#how many intertwined threads do they share??

[il-predestinato]

Baby rivals and their Spider-Man helmets!

Max Verstappen: “Charles. I remember this! I remember this helmet. We grew up racing against each other.”

[incorrect-play-it-by-ear]

So you've started watching Play It By Ear and you're wondering what the hell the fandom is talking about

(Aka JKEU: Josh & Katrina Extended Universe master post)

In short: in february 2024 the fandom ran a PIBE fanfic week.

@wheelsupin-azarathmetrionzinthos wrote a beautiful story about Josh and Katrina from Joust Because, based around the idea that they are platonic soulmates. Several other authors picked up the thread of the same universe, and gradually brought in more characters and ships.

Now the extended universe of Josh and Katrina, or JKEU for short, includes tens of thousands of words and characters from almost every episode of season 2. It is a beautiful and mindblowing project where the community is, collaboratively and spontaneously, creating a whole world together.

Not everything fits neatly on the same timeline, and if you would prefer to read the fics in the order they were posted you can do so in the PIBE tag on Ao3. However, if you're looking for the closest thing we can get to a Complete Timeline^tm (extremely loose) of the JKEU, it is this:

let's just be friends. let’s merely intertwine our lives, serving as support and fellow celebrant through the ups and downs of an entire human lifetime. only that by @wheelsupin-azarathmetrionzinthos

2.     We'll Make the Escape of the Falcon Thief by @incorrect-play-it-by-ear

3.     The Mysterious Mayhem of the Missing Award by @wheelsupin-azarathmetrionzinthos

4.     like I lived my whole life, before the first light by @wheelsupin-azarathmetrionzinthos

5.     How to Land a Falcon by @incorrect-play-it-by-ear

6.     I Would Love That by @incorrect-play-it-by-ear

7.     killing me with desire by @starstruckodysseys

8.     Falcon Nitro mark 5 by @incorrect-play-it-by-ear

9.     Baby Steps by @fatestitcherr

10.  Magnets Are a Lot Like Falcons in Many Ways by @vexillologyisenjoyable

11.  my home is in your touch; my heart is in your arms @wheelsupin-azarathmetrionzinthos

12.  And They Were Gonna Bust Some Ghosts by @incorrect-play-it-by-ear

13.  my heart is your heart, and i'm learning to share by @wheelsupin-azarathmetrionzinthos

14.  The Dark Tower by @wheelsupin-azarathmetrionzinthos

15.  Janice by @incorrect-play-it-by-ear

16. Stained Glass by @wheelsupin-azarathmetrionzinthos

17.  the distance could never tear us apart by @fatestitcherr

Again, this is *very loose*! Please talk to me if you have input on the order and for the love of god tell me if I missed anything 😅 If you have Thoughts and Feelings about the JKEU you are extremely welcome to come and scream about them in the J & K chaos discord, for the unhinged tumblr gang, created by @shortcakestacks: https://discord.com/invite/qfPk2AfE

This is fandom is, and I don't say this lightly, the most fun fandom I've ever been in. Love you all 💞

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EDIT because we have AUs NOW 😍

sing your melody, I'll sing along by @wheelsupin-azarathmetrionzinthos

[hippolotamus]

Fic title: baby, you've got to be crazy 🫶

Hiiiiii, Husband 💞 some more lovey idiots for you. I’ll let you draw your own conclusions about how they wound up here 😘

“I-” Buck scoffs, throwing his hands up, then brings one to rub at his chin while the other rests on his hip. He forces himself to look at Eddie who is worrying with a loose thread on his shirt sleeve. “Eds, you can’t- you don’t mean that.”

Buck's accusation is born out of self-preservation more than anything. Because, of all the things - spoken and unspoken - that have passed between them through the years, he has never wanted his best friend to mean anything more than the words he just uttered.

Eddie folds his arms across his chest, widening his stance. Nothing drastic, just the smallest amount. Enough to convey he’s serious and not backing down.

"Why not, Buck? Huh? Why can't I mean that?"

Buck starts to protest, to release a litany of reasons, but no sound comes out. His jaw snaps shut when Eddie seemingly drops his defenses, closing the gap between them in two large strides.

Eddie rests one hand on each of Buck's shoulders, letting his thumb settle in the divot of Buck's collarbone. One of the many pieces of Buck that was never good enough for anyone else, but seems to have been custom made for Eddie Diaz.

Eddie's fingertips skim over Buck's hoodie - the burnt orange one Eddie always says looks good on him - down his biceps, around his elbows, over his forearms until their hands are joining. Brown eyes, the color of soil and earth, meet Buck's. They're searching and pleading, looking for an answer Buck desperately wants to give.

"Buck." Eddie's gaze flicks to his mouth for just a second, making him feel like he's burning. And he would, he wants to, but not yet. Not until he's sure what Eddie's asking of him. "Evan."

Eddie rests their foreheads together, bringing them even closer. "Haven't we done this long enough? Haven't we sacrificed and said 'no, not yet' too many times? I don't-" He forcefully exhales between them, a frustrated sigh that tapers off to quiet, wounded thing. "I've missed so many chances. Told myself that it wasn't our time yet and I could wait a little longer. Until the next one. But, I can't. I can't do it anymore. Can't lose you."

Tears gather at the corner of Buck's eyes and he has to swallow back the tremor that wants to accompany every word.

"Okay," he manages. "Say it again."

Eddie’s tongue darts out, swiping across his lips that instantly curve into a small smile. The one Buck pretends is just for him. “Marry me. Be my husband. Plea-”

Buck cuts him off. “Yes, I’ll be your husband,” he whispers, then huffs out a small laugh. "Maybe kiss me first?"

And Eddie does. He brings their lips together, slow and cautious but so, so certain. Like he's never been more sure of anything, like kissing Buck is the easiest decision of his life.

It strikes Buck that this is the last first kiss he'll ever have. That they'll ever have. How it's a precious gift they've been permitted to share with each other.

With every passing year, he became more and more convinced they were two parallel lines, meant to travel together but never touch. Yet here they are, crossing and twisting and intertwining. Beginning to weave the next chapter of their story.

Eddie threads his fingers through the short hair at the nape of Buck's neck, sighing into their kiss, and Buck knows he has never meant anything more.

send me a made up fic title

[fandomstickyy]

You never thought you'd love like this

Fluff

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The faint buzz of rain tapped through the window. The wear of your pajamas is on the shabby side. Loose threads peak from cotton shorts under his shirt, baggy and long on your form. You do give it back every now and then because he loves that shirt too. The view of someone he loves wear and parade around in something he loves- something that belongs to him trumps whatever need for a shirt at all. Who needs clothes he can give them all to you if it means you'll be marked by his scent.

Besides you is a man. A man that never fails to make you feel understood and loved. It's like this man gets high off connection or smth because the way he looks at you... damn it can make you dizzy. He thinks you're so beautiful. 'Easy competition for Aphrodite'. He is love sick for sure. In this moment of the rain falling, snuggled up on the couch watching a movie on your guys' 'must watch together list' you can't help but look up at him, collecting every ounce of his beauty and essence you can hold onto when morning comes and he has to go to work. Just the thought makes you hold him tighter.

You hadn't seen him in what felt like too long. A couple of days- a week, it doesn't matter. The bed has been dull without his soft snoring, lulling you to sleep. His strong body seemed too big in your bed. It was almost comical at the way yall had to twist and turn in the full sized mattress just to sleep comfortably. If it wasn't for him clutching you in his arms you might just up and fall out of bed. His legs are messy. Either intertwined with yours or spread out in all sorts of angels. If his arms are not wrapped around you he always makes sure you guys are touching in some way. A hand on the arm or on your heartbeat. God forbid if you want a late night snack, this man will follow the trail of your beautiful smell to whatever room you found yourself after hours. And if you REALLY want some alone time, he'll squeeze you tight by the arm, hand, hug, thighs it don't matter. (He just wants to remind himself that you'll come back. Please squeeze him back!)

Baby has a really hard time falling asleep knowing you're in the other room. That all separating you two is a couple walls and your desire for late night ice cream. Walking back into your shared bedroom your heart jumps at the sight. His head deeply snuggled into your designated pillow, you pad over getlntly not to wake him. He's always beautiful when he sleeps. His cheeks are soft and his eyebrows twitch a little when dreaming.

You two finally had a day where you were both off work. The night prior your phone held onto messages of love and longing.

Sleep well baby, I want you nice and well rested for our day together tmr <3.

Saccharine goo poured from the two of you whenever the other is involved. You don't remember when you got so whipped but in the swell of thoughts you have about him, regret of love ceases to show.

Your friends gushed when they met him for the first time. The next time you saw them, the first discussion was about if you guys said the 'big 3 words'.

"What?! We're not that serious..he's just a cool guy. Don't get so caught up. If it goes somewhere it does, if it don't it dont." You almost couldn't contain your smile. You shrugged them off then, but so much has changed. You can no longer hold those statements as truth. Too many memories have been made. You know he sleeps with his socks on or how he chews ice when he's really nervous. You know his favorite pastry always brightens his day because of a one off memory in his childhood. You two care too much about each other for this to be anything but casual. You were love sick too, it's true.

"Y-youre making me nervous there"

Lost in thought you hardly heard the fade in to his voice. The rasp of his voice settled in your ears. He's so cute like this. The soft glow of the movie playing. Hair messy, remnants of your handcrafted braids floating about his hair, peaking out at the tilt of his head. Oh, wait! He's staring at you-

"Huh?" Cheeks heating up, unable to hold back a toothy smile. His chest bounced lightly in laughter, shifting you slightly.

Gesturing towards the tv, "I'm trying to watch this movie my love has been waiting and waiting to watch," when he turns to look at you there's a pause, "and you...."

"And I..what?" Things were different now. There's home in his eyes. You hang off every word, every facial shift. It's deeply ingrained in the way you move. The way you talk to strangers. The way you look yourself in the mirror is different now. All your features are the same, but your heart is filled with his. All the things you ached away from about yourself beam with a desire to be loved. Your stretchmarks, he's traced so delicately. Your belly, he's slept on so gently. And your scars, he's kissed so lovingly. You never thought you'd love like this.

"God.. what I would do without you I hope I never know." The glow of the movie long forgotten shines on his reddened cheeks as he tries to bury a complicated smile. A smile that says 'I love you, please don't leave.' You can only hope he knows your smile says the same.

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KIRISHIMA, Denki, Sero, Hawks, BOKUTO, itadori

(Anyone you thought I missed 👀? I left it pretty vague this time)

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Au: wow haven't written fan related content or at all really in so long! Tell me what you think xx

What would be on your 'must watch together list' ?? I think mine would be Black Swan, a Twilight movie bc slay, and a horror movie bc I'm too scared to watch them by myself 😭

[girl4music]

“Like so many of the stories that we’ve done, many many different elements came together to create a script. Mehndi was one of them and it’s something that I was a little aware of. I’ve done a little bit of reading on it. Not a lot. I believe Rob was the one who came to me, however, and said ‘Wow, this is fascinating’, ‘this is, you know, really great, what can you do with this?’

I had already wanted to grab a hold of the reincarnation idea and there are a few elements that fuelled this. One I’m going to have to reference is a song by Paul Williams, which was in The Muppet Movie. And there was a line in this one song that I felt, and I’d always felt this way, described the two characters perfectly. The line was ‘there’s not a word yet for old friends who have just met’. And I thought you know something? They are old friends. They just met. But they’re old friends. So in my mind throughout history and throughout destiny, these two characters’ souls have existed and have met, parted ways, met, intertwined, parted ways. And that fit in perfectly with the reincarnation theory but what was important for these two characters is that those two souls have throughout history intertwined, they’ve come together, they’ve parted ways, they’ve come together again, they’ve intertwined, they’ve parted ways. This has happened continuously and every time it happens in their lifetimes, they recognize each other. Not like ‘oh, you’re Xena, oh, I’m Gabrielle’. No no, they say ‘I know you. I know you and I have to be with you. I don’t know why but I do’.

Now bringing the Mehndi into it. Mehndi was perfect symbolism to this because when you think about it, Mehndi, um, if you’ve done it and if you’ve read up on what Mehndi means, it’s not just drawing. Mehndi has an entire meaning behind it. There’s a whole philosophy and spirituality based on Mehndi. The simplest part of it was the fact that Mehndi has a lot of lines that run parallel to each other and they will intersect, they will form beautiful designs, then they will part again and run parallel. Well, that’s lives. Xena and Gabrielle - those are the lives. Those are the threads of their lives. They run parallel to each other, they intersect, form beautiful designs. Then they might part but they still run parallel to each other. And what really counts is what’s between those lines. There’s the title; ‘Between The Lines’.”

Half the reason why they ended up taking the soulmates motif so seriously and literally was due to Steven L. Sears and his reincarnation idea and understanding of Xena and Gabrielle’s soulmate connection. So, in my view, half the reason why the love story is so damn profound is because of him.

Now he would be the first to scoff at that and say that I’m giving him far too much credit. But that is exactly why he is amazing and deserves that much credit.

‘Between The Lines’ took the relationship between Xena and Gabrielle to a whole other level because we do learn that they actually are true to life soulmates and all of what that informed and involved for them as individual characters as well as together as a couple. And so everything leading up to this episode now felt so much more intense and deep and poignant.

Substantial. And I wouldn’t have been able to write my character study thesis without it. Even though I don’t directly mention it - it’s sort of just embedded within the insightful interpretation that I’ve made about it because this episode doesn’t just tell a one-time storyline about the characters. It essentially informs EVERYTHING about them. Who they are and why - and especially how they are such a great team that navigate their soulmate connection to be just that.

It’s like these two people who seemed to be total strangers until this episode was seen were actually destined to meet and travel together and fall in love because their very soul that they shared fated it so.

And by the gods - I have yet to see or know a relationship that is that damn EPIC on-screen.

Xena and Gabrielle are the WLW representation you expect to be provided - considered canon or not - because this level of storytelling between female characters that can be interpreted as romantic just doesn’t happen anymore. There’s no time or room for it to in the TV art/entertainment industry apparently.

[thecaringcounsellor]

Crafting Joy: Simple Strategies to Elevate Happiness in Ourselves and Others

There's something uniquely compelling about the quest for happiness. It's a universal pursuit, a thread that connects us across continents and cultures. But as we wade through the tumultuous waters of everyday life, we often find ourselves, and those around us, in need of a happiness boost. So, how do we motivate not just ourselves but others to embrace a happier state of being? Here are some strategies to light that spark of joy:

Understand the Happiness Baseline

First, it's essential to recognise that happiness isn't a one-size-fits-all. Each person's happiness baseline is influenced by a mix of genetic, environmental, and psychological factors. Embracing this diversity means tailoring our approach to happiness in a way that resonates individually.

The Power of Small Acts

Small, consistent acts of kindness can have a ripple effect on happiness. Encourage others to engage in simple gestures like sharing a smile, giving a sincere compliment, or helping someone with a small task. These acts can brighten days and gradually shift the happiness metre.

Cultivate Gratitude

Gratitude is the cornerstone of happiness. Start a movement of appreciation by sharing what you're grateful for and inviting others to do the same. This could be as simple as a daily post highlighting something positive or a weekly gratitude meet-up, virtual or in-person.

Create Connection Opportunities

Human connection is a vital component of happiness. Foster environments where people can connect authentically - whether it's through interest-based clubs, community events, or online forums. Encourage open dialogues, storytelling, and shared experiences to deepen these connections.

Promote Physical Well-being

Physical health and happiness are intertwined. Champion the cause by organizing group activities that focus on well-being - think community yoga, group hikes, or dance classes. When we move our bodies, endorphins flow, and spirits lift.

Encourage Personal Growth

Inspire people to take up new hobbies or learn new skills. The satisfaction derived from personal achievement is a potent happiness enhancer. Offer resources, workshops, or simply share your own journey of learning and growth to motivate others.

The Reflection Effect

Encourage self-reflection as a habit. When people reflect on their experiences and feelings, they can cultivate a mindset of growth and positivity. Share prompts or create a safe space for people to express their thoughts and feelings.

Spread the Music

Music has the incredible power to elevate moods. Create and share playlists with upbeat and inspiring tunes. Better yet, collaborate on a community playlist where everyone can contribute the tracks that make them feel good.

Foster Volunteering and Altruism

Altruistic behavior is linked to increased happiness. Organize group volunteer days or support a community project. The shared goal of improving the lives of others can significantly boost collective happiness.

Laugh Together

Laughter truly can be the best medicine. Host a fun night, movie screening, or game evening that encourages laughter. Remember, it's about the joy of the moment and making happy memories.

Celebrate the Small Wins

Create a culture where every small victory is celebrated. Did someone complete a daily goal? Make a healthy choice? Overcome a fear? Celebrating these moments can build a positive and supportive community spirit.

By intertwining these strategies into the fabric of our daily interactions, we can create waves of positivity that extend beyond our immediate circle. Remember, the pursuit of happiness isn't a solitary journey; it's a communal expedition where the joy of one can lift the hearts of many. Keep spreading the happiness, and watch as it grows around you.

[anchoragehq]

SOME ADMIN NOTES TO ADDRESS REGARDING THIS FOLLOW UP ...

I. — RE-READ THIS NOTE AFTER READING THE FOLLOW-UP. with this follow-up, we are gearing the group to focus more heavily on the 90s warped setting for a while & scale back on the modernized referencing. without the usage of modern technology like AI & virtual reality, streaming services, other conveniences in muses' personal lives that would be constituted as very modern advances, you'll have to explore more how they navigate without cell service, as all residents should still own landlines. get your 90s nostalgia goggles on ! yes, computer cafés will not be accessible at this time either, as addressed above. if you don't know as many 90s references for media, this is encouragement to also do some fun research into the decade. peppy parrot's emporium, which doubles as the local arcade after absorbing ectoplasm, will still have their animatronics in operation as they run off of battery power cells, rather than fancy modern technology, & old-fashioned buckets of bolts, as well as old-school arcade games. anchorage regional hospital would be relying on pagers with their medical staffing. this doesn't affect electricity, etc. if you have questions, let us know. we will give a little bump if we see this current plot point is forgotten ! there were a handful of minor roles pulled at random for this follow-up using our usual method of a random generator. we will count these pulls toward triple crowns to be fair to everyone. II. the bastards roles will be reshuffled in accordance to what the writers of higher rankings decide, please give us time to wrap this portion before opening new spaces. however, IF YOU ARE THE RESERVED ROLE OF THE BASTARDS GANG, we are requesting that you begin plotting with the aforementioned writers to fill your reserve or to reopen the slot if your mind has changed with the plotline. III. we have noticed that some seem to be misunderstanding the aspects of some of their muse roles, especially in our most complex order, the scarlet nightmare. we recently did supply a ROLE KEY with more expansive descriptions, please be sure to give it a review !! moving toward the end of the year, we'd love to see muses incorporate their roles into writing more without our directive. we strongly encourage plotting up threads & connections with fellow writers who share your muses' order or former order. IV. following up with some confusion for this plot drop, we try to make our details clear but there can be mix-ups, i.e. regarding the setting. taking from this experience, we'll be doing our best to also hone on the clarity of our future events as much as we can, but always ask if you have questions !

finally, a couple days ago was our one year anniversary, so this follow-up had a lot of effort put into it as did our latest plot drop. thank you for being with us, no matter if you've been here since the beginning ! we hope that in the new year, we can continue to offer you fun plotlines that will continue to intertwine your muses with the overall group plot. we will be planning fun activities for the holidays coming up, so stay tuned ...

READ THE FOLLOW UP OF DEATH IS A PARTY, INVITE ALL YOUR FRIENDS BELOW THE CUT !

BEWARE THE FOLLOWING ... death tw, major injury tw, hospitalization tw, death tw

minutes before disaster occurred, the 2nd & 3rd place winners of the costume contest were announced. in 3rd place, the host — tomo katsumura — broke a tie & declared elspeth sun as kitana to be the reigning majesty. in 2nd place, voters were unanimous that mirai sasaki as ariel held the title. however, before the 1st place winner could be announced, they were intervened by the gruesome spectacle ... at the winterwood rented-out mansion, law enforcement pronounced matevos hakobyan deceased at the scene & are still undergoing investigation of the hacked away arm of the large skeleton that crushed him. at the scene, law enforcement also found a curiously passed out individual, min kim, & took him in for questioning after he came to, fearing he was one of the injured parties. witnesses david agni & léonie winterink-adler who were not at the party & elsewhere in town at the time described seeing a mysterious figure with the head of a broken cane in hand running into the house of wax museum. several others were hospitalized for their injuries — ara kwon sustained cerebral hypoxia, lynx park was admitted for their electrocution, & annaki pallas-dexicos is under monitoring at the hospital until november 14th for rat poisoning. the host, tomo katsumura, along with murphy st. clair, addison graves-seong & hunter davis were treated for their injuries & discharged. the latter was unable to see reattachment of his finger. an announcement card fallen to the floor intended for the grand prize winner was found by rosalind lim & eventually delivered to them : aroon daw as a cupcake was the would-have-been best of them all ! unfortunately, prizes were not given out at the time, as they were confiscated by evidence that law enforcement on the scene collected. a full sweep of the crime scene was conducted after the injured & deceased were removed & a suspicious plot of soil was identified by the local K-9 unit to be dug up — but it turned out to be a dead end of A HEAP OF STOLEN FORKS from the mansion. law enforcement announced that they were looking at A PERSON OF INTEREST in the case, but did not disclose who. close family & friends of damiar adler were informed that they were called in for questioning ... a few local businesses took a hit following the party, namely THE TWISTED SISTERS PUB, which put up its for sale signs after a foreclosure. the business was bought up by a local resident & in the process of remodeling to a bar under the designated name : THE MILK BAR. the local biker club, scaredy cat, took advantage of the pub's transition of management by introducing karaoke nights on thursdays to their bar, siren's call. citizens of anchorage & tourists alike awoke on november 22nd to something strange : social medias refused to load, cell towers wouldn't receive signal, & peppy parrot's emporium arcade games that relied on newer technology glitched into a swamp of static. not only this — a knock on the door of a marionette apartment belonging to the host of the party thrummed in the early hours of the morning, still pitch black as the twilight hours toil on, & tomo would discover that a handbag with monique jackson's initials stitched to the inside was abandoned there. the chinchilla computer café was forced to shut down its computers for the time-being due to the technological blackout. no one could explain why the phenomenon was occurring around the world ... perhaps the 90s is here to stay ?

CHECK OUT THE UPDATED COMPENDIUM FOR THE FULL UPDATE HERE !

[jennycalendar]

one of the things i have so often seen from The Internet when it comes to ted lasso is this deep frustration & sadness that ted and rebecca have not shared a whole bunch of scenes in the second + some of the third season in the same way that they did in the first. i was thinking about that in lieu of my continuing catch-up watch, and my brain kinda went like "wow, the enduring power of this connection, right? the fact that in season one, we were so struck by this thing between two people, and TWO YEARS LATER we are all still longing for them to connect again--"

and then it went WHOA STOP WAIT because it hit me -- this is only my theory, but as i look at the second season, ted and rebecca's separation might very well be a narrative necessity? their connection may not be as tangibly visible, but it is Still There, weaving everything together in a thousand tiny little moments. we are all longing for them to connect because we see that the show has set them up on compatible paths, compatible journeys, and that they are Just Missing each other all the time. they spend so much of season two Just Missing each other.

i feel that this is so exemplified in this scene with ted, where he talks about why he isn't on bantr.

i think that ted lasso is a story meant to be seen as a whole. this scene is such a good example of that. with the added context that rebecca IS on bantr, that she IS looking for something, and that later in the season she finds it in someone Not Ted (plus the little jump cut FROM rebecca TO ted, which is so obviously an intentional red herring), this statement becomes SO SO LOADED. ted is saying "i'm not ready now, but what if i was?" and in season three HE IS.

ANYWAY. this scene is really only an example of what i'm talking about, which is -- so many people are still rooting for ted and rebecca, YEARS LATER, and there are so many places in the narrative where you can point to that connection between them! whether it's as apparent as repeated soulmate-level cannot-be-coincidental ties or as subtle as, well, this!!! narratively separating them for SO LONG while still maintaining that thread of connection with stunning consistency means that we are shown exactly how cosmically intertwined these two people are, even when they are literally never talking to each other. it becomes a love story with a whole new dimension. and in my heart of hearts i do think they're gonna bring it home.

[sakkiichi]

There’s a solace that comes with knowing that ash blond with the unusual red apple streak in it. He knows it too; he seeks it just as much as you do whenever your fingers intertwine or your lips meet in a chaste kiss. It’s a craving, a longing for someone who gives you the calm you’ve always desired after a storm.

Kazuha proves himself a man of many words, parchments and leatherbound tomes of poetry scatter on almost every surface of your shared home - you’re inquisitive, always picking something up to read when a new scroll appears that you don’t recognise. He’s fluid with his words, they almost feel as though they touch you, suffocate you even. His poetry clasps at your heart even when it isn’t meant for you but honestly, when wasn’t it meant for you nowadays?

But amongst thousands of words Kazuha uses to express his emotions, particularly to you, there’s the treasured gifts he spoils you with whenever he can. From beautiful kimonos decorated in auburn leaves to match that of his own attire to glimmering lockets hanging on dainty chains that hold precious photos of the two of you inside - you don’t miss how Kazuha appears to have one hanging from his neck too. His bandaged hands will fiddle with it when he’s too awake for his own good or when the wanderer encounters a mountain in his journey that he isn’t too sure if he can climb - yet he knows he can if you’re at his side. His beloved, always there to hold his hand through the hardships of his life.

Kazuha presses his chest against your back, his lips dusting faint trails of kisses amongst your hair that makes a smile curl up on your lips as you stand before the mirror in the bathroom of your shared house. Kazuha grins at this motion, burying his nose in dark strands of hair for a moment - it’s home to him, four walls to return to at your side.

“I got you a gift,” he muses, not failing to miss how your eyes widen as he drops the information, “we stopped by Fontaine, I couldn’t resist.”

“You shouldn’t have,” you sigh, trying to pout but there’s an excitement to knowing that your whimsical boyfriend returned from his journey with another gift, “it better not be one of their dresses…”

Kazuha chuckles, his hands reaching up to brush your hair back. Ruby eyes fall to your bare collarbone and the exposed skin of your neck and he smiles, the warmth of his hands disappearing for mere moments before they return, bringing with them the chilling tingle of a cold metal chain sliding closer to your neck.

Your eyes fall to the glittering silver pendant around your neck before you raise your gaze to meet his in the mirror. You see the way his eyes twinkle as nimble fingers clasp the necklace shut and his hands fall to your waist, holding your hips. He admires the way the pendant sits on your neck, glittering like stars in the orange glow of the oil lamp next to the sink.

The man leans down, pressing slightly chapped lips against the soft skin of your cheek as his thumbs rub motions into your hips, his hands tight as if you’d disappear if he loosened his grip for even a moment - he couldn’t lose you, no.

“I love you.” He murmurs, hot breath fanning on your cheek when he doesn’t pull away before he speaks. A grin widens on your face as you reach a hand up, threading into white hair as you watch the scene in the mirror before you.

“I love you too.” You reply in a hushed voice, treasuring the serene moments like this that you’re granted when your boyfriend comes home from sea. When he’s tired of ships rocking in unruly storms or rations of dry food he wishes tasted better.

Kazuha knows that he’ll always come home to these moments, to these sights when you stand before him in the bathroom wearing simple nightwear, having just been getting ready for bed when he’d interrupted your routine. For a while, he wonders how lucky he must be to have you. To have four walls of a home locked to a person, whose embraces feel like the warmth of a fireplace and whose laughs could warm you up better than any cooked stew.

He considers what he’d do without you and for a brief few seconds, his brows knit together when he tucks his head into your neck, his lips finding the dainty chain decorating your neck.

He couldn’t lose you, no.

- 🍡

NONNIE NONNIE I LOVE YOU AND I LOVE THIS AND I LOVE KAZUHA W MY WHOLE HEART OMG OMG OMG OMG THANK YOU A THOUSAND FOR THIS HFHFHDJSJDBDJSJJS AAAAAAAA I WAS READING THIS W THE BIGGEST SMILE ON MY FACE GOSH YOU ARE AN ANGEL AAAAAAAAAAAAA CRYING SOBBING SQUEALING HFHFJDJCJDJSJDJFHDJJS WHEN HE WHEN HIM HE HIM WHEN HE OMFGGGGG NONNIEEEEE

aaaa sorry for all the caps but gosh i adore this sm 😭 his poetry and moments of sweet intimacy like this ueueueueue me happi now i shall cry and hold this fic to my heart. I LOVE YOU SM WHOEVER YOU ARE WHEREVER YOU ARE AAAAAAAA

[windvexer]

Hey! I don’t usually send asks but I really love your posts and was wondering if you had any advice.

I’m having a situation at school with some ex friends gossiping about me and I was wondering if you had any thoughts/spells about stopping gossip etc.

Feel free to ignore this ^^ I hope you have a lovely day :)

Good morning!

For some reason I actually feel sure that @breelandwalker might have a spell related to this? Did I just make that up?

Well, anyway. Many ways to go about this.

How do you conceptualize gossip? If you had to embody gossip as something from nature or your culture, how would you embody it?

Our goal here is straightforward: we want to find a strong association between what we seek to control, and what we are able to physically manipulate and work with. By using magical words and actions we can embody gossip into something we can then control (using further magical words and actions).

Your magical practice may be able to bridge the gap for you - if you work with the four Western elements, you may associate talking, communication, and gossip, with Air.

Air makes sense to me. The air from our lungs. The gusty breeze of gossip. And so on.

If you don't particularly feel like investigating your own reflections on the matter, I think Air works just fine as an embodiment.

(But perhaps on further reflection you would say that based on where you stand in the Universe and the curve of your personal mirrors, your true reflections upon the matter are that gossip is best embodied by twisting, rotting roots - or some pop culture character, etc. Also I completely forgot about sigils, which is how you directly capture something when you don't want to use other associations. Well, anyway. Find that gossip a suitable body! That's the goal.)

So whatever body you choose, you've got to get the gossip into it. This isn't a very difficult operation. Perhaps you've got your own method. Try this one if you like:

Observe (look at, feel, be aware of) the body you will put the gossip into. Yes, even if this is the air floating in front of you! (If you're having trouble with conceptualizing the air thing, try lighting a candle and imagining that the air above the candle flame is more dense and magical, and that's the "body" you're working on).

Observe and be aware of it, and then simply say, sign, or think: "You are the gossip of [x, y, z, etc]."

Perhaps that isn't enough. Does it feel like nothing happened? If so, try More. Hover your hand over it. Speak at length. Get worked up if you would like; or stay calm if you would like. Describe the gossip. Describe what it has done to you. Describe how horrible and awful such-and-such people are.

And at every turn, put it in the magical effigy you have chosen. "...and all these horrible things are in the air before me. They are trapped in the air. I put them there."

Yes, speak with authority.

Go on with this until either you're over it, feel something has happened, or are getting worn out, and then. There you have it, embodied gossip.

You've got the gossip in front of you now, isn't that creepy? Before it was abstract and conceptual: a collection of words, behaviors, actions, and reactions that shared a common theme but flowed through time and space as their own discrete events.

Now you've scooped them all up and stuffed them into a body.

A body that's under your control!

A spooky moment, in my opinion. All the better if you feel like a mad scientist.

What to do with the body, now there's a question. If you're working with air, why not tie it up in a knot? Wind and knot magic are closely intertwined and using knots to control the wind is still a practice some people employ.

You can work over the thread, too, but you may not find it to be necessary. ("this thread is an agent of binding, it will capture the winds of gossip," etc etc).

Then, throw it away. Or do whatever you like with it.

If your body is air, why not sweep it out the front door? Brooms can stir up quite a little breeze. And don't forget to inform the gossip what is happening to it. ("Like dust in the wind I scatter you away." etc)

Suppose you've used water. And now a jar of water is the body of the gossip. Put a lot of bleach in there to sterilize it, why not?

Maybe the body is a stick. Break the stick.

I don't do much sigil magic, but perhaps you could pin the sigil to something with an iron nail.

And so on.

It is I think relevant to note that in every operation, banishing and conjuring may both be employed to good use - banishing, breaking, or destroying gossip leaves a bit of a vacuum around you, yes? Why not fill up that space with a protection worked against wicked tongues? Hermes or Mercury may serve you well in that matter.

[detcodrivels]

Crossroads

(A Detective Conan Short)

Ran had left that morning like an overcast sky filled with dark grey clouds, drooping low and heavy with the threat of rain. But like that calm before a violent thunderstorm, she had gone in silence. Sometimes he took her resilience for granted, he supposed, her sweetness, her natural inclination to forgive, to try to accept and understand. She gave so much of herself to others. He wondered where she got that from. Not him, surely. Eri, then? He frowned and reached for the breast pocket of his suit coat, shaking a cigarette loose from the package before he remembered he was in a nonsmoking establishment. With a sigh, he dropped it back again, changing course for the cup waiting for him to his left. No, he decided as he took a healthy sip, he and Eri were fiercely proud individuals, too proud…Far too proud. Certainly, neither of them shared their daughter’s tolerant nature.

Then again, it wasn’t as though she let people walk all over her. She put up with a lot, certainly, but Kogoro had seen her snap, had witnessed the end of her long rope, and though ferocious and tempestuous, like lightning flashing in a night sky, it was somewhat awe inducing, something which caused his invisible heartstrings to pull with pride that he supposed only a father would know. His beautiful, independent, strong-willed, but patient and caring and selfless little girl.  The various cushions that had been reduced to threads and the dents that peppered the walls of the office did not share in this pride, but it was his privilege as a father to overlook the destructive price her repressed turmoil unleashed. And he understood. More than she, hopefully, would ever know. He knew how she struggled, how hard she worked to keep her own emotional rollercoaster from running off the rails. And he knew his own contributions to the storm.

Yes, that part he knew all too well.

He knew it didn’t help that he and Eri refused to settle their score. He couldn’t even remember why they’d split up in the first place now. And maybe it didn’t matter. The love was still there. He felt it every time he even thought of her name…yet it was so hard, so incredibly impossible when they were eye to eye.

He knew it didn’t help that he made the wrong choices again, and again…and again. The late nights with his mahjong buddies, the pachinko parlors, horse racing and ever enticing bliss of copious alcohol consumption; it all added fuel to the raging inferno that was rapidly spreading over every corner of his simple life. But these habits, as deplorable as they may be in hindsight, felt more and more like his last and only escape.

He had always valued justice, honor, and integrity…that was why he had become a police officer, and why he’d pursued private practice after that. In every system, every hierarchy, there was opportunity for corruption, for red tape and restrictions to limit the scope of one’s ability to influence, to help and to be true to their convictions. Not that the Metropolitan Police were in any way unethical, he just found that the regulations could interfere with the lengths he wanted to go in order to ensure righteousness prevailed. But the tangled, intertwined web he now found himself wrapped up in was more than he had ever bargained for. Be that as he may, he was determined to see it though. To play his part. Even if that part was to be the fool.

He wasn’t the brightest bulb. He could admit that to himself. He tried to portray a poised and confident suave demeanor, but it crumbled fast, his ego battered and beaten by the many times he had found himself as the punchline of many a joke. He got flustered and muddled. Try as he might, the clues rarely consented to add up together properly, or worse yet he’d miss something crucial altogether. But with every case he tried to see it, to piece the infuriating puzzles together as quickly as his many colleagues managed to do so, to study their approach and mimic it. He tried to be what the newspapers said he was. THE Sleeping Kogoro, a genius detective. But the act could be incredibly tiring, exhausting down to the bone, and the stakes were greater than ever now, all of it culminating into a pressure too great for his shoulders, and in his moments of weakness, when it was all too much, then he slipped back into the worst of those bad habits, let himself down, let Eri down, and Ran, too. And Ran truly didn’t deserve it. She had enough of her plate as it was without having to feel like the adult between the two of them, responsible for her father.

The walls around his life seemed to have been narrowing over the last year, ever since Yusaku Kudo paid him a visit to explain the most bizarre, unbelievable, ludicrous, and terrifying situation he had ever heard. Fumiyo Edogawa had left with Conan just a half hour prior. Ran had just gone off, summoned urgently to Sonoko’s for some kind of wardrobe emergency (Or so the phone call indicated). And then, as soon as she had exited the office door, it had opened again. Yusaku Kudo. Kogoro tried not to resent and envy him. He had always been so bright, so above it all, seemingly, and he never struggled to connect the dots in any case. Nonetheless, he had not the drive to put his exceptional mental abilities to work solving crime and getting the bad people off the streets. Instead he gallivanted all over the world, thinking up more and more ingenious ways for criminals to get away with murder.

But Kogoro had welcomed him in and offered him a seat at the couch, started tea, since Ran wasn’t there to do so, and muttered something about not realizing he was back in the country. It was as he turned back from the kettle that he’d noticed the urgency in Yusaku’s eyes, the utmost seriousness and Mouri had reacted by stiffening his own shoulders, as if he were about to be given an order.

“It’s about Shinichi, isn’t it,” Mouri had guessed.

He had tried to not to get too worked up when the kid had stopped showing up in school, but Ran mentioned it almost daily. He knew Shinichi shared his father’s keen and shrewd mind, but with an accompanying itch for justice and truth that probably got him into more trouble than was good for a sixteen year old. But then, Shinichi hardly seemed sixteen sometimes. He had lived alone, taken care of himself and was generally responsible, so when Ran had come home from Tropical Land and said he’d run off following the lead on a case, neither of them had been particularly alarmed. Surely he would turn up sooner or later. But then days turned into weeks, and weeks into a month. They’d been busy. Conan showed up, for one thing, and Mouri had been occupied with cases almost every day of the week. His bouts of amnesia had started, too. The time had slipped by and then finally Shinichi had reached out to Ran, some story about the being held up on a case longer than he expected and Mouri had let the matter rest. It was negligent, in retrospect.

Yusaku’s solemn nod was morose and grave. He had leaned forward, elbows resting on his knees, a pyramid formed with his fingertips, like some kind of imitation of Holmes. “Where to begin…” he had mused with a helpless quirk of his brows. Then, without waiting for Mouri’s response, he went on, “I’m sure you’re privy to all available details regarding the circumstances of Shinichi’s absence.”

Kogoro had nodded, a nervousness creeping up under his collar. “Ran said he was on a case… I know he hasn’t been at school, but he sticks his nose into cases here and there. Calls often enough… I figured he at least let you two know where he is exactly…”

Yusaku bobbed his head in accordance with Mouri’s summation of the past month’s events, but with an anticipative air, waiting for his moment to pick up the tale. “He’s closer than you’d think,” Yusaku murmured dryly. “Truthfully, it’s been hard for me to believe it, but with the impossible removed all that remains is the improbable, and as Occam’s Razer says, the simplest answer is the best.”

Leave it to Yusaku Kudo to find the most complicated way of saying something.

“What I am saying is that my son disappeared after visiting Tropical Land and that very night, on the outskirts of said amusement park, a six year old boy was discovered by the security officers, a boy who ran from the police straight to my house, and who Ran found with Dr. Agasa in my library. A boy,” he finished, his youthful face betraying lines of fatigue and stress, “Who coincidentally bears a name created from the conglomeration of two famous mystery authors, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and Edogawa Ranpo.”

Mouri had swallowed a hard lump, jogged into motion by the sputtering of the kettle. “Dr. Agasa said he was a relative. You’re saying Shinichi’s disappearance and Conan’s appearance are connected?”

“I’m afraid so.”

Mouri waited patiently through Yusaku’s dramatic interlude.

“From what I understand, and I’m likely to know more in the next few days, Shinichi stumbled across some kind of illegal transaction between members of a sophisticated, international crime syndicate and a business owner. While he was gathering evidence of the crime, he was discovered—.”

Here, Mouri had interrupted, “—But Ran has spoken with him! He calls! If he was hurt or… He solved a case just the other day over the phone…!”

“The associates of the criminal organization intended to silence him, but their plans went awry in a most unexpected way,” Yusaku supplied readily. “It seems they had developed a poison, one which would dissolve within its victim, traceless, lethal, a terrifying advancement in chemistry, and they chose Shinichi as the lab rat. But the drug did not work as intended. In fact, it worked in a way I’m sure the organization could not have begun to predict.” Yusaku’s earnest eyes met Mouri’s with a willing intensity, pushing him connect the pieces together.

Once the thought entered Mouri’s head, there was no dispelling it, no matter how insane it seemed. Could Conan Edogawa and Shinichi Kudo be one and the same? Was that the conclusion Yusaku was trying to imply? In some small way, it made a lot of things make sense. The kid was always fluttering around at crime scenes, pointing out small details, poking his nose behind the crime scene tape without a bit of the natural reservation one would expect for a six year old, none of the fear or disgust that ought to be present. And the details he pointed out were always important, always key bits of evidence. Only a mystery nut like Shinichi would come up with a stupid alias like ‘Conan Edogawa,’ too! And Kogoro had seen more success since the boy showed up. His fame, his recognition as a detective only started AFTER Conan had arrived and started guiding the investigations. His amnesia had started up around then, too.

And the more he thought about it, the more sense it made, the more he felt as though he already knew, even before Yusaku spelled it out for him. He knew the pricking feeling, like a spark against his skin, the last thing he’d feel before he’d wake up having solved another case. And then there was the time that he’d started to rouse just slightly and he could hear himself, as if the voice were emanating from the air itself, so competent, so controlled, exposing the devious tricks of the culprit to the room of stunned and attentive suspects. He’d done the logical thing and told himself it was just some kind of delusion, some kind of side effect of his isolated memory loss. He only THOUGHT his mouth wasn’t moving. He only THOUGHT his voice was emanating from elsewhere. It made sense if the brat was somehow shooting him with a tranquilizer and inducing the sleeping state, then emulating his voice to deliver deductions, because no one would listen to the deduction show of a six year old…

The emotions had flooded him in distinct and ferocious waves. Indignation, fury, confusion, worry… Why hadn’t Shinichi just explained the truth? How could he so callously let Ran wait for him, let her carry to burden of his absence and yearn for his presence while all along he was standing right beside her? How dare he repeatedly inject him with God only knows what kind of serum and impersonate him!?

“I can’t pretend I’m entirely on board with how he decided to handle the situation,” Yusaku remarked, as if reading Mouri’s mind. “He had to think fast, though, and Dr. Agasa did suggest that he position himself alongside you, and keep his identity secret, just in case the syndicate came to check up on their attempted elimination. It is true that were the criminals to know the truth, both about the drug’s effect and that Shinichi survived, it would pose danger to all of his associations. I have made contacts with friends in Interpol and other authorities in an attempt to facilitate their capture and dismantling, but so far I have no leads, and in the meantime, Shinichi Kudo cannot exist. You may have suspected already, but Fumiyo Edogawa was just Yukiko in one of her disguises, and we have a plan by which we intend to show him the true danger he’s in. It is my hope that we can take him out of the country, but…” Yusaku sighed, breaking off his stream of words with an almost wistful expression, “Knowing my son, no matter how the next couple of days play out, he won’t want to leave. He’ll want to solve this case, to hold the criminals accountable for what they’ve done and bring the organization to justice. That is why I came to see you. Because in order for him to do that, should he choose to, in order for him to remain here with access to information to cases and criminal activity, he would need to remain in your custody.”

“So you want to run away to America again? You said it was an international syndicate. What if they follow you?”

“Our information is so limited right now. There’s little else that can be done…”

Something about the way Yusaku finished made Mouri think there was an unspoken “Unless” lingering in the stale air between the two of them.

Mouri surprised himself when he filled in the unspoken statement himself, “Unless we wait for them to make a move, linger and wait in the right place, for the right time.” He warmed to the concept quickly, gathering momentum with every word, “The more cases I take, the more likely I’ll stumble upon their activity. The more information I can glean, the better chances we have to take down the organization, to determine the components of the drug and procure an antidote. You won’t say it, but you’re asking me to play along, aren’t you? To let him stay here, to let him hide behind the ��Sleeping Kogoro’ he created?”

“It’s a lot of ask…”

Mouri flashed him a dark glance.

No, Mouri wasn’t the brightest. He wasn’t a genius. He wasn’t like these crazy natural detectives with their lightning fast deductive abilities and photographic memories, with databanks for brains. But he didn’t need to be a genius to understand the situation as it had been laid before him. He didn’t have to be a mastermind to see how he could be helpful. By taking in Shinichi, or…Conan Edogawa…He would shoulder the dangers if he stumbled upon important information. He would be the shield. The cover. The mask. And all he had to do was act oblivious to it all, to let “Conan” solve the cases through him, and if this secret organization came calling, they wouldn’t suspect the six year old kid—they’d suspect the “great” detective.

“I don’t want him to know…” Yusaku murmured, seeming to sense that Mouri had already, without words, agreed without question.

Mouri arched a brow. “Why is that? Wouldn’t it be more effective if we worked together as a collaborative team? He wouldn’t have to knock me out as much. I could easily deliver the deductions if he guided me through his thought process. Besides, the tranquilizer or whatever he’s using is already losing its effect on me.”

“Shinichi is proud,” Yusaku replied thoughtfully, “And has a chivalrous fault. I’m sure the reason he didn’t tell you initially was to spare you the burden of the knowledge. No doubt he felt that by keeping you and Ran in the dark if the organization were to question you your answers would be honestly innocent. If he knew your involvement, he might do something rash, like refusing to stay. I need him somewhere relatively safe and controlled. This syndicate is a bigger nest of rats than even I could have dreamed up…”

“Why not just order him to go to America with you? Force him to let the authorities handle it.”

Yusaku met Mouri’s gaze, holding it just a moment too long. “Were it you, would you be able to live with yourself if you ran and hid?”

And that was how Mouri ended up with Conan Edogawa as a temporary house guest, though lately it seemed like a permanent arrangement. Yusaku kept him updated with the progress of the case against the “Black Organization” and in the meantime he solved cases and allowed, within reason, Shinichi do his own line of investigation. Of course, part of the deal was that he had to keep the organization from having Conan Edogawa on their radar, a harder job than Mouri had bargained for. Shinichi seemed to forget he was supposed to be a grade-schooler the moment a mystery presented itself, running head first into the trouble, crawling all over crime scenes, and countless times Mouri felt he was being just a TAD too obvious. At those times, Mouri quite relished in his ability to pick him up like a sack of potatoes and toss him out of the way…

The tranquilizer had long worn of having any effect upon him at all, but he still spun and flopped around the room until he found a convenient place to plop himself down and assume the pose of the sleeping detective. Sometimes, just for fun, he would prolong the moment, making it more and more ridiculous, playing his character. Other times, he almost felt the two of them were working together, Shinichi “Ah-le-le-ing” the clues so that Mouri could slowly, slowly get the picture. Those times felt good, like he was learning, like Shinichi trusted that he had the ability to make the deductions, giving him the extra time he needed in order to do so. Other times, he was just a snotty little brat, like he was enjoying the chance to be as annoying to Mouri as possible.

And at the end of the day, Shinichi remained, as he had promised to Yusaku, oblivious to Mouri’s knowledge of his true identity, close enough to keep an eye on, but with enough free rein to investigate, to do his part to seek justice. And Mouri played his part, silly and slow and stupid, because the Black Organization might feel threatened by the astute Sleeping Kogoro, but not when they saw him carefree and drinking, making racing bets and wasting his time at the mahjong table. They were his means of escape, part of his disguise, and lately the only place he could turn to because there was no one to talk to, no one he could tell and little he could do. The inaction ate at his insides. The silence was suffocating; the danger too real.

But it was also the reason Ran was so upset this particular morning. Another late night, home after midnight, stinking of alcohol, pathetic… She had a big Karate thing going on at the school this morning, starting quite early. She was no doubt expecting he would be up to see her off and wish her luck, but he’d been out so late that by the time he awoke she was already dressed and ready to leave, not to mention she had lost sleep herself getting him to bed… She hadn’t made breakfast, leaving him and Conan to fend for themselves.

He ruffled the page of his paper, the tiny print blurring. The headline was something about crime rates rising, but he hadn’t been reading it this whole time, just holding it in front of his face while his mind wandered endlessly. For a moment, he returned to reality, aware, briefly of the muffled conversation from the tables surrounding him, but it was fleeting. His head was far too muddled to focus, far too lost in swirling emotion over the whole ordeal of the last year.

Had someone told him he’d be allowing Shinichi to live under the same roof as Ran at sixteen, if someone told him he’d be casually getting breakfast with him on a Saturday morning, he would have told them they were crazy, and then probably dealt them a fair cobra twist for good measure. But for all the grief he gave Ran about all of Shinichi’s worst qualities, he knew he would rather she was with him than anyone else. And after her return from her class trip to Kiyomizu, he was fairly certain they had graduated from childhood friends to something closer. And he wasn’t so sure he liked it…

The cocky annoying brat…

He ought to be focusing on his case, on the evil murderous syndicate looming over his life, not running off on a school trip, somehow, miraculously, returning to his original form just for the occasion, flashing his face all over Kyoto, engaging in grandiose deduction shows and finding time to cement his relationship with Ran to boot. It wasn’t safe, it wasn’t smart. For all his genius, he could be incredibly stupid, Kogoro fumed.

And it wasn’t exactly fair to Ran either, to send her back from the school trip the same way he had left her at that fancy restaurant, and in London, disappearing as if he were the phantom thief! One minute there, the next minute gone, leaving Ran to wait endlessly, day after day, wondering when the next news would arrive. All the while he was right there, eating dessert with her at the restaurant, holding her hand as they walked across the street on the way to their respective schools. So near, yet so far. Mouri knew the pain of being apart from the person you cared most deeply about. He knew how the ache could eat at one’s soul, and he couldn’t stand to see that pain in his daughter’s eyes.

Of course, it wasn’t Shinichi’s fault exactly that the makeshift antidotes always seemed to wear off at the worst moment. And Mouri had recognized the tragic, lost expressions on Conan’s face time and time again, an expression of longing and frustration that no child could suffer. There were times that Shinichi got on his nerves, especially when he was being particularly indiscrete at a crime scene and making not only Ran, but everyone else suspicious, and he had taken advantage of their dynamic to make many a pointed comment about Shinichi’s defects in front of him. At the same time, however, he had also seen Shinichi’s face grow weary and sad, weighted down by the immensity of the situation he had found himself in. At times like that, Kogoro did what he could either to redirect his attention, involve him in a case or just offer some slight praise to Shinichi, some slight nudge of encouragement, even if he couldn’t say it outright. In his own small way, Kogoro tried to uplift him when he could. Because, ultimately, that boy was going to be his son-in-law. And Yusaku was right, Shinichi was chivalrous and proud, and he adored Ran with an undying loyalty that Mouri had to respect.

“Kogoro-no-ojisan!”

There was a nudge at his elbow and he jolted, jostling his coffee mug and the hot, dark liquid sloshed over the rim and polka-dotted the front of his suit. Looking down at the young boy beside him on the booth seat he scowled menacingly, gruff with his reply, “What do you want?!”

“It’s time to order!”

Startled, he turned his head to find T­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­ooru Amuro grinning with polite patience. “I’ll get you some napkins!” He turned quickly, running his fingers through his bangs to brush them out of his eyes in his haste.

Mouri waved away the concern, however, calling him back. “Don’t bother, not much spilled.”

“I can come back if you’re not ready yet.”

Shaking his head, Mouri ordering his usual absentmindedly. Beside him, Conan chirped that he’d like an egg on toast and Amuro turned away back to the café counter. Mouri was about to return to his perusal of the paper when he noticed Shinichi’s eyes lingering on his face with that same, unnerving, calculating stare Yusaku had, like he was peeling back false pretenses, looking directly into Mouri’s deepest thoughts. He bristled, crooked an eyebrow and glared back. “What do you want?” he snapped. Unable to hold back from mocking him a little, he added, “The comic section?”

He noted the reddish tint to Shinichi’s ears at being talked down to like the child he appeared to be and it satisfied Mouri’s pettiness. Gradually he shook his head, “You seem distracted…”

“Sometimes adults have complex thoughts.”

“Is it a case?” Conan pressed with a hopeful eagerness. He’d been pouting most of the morning, slouched in the booth with his arms crossed, though Kogoro wasn’t sure why, and the possibility of something to do seemed to instantly excite him.

“It’s not a case,” Mouri replied, dashing the boy’s hopes.

He slunk back into the cushions, his feet dangling pathetically and his chin dipped into the collar of his shirt. “Oh.”

Pathetic.

“What’s your problem today?” Mouri relented to ask, setting the paper aside and leaning back.

“Nothing…”

“You know you shouldn’t WANT there to be cases,” Mouri patronized, “A case means someone committed a crime.”

Conan’s eyes flashed behind the lens of his glasses. “I don’t WANT there to be crime.”

“Then why do you seem so disappointed?”

“No reason.” He shoved his hands into his pockets and dipped even further in his seat. “I wonder how long the tournament is…”

Mouri rolled his eyes. “Don’t you have your Detective brat squad to loiter around with today?”

“They’re going to see the Kamen Yaiba movie.”

“You’re not?”

Conan shrugged. “I told them I was going to Ran’s karate tournament.”

Mouri frowned. This particular tournament, more of an exhibition that the Karate club had organized to get more members, was not open to public audience. Since it was a Saturday, and the school access was limited, attendance was restricted to Teitan High students only. Conan couldn’t go. And now it made sense why he was sulking. Because had he been Shinichi, he would be cheering Ran on, supporting her, being the kind of person she could depend upon… But he was forced, in yet another way, to let her down.

Sighing, Mouri drained the last of his coffee. “Maybe after we eat we can walk over there, then,” he found himself saying, “Maybe we can sneak in.”

Conan’s head bobbed up at this, undisguised surprise clearly painted across his features. “You want to go, too?”

He grunted. “I have a lot to make up to her, too.”

[ostianshadow]

TOA Anniversary Munday!

Celebrating TOA and the people who contribute to make our group what it is.

Repost, don't reblog. Only fill in what you feel comfortable sharing!

Happy anniversary, TOA! Here's to many more years spent together.

Name: vicky (aka key or wkey)

Pronouns: she/her

Birthday (no year): jan 6

Where are you from? What is your time zone? french canadian. west coast best coast. pst.

Roleplay experience: idk since i was like 7? running around the neighbourhood w the boyz and gming our own little world of makebelieve… writing/online-wise, since around the age of 10-11 when we got a puter in the living room.

Got any pets? black kitty called cabbage i fostered and then adopted. she's no thoughts head empty and that's why she won over my other 16 foster cats. /hj

Favorite time of year: autumn-ish or spring. don't do well in the heat but sad makes winter bad.

Some interests and things you like: comics&webtoons, puzzle games (picross, sudoku, etc), ultimate frisbee, tennis, hiking, traveling

Some funfacts & trivia about you:

-prefer crepes to pancakes

-don't leave me alone with a box of ice cream sandwiches for the love of-

-past key has cumulatively drawn 500+ comic pages over the years (and misses it dearly)

-used to play ice hockey, played for bout 12 years. stopped due to injuries.

What non-Fire Emblem games do you play? ffxiv, zelda, tales of, undertale

Favorite Pokemon type & Pokemon: ghost, haunter

How did you get into Fire Emblem? smash bros /j i think my bro acquired a copy of fe7 and the rest is history

What Fire Emblem games have you played? 6 through current

First Fire Emblem game: 7

Favorite Fire Emblem game: hrkkk probably 7 but super fond of sacred stones n path of radiance too

Any Fire Emblem crushes? 😳

lmao

If you’ve played the following games, who was your first S support? Who would you S support nowadays?

- Awakening: mightve been chrom by accident n woulda been pissed about it. henry & gaius beloveds

- Fates: conquest- niles, birthright- azama, revelations- kaze

- Three Houses: was it claude or felix? idk but claude is def why i started w deer haha

- Engage: louis and lapis i married both that's my story and im sticking to it

Favorite Fire Emblem class: thief or mage

If you were a Fire Emblem character, what would be your class? probably an archer, or mage. miss me w close combat

If you were a Three Houses character, what would be your affiliation? hmm… i wanna say deer but probably beagles

If you were an Engage character, which Emblem would you Engage with? lyn. long distance pew pew goes brrrrr

How did you find TOA? kept seeing it on twitter from ol ferp mutuals and eventually caved

Current TOA muses: hector, matthew, azama

Who was your first TOA muse? If you don’t have them anymore, could you see yourself picking them up again? ewan. some days i think i could.

Have you had any other TOA muses? florina, henry

Do you think you have a type of character you gravitate towards? prickly, maybe. in general muses that allow me to explore… ewan is more outgoing than i will ever be, but lets himself feel petty or jealous. hector is brash, but struggling with an uncomfortable and unexpected weight on his shoulders. azama invites conflict like he needs it to breathe, while ive typically been averse to conflict. florina is timid but trying to grow stronger for her friends (and herself, she comes to realize). henry is… an oddball, idk how to describe what draws me to writing him. change of pace maybe? requires thinking outside the box with his unique worldview. i dont tend toward angst but matthew is a good output for it if im feelin it haha.

What do you believe you enjoy writing the most? i think i like. when threads start to come together. yknow in stories when you can start referring to things that have happened? and you're like "woah wait i know what that's referring to!!"

when you manage to reach a shared history ig? i know im p slow re. writing but i cherish the bonds and overarching/intertwined stories my muses wind up with. people you meet touch your life in ways you might not immediately fathom…

Favorite TOA-related memory: lots of lock & key justice shenanigans… bunker … enjoyed unscripted a whole heck of a lot as well

How do you pronounce TOA? 🤔 T-O-A. sounds fancier to spell it out haha

Got any delusions that didn’t see the light of day that you’d like to share? 😉 felix, ike, kaze, serra, sain, naesala, ingrid, eldigan, bramimond, lethe, shinon, kliff… not so much delusions as "might be fun to explore…" – and i wouldn't trade our current reps of the above for the world ✌️

[plethora-of-words]

Intertwined

Circumstance makes it so hard to forget you. I try. Religiously, constantly, persistently, I try. Occasionally, I even succeed. But with our lives as intertwined as they are, there's only a certain extent to how much I can erase your existence from every surface. They're stained with permanent marker, and no matter how many alcohol wipes I use, it's futile to try and rub all of it out. My room has your fingerprints all over it. You're in the scented candle I light while doing homework, the face wash in my bathroom, and the pencil pouch I have on my desk. Your netflix password sits in my TV, and your clothes forgotten from countless sleepovers hog up my closet space. I can't quite seem to let go- how excruciatingly empty would things feel if I no longer had artifacts that remind me of you? How excruciatingly empty would my daily life be if I didn't have objects containing memories of your laugh, your smile, and your love for me scattered around my space? Maybe it would be more healthy, maybe it would be more productive- but would it be more happy? You've touched the lives of all of my friends. It's wrong to say my when I really mean our- for as long as I can remember, we've gone everywhere together. We've spoken to the same people and attended the same events, leaving our presence as a unit imprinted in all of their minds. How much do I even have to offer when you're not by my side? When you're not with me cracking jokes and causing everyone to collapse in laughter- how could I possibly suffice on my own? There's only so long my unsure words and quiet nature can entertain others. They have an expiration date, and as the days flip by on the calendar and the year comes to a close, I can only feel it growing closer, like a tornado that can be predicted but not stopped. I can feel the tsunami of loneliness about to crush me and everyone's sour distaste for my presence grow steadily in my bones, but all I can do is sit behind a one-way mirror, watching it unfold but unable to take action. I suppose there's a reason the phrase 'you can run, but you cannot hide' became so widespread. Everyday, I tire my legs by running away from your presence. I've trained my thoughts to stray to any topic besides the color of your eyes, I've trained my body to carry itself to any group away from your vivacious laughter, and I've trained my brain to get lost in the distraction of anything nearby. But there's only so long that material items and mutual friends can distract me from the gaping hole the loss of of your love has left in my life. I cannot hide from the fact that you made up half of my soul and that you colored every single aspect of my being. These days, even breathing feels like a herculean task, for I am constantly suffocated by the remnants of you that are at every single corner. After all, for four years we shared a scarf, and when you left, you pulled its threads so taut that it tore. Now, when I wear my remaining half, its fabric sheds constantly. It's been damaged beyond repair, yet I cannot seem to make myself take it off. It’s slung around my shoulders continuously, leaving a trail of its pieces behind on every path I walk. The idealistic part of me always hopes that someday, you'll come back for the missing half; but the logical part of me knows that you took yours off months ago, and that you're walking the streets with a brand new one- one that is unharmed and unstained. All I can hope is that someday, I will be able to replace mine as well.

[yasashiiku]

@never-surrender sent a crow ;

❝ I've had my lesson, I'm no hero. ❞ (Kyo / Tengen!?)

Tengen's words remain suspended in the air around them, Kyojuro could only look at him with a soft sense of surprise written on his face. The night wraps them in true darkness, with only the faint light from the indoors making their drinks glisten in their unfinished cups. He doesn't break the silence immediately, allowing the sounds of the bustling estate to bring them a familiar sense of comfort, to remind them what they truly care about is safe and secure, the lives most precious to their hearts.

❝ What I believe... ❞ He treads carefully, trying his best to make sure his friend would not regret sharing a moment of vulnerability with him.❝ - is that being a hero has nothing to do with us. ❞

❝ We are merely humans with limits, ❞ His gaze trails away into the darkness, which he knows hides unfathomable dangers, but humans are meant to fade away regardless. ❝ But heros are meant for victory, it's intertwined with their fates... ❞ And how could anyone like themselves assure such a thing? They were not meant for victory. They were meant to lay their lives on the line every single night- so that another demon could perish, and many lives would be saved.

When he thinks about it, they are most likely Heros in the eyes of those they have saved, but no one would ever realize how far and wide the difference is, unless maybe they could take a look upon himself at this very moment. Weakened and almost helpless under the weight of simply living... ❝ Ah, ❞ He catches himself in the middle of deep contemplating. ❝ I have lost that thread of thought. ❞

❝ Don't worry, my friend, hero or not, it doesn't do any less to your worth, I'm certain. ❞

[discountedmuses]

He would never do that to you? You couldn't know that until it happened. I have met many who shared that same sentiment for those they formed a sick needy kinship with. It always let them more broken than they already were. Bonds built solely upon circumstances are brittle, humans are fickle. Circumstances change and the threads you weave here now will shatter. You will not be prepared if you don't accept this.

He wanted to yell. He wanted to scream and protest that they were wrong, but how could he? No one knew what the future held til it was happened. Talon could decide they don't need him any longer and abandon him or even worse, terminate him entirely.

Talon built him. They can easily dismantle him if they so desired.

A new feeling of hollowness had swallowed him, his usual strong stance having crumbled into soft shoulders and fidgeting intertwining fingers. Thoughts were running rampant within his mind, visions of being tossed away, visions of Reaper leaving him behind, a new feeling of.. worthlessness.

It was far too much for his brainwashed brain to make any sense of.

"...."

No response.

[piratejenna]

Day 5 of @justleaveacommentfest and it's time to shout out some of my favorite comments!

I have received some incredibly sweet comments, and they never fail to make me smile! So here are a few of the comments that have continued to stick with me:

from @villklovn

GOD I HAD A MIGHTY NEED FOR AUNT ZISKA AND TRUCY BONDING Franziska relating to Trucy and her favorite Christmas memories all involving Miles and her not being able to say no to Trucy we’re all adorably heartrending moments Also Franziska fearing Trucy could be like Kay agsjahsh screaming Also Franziska’s characterization is absolutely spot on 10/10, and Trucy and Nick too. Also Miles trucking her into it agsjah he absolutely would do that This was so lovely, thank you so much for sharing thissss <3

from LostGuard on AO3

I actually meant to comment on this a while back, but I couldn't figure out how to word it. Yet this is the third or fourth time I've reread it, and it still hits just as hard (maybe even harder) as the first time I read it, and so I finally decided to force myself to comment (I really should make a habit of commenting!) Poetry fics are something that I find quite rare and underrated. Practically every time I've seen one, I've loved it, and this one certainly isn't an exception. I love how you implement and bounce off of the canon dialogue, and I love the main point as well - I completely agree that Asougi isn't necessary different, he's just showing another side of him (yeah, looking back at case 1, you can see the threads of his later characterization poking through). You manage to perfectly encapsulate his feelings/emotions on the subject! The Ship of Theseus is something I've learned about through fics, and I love the usage of the reference here, subverting it in a way ("Seems irrelevant when you haven’t fulfilled the only prerequisite"). My first instinct was to comb through all the lines and pick out some of my favorites, but I can't do that, because there's so many good ones! There's also the fact that the lines are all intertwined so well; they lead into each other so well and I feel that every word, every line, has a purpose. Essentially, I really like this, and I just wanted you to know that! I hope you're having a great day, and in the event that you choose to write another fic/poem in the future (as mentioned in the author notes), I hope you'll have fun :)

from tigerharting on AO3

IT'S KAY!!!! i love that this edgeworth is a little more realistic because he's less confident, i definitely dont think someone raised by von karma would be rich with confidence even at 20 and especially not for his first case, and i especially loved how his uneasiness is built up through the elevator incident and the nightmare which makes it even MORE realistic so it's really fun to read and gets you into his headspace way easier. i also love how edgeworth immediately notes the similarities between his situation and kay's, even before faraday's death, and can't really shove aside his emotions with his logic yet because of it. great chapter!!! i am so excited to read more thank you so much for writing and sharing this with us!!

from @mrsnaildood

Uhm. Hello, I loved this fic so much that I drew fanart of it?? Thank you so much for writing for this AU. It's everything I ever wanted to see. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time reading this, and you write Jove perfectly(the way he teases Klavier, the way he comforts Apollo, all of it). I really, really can't wait to read more of it ;u; Here's the link to the art: https://twitter.com/YJ_Doodle/status/1280554888854831104?s=20

from DoodleSweet on AO3

HI. It's taken me WAY too long to comment on this but OHMYGOD I LOVE YOU SO MUCH That anyone wants to write Jove and Jolassa makes me so, so happy, I've been so invested in them for ages! (I've got two Jolassa gift fics in the tag!) ANYWAY. You write so well! I love what you're doing with Jove and your lives AU is so close to mine! I love so much that we as a Jove fandom agree on so much about him! Including the later chapters (which I won't spoil here in case!) with more dadding. Bless you! <3 You're amazing and wonderful and I can't wait to read more!!

from @sunflowersforphoenix

Hey! So I came across this fic while I was taking a break from housework, I had just put a sinkful of dishes in hot water, and I was like “I’ll just read the first page while my dishes are soaking” and now it’s two chapters later and my dishwater’s cold and I’m still reading! XD My favorite part so far is the flashback scenes between Jove and Thalassa, they make such a sweet couple, you can tell they really care for each other. Now I’m wondering how far Jove will go to unravel this mystery and find out what really happened to his wife. Thanks so much for sharing your writing and hope to read more soon!

from merinarasauce on AO3

DELICIOUS. EATS THIS UP LIKE GROCERIES. i am SO happy you came back for this one!! i thought it might've been gone for good, but i checked my email (of all things, lol) and saw that you'd updated to finish it out. thank you for sharing this with us! it was a wild ride from start to finish, and i enjoyed every second of it. i hope you're doing well, and have a great day!!

If you've ever commented on one of my fics, know that I have read your comment, probably multiple times, and likely have saved it to my phone. Every single comment means the world to me, and I am so thankful for them!