shrapnelsong

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I love the idea of jewelry being passed down in a family. The stories that it tells, the bodies that have worn them. I find it so simple yet so pure.

#julia barton

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#catch em all

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After a particularly challenging day at work, all Alice could focus on was the notion of drawing herself a nice bath with the sparkliest bath bomb she had, perhaps even ordering something that might pair well with wine and a dessert. She was debating on fruity or chocolaty in her mind when an angelic voice called out her name.

"Watanabe-san." An easy smile tipped her lips and she bowed in return, not having expected to come across him out of everyone. She'd somewhat gotten used to the... sharpness she always felt lurking behind his kind gaze. And all it took was one look at Satoru's reaction at hearing the priest's name to know her gut feeling was spot on.

A water droplet interrupted his offer. Then another one came right after. And another. To the point where it felt like the sky was just waiting for them to look up so it could dump a storm on them.

Even now, his kindness still reminded her of that first offer he'd made when they met at the estate. Normally, she would politely decline, but getting to step down from her heels sooner rather than later was too good to pass. "I'd like that a lot, actually. Thank you."

@shrapnelsong 🌧️

Following his typical duties at the church, Iwo began his walk towards his home. Stopped at one light, he idly looked around, and seeing a familiar figure, he approached with the gentlest smile on his countenance.

"Alice?" he said with a slight tilt of his head. "What a surprise. Is your home in this direction, as well? Perhaps I can walk-"

Before he could finish his offer, drops of water interrupted him. He paused, lifting his gaze towards the sky. And seeing clouds forming above him, he frowned.

"Such is our luck, it seems..." he muttered, returning his gaze to his companion. "My home is very near. If you wish, you can stay until the storm settles."

#crimecourted #;iwo #iwo02 #- OwO

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Strange roadside buildings where you shouldn’t ever go.

#diary #dreamscapes #- I want prints of all of those omggg

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His chuckle came as a most pleasant surprise, a silly sense of pride rising along her chest at getting this kind of reaction from such a serious person. And his immediate denial of being one of her comrades at arms only amused her further.

Affection took over her grin and softened it back into a smile as he shared the trouble Luisne put him through. Alice knew that the Druid bothering to bother them at all meant that they saw his incredible potential right from the start, which undoubtedly had an impact on his talents to this day.

And there it was. The witch couldn't help but let out a girlish giggle at him displaying the exact temperament that would have made it impossible for Luisne to leave them alone. "That would certainly have them picking on you." While that had never been a correction she got - if anything, the Druid had to work to build her confidence - she had watched the way they picked apart the arrogant legacy kids until they were fully aware of the responsibility needed to handle the powers they were born with.

Getting to meet someone who knew her Master who wasn't a former disciple or feared the Druid's influence was absolutely lovely, and she began thinking up ways to thank them for this slightly encouraged chance encounter without being too obvious. "How is your grandfather? I'm sure Master would like to know as well."

"And you're not losing your mind?" Ashley shamelessly eyes her again, from head to toe, but it was obvious that he was making sure wasn't sporting obvious red flags. Nothing tipped him off. Strangely enough, her presence alone made it difficult for him to be suspicious of her — which, in its own right, made him wary.

The coin trick, he was loathed to admit, made him chuckle. She was cheeky, and he couldn't help but to wonder if that was something she possessed before, or if it was something the druid had instilled in her.

"Me? Hell no." He snorted loudly and waved the idea away with a hand. "They visited a enough that it felt like it. When grand-pop wasn't here to run the place, I was picking up the slack. Every time they came in, it felt like I was being quizzed. Made my life miserable."

That may have been his fault. Even from a young age, he was overly confident and prideful. In fact, the more he thought about them, the more his ego swelled. "I know what I'm doing here, I don't need anyone tellin' me the opposite."

#xamassed #;Ashley #ash01

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@crimecourted asked:

"I got bored..." Naoya said, seemingly out of nowhere. He turned, then pulled out a medium-sized box, which he offered to Alice. "So, I knitted a sweater for you. Try it on."

What he failed to mention, or rather, purposely chose to not disclose, was that it was a pastel pink virgin-killer sweater. Of course, any gift from Naoya would have some sort of catch...

"Oh?' Part of her felt like Nao divulging he was bored might as well be a sign of danger, but seeing him bring out a box had her curious enough to go along with it. And wasn't that the start of everything? Somehow, curiosity hadn't killed the bunny just yet. "You knit?" Surprised at finding out that they happened to share a hobby, a bright smile bloomed across her lips. Handmade gifts were always so lovely. "That's so sweet. Thank you." Completely taken by the gesture, it never occurred to her to be wary, and she took the gift with her to the restroom so she could try it on.

The sounds of the box being opened were soon interrupted by a long stretch of silence as Alice questioned all the life choices that had led her to that moment. "Nao..." A tiny voice full of embarrassment and admonishment sounded from behind the closed door. Still conflicted, she couldn't decide whether to try it on or not because he did knit it after all... Sighing deeply to herself, she stripped before she could think better of it and slipped the... 'sweater' on, immediately noticing something.

Poking her head out the door, she stared at the host with bright red cheeks. "...Why is it such a perfect fit?" He'd never asked nor taken her proper measurements at any point, which would have been needed to make any garment that hugged her figure this well. And just because it was so expertly done on top of being so outrageous, she didn't want to show him what it looked like on her.

#crimecourted #;Nao #nao02 #like a writing desk #- B A S T A R D ! #- this man needs to be stopped SDFSKJFHJKSDFH

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I want delicate and kind people to live well. I hope they don't treat kind people as fools.

k.b. // felix from stray kids - vlive 19102022

#handwritten footnotes

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Alice refrained from chuckling at his nonchalant solution to the problem, not having expected him to be so okay with it when he looked so serious when bringing the matter of the coins up. Still, she would gladly go through the steps to get her personal proof of entrance now that she'd witnessed the quality of the products.

That was a new reaction to her master's name, one that had her quite curious about what kind of relationship they might have had. But his inquiry had her laughing outright. "It's been a journey for sure." There was nothing but fondness and admiration in her smile, as the witch was well aware of how much she owed the druid and how she could never repay even half of it.

"But I probably gave them as much trouble as they still make for me to this day." Her smile widened into a small grin as she lifted the coin as a tame example, rolling it along her knuckles before it disappeared into her clothes again. "Master has a habit of picking up strays, but I was dropped on their doorstep when I could suddenly access the abilities I never knew I had and had no idea how to control."

Having grabbed everything she wanted, Alice set the basket on the counter. "Were you one of their pupils too? You reacted like one." Her voice was still fluttery with laughter, well familiar with how the druid's name had the power to iron out the spines of her fellow disciples.

A large hand waved at the air because, at the end of the day, it didn't matter. She could have been a troublemaker and caused him a whole day of painful headaches, but she was calm and cool and seemed respectful of his space. Her apology was a breath of fresh air, so he allowed himself to turn away from the fact that the coins he made to be secret weren't as secret as he had hoped.

"Eh, just don't go blabbin' about it to everyone." He couldn't find complete trust in her, seeing as how he didn't know her, but there was some faith to be had.

Content with her readiness to properly shop, Ashley nearly turned to retake his spot behind the counter. He wasn't much for conversation, but the name she spoke reeled him back in.

"Luisne?" Hearing the name was one thing, but repeating it made him shudder. While his grandfather had history with the druid, Ashley had his own. It wasn't a horrible thing, but he may have owed them for his diligence when it came to potion-crafting.

Mistakes in this field weren't tolerated. A single change in a potion could kill someone, and it was that fear that made him so keen on doing well. Their reminders whenever they'd visited the shop had stuck with him, even as a child. And now that he heard the name again, it was equal to someone reminding another to straighten their posture, unclench their jaw and hydrate.

"You're their student? How the hell are you managin' that?"

#xamassed #;Ashley #ash01

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happy birthday, nat! hope you have a wonderful day!

Thank you, Mike!! <33

#out of songs #nat gets old #- istg you're more on the nose with it than my RL friends haha! #- thank you sweetie <3333 #- as always I appreciate you so much

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✧ WHAT IS YOUR COSMOS PERSONA? ✧

stolen from: @altosk casually tagging: @crimecourted, @museguided, @xamassed, and anyone who wants to steal it from me~

#tagging game #about me #- WHY IS THIS CUTESY THING SO HECCIN ACCURATE THOOO #- messed up sleep schedule #- as I'm doing this quiz at almost 5am

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Alejandro Zambra, Ways of Going Home (translated by Megan McDowell)

#writing

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Friesian by simages_photography

#horses #horse girl verse #wood stove #- mine and alice's dream horse tbh #- I cry forever #- I miss riding horses so bad

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I drew cats from stardew valley :D

kofi | commissions | instagram

#dewy stars #- i had the white one this time around but the orange one will always have my heart

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She could see her master's shit eating grin in her head and it made her purse her lips. Back when she became their disciple as a young teen, their first order of business was to have her unlearn the need to follow rules that had been ingrained in her. Nowadays, Alice can attest that, as a witch with considerable power at her hands, it served her better to know which rules she could and could not bend or break instead of just following them indiscriminately. Still, being a grown woman now, she could do without these little lessons. "Oh, sorry about that."

The shopkeep didn't seem all that bothered by it, though, so she figured she'd ask him how she could get own coin by the time he was tallying her purchase. Looking back along the shelf, she picked up the bottles that had interested her and carefully set them inside her basket, noticing the way he went along correcting even the ones she'd only touched.

"Yes, an old regular. It seemed to me like they're good friends with the owner." Alice was unsure of the details, but from the stories she was told, it sounded like a friendship that spanned across decades. Her master being a druid made it difficult to tell exactly how many that might be. "Their name is Luisne." Depending on where she was, her master's name often drew varying mixtures of awe and fear, so it wasn't something she brought up too much. But seeing as she was using their coin to gain access to the store, it was only fair she made it clear for him.

Young women weren't uncommon in his shop, but she was the first in a long while that didn't give him the impression of a hag trying to fool him with a glamorous disguise. She was, without a doubt, one of the better looking customers he'd had as of late, but he wouldn't let that work to her advantage.

"Not supposed to give 'em to other people, but whatever. As long as you're buyin' and keepin' it a secret." He grumbled under his breath and let his tired eyes move from her golden hair and pure eyes to the shelf she had lingered in front of.

The bottles there, like the rest in the shop, were labeled carefully. Not only were they named, but the ingredients were written with his own hand on the back label. The purpose of this section was obvious, but he always found himself curious about the people that didn't immediately gravitate towards love-potions or the more addictive concoctions.

"Who's your master then? Any idea if they're a regular?" He reached out to carefully arrange the bottles on the shelves, the smallest shift in his neatly arranged display irritating him to the point of correction.

#xamassed #;Ashley #ash01

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#hanakotoba #home sweet home

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@crimecourted asked: It was rare for Iwo to step foot into the Takahashi estate. After all, he had to maintain a certain distance to keep his association from becoming known. But after being gone for two months on a missionary trip, he was called in to report.

As he stepped out from the meeting room, he met the gaze of an unfamiliar woman. While he would normally ignore her and go about his day, he couldn’t help his intrigue.

“Oh? Might you be the new little lamb I’ve heard about?” He spoke slowly, gently, and with a smile, though he walked circles around her, carefully studying her. “A doctor, yes? Good. We needed someone to take care of the reckless fools here…”

He stopped, now directly in front of her. With a smile still plastered on his face, he bowed his head, just the slightest bit. “My name is Iwo Watanabe. If you ever wish to speak to someone about your tribulations, you can always come to me.”

Alice had eventually grown used to the fact that stepping into the Takahashi step was almost akin to a trip back in time. Within the traditional manor, with its lifted wooden floors and inner gardens, everyone who lived and worked there carried themselves with the same fluid grace period dramas tried so hard to achieve. As such, she and her clearly mixed heritage always felt a little out of place there. And it took a considerable amount of conscious effort to not trace any parallels between her childhood home when she wasn't with Ruki or Satoru.

Having arrived perhaps a bit too early, she was organizing her papers while waiting for a chance to talk to them when she looked up and saw someone she'd never seen before. Someone who looked a lot more like her than anyone else there. His soothing lilt felt at odds with how sharply his attention fell on her.

"Oh, I'm Alice Sakurazuka." She introduced herself with a smile as well, giving him a normal, neutral bow that showed respect without expressing deference. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Watanabe-san." But she was not about to take that offer anytime soon.

#crimecourted #;Iwo #iwo01 #- THE TEMPTATION TO MAKE HIS CHARACTER TAG OWO #- I CANNOT

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Alasdair Gray, from Poor Things

#silent spell