#Most agree it was probably a misspelling of PSYCH!

[bonefall]

LITERALLY like its people discussing the characters as living people and not plot tools. no matter what mapleshade did her kits would die because the plot NEEDS them to die. they were doomed the second they were out of camp lol

(i would say the bridge route would probably just have the kits succumb to hypothermia from being out in leaffall rain though, given how fragile kittens are. then people would whine about how she didnt take the faster route. also also doesnt getting to the bridge require crossing the stream near fourtrees, which is also capable of flooding. like fireheart almost dies there in one book. i just checked the map again and it looms like you need to hop the stream to get there)

From what I understand of that particular creek, it's a "syke." A syke is a seasonal stream fed by extra rain, floodwater, and snowmelt, usually only seen in spring and early autumn. A syke is also called a "bourne" further south in England.

So the syke could be active because of the extra flooding, yeah. Which would make it dangerous to take that detour. Mapleshade on her 4th playthrough of MV trying to get 100% completion so she takes the long way around, only for the plot wave to follow her all the way down there too lmao. SYKE!

[lollytea]

If you don't mind, do you have any more Shere Khan and or Bagheera headcannons you would like to share?

DO I???

(You are so welcome!! I get so excited whenever somebody shows an interest in shagheera cuz of me. I live for it!!

I have like a truckload of headcanons about their past and present but I’m saving them for this fic once I get into the mindset to get back to it. Soon I’m hoping! BUT I’ve always thought way too much about Bagheera and Khan so I probably have plenty of rambly thoughts I can talk about!)

— Bagheera was raised by his mother and, to an extent, his great grandfather. Great gramps was ancient and couldn’t really do much to care for a child, other than sit in his chair and entertain the little one with stories of his life back in India. Bagheera would listen, enthralled. Bagheera idolized his great grandfather.

— The world hadn’t been very nice to Bagheera’s mother so, as a result, she kept her child sheltered. She coddled him, fussed over him and was overprotective to a fault. This led to Bagheera being a gentle, skittish, naive and high strung boy.

— He got the biggest whiplash of his life when he started school and realized that other boys were not like him. They were loud, rowdy, nonchalantly rude and played rough. Bagheera struggled a little at first but he eventually adapted, mirroring the ways of other kids so he would fit in better. It was during this time that Bagheera’s personality really began to define itself. He was painfully aware that he was small for his age, clumsy and not very fast or strong and he developed quite a complex about it. But it wouldn’t be forever. He had every intention to improve himself in that department. For the time being, he attempted to compensate with a sharp tongue and a hot temper.

— Shere Khan had been raised with his future already decided for him. Since he could walk, he had been told that he would inherit the family’s business empire and he held a lot of pride in that. However when you allow a child to mentally develop with the knowledge that one day they will basically rule the whole universe, (at least it feels like that when you’re so small and are too immature to fully grasp the reality of your future) it may do some permanent damage to that child’s psyche.

— Shere Khan was spoiled, doted on, put a pedestal, had his parents singing his praises. As their only child and heir, of course he was to be treated like he was special. Because he was. Shere Khan was special. Until he wasn’t.

— If you struggle with your studies, you’re too stupid to inherit the family fortune. If you get upset and cry, you’re too weak willed to inherit the family fortune. If you’re not good at everything you do, you’re not as brilliant as we thought you were. Years and years of mixed messages results in a child who doesn’t know for certain if he’s the most talented boy in the world or if he’s completely worthless. It’s the uncertainty that causes such instability. Shere Khan is cocky, smug, arrogant, a perfectionist, cagey, confrontational, competitive, hellbent on proving he’s the best and terrified of ever being seen as weak.

— Bagheera has had a fascination with books since he first learned to read. Unfortunately your literary options are scarce when you’re dirt poor but he does what he can. He frequents the neighborhood’s tiny library even if it’s limited, he’s reread the books he does own to the point he has them memorized and he collects newspapers and magazines to obtain as much knowledge as he can. Occasionally he’ll gather newspaper clippings of current events and make his own “history books.”

— Shere Khan is deeply interested in botany, though he really doesn’t have the time to focus on it with the overload of other subjects he’s obliged to perfect. His grandma gifted him a selection of bulbs and he likes to grow flowers on his windowsill. He’s extremely proud of his plant work. But that’s a secret shh.

— Bagheera and Shere Khan are almost equally matched academically, with Khan inching just a little ahead. However it’s clear from the start that while Khan is the sharper of the two, he can’t compare to the genuine passion Bagheera has for learning. Despite their smarts, the two boys aren’t really liked by teachers. They and their other four friends are incorrigible troublemakers, with Shere Khan being the most disruptive of them all. And while Bagheera can’t help but be dragged in, he does try to behave himself sometimes. Unfortunately he’s constantly getting in trouble for drawing in his notebook.

— There are a lot of bad aspects of this friendship. Shere Khan is prone to flippant insults and Bagheera’s self esteem is shaky enough as it is. There are times when Shere Khan makes Bagheera feel terrible about himself. And though Shere Khan doesn’t understand the extent of Bagheera’s feelings, he knows he’s making him feel inferior. And he leeches off that insecurity to assure himself of his own superiority. Shere Khan probably wouldn’t be half as annoyingly egotistical if it weren’t for Bagheera.

— However, as time goes on, this more malicious side of things starts to fade into a complicated yet comfortable companionship. It’s odd. Everyone agrees that it’s odd. While the antagonistic vibe never quite goes away, with the two constantly challenging eachother, there are days where they get along fine. It depends on their respective moods. One day, Shere Khan would hassle Bagheera until a fight breaks out and the very next day, they could chat with eachother for hours about their favourite novels and the day after that, there’s a reasonable middle ground of jokingly teasing eachother. No one understands it. Shere Khan and Bagheera never even notice that this is peculiar. It’s just their normal.

— Shere Khan and his family would usually leave for a few weeks every year to stay at their summer home. Bagheera would write him letters to keep him updated on the lives of himself, Baloo, Louie, Haithi and Kaa. Half of Khan’s responses were irritable that Bagheera was pestering him with messages, while the other half was listing words that Bagheera had misspelled. One year he returned a week after Bagheera’s birthday and passed him a parcel wrapped in brown paper and tied with string. It was a pocket dictionary. Shere Khan framed it as condescending, since Bagheera liked big words so much but was so terrible at spelling. He certainly hadn’t expected Bagheera to be as delighted with the gift as he was. But he found himself proud that he had given it to him.

— As opposed to their other friends, Shere Khan and Bagheera were fond of the night. They would often sneak out after dark and meet up for walks around the city. Sometimes they’d talk about everything and nothing, sometimes they would argue and sometimes they would say nothing at all. But they enjoyed it. Both felt the need to wander late at night and neither wanted to do it alone.

— Bagheera really started to grow as a person during his time in flight school. He made plenty of friends, grew in confidence, expanded his knowledge and had the support of his best friend, Baloo through all of it. He also learned some things about himself, which goes without saying. He hadn’t seen Shere Khan in years but upon a little reflection, realizes with amusement and a little embarrassment that his admiration towards Khan was most likely a childish crush. He comments to Baloo that being so interested in a boy who was mean to him was rather pathetic on his part. But a part of him knows that it was probably more complicated than that. Whatever it was, he accepts it but doesn’t dwell too much and moves forward. He figures he probably won’t ever see Shere Khan and while it is a little sad, he will certainly survive.

— Shere Khan also learned some things about himself while pursuing higher education but when it comes to his previous friendship with Bagheera, he opts to think about it as little as possible. While Bagheera was currently becoming far more outgoing, Shere Khan was steadily closing himself up until he was left entirely isolated. It was voluntary, of course. He had no interest in making friends and even if spending weeks without speaking to anyone had its mental effects, Khan was too stubborn to change his ways.

— Just like when they were children, Bagheera would send Khan letters. However, Khan had already made the decision that Bagheera was not to be involved in his life anymore. However he was so starved for familiar interaction, he read every letter and even wrote responses, even if he never sent them. He kept all of Bagheera’s letters in his desk drawer. And then they were moved to a box. And then that box was piled under by other boxes. As an adult, Shere Khan doesn’t quite know where exactly the letters are but he’s certain that they’re still somewhere in the house.

— When the two meet again as adults, Shere Khan comes to the reluctant conclusion that the boy he always showed up in school work, had become a far smarter and well read man than Shere Khan will ever be. And once he does allow himself to admit that, Khan can come to appreciate the person Bagheera has grown into. He’s very impressed.

— Bagheera is comfortable with himself. He wouldn’t say his self confidence is a hindrance anymore, not like when he was younger. But he finds that even as an adult, he often has moments of doubting himself. After being made feel so small for years and years, that sort of thing never quite leaves you. Even in adulthood. And isn’t it strange when the person who made you so insecure when you were children, is now the one making every attempt to build you back up again.

— Bagheera wouldn’t say he’s especially brave or anything. He’s still afraid by little things like thunder and spiders. But upon meeting Shere Khan again, he simply cannot wrap his head around the notion that anyone could find this man intimidating. All Bagheera sees is his old friend, who has taken on yet another mask to make himself seem cool.

— There are things Shere Khan has always known about Bagheera. He’s passionate and opinionated. A bit of a windbag really. As a child Shere Khan had found this annoying. But nowadays, he would consider it a pivotal aspect of Bagheera’s brilliance. Khan wasn’t all that intense about any personal matters these days so Bagheera brought so many new concepts to the table. He activated the side of Shere Khans brain that wasn’t strictly office based. It was a welcome change of pace.

— Bagheera has heard from many people that Shere Khan is apparently terrifying. It’s the icy demeanor, it seems. But oddly enough, once he had gotten used to Shere Khan all those years ago, Bagheera found his nonchalant disposition to be comforting, and now it was even more so. Khan rarely got outwardly agitated or panicky or raised his voice. And for Bagheera, somebody prone to anxiety ridden outbursts, a person like that was most welcome in his corner.

— Shere Khan has noticed that Bagheera carries around a worn, well loved pocket dictionary. Now he remembers giving him one over twenty years ago but it’s not likely that it’s the same one. Years and years go by and even long after considering Bagheera his other half, for some reason Shere Khan can never bring himself to ask. Maybe he just doesn’t want to know the truth. Believing what he wants is nice.

— Bagheera had always enjoyed sketching but it isn’t until his adulthood that he decides to indulge in buying paint supplies. Before long, a once empty space in Shere Khan’s penthouse is cluttered with paints and tarps and finished canvases propped against the walls. He’s particular fond of depicting countryside landscapes. Self portraits too but he’s afraid people will think he’s self centered. Shere Khan simply says if you’re both beautiful and artistic, then self portraits should be a no brainer. Bagheera had to politely ask Shere Khan to stop going to art galleries and showing immense interest in his art to raise the bidding among the rich crowd, as he would really like to see how much he can do on his own.

— Shere Khan played piano as a child. He didn’t remember the act of playing itself, but the obligation to sit at the stool and practice when he would much rather be outside. He associated piano with a lot of negative feelings, so once he had left his family’s home, he avoided the instrument at all cost. However, he accidentally discovered a little later than life that if he wasn’t under any pressure to do so, he quite enjoyed playing. It was calming for him. He liked the music it produced. But he was a bit out of practice. He was uncomfortable with being less than perfect at something and found the whole ordeal of improving oneself to be humiliating.

— Bagheera had a piano set up in their home for Shere Khan’s birthday. On the walls surrounding the instrument, he hung up the first few paintings he had done before he had gotten the hang of the whole art thing. It does take a month or two before Khan is willing to sit in the stool and give it a serious try but once he does, there’s music every evening at exactly 6:25pm. Not perfect music. But Bagheera makes it known how delighted he is to hear it.

— As he gets older and works gets more taxing, Bagheera has a tendency to fall asleep earlier. Usually in the evenings as he’s sitting in his chair and on page 6 of his book. Shere Khan hates this because if he leaves him there, he’ll wake up with a bad back and a creak in his neck, so he has to make the effort of dragging him to the bed. And Bagheera is not easy to carry.

— Shere Khan on the other hand can stay awake for days at a time, usually working and Bagheera hates it. Because not only is this biologically impossible for a person to pull off without losing some sanity, he doesn’t like to sleep on his own.

— They enjoy watching antique auction shows and get into extremely intense debates over it. Usually over the price or how ugly they think said antiques are.

— To this day, they still like to go on late night walks around the city. There’s a different atmosphere now that they’re no longer children but it helps them remember where they started off. And just like always, sometimes, they would talk about eveything and nothing, sometimes they would argue and sometimes they would say nothing at all. 

[acedesigns]

Clandestine [Death Note: L/Reader]

Word Count: 1374

A/N: Please let me know what you think and if you would like this to be continued!

--

No one really knew what their real name was. It was the username that they used in all of their podcasts. They were crime podcasts, looking to solve crimes that had gone cold for years – if not decades. It renewed the public’s interest in crimes that were shoved to the side.

People speculated that the person was a detective. After all, they uncovered clues to a couple of cases that led to arrests. Then, there was the fact that they seemed to have an understanding on how crimes worked. It could be that they were actually a forensic psychologist. Some people claimed that this person could even be L, but that was unfounded and not true.

The only name that people could agree on was their username. Clandestine.

“Now, it seems we are in today’s top mystery. Kira.” A voice sounded through his speakers. The voice was altered to the point where the listener couldn’t discern the gender of the speaker. It was not unlike the filter he used to mask his voice. “Before I start, wear your damn masks. It’s illegal in many places to not wear them. Also, if you wear a mask, Kira can’t kill you.”

The person paused. “Though it hasn’t been confirmed by investigators, I believe that Kira needs a name and face in order to kill. Those that haven’t had either their name or face posted haven’t been killed. This is true for people whose names have been misspelled or the wrong photo has been attached to the criminal. So both must be correct.” The man listening to the podcast chewed on his lip and shuffled in his chair. One foot scratched the other. “Which also means we’re not dealing with some sort of all-knowing deity. I do believe that we are dealing with a human that was given some remarkable power, but not enough power to eliminate body functions or demands from day-to-day life. The person still needs to sleep and has a life outside of being Kira. Kira is not a god like some of you claim.”

“Watari,” the listener spoke into a secure connection he held with the older man. “Please look into the podcast series by Clandestine. I want to know who they are and if they could fit Kira’s profile. They know more than what the police have even realized.” He left out that he had already deduced such.

“Right away,” Watari’s voice sounded back.

“Now, based on the times of the killings, I would say that Kira is either an individual that works nine to five or is a student. Though, given that he is trying to go after crime and is simply killing criminals and not the root cause of crime, he has a long way to mature. Ergo, he’s most likely a student. Probably around high school. Any younger and he’d probably kill those torturing him, like some bullies or a teacher. Any older and he’d probably kill competition in his business or romantic lives.”

The man listening to the podcast nodded along in agreement. He was actually surprised to hear a podcast make these claims – even more so if this person weren’t a trained professional. True, most of the data on the Kira killings was public. But most citizens wouldn’t take the time to comb through the data, much less would be able to correctly make these assumptions.

“I also say he for Kira, because…Let’s be real, statistically, most known serial killers are men. And that’s what Kira is. A serial killer.” The speaker cleared their throat. “I’m just glad that no one knows who I am or what I look like. I don’t think it’ll be long before Kira is fine doing away with innocent people.”

“Yes, but it also won’t be long before I know who you are,” the listener replied to the recording. He took a sip of his overly sweet cup of coffee. “Both you and Kira.”

“Anyways,” the speaker sighed and then inhaled. “You could be asking; well the time is different depending on where you are in the world. So it could be someone that works at night. Which that’s not a wrong assumption. However, most of the killings are centered around Japan. Have you tried finding news from different countries? Much less navigate between languages? It’s difficult. That’s why the only criminals to have really died in other countries have made international news or are on INTERPOL’s most wanted list. Besides those top profile criminals, the majority have all been in Japan.”

The listener picked up an empty container of what used to hold an empty container of coffee creamer.

“So what do we know? Kira needs a name and face in order to somehow kill someone.”

He put the creamer down on the desk in front of him and picked up another.

“Kira is most likely a student.”

The second container rested itself on first.

“Kira is most likely male.”

  Then there was a third.

“And Kira is somewhere in Japan.”

There was a fourth stacked. The listener glanced over to see that the rest of the containers had fallen onto the ground besides his desk. He frowned as his stacking was interrupted.

“So what are the next steps for the Kira investigation?” the podcast host questioned. The listener turned back towards the computer, questioning exactly what this person would say. “First, narrow down exactly were in Japan. Perhaps region by region through a sort of trap. Given social media, this could prove difficult. So it’d be best to get it right on the first try.”

“Yes, or we could simply black out anything that has to do with Kira during these tests,” the listener responded. “Besides, our trap is already planned. And if I am correct, we should get it right on the first try.”

In fact, the man had already laid out traps that was helping to deduce exactly where Kira was, down to the city. Criminals had their names posted under different names depending on the location of the user’s IP address. If a criminal died, then whichever region that had the correct spelling of their name pointed to where Kira was residing. It wasn’t perfect, but it was working. Unfortunately, what he was doing wasn’t enough proof for the police. He’d need the smoking gun.

“Next, would be to identify a list of plausible suspects. Of course, if the region is large, say in Tokyo, that would be extremely difficult. You’d have to further identify key characteristics for Kira’s psyche and hope he would mess up. If that were to happen, then you’d most likely trail the suspects to see if they have any suspicious behaviors. Of course, the ultimate goal would be to find the murder weapon. It wouldn’t be a traditional weapon. No one has the ability to teleport around the world and give criminals heart attacks within seconds of one another. There’s no doubt something beyond the understanding of modern science is in play.”

“That’s a good way to phrase it, that the supernatural is here, but we’re detectives and can’t just state that,” the listener mused to himself. Growing more and more curious over who exactly this person could be. Perhaps they were Kira themselves? No, they didn’t match the profile he had already set up for Kira in his head.

The man opened files he received from INTERPOL for criminals that were on death role. Perhaps he’d give this person some more information on Kira’s case. See what they would have to say about it. Then again, he’d hope that the person would give away too much in case Kira was listening. He couldn’t have Kira’s behavior change too much if he wanted to gather any evidence.

“L,” Watari’s voice suddenly sounded. “I have identified a possible individual responsible that would be linked to the podcast. I am sending you over the files now.”

“For now, I’ll keep a watch over the case. When updates are available, I’ll try to share them with you. And remember, wear your damn mask.”

L opened a file on Clandestine just as the podcast ended. An image linked to an actual name appeared. He chewed on his thumb as he read over the profile. “Hello, [Y/N].”