a problem for you.

Summer heat was the worst heat.

Second only to the heat of drought-dried reeds going up in flames and the burning tinder of beloved houses, the summer heat pressed down upon everything, rendering the far-off mountain tops into hazy, quivering mirages. Your yukata stuck to your skin uncomfortably as you shifted from your spot on the wooden floor. The rhythmic pounding of Ginko’s mortar and pestle sounded through the air and you groaned, turning your head to look at him.

“How can you stand to work in this heat?”

“‘M used to it,” he grunted. “One time I went with a guy to chase down a rainbow. This was during that heatwave we had a while ago so we had to travel during the hottest time of the day to catch up to the rainclouds.”

“Yikes,” you muttered. “Can’t imagine doing that at all.”

Ginko tilted his head, one single emerald eye looking at you through the haze of his cigarette smoke. “Then what’d you do during the heatwave then?”

You grinned lazily at him, swiping the sweaty baby hairs off your forehead. “Why I slept, of course! I’d find some river bank, a nice shady tree, and I’d sleep in its branches.”

“Wish all of us would have that luxury,” he grunted, lifting the pestle and tapping it against the side of the marble pestle. Fine golden grains shifted around as he tilted it into a vial, carefully scraping the powder into it with a stiff reed. Once done, he plugged it up with a cork and searched for something around him. Spotting your lazy form sprawled out where you were, he pointed to a stack of labels next to you.

Ginko pointed at them. “Hey, can you hand me those?”

A flick of your fingers summoned a gust of wind, sending the paper fluttering past you and toward the Mushishi. They danced around his form and he deftly plucked them from the air, swiping a brush and ink from his cabinet and popping the ink bottle open. With a deft hand, the mystery vial soon received a label as he wrote it on the paper you sent.

“What’s that?” You hummed.

“Pollen from flowers that the Usobuki frequent,” Ginko hummed. The familiar name was that of the butterfly mushi he told you about, one that would make those afflicted by it fall asleep with it until a false spring started. 

It was the same one responsible for the summer and spring that he went missing in when you search until your feet bled and your voice gave out from yelling his name. So hearing that he was dealing with it again made your hackles raise, a dangerous look on your face.

Ginko didn’t notice, too busy tucking the bottom away into his little medicine cabinet. “The mushi itself puts people to sleep but I discovered that if a small dose of the flower pollen is taken with water, it could be an effective sleep remedy, especially for mushi-related problems.”

“I see.” The thought of a sleeping draught sounded appealing because, despite all the jokes you make about naps, any semblance of sleep for you was haunted by memories you’d rather forget. You opened your mouth, almost tempted to ask him for a bit but hesitated.

Ginko glanced at you, a verdant eye picking up the expression on your face. “Hm?”

“I–”

The shoji door slammed open, Adashino behind it using his foot to move the screen. “Drinks here.”

You did a complete shift, hiding your turmoil as you cheered and flipped over to your front, thin yukata riding up to what would’ve been an indecent length if you were an upstanding citizen in society. Adashino didn’t say anything but groaned as he set down the tray and sat next to you. Ginko snuffed out the cigarette, allowing the smoke to waft away so it wouldn’t bother you before shuffling closer. Though it still lingered on his person as he sat down with you and Adashino, it thankfully didn’t bother you like usual.

The dark-haired man took off his lens and began polishing the circle of glass.“I knew it would get hot so I put some amazake in to chill in the icebox. There’s also ice in there too.”

“Thanks, Adashino! Maybe we can have some cold soba later then.” Propping your head up in one arm, you reached for the cups filled with the fermented rice liquid as the other did too. The creamy, sweet taste of the drink filled your mouth as you took a sip and you sighed happily. “Ahh, Ginko, what’s the use of going at each other’s throats about who’s doing what in the heat when it’s Adashino who’s the privileged one? He’s got a nice big house and an icebox of all things.”

“Being a doctor, and living by the waterfronts has its perks,” Adashino replied dryly. “I do say that you two are always welcomed to stay here.”

Ginko simply took a pointed, obnoxious sip of his rice drink, letting the noise draw out in the hazy air. You snorted and Adashino shot a dirty look at you both. Quiet filled the hot air as everyone settled down to enjoy their drinks, accompanied by the sounds of nature around you all. Every breath you took filled your lungs with uncomfortable warmth and you cursed the neverending sun.

The calmness of the summer day brought back long-faded memories of your mother teaching you how to fish in the stream, helping fight off the heat and simultaneously bringing food home for the day. The thought of cooling down made you give a wistful sigh as you finally sat up. “I could go for a dip right now…”

Then the thought hit you and you gasped, sitting up straigh and making the other two look at you with startled–if not slightly irritated–expressions.

You pushed your sweaty hair back from your face, eyes alight in excitement. “The fishermen should be done for the day, right? Then we won’t be bothering anybody if we go to the river to cool off then. You also said you wanted to get some fish for later so I can catch some too.”

Ginko raised his eyebrow. “We don’t have a boat though.”

“I can swim,” you volunteered excitedly. “I would love to be in the water right now.”

Adashino leaned back on his arms, a thoughtful look on his face. “Hmmm… I think that’ll be alright. Besides, I won’t mind spending a little time in the water.”

You popped to your feet excitedly, eagerness overtaking the sluggish haze of the heat.

“Come on! My mom–I was taught how to fish when I was younger. With the fish that the Suiko’s body brought in, I can promise we’ll have fish in no time.”

“The river is calm this time of year…” Adashino agreed. “I wouldn’t mind soaking my feet for a while.”

Both of you turned your expectant gaze onto Ginko, who gave a long-suffering sigh and knocked back the last dredges of his drink before slamming the wooden cup back down onto the tray. “Never say I don’t do anything for you two.”

Cheering, you swooped down to gather up the cups into the tray to whisk them away, prancing ahead of the males as they slowly got up from their spots. The sun beat down upon you again as you moved to the front of the house to wait for them. Thankfully, you stood under the engawa so most of the heat was kept off as you fixed your yukata.

“Hurry up, you two!!!”

“Coming.”

In a few short moments, both Ginko and Adashino joined you, the latter with a woven straw hat on his head as he handed a shallow basket to the white-haired man. The three of you made your way down the path to Adashino’s residence, greeting the occasional villagers who passed by. It wasn’t a long walk to the beach, but the three of you opted for a detour to a more secluded area by the river deeper into the forest. But that meant that by the time you reached your destination, sweat had begun to stain your dark yukata. Maroon was not a good color in the heat, no matter how much you liked the color.

“At last,” you sighed, flopping down on the grass beneath a dappled shade of a tree.

“Tell me why we like to go here when we have a perfectly good beach at a much shorter distance?” Ginko sighed as he set down the basket.

“We’d roast alive if we went out there in this sun,” Adashino replied.

You sat up, sharp eyes scanning the water and spotting the almost imperceptible flickers of scales underneath the surface. A sharp grin spread over your face as you stood up, pulling up your sleeves and rolling them back. “Water’s shallower here and the fishes like to stay in the coverage. I can catch them easier.”

Closing your eyes, you took a deep breath, sighing out deeply as your fingers came up to press over the lids of your eyes. The telltale smell of ozone filled the air as your magic activated. For a moment, your full visage was revealed and you heard Ginko and Adashino shifting behind you. Black fox ears flashed into existence, hung low on either side of your head, a flicker of unearthliness surrounding you. Then they disappeared. With any other person you would not have allowed the thought of letting your true appearance show, but your trust in the two males was unshakable. You knew there was nothing that would make them betray your trust out of their own free will.

A moment passed and then you took your fingers away from your eyes, turning around to blink at the two as the golden glow faded away from your eyes. 

“Everyone okay?”

“What did you use your magic for?” Ginko asked.

You kicked your sandals off. “To keep the debris out of my eyes.”

Keeping an eye on the river in front of you, you began stepping into the cool flowing waters. Before you can get far, your shoulder was grabbed and you jolted.

“Wait.”

Ginko had walked in after you, his face serious. A single, piercing green eye looked into yours.

You tilted your head. “Yes?”

“How are you sure it’s safe?”

Realizing his concern for what it was, you relaxed and gave him an easy smile, hand raising up to pat the one on your shoulder. “I’ve gone into this part of the river before during worse conditions. In fact, this part is one of the safest areas of the river, I made sure of it before showing it to you guys.”

You had met a local river yokai around here to help it save some of the members of its family. A grateful family, a game of stone skipping, and a favor later ensured that this area would be in their blessing and be safe for you and those you brought with you.

Despite your reassurances, his eyes roved over the still surface behind you. “Hm.”

“I’ll be fine, Ginko. I’m a very good swimmer,” you said, patient with him as you shared a look with Adashino. Though you weren’t there for the event itself, you had arrived just days after the event with the Suiko had gone down and had heard Io’s story in its entirety. The race to catch a girl who swam with the swamp and bountiful fish that lasted till this day. You were also there in the aftermath with Adashino, seeing Ginko’s haunted looks as he regarded the waters around him.

No matter how hard he tried, he could not hide his demons from one who was considered a half-demon too.

“If anything happens, I’ll shout for you alright? I won’t go far.”

“We can stick in the shallows, Ginko. Just in case,” Adashino said from his spot leaning up against the tree. “There isn’t anything large in these waters so we’ll be the most dangerous fish around.”

Ginko finally let go of you, sighing. “Be careful.”

You short him a reassuring grin, turning to wade deeper into the water. Your dark yukata spread out around you, wine red against the sparkling water. Behind you, you heard the two splashing around against the shore, but they did not follow you. Slowly, the water rose to waist level, and then a bit more. You went out until you reached the middle of the river, treading water as you turned around.

“I’m going down now. Get the basket ready!”

There was an affirmative call and you waited until you saw Adashino fetch the item, giving you a nod from across the bank. Giving the two males a wave, you took a deep breath and dove under the water.

The world silenced, cutting away into the dull, muffled noise of water rushing overhead. You drifted in the peace for a moment before opening your eyes.

Another world greeted you, blue-tinted and sparkling with sunbeams filtering down from above. It fluttered with the creatures down here, a dance of life.

You wondered if this was what Ginko saw when he talked of the Koumyaku, the glittering, living river of light.

A silver streak flashed by the corner of your vision and you snapped your head to it. A school of fish, unaware of the danger now within their mist. A slow grin stretched across your face, teeth losing their human flatness as your heart picked up in anticipation of the hunt. 

Thank you for this offering.

Like the silt of the river, your illusion slipped away in the flowing streams of the water. Your dark form sliced through the water, chasing after the fish. Nails, too sharp to belong to a normal human, swiped at glittering, silver-scaled bodies and snatched them up faster than they could react. Once you hand a handful of squirming fish by the tails, you shot off towards the bank. Surfacing with a gasp and a splash, you waved at them with the fish dangling from your grip.

“Hey! I got them!”

“Bring them in!”

You began kicking off towards the pair, slower now that you had to rely mostly on your legs. Adashino and Ginko began wading out to meet you too and a brilliant idea hit you. As your toes touched the bottom of the river, you reared back a fish in hand as the remainings were moved to your other one.

“Catch!”

Adashino’s eyes widened as the fish went sailing through the air. He yelped, lunging forward with his basket to let the fish flop down into it. Thankfully, Ginko’s hand snapped out to grab him by the back of Adashino’s yukata and his quick action prevented the dark-haired man and the fish from toppling down into the water. But unfortunately, that still soaked the entire front of his clothes

Adashino glared at you, front of his blue yukata now dripping. “Hey!”

“Oops–Sorry!” You laughed, totally unrepentant as you waded closer. The rest of the fish–thankfully–was gently placed into the basket. You faced both of them, hands on your hips as you regarded the pair. “It’s only a bit of water, y’know. It’ll help you cool off more if anything.” 

A drop of water trailed down your face from your dripping wet hair right after that statement.

“Yeah, yeah,” Adashino grumbled as he moved to hang the basket from the branches so it could trail in the water. That freed up his hands to fix his water-laden yukata, futilely wringing the fabric.

“Heh, heh. You can’t deny it does feel nicer though…” You turned to Ginko, who immediately picked up the shift in your person.

His lidded eye widened, taking a step back.

You launched at him, hands outstretched and water spraying out behind you as you splashed toward the male.

“Hey, hey, hey, hey leave me alone—”

“Adashino catch him! He’s the driest out of all of us!!”

“Adashino don’t you dare.”

Your bright laughter and splashing filled the air as the three off you ran around the quiet alcove meant just for you three and you were grateful to have another day like this with them.

[shmothman]

heart-tell

Pairing: Ginko/Reader Rating: Explicit (18+ only) Words: 9624 Read on AO3

Summary: In the end, it’s—as it so often is—curiosity that kills the cat. The rumors were just too intriguing to resist: a village where, for years, too many women have been having babies every winter, where the population boom is unprecedented and the town is beginning to crumble under the weight of too many children. A passing merchant had shared the gossip, and Ginko had gotten that look he gets—a worried set to his mouth and brow; a slight glimmer of interest in his bright green eye.

[nyx-b-log]

really got back into manga this week so that's most of what's here!

finished maurice and yeah i don't think this was for me. the ending sort of redeemed it a bit (the conversation with clive at least) but i struggled to get into maurice as a character which really hampered my enjoyment of it. ah well.

in a complete change of tone i'm about a third of the way through ninefox gambit by yoon ha lee, a political military sci-fi about a disgraced captain enlisting the help of a former commander who went mad, going to deal with a key space station which has been taken over by 'heretics'. i'm really enjoying it so far, the characters and world are interesting and i'm looking forward to seeing how it all turns out! it's light on the explanation and heavy on the jargon which can occasionally cause problems but i'm happy to learn as i go so it's fine by me!

for manga, i read all four volumes of my husband's brother (otouto no otto) which was fantastic. vol 1 was a reread and the rest were new to me. i binged it over three days and got a little emotional at the end cos i wasn't ready to say goodbye to the characters. it has its issues but if you're looking for a fundamentally wholesome slice of life story featuring well-written children, great art, and that features queer themes, this is the series for you. content warnings for homophobia, grief and death in general, plus mentions of divorce and unhappy marriage.

i also finally got around to reading the mushishi bonus story (日蝕む翳, the shadow that devours the sun), which i thoroughly enjoyed. it features messy sibling relationships and eclipses (both lunar and solar), what's not to love? there doesn't seem to be an official english translation anywhere i could find but if you can get your hands on it and you're familiar with the rest of the series i'd very much recommend it.

my loan for orlando by virginia woolf came in from the library but i've not started it yet. we'll see how that goes!

will update again next week!

[inu-sunset]

thinkin of a dunmeshi post!canon series of episodic oneshots written in the style of mushishi, featuring a world-traveling falin who exorcises spirits through a combination of Special Interest Spirit Facts, and hyperempathic compassion, offering solace, invitation, and patience in place of attack and banishment. she extends her services as final witness, historiographer, and psychopomp to all the souls tethered by the words they couldn't say - and in exchange collects the experiences, stories, and tidbits of knowledge that would've otherwise been lost

and then, she goes home to wife and gravekeeper marcille, who adds all the stories and soul-memories that falin collects to a growing library, a shrine of texts that marcille tends to, both as student and mourner. a post!canon marcille who - instead of fleeing death and its reminders - stands in it and with it, sentry to the many death cycles she knows she's going to weather over her lifespan. a reverent collector of stories and dutiful keeper of headstones, she honors the dead and grants them a beam of immortality through her care

[doyouknowthischaracter]

You've been asked before about 2 weeks ago, but I'm wondering if, with the new submissions, there's any new characters who've been sent in more than once (Hopefully by multiple people). Are there any who've been submitted more than twice now

For reference, I'm not going to list the ones that were repeated in previous submission batches, unless they show up again with the latest one, in which case they'll be added to the overall count. Previous list here if anyone's interested.

Let's see:

Ronan Lynch, The Raven Cycle x3

Monkey D. Luffy, One Piece x3

Sans, Undertale x3

Jessica Fletcher, Murder, She Wrote x3

Five Pebbles, Rain World x3

Crowley, Good Omens x3

Granny Weatherwax, Discworld x3

G'raha Tia, Final Fantasy XIV x3

Sam Vimes, Discworld x3

Haruhi Suzumiya, The Meloncholy of Haruhi Suzumiya x3

Murderbot, Murderbot Diaries x3

Captain Jack Harkness, Doctor Who / Torchwood x2

Data, Star Trek x2

Link, The Legend of Zelda x2

Tsukino Usagi, Sailor Moon x2

Eileen the Crow, Bloodborne x2

Zagreus, Hades x2

Olivia Dunham, Fringe x2

Jane Doe, Ride the Cyclone x2

Sylvain Jose Gautier, Fire Emblem: Three Houses x2

Mollymauk Tealeaf, Critical Role x2

Wallace Wells, Scott Pilgrim x2

Daan, Fear and Hunger: Termina x2

Alphinaud Leveilleur, Final Fantasy XIV x2

Nanami Kiryuu, Revolutionary Girl Utena x2

Gladion, Pokemon x2

Sylvanas Windrunner, World of Warcraft x2

Leo Fitz, Agents of Shield x2

Francis Crozier, The Terror x2

Maedhros, The Silmarillion x2

Vergil, Devil May Cry x2

Alex, Oxenfree x2

Tsume, Wolf's Rain x2

Niko, OneShot x2

Halt O'Carrick, Ranger's Apprentice x2

Dirk Gently, Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency x2

Qifrey, Witch Hat Atelier x2

Schmendrick, The Last Unicorn x2

Pamitha Theyn, Pyre x2

Dracula, Dracula x2

Gideon Nav, The Locked Tomb x2

The Audio Tour Guide, The Mistholme Museum of Mystery, Morbidity, and Mortality x2

N, Pokemon x2

Ginko, Mushishi x2

Hawkeye Pierce, M*A*S*H x2

Merlin, BBC Merlin x2

Vislor Turlough, Doctor Who x2

Roronoa Zoro, One Piece x2

Ishigami Senku, Dr. Stone x2

The Little Prince, The Little Prince x2

Soren, Fire Emblem x2

Blindspot, Marvel Comics x2

Tahu, Bionicle x2

Luo Binghe, The Scum Villain's Self-Saving System x2

Hercule Poirot, books by Agatha Christie x2

Sakura Kinomoto, Cardcaptor Sakura x2

Beatrice, Umineko x2

Jerome Valeska, Gotham x2

Klaus Hargreeves, The Umbrella Academy x2

Abed Nadir, Community x2

Dick Grayson, DC Comics x2

Dante Sparda, Devil May Cry x2

Utena Tenjou, Revolutionary Girl Utena x2

Johan Liebert, Monster x2

Siffrin, In Stars and Time x2

Foo Fighters, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure x2

Snufkin, Moomins x2

Mae Borowski, Night in the Woods x2

Haruhi Fujioka, Ouran High School Host Club x2

Anders, Dragon Age x2

Wen Kexing, Faraway Wanderers x2

Hopefully, I didn't miss any! You'll see some of these sooner rather than later as they're already in the queue, and a couple have already been posted before.

[semi-imaginary-place]

is there anything out there like Houseki no Kuni?

Short answer: no.

Depends on what you like about the series but you can try Ichikawa's other manga/oneshots I particularly like Uta to Mushi (Songs and Insects). If you want more dense philosophical deep dives that require PhDs to parse there's Ergo Proxy and Serial Experiments Lain. Atmospherically maybe try Mushishi, the Makoto Shinkai films. Princess Mononoke and Uchouten Kazoku kinda fit. Also the anime Mononoke for something similarly esoteric and aesthetically focused. Wolf's Rain could be another good fit, atmospherically stark there's fights and travelling but it's not a battle manga it's a serious discussion about humanity. Pluto is a manga about what it means to be human though robots learning to hate. If you want battle manga with Buddhism references most battle shounen fit actually from Naruto to Jujutsu Kaisen but these are much less dense and simpler than HnK. Tokyo Ghoul is a mess of a story like the plot falls apart but it's also about the main character's psychological descent.

But the closest fit for me isn't an anime/manga it's a videogame called Nier:Replicant that is similarly subverse with expectations, both are very existential and have memorable characters.

[silvercrane14]

Kaguya-Sama: Love Is War - two students are in love with eachother but refuse to "lose" and admit their feelings. Instead, they have increasingly convoluted plans to get the other to confess.

Okay I will admit. this Is a romance and also ive only seen the anime. So actually this would fall more under anime recs bcs the english dub voice acting is AMAZING. Anyway tho its a comedy that I really enjoy. Its about romance but like. Idk I dont read/watch romance often so I cant say "its not like the standard romance plot". But its less about them Falling In Love and more about them Overthinking Everything And Being Silly. ALSO !! tho it takes a bit, it does go into the characters a lot. Very centred on the characters relationships !! Not just romantically between the main two, but in general.

Why I think you would like it: similar in "vibe" to nozaki-kun. Funny!! But it has its moments of seriousness and it understands its characters well.

Mushishi - Eye Have Not Read This im sorry 🙏 i havent even seen the anime so I dont actually know much about it but ive been recced it so many times I figure I should pass it to you.

If u like Natsume's Book of Friends you'll enjoy this. Genuinely I think this is my strongest rec for you on this list even tho I've never seen it. I really do think u wld enjoy 👍

Insomniacs After School - IM REALLY SORRY I HAVENT READ THIS ONE EITHER. I HAVE IT KN GOOD AUTHORITY U WOULD LIKE IT I JUST CANT GUVE ANY DETAILS. BCS IDK REALLY.

"Two young teens who can't sleep find companionship with each other. They must learn to overcome any challenges and figure out what's important to them."

Why I think you would like it: Ive heard its similar to Skip to Loafer in a way!!

Girls Last Tour - Two young girls explore a post-apocolyptic wasteland. They go through abandoned buildings and old towns in their journey, battling solitude eith only eachother

This one is a little sad. More likeeee. Meloncholy, yk? I dont have much to say about it. Very good manga.

Why I think you would like it: The character relationship between the two girls seems like something you would enjoy.

Look Back - to be super honest its been over a year since I read this I dont fully remember what happens. Theres this girl wjo draws comics for her elementary school newsletter. Shes funny so every1 really likes her and her comics. at some point another comic appears, but its actually just four panels of background art. Its so beautifully drawn that the other students begin to fawn over it. Angry kver her loss of attention, the first girl goes to meet the girl making these new comics (The background girl doesnt go to school, she works at home). Thr end up becoming friends and the story shows how their friendship develops and changes, growing closer and growing further apart.

The manga is p short for. a manga but its actually just a Really Long oneshot. Its rlly good. not much else to say.

Why I think you would like it: Very similar to Blue Period. About art and how it reflects people. Also very strongly driven by the relationship between the two girls.

The Girl From The Other Side - ive been typing so much i really cant give a whole review on this. Similar to WHA. kinda. beautiful art. read it u will enjoy it

Kaguya-sama I watched the first two seasons of! Maybe I should read the manga too, I did think it was fun

Mushishi I watched maybe the first episode of, but I should definitely try again,,, I don't remember anything about it lol

I've read Insomniacs After School!!! I'm definitely not caught up though, and I've been planning on watching the anime,,,

Girls Last Tour I,,, might have seen? At least part of it a long time ago. I'll have to rewatch/read the manga

Look Back sounds really interesting,,, I'll check that one out!!!

I'm actually reading The Girl from the Other Side in Portuguese rn lol I have volumes 1-5 on my shelf

[deadmanscity-writing]

Requests for fanfiction: OPEN

About Fanfiction:

Rules:

Please be specific about the request, as well as what season/event you want the oneshot/drabble to be set in.

I will do fluff, angst. No spice/smut.

Characters canonly 14 and below will only be platonic.

Characters that are 15+ will only be platonic/romantic.

If a character you are wanting is not on this list feel free to go ahead and submit a request for them, as well as an alternate that is on the list just in case.

How to submit a request is either through the "Requests/Asks" or DM/PM

Fandoms/characters I write for under the cut

My Hero academia

Tamaki Amajiki

Mirio Togata

Shota Aizawa

Hawks/Keigo

Hitoshi Shinso

Deku/Izuku Midoriya

Hanta Sero

Mezu Shoji

Tsuyu Asui

Kyoka Jiro

Mina Ashido

Eijiro Kirishima

FatGum

Haikyuu

Shoyo Hinata

Kenma Kozume

Testurou Kuro

Coach Ukai

Koushi Sagawara

Yū Nishinoya

Asahi Azumane

Keiji Akaashi

Yaku Morisuke

No Guns Life

Juzo Inui

Magi: the labyrinth of magic

Alibaba

Margiana/Marg

Sinbad

Ja'far

Masrur

Sharkkan

Judal

Spartos

Magi: The Adventures of Sinbad

Sinbad

Mystras Leoxses

Vittel

Yunan

Helluva boss

Blitzø

Loona

Stolas

Octavia

Verosika

Stranger things (specify season)

Robin Buckley

Gareth Emerson

Eddie Munson

Steve Harrington

Hunter X Hunter

Gon Freecs

Killua Zoldyck

Illumi Zoldyck

Shalnark

Chrollo Lucifer

Kurapika

Leorio

Kite

Ging

K Project

Misaki Yata

Mikoto Suoh

Yashiro Isana

Oshi no ko

Aqua/Aquamarine Hoshino

MushiShi

Ginko

The Case Study of Vanitas

Vanitas

Noé

Roland

The Great Pretender

Makoto Edamura

Laurent Theirry

Abby/Abigail

Vinland saga

Canute (season one and two)

Thofinn (season one and two)

Enar

Snake

BNA: brand new animal

Shirou Ogami

Soul Eater

Black Star

Soul

Death the Kid

Demon Slayer

Tanjiro Kamado Inosuke Hashibira Genya Shinazugawa Giyu Tomioka Kyōjurō Rengoku Tengen Uzui

Hotaru Haganezuka

Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead

Akira Tendo Kenichiro Ryuzaki Higurashi Kanta Shizuka Mikazuki

Wind Breaker

Jo Togame Haruka Sakura Hajime Umemiya Hayato Suō Kyōtarō Sugishita Akihiko Nirei

Death Note

L Lawliet Light Yagami Touta Matsuda

Delicious in Dungeon/Dungeon Meshi

Namari Laios Marcille Shenshi Chilchuck Kabru

Jujutsu Kaisen

Gojo Satoru

Geto Sugurh

Kento Nanami

Megumi Fushiguro

Nabara Kugisaki

Yuji Itadori

Maki Zenin

Toge Inunaki

Yuta Okkostu

Ino Takuma

[captorcorp]

Katya's Blorbo Poll Announcement! (STATUS: Round 1 voting open!)

Ok here's the silly little poll I've been thinking of setting up - if you don't want to see posts about it, please block the tag "#katya's blorbo poll' (got 6 votes for tagging it vs 4 for making a separate blog so...)

We have 16 candidates for #1 blorbo of all time, all of which are characters that I like to rotate in my mind. This poll was vaguely seeded, but mostly based on vibes, how important the characters are to me, and characters that I would feel bad disqualifying instantly lol (it's all for fun dw about poll integrity)

Vote for the character that you prefer out of each poll, or the one that you think is the most iconic favorite of mine, or just whoever you want to win!

Each round will last 1 day and new polls will be posted as soon as the previous polls close (probably. may be slightly late sometimes idk). The first round will start at 8pm EDT tomorrow (12am UTC). I won't reblog the polls again once they're started, but another summary bracket will be posted after the results of each round.

Have fun and remember this is just an excuse to make you all look at my little guys :)

Bracket links and character sources under the break:

Round 1:

Sho Minamimoto (The World Ends With You) vs Envy (Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood)

The Prisoner (Outer Wilds: Echoes of the Eye) vs The Wanderer (Genshin Impact)

Meowth (Pokemon) vs C.Q. Cumber (Splatoon)

Gardevoir (Pokemon) vs Aiba (AI: The Somnium Files)

Noa Kaiba (Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters) vs The World Machine (OneShot)

Ginko (Mushishi) vs Koharu Hondomachi (Id: Invaded)

Strawberry Crepe Cookie (Cookie Run Kingdom) vs Mary (Ib)

Redd (Animal Crossing) vs Tabby (Animal Crossing)

[vixvaporub]

What 3 mangas are you currently reading?

What 3 mangas that recently finished was in awe of ?

The main manga I'm currently reading are fruits basket, apothecary diaries, and mushishi. I'm reading others, which you can find on my Monday updates link on my pinned post.

My first pick for manga I'm in awe is definitely children of the whales. I was so pleasantly surprised with how good the story is and the art is beautiful. I finished Happiness a little bit ago and that was a really fun read and loved the Van Gogh references in that manga. For my final pick I will Tropic of the Sea cause I liked the message it had and that it had mermaids. And for a bonus two oneshots I recently enjoyed are ano lemon kajitte and bakemono recchan.

[star-spacer]

Parts of a Whole

Ok I regret starting a new writing blog during what's probably one of the busiest periods of my life but yolo

Adashino x reader x Ginko (Platonic/romantic friendly)

For as close as you are to someone, sometimes there are some minor hiccups.

If someone were to ask you, you would say that Adashino was the day and Ginko was the night.

Someone less familiar with hem would look at their physical features and say otherwise, but you knew differently.

Adashino was the ever-reliable sun, a constant never wavering and never changing. His medicine may have felt too warm at times, but it burned off the sick. Ginko was the soothing balm of the moonlight’s hand caressing your cheek. Sometimes his medicine nipped at you with a biting cold, but it chased away the crawling maladies and kept them away.

Either way, you don’t think you would have been the same without them by your side. Conversely to the laws of nature, your world revolved around them, even though they might not know it. Kitsunes were known to be solitary Yokais, but to them, family was one of the most important things. That was a trait that you shared in both of your bloodlines, the trait that your parents imparted to you before their passing. And Adashino and Ginko were your family, even though you never told them so. And that put them on a pedestal far above anybody else.

(There wasn’t anybody else, but you were terrified to admit it, terrified of the implications of that.)

That’s why you let them get away with too much, sometimes.

Like smoking cigarettes that were mildly toxic to you. Mildly. Supposedly.

But based on the wracking coughs hitting you now, and the arrays of other symptoms, whatever the seller put into this new blend was a little more than mildly toxic.

“Ginko,” you managed through your growing headache, suppressing a dry heave. “Put that thing out right now or–hrk–you’re going to be cleaning up my sick from all over our sleeping spot.”

“Hm?” Ginko’s half-lidded gaze locked onto your sweaty face and his eyes widened, immediately leaning forward to stub out his smoke in the tray. “Oh.”

Adashino stepped into the room at that moment, arms full of bedding. He took a moment to sniff the air. “I know that smell anywhere. Why is it worse than usual??”

His voice sent a pulse of pain through your head and you wince, exhaling slowly as a wheeze rattled your chest.

Your white-haired friend silently draped a rag over the ashtray, stifling the smoldering embers despite the smoke already in the air. “I tried this new tobacco blend.”

“I-It’s bad.” You tried to get to your feet, only managing to get to your knees before the nausea stopped you.

Adashino gave a long-suffering sigh. “Oh for goodness’s sake, I thought I told you–Wait there.”

He stepped back out of sight for a few moments and then returned, arms empty of the bedding, presumably to keep the smoke from seeping into it. Raking a hand through his hair, he kneeled down to help you to your feet as you struggled to take a full breath. 

Ginko was as apologetic as you’ve ever seen him, hand reaching out to you before he caught himself and pulled back. Already, you could see him withdrawing from you, pulling away from everyone and preparing to flee.  “I didn’t realize how much more potent this new blend was. If I knew I wouldn’t have used it.”

No…

“I told you to stop testing them out inside and before bed,” Adashino grumbled, sharper than intended as he focused on trying to get you to your feet without throwing up dinner.

Please don’t fight…

“Stop it,” you mumbled. 

Adashino realized that the other man was closing himself up and quickly acted to amend things before he could physically run away. “Ginko stay there, I’ll be right back.”

With his help, you managed to hobble your way outside to the cool night air without making a mess all over Adashino’s wooden floors. The man gingerly sat you down on the engawa and–after a moment of double-checking–moved back inside. There was a dull mutter in the background as you focused on taking deep breaths, closing your eyes to try to ease the headache. Now in the open, the clear air did wonders for your symptoms, lungs able to work fully without the smoke wrapping around them. The sliding door was left open but thankfully you were settled far enough to be unaffected as the room aired out. 

It was no sooner that your symptoms subsded when Adashino reappeared. He offered an arm that you eagerly latched onto, still a bit shaky. His presence brought back the warmth into your body that you didn’t realize had seeped out of you body.

“Futon’s ready,” he said airily. “I forced Ginko to beat the smoke out of the sheets, change his clothes, and get new sheets. The room’s been aired too.”

“Did you two make up?” You asked hoarsely.

The man paused, taking off his monocle to wipe it down. “Yeah. I didn’t mean to be so harsh with him. We talked it out though. Safe to say there will be no more smoking inside the house. And all the sheets were changed.”

True to Adashino’s earlier words, three new futons were rolled out in the middle of the floor, pushed closer to the doors than where they usually were. Thanks to the fact that the three of you were spreading out over the large front room of him adobe, there was plenty of space to go around instead of the bedrooms. You gratefully plopped into the nearest one and pulled the blanket up into your lap while Adashino went to move the lit lantern away.

(You don’t know when it started being a regular thing, the three of your piling together in Adashino’s large greeting room, waking up in the morning to find one person or another sprawled all over the place. But what you did know that you slept easier with them by your side when you were here.)

As Ginko stepped back into the room in a pair of Adashino’s sleep clothes instead of his, the fringes of his bangs weightened down by water and dripping onto the clothes. He paused upon seeing you and Adashino, remaining right by the doorway.

Adashino was the first to speak. “Ginko you’re back–why is your hair wet?”

“I washed myself.”

You frowned. “But I thought we used up all the heated water?”

“We did. I just used our regular water.”

You could hear Adashino’s patience getting ready to snap. “I-It’s cold! You might get sick!”

“If I have to end up taking care of the both of you for being ill, I will break out the most bitter blend I have to treat you,” the doctor grumbled, putting out the lantern and walking over to drag Ginko to the futons by the collar of the man’s borrowed shirt.

You yawned placidly and shuffled over as Ginko settled into the futon next to yours. “Are you feeling better now?” The man murmured.

“Yep,” you replied, easing back on your back as your friend was too. “Thankfully, my symptoms cleared up pretty quickly after the smoke got cleared out.”

Adashino pulled the sliding doors closed, shutting out the moonlight. In the darkness, your sharp eyes saw him gingerly picking his way over to the last futon on your other side. You closed your eyes, fox ears flicking as you heard him get into bed and lie down.

“I didn’t mean to hurt you,” Ginko murmured.

“I know,” you replied. “You didn’t hurt me.”

“I won’t smoke inside again.”

“I know,” Adashino said. “There are no hard feelings. Go to sleep you two,”

You burrowed deeper into your sheets, banked on either side by the safety of the two you knew best. A final yawn left you as sleepiness finally seeped back in to your body.

“Good night you two,” you mumbled.

“Good night.”

“Night.”

A sleepy smile stretched over your lips and it remained there as rest finally claimed you. Yes, Adashino was your day and Ginko your night, and life wouldn’t be whole without them by your side.

[simpleidiotpsychic]

MP100 Fic Recs Batch! (lots of Serirei cough)

I wanted to start doing some fanfic recs as I read more of my giant tbr stash on AO3. So for anybody who might be interested, have some random good shit in no particular order:

To Be Victorious by KatyaTalks (Oneshot, 7k)

A gorgeous fic for Serizawa week focused on his relationship with his mother through his shut-in years and beyond. With a dash of serirei as well.

Fic summary: In the early hours of the 13th of May, 1981, Serizawa Katsuya enters the world at the below average weight of 2.4 kilograms. His mother holds him in her arms, whispering him promises of a future filled with more love than he’ll know what to do with. Just over a decade later, it’s hard to find proof he ever existed.

Reprieve by Mavery (Oneshot, 6k)

An old one that’s one of my favorites. Serirei. Reigen’s ghost appears at Spirits and Such after an exorcism gone wrong. (Happy ending)

Fic summary: Reigen’s alone when a routine job spirals out of control. Things change. Permanently.

Serizawa Katsuya vs. the World by sofia_estrella (Completed, 7k)

Another classic serirei fic imo. The summary says it all: Anyone who wants to date Reigen has to win over an army of protective children first.

Homebound by polite_smile (WIP, 3k)

AU where Mob and Reigen are the ones to bring Serizawa out of his house and back into society. I really enjoy the characterization of Reigen in this one and the realism of Serizawa’s agoraphobia. It hasn’t updated in awhile but it’s still worth reading for some very tasty morsels imo!

Snowfall by missydogblog (WIP, 10k)

A very mystical AU that the writer describes as sort of a Mushishi vibe and honestly that’s the feeling of it exactly and I love it. Serirei but a lot of focus on Serizawa’s character, introspection, and just such a cool atmosphere.

Fic summary: A very long time ago Serizawa Katsuya made the decision that it would be best for everyone if he stayed at his family home in the mountains, where he could keep his powers under control. Even if it hurt, even if the loneliness crushed him tighter each day, he was consoled in the knowledge that no one would bother him, and he wouldn’t bother anyone in return.

Serizawa didn’t really have much of a choice when a bizarre stranger showed up on his doorstep one afternoon.

Abroad by sofia_estrella & lubbun (WIP, 4k)

MORE SERIREI. Serizawa goes abroad and he and Reigen become texting buddies. Pining ensues.

Fic summary: “I’ll bring something back for you,” Serizawa promised. Reigen wrinkled his nose and shook his head. “Just send me a picture of everything you eat, and I’ll be happy.”

Food pictures led into light chatting, and now, three weeks into Serizawa’s trip, they’ve spoken every single day, often keeping the conversation going from breakfast until well after dinner. Reigen’s spent many nights, laying in bed, phone screen illuminating his face, as he waits for Serizawa’s next message.

Spaceman by boatkaptain (Oneshot, 1k)

Dimple and Reigen discuss death after Reigen has a near death experience. Really thoughtful exploration. TW for implied references to suicide.

Fic summary: Reigen discusses the prospect of death with a familiar stranger.

[suudonym]

I don't know if your still interested in ideas, so if you aren't, please feel free to ignore this! Anyway, Karamatsu one day falls off the roof/some other mundane thing at the wrong time and gets marked by mistake by some kind of spirit (or, if you read mushishi, mushi are even better!). He can now see the other side to the world he lives in; at the beginning, it's K. dealing with this stuff and his brother wondering what he's doing, then it gets more serious the more he knows about the mark

mmmmmmmm you know there’s something appealing in the concept of being able to see things that others can’t... maybe add in something involving reflections in mirrors....... or maybe not, karamatsu + spirits + mirrors sounds kinda familiar, I may have actually read something with that combination before

when you mention mushishi - I watched the anime uhhhh a long time ago so I only really remember the premise rather than specific episode plots - but it makes me think that it’d be neat in that same episodic format that mushishi had, so instead of one multi-chaptered story about karamatsu it becomes six oneshots about each of the sextuplets. possibly more if adding in side characters too? you do run into the problem in that style though of needing a character like mm what was his name... the main character of mushishi. yknow, someone to resolve things. guess you could go with an oc or even an outright crossover

[disarmingly]

masterlist.

[ on ao3 ] ***i was asked by multiple people to compile a masterlist. i tried. i might be missing some things. likewise let me know if any links are wrong or do not work. i tried hard to be careful but OTL ;_; ahhh please note all relevant tags are through the ao3 links from angst to fluff to death warnings so please be sure to read those first. as always, thanks for stopping by. it means a lot! ;; <3

... .- ...- . -- .

( art 1, 2, 3 <3 ) ( art 1 <3 ) ( art 1 ) ( mood board <3 ) ( mood board  <3 ) ( etc )

lonely lonely lonely whale. or: all your stars are my stars too.  (the space au that came from three representations of rain and a longstanding obsession with the idea that the worth of your life can be found always, always in the love you give, the love you receive, and the love that’s there long after.)

][ yoonkook & namjoon, platonic namgi and namkook as well

always

once upon a time, there was a boy who lived at the end of the universe. (for @xiajin )

][ yoonkook 

and back again

slice of life story where the hardest part of growing up is sometimes not being grown up --- and all the yielding that goes along with it. luckily enough, friends will wait for you. this much, jungkook knows. ][ yoonkook

balancing act

that loveless au oneshot. telepathic. empathic. not all happy endings feel as good as we hope, but we take what we can get; don’t we? ][ yoonkook

begin

on hard times with good people. or: it’s okay to not be okay. here and there. now and then. ][ yoonkook

below zero

depression isn’t a call to arms. it’s a shadow in the heart, there all the time, even in the light; especially in the light. you don’t live around it. you live with it. ][ yoonkook

call and answer

( art  <3 ) yoongi the insomniac + jungkook the insomnia call-center rep. (the slowburn strangers to lifelines to friends au that came from the idea that help can be found in unlikely places and also the idea that resolution for the past is something that we long for even while our lives move forward.) ][ yoonkook

catch-all drabbles  ][ yoonkook thus far

dearly beloved some magic is real. (you, me, and the sea.) ][ minjoon

doggone

jungkook suggests a dog shelter. yoongi is confused until he’s not. ][ yoonkook

ellipse

yoongi study. analogies galore. no ship. in short: his mixtape destroyed me thank you good night.

eventually

by the sea by the beautiful sea (hyyh)

][ yoonkook

fall down lightly

half-vampire yoongi and human jungkook live together and it’s all alright until it’s not.  (the domestic vampire and human au whose back-story was never supposed to take over the actual plot but it did and i really need to update this one....fff) ][ yoonkook

fireside

inu/run insp thing. mostly a lot of waiting to arrive. ][ yoonkook

follow

you know how you feel about your idol? that’s how jeon jungkook feels about kim namjoon.  <3 ][ namkook

going somewhere

for a prompt received thru tumblr, jungkook and taehyung are somewhere between dreams and....everything else. so it seems. ][ taekook implied though what kind is up to interpretation 

homemade

yoongi builds a house.

][ yoonkook

in-betweens

WINGS inspired, cadence sensitive, dark and light. ][ yoonkook

kiss and cry

that au where jungkook is a figure skater, yoongi is a composer, and holly is along for the ride because of course he is. ][ yoonkook

most of all

all in white. (when the people who love you just want you to have what you deserve: anything you want.) ][ yoonkook, unrequited taekook (though tae loves him still, and it’s okay)

nightlight

goblin au with impending liberties taken. largely. ][ namkook

nowhere

small things are big. (inu, run, stigma.) ][ vmon

ocean deep

mermaid kook! but the gang is all here.  ][ implied yoonkook

one thing

what jungkook wants, jungkook thinks he cannot really have. and it hurts. meanwhile, yoongi just wants to see him happy. figures. ][ yoonkook

outro

define real. (a dream is real if you believe it’s so. isn’t it?) ][ yoonkook

reciprocal

there is one thing jungkook must never do. coincidentally, there is just one thing yoongi needs him to do. (hanahaki au + one other thing...)

][ yoonkook

RPOROPROSOAL

another space au with lounge singer jungkook, space salvager yoongi, and others. (written for my mom @xiajin. <3) ][ yoonkook

seagoing

they met jungkook the way most sailors or pirates or whomevers meet sirens. well, part-sirens. they met him through his song.

][ namkook, taekook, jinkook

shoreline

wherein seokjin was once the sea and taehyung was once the land.  (reincarnation in this economy? always.) ][ taejin

sidereal

that vmin PUMA ad + stigma and the subtlest take on LIE imaginable. a story about how growing up doesn’t mean losing everything you were; it means gaining back something you always have been: loved. ][ vmin

slow slong

don’t do over.

do better.   (hyyh, love yourself....etc)

][ yoonkook

so far away mushishi inspired somewhat but mostly inspired by real places and real experiences. where love comes in the form of two things: forgiveness, and time. ][ yoonkook implied but it’s not readily apparent for most of it

( etc )

stardrop

behind every great person is a star. and sometimes, a song. (the prequel to ... .- ...- . -- . ) ][ yoonkook, platonic namgi and namkook

this time around

do you believe in ghosts? (some of it is inspired by xxxholic, and most of it is a world built on reincarnation, sun, stars, moon, and a touch of fairytale. this is the primary one-shot, intended to be understood alongside the supplementary stories in time and again.) ][ yoonkook, namjin (unfulfilled), jihope (technically, though it’s clearer in the other part linked below)

time and again

in this life and the next. (read this time around first.) ][ yoonkook, namjin (unfulfilled), jihope

( etc )

today & tomorrow

extra snippets of the life in the 'kiss & cry' universe. alt: yoongi and jungkook in love. that's pretty much it. (for janicechan)

useful

for you? anything. well, everything. (sort of bnha inspired au)

][ yoonkook

[ on tumblr | drabbles, wips, writing exercises, etc ] 

demon jungkook stumbles into the particular corner of heaven where star gatherer namjoon and star wielder yoongi live (drabble + wip)

in this life and the others -- yoonkook (drabble)

yoongi visits jungkook the one day he can -- yoonkook (character already dead/ ghost, drabble)

blue waves blue roses blue -- yoonkook insp. by bst japan mv (drabble)

hp au verse (wip)

(1) drabble (yoonkook)

(2) drabble (yoonkook)

snowy day --- yoonkook (drabble)

young god namjoon falls in love (in a sense) with a human -- jungkook -- becomes deeply invested in his happiness and thus, meddles where he shouldn’t. involved too: jungkook’s soulmate, min yoongi. (drabble + wip)

starcrossed taejin (drabble + mood board)

runaway heir namjoon on his journey to reclaim his kingdom (wip)

(1) drabble

(2) drabble

(3) drabble

(4) this belongs here too.

beginnings and endings

knight shift -- that thing where i love bat! verse and want to write a good echo of it but the truth is it’s really hard but maybe someday i’ll finish it aha -- yoonkook (drabble + wip)

hands -- yoonkook (drabble)

cursed! verse 

(1) drabble

(2) drabble

married

(1) drabble

(2) drabble

clamp! multiverse! au (drabble + wip)

domestic yoonkook (drabble)

cat lady yoonkook (drabble 1, 2 )

namjoon, reflection insp. drabble -- was going to be a full-length namkook fantasy but as with many things, i am stuck atm ;;

any hurt matters, even small ones -- yoonkook (drabble)

jimin has a nightmare but kook is there for him. (drabble)

back to school fantasy au (drabble)

another space au (drabble)

game show au (drabble 1, 2, 3)

who says i don’t want it? -- yoonkook (drabble)

yoongi wants jungkook to see him how yoongi sees him (drabble)

sleeping beauty au excerpt/drabble ot7

love yourself  -- yoonkook

usakook / bunkook / jungkook has a slight...problem -- yoonkook

yoongi’s parents vetoed lamb skewers. jungkook is disappointed... -- yoonkook

q: who visits genius lab most? a: jungkook. -- yoonkook

radio dj ~suga~ and avid listener jungkook -- yoonkook

*

[tact-and-impulse]

3000th post

1. The Man Who Cleans Up Makeup: Yeseul never cared for her appearance, but after a run-in with a makeup artist who wants her as his model, her opinion starts to change. I don’t like makeup either but this is a good series and I think Yeseul is relatable with her insecurities. The male lead isn’t actually good-looking and shows her from the start, which is a nice twist.

2. The Origin of Love: One snowy day, college senior Kangha runs into her next-door neighbor...who has the misfortune of turning into a frog with the slightest weather changes. The relationships are complex, while avoiding cliches normally found in romantic dramas, and the protagonist is very forthright. Great art, with variation in skin tone and face/body shape. Only complaint is that it’s stopped because the author was sexually harassed, and every now and then I remember and get sooo pissed.

3. Sachi-iro no One Room: This is a kidnapping, and the mangaka honestly deserves major points for story execution. An abused girl agrees to be kidnapped by a masked NEET, who wants to make her happy. But still, it’s a kidnapping. Instead of softening the problematic aspect, the author rubs the discomfort in your face along with the brevity of their happiness and the inevitability that they’ll be caught.

4. Spy x Family: Sometimes, a family can be a loner spy on a top-secret mission, a socially awkward hitwoman, and a little girl with telepathic powers. Basically, the tropes of found family, fake relationship, and parental substitute rolled into one manga. Also, there’s a proposal involving a grenade pin ring and it is totally awesome. Available to read on MangaPlus!

5. Doukyonin wa Hiza, Tokidoki, Atama no Ue: Lately, there’s a lot of scanlated manga about cats and their owners, but I like this one the best, because you get the perspective of both the guy and the cat for each scenario. Also, the guy has solid character development, and I love the cat’s expressions, she’s so cute.

6. Neko ga Nishi Mukya:  A work by the same author as Mushishi. It revolves around the idea of ‘flow’, an emotional disturbance that translates to a physical effect in the surroundings, and a pair of investigators plus a cat who specialize in resolving troublesome instances. I’d definitely consider it the spiritual successor to Mushishi.

7. Kusuriya no Hitorigoto: This drama set in a Chinese imperial court wouldn’t be half as good if it weren’t for the protagonist, a young apothecary who is unfazed by the harem’s shenanigans. And she experiments, even on herself too, isn’t that cool?!

8. Sensei Ha Made Yume no Tochuu: A oneshot about a former teacher who pursued his dream to become an author and is now in a creativity-deprived limbo. Enter one of his last students, who remembered him from ten years ago and turns out to be his new neighbor. The message is pretty simple, but it does ring true. Just a thoughtful short read.

9. Kawaii Hito: Pure fluff between a kind florist with an unfortunate resting scary face and a shy but resolute college student. No love triangles! Healthy communication! Constant adoration of each other! Consummation! And prepare your insulin shots.

10. T-Sensei: Written by a daycare teacher. These 3-year-olds are so precocious, savage, and honestly, smooth. They really do say the darndest (and sweetest) things.

[star-spacer]

Pickled Plums

Adashino x reader x Ginko (can be read as platonic or romantic)

You loved the noise of cicadas in the ripe summer air.

Gravel crunched beneath your sandals as dappled sunlight filtered down from the canopy of green. It was the apex of summer and the forest was ripe and heavy with life and heat. From your peripherals, you could see the glowing forms of the familiar mushi dancing through the air. They were the same types that often frequented the village, a sure sign that your journey was coming to an end. You wondered if Ginko had yet to see them from wherever he was behind you.

The satchel sitting on your hip alongside the pack on your back was a reminder of the gifts wrapped lovingly in twine and leaves. Gifts for Adashino and Ginko both, picked specifically with them in mind as well as the food carefully preserved by a bit of yokai magic and plenty of salt. The thought of rice and Adashino’s pickled radish made you drool, and you had no doubts that Ginko’s endless stomach would appreciate some food as well.

 Cries of seabirds and waves crashing against the shore slowly began to replace cicadas as the forest opened up to show a fishing village in the distance. Your speed picked up, eagerly scattering pebbles at the sight of the clay-shingle roofs. As you passed through the dirt streets, villagers caught sight of you and an excited wind began to catch the sleepy adobes.

Calls of your name began to echo through the air as those living there went out to greet you.

“It’s you!”

“Welcome back!”

“Oho going to see the doctor aren’t we?”

The last one was met with a delighted laugh, your eyes twinkling with mirth at the old man. “Of course! Is he home right now?”

“He should be!” Another woman called, her child waving at you from behind her. “He just finished treating Aoi’s son a little bit ago.”

“Thank you,” you called back gratefully. Turning around to the villagers, you put a finger to your lips and winked. “I think Ginko is arriving soon, don’t tell any of them that I’m here, alright?”

“Cheeky!”

“We won’t,” The old man chuckled. “Good to know all three of you are back in town for a while. We were beginning to wonder when we’d see you two wanderers again.”

You shrugged as your eyes caught sight of a minuscule movement from the alleyway.

“We can never stay for long,” you said. “But we’ll always come back, of course. If you don't mind…” Your head tilted towards the alleyway, indicating your wish to leave.

“Of course!” He guffawed, stepping aside. 

“Here, here!” A man said, shoving an earthenware jar into your arms. “For you all. A thank you to the doctor for treating my little Tsumiki last month.”

“O-Oh thank you so much.” You bowed your head, clutching the clay pot in your arms. “I'll be on my way then.”

“Eager huh? I know how it was when I was your age. Ah, younguns…Always have one place or another to be.”

You brushed past them with a smile and a parting promise. “I’ll come back down to visit later.”

“You better!”

“We’ll be waiting, young lady.”

You threw back a wave, attention focused on the alleyway where you saw it. Stepping into the shade, you stopped to listen for the quiet noise of something moving. Your sharp ears finally picked up something.

There. To your left.

“Here you are, little one,” you murmured crouching down and setting the jar down next to you with a soft ‘thump’. Reaching forward, you cupped the spirit in your palms. There was an offended squeak and the flower yokai opened a bulbous, yellow eye in the middle of its petals. Upon seeing your face, its petals snapped back close with a quiver and another squeak. A nature yokai then.

“Sssh, it’s okay,” you soothed, stroking a finger down its body. It was smooth and lumpy, like one of those sea anemones Ginko showed you on the coast that you both went to once. After a moment, the petals crept back open and the yokai peeked back out, its big watery eye staring back at you. 

You gave it a soft smile and it quivered before wiggling back and forth before unfurling completely.

“There you are…You shouldn’t be here,” you told it. “It’s not safe for you to be here. Come with me and I’ll bring you somewhere safer, alright?”

You put the yokai on your shoulder, where it snuggled into the shoulder of your traveling yukata. You smiled and picked up the jar before setting off again for Adashino’s house at the other edge of the village. There would be nature there, where it could thrive and survive better than the streets of mankind. Yokais like these ones never survived for long in human settlements, dependent on green life to draw their energy source. Without it, they would wither and fade away. You were glad that you came across it when you did.

Slowly, the slope of the road increased as you reached the edge of the village. Yet your speed picked up all the same. Home was so close, you could almost taste it, that house upon the hill with its shelves of artifacts and rosewood-scented halls. 

Brown shingles peeked over the crest of the hill and you grinned, shifting the jar to one arm and placing your free one on the bag at your hip.

“Hang on,” you told the yokai on your shoulder.

An affirmative squeak was given and you broke into a full sprint over the ground, kicking up dust behind your sandals. At the new pace, it took no more than a few minutes to finally reach Adashino’s house. A jump cleared the stones at the foot of his house and you clattered onto the engawa, kicking your sandals off noisily.

“Adashino!!!!!” You yelled, letting your voice echo through the halls.

There was a clatter and someone yelping before Adashino stumbled out from an adjoining hallway, fixing his monocle. “Huh?”

He squinted at you, vision adjusting to the stark sunlight after being inside for so long. After a moment, his eyes widened as it clicked. He said your name sharply.

“You’re back!”

You nodded, shifting the earthenware jar to both your arms and showing it to him as well as the satchel to your side. “And I brought gifts too!”

Adashino tilted his head and moved forward, reaching out to take the vase away from you. “What's all this?” 

Shrugging, you relinquished it to the dark-haired man’s grasp. “Haven’t looked yet. Tsumiki’s father gave it to me just earlier as thanks for you treating her.”

He hummed, lifting the lid and you stuck your head over the opening to peer into it with him. Seeing the sight of green in pickling sauce made you gasp.

“Kyurizuke!”

“Ah… It is cucumber season, after all.”

“This could go really well with some of the stuff you have, Adashino!” You turned to him excitedly. “We should make some food! I also brought back some things too! Ginko should be arriving at the end of the day so maybe we can all eat together.”

“Are you sure this isn’t just a ploy to get into my cabbage stock?” The doctor asked you, raising one eyebrow. He startled as he made eye contact with the yokai on your shoulder, jolting back. “Ah–”

“Oh right!” You chirped. “I saw this yokai on the streets heading here. I’m going to release it near the treeline so it can go back to the forest.”

Adashino sighed, stepping aside and flapping a hand towards the back entrance of the home. “Go on do that then. Leave your bags here. I can get started on lunch.”

You grinned gratefully, carefully singing the bags of your shoulders. “Sounds good!”

“Oh, and stop bringing strays back to my house! I keep on having to redirect them away when you’re not here.”

You laughed and departed for the clearing, bare feet slapping against the warm ground, humming a jaunty tune. The yokai on your shoulder swayed along to your movement as you stepped into the shadows of the trees and kneeled down at the base of one. Your hands came up to move the spirit off your shoulders and it was brought to the front of your face.

It chirped and you smiled, letting out an animal-like coo in return. “Be safe, alright? Don’t wander into the human settlements like today, it’s not good for you.”

Your hand lowered and allowed the yokai to hop off, stubby limbs wiggling happily and it hopped into the underbrush. Just before it completely ducked under the leaves, it turned around to wave at you. You waved back and with a final cry, it turned around and vanished into greenery like it was never there. A moment passed as you stared at that spot with a bittersweet smile. Your job was done, fulfilling your duty as the bridge between yokai and humans once more. Like the others, you would never see it again, but there was solace in the knowledge that it was able to live its existence. With that, you quietly got to your feet and padded away.

***

“Come here help me get all of this onto the tray,” Adashino instructed, jerking his head to the various bowls as he picked up his own wooden board. “You wanted to have all these side dishes so you’re carrying them all. Come on, we’ll set stuff out on the engawa in the front.”

You hefted the plate up in one hand, pilling the dishes onto it easily. “On it.”

Adashino gawked and grumbled as you swept past him easily.

The pair of you made a few more trips before settling down at the edge of the doorway, midway between the engawa and the house. Adashino tugged the rag under the miso soup, moving the whole pot into the middle between you two and you rearranged the rest of the pickle bowls around that, the rice, and the cooked fish.

“Ah, hold on…” You said, leaning over to grab your satchel. You flipped the woven lid up and reached in to withdraw several wrapped packages and set them alongside the food. “I got us some stuff from one of the towns I was at.”

“How long ago was that?”

“Oh don’t worry. You should know that I’m well-versed enough in magic to preserve a little bit of food.”

“What’s this about food without me?”

The both of you perked up at that voice, attention snapping to the edge of the yard where a white-haired man stood.

“Ginko!” Adashino called. “Hey!”

You shot to your feet with another cry of his name, ditching your sandals where they were and launching yourself at him. Ginko grunted as you crashed into him, staggering at the force of your collision.

“Geez,” he grumbled, wheezing as you squeezed him in a hug. “Missed me much?”

The smoke of his mushi warding cigarette tickled your nose and you pulled back, sneezing heavily. However, despite the warding affecting you to some extent, it didn’t stop your face from splitting into a wide grin. “Duh. Come on, put your pack down, and let’s eat. No matter what you think, we were waiting for you.”

Adashino made a sound. “Maybe you should be quicker next time.”

“Hmph.” Ginko took his cigarette out, snubbing it and tossing the butt into the shrubbery to the dark-haired man’s dismay. As you pranced back to where Adashino was sitting, Ginko slung off his traveling case and set it down next to your own bags. He settled down with a groan, relieved to be off his feet after a long day.

As Adashino began to portion out the soup and rice, your deft fingers unknotted the twine trying up your first bundle of food. There was an electric crackle in the air that made both men pause, and a snap as verdant leaves opened to reveal pristine triangles of plump rice.

“Your magic?” Ginko asked as you reached to undo the other bundle.

You nodded. “Just a simple one for these to keep as I traveled back.”

There was a second snap and this time it revealed wrinkly dried fruits, the sour smell of pickled plums wafting up to join the other food odors in the air. Both of them immediately knew what those were and Adashino winced.

“I’m not touching those,” Ginko declared, reaching for one of the rice balls from the first bundle. He took a bite from it, not seeing Adashino trying to stop him. “I know that whatever you brought home, those are not normal umeboshi and–”

His expression deadpanned, lips thinning and eye twitching as the flavor finally hit him. Seeing that, you cracked.

“I tried to stop you…” Adashino sighed while you cackled. “But you weren’t paying attention.”

“I was going to say…” You began, trying to find air between your laughter as you scooped up your own rice ball. “I visited the Valley of the Plums. There was a seasonal shop there known for its intensely sour plums, so I got some to take home.”

A massive bite was taken out of yours, you humming in delight as you finally indulged in the treats after so long. Though you favored the sour flavors the same couldn’t be said for either of the men, who stared at you warily as you ate your rice ball with no reaction.

Adashino, fooled by your lack of response, tentatively reached for one of his own. “It can’t be that bad right…?” He picked it up and brought it closer to inspect it. Like he would one of his mushi items,

“Do it,” Ginko demanded.

The man, fool as he was, gave into his temptations and bit into it. His face puckered up, such a comical expression that sent you into another round of raucous laughter and even sparked Ginko to chuckle too.

“By the gods!” Adashino exclaimed once he got his mouthful down. “People eat this? This should belong on the shelves of my collectibles. Ginko why did you tell me to eat it?”

The said man forced himself to take another bite. “If I have to go through it, so do you. Someone has to go through this with me since this one–” he jerked a thumb to you, innocently sipping your miso soup to wash down your finished rice ball, “–is completely immune to everything.”

You smiled peacefully. “There are just the plain plums too if any of you want to eat them with the rest of the food."

“No way!!”