It’s my first post! I write speculative fiction which includes a wide variety of genre. I tend towards a mashup of science fiction romance, urban fantasy and PNR. I’m intersted in the intersection of the natural world, the hidden world and human perception. I do have stories about mushrooms. So lets start with some mushrooms here!
Invitations to hidden worlds
I love finding mushrooms in Tokyo because they are little bursts of nature that seem to resist urbanization. There is actually quite a lot of greenery in some parts of Tokyo, so maybe it shouldn’t be such a big surprise. But finding these little fungi feels like discovering an invitation to a secret world beneath all the urbanization.
Fairy ink caps
I found these while walking at a local park in Tokyo in June this year (2023). My mushroom identification skills aren’t very good but I’m VERY good at spotting a mushroom amongst leaf litter and grass. Researching later, I think these might be Coprinellus disseminatus. The common name is fairy inkcap.
The little group of parasol-shaped mushrooms were the biggest surprise. They were behind a tree and I wouldn’t have found them if my dog hadn’t decided to investigate the spot (she was nowhere near to eating them). I didn’t expect to see such a colony! Most of the fruiting bodies I see appear to be loners (of course, the mycelium underground is large) so I love to see big groupings like this one.
UFO: Unidentifed Fungal Objects
This mushroom was less surprising since it was out in the open, near a water faucet. It was only about 2 cm high. I used a macro-lens attachment on my iPhone. It gives a weird bokeh I think. I have no idea what this little mushroom is. If you know, please drop a comment below.
I found this one on a sakura tree. The sakura trees near me are quite mossy. Several of them have been cut down because they are becoming hollow inside. Still, it’s fun to find a mushroom in the moss. This little mushroom was less than 2 cm. I also have no idea what this one is. I’ll update when I find out.
I love a character who spots things now one else notices. Spotting something unusual feels like an invitation into another world, like Alice following the White Rabbit. Neo in The Matrix is a good example. This idea of following an oddity is probably my favorite transition from the “real” world into a story world. Another example, though this may be kind of cheesy to refer to a painting , is Pieter Bruegal the Elder’s Landscape with the Fall of Icarus. Icaraus is the subject of the painting but you have to look really hard to find him. And only a child notices the dramatic event. Everyone else is business as usual.
You can see the painting at this link: https://www.artchive.com/artwork/landscape-with-the-fall-of-icarus-by-pieter-bruegel-the-elder/
What kind of things do you notice that you think other people don’t? If you have a particular spotting talent, let me know in the comments below!
L.R.