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ccatskies · 5 years ago

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sciflash | chemistry class

rasa’s request

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"Chemistry is the study of matter and energy and the interactions between them. This is also the definition for physics, by the way. Chemistry and physics are specializations of physical science."

There goes that voice. Flash resisted the urge to let a groan slip out and annoy the teacher who had just commenced the said class. He knew Chemistry, but today was awfully boring. No matter how much he despised a few subjects, it just wasn't his thing to barge in like a despicable roach and get on a teacher's nerves.

That would be his complimentary rascal of friend's field of expertise.

His eyes darted towards one of the tables in the third row, snorting as he suppressed a laugh. There's the adorable rascal.

Dash was, as usual, being a brat about things and getting her hand slapped from time to time by Shimmer, who had mentally declared that life was quite meaningless at this point, especially if you had to deal with Rainbow touching random potions for entertainment to bust everyone's asses six feet into the sky and out of the Chemistry Lab.

"Chemistry tends to focus on the properties of substances and the interactions between different types of matter, particularly reactions that involve electrons - ah, wait a second." Mr. Cranky interpolated, holding up a finger prior to walking off to the teacher who had been waiting for him at the door to deliver a message on the urgent change of routines.

Sentry suppressed a yawn, shyly glancing at his partner from the corner of his eye. In an instant, blood rushed up to his cheeks, coating it with adorable pink tints scattered across them like a pretty bunch of full bloomed roses. He brought his hands closer to his chest and leaned back on the chair, while the latter stood straight, fiddling with the bottle of a potion and going through her notes once again.

Sparkle's hair was in a messy bun, tied up with a rubber band while a big gold star laid on top of it. Few strands of her indigo hair gave her side profile astounding visuals for him just stare at. Her rosy cheeks had a special warmth, radiating a glow over her honey bronze skin. Her white laboratory coat only added onto her daunting look, as she maneuvered her finger tip through the pages of the Chemistry book.

She looked to the side once again, her alluring side profile snatching his view once again.

Fuck, he mused, one hand flying up to his face, as he cupped his right cheek to feel the warmth that generated from the abrupt blood rush.

Sure, it wasn't his first time looking at her, and definitely not the last.

More importantly, he wasn't sure how she did that to him like it was simply nothing, whereas it took him ages to have her blush in front of him. Of course, he knew she might've been hiding those blushes which burst out like balloons only when he took special measures but when it came down to him, she didn't need to even life a finger.

"Hey."

She was honestly so breathtaking - did no one tell her that?

"Huh, Flash?"

Breathtaking was an understatement too, he figured. She was just drop dead gorgeous, as if she was a beauty hailing from the heavens above - and Flash definitely didn't exaggerate that. He's seen Shimmer casually flirt with her, while Sparkle would laugh and playfully slap her shoulder.

Sunset's teeny tiny crush on the adorable bookworm justified the class Twi fell under. She's dated Timber, prior to ending the relationship on a good note. And all they had to say about his best friend was that she was so worth it.

"Flash!"

He broke out of the trance, blinking twice as he found his stinging eyes water, before squeezing them shut, a small drop traveling down his lashes, "h-huh. . .?"

"Your eyes!" Sparkle gasped, drawing herself closer to the teen boy, resting one of her warm hands on the surface of the table and the other on his left shoulder. She subconsciously brought herself to examine those pretty cornflowers, bearings her face towards his. Her breath fanned over the tip of his red nose, as she tilted her head, worry evident in her tone, "do they sting?"

"Wha-" he opened his eyes at the sound of her honey voice, a little taken aback as he registered the proximity, "ohh, fuuck."

She only made it worse for him, furrowing her brows at his words, as she dragged her lower lip under the edge of her teeth, "what? Does it sting too bad? You're tearing up, so - "

"N-not that!" He sputtered, biting his lip as soon as he stared up at her violet globes, "umm, I. . ."

"You what?"

"Your eyes." He immediately blurted, his cheeks betraying him once again, as he gazed into the most beautiful pair of eyes ever, astounded by the way they carried themselves. He swore that he could see the entire galaxy and at least a thousand constellations imprinted on those small captivating sultry orbs, reflecting back on his like the sun's rays.

She suppressed a giggle, breaking into a small smile, before she brought up her index up to his visage, cutely booping his nose, "my eyes? Ooh, are you flirting with me?"

His cheeks flushed into the shade of red - almost as red as the color of a scarlet Dahlia. Damn it, Century! Not now!

"Uh, no?"

Twilight snickered, not taking his response seriously, "is this the time to make jokes? I thought that's our thing only when classes are off."

"Wow," he scoffed, warm air purging through his nose, as he tilted his head to the side opposite to hers, "I'm mad that you don't take hints."

She raised a brow in amusement, letting a lighthearted laugh break through her system, "hint? What hint?"

"That I'm genuinely trying to compliment you for a reason."

She leaned back and flopped down onto the sit next to him, propping an elbow on the armrest as she cupped her cheek, "oh really?"

"You're pretty, am I not allowed to say that?" Flash rolled his eyes, groaning in exasperation, "fuck that, you're beautiful."

That had her blush. No matter how experienced she was at hiding those, she could not get do so for long.

Twilight smiled and bit her lip, vanquishing her urge to press him further but rather have him blurt out things (so that she could put them to use the next time she felt like embarrassing him). He had immediately caught onto the look on her face, growing a little shy at the indication.

"Why are you giving me that look?" Sentry huffed, crossing his arms over his chest, "am I not allowed to call my best friend pretty?"

"U-uh. . ." she laughed a little nervously, her thin silver glasses sliding down a little down the bridge of her nose, as she concealed her cheeks from his view with her hands over them, "noooo."

A smile tugged at the corner of his lips, curving into an attractive grin as he reached out his arm to pull down her hands from her face, leaning in closer to catch a sight of her turn to be red, "awww, did I finally get you?"

She caught both of his wrists as they neared her, looking down on her lap, as she felt the burning sensation course through her. The boy only smiled, his insanely attractive dimples glowing from the corners of his wide smile, as he trailed his bigger hands down, smoothly intertwining his fingers with that of the Teacher's Pet.

She looked up at him holding back a few giggles, as she snorted, her honey cheeks tinted pink like cotton candy, "are you playing with me, Flash Century?"

His smile instantly dropped as he scoffed in disbelief, "did you really just say that, Twinkle Sprinkle?"

"Twinkle Sprinkle?" Twi's jaw hung low, as she maintained her posture, still having her fingers locked with his tan ones. Her face was a mess right now, red with embarrassment as well as flattery, showcasing the cute freckles splattered across the area surrounding her nose. "Oof, you're gonna get it. That's the childish nickname you gave years back. I thought we settled that you won't use it anymore!"

"I - " he laughs silently, as she frees her hands from him, standing back up and maneuvering her hands through several potions, desperately wanting to free herself from the situation.

Flash stood right next to her, his seraphic smile as heartwarming as ever, as he whispered next to her ear, warm breath hitting her skin like a steam and making her freeze on the spot, "cute little Twinkle Sprinkle."

She turned to face him, but was rather met with his chest - curse her shortness. She blushed profusely once again, prior to staring up at him, as she scoffed, "you're certainly hitting on me."

He moistened his lower lip, the same warmth radiating from his presence, as one hand slipped down to her waist, "of course, you pretty little thing."

"You are pretty," she immediately snapped back nonchalantly, her face as straight forward and genuine as ever.

Fuck, fuck, fuck.

The boy bit his lip, the shyness slipping out again. It took him a while to get her flustered but how the hell did she do it within a second?

Was this the Sparkle effect?

That made him feel magical and helpless? That made his heart beat like the thunderous sound of drums?

"You're staring again, Flash," Twi coughed, masking her flustered front, and replacing it with a terrible poker face.

"I again do that for hours actually." He removed his hand from her waist, dragging his lower lip under his teeth, as he shyly looked down on the table.

"Wow," She playfully punched his chest, letting out a laugh which rang through his ears like a serene and paradisiacal euphony, "you're. . . unbelievable, Sentry."

She pursed her lips into a thin line, prior to gazing at his features with a goofy grin, "unbelievably gorgeous, that is."

"Stop," he bit his lip, letting out a sigh in disbelief, "how can you just do that?"

"Do what?"

"Fluster me easily."

"I do that?"

"Yes."

She scrunched up her nose, smiling adorably, "well, then. Guess I found my new hobby!"

"What? No."

"Definitely."

"You're not - "

"You're the cutest."

"I - "

"Softest - "

"A little marshmallow. That's what I think of when I look at you. A sweet and cute little marshmallow." She snickered, "I can poke and kiss your squishy cheeks all day - "

"H-huh?" He had the cutest face on - with utter disbelief was etched on his features, while the pink blush never seemed to go away. If Flash could recall all of his shit talk with the tiny bookworm, he would swore that she never played the flirty card. It was either getting flustered or masking it.

Did he hear that right? From Twilight?

Twilight stepped back, a triumphant smile playing on her lips. She held back a boisterous laugh from breaking out and destroying her system as soon as she spotted her so-called friend's lips quiver, with the biggest flustered look on his face, screaming what just happened?

"Guess I won this time, Habibi."

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#sciflash #sci twi #flash sentry #drabble #writing #nivia writes #rasa take my love

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itsakpopalypse · 6 years ago

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Kim Sehyoon : Astrology ask- How he would be romantically

“hii 😊 can you do an astrology reaction like chan’s but with Sehyoon? thank you so much in advance!”- @naomik1999

Of course ! glad to do so !! Here you are ! I hope you like it !

A/N there will be 18+ included below the cut !!

Okay !! Starting with pure fluff and explanation of his overall chart

this baby

oh my god he is so precious

okay so we know he is a Taurus sun

but did you know he has a LEO rising?

lowkey means he has this strong confident presence that intimidates people yet draws them in

he is so lively and interesting to watch that you are like👀👀

and he seems like he would be outgoing on first glance

but his sun and moon balance out that strong firey energy SO beautifully

with a Taurus sun he is somewhat more calm and will have a very steady aura

like you get near him and feel more grounded just for it

beautiful fixed earth energy in action let me tell you

as you know fixed tends to mean unmovable and it is lucky for him he has a more mutable moon or that would eventually cause conflict

his instinct is still probably to dig his heels in but he will come around quickly

let’s talk what a Taurus sun means for his relationships

ever met one? they are . so . Cuddly by nature,

Maybe not first meeting someone but when they he becomes comfortably used to a person he will go at the hugs and physical affection with his whole chest

expect

forehead kisses (oh my god im sofft)

hand holding

picking you up for absolutely no reason except that he wants you c l o s e r

tend to be very physical, artistic and sexual by nature.

so expect lots of touch

please take care of his heart he is not going to want to express it in words but Taurus’s are soooooo easily hurt.

they are slow to anger so don’t expect any fights really

he will be logical and intelligent

but if you do fight he may take a while to cool down after

Pisces moon.

i have said it before I will say it again

SO MANY FEELINGS

okay so with Pisces especially in moon this means a few things

sensitive

they give people SO many chances to break their hearts

you will have to be so supportive

he will need to be held sometimes

you might be the lil spoon

its cute

but we know he thicc thicc

so you know it’ll probably translate to him laying his head on your thighs and staring up at you with stars in his eyes

because he is so s o f t for you

Pisces moon is so romantic

he will be constantly trying to make you smile because it will be his whole world

god the PAINTINGS he will do of and for you

Sehyoon is so deeply artistic and he expresses himself through his art

so especially with the Taurus sun being a hindrance on putting his feelings into words he will find a way to do it through his art

expect lyrics and paintings

he might do your nails when they are chipped

try to learn how to do your make up and hair

he is so affectionate i am getting so soft

i don’t normally mention it but his Mercury is notable

since his mercury is Taurus it means he will be practical, and very

very

dexterous

that will come back in the 18+ section i just needed to put it out there cause BIG OOF

his venus is Aries, venus controls how one reacts to love relationships of all kinds

Aries is a dominant sign so yes, Sehyoon is a soft man full of emotions who is a bit shy, but expect that once he knows what he wants he will go for it

he will probably be cautious though, as a true Taurus always is, so he will probably try to figure it out through your friends before he directly asks you out

drops hints for a short while before just being like

then blush like mad and giggle and hide his larger frame behind Byeongkwan who totally is there for emotional support don’t @ me

He will peak out and say something complimentary or just random and then when you begin to answer he will decide to rip the bandaid off

“I like you a lot can I take you out please?”

Cause he is a gentleman okay

will then find so much time for you

naps

he will cuddle

big spoon sometimes but I see him as more of a lay you down full bodied on top of him so he can feel your lips pressed to his neck and you can have soft whispery conversations like that

will kiss the top of your head between words

ask questions that seem strange’

but he just wants to know everything about you

because he wants to understand how to make you happy always and that’s the best way for him to do it

analyze analyze analyze

dates will be pretty quiet and chill

he will do whatever you want because he doesn’t need to be in charge of those things

he would be the sweetest most boyfriendy boyfriend the world has ever seen and you will honestly constantly be amazed (hes not even my a.c.e bias im just in my feels from his chart it’s so beautiful and cohesive)

His N Node is Sagittarius and this is notable because it will mean he is pretty adventurous with his love

that’s coming up again later too jot that down

okay and im gonna ramble cause he is so so s w e e t please

will not stop talking about you to the members

guys did you know that my S/O is ….

the most WONDERFUL person in the world???

they are like yes you told us that 10 mins ago and will likely tell us again in 10 more minutes

S P I C Y time

istg it was so hard to pick a gif there are so many sexy gifs of this man LAWD

WOOOP let’s get to it 👀👀👀

I KNOW I KNOW I KNOW

everyone calls him a SERIOUS KINKY DOM

and I won’t say that ISN’T there…..

what I will say is it isn’t likely his GO TO

okay I will explain

his Aries rising and venus means he will have some FIREY dom-y moments

but his Pisces and Taurus placements will tone it down a bit

now if you are INTO that he is happy to please

but just expect that on occasion he wants you to make him weak

have you seen any dance ever that he is in the man goes from powerhouse to trembling in the grasp of another

black and blue fancams do yourself a favor if you haven’t

okay star stuff again

this man

is so affectionate. his hands are EVERYWHERE always

he will time things incredibly well

remember when i talked about the importance of his mercury being Taurus too??

yeahhhh

so this means he is amazing with his hands

expect thorough teasing from him

this is not a drill

he is going to make you cum at least 2 times before his cock comes near you

i don’t make the rules

have you seen his tongue??? hands vs tongue I am thinking he is going to do both but there might be times where he does one or the other

he loves loves loves

to hear moans

not so much a praise kink but damn it does stroke his ego

he wants you so incredibly blissed out that you don’t even think about what noises are coming out of your face

h i p control

the dancer hips on this man honestly I cannot continue because im going to burst into flame lawd

we’ve all seen the package so while he is not lacking in size by my estimation, he is also SO precise

O V E R S T I M

okay so just cause he isn’t a ‘dom’ always doesn’t mean he isn’t always kinky

he is kinky

i do think he is a BIT more into pain play than some of the other members would be but I don’t think he’d go for anything that is TOO rough

spanking with a leather paddle is a yes, anything too much harder is a no

he just wants you at peak pleasure the whole time and he LIVES to know he is the one doing it

What can I say Aries are low key ego driven and he will use your pleasure to make him feel like a god or demon in the sheets

and that’s fair cause he likely is one

remember that Sagg north node? yeah that’s back

adventurous

so expect some bondage both ways

he would love for you to put a blindfold on him and make him experience everything through touch

will let out the prettiest whines but also will be so in to it

loves to be teased but will never ask you to reciprocate oral unless you’re doing character play

if he HAPPENS to be domming well watch out cause he is damn good at it.

biting

yeah that’s a thing

honestly as a rapper i see him having a huge oral fixation

there will be times he will leave a box on the bed with lingerie and you will see a note telling you to put it on and come to the bedroom

and when you come out he is going to LAVISH you in attention

unwrap you like the best gift he has ever recieved

that thing his eyes do where they darken and he looks like he could get you on your knees with a single word

yea that too

but instead he just strips you and doesn’t miss a single inch as he explores you with his tongue and teeth

WHEW

not a lay down the rules type of dom

maybe one or two but mostly he just wants to control and move your body for your own pleasure

on the flip side when he wants you in control its like

he has had a hard busy week and he is stressed

so he will give you a hint he wants to be babied

will get your attention and make it clear but probably be too embarrassed to ask outright

but when you do lord he will be so pleased

ride his face or his cock he’s good with either he just wants you to touch him and body worship him the way he does you

that is when praising him will work in your favor

but not just by telling him how hot he is

he wants you to talk about how you love him

where you love him

what he does to your soul and bare it for him

those deep conversations which could be had over coffee but if you are kissing your way down his body he will not be able to stand it

he is so in love and it shows

hey bouncing out of that think of this

artist Sehyoon puts down a tarp one day and stips you naked. he begs you to let him paint you and he does, but not on a canvass

no he has body paint and his hands are the brush and he literally covers you in him so viscerally and emotionally

it starts beautiful

a color here and there outlining things he thinks make you so unique

you’ve got stretchmarks? scars? moles?

he amplifies these and makes you see your “flaws” as as beautiful as he sees them

full length mirror in front of you once you are enhanced he grips the base of your neck gently in his hand from behind and meets your eyes in the mirror

his hot wet whisper in your ear that this

this was the peak of his creativity

that he would never be able to replicate on any other format the beauty he sees in you

and somehow even though it’s this beautiful sweet moment his eyes do the thing and you know you are in for it

expect the flutters to turn to fire as he puts a bit of pressure into that hand, just enough to get your attention. you know what comes after

expect to be much messier by the end and hes throwing out whatever clothes he bought tbh

aftercare isn’t gonna be a thing much

he works hard on you and he is tired

will cuddle forever after you will be gross and he will not care showers and cleanup are for after he has had his NAP

*I hope you enjoyed it!! feel free to send more requests anytime! I love peaking at these charts and delving in !

#kim sehyoon #wow a.c.e #a.c.e #a.c.e7 #kpop fanfic #a.c.e fanfic #ace fanfic #a.c.e scenarios #astrology #kpop astrology #kpop asks

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seenashwrite · 7 years ago

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Author Honesty Hour: “Imagine...” Edition.

I was tagged by @rebelslicious & I normally avoid these like the plague, but the topic was too good to pass up - if you know my “Imagine...” ah, “work”, well, then you know exactly why.

PS: I don’t propose them, I only hammer them - apologias if I’ve misunderstood. Still. My hammers pound out good funny, yo. #humbly

THE IMAGINES

1. Which is the imagine you’re most proud of?

How dare you, OP - I cannot possibly choose between all my bebbes, okay you’ve twisted my arm, it’s “Imagine This Review”, as it’s the one I cracked myself up laughing at when I did it.

And I suppose the “Nope” saga counts, though it’s a lil’ different than the typical “Imagine”. Ahem.

2. Which is your least favorite?

Legit, I don’t know. I just rattle them off, some are short, some long, some just a sentence or two. I like them all.

3. If you were to recommend one to read to your mum/mom?

I really can’t - she doesn’t know SPN beyond vaguely, to my knowledge.

4. Which one would you consider re-writing?

Zero. They’re each hilarious in their own lil’ ways.

5. Biggest regret in an imagine?

None. Now, I will say I’m much more careful now than initially to make sure I’m not ripping on OPs who are pretty young and/or ESL. On the other hand.... I can’t pass up the really awful concepts, I can’t. They must be addressed.

6. Biggest success with an imagine?

Ain’t that the next Q? Let me rephrase: what’s the measurement? What does “success” mean? OP will never see this, so I’m moving on. But if does [whispers] be more specific next go-round, darling - though I compliment you, this is one of the more unique questionnaires floating about, kudos!

7. Your imagine with the most notes?

After a quick perusal of the ones that I recall being popular, Buoyancy and Hammer Time. The first is “Imagine Sam teaching you how to swallow”, the latter “Imagine Demon!Dean is chasing you around the bunker”.

8. Your imagine with the least notes?

Most of them. Seriously. I don’t get tons of notes on the whole [i.e. >50, let’s say], and it would take to long to hunt through all these to tell you. All of them have at least a sprinkling.

9. What do you think makes a good imagine? Tips?

I can tell you what *doesn’t* - things so far out of the realm that it would require major brain-twisting to get the premise to work. I assure you: grown-ass men & bazillion-year-old demons/angels have *zero* interest in starting a YouTube channel with your teenager ass, in any realm, world, or personal imagination. They also don’t give the first shit about your new make-up. Or you accidentally breaking a glass & then them “coming to your rescue”. [I did not make *any* of those up, btw - they exist, I seent it, check my list] Just retire those ideas to a nice farm upstate where they can play with the other dumb ideas that peeps have dropped off to die.

10. When’s the next update on your works?

Soon as I can, got several marinating.

11. Number of followers before you started writing and after?

I was writing from day one, so moot point.

THE WRITER

1. Which character do you love writing for?

The ones that are mine; infinitely easier than trying to mimic other writers’ styles. Fanfic-wise, I’ve gotten the most complimentary feedback on Dean, though I’ve gotten thumbs-up on all of them. So far.

2. Which character do you dislike writing for?

SPN Fanfic-wise? None vex me terribly. Some I have to watch myself on to keep it “real” - Castiel comes to mind as one I double-check myself on.

3. What’s your favorite AU to write for?

I don’t like AUs, so no faves, though I am currently challenging myself to do one, and one that’s been done by maaaany people before, SPN + The Princess Bride. Kickin’ its ass presently. We shall see if it continues.

4. What’s your least favorite AU to write for?

See above, re: I don’t.

5. What do you hope never gets requested?

See HERE.

6. What do you wish was requested more?

I don’t take requests, but I’ll ask for them on occasion. THIS turned out well, and I still have some in the hopper, waiting on light bulbs to spark.

7. Thoughts on writing Smut/POC/Curvy/MxM/FxF?

Taking this out of order.

I only wrote a smut after the loss of a bet; I’m not against sexy times, I just don’t write anatomically graphic stuff or things with zero plot. That lost bet has five parts and a killer plot, so there ya go.

MxM/FxF is out of my wheelhouse; one of my best friends (woman) is bi, and I consulted her when I thought about throwing some Jody/Primary protag sexy times into the aforementioned smut, but I didn’t think I did it justice.

Regarding anything else as far as physical attributions - ethnicity to skin color to hair type to body size to a handicap to a visible genetic malady to whatever - I’m of the camp that’s something you have to know, and I mean know in order to pull it off. I’ve spoken on this before, specifically with relation to POC, so I won’t belabor it here, but for me, nine times outta ten, I’m going to keep the physical attributes of the primary protag (read: the reader analogue) so vague and sparing that anybody can imagine themselves as that person. I’ll only bring up a physical attribute if the story absolutely requires it.

8. Which account is your biggest inspiration in writing?

Meaning another writer? Oof. There are several writers who serve as fantastic motivation for me, if that’s what this is getting at.

But... how to phrase... “inspiration” is an interesting choice of word - not sure what OP means here.

I don’t get inspiration for my stuff from other peoples’ stories or concepts. If I see something that hits real close to the mark of something I’ve got in my ideas folder, I make a note of it because I’m either going to (a) trash mine, or (b) make a point to do it better. I’m cool with that making me seem like a dick.

9. How long have you been an imagine writer for?

It started with “Nope”.

10. Any upcoming secret works?

Now, they wouldn’t be a secret then, would they??? ;)

#Nash Responds #Writer Ask Games #thank you for thinking of me #I cannot bring myself to pass along chain letters #but I appreciate the lurve #and any of the Nashooligans who see this #consider this your invite to play along #Queueby Dooby Doo #Dad's on a blog post and #he hasn't been queued in a few days

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notapaladin · 4 years ago

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that i will never leave your side

In which Acatl gets a puppy, because if anyone deserves unconditional love it’s this guy.

Also on AO3

Theoretically, the rainy season was almost over. Theoretically it should be getting cooler, or at least drier. The Storm Lord apparently didn’t care for theoreticals, because the sun on Acatl’s bare back was merciless and every deep breath felt like he was inhaling lake water.

At least there was a good breeze and better company. Teomitl had come to meet him for lunch, and it was difficult to be too surly about the weather—or indeed, about anything—when his lover was settling down next to him with that radiant smile and offering him tamales stuffed with greens and hot peppers. The breeze wasn’t enough to make holding each other comfortable, at least until the sun went down, but it was just enough for Teomitl’s fingers to tangle lightly with his as they ate. He found himself smiling.

I’m going to miss this, came the thought. He would. When the dry season began, the army would make their preparations for war in earnest, and he’d be lucky to see Teomitl at all before they left. And then...then there would be four long, cold months without his lover’s smile. He cast his gaze down to his meal. He’s strong and intelligent. He’ll come back safely, whether it ends in a victory or not. He has to.

Teomitl flicked a glance over to him. His own tamale was almost gone. “Good, isn’t it?”

“Mm.” He would have added more peppers, but it was still delicious. He gave Teomitl’s fingers a quick squeeze. “It’s not too spicy for you?”

He could feel his lover stiffening and glanced over to catch his glare. Apparently the question had affronted him; whether it was because he hated being the object of concern or thought it would make him seem weak, Acatl didn’t know. Probably both. “Never.”

Acatl raised an eyebrow at him and waited.

Sure enough, Teomitl’s shoulders relaxed, and he shook his head with a snort. “Just because your favorite meals come from Chantico’s own hearth fires doesn’t mean the rest of us can’t handle hot food.”

He thought about that. “...It’s not that spicy.”

“Remember when Neutemoc ate some of your food by mistake?”

He winced. Admittedly, watching his brother’s whole face turn red had been mildly entertaining, but the coughing and swearing and hopefully-not-serious death threats hadn’t.

“Exactly,” Teomitl said.

Seeking to cover his embarrassment, he took another bite of his tamale—it was almost gone—and commented, “I do know you like sweet things, though.” He’d discovered it purely by accident back when Teomitl had still been his student and a late-running lesson had resulted in them eating lunch together; he hadn’t known anyone could follow up a full meal with that much honey-drizzled fruit without the world’s worst stomachache to show for it. The thought of it still made him feel a bit ill, but even then the open and honest delight on Teomitl’s face had struck him to the core.

And now he had the pleasure of watching Teomitl turn very slightly red around the ears, which was better. “And?” he huffed. “Mihmatini is much worse.”

He smiled at the memory his lover’s words sparked. “Oh, I know. Has anyone ever told you about the time she tried to climb a cactus to get at the fruit? She was...oh, about eight at the time.”

Clearly, nobody had. Teomitl blinked at him, and Acatl watched as comprehension slowly dawned across his face. “She didn’t.”

Now he was grinning, and didn’t bother to hide it. It had been distressing at the time, but in hindsight he could admit that Mihmatini’s stubborn pout had been hilarious. “She did.”

Teomitl, to his credit, managed to hold in his laughter for one heartbeat, two—and then he cracked, shoulders shaking as he broke down in squeaky giggles. It was the cutest thing Acatl had ever heard in his life. “Oh, gods,” he wheezed, shaking his head. “I know I shouldn’t laugh—but I can just imagine her face—”

“Don’t tease her about it,” he warned. Not that he necessarily thought Teomitl would, but...well. I want him in my arms because he wants to be there. Not because his wife threw him out of the house.

“I enjoy having all my extremities attached to me.” Teomitl paused, studying the remnants of his tamale. “Besides, she has enough to worry about.”

A nasty chill oozed down his spine. “What happened?”

“Nothing!” And then he paused, glancing up at Acatl through lowered lashes. It was a sight that could have melted a stronger man’s heart; Acatl felt his own thump hard in his chest. He was always weak to that look—but then his lover continued, and the words jarred him back to reality. “She was wondering if you wanted a dog.”

A dog...? The words jumbled together in his head, and he had to take a moment to comprehend them. “As what, lunch?”

“As a pet,” Teomitl huffed.

Acatl blinked at him. “...A pet.”

Teomitl fidgeted, fingers toying restlessly with Acatl’s own. “The royal kennels are full of puppies this time of year. And she—I—that is...we’re planning on getting one for ourselves, too.”

“I’m not sure I...” He bit his lip, thinking. As a child, only a few families in his calpulli had been able to afford to keep dogs, and he couldn’t recall any of them being particularly sentimental over the beasts that kept vermin away from their turkeys. When he dealt with them now, it was invariably on the sacrificial altar or the dinner table. He’d never given any thought to having one as a companion. Wagging tails. Bright eyes. A warm and enthusiastic welcome home.

Teomitl seemed to take his silence as refusal, and pulled his hand away with a curt, “Forget it, then.”

Acatl twitched in surprise, lifting his head to watch the faint flush that stained Teomitl’s cheekbones. “No,” he blurted out—he might not be sure about the notion of a pet dog, but he was absolutely sure he hated the way Teomitl withdrew into himself when he felt hurt. Before Teomitl could pull away any further, he took his hand again. “I’ll come with you.”

Teomitl stared at him. “You will?”

He laced his fingers through Teomitl’s own, letting a smile tug at his lips. “I can see it means a lot to you.”

Now Teomitl was definitely blushing, and dropped his gaze to their joined hands. “...I don’t want you to be lonely while I’m away.”

He couldn’t stifle his smile anymore. “And you think a dog will keep me company as well as you do?”

“It wouldn’t hurt,” Teomitl muttered. “And if we both get dogs, they can play with each other, so they won’t be alone either.”

Oh, my heart. Acatl had to kiss him for that. It was a law immutable as the gods’ wrath. When Teomitl sighed and melted into it, not even the heat could stop him pulling the man into his arms.

It was some time before they managed to leave the courtyard.

The royal kennels were tucked away near the House of Animals. Compared to the extravagant enclosures for the rarer beasts, they were almost nondescript—a series of low, plain buildings with a strong smell of raw meat and wet dog. Acatl had never been there. He’d been half expecting chaos and noise, but the place was quiet. The slaves and servants moved with brisk purpose, one or two with medium-sized dogs on rope leads, and Acatl wound up gazing after them as they passed. They looked friendly, at least.

They made it two steps into a well-swept and almost aggressively clean courtyard before the kennelmaster appeared. His cloak was plain, but there were feathers tied into his hair and carved bone earrings in his ears. “Ah, my lords! How can I help you today?”

Teomitl stepped up, saving Acatl from having to put a sentence together. “We’re here to look at the most recently weaned litters.”

The man’s polite smile held a thread of real warmth. “Of course, my lords, right this way.”

As they followed the kennelmaster into the depths of the complex, Acatl drew closer to Teomitl’s side and asked in a quiet undertone, “Are you sure about getting one so young?”

He nodded. “They’ll be easier to train.”

Acatl thought about the small children he knew. At least when they needed something, they could tell you in human words. Puppies would just howl. So, not that much different from little Ollin, I suppose. “And needier.”

“Hm.” But Teomitl’s eyes were sparkling in a way that said he didn’t see this as much of a downside.

Acatl sighed, shaking his head. Teomitl had grown and changed so much since they’d met, but if his new hound needed to be housebroken or taken for a run around the main island, he would think nothing of delegating to a fleet of servants. Acatl would have no such safety net; he didn’t know what Ichtaca would think about him acquiring a pet, but he suspected it wouldn’t be complimentary. No, like as not he’d be doing all the work himself. He didn’t need the extra burden.

And yet...he thought about the dry season, and the cold, and four silent walls. He thought about affection that demanded nothing save trust. It was tempting.

They were coming to a long line of wooden cages, each filled with dogs. The Revered Speaker’s hunting dogs were long-legged creatures, most with short hair but one or two hairless. Acatl avoided looking at those; their wrinkled skin reminded him unpleasantly of ahuitzotls, and no amount of love for Teomitl would make that association palatable. The kennelmaster led them to the very end, where one cage—larger than the others—held several dozen puppies of all colors.

“Well, my lords, you may go in and say hello.”

He opened the cage. Teomitl went in, crouching down for a better look at a sleeping black-and-white one. For the space of a heartbeat, nothing happened.

And then one of the puppies yipped, and the rest swarmed, and Teomitl went down in a sea of wriggly, roly-poly bodies.

“Oof!”

Acatl all but scrambled in, reaching to help him up, but realized as soon as he did so that he’d miscalculated. Entering the cage put him and his sandal straps within range of sharp little teeth, and when they pulled him off-balance he had to sit down before he fell. “Teo—ack!” He’d seen puppies before, from a distance. A nice, safe distance. He hadn’t seen them like this, all wiggling excitement and fur as they clambered over his lap.

Teomitl was no help. He was flat on his back and clearly in his element, ruffling one puppy’s ears while seeming blissfully unaware of the one gnawing on his cloak. Even more were vying for his attention, and he chattered to them in a tone Acatl hadn’t even heard him use with Ollin. If he was feeling suicidal or felt like sleeping alone until the end of next summer, he might have described it as cooing. “Oh, look at you! Yes, hello—oh, no, I can’t pet all of you at once!” It wasn’t stopping him from trying.

Acatl was regretting having put his cloak back on. The extra fabric only meant more things for puppies to chew, sniff at, and get tangled in, and it was a struggle to remain upright with half a dozen tiny things all snuffling around him. “Excuse—no, do not chew on my hair!” Annoyed, he jerked his head out of the range of curious teeth, but even that didn’t help; the offending dog, a red-and-white female, seemed to view it as a new and exciting game. Another one took the distraction as a chance to bound into his lap and rear up on its hind legs, planting its slobbery tongue on his chin.

“I’m terribly sorry,” said the kennelmaster, who did not sound sorry at all. Acatl threw him a glare, but it was hard to summon up much irritation with a puppy licking his face; its tail was wagging so fast it was practically a blur.

Besides, Teomitl was delighted, and his joy was infectious. Acatl was more acutely aware of it than he’d ever been of his own heartbeat or of his patron’s magic. When a tiny yellow puppy shoved its nose into his ear, the reward was another one of those undignified squeaks of laughter that always flipped Acatl’s heart upside down.

Before he knew it, he realized he was smiling. “...You love dogs.”

Teomitl’s grin split his face. “Mm-hmm.” A mostly-white one started trying to gnaw his hair, and he gently shoved it away. “I always wanted a pet of my own.”

“I can see that,” he murmured. Teomitl had grown up like a wildflower under the eye of an assortment of nurses and tutors and older, distant relations. He doubted any one of them had looked at the lonely boy his lover had once been and thought to give him any sort of gifts, never mind a companion that would repay his care with unconditional devotion. The thought pinched Acatl’s heart.

But before he could get emotional over it, the dog in his lap was pushed off by its bigger sibling, who proceeded to stomp in an irregular circle—remarkably uncomfortable, that—and settle down to sleep without a single care in the world. Blinking, he looked down at it. It was mostly black with dark orange feet, eyebrows, and muzzle, and its fur was very, very soft. Its floppy ears looked even softer.

“...Oh,” he managed.

Teomitl pushed himself upright, dislodging a few of his own furry passengers. “I think you’ve been chosen.”

Carefully, he risked lifting one hand and stroking the puppy’s ears. It snored on, undisturbed, and he let out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. “...Good boy,” he murmured. “Good boy.” Its ears really were very soft. It took a moment before he could respond to Teomitl’s words. “...Perhaps I have.”

Long ago, Teomitl had done much the same thing—had barged into his life and made a home for himself in his heart, standing on the steps of his temple in the setting sun. “I still need you” flashed into his head, followed a moment later by the just as devastating memory of another sunset on the temple steps, when a smile had reached into his chest and pulled joy from the depths of his own uncertainty. He gazed down at the dog in his lap. It wouldn’t be the first time someone else has chosen me, and look where it’s gotten me now. A joy I never would have known otherwise.

“Well?” Teomitl asked. “What do you think?”

He bit his lip, thinking. One of the dog’s hind legs twitched, as though it was running in its dreams. “...This one seems to like me.”

“He has good taste,” Now Teomitl was smiling; Acatl suddenly, fervently wished they didn’t have an audience. It was too easy to imagine himself leaning over and kissing that smile.

Before he could do anything reckless, he shifted his weight in preparation for getting to his feet, and immediately realized he had a problem. “...Ah. How do I...” He looked down at the dog again, which hadn’t even stirred...but which surely would, if he got up too quickly and startled it. He chewed his bottom lip again. Surely, carrying a puppy couldn’t be too much different from carrying one of his baby nieces or nephews, but it was so small.

“Like this.” Teomitl reached over and adjusted his hold, helping him settle the puppy—his puppy now—into his arms. As he’d thought, it was much the same as carrying a human infant, but the puppy had a wiggly body and dull little nails, and as Teomitl helped him nestle it against his shoulder it blinked sleepy brown eyes at him. He barely dared breathe.

A dog. Something to take care of. Something that will live by my side so that I won’t be alone. “I’ll take him,” he blurted out.

“Really?” Teomitl looked surprised, as though he wasn’t expecting Acatl to make a decision so soon.

Truthfully, Acatl hadn’t been expecting it either, but it felt good. It felt right. He thought of the long months ahead, of going home to an empty house at the end of the day, of eating his meals in silence. He thought about a cold nose tucked into the crook of his arm and little paws twitching in dreams. He even thought, briefly, of playing tug-of-war with the hound it was sure to grow up to be. Maybe he could sacrifice his formal cape to the cause. “Really.”

“An excellent choice, my lord.” Acatl twitched; he’d almost forgotten the kennelmaster was there. “Will you be needing a cage for him?”

Ah. Right. Dogs needed things like beds and chewable objects that were not his sandals, sleeping mat, or cookware. “...That would be appreciated, yes. And a leash, as well.”

As the kennelmaster left, presumably to find what Acatl had asked for, Teomitl beamed like the sun. “What will you name him?”

He hadn’t thought of a name, but one came to him anyway. “...Miton, I think.” Little Arrow.

Now Teomitl was blushing and swatting his shoulder, but it was worth it.

#obsidian and blood #acatl #teomitl #paladin writes stuff

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gaijinginger · 8 years ago

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Days 2-3: Shinjuku Nights

If you wanted to create a circle of hell for claustrophobic anticapitalist luddites, it would look a lot like Shinjuku. Everything has a price tag, everything blinks and beeps and flashes LED and neon lights, and it’s really, really, really, really dense. Whoever came up with the concept of cyberpunk probably logged some serious hours here. So far, I absolutely love it.

I got up yesterday at around 7am, and again took full advantage of the complimentary breakfast provided by my first hostel. I checked out at around 9:30AM, and made my way over to Shinjuku via the ever-Byzantine Tokyo metro. Nothing could have prepared me for what I found when I stepped out of the subway about 20 minutes later.

Shinjuku looks like what would happen if you let someone who has spent their entire life making online pop-up ads design a city. Garish signs in every color and font imaginable (all in Japanese, of course), stick out from every surface, and music and voices blare from unseen speaker boxes everywhere. I know in my last post I said Akihabara looks like Blade Runner threw up on itself; Shinjuku takes that concept and pushes it to the limits of the laws of physics. It is Blade Runner throwing up on itself, squared, then squared again. I can’t even imagine what it’s like for people who can actually read every sign. Even as someone who can’t understand Hiragana, it’s nothing short of information overload.

Combine this with the fact that on any given day, about 1,000,000 people pass through the Shinjuku metro station at the center of the neighborhood. Each and every one of them was present during my first day in the area, yet another instance of physically feeling the scale of Tokyo.

Before I left for Japan, I spoke extensively with a friend of mine from China about the mental dynamics of being on the other side of the world. One comment he offered stuck with me- being alone in a foreign country, even moreso in one where you don’t know anyone, comes with a terrifying degree of freedom. You are the master of your own destiny to a degree that, for some, can be nothing short of panic attack inducing. What’s interesting to me is that this didn’t really fully hit me until yesterday afternoon, sitting at a small restaurant in central Shinjuku eating short rib and black curry over rice (which really deserves its own blog post). As I sat there, mixing the meat, curry and rice together to form a homogenous slurry of deliciousness, I realized that I have complete agency for the next 10 days in a way that I’m very unaccustomed to. It’s a lot of freedom. I’m really enjoying it.

I wasn’t able to move into my new hotel until 3, so I spent most of the afternoon yesterday walking around Shinjuku, then took a few hours and did the same thing in Harajuku, a nearby neighborhood that’s essentially the SoHo to Shinjuku’s Times Square. Scores of the most meticulously-dressed young people I’ve ever seen pouring through boutiques of the world’s most expensive brands. That’s about it, but that in itself was quite the scene. Some dynamite people watching at the very least.

My new hotel is quite the experience. While my last one was clearly designed for foreign visitors, this is very much a capsule hotel and the vast majority of the other guests are Japanese men, most seemingly on business trips. My room is a lot smaller; the dimensions are now around 6’*4’*4’ so I can’t fully stand up inside, and the floor I’m on is packed significantly more densely. But the location is absolutely amazing. It’s like living in Times Square (although Times Square looks like Wyoming compared to most of Shinjuku).

A very interesting detail of my new hotel- there’s one big shower, and it’s communal. Locker room style. So I made a lot of older Japanese men visibly uncomfortable yesterday (and again this afternoon), and in doing so got significantly out of my comfort zone. A pretty memorable aspect of the experience, to be sure. I’m not going to lie, it felt pretty great.

Once I moved all my stuff into my new hotel, showered and got settled, I set out to check one of the biggest boxes on my Tokyo itinerary: getting a drink at the New York Bar on the 52nd floor of the Park Hyatt Tokyo. While I don’t consider it to objectively be the best movie ever made, I always say Lost In Translation is my favorite movie when people ask. Those of you who’ve seen it will know that the bar features heavily in several pivotal scenes in the film, and so I had to make a point to go.

So that was a lot of fun. Sipping what was admittedly the lightest dark and stormy I’ve ever had (I was planning on asking for a Suntory, the whiskey that Bill Murray’s character in the movie is in Tokyo to pitch, but they don’t have it on the menu, probably because people kept being “that guy” and coming to the bar solely because of the movie), and taking in some live jazz. The fact that there was an actual jazz band playing that night (as there was in the movie) was icing on the cake of what was a really fantastic experience. Two drinks and $60 (oof, but so so worth it) later, I headed back to my hotel and crawled into my sleep box, one sizeable check mark off my bucket list.

This morning, I woke up at around 8 and took advantage of my second hotel’s complimentary breakfast, which was significantly underwhelming in comparison to the first. I still managed three small cups of iced coffee, but my food consisted of what looked and tasted like a chocolate and marshmallow fluff empanada, and a cold hamburger with a nacho-cheese like spread on it. All of the above came out of several vending machines on the third floor of my hotel. So naturally after that I went out to find some real food, and settled on some battered meat skewers with rice and a bowl of noodles at a nearby hole in the wall. At a few restaurants I’ve been to now, you plug your order into a literal vending machine at the front of the restaurant. The machine spits out a ticket stub with a number corresponding to what you ordered, and then you hand this to whoever’s behind the counter. For me, who still only knows maybe three words of Japanese, this is about as good as it gets.

After that, I made my way over to Yasukuni Shrine, a Shinto shrine which commemorates all those who died in the service of Japan from 1869 through 1947. There’s a corresponding museum next to the shrine which goes through Japanese military history up through the end of World War 2, and yet again I found myself experiencing profound grief and guilt-by-association at the actions of my country. Lots of crying Japanese people at the museum. I found myself getting a little misty at times, especially in one room filled with the death poems of Japanese soldiers and in front of one letter written by a Japanese Admiral to FDR that I’ll attach a picture of after this (this museum in particular didn’t paint him very well, although it also referred to the Rape of Nanking as the “Nanking Incident”). As I said in my last post, war is always shades of grey. This museum made me more aware of that than ever. I’m not usually one for bowing, but I paid my respects as sincerely as I could at the shrine after exiting the museum.

I followed up Yasukuni with a visit to the National Museum of Modern Art, which will be best shown through the pictures to follow. If you’re into modern art and you’re in Tokyo, go. It’s fantastic. I followed the museum up with a late lunch of beef over udon noodles at a little shop near the museum, and now I’m back at my hostel again, typing away overlooking Shinjuku in the lounge area. I’m hoping to hit either Golden Gai or the Robot Restaurant tonight (google either/both), I’ll be back in the next few days with another update soon!

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