#ittr writes

[multi-fandom-writer]

Ok mob!tom'son needs to know the whope family, can you write something about the dinner??❤ also everyone loves him?? Omg this is too fluffy love ittr

Of course, enjoy!!

You heard your children laughing and screeching from the kitchen. They must have been getting along nicely with their older brother. As you were finishing the chicken fettuccine, you heard your five year old daughter yell, “again, Tom, again!” Your husbands head perked up at the words, forgetting about the sauce he was supposed to be stirring.

A look of pure joy crossed Tom’s face, with a proud smile adorning his beautiful lips. “They seem to be getting along quite nicely,” he commented, going back to stirring the almost burning sauce.

“Yes, well, supper is ready, so call all of our lovely children in please,” you spoke with a smile, starting to move the meal to the table. You heard three pairs of footsteps running into the room, accompanied by a pair walking. Tom Jr. was trailing behind your son and your twins; he didn’t have the same youth your other children did. Taking a look at him, you noticed he was a spitting image of his father.

“Did you ware them out for us?” Tom asked his son as he sat at the head of the table. You sat at the other end as your children took their spots at the table.

“More like they wore me out,” your new son answered with a laugh. He sat closest to Tom, still not comfortable with you quite yet. “I haven’t had a home cooked meal in so long. This looks delicious, Mrs. Holland,” he said, smiling at you.

“Thank you. Now, eat up before it starts getting cold,” you spoke, dishing out some of the pasta for yourself and passing it to one of your children. You looked over to your husband, who was patiently awaiting the food. “Family dinner should become a new weekly thing,” you said.

“If you’re the one cooking, yes it should, darling,” he answered with a smirk. Throughout the course of dinner, many laughs were shared and your children bonded with their older brother.

You and Tom walked him to the front door after dinner was eaten and cleaned up. You held your hand out to Tom Jr., “it was nice to meet you.”

“You too, Mrs. Holland,” he said, shaking your hand.

“Please, call me Y/n. And don’t be a stranger,” you replied, giving him a stern look.

“I wouldn’t dream of it.”

[jalebi-weds-bluetooth]

Hi!

17, 19, 21 for Payal and Aakash for the OTP asks please?

Sorry I'm being so greedy!

Hello!

Haha no no I like greedy people XD And thank you for enthusiastically taking part in the OTP asks!

17) What senses (sights, smells, feelings, etc). remind them of each other?

Akash: Busy markets, fabrics, chikankari, potatoes, diyas, sunrise, incense, kajal, silver, zardozi and love remind him of Payal

Payal: white, doves, lenses, chandeliers, embers, fireworks, fresh water, clean linen, ittr, comfort and home remind her of Akash

19) If they could each write a single line in their marriage vows, what would they be?

Akash: "If life gets to us, then remind me, I was never happier than the day you agreed to marry me."

Payal: "I will always be with you Akash, no matter what happens."

21) How have they changed each other for the better/for the worse?

For worse

As we saw in the show, the lack of privacy and their utter dedication to their family can make them grow apart as they have no time for each other.

Since they both know they love and chose each other, they forget that they still need to learn about each other and need to communicate - they both overestimate the other's understanding.

For better

Akash has really grown into his own post marriage. Especially with Payal. He realises focusing on self isn't a bad thing. His sense of humor has increased (given how much he loves Payal's laughs). And finally, he has become more expressive. Also, he has stopped blaming others or putting responsibilities of events on others and focuses more on what he can do.

Payal has learned to communicate - demand conversations if necessary. She is less hurt, knows how much weight to give to events. She does not hide anything from Akash and is more resolute about what she instinctively feels right.

Thanks for asking :D

Lots of love,

- JWB

[askkrixwellsfriendelizabeth]

VM ITTR A VSK PRET

Greetings, and congratulations on finishing King of Swords! While I am internally pouting like a five year old because you will not be continuing onto Breaker of Infinities anytime soon, I completely understand the concept of time constraints and thusly wish you a lovely reread. So, in preparation for it, I would like to show you some miscellaneous trivia, speculation, and pure bullshittery.

Firstly, I would like to announce something important: A week ago or so, exalted Abbadon announced in his Patreon server that another Ring of Power event is about to take place - this time for the Universal War. It is dubious as to whether this refers to the past one, or an impending second one, but it is assured to be ----------EXCITING!

Secondly, I would love to introduce you to Abbadon's DeviantArt profile, featuring a downright jumble of previous comic stuff, generally pretty art, and someone who looks a suspicious lot like "Pi'ipiessi Emayecks." It's a real shame just how jumbled everything is, though; a decent load of his stuff is still on his Tumblr, or on Entervoid (like this page, which I am absolutely in love with). Just how much of it has been lost to time and faulty servers? Only those blessed souls who started following him as early as 2008 know, and I am far from that. One thing is for certain, though. SPACE CAT IN FUTURE DESTROY ALL ENEMIES

Speaking of his Tumblr, or rather, his second one, good lord is there a lot of lore stuff there. For example, Jadis! Let's talk about Jadis, because the comic sure doesn't.

- She was really, really powerful

- and I mean, "second most powerful Demiurge after Jagganoth" powerful

- or as Abbadon put it, "a whole glass goku" in his infamous Goku measurement system

- She is also the second oldest among the Seven, outmatched only by Gog, an untold millennia old mass of worms.

- She killed her own father in her youth

- Most important of all, she managed to live through something that mauled a goddess: She beheld the Shape of the Wheel.

- As a result, she now possesses complete, infallible, undoubted omniscience.

- However, the secondary result is that her mind was scoured and her body was violently burnt away, rendering her the insane glass-entombed corpse you now see. While her face is officially merely noted as "not in best condition," certain concept art reveals that she quite possibly doesn't have a face anymore. The same fate probably would've befallen Zoss had he not been more meta in his approach.

- The final result is that her subjects took to worshiping her, establishing the Temple of the Eye Revealed, which although internally peaceful to an extent is also utterly ruthless in enforcing this belief.

- However, despite this omniscience and preservation of some powers (such as, according to the Patreon server, being able to headsplode assailants from within the glass), Jadis is still largely helpless and sincerely pitiful. She cannot even properly communicate, and even her priests have made peace with the fact that she will eventually die.

- Such a shame as well, since she is the closest to what the original Demiurges were like.

- As revealed in Patreon chat, of the Seven Syllables and Holy Words of Royalty, hers is MIND, and Jagganoth's is BLADE. This is a shame as well, since it would've been fun to have them switched, considering how Jadis often had an ōdachi in flashbacks, how her vision of the Shape interplays with the philosophy of Cutting, and how Jagganoth is a sweaty nerd.

- Also, her original design may have influence Himself's.

...so that was a whole lot of rambling, huh. Guess I finally live up to my much ridiculed title of "#1 Jadis Simp." I will leave you off with this much, in any case, and move onto something more fun: assorted memes and miscellaneous nonsense.

Cio's family

Nietzsche's existence

Abbadon-sanctioned music

The Circle

California

A template

Canon

Also canon

Rings

Intelligent conversation

They hated Fran because she told them the truth >:(

Beard

The Rockin' King

Magnificence

Hygiene

I SAID YOUNG MAN

Beauty itself

Utmost curse

Announcement

Brief reprieve from KSBD

STONER

Important

Majesty

Aeon

EVIL

And lastly, your very own name written in Universal Metaconstant

Writing this took me more than three hours. As penitence, I shall now retreat from civilisation and spend the next seven years learning Sword Law. Have a lovely day.

[quietlyhereshhh]

In the Twilight Rain (Chapter 27)

Fandom: Kuroko no Basuke Pairing: AkaFuri, others implied Rating: M Warnings: Language, violence, drugs, sexual situations Other: Yakuza AU Chapters on Tumblr: [Previous] [Next] AO3

Seas are wild tonight Stretching over Sado Island Silent clouds of stars

- Matsuo Basho

“No word yet?” Seijuurou asked Higuchi as they walked down the hall of the manor. He opened his office door as the man followed, bowing respectfully before sitting in a seiza.

“None. As far as we know, there is no indication of an ‘IW’ in Seiho’s past records and we can’t find anything with those initials indicated by the Kirisaki,” Higuchi replied with the papers in his hands.  “The 600 could be time. It’d be too cheap if it was the price, so if we deduce that it was at six ‘o’ clock, Hayama-san has been going around the market during that time to test it out. So far, we have nothing.”

‘What a pain in the ass,’ Seijuurou kept to himself as he leaned back in his seat. He was aware of these nightly and morning trips Hayama has been taking to the black market and getting no results. Hayama’s got more important things to do than to wander around aimlessly, looking for something they don’t know a thing about.

“Get Terasaka to taking over Hayama’s search,” Seijuurou stated as he took the papers from Higuchi. “He’s got his own projects to work on and is already losing focus on those. He needs to be in better shape than that.”

“Yes, sir.”

“How’s business back at Mibuchi’s?” Seijuurou asked as he flipped the pages.

“Average. I believe he mentioned that people are still wary to return after what happened,” Higuchi explained.

“Of course.”

Seijuurou was silent as he sifted through the pages but could feel Higuchi trembling. He looked up at the man with confusion – Higuchi has been working with him for a long time; he wasn’t scared of him anymore.

So something must be wrong.

“Higuchi,” Seijuurou was calm. He leaned across his desk, watching the man look at him nervously. “What’s the matter?”

“I-I apologize, sir, but with everything happening, I wasn’t sure how to bring it up,” Higuchi bit his lower lip. “We thought it was just a mistake at first and went through all the calculations again just to be sure but…the numbers do not match.”

He narrowed his eyes.

“What do mean the numbers do not match?”

“The profits do not correlate with the estimate,” Higuchi announced. “Even with Blue Bar and Club Kaijou’s temporary close, the profits we have are much lower than what we expected. At first, we thought it was just an accounting error so when we checked again, we realized that the gap in sales is much wider than expected.” Higuchi visibly swallowed under Seijuurou’s narrowed gaze. “It is believed that…someone has been taking our funds.”

Seijuurou tapped his fingers on the table.

Higuchi flinched.

This was the last thing Seijuurou wanted and needed; someone from the inside damaging their profits. He could possibly narrow it down to the lower associates – an excess amount of drinking had happened therefore they had to dip into it, Mao somehow weaseled their members into paying extra for whatever reason, or even praying that whatever program the accountants were using was faulty.

But Seijuurou didn’t pray.

“Find the culprit,” Seijuurou leaned his chin on the back of his hands and smiled to Higuchi. He saw the stout man shiver and Seijuurou could feel his left eye twitch. “Bring him to me. Alive. We’ll have to question this perpetrator and get them to talk.”

Higuchi nodded. When he finished his report, he bowed and stepped out only for Hayama to enter in his stead. Hayama looked back at the anxious Higuchi as he disappeared and turned to Seijuurou – eyes dull and lifeless.

“Right on time,” Seijuurou didn’t say anything about those blank eyes. Hayama has been like this since their last trip to the hospital and has, in fact, brought down the morale of the group. Hayama had always been prone to mood swings so Seijuurou thought he would bounce back.

He didn’t and he was the reason why.

He squashed down the feeling of his stomach coiling and his face remained impassive.

“After your report, I need you to move on to more…important matters,” Seijuurou announced. The blond didn’t react as he continued. “Terasaka will take over for you. You’ll move onto the assignment we discussed earlier albeit a little early. My patience is running thin and I’m sure Kasuga wants some peace of mind.”

Hayama nodded obediently and looked down at his paper. This compliance unnerved Seijuurou but he didn’t say anything.

“There is a lead outside of Kirisaki’s usual district,” Hayama announced flatly. “They’re trying to build traction in Yamanishi. The branch that’s setting up there is still fresh though defensive. It’s apparently headed by Hara Kazuya, someone who has been rising in the ranks recently in Kirisaki and Hanamiya decided it was time for him to test his abilities. Since my assignment is going to change, giving Terasaka permission to engage will be next.”

“Noted,” Seijuurou nodded as Hayama handed him the report. “Excellent work. I’m glad that you’re concentrating fully on this.”

Hayama didn’t say a word.

It’s not in Seijuurou’s style to empathize with people – he had developed an underwhelming sense of that, able to separate himself from others. Even so, he could feel the pain radiating from the other man.

If he had told himself that he couldn’t see Furihata again, he would probably be conflicted. His moral code told him to stay away, keep civilians out of this, and move on. He was yakuza and knew that he brought upon death to everything he touched. The complexity of the situations, ranging from his businesses to shunning himself from society to becoming the next head – no matter what, it was not a path for anyone to take.

But Furihata made everything ridiculously simple. Even when Seijuurou knew he should push him away, he brought with him something free and straightforward. There were no hidden motives in his eyes or movements; he could be read so easily. Yet everything he does makes Seijuurou baffled, wanting to unwind and twist at the puzzle that is Furihata’s mind, needing to know more.

They had known each other for a few short months and this was how he felt.

He looked at Hayama’s tired face. Dark bags were under his eyes and his face was thinner and paler. Hayama had been burying himself in work and getting more than great results if being able to track down a lead in Yamanishi was anything to say about it. However, he was unsettling others without his usual energy.

And it was only going to get worse from here.

Seijuurou leaned back and stared.

“You leave tomorrow.” Back to business as usual. He couldn’t break his word. “If you run into trouble, contact Higuchi as soon as possible.”

For the first time since he entered the room – and perhaps since he returned from the hospital – there was a flicker of surprise.

“Not you?”

“I will be absent for the next couple of days,” He wasn’t going to reveal how he was going to a mountainous location alone with a civilian that he happened to be dating. “It was suggested by Mibuchi to have a short break. Higuchi will relay to me a summary each day so I am not completely off but if you feel the emergency is dire, do not hesitate to contact me.”

Hayama stared at him evenly and Seijuurou had no choice but to look back. There was a muted silence that Seijuurou could sense something was off about.

“Okay.”

Shoichi didn’t know how he got dragged into a guys’ night out by the station, but somehow he did.

He sat in this little bar with a sharp silver and forest green palette, mixing with modern and traditional Japanese-style floors, slowly drinking his shochu. Aomine was downing whatever beer had been brought to him in high spirits after managing to bust a small (but impactful) drug deal going on in the Sogo district where he and Wakamatsu were patrolling.

Turns out that they were just young juveniles in the end but they were selling drugs, claiming it to be the new miracle drug on the market. They were naïve and stupid and it was nowhere as potent as what the King Drug is, but the fact that they were able to find someone who has heard of it in their own hometown – well. Aomine definitely though he deserved free drinks.

Which he didn’t but he probably wouldn’t remember paying for them in the morning.

“He’s going nuts,” Kasamatsu snorted from across from Shoichi. He had a bottle of beer in his hand as he watched Aomine swinging his arm around Wakamatsu like they were best friends. The yelling from Wakamatsu said otherwise. “Control your guys.”

“Nah,” Shoichi had a grin on his face. He lifted up his phone and took a picture of his subordinate’s drunken state. “It’s more entertaining this way.”

“You’re awful.”

“I need some sort of material to use against him, you know.”

“You’re some crooked cop,” Mikoshiba landed next to him with a chortle. Yamazaki had taken a seat next to Kasamatsu, stern-faced like normal. Mikoshiba clucked his tongue but it sounded more amused. “You’re gonna give us a bad rep.”

“I think that lies in Aomine’s territory,” He said as he watched Aomine slur something to their sketch artist, Sakurai, before a red-faced Wakamatsu slammed him down to the floor. He was glad they got a private room.

“S-Satsuki!” Aomine groaned, his arm reaching out as Wakamatsu sat on his back. “H-Help! Get this gorilla off of me!”

“She’s not here!” Wakamatsu scowled. “For fuck’s sake. Get a grip!”

“Start blocking the drinks from him!” Kasamatsu took command and raised from his spot. Sometimes, Shoichi wondered why he was just a vice-captain before remembering that Riko was his boss.

More alcohol was placed next to Shoichi. He glanced up to see the smiling face of the bar owner, Kiyoshi, rather entertained at the rowdiness.

“Some water for the drunkard over there, please, Kiyoshi.”

“No problem,” He nodded and walked out of the room, closing the sliding door behind him.

“Wakamatsu,” Shoichi called out to the detective. “Try not to knock him out.”

“Are you sure? It might be easier to do so.”

Luckily for them, it wasn’t too long until Aomine fell asleep, lying on the floor against the wall. Everything else resumed smoothly (if not for the slightly drunken wails of Fukui as he challenged Wakamatsu to arm-wrestling) and Shoichi was only slightly tipsy – but it was enough for his tongue to slip.

“So, Imayoshi…” Mikoshiba was slurring a bit, looking pleased with his bottle of beer in his hand. “What’s yours and Aida’s deal?”

“Hmm?” Shoichi immediately noticed Yamazaki flinch and he could feel a dark gaze on him. He tried to hide his smirk but knew he was failing as a slithering feeling emerged in his chest. “What do you mean?”

“Like…” Mikoshiba paused, placing his chin in his palm. He waved his other hand absent-mindedly. “Are you two dating or something? You guys flirt around the office so much, it’s sickening.”

Ah. Of course Mikoshiba was interested in discussing this. He was a fiend when it came to this kind of information, always looking for the latest gossip. And based on how he kept glancing over at Yamazaki, he had an inkling to why this was being brought him.

“Riko and I have a very…special relationship,” He watched from the corner of his eyes as Yamazaki tense. He took a sip of his shochu and tried to not to snigger. “We’ve always been together. Can’t recall a time when we haven’t.”

“Hmm,” Mikoshiba sounded amused. “Even with that trip to Osaka a couple of months ago, you took her along even though she was given other stuff, yeah?”

“She was helpful during the trip,” Shoichi said as he filled his small cup again. Maybe he should stop drinking soon. “It’s not like I brought her just to be with her.”

“Oh ho, but that was a reason?” Mikoshiba’s eyes sparkled at the news and Yamazaki’s fist clenched on the table.

“If I say such a thing, she’d skin me alive,” Shoichi made it seem like he was laughing at the joke rather than Yamazaki’s reaction. It was just too easy. “But I can’t deny that being with her makes me feel…good.”

“Masochist,” He looked over at Kasamatsu who had his brows furrowed. There was also a hint of disgust that Shoichi cackled at.

“It’s true,” He took one last swig of his shochu before grabbing one of the untouched glasses of water on the table. “I don’t know how many times my ass has been saved by her. Of course, it’d probably be better if we were in the same division, but who am I to stop her from doing whatever she wants?”

“Even if she dates some other guy?” For the first time since the conversation started, Yamazaki spoke up. Shoichi looked at him and saw the challenge in his eyes. “If she was swooped off her feet and taken by some other guy?”

“Now, now,” Mikoshiba sat up when the tension suddenly got thick. “Don’t plant those things into her boyfriend’s head, Yamazaki—”

“That’s not what I heard from her,” Yamazaki leaned on the table with his forearms, eyes staying on Shoichi. “From what I know, she only considers you as a friend, Imayoshi.”

“Ah, really?” He knew better than to lie in a room full of cops. The alcohol may be affecting his brain but he wasn’t stupid. He clucked his tongue. “That hurts, Riko.”

His body moved on his own as he took out his cellphone without a word. He could feel curious stares as he pressed the number ‘2’ and it immediately rang. He lifted the phone to his ear, waiting for the other person to pick up.

“What the fuck, Shoichi?” He immediately grinned at her irritated voice. “It’s one-thirty in the morning and I’ve had a long day. Someone better had died!”

“Riko-tan~” He whined and heard her groan. He made sure to raise the volume louder. “You love me, right?”

“Get off the phone and get some water.”

“Not until you say it,” Shoichi’s eyes met Yamazaki with a taunting grin.

“Don’t force her to say something against her will,” Yamazaki growled and Shoichi heard Riko’s voice rising in his ear.

“Who are you with?” He could imagine her narrowing her eye. “Was that Yamazaki? Shoichi, what are you trying to do? I’m going to hang up—”

“Riko,” He interrupted with a much more serious and sober voice. For some reason, the cold water didn’t cool him down. His body became hot as if he was still drinking and his heart was thumping against his chest. His breathing became shaky. “I love you.”

There was a collective silence from both sides of his ears that he could only conclude was blood rushing through. Something settled and unsettled in his stomach, flopping around irritably after he said those words.

He heard her sigh from the other side. He knew he had put her in a rough spot and was taking advantage of that.

She couldn’t say no to that.

“I love you, too,” She sounded exhausted and Shoichi concluded that it must have been due to her long day. “So hurry the fuck home so I can beat you up.”

“Roger.”

He hung up, almost forgetting that he had an audience of at least ten officers. Even Aomine had somehow woken up from his drunken slumber, looking more alert than before.

He ignored their gazes and slowly got up. He threw a few bills on the table before walking up to Yamazaki with an arrogant smirk on his face.

“If Riko chooses to date another guy, she’s free to do so,” His smirk became much more cheerful though the unsettling feeling in his stomach remained. “However, he’ll have a lot of problems coming his way – her pride, her father, and me.

“So,” He made his way to the sliding door, still smiling but he opened his eyes slightly to look down at Yamazaki, “They better be ready.”

Note: This was supposed to come out earlier but I came home late and fell asleep so I didn’t really get a chance to post it.

Something is afoot on Akashi’s side and Imayoshi is showing some...possessiveness?

There was a lot of things I wanted to include but I didn’t feel like this would be the right time. I’m also changing a little bit of how I’m writing because it’s pretty stressful to cram everything I want in one chapter.

The scene with Imayoshi was supposed to be different but I ended up with this instead? I guess that’s how the flow of things work. And I want to advance their relationship a bit more, whether platonic or not.

[anastpaul]

Saint of the Day – 16 June – St Lutgarde of Aywières –The first known woman stigmatic of the Church and one of the first promoters of devotion to the Sacred Heart – Religious, Mystric, Miracle-Worker, Stimatist, Visionary (1182 at Tongres, Limburg, Belgium – 16 June 1246 at Aywieres (modern Awirs), Belgium of natural causes, just as night office began on the Saturday night following Feast of the Holy Trinity)   Herrelics were transferred to Ittre, Belgium on 4 December 1796 to avoid destruction in the French Revolution.   Patronages – birth, childbirth, blind people, againts blindness, disabled, handicapped of physically challenged people, Belgium, Flanders, Belgium.   Attributes – • woman with Christ showing her His wounded side, blind Cistercian abbess, Cistercian nun being blinded by the Heart of Jesus, Cistercian to whom Christ extends his hand from the cross, woman in attendance when Christ shows his Heart to the Father

When Lutgarde was twelve, her parents placed her in the care of the Benedictine sisters at St. Catherine’s monastery near Liège, Belgium.   The convent allowed visitors and young men came to court the beautiful young woman.   Once when an ardent fellow and Lutgarde were talking, Christ appeared to her.   Opening His garment, Christ showed Lutgarde the wound in His side bleeding as if recently opened and He said to her, “Do not seek any longer the caresses of unseemly love. Contemplate here what you should love and why you should love it. Here, I pledge to you are the delights of total purity, which will follow it.”   When the confused young man tried to resume their conversation, Lutgarde chased him off. “Get away from me, you fodder of death,” she said, “for I have been overtaken by another lover.”

St. Lutgarde made unusually rapid progress in the spiritual life.   She opened herself fully to Christ in prayer and He favoured her with an intimate experience of His presence.   He gave her gifts of healing and of understanding the convent’s Latin prayers.   But she asked him to take them back because both kept her from focusing on loving Him.   Then the Lord said to her, “What do You want?” “I want Your heart,” she said.   “No, rather it is Your heart that I want,” replied the Lord. “So be it, Lord,” said Lutgarde, “so long as Your heart’s love is mingled with mine and I have and hold my heart in You.   For with You as my shield, my heart is secure for all time.”

St Lutgarde spent nine years in St. Catherine’s convent and she was elected to be Superioress of the community there.   The year was 1205, when the saint was twenty-three years old.  Far from being flattered or pleased by her elevation to this dignity, Lutgarde regarded it as a disaster.   Indeed, it seems to have moved her to look elsewhere and to seek some other Order.   She thought St. Catherine’s could provide her with sufficient opportunities for living as a contemplative as long as she was an obscure member of the community but not when she took her place at its head.  While taking up her role as Superior, it was natural that her thoughts should turn to the austere Cistercian nuns, commonly known as Trappists, who had by this time, many flourishing convents in the Low Countries.

She asked the advice of a learned preacher of Liege, Jean de Lierre, who urged her to give up her post as prioress and leave the Benedictine Order for the Cistercian convent of Aywieres, (Awirs) which had recently been founded near Liege but had been transferred to a site in Brabant, near the village of Lillois.   She was very reluctant to accept this particular choice because French was spoken in Brabant and she felt it would be unwise to enter a convent where she would not understand the language of her superiors or spiritual directors.   Meanwhile, Christ Himself intervened and spoke the following words to her:  “It is My will that you go to Aywieres, and if you do not go, I will have nothing more to do with you.” As if this were not enough, Lutgarde was also admonished by a saintly friend, who has since been venerated as St. Christine “the Admirable” who told her to go to Aywieres and so with no further possibility of doubt as to the convent of the Cistercian Order to which she was called, Lutgarde left St. Catherine’s without consulting her community and went to Aywieres.

When the nuns of St. Catherine’s discovered their loss, they were inconsolable, but it was too late to do anything about it. Lutgarde, in her turn, prayed earnestly for the peace of the community she had left and was assured by the Blessed Virgin that her prayers would be answered.   Indeed, Thomas of Cantimpre ends the first book of his life of St. Lutgarde with the comment:  “The indubitable effect of these prayers is to be seen even today [some fifty years later] in the community of St. Catherine’s. For this particular convent continues to grow in fervour more than ever, and to increase, at the same time, in temporal prosperity.”

Three times she fasted for periods of seven years, subsisting only on bread and liquids. The saint dedicated each fast for the Lord’s purposes:  once for Lutgarde of Aywières the conversion of heretics, a second time for the salvation of sinners and a final time for Emperor Frederick II, who was threatening the church.   Before her death she prophesied the latter’s demise, which occurred in 1250.

St Lutgardis is considered one of the leading mystics of the 13th century.[   A life of Lutgardis, Vita Lutgardis, was composed less than two years after her death by Thomas of Cantimpre, a Dominican friar and a theologian of some ability.  Lutgardis was venerated at Aywières for centuries and her relics were exhumed in the 16th century.   Works of art depicting the saint include a baroque statue of Lutgardis on the Charles Bridge by Matthias Braun in Prague and a painting by Goya.

Thomas Merton, in his biography of the Saint, reports that she had a particular devotion to St. Agnes, the Roman virgin martyr.   She was one day praying to St. Agnes when “suddenly a vein near her heart burst, and through a wide open wound in her side, blood began to pour forth, soaking her robe and cowl.”    She then sank to the floor and “lost her senses.”   She was never known to have been wounded in this way again but it is known that she kept the scar until the end of her life.   This took place when she was twenty-nine years old.   Witnesses to this event were two nuns, one named Margaret, the other Lutgarde of Limmos, who washed the Saint’s clothes.

Thomas Merton also tells that on many occasions, this saintly Cistercian, in meditating on Christ’s Passion, would fall into ecstasy and sweat blood.   A priest who had heard of this sweat of blood watched for an opportunity to witness it himself.   One day he found her in ecstasy, leaning against a wall, her face and hands dripping with blood.   Finding a pair of scissors, he managed to snip off a lock of the Saint’s hair which was wet with blood (he did so thinking to have proof of the event and also to have the lock of hair as a relic)   As he stood marveling at the blood on the lock of hair, the Saint suddenly came to herself.  Instantly the blood vanished; not only from her face and hands but also from the lock in his hands and also the blood that was on his hands!   Thomas Merton writes “At this, the priest was so taken aback that he nearly collapsed from astonishment.”

St. Lutgarde spent four decades at Aywières entirely devoted to the heart of Christ.   Five years before her death, that is, in 1241, St. Lutgarde received the revelation that she would enter heaven on the third Sunday after Pentecost, when the Gospel of the Great Marriage Feast would be sung.   She died in 1246.

Read further about St Lutgarde here : http://www.mysticsofthechurch.com/2015/09/st-lutgarde-of-aywieres-first-known.html

[quietlyhereshhh]

In the Twilight Rain (Chapter 26)

Fandom: Kuroko no Basuke Pairing: AkaFuri, others implied Rating: M Warnings: Language, violence, drugs, sexual situations Other: Yakuza AU Chapters on Tumblr: [Previous] [Next] AO3

Long the summer day Patterns on The ocean sand Our idle footprints

- Masaoka Shiki

“Captain Imayoshi?” The man’s voice was calm as he entered the office. “Ginoza Nobuchika, head of the Organized Crime Control division here. Pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

“As is mine,” Shoichi bowed. “Now, Ginoza-san, there are a few things I would like to discuss.”

“Certainly but if you can make this brief, that would be best, Imayoshi-san,” Ginoza pushed up his glasses further up on his nose. “Unfortunately, you came at the worst possible time and all help is needed. I was able to spare a few minutes because Toudaiji mentioned that this might have something to do with the Kirisaki-gumi?”

Shoichi smiled grimly.

He explained a brief overview to him; how they were looking for yakuza activity and any drug connections they might have. He didn’t mention the King Drug or else that might cause mayhem and, potentially, outsider interference.

“So, they’re causing trouble in Tokyo too?” Ginoza looked displeased at the news. “So, what is it that you want?”

Shoichi lifted up one finger and began. “Well, we don’t have full access to the database. We need a thorough investigation of the port as well as the locations of the Kirisaki-gumi’s territory. Seeing as the Teiko-gumi isn’t too far away, we will need information on them as well.”

“The information you cannot access is for internal use only,” Ginoza replied. “It has to do with the internal affairs of our station.”

“We are only looking for necessary information,” Shoichi grinned. “We aren’t interested in anything else.”

“It is still something not for you and your crew.”

“Then it wouldn’t be a problem if someone from internal double checked for us,” Shoichi continued to smile as if he wasn’t a nuisance at all. “I’m sure Toudaiji doesn’t mind.”

“She doesn’t have access.”

“Then someone who does,” Shoichi said. “We don’t need much.”

Ginoza stared at him. His eyes were unsmiling and piercing, examining Shoichi to see if there were any imperfections, flaws, mistakes. Being a cop, he was always under the eyes of suspicion, from Yagiri to even his own sister when necessary. It didn’t help that his personality made people even more wary of him.

Ginoza straightened up and spoke.

“We cannot give you access unless you give us something in return.”

“Hmm?” Shoichi’s smile remained unmoved. He wasn’t expecting this. There wasn’t anything that he could think of that the Osaka police would need from them. “Such as?”

Ginoza leaned back in his seat. He linked his fingers together and placed them on his desk. A smile that Shoichi was all too familiar with appeared on his lips. “Just a little information for information.”

Shoichi had realized that day that Ginoza was someone he wished to never cross. He’s already dealt with enough troublesome people to last a lifetime. He was relieved that he only had to deal with that station for a short amount of time and not on a regular basis.

If they did, he could always throw them Momoi’s way.

“Oi, Shoichi,” He turned only to see large brown eyes next to him. They were scowling at him. “You are paying attention and giving your honest opinions, right? Not just saying everything is good, right?”

“Of course I am,” Shoichi beamed. He peered at Riko’s serious expression, enjoying how peeved she looked. “Why would I lie?”

The expression changed to something more akin to ‘you’ve-got-to-be-kidding’ but he wasn’t fazed.

“Because when you’re preoccupied with something, you zone out with everything else,” Riko said truthfully which wasn’t too far from what Shoichi was doing at the moment. “Including your own family.”

“Well, what help would I be?” Shoichi rolled his eyes and looked around the full closets of white around him. He wasn’t particularly a fashion expert nor did he care about how he normally dressed. There was nothing that made him qualified in helping his sister select a wedding dress. “You remember that disaster I chose for her a thousand dresses ago?”

“That was two dresses ago.” Time seemed to have gone a lot slower last Shoichi checked. “And I saw you giggling to yourself when you found it and insisted for her to try it, despite us saying ‘no’!”

“What are you talking about? She killed it!” Shoichi tried to contain his laughter. The dress was so poofy and frilly that it hid his petite sister.

“It was horrible.”

“You laughed,” Shoichi leaned forward so their foreheads nearly touched. He smirked. “You thought it was hilarious too.”

“I was laughing at how stupid you are.”

“What are you two discussing so privately?” Shoichi nearly jumped when he heard Kagetora’s voice extremely close to his ear. He looked up and saw the man glaring down at them (more specifically, him), standing behind the couch they were seated at. Somehow, he had moved from next to Keiko to right behind them without making a single sound.

“Shoichi’s stupidity,” Riko replied without batting an eye. Shoichi huffed indignantly. “And that dress.”

“Oh?” Kagetora blinked. His glare turned to a laugh as he patted Shoichi on the back. “That was a good choice, Shoichi! A real contender there!”

“Don’t be ridiculous, dear,” Keiko glanced over at him with a sly smile. “Remember, you’re the one that can barely dress yourself without help.”

“I can dress myself fine!”

“If those socks and sandals that you almost wore had anything to say about that…”

“Maybe it was a bad idea to invite Sho and Kagetora-san,” Shoichi looked up to the right where Shizuka came out of a small hallway. She was in her fifth dress of the day; one that clung onto her body softly until it reached the midpoint of her legs, gracefully flaring out to the ground. The top also fit her body, accenting her sharp shoulders. She wore a sheer jacket that gave long sleeves, reminiscent of a Japanese kimono, intertwined with the obi.

“Oh.”

The room became hushed as she took centre stage on the platform in front of the mirror. She didn’t seem aware of the quietness as she examined herself, eyes peering over the straps hanging from the obi to the small strips of lace at her chest.

“Shi-chan,” Keiko was breathless, staring with wide eyes at the woman. Although Shoichi knew his sense of fashion was a little more off than most people, even he had to admit that this one was pretty nice. “That’s perfect.”

“Shizuka-san, this is just…!” Riko released a gasp after staring in shock. “It’s just…wow.”

Shoichi didn’t say anything even when he saw her glance at him. They haven’t really spoken since their argument a few weeks ago except for information, mainly at her work. She was still angry and even when they met today, it was straight to the dresses and nothing else.

“Hmm,” His sister twisted her hip, letting the bottom flare out a little. There were no needless ruffles like she hated – it was smooth and didn’t bounce, flowing against her lines and accenting her body. Her eyes were hard to read like usual.

“What do you think?” The assistant, Kuramae, asked with a bright smile.

Shizuka didn’t say anything for a long period. Everyone waited in anticipated while Shoichi almost yawned in boredom. As if she sensed him holding it back, she snapped her head towards him.

“May I speak with my brother alone for a bit?” She asked politely to Kuramae. “There is something I want to discuss.”

Kuramae nodded. “Certainly!” Immediately, her eyes turned to Riko, who jumped next to Shoichi. “If that’s the case, I’m sure Riko-san would like to try on some dresses!”

“Oh, I’m not—”

Before she got a chance to make a full protest, Kuramae grabbed her wrist and pulled them out of the area. The Aida family dispersed and Shoichi was sure he heard Kagetora complaining about how no dress was as beautiful as his Riko-tan, leaving the other two in complete silence. Shoichi looked at the woman who had turned back to the mirror to look at herself more.

Only the small clock on the wall filled their silence.

“It…” His sister’s voice was cautious. Shoichi leaned in a little to hear her, “…fine. Right?”

It took him a belatedly long minute to realize that she wasn’t talking about the dress – she was talking about the case, life, him and Riko, anything else except the dress – them. She was talking about them. Shoichi nearly rolled his eyes but leaned back in his seat, looking at his sister’s face from the mirror. She was calm and her eyes looked seriously at him.

“Yeah, it is,” Shoichi leaned an elbow on the arm of the sofa and his cheek in his palm.

She didn’t say anything but she turned to face him. She did look elegant in that dress, Shoichi had to admit. Although, it didn’t match the scowl on her face.

“You’re still an idiot.”

“Aneki, that’s rude.” Shoichi furrowed his eyebrows. “Are you really choosing your dress day to do this?”

“Hah,” She gave a heavy sigh. “After seeing you after so long, I knew I just had to do it. Besides, I was tired of mentally insulting you.”

“Thanks.”

“You don’t have many people to talk to anyways,” His sister said this offhandedly with a dismissive wave as if they didn’t ignore each other for the past month. He was getting irritated. “As your older sister, I don’t have the heart to bring it down even further.”

“Do you have a point to this?” Shoichi tried to maintain a smile to hide how pissed off he was. She wouldn’t fall for it – that much was sure – but she would know what he was thinking.

“I just care for you.”

“I can tell.”

“And you care for me.” She stepped down from the pedestal and kneeled in front of him. He looked at her as she took his right hand in hers, holding them in front of her. “And I know you want me to be away from the case. I heard from Riko that you’ve been pushing paperwork on her and keeping her close to you after that incident in the Komagi district – she’s not stupid, Sho.

“I don’t want you to work on this case as much as you don’t want me to,” She patted the back of his hand affectionately. “I know you love us even though all you do is piss us off. But we’re adults. We can make our own decisions and you can’t control us, just like how we can’t control you.”

The image of a stern looking woman with a strong jaw and surprise in her narrowed eyes; hair jet black except for streaks of grey that weren’t in his memories before. He waived those thoughts and turned to his sister instead.

“You’re my only family.” It was quiet and came out more vulnerable than he expected. He scowled immediately and turned away, almost punching himself as Shizuka laughed.

“I’m not, you moron,” Shizuka patted him on his hand again. “Look at the Aidas. Look at your co-workers.  Rei-san cares for you even though we’re not married yet. Even when I told his parents your job, they immediately became worried and wanted to make sure you were fine. They want to know if you’re eating right.”

Shoichi gave a snort of laughter making Shizuka smile. She stood up and released his hands, the warmth disappearing from his skin. She placed a hand on her hip and pointed to behind the couch.

“Now, go get the others,” She commanded with a firm voice and Shoichi rolled his eyes. He stood up, looming over her small frame.

“Yes, yes,” Shoichi agreed. He didn’t move for a moment, peering at her bright, sharp eyes, and the small smile on her lips that reminded him of their father.

He reached for her and grasped her in an embrace. Her body was stiff, probably not expecting it. She relaxed and he felt her arms on his back. A sense of warmth returning to him.

“You look good, by the way,” They released the hug. He looked at her with a genuine grin. “It suits you.”

“Oh. The first honest comment about the task at hand!”

“Well, I was honest,” Shoichi removed a strand of hair from her face. “You look good in everything after all.”

Her eyes sparkled in surprise. Her smirk transformed into a smile.

Then punched his arm, forcing him find the Aida family.

Kouki knew he couldn’t avoid it any longer.

He sat on the floor with his legs crossed, his phone on the ground in front of him. He had been staring at it for the past ten minutes, fingers itching and anticipating what to do next.

He knew he should call his brother. He knew that they should resolve things after their last real talk. His brother was able to respect his space even though Kouki knew he was being unreasonable. Now that his exams were over, he had to make sure the clawing guilt wouldn’t interrupt him during his interviews and his trip with Akashi.

He sighed and grabbed the phone. He went through his contact list and selected his brother’s number. It took four rings before he answered. He held his breath when he answered.

“Hello?” Hikaru’s voice was tentative and calm; a complete change from his usual cheerfulness. “Kouki?”

“Hi,” Kouki answered. He hesitated when there was a few seconds in silence. “Um. How are you?”

“Fine!” Hikaru replied merrily as if nothing had happened. “Mina is getting bigger each day. Work is exhausting like usual. Oh! We’re looking for a new place. Thinking of moving to a bigger place after the New Year and when the baby is due so we’re looking around. How are you? Finished the term?”

“Yeah. Finished. Exams were tough.” Kouki felt himself easing into normal conversation though it was far from such. His answers were short and Hikaru was rambling unnaturally fast. Both were nervous. “Interviews are happening soon so I’m preparing for that.”

“What companies have you applied for?’

“A couple of publishing companies my friend recommended. Some businesses that work internationally – you know, English becomes a bit useful with that.” Kouki ran a hand through his messy spikes. “So, it’s going to be a bit busy.”

“You have time for a break, right?” Hikaru asked with a pleased tone in his voice. “Your last summer before you go off and work. You won’t have much time after that.”

“Yeah. I’m…hanging out with a friend,” Kouki answered with much caution. “Just a short trip. Hanging out with Kuroko and the others too when our schedules don’t collide.”

“Nice. Where are you going?”

“Nikko.”

“Mountains?”

“Yeah.”

“Cool.” Hikaru sounded excited. “Tell me about it when you get back. I haven’t been to Nikko before.”

“Yeah, sure.”

And the easy conversation seemed to stop. Kouki tapped his fingers quickly against his knee to hear something other than the blank noise of the phone. He inwardly sighed.

“Hey—”

“Listen—“

They spoke and stopped at the same time. They waited and nobody said anything.

“I—” Hikaru stopped again. Kouki could almost imagine him fidgeting in his spot, getting up and down from his seat before pacing around. It wasn’t too far from how he acted. “I’m sorry. For like, a thousand things. I’m sorry I can’t come visit you. I’m sorry I can’t be there for you. I’m sorry I couldn’t be there for you—” He paused. Kouki could hear his ragged breathing. “I’m so sorry for leaving you.”

Kouki swallowed the bile of frustration in his throat.

“I left you in the end, didn’t I?” Kouki asked as he stretched his legs out. He laid back on his futon and stared at the light hanging above. “We’re even on that regard.”

“Not even close,” Hikaru replied. “I’ve always been pretty stupid, you know that. I didn’t know you were suffering and I didn’t check to see if you were fine. I…moved on. There was just so much—” He could hear him choke up. Kouki tried to remain impassive. “I fucked up a lot, didn’t I?”

“It’s not unusual.”

Hikaru’s laugh was blurred with the sound of snot sniffling through his nose.

“Mom would’ve smacked me,” Hikaru stated and Kouki’s stomach suddenly felt heavy. “And dad… I’m pretty sure dad would’ve done this same. Him and his cop training – do you remember?”

“Just you running around the house and screaming,” Kouki tried not to smile at the memory. It was fuzzy in his mind, but he barely remembered his brother at seven years old, buck naked as he tried to avoid taking a bath. He ran out of the shower when he thought their parents were looking only for their father to find him. He was crying by the end of the night.

“Dad was scary when he wanted to be!” Hikaru said defensively. “But…man. I feel old. I’m getting sentimental.”

“That has nothing to do with your age.”

“When you reach my age, you’ll feel it!” He protested.

“Okay, old man.”

“This is frustrating.”

Kouki stood up. He walked over to his blinds and pulled it open, letting the bright sun in. The sky was clear without a single speck of white. He placed a hand on the cool glass before resting his forehead on it.

“I still haven’t forgiven you.”

“I know.”

“I don’t think I ever will.”

“I deserve that.” Silence lapsed once again. “So are we going to be in a truce forever?”

“Unless you fuck up again.”

“Ah. Fair enough.

“Hey, Kouki…” Hikaru’s voice was soft and he only wished he could see what his expression was at that moment. “I just want to let you know that no matter what happens that I…I care for you. A lot. Like, I know I was a dickhead and I probably still am, but you’re my brother. If things get rough, I’ll always listen to you.”

Kouki gave a snort of amusement at how roundabout Hikaru was. He was married and getting a kid soon, so those words should be simple enough for him to say.

“You’re such a dickhead.”

“Goddammit, Kouki! I’m saying I love you!”

“Ah, I believe it now,” Kouki raised his eyebrows. He never expected to ever actually say it. His brother was an open book when it came to emotions, probably more so than Kouki, but he never verbalized his love for his him; probably because he wouldn’t think it would be manly. “Okay.”

He heard his brother snort on the other side and tried to hide his smile.

The silence wasn’t suffocating him anymore. It wasn’t as awkward as it could have been and Kouki knew that this issue was far from resolved. He knew that no matter what, there were still tangled problems that needed to be unravelled or cut but that had to be for another time – when they both were ready to face each other properly.

“So,” Hikaru broke him out of his reverie. There was calmness in the air now. “Keep in touch, okay? Enjoy your summer while you still can.”

“I will,” Kouki said as he paced around his room. He knew that they should continue to resolve more things but for now, they had to be satisfied with just this. “Enjoy your sleep while you still can.”

Hikaru laughed before there was silence again.

“Tell mom I say ‘hi’.”

“I will.”

They bid their goodbyes and hung up. Kouki placed his charger back into his phone and looked around his apartment; completely quiet and void of people.

He gave a sigh.

He guessed he should prepare.

Obi - sash for Japanese clothing; you can see them on kimonos

Note: I apologize for the delay in this chapter. A few things happened so that delayed me A LOT when it came to writing it (my other fic already had the most recent chapter written so I managed to post that). Also, I was hesitant with this one because I guess there isn’t much action? I wanted to resolve some family issues between the characters before moving on to the next part (this part is ending soon).

If you haven’t noticed, the timeline for the characters are really different. Shoichi is currently still in June while Kouki is in August right now. Seijuurou’s timeline usually corresponds with Kouki but there have been instances where they weren’t in sync.

Thanks for your patience!

Also, if anyone was curious, this was the dress I had envisioned for Shizuka. A little more flared out at the bottom but I thought it suited her character.