DragoBlade007

NEW TRAILBLAZER'S SKIN IS A GIFT FROM DAN HENG

AND IT HAS A DRAGON WITH AN EGG ON IT'S BACK

I need all danstelle writers to collectively lock tf in and imagine Souldragon following Stelle to Astropolis.

Imagine if souldragon shrinks the further away from Dan Heng it is, but due to the sheer protective wish from Dan Heng it remains manifested as a small dragon that can fit, curled up in Stelle's palm.

A mini souldragon wrapped around Stelle's neck or wrist, golden scales pulsing in time with her heartbeat, glaring at Aventurine whenever he flirts (MARK MY WORDS I WILL MAKE JEALOUS DAN HENG A THING ONE WAY OR ANOTHER). Puppy souldragon comforting Stelle while she despairs over leaving everyone behind in Planarcadia. Souldragon fighting alongside her and throwing up a tiny shield that blocks small pieces of shrapnel, because even while the vast expanse of space seperates Dan Heng and Stelle from one another, Dan Heng will still find a way to protect his lover/wife/soulmate.

And, of course, when the two are finally reunited and the voracity has been subdued (delusional), Souldragon getting bigger and bigger until it wraps around the two of them as they embrace and kiss, shielding them from prying eyes.

Матоба постійно рятує Нацуме від якихось тентаклів 🐙😅

The way each of them tries to protect the other from the Book of Friends under the pretense that their gentle nature ought to be preserved... because the Book of Friends might destroy the idealized version of the other that each of them have created.

The way Natsume probably cannot name what he feels as total distrust... and might not want to. The way Natori acts like he knows best, as always... not trusting Natsume to be able to act responsibly with such power in his grasp.

So in JP fandom news, Twitter fans are joking about Natsume and Tanuma being married ‘cause you can buy a pair of advance tickets and get a limited edition set of chopsticks.

Matched pairs of chopsticks are a traditional wedding gift. lol

All his life, he'd been plagued by yokai, malicious and otherwise. Whether they'd all meant to or not, they had contributed to the worst years of his life greatly. Years of loneliness, pain, agony, mental torture as a boy so young questioned if he was losing his mind. He'd woken up countless times with bruises on his arms and legs, sweating from the exertion of resisting the tamperings of ayakashi all night, a great weight settled on his chest that no amount of slow breathing could vanquish.

He loved ayakashi, loved them more than he could admit to even himself sometimes, despite how they had hurt them so. Despite how they had hurt him, they were also the only ones who'd loved him in a time like that. They were the ones who walked him home when he got lost, who took balls out of trees for him to play, who turned the weather good so sunny days wouldn't become even more miserable for the young boy.

But this was not his greatest secret.

For all Takashi loved and hated ayakashi, he found himself wishing more than once a day that he had some way to create distance. Some way to have control over the situation, to be able to leverage power over the yokai the way they leveraged power over him. Even when he met Madara and suddenly had an overpowered body guard, it still wasn't enough. It wasn't right. Natsume had nothing to hold against yokai but their names in his book, if he even had them. But, still, Natsume could never quite bring himself to use that book to his advantage.

Matoba's words echoed in his head. He'd never actually said these words to Natsume, but for some reason, whenever that treacherous line of thought entered Natsume's mind, it came to the sound of Matoba Seiji's voice. They beg you to call their name, the not-Matoba in his mind said. All they want is for the person who holds their most precious possession to acknowledge them. To need them. To give them purpose. Once you let them go, Natsume, they die. You free them, sure, but only to the other side of this world can they go.

Natsume swallowed down those words, willing them not to bounce around eternally in his head as they always did when he recalled them. Instead, he leaned his head further onto Matoba's shoulder, and buried his face in the man's kimono. The scent of the elder man's cologne was pleasantly tickling Natsume's nose, begging him to deeply inhale the man's musk. He didn't bother resisting, knowing Matoba would have come to expect it. He didn't bother resisting the urge to slide his hand into the opening of Matoba's kimono, putting his hand over the man's heart to feel it beat. In return, the leader of the Matoba clan gently scratched at the nape of Natsume's neck, rubbing the sensitive spot back and forth with his thumb, soothing the boy further into his body.

The one thing Natsume could never tell Matoba, was that Matoba was his perfect husband. Capable of putting just enough distance between himself and ayakashi when needed, but willing, nay, enthusiastic, to bring them closer when Natsume wished. He had the power to defend Natsume, but unlike Madara, he was also willing to teach Natsume how to protect himself.

But above all, Matoba gave him peace. It pained Natsume to admit it, but whenever the man came into his view, the relief was instant. Despite the exorcists violent nature, he'd somehow instilled peace into Natsume. Ayakashi never plagued his dreams when Natsume slept next to him, his body only ever carried the marks Matoba put there in the morning, his heart only beat with anxiety whenever Matoba's dark eye met his own, hooded and full of hidden intent, as though waiting for the day when the two of them were finally, completely alone, for Matoba to let Natsume know exactly what was trapped in the depths of his mind.

Matoba's heart beat steadily under Natsume's fingers. His spiritual energy bathed the young boy as if it were a soothing balm, healing all wounds and righting all wrongs. It seemed to flow through Natsume's tightly closed lips and into his stomach, his lungs, his heart.

Natsume couldn't fight Matoba's will.

Maybe that's why he seeks out Natsume and yet let's him go from danger time and time again, why he is the biggest threat to Natsume and his way of life, but perhaps the biggest protector also. Matoba doesn't approve, but he regardless protects Natsume physically like in the recent chapter at the kiln and at the bus stop. Maybe he wants to see Natsume safe and happy, maybe he wants to constantly be around Natsume, because Natsume is living the life he wants to. A life of power, and yet gentleness and companionship with BOTH yokai and humans. A life with a foot in both worlds.

He wants to live like Natsume, and he's chasing him around because he wants to see if this ideal life is possible.

He doesn't know how to treat them, he feels they are lesser than human, that one and the other must be separate.

you're right but also not fully so, He do see them as either tools or source of danger, yet I believe not ALL been like that to him. there might've been a time where he saw them as something close to an equal but got betrayed and saw them for whom they truly are. I talked about this very little theory of mine here which touched this idea a bit.

thus, why I don't think he was this indifferent to them from the get-go.

Unlike Natori and Natsume, Seiji knows the dark side of the yokai world and had touched it. be it from his job point of view or from personal experience we don't know yet.

in the world he lived in no way he can be truly nice to yokai, even if he tried to be no way the yokai would actually trust him and treat him kindly, he is an exorcist and he's a Matoba on top of that, be it people OR Yokai they'd judge him before he even does anything be it good or bad. so, I can see him going " why bother, I wonder?" and giving up on that very idea.

Maybe that's why he seeks out Natsume

hmm, is by seeking out Natsume you mean going out of his way to meet Natsume ?? if so then I disagree, since Seiji sought out Natsume one time only. the other times they always meet by fate bring them together although it is true that he always wanna talk to Natsume. the one who actually sought out Natumse to make connection with him even though their first meeting wasn't even great was Natori :)

Seiji doesn't need to bother in this regard since fate always on his side for once xDD

now to the main point on hand with those out of the way <3

why he is the biggest threat to Natsume and his way of life, but perhaps the biggest protector also.

ah Seiji as Natsume's protector. at first this idea might sound insane to some since Seiji is messed up and can't be excused for some of his actions which's true but even so he's not pure evil as much as he's not purely good.

I feel both Seiji and Natori play the Natsume's protector role in such a different way. while Natori is very open and straightforward about it Seiji is indirect about it a bit. Both of them sees Natsume as the road neither of them could've taken thus wanting to protect him from what they both went through.

To Natori, Natsume reminds him of himself alot and they have alot in common actually, he's the kind of person he wanted to be, the life he long given up on. thus Natori want to protect Natsume at all cost, he doesn't want him to experience what he went through. he want to give Natsume the normal life he deserves.

but you know, what Natori almost always wanted to protect Natsume the most from is the people rather than the yokai. or in a more correct way "the exorcist" especially the evil and ugly side of this world that he wants to keep Natsume away from. he wants Natsume to have his peace away from this dark side of the human world. plus it's the world that killed Reiko so .. never mind that it's a theory I have so I'll leave it be till another time

on the other hand, look at Seiji, he protects Natsume in a different way than Natori, while Natori protect Natsume from that dark side of the human world, Seiji is protecting him from the dark side of the yokai world. unlike Natori. mostly all the time when Seiji moved to actively protect Natsume it's always from an evil yokai. I feel Seiji have a complex feeling about this, he wanna protect Natsume from this dark side of the yokai world and let him keep his gentle view of the yokai, he doesn't want to him to experience this ugly side of this world .. he doesn't want him to go through what he gone through or had given up on. yet he sometimes wants Natsume to face reality and wake up because yeah, the real world isn't kind at all, at least not his world.

so yup, while Seiji isn't that actively or pretty noticeable the things he does to protect Natsume's way of life like Natori, that doesn't mean he never did so. I mean Seiji is still a threat to Natsume even if he has a soft spot for him now. I can't even say he won't do something bad in the future that might ruin Natsume's life.

I just love this aspect of Seiji's complexity. I don't know how Midorikawa-sensei actually did it, giving me the impression of Seiji being a Natsume protector yet also a bigger threat to his life. HOW DID SHE NAILED IT LIKE THAT!!! THAT'S TOO MUCH FOR MY POOR HEART YET CAN'T THANK HER ENOUGH FOR!!!

For Matoba having once been amicable to yokai, that's a theory, yes, but really just a theory. I can see how it would work narratively, but as of now it hasn't been concerned. Regardless, part of me saying he thinks they need to be separate was to set up what I said next, that he is actually hoping he is wrong and that they can live together in harmony.

And to say Natori doesn't know the "dark side" of yokai is just a biiiit of a stretch. He is an exorcist like any other and while certainly not being hunted, he's not sheltered either. He's been in the thick of it. As well for Natsume, his entire life has been yokai-induced bigoted-lead torture. That's kind of the whole point; he has every right to hate yokai, and in some ways does. He's been hunted, chased, and terrified. What's great about Natsume is that he is able to go case by case, to understand that like people, yokai can come in all flavors. Natori and Matoba understand that to some extent (and I can't even speak on Natori rn bc I only meant this to be a matonatsu ship post lol) they're unable or perhaps ignorant of how to implement that in their lives. Maybe they feel they're too far gone-

but isn't Natsume Yuujinchou the manga that's all about healing, learning, growing, third fourth and fifth chances?

While I can see that negotiating with yokai is likely very difficult based on his name alone, matoba has also shown a lot of outright murderous intent to yokai, such as in his first appearance, so I imagine his feelings around them are definitely still complicated. And I'll say this, Natsume's methods aren't the norm among ppl like him. Matoba can do his job the only way he's been taught how to, and still reach out to a yokai kitty in hopes it will come back to him also. That's why I say all of this in the first place- he wants to change! He wants to see a better world! He wants harmony and companionship in a world that really, only himself and Natsume understand.

And yes, natori natori but this isn't about natori, it's my thought post about Matoba! And Matoba does very much seek Natsume out. Perhaps not directly as in he gets up one day and says "I'll go visit natsume" but regardless, whenever fate does push them together, Matoba still seeks Natsume out and yes, talks to him. He's very comfortable in exorcist communities as well as working alone, whereas Natsumes only ties to the world are yes, Natori, but also Matoba! Matoba would be well within his right to just keep an eye on natsume and do nothing more, or actively be his malicious enemy, but their scenes together always feel playful, at least on Matoba's part.

Scary for Natsume of course, but Matoba really seems to just like messing with him! So essentially by "seek out" I meant "initiates interaction". Narratively, a lot of Matoba's potential actions that ignore or otherwise dont prioritize natsume could make sense, but Midorikawa chooses to portray a Matoba that wants, very much so, to be around Natsume.

We can't forget that he's also a very busy clan head with lots of eyes on him. Seeking out Natsume in your interpretation may not always be possible or safe!

And when I say "protects natsume and his way of life" I mean that literally lol. Matoba has taken a lot of mercy on Natsume, a lot of gentleness with him, a lot of forgiveness, and has protected Natsume from *physical* harm many times, as in keeping him from dying or being otherwise maimed. That doesn't extent to Nyanko sensei ofc lol, but thats another piece of the puzzle in my view.

Matoba wants Natsume to succeed in his way, yes, but he also wants Natsume by his side almost desperately, enough to bring it up frequently at least. He wants someone who understands him. He went thru the trouble of kidnapping him to have that lol!! They see the same world, they've likely had similar enough experiences, they see the same patterned kimono.

Their worlds are one; Matoba wants to learn how to live in Natsumes, and Natsume needs to learn from Matoba if he's going to survive in both worlds at once. And while I don't think at this point Matoba has any intention of hurting Natsume, he may do so unintentionally, if he thinks it's for Natsume' good. I agree, that's what makes him so good!

from Animage February 2025 (No textless poster or such)

Me: I feel I've definitely seen something like this before, I wonder where...

Natsume in Season 5 episode 11 (To The Ephemeral Ones):

Me: Oh...