Lye Tea

Life goal: become a house cat. 

[cma-japanese-art]

Mother Lifting a Child to a Plum Tree (from the series Chinese and Japanese Poems by Seven Year Old Girls of Recent Times), Kitagawa Utamaro, late 1790s, Cleveland Museum of Art: Japanese Art

Size: Sheet: 52.1 x 23.4 cm (20 ½ x 9 3/16 in.) Medium: color woodblock print

https://clevelandart.org/art/1916.1144

[lye-tea]

*ukiyo-e

[lye-tea]

hey there! sorry, this is totally out of the blue, but I think I might have followed you on livejournal way back in the day. i was feeling nostalgic and i remembered loving your writing so I wanted to see if I could find your works again. you might not be active on tumblr anymore and it doesn’t look like your fanfic is available in the public sphere, but just know that your writing inspired a young writer over a decade ago and I hope you’re doing well. take care!!

Apologies for the late response (I’ve been pretty much AWOL from Tumblr lately cos of RL). Thank you for your kind words. They mean a lot to me, and I hope you’re doing well too. :)

[lye-tea]

This is an AMAZING CREATOR AWARD! Your creations are incredible, and they light up every dashboard they land on. Pass this on to your favorite creators to show your appreciation and let them know their art is loved! Red string of fate series are my favorite!! Write more please!!

[cat-cosplay]

It can feel overwhelming, the amount of canvas still needing to be filled.

Sometimes you have to step back from the big picture and just appreciate every little tree that pops up along the way.

[devinellekurtz]

Pokemon (but very big)

[fleurderussie]

A cat in the Hermitage Museum (former Winter Palace, St.Petersburg) It’s a tradition that appeared back in the XVIII century, when cats were brought to the Winter Palace in order to save walls and paintings from rats and mice. They were even given a special title “the guardians of galleries” by Catherine the Great. The so-called “Hermitage cats” still live in the museum and guard it from rodents

[lye-tea]

Mot Juste [Sasuke/Sarada] [Fic]

Title: Mot Juste Pairing: Uchiha Sasuke/Uchiha Sarada Fandom: Boruto, Naruto Rating: M Word Count: 880

There's a word for every perversion imaginable. 50 sentences.

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AO3   ||   FF

[lye-tea]

The Moments That Once Sutured Us [Sesshomaru/Mama Higurashi] [Fic]

Title: The Moments That Once Sutured Us Pairing: Sesshomaru/Mama Higurashi (yes, Kagome’s mother) Fandom: Inuyasha Genre: Futurefic, Friendship, Romance, Angst  Rating: PG Word Count: 3,198

Connections are forged from the little moments.

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FF   ||  AO3

[japaneseaesthetics]

ITO Jakuchu (1716~1800), Japan

[not-so-casually-obsessed]

Cat owners, can someone give me a “owning a cat for the first time” handbook for dummies run down? My housemate adopted a cutie yesterday and I love her already but I know nothing about cats and he’s at work a fair bit while I’m home.

Just wanna do the best for her 💕

[mewithanie]

1. cats are not dogs. don’t expect them to act like dogs.

2. To pet a cat: hold out your index finger. If the cat is frightened/aloof, hold it a few feet away. If the cat is interested/friendly, hold it like 6” away. The cat will sniff your finger if they want to hang out with you. Then, they may move forward a little and sort of pet themselves into your hand, or they may just hang out and be like “ok i’m ready for pets now”. If they move away, they do not want pets. That’s ok, they still might like to chill with you. Cats especially like to be petted on their cheeks and behind their ears.

2. Cats are very sharp. They have 3 main sharpnesses: a) claws, b) toofs, c) a metaphorical sharpness of the mind in re going places you don’t want them to go. Watch out for the first 2 by learning a cat’s body language, and for the 3rd by remembering to close doors. and when you go through said doors, you enter foot first - open door a crack, shove foot in, cat will somewhat indignantly jump back, then you can put the rest of your body in through the door and shut it quick.

3. A cat belly is very soft and also Forbidden unless you and the cat know each other quite well. Even then, it is a personal preference on the part of the cat.

4. you have heard that laughter is the best medicine. this is not true. purrs are the best medicine. Purrs can be increased in potency with the addition of kneading (“making biscuits”) but this is also a personal choice on the part of the cat.

5. If a cat Chooses you (sits in your lap or on some other part of your body), you are forbidden from moving the cat. They decide when to get up. You are at the mercy of the softest tiny rumbling god.

Enjoy getting to know the kitty!!! :3

[lemonsharks]

Binge watch Jackson Galaxy's YouTube channel (I did this when I adopted my first cat, and it was a huge boon for us)

[lemonsharks]

Also there are many helpful charts for learning cat body language, such as the above from doggiedrawings on etsy.

Watch the tail, ears, whiskers, and posture! Also, showing you the butt, or putting their butthole right in your face, is like a cat handshake. Thanks, cat, that's a very nice butthole. Well done.

[jes68]

Robert Frederick Blum (1857-1903),  The Picture Book, c. 1891-93.

[jada111]

untitled by nekineki_ on Flickr.  Japan

[blasphemousonmain]

[princesstigerbelle]

[lye-tea]

Atop Mount Penglai [Fic] [Inuyasha]

Title: Atop Mount Penglai Characters: Inuyasha & Co., the hanyo kids from the fourth movie Fandom: Inuyasha Genre: Gen, Friendship, Future Fic Rating: G Word Count: 704

Written for @acquasole as part of the @inusecretsanta 2019 exchange. Prompt was: The hanyo kids from the fourth movie meeting up with inuyasha and co after the Final Act. Merry (belated) Christmas and Happy New Year! :)

Utopia lost then found again.

Atop Mount Penglai

Well before they reached the peak, they could hear music resonate. A stirring (familiar) crescendo soaring high. At first faint then clear and deep and powerful.

"It's Asagi-chan!" Kagome exclaimed excitedly.

"Yup, that's her alright," Inuyasha concurred. "I'd recognize her voice anywhere."

"How many years has it been?" Sango asked.

"Nine or ten," Miroku replied. "It's uncanny to think that that much time has passed since Horai Island."

With a cheeky smirk, Shippou retorted, "Ten years might seem a lot to you humans, but for those with yokai heritage, it's inconsequential—unless you're Inuyasha."

"Wanna say that again, you little brat?"

"Now, now, let's not fight amongst ourselves," Miroku calmly interjected (supported by a growl from Kirara). "This is supposed to be a…what's that word again, Kagome-sama?"

"Holiday. We're here to relax and have a good time. Which means you better be nice, Inuyasha!"

"Yeah, yeah, I know," he scoffed.

"Let's keep moving," said Sango. "We still have a while to go."

And so they climbed up the mountainside, scaling past gorges and ravines. Beyond the clouds, above the terrain of men, and toward the vast firmament. To Mount Penglai's summit where a hidden haven beckoned.

--

Ai was the first to greet them upon their arrival. Perched atop a boulder, grinning wide, she ushered for them to follow.

"Asagi-nee-san and the others are just inside," Ai cheerily relayed. "There's so much you have to see!"

As the mists dispelled, a small village emerged. A dozen or so modest huts assembled around a shrine dedicated in honor of Lady Kanade. And in the center were the other children they remembered. Unchanged (unaltered) yet somehow different.

They're happy, Kagome realized. Unfettered by fate or gods.

They were truly free.

--

With a thunderous bang, the twins crashed through the slatted door. Snickering, identical to the marrow (save for the hair), Roku and Dai awoke their guests. The boys set down platters of steaming rice, sweet, crunchy pickles, and savory, freshly caught fish. Trailing a pace behind, Shion shyly announced that their tour would commence following breakfast.

There was much to be shown (a hard and long decade's worth of accomplishments).

For this was their dream and sanctuary. Their pride. And none of it would be possible had it not been for that chance encounter all those years ago.

--

"That's where we store provisions for winter," Moegi explained. "And that's where newcomers stay until their houses are built. Over thirty hanyos are here now, but only half have homes of their own."

"Do you expect more to come?" Miroku inquired.

"Oh yes. We already have news that another group of refugees are on their way here. Asagi-nee-san wants to make this place what Horai originally was. Somewhere for yokai and humans to live together in harmony."

Nodding, Sango murmured, "It's a beautiful goal."

(And sincerely hoped they would achieve it.)

--

When he was a child, Inuyasha always dreaded the new moon. Swathed in darkness, bereft of light and sight, he transformed (was reduced) to a mortal. A cycle of misery and reminder that he was an outcast.

Yokai scorned him. Humans feared him. And both rejected him.

An abomination can never be one of us.

But as he stood on the mountain's precipice, atop the earth (above ages-entrenched prejudices), the remnant echoes of their curses ceased to exist. Although he might never be accepted by the universe at large, he was happy to know there was a speck, a tiny corner of the cosmos, for those like him.

Head tipped heavenward, Inuyasha squeezed back Asagi's hand.

"Thank you, Inuyasha-onii-chan," she said softly.

"For what?"

"For helping me believe again."

--

The final evening of their visit culminated in a grand performance and delicious banquet. Songs and somersaults, leaps and feats. Laughter abounded the twilit sky. Gathered around a blazing bonfire, surrounded by friends newfound and old, they felt cozy and warm.

Perfectly at peace—everything just right.

As the world should be.

*Penglai is Horai in Chinese. It's a mythical mountain/island where the Eight Immortals reside.

[lye-tea]

[lye-tea]

Toward Edo [Fic] [Hyakkimaru/Dororo]

Title: Toward Edo Pairing: Hyakkimaru/Dororo  Fandom: Dororo (2019 anime) Genre: Gen, Friendship, Romance, Future Speculation  Rating: PG Word Count: 1,934

Seven years might divide worlds but not dissolve their bond.

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AO3  ||  FF

[thunderpot]

It is that time of the year again - Yep you guessed it: @inusecretsanta time! My secret santa was @lye-tea! I hope you like this one - It was pretty fun getting to paint it!

And here’s a small bonus of a few of the studies that went into this! 

To all of you lovelies, too, a very merry christmas!