Captain Shunsui Kyōraku (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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fandomhigh2020-08-10 04:12 am
sake_shinigami) wrote in fandomhigh2020-08-10 04:12 am
Entry tags:
The Art of Napping; Monday, First Period [08/10].
The class was back in the large peaceful garden with the quietly soothing river and all those ubiquitous cherry blossoms that week, and they would be gathering the large pagoda with its exceptional offering of comfortable pillows and mats and blankets, as well as a nice offering of warm, relaxing teas.
"Good morning, ducklings ♥," Shunsui, seated comfortably at a spot in the rough circle he invited them all to join. "Today I thought we'd take a small departure from the act of napping, and make some time for talking about it, or, more specifically, about stories and napping ♥. After all, stories and sleep are often very closely connected; many children grow up with their restless energy stilled into slumber by the soothing influence of a bedtime story, neh ♥? And many cultures have tales and legends tied to sleeping. There are some that say our ancestors reside in our dreams, and it is through them that we may communicate with them, seek advice. Some cultures believe in a 'soul sleep,'" he couldn't help smile a bit at the name, "where one may receive messages and guidance from the gods whilst they are sleeping. My own culture has something we call a Jinzen, a deep medative state even deeper than the deepest sleep where we can communicate with our Zanpakutō ♥."
There was a soft smile, a hand resting comfortably, familiarly, on the hilt of one of his swords.
"Many cultures also have ways of protecting us from bad dreams, to preserve the good nature of our naps and slumbers. Dream catchers to act as a filter, demons to protect and consume the bad ones, even dolls that one tells all their troubles of the day to free them from the burden of them so they don't make it into their dreams ♥.
"And then, of course, there are stories of sleeping itself. I grew up with tales of great beasts and spirits that slumbered deep within the Soul Society that would stir in awaken during times of great need or great agitation. Some stories will paint too much sleep as a burden or a curse, such as that of the sleeping beauty who was to slumber until awoken with a kiss, some stories have one falling asleep only to wake up again in some strange new fantastical world, other have people fall into a nap only to wake up many years later to find the world around them changed. Imagine being able to nap for a hundred years like the fellow in the American story ♥!" Shunsui chuckled a little. "As often as I may have tried, I have, alas, never been afforded such a luxury ♥.
"But enough preamble," he said with a grin, "lest you all fall asleep merely listening to me go on ♥. Today, I'd like you all to share some of your own stories of sleep, all of our own little vignettes of slumber to serve as little bite-sized bedtime stories before we squeeze in a few winks of our own ♥. Who might have a good one to get us started ♥?"
"Good morning, ducklings ♥," Shunsui, seated comfortably at a spot in the rough circle he invited them all to join. "Today I thought we'd take a small departure from the act of napping, and make some time for talking about it, or, more specifically, about stories and napping ♥. After all, stories and sleep are often very closely connected; many children grow up with their restless energy stilled into slumber by the soothing influence of a bedtime story, neh ♥? And many cultures have tales and legends tied to sleeping. There are some that say our ancestors reside in our dreams, and it is through them that we may communicate with them, seek advice. Some cultures believe in a 'soul sleep,'" he couldn't help smile a bit at the name, "where one may receive messages and guidance from the gods whilst they are sleeping. My own culture has something we call a Jinzen, a deep medative state even deeper than the deepest sleep where we can communicate with our Zanpakutō ♥."
There was a soft smile, a hand resting comfortably, familiarly, on the hilt of one of his swords.
"Many cultures also have ways of protecting us from bad dreams, to preserve the good nature of our naps and slumbers. Dream catchers to act as a filter, demons to protect and consume the bad ones, even dolls that one tells all their troubles of the day to free them from the burden of them so they don't make it into their dreams ♥.
"And then, of course, there are stories of sleeping itself. I grew up with tales of great beasts and spirits that slumbered deep within the Soul Society that would stir in awaken during times of great need or great agitation. Some stories will paint too much sleep as a burden or a curse, such as that of the sleeping beauty who was to slumber until awoken with a kiss, some stories have one falling asleep only to wake up again in some strange new fantastical world, other have people fall into a nap only to wake up many years later to find the world around them changed. Imagine being able to nap for a hundred years like the fellow in the American story ♥!" Shunsui chuckled a little. "As often as I may have tried, I have, alas, never been afforded such a luxury ♥.
"But enough preamble," he said with a grin, "lest you all fall asleep merely listening to me go on ♥. Today, I'd like you all to share some of your own stories of sleep, all of our own little vignettes of slumber to serve as little bite-sized bedtime stories before we squeeze in a few winks of our own ♥. Who might have a good one to get us started ♥?"
Re: Talk to Shunsui - AoN, 08/10.
Re: Talk to Shunsui - AoN, 08/10.
It was a joke, but he would absolutely be forgiven for not realizing.
Re: Talk to Shunsui - AoN, 08/10.
"How lucky for you, then," he said, "that you know an expert who can teach you ♥."
With that, he lifted his cup slightly in a toast to her upcoming lesson, then, following a deep inhale to introduce its sharp aroma before the actaul taste, took a particularly long, leisurely sip of the sake within. His eyes were closed as he lowered the cup but lifted his face, as if to catch the artificial warmth of their danger shop sun filtering through the trees of the garden, and his smile evened out pleasantly with a soft, apprecitive rumble of a hum in the back of his throat.
Held it, just a moment longer, before his eyes opened half-way, and his face tilted her way. "Doesn't even look that hard, does it, Octavia-chan ♥?"
Re: Talk to Shunsui - AoN, 08/10.
And not just imagining them as the details of their faces slowly faded more and more from her memories.
But that was just for her. She snorted when he opened his eyes, and retorted, "Nothing you do looks hard."
Re: Talk to Shunsui - AoN, 08/10.
"That's because," he stated, "nothing I do is hard, Octavia-chan ♥. I have a very strict policy against it ♥."
Re: Talk to Shunsui - AoN, 08/10.
"I couldn't live like that."
Well, she probably could. But historically speaking, the multiverse hadn't been very into letting her try.