#crows — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #crows, aggregated by home.social.
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#Airisu: The Crow and the Witch
Okiku (Airisu POV): Post 37
#Wss366 Yellow #TimeTravelAuthors WhateverI hadn’t been able to get her to give up the plan of rescuing Okiku-san, but I convinced her to stay away from Lookback Ridge and the presence there. Instead, she drew a magic circle and the required runes in her garden.
On the chosen night, the full moon shone brightly over the neat rows of herbs in her yard. The plants gave off a faint purplish light that I associated with magical energy. The faint scent of shiso, rosemary, and mugwort hung in the air.
As the hour of the ox arrived, Sumika cast yarrow stalks, said the time was favorable, and stepped out into the moonlight. She began chanting and slowly danced backward, widdershins around the chalked lines. I perched on her shoulder, remaining quiet. Now wasn’t the time for me to be clever.
Gradually, a fog arose, first hiding the garden plants, then the stars, and lastly the house. Only the moon remained, casting a diffuse, silvery light. While all this was happening, the circle began to sparkle, giving off a violet radiance. The mist sang back to us in a woman’s voice. As the singing grew louder, a #yellow flickering glow, like a fire, appeared off to one side.
The voice abruptly ceased singing and spoke. “So he has sent someone after all. Welcome, sister. Join me by my fire where it is warm. We have much to discuss, and my time is short.”
#TootFic #Crows #Otherkin #Fantasy #UrbanFantasy #Serial #SlowBurn #Yuri #Folklore #NMFic #TimeTravel
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#Airisu: The Crow and the Witch
Okiku (Airisu POV): Post 37
#Wss366 Yellow #TimeTravelAuthors WhateverI hadn’t been able to get her to give up the plan of rescuing Okiku-san, but I convinced her to stay away from Lookback Ridge and the presence there. Instead, she drew a magic circle and the required runes in her garden.
On the chosen night, the full moon shone brightly over the neat rows of herbs in her yard. The plants gave off a faint purplish light that I associated with magical energy. The faint scent of shiso, rosemary, and mugwort hung in the air.
As the hour of the ox arrived, Sumika cast yarrow stalks, said the time was favorable, and stepped out into the moonlight. She began chanting and slowly danced backward, widdershins around the chalked lines. I perched on her shoulder, remaining quiet. Now wasn’t the time for me to be clever.
Gradually, a fog arose, first hiding the garden plants, then the stars, and lastly the house. Only the moon remained, casting a diffuse, silvery light. While all this was happening, the circle began to sparkle, giving off a violet radiance. The mist sang back to us in a woman’s voice. As the singing grew louder, a #yellow flickering glow, like a fire, appeared off to one side.
The voice abruptly ceased singing and spoke. “So he has sent someone after all. Welcome, sister. Join me by my fire where it is warm. We have much to discuss, and my time is short.”
#TootFic #Crows #Otherkin #Fantasy #UrbanFantasy #Serial #SlowBurn #Yuri #Folklore #NMFic #TimeTravel
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Went to pick up the spectacles, as by PLAN A; all went well, showed the bloke my repaired specs, got two pairs of specs one for long distance and one for reading only. Both feels weird and not quite right, as I was also given two boxes, they'll stay there until further notice.
On the way back, through the alleys, didn't find anything interesting (*) but at a certain point a bloke was trying to take a snapshot of a brick sampler against a brick wall and asked me to hold it up while he took a shot. Weird.
Then through the park where I stopped to feed the crows, had a bag of dry worms in the bag, as soon as I stopped a couple of dozen of them landed nearby, waiting.
And so it went; closer to base spotted four council vans picking up rubbish, apparently the illegal dumpsters were very active last night and there were piles of rubbish dumped in alleys. Wood, plaster board, rubble. Bandits.
Also forgot to take the lighter so didn't smoke for two and a half hours!! and the trip took the same time as two Zappa albums, Apostrophe and Bongo Fury, which was nice.
Back to base, break, off shortly to the plot to do another brush cutting session at the community allotment which has been taken over by the Komissariat (commitee) which is doing an excellent job.
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In this clip from The Tonearm Podcast, Maria Schneider explains the double meaning behind the title "American Crow"—the bird, whose communal mourning rituals and collective noisiness she finds uncomfortably human, and the act of crowing itself, which she connects to the collapse of listening in contemporary public life.
Don't miss the full conversation on the latest episode of our podcast: https://podcast.thetonearm.com/maria-schneider-composing-in-the-age-of-curated-rage-american-crow/
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Spotted a crow this morning solving what looked like a self-invented puzzle. Just for fun, apparently. Non-human animals are so much more than we give them credit for
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#Airisu: The Crow and the Witch
Okiku (Airisu POV): Post 36
#Wss366 purple #TimeTravelAuthors WhateverI never did figure out a way to tell her this was a bad idea. The allure of a romantic adventure was too strong to overcome with mere words.
Besides, there were some good reasons to cast the spell. It would be interesting. Mistress would be happy. Watching a real-life yuri romance bloom would be entertaining. Disaster lesbian romances were such a fun trope, and Sumika was the epitome of a disaster lesbian. More practically, I supposed all witches had their allies, and Dōken-shin wasn’t the worst. He certainly wasn’t Mephistopheles or a soul-eating shinigami. At least I hoped not.
Preparation took time. She purchased an Edo-style #purple silk kimono, antibiotics (my suggestion), and a map of Himeji Castle. Money was harder to come by. We bought strings of worn Ming cash coins, but a dealer sorting through them dismissed many as modern copies or inappropriate for the era. We made up the difference with small pieces of cut silver. My estimation of Sumika increased. She was still a bubblehead, but she thought through the process, listened to my advice, and spared no effort in preparing.
Then, after she obtained a week off work, we were ready to go.
Edo Japan, here we come!
#TootFic #Crows #Otherkin #Fantasy #UrbanFantasy #Serial #SlowBurn #Yuri #Folklore #NMFic #TimeTravel
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#Airisu: The Crow and the Witch
Okiku (Airisu POV): Post 36
#Wss366 purple #TimeTravelAuthors WhateverI never did figure out a way to tell her this was a bad idea. The allure of a romantic adventure was too strong to overcome with mere words.
Besides, there were some good reasons to cast the spell. It would be interesting. Mistress would be happy. Watching a real-life yuri romance bloom would be entertaining. Disaster lesbian romances were such a fun trope, and Sumika was the epitome of a disaster lesbian. More practically, I supposed all witches had their allies, and Dōken-shin wasn’t the worst. He certainly wasn’t Mephistopheles or a soul-eating shinigami. At least I hoped not.
Preparation took time. She purchased an Edo-style #purple silk kimono, antibiotics (my suggestion), and a map of Himeji Castle. Money was harder to come by. We bought strings of worn Ming cash coins, but a dealer sorting through them dismissed many as modern copies or inappropriate for the era. We made up the difference with small pieces of cut silver. My estimation of Sumika increased. She was still a bubblehead, but she thought through the process, listened to my advice, and spared no effort in preparing.
Then, after she obtained a week off work, we were ready to go.
Edo Japan, here we come!
#TootFic #Crows #Otherkin #Fantasy #UrbanFantasy #Serial #SlowBurn #Yuri #Folklore #NMFic #TimeTravel
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#Airisu: The Crow and the Witch
Okiku (Airisu POV): Post 36
#Wss366 purple #TimeTravelAuthors WhateverI never did figure out a way to tell her this was a bad idea. The allure of a romantic adventure was too strong to overcome with mere words.
Besides, there were some good reasons to cast the spell. It would be interesting. Mistress would be happy. Watching a real-life yuri romance bloom would be entertaining. Disaster lesbian romances were such a fun trope, and Sumika was the epitome of a disaster lesbian. More practically, I supposed all witches had their allies, and Dōken-shin wasn’t the worst. He certainly wasn’t Mephistopheles or a soul-eating shinigami. At least I hoped not.
Preparation took time. She purchased an Edo-style #purple silk kimono, antibiotics (my suggestion), and a map of Himeji Castle. Money was harder to come by. We bought strings of worn Ming cash coins, but a dealer sorting through them dismissed many as modern copies or inappropriate for the era. We made up the difference with small pieces of cut silver. My estimation of Sumika increased. She was still a bubblehead, but she thought through the process, listened to my advice, and spared no effort in preparing.
Then, after she obtained a week off work, we were ready to go.
Edo Japan, here we come!
#TootFic #Crows #Otherkin #Fantasy #UrbanFantasy #Serial #SlowBurn #Yuri #Folklore #NMFic #TimeTravel
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#Airisu: The Crow and the Witch
Okiku (Airisu POV): Post 36
#Wss366 purple #TimeTravelAuthors WhateverI never did figure out a way to tell her this was a bad idea. The allure of a romantic adventure was too strong to overcome with mere words.
Besides, there were some good reasons to cast the spell. It would be interesting. Mistress would be happy. Watching a real-life yuri romance bloom would be entertaining. Disaster lesbian romances were such a fun trope, and Sumika was the epitome of a disaster lesbian. More practically, I supposed all witches had their allies, and Dōken-shin wasn’t the worst. He certainly wasn’t Mephistopheles or a soul-eating shinigami. At least I hoped not.
Preparation took time. She purchased an Edo-style #purple silk kimono, antibiotics (my suggestion), and a map of Himeji Castle. Money was harder to come by. We bought strings of worn Ming cash coins, but a dealer sorting through them dismissed many as modern copies or inappropriate for the era. We made up the difference with small pieces of cut silver. My estimation of Sumika increased. She was still a bubblehead, but she thought through the process, listened to my advice, and spared no effort in preparing.
Then, after she obtained a week off work, we were ready to go.
Edo Japan, here we come!
#TootFic #Crows #Otherkin #Fantasy #UrbanFantasy #Serial #SlowBurn #Yuri #Folklore #NMFic #TimeTravel
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#Airisu: The Crow and the Witch
Okiku (Airisu POV): Post 36
#Wss366 purple #TimeTravelAuthors WhateverI never did figure out a way to tell her this was a bad idea. The allure of a romantic adventure was too strong to overcome with mere words.
Besides, there were some good reasons to cast the spell. It would be interesting. Mistress would be happy. Watching a real-life yuri romance bloom would be entertaining. Disaster lesbian romances were such a fun trope, and Sumika was the epitome of a disaster lesbian. More practically, I supposed all witches had their allies, and Dōken-shin wasn’t the worst. He certainly wasn’t Mephistopheles or a soul-eating shinigami. At least I hoped not.
Preparation took time. She purchased an Edo-style #purple silk kimono, antibiotics (my suggestion), and a map of Himeji Castle. Money was harder to come by. We bought strings of worn Ming cash coins, but a dealer sorting through them dismissed many as modern copies or inappropriate for the era. We made up the difference with small pieces of cut silver. My estimation of Sumika increased. She was still a bubblehead, but she thought through the process, listened to my advice, and spared no effort in preparing.
Then, after she obtained a week off work, we were ready to go.
Edo Japan, here we come!
#TootFic #Crows #Otherkin #Fantasy #UrbanFantasy #Serial #SlowBurn #Yuri #Folklore #NMFic #TimeTravel
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creates semantic nodes and clusters #HAYS #MOUNTAINS multi-search-tag-explorer.aepiot.com/advanced-sea... #WHEN #THE #COCK #CROWS www.perplexity.ai/search/new?q... AÉPIOT: INDEPENDENT SEMANTIC WEB 4.0 INFRASTRUCTURE (EST. 2009): aepiot.ro
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creates semantic nodes and clusters #HAYS #MOUNTAINS multi-search-tag-explorer.aepiot.com/advanced-sea... #WHEN #THE #COCK #CROWS www.perplexity.ai/search/new?q... AÉPIOT: INDEPENDENT SEMANTIC WEB 4.0 INFRASTRUCTURE (EST. 2009): aepiot.ro
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#Airisu: The Crow and the Witch
Okiku (Airisu POV): Post 35
#Wss366 Film #TimeTravelAuthors 05/11. Do your characters ever undo anything?“I'm not in love with her,” Mistress finally said. “I don’t know her. She has been dead for how many years?”
“My pardon, you are not in love, and you are not blushing.”
I hurried to answer her question from memory rather than give her time to continue protesting. "Banchō Sarayashiki is an Edo-era story, so it's been about two or three hundred years."
“And how is that supposed to work? I’m not getting involved in necromancy. I’ve watched enough horror #films to know these things never work out in the mortals’ favor.”
She fingered the wound where I had stabbed her, probably remembering how the kami had almost trapped her before. “Besides, I doubt it’s smart to accept favors from Dōken-shin.”
“Getting cold feet, little lady?” It was my contrariness coming through. She was actually wise not to involve herself with Arakawa Dōken.
While I tried to figure out how to steady my perch, i.e., take back the comment, she studied the spell.
“Oh, I get it now!” she said. “This will allow us to go back in time, and we can save her.”
“Time travel,” I thought. “That would be exciting. Still, what about time paradoxes?”
“Like a romance novel!” she said, clapping her hands.
That last statement worried me.
#TootFic #Crows #Otherkin #Fantasy #UrbanFantasy #Serial #SlowBurn #Yuri #Folklore #NMFic #TimeTravel
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#Airisu: The Crow and the Witch
Okiku (Airisu POV): Post 35
#Wss366 Film #TimeTravelAuthors 05/11. Do your characters ever undo anything?“I'm not in love with her,” Mistress finally said. “I don’t know her. She has been dead for how many years?”
“My pardon, you are not in love, and you are not blushing.”
I hurried to answer her question from memory rather than give her time to continue protesting. "Banchō Sarayashiki is an Edo-era story, so it's been about two or three hundred years."
“And how is that supposed to work? I’m not getting involved in necromancy. I’ve watched enough horror #films to know these things never work out in the mortals’ favor.”
She fingered the wound where I had stabbed her, probably remembering how the kami had almost trapped her before. “Besides, I doubt it’s smart to accept favors from Dōken-shin.”
“Getting cold feet, little lady?” It was my contrariness coming through. She was actually wise not to involve herself with Arakawa Dōken.
While I tried to figure out how to steady my perch, i.e., take back the comment, she studied the spell.
“Oh, I get it now!” she said. “This will allow us to go back in time, and we can save her.”
“Time travel,” I thought. “That would be exciting. Still, what about time paradoxes?”
“Like a romance novel!” she said, clapping her hands.
That last statement worried me.
#TootFic #Crows #Otherkin #Fantasy #UrbanFantasy #Serial #SlowBurn #Yuri #Folklore #NMFic #TimeTravel
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#Airisu: The Crow and the Witch
Okiku (Airisu POV): Post 35
#Wss366 Film #TimeTravelAuthors 05/11. Do your characters ever undo anything?“I'm not in love with her,” Mistress finally said. “I don’t know her. She has been dead for how many years?”
“My pardon, you are not in love, and you are not blushing.”
I hurried to answer her question from memory rather than give her time to continue protesting. "Banchō Sarayashiki is an Edo-era story, so it's been about two or three hundred years."
“And how is that supposed to work? I’m not getting involved in necromancy. I’ve watched enough horror #films to know these things never work out in the mortals’ favor.”
She fingered the wound where I had stabbed her, probably remembering how the kami had almost trapped her before. “Besides, I doubt it’s smart to accept favors from Dōken-shin.”
“Getting cold feet, little lady?” It was my contrariness coming through. She was actually wise not to involve herself with Arakawa Dōken.
While I tried to figure out how to steady my perch, i.e., take back the comment, she studied the spell.
“Oh, I get it now!” she said. “This will allow us to go back in time, and we can save her.”
“Time travel,” I thought. “That would be exciting. Still, what about time paradoxes?”
“Like a romance novel!” she said, clapping her hands.
That last statement worried me.
#TootFic #Crows #Otherkin #Fantasy #UrbanFantasy #Serial #SlowBurn #Yuri #Folklore #NMFic #TimeTravel
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#Airisu: The Crow and the Witch
Okiku (Airisu POV): Post 35
#Wss366 Film #TimeTravelAuthors 05/11. Do your characters ever undo anything?“I'm not in love with her,” Mistress finally said. “I don’t know her. She has been dead for how many years?”
“My pardon, you are not in love, and you are not blushing.”
I hurried to answer her question from memory rather than give her time to continue protesting. "Banchō Sarayashiki is an Edo-era story, so it's been about two or three hundred years."
“And how is that supposed to work? I’m not getting involved in necromancy. I’ve watched enough horror #films to know these things never work out in the mortals’ favor.”
She fingered the wound where I had stabbed her, probably remembering how the kami had almost trapped her before. “Besides, I doubt it’s smart to accept favors from Dōken-shin.”
“Getting cold feet, little lady?” It was my contrariness coming through. She was actually wise not to involve herself with Arakawa Dōken.
While I tried to figure out how to steady my perch, i.e., take back the comment, she studied the spell.
“Oh, I get it now!” she said. “This will allow us to go back in time, and we can save her.”
“Time travel,” I thought. “That would be exciting. Still, what about time paradoxes?”
“Like a romance novel!” she said, clapping her hands.
That last statement worried me.
#TootFic #Crows #Otherkin #Fantasy #UrbanFantasy #Serial #SlowBurn #Yuri #Folklore #NMFic #TimeTravel
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#Airisu: The Crow and the Witch
Okiku (Airisu POV): Post 35
#Wss366 Film #TimeTravelAuthors 05/11. Do your characters ever undo anything?“I'm not in love with her,” Mistress finally said. “I don’t know her. She has been dead for how many years?”
“My pardon, you are not in love, and you are not blushing.”
I hurried to answer her question from memory rather than give her time to continue protesting. "Banchō Sarayashiki is an Edo-era story, so it's been about two or three hundred years."
“And how is that supposed to work? I’m not getting involved in necromancy. I’ve watched enough horror #films to know these things never work out in the mortals’ favor.”
She fingered the wound where I had stabbed her, probably remembering how the kami had almost trapped her before. “Besides, I doubt it’s smart to accept favors from Dōken-shin.”
“Getting cold feet, little lady?” It was my contrariness coming through. She was actually wise not to involve herself with Arakawa Dōken.
While I tried to figure out how to steady my perch, i.e., take back the comment, she studied the spell.
“Oh, I get it now!” she said. “This will allow us to go back in time, and we can save her.”
“Time travel,” I thought. “That would be exciting. Still, what about time paradoxes?”
“Like a romance novel!” she said, clapping her hands.
That last statement worried me.
#TootFic #Crows #Otherkin #Fantasy #UrbanFantasy #Serial #SlowBurn #Yuri #Folklore #NMFic #TimeTravel
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Crows are incredibly smart. Here’s how to make friends with one in four easy steps.
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#Airisu: The Crow and the Witch
Okiku (Airisu POV): Post 34
#Wss366 BashSumika switched on a desk lamp to see the writing in the grimoire. “It’s a spell to… Ah… As far as I can tell, it’s about reuniting severed threads of karma.”
I hopped over to the book and tried to read it. The words and letters squirmed on the page. I made out some Buddhist phrases, but that was about it. Clearly, reading was going to be a struggle. Too bad. I would miss that.
“Anything else?” I asked.
“It mentions Kakuriyo, the spirit land.”
“You don’t need to explain the word. Go on.”
“It talks about breaking barriers and fulfilling ancient promises. Got it! In the dream, you said someone was coming for Okiku. Does this spell allow us to rescue her?”
I cocked my head and peered at her. It was the first intelligent thing this woman had said. Maybe she was trainable after all.
“I was just going to say that,” I crowed.
Mulling over what I knew, I chortled phrases in my throat: “Bullrushes intertwined; uniting severed karmic threads; wishes and dreams.”
I saw a pattern and burst out, “Sumika’s got a girlfriend. A mushy, crushy girlfriend.”
Mistress raised the book as if she were about to #bash me with it, and I took off for the shelf again, screaming, “Oggily, puggily, pie. Your blush is as bright as the summer sky.”
And it was. Her cheeks had flushed a brilliant crimson. If I’d still been human, I would have said she was cute. Ah, heck, even as a crow, I thought she was adorable, all flustered.
“I don’t know Okiku-san. How could I be in love with her?”
“A denial; how maidenly,” I said. “You were wishing for love, weren’t you? Dōken-shin promised to give you what you wished for, and this is the answer. As for knowing her, you don’t now, but you did, and you will. Mistress’s got a crush.”
Sumika glared up at me, but didn’t argue.
“Karma was a bitch,” I thought.
#Crows #Otherkin #Fantasy #UrbanFantasy #Serial #SlowBurn #Yuri #Folklore #NMFic
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#Airisu: The Crow and the Witch
Okiku (Airisu POV): Post 33 Part 2
#Wss366 Mug[Continued from previous post]
Mistress took the last step forward, picking up the book. “Something new is written here,” she said, beginning to read.
Phantasm
Storehouse laid bare
Echo whisper
Through the water mirror
Bullrushes intertwined“I just dreamed of being in a well,” she said. “Could that be ‘the water mirror?’ What’s the rest mean?”
I scratched my head and cocked it, gazing silently back at her. It was a puzzling piece of verse.
“Well, Airisu?” she said.
Hmph. Figures, I was Airisu again, not Crow. But I could be magnanimous and overlook the earlier slight.
“‘Phantasm,’ ‘echo,’ and ‘whisper’ are ephemeral,” I said. “Yet they’re used here to describe something revealed, i.e., the ‘storehouse laid bare.’ What about dreams, thoughts, or wishes? As you pointed out, the fourth line refers to your dream. I don’t have a clue what it means, but it seems important. The last verse sounds naughty. Were you dreaming about you know what, by any chance?”
She blushed and quickly corrected me, “No, not at all. I was an abused woman counting plates in a well. A crow came and told me to wait for someone. Then it ended.”
“Okiku,” I said. “That’s the woman’s name. It’s from a famous play, ‘The Dish Mansion at Banchō’”
“I’ve heard that story. Everyone has. She’s thrown into a well for breaking a valuable plate.”
“In most versions, she’s innocent,” I corrected. “The samurai Aoyama hid the plate and attempted to blackmail her to be his mistress.”
“Right, right, right. But what does it mean?”
I would have shrugged if I could have. “It’s beyond me. What does it say under that?” I asked, peering at the crabbed handwriting beneath the poem.
#TootFic #MicroFiction #NMFic #Crows #Otherkin #Fantasy #UrbanFantasy #Serial #SlowBurn #Yuri #Folklore
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#Airisu: The Crow and the Witch
Okiku (Airisu POV): Post 33 Part 1
#Wss366 Mug“Ack!” I screamed.
With aggressive footsteps, Mistress rushed into the room, arms swinging, and head thrust forward. It screamed danger.
“Fly away!!!”
She wore a nightgown and a wrap around her shoulders. Her eyes were as fierce as Dōken-shin’s had been when I bravely stood up to him.
I quailed, taking off for the top of a bookshelf. From there, I shouted down, “Crack. The book! The book!”
She moved, and I crouched, ready to take off if she threw something at me.
Instead, she stood in the middle of the floor, arms on her hips, glaring up at me. “This is the middle of the night. It had better be worth it, 'Crow!'”
Discretion being the better part of valor, I decided not to correct her this time. “It’s the book. You have to see it,” I cawed.
“What book? What are you talking about?”
She moved again, and I hopped back.
“Can I come down? You won’t hurt me?” I asked.
She nodded, and I flew down to a desk near the window. Through the glass, the moon shone aqua-blue, illuminating a messy pile of papers and books. A cold #mug of cocoa lay amid remnants of last evening’s meal. In the center of the mess rested an open volume, which I pecked at. “See? It’s here.”
Sumika approached, asking, “What’s here?” She stopped short and stared. “That’s not where I left the grimoire. How did it get here?”
Indeed, the Madousho Mōrō, aka Grimoire Obscuriea, lay with its pages gleaming in the soft moonlight.
#TootFic #MicroFiction #NMFic #Crows #Otherkin #Fantasy #UrbanFantasy #Serial #SlowBurn #Yuri
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Crow and beach sign. New blog post: https://wanderinweeta.blogspot.com/2026/05/approved.html #VancouverIsland #Birds #Crows #Signs #NaturePhotography
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#Airisu: The Crow and the Witch
Okiku (Sumika POV): Post 32
#Wss366 BraceI awoke with a start. Unlike my usual foggy recollections, my dream was crystal clear. I had been this woman before. The first time I dreamed of her, the experience was so powerful that I named my familiar Airisu after a flower from the vision.
I had no doubt that the dreams were messages. The last two lines of the poem were even addressed to me.
The water purify
Fragrant dawn sunThe kanji for my name was “純香,” meaning “pure fragrance.” Though some people spelled it “澄香,” where “澄” means settled, pure water, which was closer to the verse.
Was the crow in the dream Airisu? Probably. Was she telling the woman that I would come and rescue her?
“Scrack, Srity, Kack!”
I jolted upright in bed at the sound of the said crow screaming in the next room.
“Ack! Mistress, hurry! Come here! Creakedy crack! You have to see this!”
I #braced myself for what I would find.
#TootFic #MicroFiction #NMFic #Crows #Otherkin #Fantasy #UrbanFantasy #Serial #SlowBurn #Yuri
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@hopeward If you love #crows, I warmly recommend to follow their friend @wurzelmann !
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So, apparently, yesterday was "Crow and Raven Appreciation Day."
Isn't it a waste of a special day? I mean, isn't it "Crow and Raven Appreciation Day" every day of the year?
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For #InternationalCrowAndRavenDay 🐦⬛ here's a #WIP of a piece I've been mulling over since 2023.
Do you like it? Should I finish it? What would you change / improve on? 🤔
#JfmlArt #art #illustration #creative #DigitalArt #FediArt #CreativeToots #MastoArt #Krita #ArtistsOnMastodon #ArtWithOpenSource #witch #raven #crow #crows #birds #corvids #trees #fantasy #cooking #night #mystery #feedback #question #cloud #clouds #vogel #adventure #travel #moon #animals
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For #InternationalCrowAndRavenDay 🐦⬛ here's a #WIP of a piece I've been mulling over since 2023.
Do you like it? Should I finish it? What would you change / improve on? 🤔
#JfmlArt #art #illustration #creative #DigitalArt #FediArt #CreativeToots #MastoArt #Krita #ArtistsOnMastodon #ArtWithOpenSource #witch #raven #crow #crows #birds #corvids #trees #fantasy #cooking #night #mystery #feedback #question #cloud #clouds #vogel #adventure #travel #moon #animals
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For #InternationalCrowAndRavenDay 🐦⬛ here's a #WIP of a piece I've been mulling over since 2023.
Do you like it? Should I finish it? What would you change / improve on? 🤔
#JfmlArt #art #illustration #creative #DigitalArt #FediArt #CreativeToots #MastoArt #Krita #ArtistsOnMastodon #ArtWithOpenSource #witch #raven #crow #crows #birds #corvids #trees #fantasy #cooking #night #mystery #feedback #question #cloud #clouds #vogel #adventure #travel #moon #animals
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For #InternationalCrowAndRavenDay 🐦⬛ here's a #WIP of a piece I've been mulling over since 2023.
Do you like it? Should I finish it? What would you change / improve on? 🤔
#JfmlArt #art #illustration #creative #DigitalArt #FediArt #CreativeToots #MastoArt #Krita #ArtistsOnMastodon #ArtWithOpenSource #witch #raven #crow #crows #birds #corvids #trees #fantasy #cooking #night #mystery #feedback #question #cloud #clouds #vogel #adventure #travel #moon #animals
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Showing off its glossy black plumage, this Fish Crow landed next to my husband and I on a viewing deck rail as we were taking pictures of other birds in a beach marsh area. Apparently, it did not wish to be ignored.
#InternationalCrowAndRavenAppreciationDay
#crows #caw #corvids #birds #birding #nature #NaturePhotography #SolaceInNature -
#Airisu: The Crow and the Witch
Okiku Omen (Sumika POV): Post 31
#Wss366 KindleAs soon as I found Airisu a place to roost and went to bed myself, I fell into a sleep as deep as a well.
Once again, I found myself in a stranger’s body. This time, the sky was nothing but a circle above. Stone walls encircled me. But I paid no attention to that; my focus was on a set of plates that hovered in the air.
“One plate…”
“Two…”
I was cold, so cold. Water lapped around my waist, numbing the bruises from a beating. The weight of my waterlogged kimono threatened to drag me into the dark depths.
“Three…”
“Four…”
“Five…”
The moon hung above in an ice-black sky.
“Six…”
It was a sphere, not unlike the white china plates that passed through my hands.
“Seven…”
“Eight…”
Smooth, flawless plates, beautiful like a woman’s skin with fine blue lines like veins.
“Nine…”
“Caw, caw!” I looked up, my counting interrupted. On the rim of the well perched a crow. The moon #kindled a violet fire around its silhouette. “Caw, caw! Wait! She is coming,” it said, then croaked out three lines of verse:
Muddy lotus
The water purify
Fragrant dawn sunThen it departed as the water swallowed me once again.
#TootFic #MicroFiction #NMFic #Crows #Otherkin #Fantasy #UrbanFantasy #SlowBurn #Yuri #Yokai #serial
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#Airisu: The Crow and the Witch
Okiku Omen (Sumika POV): Post 31
#Wss366 KindleAs soon as I found Airisu a place to roost and went to bed myself, I fell into a sleep as deep as a well.
Once again, I found myself in a stranger’s body. This time, the sky was nothing but a circle above. Stone walls encircled me. But I paid no attention to that; my focus was on a set of plates that hovered in the air.
“One plate…”
“Two…”
I was cold, so cold. Water lapped around my waist, numbing the bruises from a beating. The weight of my waterlogged kimono threatened to drag me into the dark depths.
“Three…”
“Four…”
“Five…”
The moon hung above in an ice-black sky.
“Six…”
It was a sphere, not unlike the white china plates that passed through my hands.
“Seven…”
“Eight…”
Smooth, flawless plates, beautiful like a woman’s skin with fine blue lines like veins.
“Nine…”
“Caw, caw!” I looked up, my counting interrupted. On the rim of the well perched a crow. The moon #kindled a violet fire around its silhouette. “Caw, caw! Wait! She is coming,” it said, then croaked out three lines of verse:
Muddy lotus
The water purify
Fragrant dawn sunThen it departed as the water swallowed me once again.
#TootFic #MicroFiction #NMFic #Crows #Otherkin #Fantasy #UrbanFantasy #SlowBurn #Yuri #Yokai #serial
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#Airisu: The Crow and the Witch
Okiku Omen (Sumika POV): Post 31
#Wss366 KindleAs soon as I found Airisu a place to roost and went to bed myself, I fell into a sleep as deep as a well.
Once again, I found myself in a stranger’s body. This time, the sky was nothing but a circle above. Stone walls encircled me. But I paid no attention to that; my focus was on a set of plates that hovered in the air.
“One plate…”
“Two…”
I was cold, so cold. Water lapped around my waist, numbing the bruises from a beating. The weight of my waterlogged kimono threatened to drag me into the dark depths.
“Three…”
“Four…”
“Five…”
The moon hung above in an ice-black sky.
“Six…”
It was a sphere, not unlike the white china plates that passed through my hands.
“Seven…”
“Eight…”
Smooth, flawless plates, beautiful like a woman’s skin with fine blue lines like veins.
“Nine…”
“Caw, caw!” I looked up, my counting interrupted. On the rim of the well perched a crow. The moon #kindled a violet fire around its silhouette. “Caw, caw! Wait! She is coming,” it said, then croaked out three lines of verse:
Muddy lotus
The water purify
Fragrant dawn sunThen it departed as the water swallowed me once again.
#TootFic #MicroFiction #NMFic #Crows #Otherkin #Fantasy #UrbanFantasy #SlowBurn #Yuri #Yokai #serial
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#Airisu: The Crow and the Witch
Okiku Omen (Sumika POV): Post 31
#Wss366 KindleAs soon as I found Airisu a place to roost and went to bed myself, I fell into a sleep as deep as a well.
Once again, I found myself in a stranger’s body. This time, the sky was nothing but a circle above. Stone walls encircled me. But I paid no attention to that; my focus was on a set of plates that hovered in the air.
“One plate…”
“Two…”
I was cold, so cold. Water lapped around my waist, numbing the bruises from a beating. The weight of my waterlogged kimono threatened to drag me into the dark depths.
“Three…”
“Four…”
“Five…”
The moon hung above in an ice-black sky.
“Six…”
It was a sphere, not unlike the white china plates that passed through my hands.
“Seven…”
“Eight…”
Smooth, flawless plates, beautiful like a woman’s skin with fine blue lines like veins.
“Nine…”
“Caw, caw!” I looked up, my counting interrupted. On the rim of the well perched a crow. The moon #kindled a violet fire around its silhouette. “Caw, caw! Wait! She is coming,” it said, then croaked out three lines of verse:
Muddy lotus
The water purify
Fragrant dawn sunThen it departed as the water swallowed me once again.
#TootFic #MicroFiction #NMFic #Crows #Otherkin #Fantasy #UrbanFantasy #SlowBurn #Yuri #Yokai #serial
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#Airisu: The Crow and the Witch
Okiku Omen (Sumika POV): Post 31
#Wss366 KindleAs soon as I found Airisu a place to roost and went to bed myself, I fell into a sleep as deep as a well.
Once again, I found myself in a stranger’s body. This time, the sky was nothing but a circle above. Stone walls encircled me. But I paid no attention to that; my focus was on a set of plates that hovered in the air.
“One plate…”
“Two…”
I was cold, so cold. Water lapped around my waist, numbing the bruises from a beating. The weight of my waterlogged kimono threatened to drag me into the dark depths.
“Three…”
“Four…”
“Five…”
The moon hung above in an ice-black sky.
“Six…”
It was a sphere, not unlike the white china plates that passed through my hands.
“Seven…”
“Eight…”
Smooth, flawless plates, beautiful like a woman’s skin with fine blue lines like veins.
“Nine…”
“Caw, caw!” I looked up, my counting interrupted. On the rim of the well perched a crow. The moon #kindled a violet fire around its silhouette. “Caw, caw! Wait! She is coming,” it said, then croaked out three lines of verse:
Muddy lotus
The water purify
Fragrant dawn sunThen it departed as the water swallowed me once again.
#TootFic #MicroFiction #NMFic #Crows #Otherkin #Fantasy #UrbanFantasy #SlowBurn #Yuri #Yokai #serial
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#Airisu: The Crow and the Witch
Mikaeri Zaka/Look Back Ridge (Airisu POV) Post 30
#Wss366 Verdant #EarthDay edition“So that’s the story of my first visit to the shrine,” Sumika said, finishing her saga.
I looked up from my hunt for cracker crumbs that had fallen between the car seats to reply, “And that didn’t clue you in that the kami there had an interest in you?” I asked, cocking my head and giving her a one-eyed examination. What kind of bubblehead had I hooked up with?
“I thought it was just some guy who’d come to our rescue.”
“Just some guy!?”
“Well, initially I believed it was a kami, but as I got older, I convinced myself that it was superstitious nonsense. Sis said they were both a couple of crazies.”
“You’re the weirdest witch I’ve ever heard of!”
“And you are the rudest crow ever to exist.”
“Clicky, crack. Don’t bet on it.”
At that moment, we pulled into a gravel turnoff and parked.
“We’re home,” she said. “My father owns it and rents it to me cheaply.”
We’d arrived at a rundown house surrounded by a surprisingly #verdant herb garden. Someone had put a lot of work into it. There were rows of rosemary, thyme, sage, and a bunch of Japanese herbs I didn’t recognize.
“Your garden?” I asked.
“Yeah, it helps me relax, and I use them in my magic. I told you I’m a whiz at potions.”
As soon as we were out of the car, I started hopping around the plants. “I’m impressed,” I cawed. “Why so many European species?”
“Those are the herbs Ariel-san is familiar with. She has been teaching me.”
“What’s this one?” I asked, pecking at a parsley-like leaf.
“Mugwort.”
“And this one?”
“Don’t peck at that! It’s devil’s trumpet, datura, jimsonweed.”
“Ack!” I called and hopped away. “Poison, poison; You are a witch!”
“You sound proud of that.”
“I am. You’re my witch. A witchy witch. Where’s the nightshade hedge?”
She looked troubled by my comment, but just said, “Let’s go inside. I’m tired, and we need to eat.”
“Chicken Nugs!” I crowed, flying up to Sumika’s shoulder.
#TootFic #MicroFiction #NMFic #Crows #Otherkin #Fantasy #UrbanFantasy #SlowBurn #Yuri #serial
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🦉💬
Lucifer! Always so soaked in your petty pride!
🐦⬛💬Merci for the compliments, Lilith, just... You know, try not to scratch my plumage chic et raffiné given to me, and only me, during Belphegor's travel to New Caledonia. I'm quite fond of this noblest fabric, which you're ruthlessly perching on..."
Narrator:Ah, the lovely cosmic strife! The cosmic strife never changes, does it?
#humour #humourart #humorart #humor #occulthumour #occulthumor #occultart #occultdrawing #art #digitaldrawing #drawing #owlart #owls #lilith #ravens #raven #crows #crow #lucifer #belphegor #loki #trickster #demonolatry #demonology #surreal #surrealart -
🦉💬
Lucifer! Always so soaked in your petty pride!
🐦⬛💬Merci for the compliments, Lilith, just... You know, try not to scratch my plumage chic et raffiné given to me, and only me, during Belphegor's travel to New Caledonia. I'm quite fond of this noblest fabric, which you're ruthlessly perching on..."
Narrator:Ah, the lovely cosmic strife! The cosmic strife never changes, does it?
#humour #humourart #humorart #humor #occulthumour #occulthumor #occultart #occultdrawing #art #digitaldrawing #drawing #owlart #owls #lilith #ravens #raven #crows #crow #lucifer #belphegor #loki #trickster #demonolatry #demonology #surreal #surrealart -
🦉💬
Lucifer! Always so soaked in your petty pride!
🐦⬛💬Merci for the compliments, Lilith, just... You know, try not to scratch my plumage chic et raffiné given to me, and only me, during Belphegor's travel to New Caledonia. I'm quite fond of this noblest fabric, which you're ruthlessly perching on..."
Narrator:Ah, the lovely cosmic strife! The cosmic strife never changes, does it?
#humour #humourart #humorart #humor #occulthumour #occulthumor #occultart #occultdrawing #art #digitaldrawing #drawing #owlart #owls #lilith #ravens #raven #crows #crow #lucifer #belphegor #loki #trickster #demonolatry #demonology #surreal #surrealart -
NaPoWriMo 2026, Day 20 https://quiltr.com/?p=25302 In the quiet yard
a pile of feathers, yellow, black… #birds #crows #dothework #feather #lifearoundus #mourning #NaPoWriMo #poetry #process #sonnet #TakingTimetoLook -
#Airisu: The Crow and the Witch
Mikaeri Zaka/Look Back Ridge (Sumika POV) Post 27
#Wss366 Crow“A ghost!” Mori-san’s voice shook.
“Shhh,” Sis hissed.
“Shine! Just die! Wither up and die. Shine, shine, shine!” the spirit raved, the leaves crunching as it approached.
For a moment, I thought the wraith was addressing us, and I froze. I felt its unseen eyes on me.
Instead of advancing toward our encampment, the specter floated into the grove, stopping in front of one of the ginkgo trees. As terrified as I was, I couldn’t help but notice it blocked our retreat down the trail. Escape would mean plunging into the dark forest surrounding us.
Silence fell, and I held my breath. Mori-san was trembling next to me, and I heard Sis breathing heavily.
The ghost hovered close to the ground and continued to mutter. Suddenly, a flicker of light appeared, growing until it surrounded the figure. The glow revealed an apparition wearing a white kimono. Thankfully, its back was turned, obscuring its face. I imagined a bloated, black visage with paralyzing eyes.
I dropped my gaze in case the spirit spun around, and I saw feet in incongruous sneakers. Relief flooded my body for a moment. It was a woman, not a yuurei! Then the feeling fled. How was a crazed human any better!?
Finally, three lights appeared, floating up until a crown of candles settled on her head.
“Ushi no koku mairi,” Sis whispered. “Who’s she cursing?”
Suddenly, Mori-san was in motion. “I’m getting out of here,” she said, bolting out of our camp.
“Iyada!” Sis grabbed my arm, pulling me to my feet, and followed her friend.“Idiot!”
The white-clad woman loomed before us, blocking the way. She turned, so the candles illuminated the face of a college-aged female with round features, tangled short hair, and deeply slanted eyes. She held a mallet in one hand and a straw doll in the other. On her breast was a mirror. The scene was straight out of a horror movie.
Mori-san tried to dodge past her, but the woman dropped the hammer and grabbed her instead. The instrument fell to the ground, sparks flying as it struck a rock. The two of them spun around. I was so close to them I could see spittle fly as she shouted, “Vermin! Spies! Die!”
My shoulders crashed through the brush alongside the trail. Branches whipped at my face as Sis and I tried running past. Blinded, I tripped when my foot hit a root, causing my sister’s hand to slip from mine.
The next thing I knew, Mori-san had seized my shirt, pushing me into the woman. “Take her!”
We all stumbled, and our captor lost hold of the Sis’s friend. She dropped the doll and grabbed me by the hair. “Blood for blood! I’ll give you to him!” she #crowed.
#TootFic #MicroFiction #NMFic #Crows #Otherkin #Fantasy #UrbanFantasy #SlowBurn #Yuri #Yokai #serial
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#Airisu: The Crow and the Witch
Mikaeri Zaka/Look Back Ridge (Sumika POV) Post 27
#Wss366 Crow“A ghost!” Mori-san’s voice shook.
“Shhh,” Sis hissed.
“Shine! Just die! Wither up and die. Shine, shine, shine!” the spirit raved, the leaves crunching as it approached.
For a moment, I thought the wraith was addressing us, and I froze. I felt its unseen eyes on me.
Instead of advancing toward our encampment, the specter floated into the grove, stopping in front of one of the ginkgo trees. As terrified as I was, I couldn’t help but notice it blocked our retreat down the trail. Escape would mean plunging into the dark forest surrounding us.
Silence fell, and I held my breath. Mori-san was trembling next to me, and I heard Sis breathing heavily.
The ghost hovered close to the ground and continued to mutter. Suddenly, a flicker of light appeared, growing until it surrounded the figure. The glow revealed an apparition wearing a white kimono. Thankfully, its back was turned, obscuring its face. I imagined a bloated, black visage with paralyzing eyes.
I dropped my gaze in case the spirit spun around, and I saw feet in incongruous sneakers. Relief flooded my body for a moment. It was a woman, not a yuurei! Then the feeling fled. How was a crazed human any better!?
Finally, three lights appeared, floating up until a crown of candles settled on her head.
“Ushi no koku mairi,” Sis whispered. “Who’s she cursing?”
Suddenly, Mori-san was in motion. “I’m getting out of here,” she said, bolting out of our camp.
“Iyada!” Sis grabbed my arm, pulling me to my feet, and followed her friend.“Idiot!”
The white-clad woman loomed before us, blocking the way. She turned, so the candles illuminated the face of a college-aged female with round features, tangled short hair, and deeply slanted eyes. She held a mallet in one hand and a straw doll in the other. On her breast was a mirror. The scene was straight out of a horror movie.
Mori-san tried to dodge past her, but the woman dropped the hammer and grabbed her instead. The instrument fell to the ground, sparks flying as it struck a rock. The two of them spun around. I was so close to them I could see spittle fly as she shouted, “Vermin! Spies! Die!”
My shoulders crashed through the brush alongside the trail. Branches whipped at my face as Sis and I tried running past. Blinded, I tripped when my foot hit a root, causing my sister’s hand to slip from mine.
The next thing I knew, Mori-san had seized my shirt, pushing me into the woman. “Take her!”
We all stumbled, and our captor lost hold of the Sis’s friend. She dropped the doll and grabbed me by the hair. “Blood for blood! I’ll give you to him!” she #crowed.
#TootFic #MicroFiction #NMFic #Crows #Otherkin #Fantasy #UrbanFantasy #SlowBurn #Yuri #Yokai #serial
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#Airisu: The Crow and the Witch
Mikaeri Zaka/Look Back Ridge (Sumika POV) Post 27
#Wss366 Crow“A ghost!” Mori-san’s voice shook.
“Shhh,” Sis hissed.
“Shine! Just die! Wither up and die. Shine, shine, shine!” the spirit raved, the leaves crunching as it approached.
For a moment, I thought the wraith was addressing us, and I froze. I felt its unseen eyes on me.
Instead of advancing toward our encampment, the specter floated into the grove, stopping in front of one of the ginkgo trees. As terrified as I was, I couldn’t help but notice it blocked our retreat down the trail. Escape would mean plunging into the dark forest surrounding us.
Silence fell, and I held my breath. Mori-san was trembling next to me, and I heard Sis breathing heavily.
The ghost hovered close to the ground and continued to mutter. Suddenly, a flicker of light appeared, growing until it surrounded the figure. The glow revealed an apparition wearing a white kimono. Thankfully, its back was turned, obscuring its face. I imagined a bloated, black visage with paralyzing eyes.
I dropped my gaze in case the spirit spun around, and I saw feet in incongruous sneakers. Relief flooded my body for a moment. It was a woman, not a yuurei! Then the feeling fled. How was a crazed human any better!?
Finally, three lights appeared, floating up until a crown of candles settled on her head.
“Ushi no koku mairi,” Sis whispered. “Who’s she cursing?”
Suddenly, Mori-san was in motion. “I’m getting out of here,” she said, bolting out of our camp.
“Iyada!” Sis grabbed my arm, pulling me to my feet, and followed her friend.“Idiot!”
The white-clad woman loomed before us, blocking the way. She turned, so the candles illuminated the face of a college-aged female with round features, tangled short hair, and deeply slanted eyes. She held a mallet in one hand and a straw doll in the other. On her breast was a mirror. The scene was straight out of a horror movie.
Mori-san tried to dodge past her, but the woman dropped the hammer and grabbed her instead. The instrument fell to the ground, sparks flying as it struck a rock. The two of them spun around. I was so close to them I could see spittle fly as she shouted, “Vermin! Spies! Die!”
My shoulders crashed through the brush alongside the trail. Branches whipped at my face as Sis and I tried running past. Blinded, I tripped when my foot hit a root, causing my sister’s hand to slip from mine.
The next thing I knew, Mori-san had seized my shirt, pushing me into the woman. “Take her!”
We all stumbled, and our captor lost hold of the Sis’s friend. She dropped the doll and grabbed me by the hair. “Blood for blood! I’ll give you to him!” she #crowed.
#TootFic #MicroFiction #NMFic #Crows #Otherkin #Fantasy #UrbanFantasy #SlowBurn #Yuri #Yokai
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#Airisu: The Crow and the Witch
Mikaeri Zaka/Look Back Ridge (Sumika POV) Post 27
#Wss366 Crow“A ghost!” Mori-san’s voice shook.
“Shhh,” Sis hissed.
“Shine! Just die! Wither up and die. Shine, shine, shine!” the spirit raved, the leaves crunching as it approached.
For a moment, I thought the wraith was addressing us, and I froze. I felt its unseen eyes on me.
Instead of advancing toward our encampment, the specter floated into the grove, stopping in front of one of the ginkgo trees. As terrified as I was, I couldn’t help but notice it blocked our retreat down the trail. Escape would mean plunging into the dark forest surrounding us.
Silence fell, and I held my breath. Mori-san was trembling next to me, and I heard Sis breathing heavily.
The ghost hovered close to the ground and continued to mutter. Suddenly, a flicker of light appeared, growing until it surrounded the figure. The glow revealed an apparition wearing a white kimono. Thankfully, its back was turned, obscuring its face. I imagined a bloated, black visage with paralyzing eyes.
I dropped my gaze in case the spirit spun around, and I saw feet in incongruous sneakers. Relief flooded my body for a moment. It was a woman, not a yuurei! Then the feeling fled. How was a crazed human any better!?
Finally, three lights appeared, floating up until a crown of candles settled on her head.
“Ushi no koku mairi,” Sis whispered. “Who’s she cursing?”
Suddenly, Mori-san was in motion. “I’m getting out of here,” she said, bolting out of our camp.
“Iyada!” Sis grabbed my arm, pulling me to my feet, and followed her friend.“Idiot!”
The white-clad woman loomed before us, blocking the way. She turned, so the candles illuminated the face of a college-aged female with round features, tangled short hair, and deeply slanted eyes. She held a mallet in one hand and a straw doll in the other. On her breast was a mirror. The scene was straight out of a horror movie.
Mori-san tried to dodge past her, but the woman dropped the hammer and grabbed her instead. The instrument fell to the ground, sparks flying as it struck a rock. The two of them spun around. I was so close to them I could see spittle fly as she shouted, “Vermin! Spies! Die!”
My shoulders crashed through the brush alongside the trail. Branches whipped at my face as Sis and I tried running past. Blinded, I tripped when my foot hit a root, causing my sister’s hand to slip from mine.
The next thing I knew, Mori-san had seized my shirt, pushing me into the woman. “Take her!”
We all stumbled, and our captor lost hold of the Sis’s friend. She dropped the doll and grabbed me by the hair. “Blood for blood! I’ll give you to him!” she #crowed.
#TootFic #MicroFiction #NMFic #Crows #Otherkin #Fantasy #UrbanFantasy #SlowBurn #Yuri #Yokai #serial
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#Airisu: The Crow and the Witch
Mikaeri Zaka/Look Back Ridge (Sumika POV) Post 27
#Wss366 Crow“A ghost!” Mori-san’s voice shook.
“Shhh,” Sis hissed.
“Shine! Just die! Wither up and die. Shine, shine, shine!” the spirit raved, the leaves crunching as it approached.
For a moment, I thought the wraith was addressing us, and I froze. I felt its unseen eyes on me.
Instead of advancing toward our encampment, the specter floated into the grove, stopping in front of one of the ginkgo trees. As terrified as I was, I couldn’t help but notice it blocked our retreat down the trail. Escape would mean plunging into the dark forest surrounding us.
Silence fell, and I held my breath. Mori-san was trembling next to me, and I heard Sis breathing heavily.
The ghost hovered close to the ground and continued to mutter. Suddenly, a flicker of light appeared, growing until it surrounded the figure. The glow revealed an apparition wearing a white kimono. Thankfully, its back was turned, obscuring its face. I imagined a bloated, black visage with paralyzing eyes.
I dropped my gaze in case the spirit spun around, and I saw feet in incongruous sneakers. Relief flooded my body for a moment. It was a woman, not a yuurei! Then the feeling fled. How was a crazed human any better!?
Finally, three lights appeared, floating up until a crown of candles settled on her head.
“Ushi no koku mairi,” Sis whispered. “Who’s she cursing?”
Suddenly, Mori-san was in motion. “I’m getting out of here,” she said, bolting out of our camp.
“Iyada!” Sis grabbed my arm, pulling me to my feet, and followed her friend.“Idiot!”
The white-clad woman loomed before us, blocking the way. She turned, so the candles illuminated the face of a college-aged female with round features, tangled short hair, and deeply slanted eyes. She held a mallet in one hand and a straw doll in the other. On her breast was a mirror. The scene was straight out of a horror movie.
Mori-san tried to dodge past her, but the woman dropped the hammer and grabbed her instead. The instrument fell to the ground, sparks flying as it struck a rock. The two of them spun around. I was so close to them I could see spittle fly as she shouted, “Vermin! Spies! Die!”
My shoulders crashed through the brush alongside the trail. Branches whipped at my face as Sis and I tried running past. Blinded, I tripped when my foot hit a root, causing my sister’s hand to slip from mine.
The next thing I knew, Mori-san had seized my shirt, pushing me into the woman. “Take her!”
We all stumbled, and our captor lost hold of the Sis’s friend. She dropped the doll and grabbed me by the hair. “Blood for blood! I’ll give you to him!” she #crowed.
#TootFic #MicroFiction #NMFic #Crows #Otherkin #Fantasy #UrbanFantasy #SlowBurn #Yuri #Yokai #serial
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#Airisu: The Crow and the Witch
Mikaeri Zaka/Look Back Ridge (Sumika POV) Post 26
#Wss366 MurderDusk soon rolled around, blanketing us in twilight shadows. My sister and her friend talked while I watched violet fireflies flit over the spring. Somewhere in the distance, an owl hooted, which was supposed to be a good omen, something about its call being related to the triple jewels of Buddhism.
When the last of the light departed, we began exchanging scary stories. I told a tale about the ghost in our school bathroom. “If you knock three times on the third stall at 3:00, she’ll appear and ask you to play,” I said.
“Yes, yes,” Mori-san interrupted. “And if you agree, she’ll drag you down the toilet and off to hell.”
“No, she cuts off your head and plays ball with it,” I responded. “And if you’re going to be like that, I won’t tell any more stories.”
“Big loss,” she said.
Sis finally stepped in. “Leave her alone. She’s only in the sixth grade. Besides, that’s how the story went at our school.”
After that, I wouldn’t speak and eventually dozed off while the other two girls talked.
My sister roused me later, saying, “Wake up! It’s the hour of the ox. If anything’s going to happen, it’ll be now.”
I was sleepy and cold, but sat up anyway. The cicadas had fallen quiet, and the fireflies had disappeared. When I peered out from where we’d hidden, the ginkgo trees were barely visible, like silent monks waiting for something. Even the wind seemed afraid to disturb the stillness.
Yawning, I muttered, “I want to sleep.”
I was about to close my eyes when Mori-san spoke. “Hush! Someone’s coming!”
That woke me up. Who could it be at this hour? Was it an oni or the lady with her head on backwards?
Soon, we heard a female voice ranting: “Shine (die), shine, shine! I’ll #murder you, cunt. I’ll kill you!” A peal of laughter followed.
The railing grew louder and louder until an apparition appeared, floating up the trail. I shivered; it was an onryo, the most terrifying type of ghost, bent on revenge, coming to get us.
#TootFic #MicroFiction #NMFic #Crows #Otherkin #Fantasy #UrbanFantasy #SlowBurn #Yuri #Yokai
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#Airisu: The Crow and the Witch
Mikaeri Zaka/Look Back Ridge (Sumika POV) Post 26
#Wss366 MurderDusk soon rolled around, blanketing us in twilight shadows. My sister and her friend talked while I watched violet fireflies flit over the spring. Somewhere in the distance, an owl hooted, which was supposed to be a good omen, something about its call being related to the triple jewels of Buddhism.
When the last of the light departed, we began exchanging scary stories. I told a tale about the ghost in our school bathroom. “If you knock three times on the third stall at 3:00, she’ll appear and ask you to play,” I said.
“Yes, yes,” Mori-san interrupted. “And if you agree, she’ll drag you down the toilet and off to hell.”
“No, she cuts off your head and plays ball with it,” I responded. “And if you’re going to be like that, I won’t tell any more stories.”
“Big loss,” she said.
Sis finally stepped in. “Leave her alone. She’s only in the sixth grade. Besides, that’s how the story went at our school.”
After that, I wouldn’t speak and eventually dozed off while the other two girls talked.
My sister roused me later, saying, “Wake up! It’s the hour of the ox. If anything’s going to happen, it’ll be now.”
I was sleepy and cold, but sat up anyway. The cicadas had fallen quiet, and the fireflies had disappeared. When I peered out from where we’d hidden, the ginkgo trees were barely visible, like silent monks waiting for something. Even the wind seemed afraid to disturb the stillness.
Yawning, I muttered, “I want to sleep.”
I was about to close my eyes when Mori-san spoke. “Hush! Someone’s coming!”
That woke me up. Who could it be at this hour? Was it an oni or the lady with her head on backwards?
Soon, we heard a female voice ranting: “Shine (die), shine, shine! I’ll #murder you, cunt. I’ll kill you!” A peal of laughter followed.
The railing grew louder and louder until an apparition appeared, floating up the trail. I shivered; it was an onryo, the most terrifying type of ghost, bent on revenge, coming to get us.
#TootFic #MicroFiction #NMFic #Crows #Otherkin #Fantasy #UrbanFantasy #SlowBurn #Yuri #Yokai
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#Airisu: The Crow and the Witch
Mikaeri Zaka/Look Back Ridge (Sumika POV) Post 26
#Wss366 MurderDusk soon rolled around, blanketing us in twilight shadows. My sister and her friend talked while I watched violet fireflies flit over the spring. Somewhere in the distance, an owl hooted, which was supposed to be a good omen, something about its call being related to the triple jewels of Buddhism.
When the last of the light departed, we began exchanging scary stories. I told a tale about the ghost in our school bathroom. “If you knock three times on the third stall at 3:00, she’ll appear and ask you to play,” I said.
“Yes, yes,” Mori-san interrupted. “And if you agree, she’ll drag you down the toilet and off to hell.”
“No, she cuts off your head and plays ball with it,” I responded. “And if you’re going to be like that, I won’t tell any more stories.”
“Big loss,” she said.
Sis finally stepped in. “Leave her alone. She’s only in the sixth grade. Besides, that’s how the story went at our school.”
After that, I wouldn’t speak and eventually dozed off while the other two girls talked.
My sister roused me later, saying, “Wake up! It’s the hour of the ox. If anything’s going to happen, it’ll be now.”
I was sleepy and cold, but sat up anyway. The cicadas had fallen quiet, and the fireflies had disappeared. When I peered out from where we’d hidden, the ginkgo trees were barely visible, like silent monks waiting for something. Even the wind seemed afraid to disturb the stillness.
Yawning, I muttered, “I want to sleep.”
I was about to close my eyes when Mori-san spoke. “Hush! Someone’s coming!”
That woke me up. Who could it be at this hour? Was it an oni or the lady with her head on backwards?
Soon, we heard a female voice ranting: “Shine (die), shine, shine! I’ll #murder you, cunt. I’ll kill you!” A peal of laughter followed.
The railing grew louder and louder until an apparition appeared, floating up the trail. I shivered; it was an onryo, the most terrifying type of ghost, bent on revenge, coming to get us.
#TootFic #MicroFiction #NMFic #Crows #Otherkin #Fantasy #UrbanFantasy #SlowBurn #Yuri #Yokai
