#BONUS: EVEN BIG ENOUGH TO FIT A LITTLE PLUSHIE IN THIS TIME

[stuck-in-the-ghost-zone]

INTRODUCING THE NEW AND IMPROVED COMFYBAG

yall remember how JUST last night i was saying i needed 2 get a new backpack

[kkusuka]

Can I request hc’s of Kirishima, Aizawa, Mirio, and Hawks seeing their bae wear female versions of their pro-hero outfits?

Kirishima's is longer because it gives some background information that goes for all the characters!

Unedited<3

Kirishima Eijiro<3

Firstly, being his significant other gives you first access to almost anything he gets- clothing included.

You’ve lost count of the t-shirts and enough sweatpants for an army

Not to mention the plushies and blankets along with the posters and the tons and tons of china you’re received, all with abstract/ literal art of your boyfriend.

You’ve worn every variation of his merch you could think of

And every time he had to take a picture and put it in his “baby looks like me’ album- then railing you into another dimension no matter where you had to be

With Halloween coming up - and your 6th anniversary close approaching- you knew this costume had to blow any other costume you’d ever worn out of the water.

You went through party store after party store- mind you, it was only September so the number of crazy looks you got was at an all-time high

The ides came to you while wearing one of his skin-tight workout shirts and looking through photos of his costumes over the years

It practically slapped you in the face and you were on the phone with a seamstress within five minutes

It was the hardest thing to ever keep from him, especially when he was going in and on about his new gadgets

The look on his face when you walked down the stairs all decked out in an exact replica of his uniform, he was in shock

He just kept examining the costume and promised to send the tailor a fine check because it was an exact replica

He was so consumed in it he didn't realize he was taking it off and before he knew it he was balls deep in your hole

O worries he’ll cum inside to make sure nothing gets ruined-- so considerate

Aizawa Shota<3

Honestly-he didn't pay too much attention to what you were wearing

He takes account of it but never lingers for too long

He’s the epitome of all the matters is personality, but all of that doesn't mean that a few looks don't stay in his mind for years on end

Like a few certain skirts that you happen to wear every time he leaves something home and you have to go to the school to give it to him

The black one that Mineta still never stop talking about- a reflection of his actions present in his grades

Then the pretty blue one you went to the beach in, a coverup the just so happen to cover absolutely nothing

Then his favorite- the white one that shows your pussy off no matter what angle he sitting

Of course now, this black long-sleeved short and gray pants along with a mock capture rope

Whatever this was- he knew exactly what it was- would be something he never forgets

Yeah and all those sly smirks you've been sending him all night will be compensated for the second he’s able to get out of this conversation.

Mirio Togata<3

He’s in total amazement

He really didn’t know you could even make a replica of his uniform, for some reason he thought it was illegal

It was perfect, the red cape fluttering in the wind even though there was no wind at all and that it was entirely skin tight

He’d seen you in little to nothing, hello fucked you any chance he got so he really didn't know why it was getting to him so much.

He's sure it had something to do with the fact you wanted to copy how he looked

And ego boost, maybe, but he’ll just tell people that he appreciates the effort and loves that you even thought about doing something like this

But they don't know about the hours he spent later that night fucking you into the counter- costume still on

He didn't even care about the hours you put into it, all he could think about is how delectable you looked all night

Hawks<3  

To say he’s obsessed with your outfits is an understatement

He's the kind of guy to want matching outfits for cute dates and taking pictures of all the clothes that he just loves in you

Ironically anything with a big beige coat- bonus for anything with feathers- and anything that was red

Noticing the pattern being shockingly similar to his daily wear, you just decided to get a version of the fit for yourself

The clothing was easy enough, a winter coat some doc martens, and a black sleeveless shirt- it was a replication of the wings you were struggling with

Damn you need to make anything you did perfect, it was frustrating, to say the least

You finally found something that can replicate wings on amazon- be it that it’s supposed to be a bdsm toy- but it worked

Oh it really worked for him

Wings that he can pull on without hurting anything? On you nonetheless? It was perfect.

He just had to take you out on a flight around the city, then of course back to your apartment where he didn't let you out of his sight for more than five seconds.

Those little wings being his favorite toy to make sure that you keep a steady pace while bouncing on his cock.

[falcor-thee-luck-dragon]

Forgive, But First Fun - Nandor x f(vampire) reader

Summary: After getting left behind to fight off a pack of werewolves on your own, now mad at Nandor, you and Nadja have decided a little night out couldn’t hurt.

Warning: slight angst, fluff, fun times, and a tiny smut mention

Masterlist

Trudging angrily through the manors wooden doors, face stern and almost scary enough to put the fear of God into anyone. Your boots stomp into the large opening and onto the wooden floor boards as Gullimero, Nandor, and the documentary crew follow you in.

Your cloak is ripped and dirty as it lays in a pathetic black heap of cloth in Gullimero’s arms, your hair not looking any better, not to mention your face and arms that have various cuts paired with grass smudge marks adoring your skin. All in all you look like a hot mess.

“What the fuck happened to you lot? You’ve been gone all night.” Questions Laszlo as he walks into view from out of one of the hallways, his eyes scanning over a perfectly clean and handsome Nandor, then over to the dirty crew and disheveled Guillermo who’s got some leaves stuck to his hair.

“I don’t know.” You snap sarcastically, “How about you ask Mr. Dodgy-shit-stick over there.” Referring to Nandor who’s looking anywhere but you, keeping as silent as ever.

Gullimero looks between you and Nandor, then back at a confused Laszlo. “Oh, um they’re not speaking to each other right now.”

“And why the fuck not?”

Guillermo sighs before leaning towards Laszlo, “Nandor wanted to graffiti where the werewolves live and Y/N said he’d get caught and then Nandor said no I won’t and then he did.”

Laszlo raises a curious brow, “That’s it?”

“Oh, um....” Guillermo awkwardly scratches the back of his neck, suddenly pulling off a green leaf, “then they chased us to the park and when the pack closed in on us Nandor turned into a bat and left us behind so Y/N had to fight one of them off so we could escape and now we’re here.”

“Well that sounds rather exciting.”

“Not at the time.” Whispers Guillermo to no one in particular as he glances over at the camera.

“Huh,” Mutters Laszlo thoughtfully, scratching his beard as he thinks of how to help this situation, “well if you two dingbats aren’t talking to one another I believe Nadja needs you Y/N. Something about....well actually I’m not entirely sure.”

Perking up ever so slightly at this positive news, you cross your arms over your chest defiantly, “Well since someone does, I’ll be going then.” You grumble with a low growl at your Nandor who’s refusing to make eye contact while he stares frustrated at the floor.

Nodding in acknowledgment, Laszlo watches you stomp angrily up the steps before turning his head over to Nandor who’s now watching you leave with big sad eyes.

“Alright why’d you do it?” Interrogates Laszlo with a raised brow.

“Do whaaat?” Replies Nandor defensively, his once high and mighty aurora reappearing in an instant.

Rolling his eyes, Laszlo sets a hand on his hip sassily, “Well I sure as hell don’t want an angry Y/N wandering around this old place for the next however the fuck it takes you both to make up....in however fashion that may be. So I ask again, why’d you puss out and flee like a mangy opossum?”

Pursing his lips together in apprehensive embarrassment, Nandor mutters to himself before finally crossing his arms over his broad chest and sighing, “Because......I....I don’t know I panicked!” Exclaims the large vampire, causing Laszlo to start laughing. “Why are you laughing?”

Wiping a fake tear from his eye, Laszlo lets out a few more chuckles before finally composing himself, “My good man that is the second saddest thing I’ve ever heard. The first being when one of my many victims offered me one of their rare and exclusive Poki-muns card which I still have no idea what the fuck they were on about. Anyways, doesn’t matter, all I’ll tell is that you better make it up to her.”

“But she’s scary when she’s angryyy.” Whines Nandor with a frown.

“That’s all women my young pup, but since your lovely lady is a vampire she’s more dangerous.” He says while giving Nandor a kind pat on the back, “So uh, stay safe out there.” Adds Laszlo before turning and walking down the hallway leaving Nandor with his thoughts, Gullimero, and the documentary’s camera crew.

“What are you all looking at!” Snaps Nandor to the rest of the room.

——

“Oh my goodnessess that’s awful, my poor dark angel.” Soothes Nadja as you take a moment from your long and needed rant about the adventures in the park and Nandor’s cowardly stupidity. “That big hairy rhino doesn’t deserve you Y/N.” She reasons honestly, doing her best to make you feel better, knowing all to well the level of competent decision making skills of the other two vampires in the house.

“I know.” You mutter in agreement, your body tense and agitated as you pace back and forth in front of her as she sits in a chair, “Fucking beautiful idiot prick horse-fart of a husband. Urgghhh!” You proclaim loudly while throwing your hands into the air angrily, causing the furniture in the room to screech backwards across the old flooring at your outburst of vampiric energy. Nadja’s long obsidian hair blowing backwards as you do so while she keeps seated, unflinching.

Face softening, she gives you a sympathetic smile, “Oh my lovely fierce lioness, I know exactly what will make that sad little frown turn into a happy one.” Beams Nadja with an excited clap of her hands.

Hugging your sides, you let out a frustrated huff before giving your old friend a shrug, “What do you have in mind?”

——

“So we’re at the carnival!” Claps Nadja in delight as she smiles at the camera, “This will hopefully relieve Y/N’s pent up angers and keep her mind off of Nandor.....for now.” She adds a bit uncertainly.

“HA HA take that fuckers!” You shout joyfully from behind her, the camera panning over to you at the ball toss where you’ve been knocking down plastic bottles with a rubber ball. The stall owner cowering in the corner as he shields himself with a stuffed zebra.

The camera focuses back on Nadja, “I think it’s going really well so far.” She confirms with a convincing grin. “Relieving all that..uh....rage.” 

After winning a stuffed snake taller then you and deciding to wear it as a strange fashionable scarf, you and Nadja are wandering the carnivals streets while people watching to pass the time.

“So that’s why I never walk on the roof after 3am when I’ve had homeless man’s blood.” Rambles Nadja as your thoughts about Nandor come trickling down into your brain and nose. Huh, strange, must be cause you’re still wearing a thin red scarf of his.

No, stop thinking about him.

“Good lesson learned then,” You add with the flash of a smile before nudging her shoulder gently, “hey you wanna watch me win you something cool?”

Perking up in an instant, Nadja smiles a devilish fangy grin as she stops to eye up the multiple game stalls, “Why I would be delighted my dear Y/N, how about....um, oooh I want that giant tropical fishy with the long whiskers over there.” Points Nadja as your eyes travel over to the game stall with the large prizes.

It’s a game that requires the individual to shoot an arrow directly on three different sized bullseye’s stationed at various heights. Smiling like an idiot, you nudge your vampiric acquaintance in agreement, the both of you quickly swaggering over to the carnival game and it’s plush flashy prizes just screaming to be won.

“Hello good sir, my skilled roommate Y/N here is going to win me that fish.” Beams Nadja proudly as the teenager jumps off his chair to greet the two of you.

He smells like weed but surprisingly looks decent all things considered, “Uh yeah alright, two bucks for three arrows, hit every target directly on the middle red mark and if you make it on the bonus poster on the far back wall then you’ll have a chance to win that fish, good luck.” Mumbles the kid unenthusiastically as you slide him the cash.

Picking up the shitty yet still functional carnival bow, you give Nadja a wink before fitting an arrow in the nock and pulling back, lining up the shot and releasing directly into the first target to the left. Smirking to yourself you quickly draw again, hitting your second mark just as intended. Pays to be a skilled archer huh.

“Damn that’s pretty good aim.” Nods the teen as he watches in awe as you fit another arrow, releasing and punching a hole in the middle of the third target.

Nadja claps in excitement from behind you, “Yes! Win me that colorful fat bitch my feisty lioness!”

Standing like a warrior ready for battle with your bow in hand and wind blowing in your face, the kid almost drops the arrow he hands you for the winning shot as he practically swoons.

“Get those scissors ready, that fish is mine.” You growl in determination while picturing Nandor’s head as the final target, drawing back, you let the arrow fly straight into the bonus target. Winning Nadja her giant fish plushy.

“Yessss!” Shouts Nadja in delight as you drop the bow onto the table like a bad bitch before eyeing up the kid with a raised brow, “We’ll be taking the fish now.”

Wide eyed he almost falls off his chair, “Wait um, that’s the last one...I didn’t think, uh, my boss doesn’t want me to give away those ones.” He stutters out.

“What!” Snaps Nadja, “Then why are they just hanging there? You lied to us you little shit!”

“I’m sorry.” He pleads apologetically, “That’s what my boss told me. And no one ever wins the big prizes anyway so I didn’t think...”

“Well your boss he can eat a big horse turd cause I’m taking that fish.” You growl before jumping up and unhooking the fish from its perch above your heads, handing it to a practically glowing with joy Nadja who immediately hugs the thing.

Sticking your tongue out at the teen, you and Nadja turn to leave before a boney hand is suddenly on your shoulder, twisting around in an agitated instant, your face is mere inches from the wide eyed boy as he attempts to look even a tad bit threatening.

“No.” Is the only thing that slips from your tongue before your hand shoves him back, his whole body going air bound into the back of the carnival tent while the kid lets out a panicked scream.

“Ooooh Y/N that was very sexy of you.” Smirks Nadja while wiggling her dark brows, “Too bad a certain cowardly lion wasn’t here to see it.”

Petting the stuffed toy snake around your neck absentmindedly, you smile back a fangy grin, “Yes. Too bad.”

Continuing on your late night stroll through the carnival you both pass by random strangers, families, elders, children, and lovers all minding their sweet business completely unawares to the dark supernatural world walking right past them.

Although you’re quite enjoying this time spent with your best friend in the whole wide world, a low dull feeling of emptiness can’t help but creep into your undead being the more you catch sight of new and old couples walking together.

Sensing your growing sadness, Nadja nudges your shoulder playfully to gain your distracted attention, “Hello in there my black rose, what is on your mind?”

Holding the snake close to your body, a small smile creeps its way onto your face knowing she’s looking out for you, though it’s gone soon enough, “Oh you know....uh....blood.” You mutter unenthusiastically, trying to keep your thoughts away from Nandor and how much you miss him right now.

“Blood is it? But we just fed before attending the carnival.” Inquires Nadja in confusion as she keeps a normal pace at your side while the two of you follow the sidewalk past various shops and restaurants. “What is actually plaguing your mind my dear one?” She wonders with a frown, not keen on seeing you upset and in a grey mood.

Biting your lip anxiously, though not hard enough to draw blood, you walk past a couple more people before your eyes catch the sight of a small black bat disappearing behind a corner building just up ahead.

Squinting your eyes, your nose suddenly catches the scent of someone very familiar, “Nandor?”

Turning her head to face you, Nadja’s brows furrow in puzzlement, “What? No my sweet hurricane, forget that mangy old bear he’s not important right now.” Urges Nadja as she looks forward, suddenly surprised to catch a glimpse of someone who looks a lot like Guillermo racing behind the same corner you saw the bat fly behind. “Okay um what the fuck? Did you see that too?”

Glancing at Nadja you nod before quickening your steps as she does the same, her skirts flowing as she tries to catch up with you, though you’re much faster and with lack of annoying dress material, “Wait! You’re too fast.” Yelps Nadja.

Ignoring her protests you book it down the sidewalk like a maniac, almost running into a jogger before skidding round the corner of the brick building and coming face to face with a wide eyed Guillermo who gasps in surprise. Nudging him to the side, your eyes immediately fall upon the nervous fangy grin of your Nandor.

He gives you a shy little wave before shuffling awkwardly in place, awaiting your rampage of verbal and possibly physical assault that he’s certain is in the near future.

Taking a deep breath, you cross your arms over your chest defensively, “Were you following me?”

“Um, well.....I might have been....but only to make sure you were okay.” Mutters Nandor honestly, eyes shifting from you to the ground nervously as he awaits your wrath.

Pursing your lips together in thought, you shake your head before taking off the stuffed toy snake and holding it firmly in your hands. With a low growl do you grasp the snake in your right hand and hold it back like you might swing at any moment.

“You’re a fucking nincompoop you know that right?” Slips from your mouth without an once of anger lacing your words, instead do you hand the snake to Gullimero as Nandor watches in puzzled fear.

Taking a swift step forward, you point a finger into his strong chest while looking sternly up at him, “Racing off and leaving me too fight that angry bitch all by myself, and now following me when I needed a break from you! Nandor....... you’re something else.” You add with a shake of your head.

“Yes I know, and I’m sorry my love.” Smiles Nandor with saddened eyes, “I promise to keep you save from now on and fight off any werewolf who tries to hurt you....even if I am scared.”

Taking a step back, you can’t help the smirk that forms onto your face at his sweet words of forgiveness and sincerity. You know how much he fears werewolves and that he fled the scene thinking you were planning on following too, not realizing that you might actually give a shit about Gullimero’s and the crew’s lives.

“Oh my dear puff dragon,” You declare softly with a small smile, reaching both hands out to grasp his own, “I forgive you.”

Nandor’s face breaks out into the biggest and happiest grin you’ve seen since his last birthday when he walked into your shared crypt only to find you naked and holding a bushel of red roses while seated seductively on his coffin.

“Oh that’s fantastic because I was really missing you.” Reveals Nandor with a gentle squeeze of your hands. “Laszlo and Guillermo can’t make me laugh nearly as much as you can, they’re honestly rather boring.” He says before leaning in closer to whisper, “and not very attractive to look at either.” Causing you to crack another grin and your undead heart to fill with butterflies. 

Chuckling you reach up with one hand to pull his collar closer to you and a second later do your lips clash sweetly against one another in a heated moment of passion. He smiles into the kiss before moving to pull you in closer with both of his hands, one slipping low to cheekily pinch your round bottom.

Feeling him against you once again has to be the best sensation in the whole entirety of the world even if you’ve only been separated for a couple of hours. You absolutely love the way his fingers dig into your back and bum with an animalistic eagerness that’s slowly starting to drive you insane. Oh, the things he does to you.

Especially how his tongue slips into your mouth with ease while you tug at his hair long dark locks. “Y/N!” Suddenly shouts Nadja.

“Nandor!”

Begrudgingly pulling away, you turn around to face the confused lady vampire while Nandor hugs you from behind, happily smirking at her, knowing she can’t do anything to hurt him now. “Yes Nadja.” You answer.

With the fish plushy hung over her shoulder, her brows furrow in confusion, “What the fuck are you doing? I thought you were mad at him?”

“Yeah well, I was starting to really miss him and also I’m kind of horny now so.” You reply with a shrug as Nandor hugs you tighter, resting his bearded chin against your head while Nadja huffs in defeat.

“Alright. See you at home then.” Adds Nadja before turning towards Guillermo and shoving the giant carnival fish into his arms, “Hold this Gizmo I’m going home.” Then just like that she’s gone in a black wispy poof, flying away in bat form towards the vampire resistance on Staten Island.

“Okay then.” Mutters Gullimero as he looks up at the dark sky.

Feeling a wet kiss on the side of your face and neck you smile before turning around to face your dear husband, “Shall we take flight to seek out our bed chambers?” You speak slyly in a soft yet seductive voice.

“Yes.” Grins Nandor with a flash of lust and excitement before turning his attention over to Guillermo, “Hey Guillermo I’m leaving to make passionate love to my wife so don’t bother us or I will have a rat shit in your pillowcase. Okay?”

You giggle to yourself as Gullimero’s cheeks redden while he side eyes the camera, “Understood master. Have fun.” Squeaks out the loyal familiar as he stands there awkwardly with his hands full of two carnival prizes.

Nandor sneakily squeezes your bottom once more as he gives Gullimero a knowing smirk, “Oh, we will.” Then a second later you two are flying high above the city in bat form, ready to make love to your sweet Nandor for probably the twentieth time that week.

Down below the camera pans over to Gullimero as he blinks, “Well uh, I have these things now..” He says, holding up the fish, “and I am so not looking forward to cleaning up their mess.......again.”

[wolf-pearl]

@aimeelouart I have finally finished writing the summary of that SSC au I mentioned on ao3.

This AU is based on the First's theories about Cloud. Basically, what if they were right with their assumptions? 

Zack is an early SOLDIER prototype and legendary 1st Class who got disappeared pre the Trio's time. His existence was completely erased. Zack was enhanced using only mako, no jenova cells. When the jenova cell infused mako treatment was found to result in greater enhancement than mako treatment alone, Zack was viewed as obsolete. 

Made obsolete by new j-cell SOLDIERS, combined with Hojo wanting to make way for Sephiroth to rise through the ranks, and fear that Zack's sway over the SOLDIERs would lead to mass insubordination in the event that Zack objected to ShinRa's immoral agendas became reasons for Zack to be disappeared and handed over to the science department. Zack was handed over to the science department by his own men, the betrayal resulting in his scorn for the SOLDIER program. 

Cloud was created to be a SOLDIER killer. President ShinRa, after seeing that there really wasn't any way to stop the SOLDIERs if they decided to turn against the company, orders Hojo to create some form of failsafe in the event that any SOLDIER turned against ShinRa. Cloud has been conditioned from day one to see SOLDIERs as highly dangerous combatants that will kill him if he can't neutralize them fast enough, and eliminating them is the job expected of him by Hojo and ShinRa. 

Zack was brought in at first to be Cloud's first real SOLDIER to kill. Problem was, Cloud was TINY at the time, and thus can't win that fight. Zack refuses to harm Cloud, because, you know, he's a literal child. So what was intended to be a fight to the death devolves into Zack giving Cloud pointers on his foot work and sword technique. Hojo sees the value in keeping Zack around to teach Cloud, as who's better to teach the boy how to fight SOLIDERs than an actual SOLDIER? On top of that, it has the added bonus of further instilling a distrust of SOLDIERS into Cloud. And so Hojo decides to keep Zack around for Cloud to practice fighting and to teach Cloud. (Don't be fooled, Hojo still absolutely plans on having Cloud kill Zack. He simply has moved that back as a potential final test before announcing Cloud as ready for deployment.) 

Cloud's actual name given to him by Hojo is Cumulonimbus. Upon hearing that, Zack declared that that was a terrible name for a kid, and started calling the boy Cloud instead. Cloud reacted poorly to the firsts calling him Cloud because that is Zack's name for him. Zack is the only person Cloud truly trusts, so the name Zack gave him is only for people he trusts. 

Cloud leveled his materia himself. They wanted him to have a full arsenal to take down rogue SOLDIERS. So, he's been using them since the moment he could. The fusion blade also belongs to Cloud. They put him through tests to see what all of his limit breaks are, and then designed the fusion sword to complement his final limit break, omnislash. 

Cloud was kept in the lab in Nibelheim. This meant that he was always in relative close proximity to Jenova. As such, Cloud has been subjected to Jenova's mind fuckery for his entire life. When Jenova first started reaching out to Cloud's mind it was simply to figure out what he was. Then she made Cloud's life hell. Cloud had to learn quickly how to block her out. This is why Cloud knows all the tricks to blocking out the crazy alien. This also means that Cloud has been getting visions of the future for most of his life.

Cloud wasn't meant to ever be in view of the public, or interact with civilians at all. The only people he was planned to interact with were his handlers and the SOLDIERS he was sent to eliminate. As such, there was no need to condition him to behave, hold his tongue, or be a poster boy like Sephiroth. The only behavior that mattered was following direct orders and returning to his handlers once his objective is complete.

Cloud recognizes the Buster sword because it used to be Zack's sword. It wasn't taken away from Zack when he was first brought in as they had intended to throw him into combat. After that he was allowed to keep it in order to further Cloud's lessons with him. Cloud knows how to tend to the Buster sword so expertly because he did so relatively often back in the labs. The scientists learned to use promises of extra time with Zack as an incentive for Cloud, and much of those bonus times were spent talking with Zack as they cared for the sword. Eventually the buster sword gets taken away from Zack as punishment for "bad behavior" - probably an escape attempt or attempting to interfere with one of the inhumane tests Cloud is put through. Zack assumes that it was melted down after being taken away. In reality, the Buster sword is given to Angeal. One of the last SOLDERS who served under, remembers, and still holds loyalty to Zack was the one who delivered the Blade to Angeal. The SOLDIER tells Angeal that the Buster Sword belonged to an honorable man who had no one to pass it onto, and that Angeal's dedication to dreams and honor reminded the SOLDIER of that man. Angeal was never told the name of the blade's original wielder.

Ribbon belonged to Zack. He had hid it from the scientists. Zack first gave it to Cloud after a nasty round of experiments involving status conditions. He had somehow braided it into Cloud’s hair. He gave it to Cloud permanently after the boy had clung to it like a security blanket. Knowing that the Ribbon was probably the first object that Cloud ever used as a security blanket, Zack vows that once they escape he will get Cloud an actual plushie. With ribbons of its own. 

During a time when Hojo is back in midgar, Zack breaks out of his cell, snags Cloud, and makes a break for it. They end up being forced to barricade themselves into a chamber that has a bunch of coffins. They find Vincent who takes one look at Cloud and decides that his sins can wait, there is a child right here who needs his help and he can help. Vincent and Zack tear through the scientists that are on site and scavenge what travel essentials they can from the lab along with the equipment that was made for Cloud, before making their escape with Cloud.

Somehow Cloud gets separated from Zack and Vincent, and decides to set out to destroy Jenova and burn the mansion to the ground. At this point Hojo is aware that something has gone wrong, and so Genesis is sent to Nibelheim, ostensibly to check an energy disturbance in the area. In reality he's been sent to retrieve Cloud, but he isn't told that. 

The outfit the Firsts find Cloud in is part of Zack’s old uniform. Cloud was pretty much only given hospital gowns and scrubs to wear by the scientists. When Zack and Cloud escaped Cloud’s clothes - which were nothing more than a hospital gown and scrub pants - got completely ruined. Zack wrapped Cloud up in his own outfit because while Zack was able to find extra clothes that fit himself in the lab, there wasn’t any kid clothes in the lab. Cloud ends up in Zack’s sleeveless turtleneck and pants, but Zack keeps the pieces that wouldn’t do Cloud any good for himself. This does mean that the outfit Cloud is wearing at the start is a little different than in ssc. Zack is smart enough to know that putting his massive steel toed boots on a small child is not going to do Cloud any good. So when Genesis finds Cloud the boy is not in a complete comically oversized ensemble with that skirt thing, the single shirtless sleeve, belts and all. Instead Gen finds a small bare foot child wearing a quarter turtleneck that's falling off his shoulders, a pair of already baggy pants that look like ufo pants on the kid, and a sword harness with an absolutely obnoxiously big sword. (Gen has a freak out when he sees Cloud standing in knee high snow without any footwear, because seriously how long has this kid been wandering around in below freezing temperatures barefoot, he could lose his toes.)

How did Cloud even get separated from Zack and Vincent, and how did he make his way back to Nibelheim from wherever they had fled to? Simple: don't ask me questions I don't have an explanation for yet.

Zack and Vincent are desperately trying to find Cloud. The First Class trio don't realize that they are being hunted down by two very protective, skilled, and enhanced individuals who are hell bent on getting Cloud back.

Because this AU removes (most of) the time travel aspects, Cloud’s reasons for being afraid of Sephiroth are different. One cause of Cloud’s fear of Sephiroth is that Cloud has been having nightmares and visions of the future for basically as long as he can remember. On top of this, Cloud also has been conditioned to think that the greatest threat he might ever have to fight is Sephiroth, as he’s the top SOLDIER. Hojo drove this point home by forcing Cloud to fight simulations of Sephiroth, and would punish Cloud if he failed to beat it. Hojo also constantly forced Cloud through intense experiments and enhancements to “bring his capabilities up to be equivalent to Sephiroth”, inadvertently causing Cloud to associate any mention of Sephiroth and/or Sephiroth’s continued improvement with being subjected to another barrage of experiments. However, Cloud probably won't be as afraid of Sephiroth in this AU as he is in SSC. Yes Cloud would still be afraid of Sephiroth, and yes Cloud would still be more afraid of Seph than he is of Genesis or Angeal. However without the time travel aspect from the original fic, Cloud just won’t have enough reason to be as afraid of Sephiroth as he is in ssc. In this AU Cloud’s more afraid of what Sephiroth represents (the visions of the future, the ultimate threat Cloud may have to face, and further experimentation) than he is of Sephiroth as a person.

Sephiroth could earn Cloud's trust through showing Cloud that Hojo had hurt him too. Sephiroth understands what it means to be hurt by Hojo. 

You still want time travel elements? Well you’re in luck because I have three options for that.

1) Cloud time traveled version 1: In the first time line, he escaped with Zack, but Zack ultimately got killed. Cloud takes Zack’s outfit to remember him by, and stays out of the reach of ShinRa, builds a life for himself as a mercenary. At some point during the years during mercenary work Cloud stumbles upon the Buster sword on a cliff in the midgar wastes. As Angeal had no protegee, he had neither a student to order to cut him down or anyone to pass the Buster sword onto. Angeal died while leaning against the flat of the blade that he had struck into the earth in an attempt to keep himself propped up. Cloud recognizes the Buster sword and takes it with him. He doesn’t learn how the Buster got on the cliff after it was taken from Zack. Cloud spends his years as a mercenary drifting to wherever his jobs take him, and for the most part ignoring the events that shake ShinRa such as the Nibelheim incident and the mass defections. He stays far away from anything to do with ShinRa up until he takes a job from AVALANCHE. From there Cloud follows an altered version of cannon events. When Cloud time traveled, he got sent back to when he was a kid in the labs with Zack, the only things he brought back from the future are his rare summon materia as well as his Master Materia, those really being the main equipment he got after the labs. This would mean Cloud being small doesn’t necessarily have to be because of Jenova.

2) Cloud time traveled version 2: Zack escapes with Cloud pre crisis core, but ultimately gets apprehended by Sephiroth, who was sent to recapture “escaped experiments”. Sephiroth kills Zack, and Cloud is returned to Hojo (this gives an alternate reason behind Cloud calling Sephiroth “murderer” in chapter 3). Cloud continues to be experimented on and is sent on his first mission during the events of crisis core to go after the SOLDIERs who defected with Genesis. Cloud is eventually sent after and successfully takes down Genesis and Angeal. Cloud doesn’t recognize them after time traveling at first due to how advanced their degradation was when he fought them on top of his memories of that time in his life being unclear. Cloud does recognize that the sword Angeal has is the Buster sword and takes it with him. All Sephiroth learns about the deaths of his friends is that they were taken down by “a classified project designed for this exact type of scenario”. When the Nibelheim incident occurs, Sephiroth was sent with a random SOLDIER first. Cloud was sent to investigate to see if the accompanying first went rogue after the team sent to Nibelheim fails to report in and ShinRa hears of a disturbance in the area. Cloud arrives to find the village burning and the unnamed First (along with everyone else) killed by Sephiroth. Following orders to eliminate any rogue SOLDEIRs along with recognizing Sephiroth as the person who killed Zack, Cloud kills the silver General. Hojo is furious when he arrives, demanding why Cloud would kill Sephiroth, to which Cloud retorts that he followed his orders as given to him by ShinRa and the Professor himself. His orders were to eliminate any rogue SOLDEIRs, and Sephiroth had gone rogue. Hojo takes offence to this, and as punishment he tries to experiment Cloud into oblivion for 4 years. Hojo leaves Cloud in a mako tank after the creations of the Sephiroth clones, and he reasons once Sephiroth returns there will be no more need for Cloud. Cloud escapes, equipping himself with his gear from his time as ShinRa’s SOLDIER killer but opts to wear Zack’s outfit that was kept in the lab’s storage after his death. Cloud makes his way to midgar where he joins up with AVALANCHE, and from there the story follows along an altered version of the cannon events. As a side note, I’m not entirely sure how this one would work out with the time line and character ages, so this one may require some fudging of the characters ages to make sense? Idk, I really don’t understand the timeline of FF7. I think that using Cloud’s canon age would make him 14 maybe 15 when he takes down Genesis and Angeal. Considering that Hojo sent Sephiroth to Wutai at around the same age, it could work. 

3) Zack is the time traveler. In the original timeline, Zack doesn’t manage to escape the labs and ends up dying before Cloud gets to see. Zack ends up following Cloud around as a ghost and is powerless to do anything as Cloud struggles through his time as ShinRa’s SOLDIER killer, and then dealing with the events of meteor fall, geostigma, etc. the Planet ultimately cant recover, so it Sends Zack back in time to prevent the disasters from ever happening. Zack is sent back to early on in his time with Cloud in the Labs. Zack makes a point of reiterating how dangerous Sephiroth is to Cloud, and this time succeeds in escaping the labs with Cloud by enlisting Vincent’s help (Zack learned of Vincent through waiting over Cloud as a ghost). While Zack was sent back in time to save the planet, He acknowledges to himself that his real motivation behind doing this isn’t to be a hero, he just wants to take care of his Cloudy. Zack absolutely freaks out when he gets separated from Cloud. He’s on a warpath to get his adoptive son back. When Zack catches up to the three Firsts Cloud’s probably going to have to talk Zack down from outright eviscerating them for daring to touch Cloud. 

[takadanobaba]

Jin Norizuki’s Birthday PriZoom 7/18/2021

Oh the things I do for Jin Norizuki

That was SUCH an experience. I had a lot of fun!! 

Main takeaway is that I am now acutely aware of when to YO in a song

(Okay so this is my first time attending a prizoom (or even any kinpri screening outside of Luna’s sss rabbit sessions!) so this is all entirely new to me and I can’t really compare it to much, but I figured that it’d be good to write up a report of sorts to fill in for Luna in a way!)

The prizooms are also accessible to everyone and don’t require any Japanese info confirmation!! If you’re interested in attending please go and support kinpri!!!

(Note: I think about Jin wayyyy too much and interpret them as nonbinary, so I use they/them pronouns for Jin. It’s just automatic for me at this point and feels weird otherwise haha so I’ll be doing that in this)

Jin is my all time favorite character and love of my life who I’m extremely delusional about so when a prizoom was announced for their birthday I went INSANE because I didn’t expect Jin’s birthday to be acknowledged AT ALL given how they’re usually excluded/treated like a side character (+ kinpri’s been putting out little to no content lately anyways....haha....). I was waiting in anticipation ever since it was announced (around June 6th) and even put in a time-off request for my work the day of its announcement just so I could attend!!!! ........ You can imagine my frustration at kinpri waiting until the very last minute to put out details about Jin’s prizoom ^^;

💙 💙 💙 💙 💙 💙 

Also!! I’m a complete ~ foreigner ~ and managed to get tickets perfectly fine with my American credit card (and putting in some very obviously Not-An-Actual-Resident-Of-Japan address info...)! So if anyone’s curious about attending a prizoom but worried about region-locking, it’s possible! Very possible! If you’re interested in it, please go! You don’t need to have a Japanese phone number/credit card/address/etc. to purchase PriZoom tickets on RakutenTicket! It’s such an experience! If you need any help buying tickets then I’d be more than happy to assist!! Please support the PriZoom screenings and help increase the demand for more kinpri content!!!!!!!!!!!! I will personally become a living prizoom advertisement

(Also if any kinpri staff find this: I’m sorry for not respecting rules this time but I just wanted to provide a detailed account of the prizoom event and encourage participation for other foreign fans! I won’t do this again!!!)

💙 💙 💙 💙 💙 💙 

I only attended the first and third showings (consisting of the first movie and Over the Sunshine!) because I wanted to see the new/not currently archived content (the second/pride the hero showing’s bonus was just Jin’s birthday video by Joji which I already revisit little too much ahaha). I also went to the chat-only rooms because I wasn’t very confident that I wouldn’t be awkward with my nonexistent cheering experience and intent to just observe what its like (despite knowing that the cheering rooms are more fun based on what Luna said haha). That, and I was planning on using the EXTREMELY OBNOXIOUS soundboard of ABSOLUTE CHAOS for everything since I have issues with voice dysphoria and figured it’d be good to stick to the room with that normalized as the one and only cheering method so participating would be a little less annoying to others, since we’d all have the same idea ^^;

I’m more active on twitter and follow/am mutuals with pretty much anybody who likes Jin enough to post about them, so it was cool seeing almost everyone there! At least half of them tweeted about this being their first prizoom haha. Jin’s birthday was also promoted as a good introduction to prizooms since the first showing was set at a price point of 718 yen instead of the usual 1,760 yen? So, lots of first timers attending! I guess most people had the same thought process as me about the whole insecure-about-not-being-used-to-proper-cheering/using-their-mic thing? Because most of my twitter following ended up in the chat-only rooms with me! Fun!

Also interesting how most people chose the male voice option for the cheering soundboard feature since there’s actually only 2 men who love Jin like that (I’m included in that number!!) in the Jin-obsessed twitter circle. I guess it was because it sounds kinda Joji-ish? and therefore fitting for an event dedicated to Jin! What with them being meant for each other and all.... Plus being Joji is just a fun way to play off having issues about using your own voice (I... project onto Joji a lot.)

👆 👆 👆

Okay I actually typed up all of the above during the second showing (since I wasn’t occupied attending that one) and everyone had the same train of thought and was definitely being Joji. You know that one “song” in Over the Sunshine- Glorious Schwarz- consisting of Joji just going wild infodumping for 3.5 minutes? Yeah EVERYONE who selected the male voice option was spamming 「おれもー！」/ “ME TOO!!!” during that (including me!). So it was like:

“I weighed 4646 grams at birth! ☆” 

“MMMMEMEEMEMMT MEE ME MEEE EMME ME   ME TOO M M ME TOO”

SO OBNOXIOUS. I LOVE IT. EVERYONE SHARING THE SAME BRAINCELL. THE JOJI BRAINCELL.

💙

The highlight of the prizoom  (in my opinion) was when some guy repeatedly hit よっ！/ YO! to the music in the first movie, which then led to everyone having a collective ~ Realization ~ 

After that happened, everybody joined in and started YO!-ing along in the other lives. Beautiful.

(Blurred recording of Dramatic Love and Showcase Night just so YO!u can see what I mean.)

(I only did those two to test screen recording after failing to archive the first Jin bonus while using the soundboard feature in the first showing, initially I didn’t intend to record anything but the bonuses and will not be doing that anymore. If you attend, don’t be like me or worse!!!! Please!! I’ll delete these if needed/after a few weeks. Also just wanted to mention that Koi no Royal Straight Flush is up there in Kinpri’s Most YO!-able songs)

I love this soundboard feature. Sounds like hell. Prizooms are truely a new form of art because of it. Amazing how cheering screenings have evolved over a pandemic. Music feels empty to me without the YO!s now. After this I ended up listening to the entire kinpri discography so I could determine the YO!ability of each song. Not sure if every prizoom is like that? But I really want to go to more showings just for the community experience! I’m morbidly curious as to how many people would try to YO! to Platonic Sword. I considered going to Rei’s because they’re showing Shiny Rose Stars, but I probably won’t though since money and sleep are things (They really should make tickets no more than 1,000 yen.... they’re zoom meetings with audio problems....THE AUDIO ISSUES ARE FUN THOUGH! YOU CAN SPAM “GANBATTE” WITH EVERYONE!!) Plus while I do like every kinpri character, none of the street boys are really my favorites and going to every showing regardless of character would be a lot. I assumed that I was only going to try attending Joji’s until they announced that they were gonna do something for Jin!! So if you want to see what it’s like PLEASE get tickets and experience it for yourself!! It’s so much more fun participating !!!! Relying on 1-2 people to post event summaries isn’t exactly consistent coverage of every prizoom either!

\ よっ！/      \ よっ！/      \ よっ！/

So much of this is a community experience that you just have to see for yourself! It’s really cool seeing people go all out for their favorites and just going wild. Notable participants include:

- Two separate people just working out the entire time (one of them doing “Prism Exercise” meaning very high effort full-body cheering and dancing? It was really impressive seeing them go all-out for such a long time!)

- Two (2!) Ai cosplayers!!! One attending the prizoom with a Jin cosplayer!!

- The lady who cosplayed Jin in their cute green pre-retirement prism star outfit WITH A HUGE JIN PUPPET IN THE SAME STYLE AS THE SHUFFLE PUPPETS IN THE STAGEPLAY!!!

- That one person who just had a Minato fish head on the entire time (?!)

- A Victoria cosplayer who showed off a really nice!! drawing of Jin they did during the participant showcase at the end of the screenings

- The person with a REALLY CUTE!!!!! homemade Jin plushie!!

- Two people who attended with 3D/vtuber style models of the Go Go Glorious! (YMT29 subunit) members: Noel Tokyo and Mikado Shibuya (who also had a model of Ai!)

- A really cute Joji vtuber model!

💙 💙 💙 💙 💙 💙

The bonuses were Jin’s birthday video from 2016 and a birthday message of sorts from Jin!

I actually didn’t manage to properly archive the first one as intended because things went horribly wrong so I ended up with nothing but just a terrible (said affectionately) little recording of the soundboard I linked earlier. But whatever I shouldn’t be doing that anyways. Hopefully kinpri includes that and the other prizoom bonuses in something later.... the thought of any content being stuck as lost media terrifies me. I don’t have a good enough memory or a high enough Japanese proficiency level to type it out but it wasn’t particularly analyzable or anything (telling that to myself to make me feel better about losing it). Just the usual Jin being dramatic and going on an evil monologue. Jin being evil ASMR. I lovingly burned another one of Jin’s evil laughs into my mind too so there’s that.

For the 3rd showing bonus however I did not fail though it’s arguably the less interesting bonus of the two since it’s unvoiced. I really love Jin’s voice. Big sexy. Actual dialogue is pretty similar to each other from what I’ve gathered (ending with one of Jin’s cute little アーーーッハッハッハッ！！！！！’s (the text effect for the unvoiced bonus was an appreciated detail!). 

(I’m not very confident in my ability to provide a good translation so I’ll just not embarrass myself)

“ AAAaAAaHAHAAHAAa ~ ! ! ! ! ! ! ! “

💙

Yes Jin I’ll support you in the future-!!! ヾ(>▽ <、 )

I’ll never not be obsessed but it’d still be nice to have more substantial content to gush about and do that with.... Kinpri come back and release an anime continuation.... give me the Jin plot development....kinpri come back my happiness is a little too reliant on you

After the showings you get an email asking for feedback which is cool! I’ve been waiting to complain about how 法月 is written as Noriduki instead of Norizuki for the longest time but I never had a chance until now haha. Makes it so painful for me to buy Jin merch. Also begged for an anime continuation. I wonder how much they take into account feedback? I guess I’ll see when/if they start writing Jin’s name how it’s supposed to be.

ANYWAYS

IF YOU WANT TO GO TO A PRIZOOM, DO IT!

Prism shows really are best experienced with a community!!! If you like kinpri it’s a GREAT OPPORTUNITY to experience what a cheering screening is like with the Japanese fanbase from the comfort of your very own home which is most likely nowhere near Japan!! Everyone should experience prism shows!!!! I have no regrets and I’m still so hyped from the prism sparkle!!!

ANYBODY CAN ATTEND AND BUY TICKETS EVEN WITHOUT JAPANESE INFORMATION!!!

 \\   GLORIOUS SCHWARZ!   //

[himbowelsh]

So I’m making this anonymous only because I don’t want to feel I’m looking for too much attention, but my dog died today completely unexpectedly and I feel like shit 😰 could I pretty please request something with Easy and dogs. If this is not your forte I totally understand ☺️

Oh god, darling, I’m so sorry. Losing a pet is a pain unlike any other, almost like losing a part of yourself...  as much as you’re hurting right now, just remember your dog always knew they were loved, and loved you back just as much. You gave your pup a great life, and wherever they are now, they still love you.

If you’re looking for Easy and dogs, I have a few fics you might like:

baberoe has a dog incident

luztoye has another dog incident

bullmartin and yet another dog incident

winnix has a colorful dog incident (soulmate au!)

not a fic, but a very accurate edit of easy co as dogs

And here’s something soft and puppyish...  hopefully it makes you feel better!

Sometimes people seek out a new pet; sometimes, they have pet-parenthood thrust upon them.

In Joe Liebgott’s case, it happens literally. Someone leaves a wine box on the floor of his cab; he notices a few minutes after he drops the guy off, and he’s just doubling back to try and find him when the box starts squeaking.

Joe almost crashes the car.

As if turns out, the box’s precious cargo isn’t liquor, but...  puppies. An absurd amount of puppies. Mind you, Joe’s never owned a dog in his life, so more than two puppies seems like an absurd amount to him, and there’s gotta be, like...  six in here. Six squirming balls of fur, can’t be more than a few weeks old. Their eyes are hardly open yet. They’re climbing over each other to escape the box as soon as Joe opens it...  but everything they can’t say, the sharpie scribbled on the inside of the cardboard speaks for itself.

FREE PUPPIES, DO NOT RETURN

Which...  shit. Shit. Joe races through all the possibilities in his mind. The guy didn’t give his name, and paid in cash. He dropped him off at the airport. He could be damn anywhere right now!

And god help him if Joe has the first clue what to do with literal infant dogs.

Logic tells him, “go to the animal hospital now,” but he’s never been there in his life  ---  and aren’t those places overcrowded anyway? They’re in the middle of Santa Monica, there’ve got to be multiple animal shelters around, but god help him if he knows where any are...

Joe goes home. He panics, okay?

He has to sneak past the doorman, through the lobby, and into the elevator with a very conspicuous wine box that keeps making noises. The old lady from the fourth floor glares at him the whole ride up, and Joe can only nod his head at her while a tiny head pokes out a hole in the cardboard.

Web isn’t home, for once, because he has a lunch date with his editor; Joe almost wishes he was, because having someone else to bounce off of in this situation would be a great thing. Left to his own devices, however, he does the only thing he can think of; pulls the spare comforter out of the closet, lays it down in the empty bathtub, and dumps the pups in. After some consideration, he adds one of Web’s shark plushies, because the pups are tiny and probably missing their mother.

Their mother...  shit, they need their mom, don’t they? Pups that small can’t be without their mom, he knows he saw that on Animal Planet somewhere...

And, because Joe’s got the panic instincts of a twelve year old boy, he calls the one person who definitely knows what to do with a baby: his mom.

Mama Liebgott makes it to the apartment in twenty minutes. Ten minutes later, she’s setting up a heating pad in the puppies’ nest, while Joe scours the internet for how to care for newborn puppies. Mama calls in the troops  ---  Joe’s sisters are on their way. 

They send Joe out of the apartment with a list; when he comes back, his arms are weighed down with shopping bags, filled with formula, eyedroppers, puppy toys, and anything else little dogs could possibly need. Joe Liebgott is never one to half-ass shenanigans; he goes all-out.

Webster comes home to...  chaos.

Their bathroom has been turned into an improvised NICU, their apartment’s been sanitized and baby-proofed to high-hell, Joe’s mother and sisters are lounging around the living room with tiny bundles of something in their arms...

And in the middle of the chaos, Joe’s standing there, a blanket-wrapped bundle in his arms, bouncing it and cooing softly.

“Yeah, you’re a tough one, arencha, little buddy? Yeah...  I see it in ya. You’re a fighter. We’re gonna take good care of you, I promise...”

He has no clue what the hell is going on, but Webster melts. To the floor. Literally, his legs get a little weak.

“Uh  ---  Lieb? You wanna explain what on earth’s h---  is that a dog?”

Joe just grins. He’s never been an animal person in his life, but now he looks like he’s in heaven. “Dogs,” he declares. “We’ve got dogs, Web.”’

Webster has entered the Twilight Zone.

When they take them to the vet (Webster’s idea, because he actually has common sense), the puppies are given a clean bill of health, but as they’re definitely too young to be separated from their mother, there’s a laundry list of things that must be done to take care of them. The vet offers to take the puppies off their hands, and Webster has a brief moment of overwhelming relief, before Joe answers, “Thank you, but we got this.”

Webster drops his coffee all over the exam room floor. “We?” He demands, too shocked to form a cohesive sentence. “We?”

Joe’s eyes flash. “Fine, Web. You don’t gotta be involved, I’ll take care of ‘em myself. Found ‘em in my car, after all.”

“I live with you, asshole!”

And that’s how Webster and Liebgott become Dog Moms.

Of course Web’s going to help. He’s not a monster. He’s actually a pretty decent person, when push comes to shove...  and, once the Liebgott Crisis Team have all returned to their respective homes, he can’t bear to leave Joe to look after the babies by himself.

The worst part is, he’s not even a dog person. Suddenly, he and Joe are being kept up at all hours by a league of puppies. They’re so young that they can’t eat solid food yet, so it’s a round-the-clock task to keep them fed and looked after. 

Of course, Joe takes to the task like a diligent soldier, following every direction the vet gave them to a ‘t’. He takes a week off work, devoting himself 24/7 to the puppies’ care. It’s a lot on him. By the end of the fourth day, he’s been run ragged, dark shadows under his eyes and exhaustion knitting his brow. Web makes him some tea, settles him down on the couch, and massages his shoulders until Joe falls asleep. Then he takes on the task of feeding all six puppies by himself.

He gets peed on. Thrice.

It’s still worth it. After a few weeks, the puppies don’t need to be fed so frequently...  and they’re growing enough that there’s no more containing them in the bathtub. Joe and Web set up a puppy playpen that ends up taking up most of their living room, and set the kids loose. 

By now, the pups are old enough to wreak havoc, and starting to develop their own personalities. Shelley and Rocko have a talent for getting into everything, Byron is a biter, Goblin has no coordination and keeps tripping over his oversized feet, Fiona cries when either of them leave her alone, and Greg...  Greg is an escape artist. (Bonus points for guessing who named who. They got three pups each.)

Their house becomes a hub of curious friends and relatives. Tab and Shifty are over nearly every day to play with the pups; Joe’s youngest sister Amy keeps coming over too, and Tab won’t stop hitting on her; they wake up one morning to find Luz passed out in the Puppy Pit, tiny dogs clambering all over him, and no one knows how the hell he got in their house. Suddenly Joe and Web are the most popular guys in town.

It’s...  weird. Webster’s never been popular before. He’s not sure he likes it.

Weeks turn into months, and at some point, the pups are big enough to clamber around the apartment unaided. The vet estimates they’re twelve weeks old now, and keeping them inside is becoming a big challenge. Their building doesn’t allow dogs, for one, and they have to keep sneaking them past the concierge; potty training is becoming a living nightmare; and frankly, the dogs are getting too big to be cooped up inside all the time. Six newborn puppies is one thing, but six growing dogs...  different story.

They need to get rid of the dogs.

Thankfully, they’ve got no shortage of volunteers. Joe’s mom takes Goblin “for protection”, even if Goblin’s the clumsiest little monster that’s ever walked the face of the earth. Luz and Rocko have bonded, so he takes him home. Tab would probably adopt them all if he could, but since he can’t (Trigger is a handful already) Shifty lovingly takes on Shelley. oddly enough, Speirs has formed a special attachment to Fiona, cradling her like a baby and doting on her ever chance he gets, so he gets her. Rocko is a little evil, but he’s cute, and Nixon is a sucker for a cute face, so he gets the chaos demon.

That leaves them with Byron. Freaking Byron.

“Figures we’d get left with the one dog with the worst goddamn name  ---”

Joe has a soft spot for Byron. They both like to bite things, growl when they’re angry, and pass out in strange places, so it’s a great fit.

Letting a dog into their lives wasn’t something either of them planned on; but sometimes fate intervenes, and you never know when it will be for the better.

Cuddled up on the couch, with Joe dozing against his shoulder and Byron a heavy weight between them both, Web finds that he doesn’t regret a thing.

[rowanthestrange]

How To Make A Build-A-Bear Dye Without Killing It:

Me: If this is Paddington, why is he white?

Build-A-Bear: Oh my god Rowan, you can’t just ask why Paddington’s white!

Paddington is currently one of Build-A-Bear’s cutest and plushiest options. However he’s also significantly lighter-furred than either the recent movie, the classic television show, or even the original illustrations made him. My sponsor being a fan of the Paddington TV show, I was asked to experiment to see if I could correct this by dying him, in a long-lasting, no rub-off way, whilst maintaining the gorgeous fluffy texture of the fur.

And shockingly...yes. Yes, you actually can.

(Instructions and more adorable pictures under the cut)

Now as far as I can tell, if you can do it with this plushy baby, you should be able to do this with any Build-A-Bear. Probably any bear full-stop, but I’m not responsible if you re-dye that toy tiger you’ve had since you were a baby and it crozzles into a little plastic ball. Be smart, be responsible, be sure you can buy another one of whatever you’re dying in case you screw up. Remember even if it all works, you might still not get the colour you want. Dying’s a lottery.

Disclaimers over, you will need,

A Bear.

Rit DyeMore Synthetic in the colour of your choice. (Cocoa Brown if you’re doing this Paddington).

A big metal pot than can go on the stove. Bigger than the one you’re thinking of right now.

A cooking thermometer is highly encouraged - look you’re buying the dye, you might as well spring for this too, you’ll find uses for it.

Nice smelling washing-up liquid.

Rubber gloves if you’re not an idiot.

A big wooden spoon that can reach the bottom of your pot.

Basic sewing supplies (don’t panic, nothing arduous)

Ideally an extra person in case of emergencies (these include: when it turns out you can’t stir a pot continuously for over thirty minutes, when you splash yourself with scalding-hot dye and need someone to stir while you hold your hand under cold water, when you apparently don’t have the coordination to stir, check temperature, and keep track of time all at once, etc.)

And before you begin, offer a prayer and thanks to @tokozdragon whose own experimentations allowed me to stand on the shoulders of a giant. Theirs was one of the most helpful bits of information I came across in my research, and is how you’re gonna hopefully keep that fluff nice and gorgeous.

So. Build-A-Bears are seemingly synthetic top to bottom. Certainly this one is. I couldn’t find any tags saying anything other than 100% polyester, man-made fibres. Now this is a bad thing when it comes to dying, because the dyes can’t penetrate and hold in the same way. You wash it, everything’ll immediately rinse out. But Rit Synthetic Dye, does work. The only catch is, you’re gonna have to get it to just below boiling point. And if you’ve ever left a cuddly toy against a radiator before, you might know that these things do not like heat.

But there is a trick to this. You’re gonna diverge from your dye instructions just a little bit, but it’s going to work so long as you’re really on the ball.

First of all, check to see that your bear will fit in your pot - physically put it in there - and check if it could move freely and be covered with water. No? Then you’re gonna do what I did, and frankly what I suggest: You’re going to unstuff your bear. Get a clean box, find a seam (the BAB tag is perfect for this if it’s still got it on) pull until you see threads, have courage, and snip. You can put them back together, I promise. I left the head and arms stuffed for Paddington because it would fit, and they’d be more difficult to restuff. You might want to as well. Keep your heart (and tracking barcode) safe, as well as all that stuffing. Now you may have someone who looks like this:

Next, it’s bath time. No, don’t skip this step. Get a little of your nice washing-up liquid, just a small drizzle, and some warm water. Nothing hot, not close to hot - baby bath temperature. Give your bear a gentle wash, to remove any coatings or oils or dirt, and rinse them out well under more warm water. Make sure to squeeze it through any remaining stuffed bits too. You don’t need to go overboard though, a bit of soap left over is gonna be fine.

While you’re doing that, you’re going to heat up your dye to just below teddy bath temperature.

This is where we start to deviate from instructions.

You’re gonna put that dye in right away, while it’s still cool. I needed about 5 litres of water for my pot, and used about a quarter of a bottle of dye (somewhere between 6-8 tablespoons). You can see how Cocoa Brown turned out here. Obviously if you want a weaker colour, use a few spoons less. If you don’t get it perfect straight away, don’t worry about it, you can add more later if you have to, but again remember your ideal colour is not guaranteed.

Then add a small trickle of washing-up liquid to the dye. Less than a teaspoon, but it’s going to help the dye catch.

When your dye is just about bear-temperature, still really low, you are going to immerse your bear, while the temperature’s still going up. That’s right, we’re doing it now. What we’re trying to do is not shock the fur by giving it a sudden temperature change - plunging it into 90°C dye like you’d usually do. Instead we’re gonna boil it like a frog in a pot.

You are gonna stir this baby continuously, and treat it like a video game level you can’t afford to fail. Bits that float, squeeze em and squish em back down. Nothing stays still. You stop stirring? You’ve failed. And never, ever, ever, let it touch the bottom of the pot for even a second without you moving it away. Treat this early temperature where you can still put your hand in it as your test, and get a rhythm up. Using your gloved hands (or not, but it’s gonna make your nailbeds look weird for days), squeeze the dye thoroughly through your still-stuffed areas, make sure everything’s evenly covered, because once this dye goes past 50°C you’re going to be using your spoon only.

Then just keep stirring. If your arms get tired, this is why you have your emergency standby buddy. Check the temperature occasionally. When it gets up to about 80°C this is when the dye will actually start activating. Keep the heat going, but check your time. If you can’t easily see a clock and don’t have a buddy, you definitely can’t afford to stop stirring now, so start counting one-Mississippi, two-Mississippi, up to about 240-Mississippi. For everyone else, go to about 4-5 minutes, maybe having your buddy check the temperature as you go. If you hit a boil - you’re seeing bubbling - turn the heat off. What we’re aiming to do is give it about 4 minutes in the 85-max 95°C range, so you choose when to shut your heat off - you know your cooker better than I do.

After your heat is off keep stirring as it drops its temperature, remembering it’s just as delicate a procedure as when you were heating it up, it still can’t touch that hot metal for too long. When it gets down to about 60°C, if you or your emergency buddy can easily (and I mean easily, with no difficulties at all) lift that pot to put it in a cold water bath in your sink, you could do that, but if your wrist suddenly gives out or something that is a hell of a lot of hot water that will mess you up. If in doubt, you gotta just keep stirring for as long as it takes for the pot to cool back down to bath temperature. Don’t try and lift the bear out and put it in the sink early, just do it properly.

Once you’re down to relatively cool again, lift the bear and squeeze the dye out. Then transfer them to your sink. Run water at about the same temperature, and rinse them thoroughly.

When the worst of the dye stops coming out, then it’s time for bath time yet again. More of that nice smelling washing-up liquid, soap them up good, and watch that sink get all colourful again.

Then keep rinsing them, replacing the water until it stays clear and free from soap.

And then all you need to do is wait for them to dry!k

(If you don’t have a hairdryer that works on a cool setting, then just squeeze them with paper towels to get the worst of the water out, and fluff em up a little bit every now and again, moving that fur, and making sure it ends up roughly in the direction it should be so it doesn’t dry too oddly.

Then the next day when they’re dry, brush them up a bit, and give them a re-stuff, making sure to give that heart-wish a little booster when you put it back in. (And put that odd little barcode you probably found in there right next to it - that’s one of the ways a lost bear can find its way back to you. You never know). Then to stitch up the hole, use a ladder stitch. Google it to find instructions that work for you, but that’s the clever invisible stitch you’ll need. And if you can’t do that last bit for any reason, I’ve never found a Build-A-Bear shop that won’t help fix up a bear (and they’d probably be interested in your dye test. You could probably even get a scent put in if you’re good at sweet talking).

And voila, one spiffy bear.

Who in this case, had all his stuffing given a rub down with sweet orange essential oil, the perfect scent for any bear who carries an emergency marmalade sandwich.

Of course if you’re going the full Classic Television Paddington, then a bit of work with some black felt and ribbon is still required. The red hat should be enough for you to mirror a pattern. I suggest 2mm or 3mm thick felt (and you’ll need a metre/whatever rather than A4 if you want to do the...sticky-up-bit of the hat all in one go like the red hat). And 1.5-2cm ribbon (but I had 1cm so that’s what I used). The brim is about the size of a dinner plate, and you could cut the circle for the top out of the middle of that if you’re trying to conserve materials.

Bonus cuteness: I think Orlando the Thirteenth Doctor Bear makes a very good movie Paddington.

[reeseisbabey]

reese and yen hcs?

▷  These two play Animal Crossing together don’t @ me

          ▹ Yen is screaming at how little effort Reese puts into his island

          ▹ “What do you mean you haven’t put any paths down yet?!?”

          ▹ “Idk I just felt like leveling some cliffs you think I have a plan for this??”

          ▹ But Reese gives Yen a bunch of bells and furniture bc he is gamer boi who does hella on the stalk market (he also is shit at decorating his house)

          ▹ Yen has a 5 star island and Reese’s is at like a solid 2

▷  Reese likes talking Yen into playing horror games with him bc that means he gets extra cuddles

▷  Sometimes they’ll record those cute couple’s challenges videos for Reese’s DevilTube channel

▷  When they first start dating Reese is really nervous to go public about it since he knows how ppl can get when YouTubers/DevilTubers start dating

          ▹ But one time Yen bounded into his room with some cookies or smth she made for him while he was streaming so chat went feral

          ▹ Luckily he’s wholesome enough that most of his fanbase was chill about it and he (or some nice fans) promptly shut down anyone who wasn’t

          ▹ Once his fanbase warms up to them being together they get drowned in cute fanart

▷  Suddenly Reese practically has a whole new wardrobe

          ▹ “What? These sweats are comfy!”

          ▹ “You’ve had those sweats and that shirt for like 5 years please-”

          ▹ “THEY STILL FIT THOUGH-”

          ▹ And “Oh hey this shirt is cool”

          ▹ “Reese if I look over and that’s your millionth graphic tee-”

▷  Honestly, their styles are so different but Yen still knows how to dress Reese better than he can dress himself-

▷  Even so, Yen steals his sweatshirts to lounge around in sometimes. They may be around the same height but since Reese is big chubby his stuff still ends up oversized on her

▷  Yen also finally gets this man to keep a skincare routine his channel watchers are very thankful for this one

▷  Reese insists on taking Yen on cheesy arcade dates!! They get milkshakes whenever they go for the aesthetic

          ▹ He also always tries really hard at crane games to get Yen plushies!!

          ▹ (she ends up being better than him most of the time though)

▷  Honestly name an aesthetic cheesy date and they’ve probably done it (I’m looking at u roller skating)

▷  Reese is really bad at studying, but he likes when Yen leans on him when they study together

▷  Yen cooks for him a lot and will bring him dinner while he’s streaming bc the poor boy always forgets to eat

          ▹ One time he tried to give her a “thank you” cake but it was so lopsided and-

          ▹ look, at least it tasted good.

▷  REESE AND YEN MAKING FLOWER CROWNS TOGETHER

          ▹ Yen went into Reese’s room one time while he was out and made a flower crown around his headphones and let’s just say his chat called him a fairy prince that night bc of it

▷  Reese helps Yen bake and stuff

          ▹ “Ugggh stirring is so hard I swear my arm is dying”

          ▹ “I can get-”

          ▹ “NO! I can do it-”

          ▹ He’s a whiny bitch but he does it anyway

          ▹ Reese always wants to help decorate but unfortunately, his skills do not extend to cakes. Yen does let him help pick out colors and themes though

▷  When Yen is sick Reese will cancel his streams to take care of her

▷  When Reese is sick he will still try to stream until chat goes “DAMN BRO LISTEN TO UR GIRLFIREND” enough at her trying to get him out of his computer chair and into his bed

▷  Yen is little spoon

▷  They give each other cheek kisses all the time

          ▹ Passing by each other real quick? Cheek kisses. One of them brings the other food? Cheek kisses. Yen wants Reese’s attention while he’s streaming? Cheek kisses.

▷  Sometimes Yen will sit on his lap while he plays games so they can still cuddle

          ▹ Bonus points if they’re both playing Animal Crossing at the same time like this

▷  Yen helps him do all of the dumb subscriber goal challenges he sets

          ▹ “Hey babe can you help me wax my stomach on camera?” 

          ▹ “What?”

▷  Sometimes Reese gets ads for stuff that Yen has been looking at and he’ll buy her some of the clothes and accessories

          ▹ Sorry Yen, he isn’t getting better at fashion he’s just getting targeted ads-

          ▹ But if there’s matching stuff that’s an insta-buy. Especially couple’s bracelets

▷  Yen using Reese’s lap as a pillow?? Yes???

▷  Reese loves braiding Yen’s hair!!

          ▹ She didn’t expect him to know how but sometimes he misses when he had long hair for braiding purposes

          ▹ He even learned some extra techniques so that when they’re out on picnics he can weave flowers into the braids

▷  Reese loves giving Yen pick up hugs (esp when he gets to twirl her around)

[elizapbrooke]

A discovery of pancakes

This is my newsletter from Friday, May 22. You can sign up here.

I am disappointed to announce that the bird call I thought belonged to an owl comes, in fact, from a mourning dove. “One of the most abundant and widespread of all North American birds,” Wikipedia says. It’s an embarrassing but maybe understandable mistake. I figured this owl was out during the day because it was a creature of New York like the rest of us, its circadian rhythm all fucked up by early morning garbage trucks and the blue glow of the Chase Bank across the street. The mourning dove’s coo is low and melancholy, a distinctive series of five notes. I’d certainly forgive you for thinking it’s a hoot. As I was listening to mourning dove calls on my computer and having this horrible realization, one landed on the fire escape and startled me with the loudest, most intimate rendition of their song I’d ever heard. It may as well have pressed its beak up against the glass. (I assume it thought there was a dove in the apartment.) I crept over to the window to confirm with my eyeballs what AllAboutBirds.org had already told me, and, yep, there it was. It felt so special to have a mystery owl in the neighborhood, but I guess doves are lovely birds too, with their plushy throats and elegantly tapered tail feathers. Anyway, my friend Sid tells me he’s heard owls in Gowanus, so I’m keeping my hopes up. This week I published a story for Curbed detailing the history and recent evolution of the home office. As I was fact checking it, I realized I’d accidentally talked to ten hundred sources, so please do enjoy the fruits of my labor. I’m not here to talk about home offices, though. A few weeks ago, I woke up in the middle of the night and discovered I’d been brainstorming pitches in my sleep. I was thrilled. On account of pandemic depression and seeing very little of the outside world, I’ve really been struggling to come up with story concepts, which is problematic because that’s my job. Most of my dream pitches evaporated upon waking, but I managed to hold onto one, and in my sleepy haze I thought it was possibly the greatest idea I’d ever had. It was: PANCAKES ARE HAVING A MOMENT IN QUARANTINE. I decided I’d email the New York Times first thing in the morning. In the light of day, I realized that there wasn’t really a story there. When you’re writing a trend piece, you want to be able to point to, I don’t know, at least four really solid examples from the public sphere. My evidence was:

Alex and I had made pancakes recently

We were planning to make them again

I’d recently discussed pancakes with Molly and Vivian

I’d heard you can make pancakes from sourdough starter discard (which actually does speak to the zeitgeist)

But here’s the thing. Pancakes are a great topic for a newsletter. So here is my pancake article.

***

I’ve always liked the look of a big stack of pancakes, but I never really got why people were so into eating them. I like a breakfast that is hyper-functional and maximally filling. Because I’m an aging hippie, my preferred breakfast is a double-sized bowl of Ezekiel cereal, which tastes like delicious cardboard and fulfills 42% of your daily fiber needs. Pancakes, like pastries, always struck me as glamorous but pointless. I was even somewhat distrustful of my mom’s pancakes, which are dense and nutty, not sweet at all. Her recipe came from a “chiropractor/health nut in San Diego about 31 years ago” and involves grinding your own flour from winter wheat berries, groats, rye, brown rice, and millet. I love them, but a family pancake breakfast still makes me feel very out of control. This all changed a few weeks ago when Alex and I decided to make pancakes for dinner. All I can say is that quarantine has a way of melting away the rigid little fucks you used to give. For once, the chaos I associate with pancakes sounded fun and freeing. Also we’ve been watching a ton of Parks & Rec, and I was feeling inspired by Leslie’s diet of waffles and whipped cream. We made buttermilk pancakes, extra fluffy ones that require you to whip the egg whites on their own for several minutes before folding them into the batter. Two with banana chunks, two with bits of frozen peaches, two blueberry, one bonus plain for me. I had mine without anything on top, enjoying the choking feeling of eating so much cakey carb. It felt like a hug. When I saw my friend Todd post a gorgeous stack of pancakes on Instagram, I asked him if he had any theories about why they’re such a good quarantine food. At first he thought I was trolling him, but when I told him I was dead serious, here’s what he said: “What I love about pancakes right now is that they feel both ordinary and radical at the same time. Ordinary because they are nostalgic, all-American, homey, comfortable, and approachable. Anyone can make them. But there’s also something really subversive about a stack of pancakes right now—the gluten, the non-plant-based butter and eggs, eating breakfast when Goop tells us we should be intermittent fasting, so forth. Eating pancakes in the time of coronavirus brings into focus how overwhelming wellness culture has become in recent years—celery juice and collagen smoothies will never, ever, ever beat a big, buttery, syrupy stack of flapjacks.” I would agree. Given my dedication to breakfast foods that involve sprouted beans—which predates our wellness moment but was certainly bolstered by it—I definitely find pancakes subversive. They make me feel nostalgic, too, but not for anything I’ve personally experienced. For weekends in high school that I spent ensconced in the television world of Gilmore Girls, maybe, where breakfast at Luke’s Diner is a comfortable routine. As I continued my journey into pancake reportage, I sought out the perspective of Sarah Jampel, an editor at Bon Appetit. While pancakes made from sourdough discard have their fans, Sarah is not particularly one of them. She’s also team waffle. I don’t really have a horse in the pancake/waffle debate, but Sarah makes a compelling case. “I have thought a lot about pancakes,” she emailed back when I asked if she had anything to say about the topic. “And yes, I have made them since isolation started—mostly because I'm ‘every woman’ and my fridge is overflowing with sourdough discard. ‘Put it in pancakes,’ I thought. The issue is that I need to add more flour (as well as butter or oil and leaveners) to sourdough discard to turn it into pancakes, so I ultimately end up using more ingredients for the sole purpose of not throwing some stuff into the trash or compost (but really, the trash). And even though pancakes sound nice in theory—why not start the day with a hot breakfast instead of the usual routine, eating a Clif bar with one hand while the other clings bare to the subway pole (huge sigh of nostalgia)?—in actuality they're inferior waffles. Unless you take care with your pancakes—loading them with lots of butter and separating the egg yolks and whites (this recipe's my fave)—they're too mono-textured.” Never fear: Alex and I loaded ours with an alarming amount of butter. I suppose it is to be expected that when you go out hunting for pancake insights, you come back with waffle testimonials. When I asked Alex’s high school friends to weigh in on the appeal of pancakes during a global shutdown, Nico said, “Waffles are the superior carb. They provide greater textural variety and are a better delivery vessel for condiments.” (Dylan has been eating toast all quarantine, and Dan “didn’t understand the question” because the only god he acknowledges is the Joy of Cooking’s pancake recipe.) My friend Molly has been eating a lot of savory pancakes under quarantine, for breakfast or lunch. She sautées a bunch of garlic and kale in olive oil, adding scallions at the last minute, and then sets the vegetables aside in a bowl. In goes the Bisquick, and she adds the kale mix on top of the pancakes as they cook; after a minute, she tops the pancake with shredded white cheddar so that when she flips it, the cheese turns crispy. She’ll eat that with a runny egg or garlic yogurt. I can’t wait to see her again so she can make one for me. Pancakes are one of the few foods that Molly has consistently been able to stomach during this period of immense anxiety. They have a strong positive association for her: in pre-corona times, she would make savory pancakes after playing soccer on Saturday mornings. Those games are one of the things she misses most right now. We talked on the phone while she made her daily trip outside to juggle a soccer ball. Molly likes to chat with friends during these breaks because bouncing a ball on your feet benefits from loose attention. “Cooking a pancake is similar,” she said. “It requires some focus but it’s not that hard. You don’t really need to cut anything. You just watch it.” Alex always says that cooking is meditative for him. I would respectfully disagree—to me, it feels more like hurtling down a mogul course—but I can see it with pancakes. You’re just systematically waiting and flipping, waiting and flipping. After making buttermilk pancakes, we progressed to Sqirl’s buckwheat pancakes for lunch on a Sunday. I can’t find the recipe online, but here’s a photo. For those who are lucky enough to have dodged my Sqirl talk thus far, it’s a phenomenal, semi-healthy breakfast and lunch spot in Silver Lake. Every time I’m in LA, I badger my companions into going right when it opens at 8 a.m. so we’re sure to get a table. When I was there to write about Dax Shepard in November, I high-tailed it to Sqirl right after our interview and embarrassed myself in front of the staff by inhaling bits of a particularly seedy cookie and having a loud coughing fit, after which I went around the corner to die in private. Alex and I thought we had all the requisite ingredients for Sqirl’s buckwheat pancakes, other than cactus flour, but the recipe calls for corn flour and it turns out cornmeal isn’t the same thing. We subbed in whole wheat, so they weren’t really Sqirlcakes, but they were still tasty in a restrained, earthy way. Alex convinced me to try one with raspberry jam, which I reluctantly admit was a great pairing. A week or two later, we made them again. I wasn’t really hungry because it was 2 p.m. and I’d already eaten lunch—Alex had just gotten up—but I pledged to eat my portion cold out of the fridge. Alex thought this was insane, but he sometimes forgets that I like my food a little squidgy. We went grocery shopping the next morning, which was as much of a bitch as it always is right now. Even though we’ve gotten the process down to a science, it still takes three hours from start to finish, with significant angst on my part about the cleanliness of the inbound goods. Finally everything was put away, and Alex headed off to take a shower. I was agitated and crazy hungry. I scrubbed my hands one more time, pulled the pancakes out of the fridge, and promptly dropped one on the floor while trying to get it into my mouth. I ate the rest in big, angry bites, one after another, standing in the middle of the kitchen. I didn’t want to sit down in my outdoor clothes. The pancakes were perfect, though. A shot of sweet, comforting carb straight to the heart.

[fanfic-inator795]

RotTMNT/Baron Jitsu fanfiction: Dating… With Children - Chapter Ten

(Also on AO3 if you want to leave a comment or kudos)

Plot:  Benjamin Draxum hardly considered himself a man of high social standing. Not because he was uncouth or unworthy of it, mind you, but simply because he didn’t have much of a social life. Hard to have one when he usually spent his days at work, cooped up in a lab for so long that he often had his lunches in there, and his nights at home reading or doing research for more personal projects. But perhaps meeting handsome semi-retired movie star - as well as his four young sons - could change all that…

((Last of the updates for probably a while, unless I get hit with another bolt of inspiration. Again, hope you all enjoyed! ^v^))

As reluctant as he was to do so, Draxum was man enough to admit that as he stared down the multiple aisles of toys that he was completely and utterly at a loss.

He had meant to buy a present in the days leading up to the actual event, he really had. But online research in-between doing the research he was actually getting paid to do proved fruitless. There were plenty of suggestions and advertisements, but most of the toys and products brought to his attention either didn’t fit at all or just didn’t seem like a good enough gift.

And so, here he was. In the middle of Gilbert’s toy section, mere hours before the actual event, still trying to answer the question of what a seven-going-on-eight year old boy would want for his birthday.

“When I was a kid, I was always the most satisfied when I just got cash,” he mumbled to himself. But cash for a child’s birthday gift would just be tacky, as would a gift card. He tried to think back on what he liked as a kid, and briefly remembered a few science-related toys he had enjoyed fiddling with, but that seemed more like a Donatello gift than a Raphael one. There really wasn’t anything worse than getting a gift that you didn’t just dislike, but was clearly meant for someone else. Draxum had learned that at a young age during an elementary school gift exchange where he had gotten a jewelry making kit that had been meant for the friend of the student who had bought it, not knowing the exchange was supposed to be random.

At the very least, Draxum was confident enough that he wouldn’t make a mistake like that. He had a pretty good grasp on what Raph liked… and that was the problem.

Most of the wrestling and superhero and ninja figures that lined the action figure aisle were the same toys that he had seen in Raph’s room. Stuffed bears had a similar problem, and even if he was sure Raph wouldn’t mind another bear friend, he also knew that at that age gifts were only really exciting if they were something you DIDN’T already have, and something that was instead truly surprising.  

Moving past the dolls and the pool toys that had been put on clearance, as well as a huge display of new Mrs. Cuddles plushies (definitely a bad idea, if Raph’s reactions to her commercials were anything to go by), Draxum then entered the board game and activities aisle. He had been lucky when Trivial Pursuit Family ended up being a good purchase, but wasn’t sure if there was a board game that would appeal specifically to Raph. There were also more interesting things like ‘Make Your Own Fossil’ kits, bead art, Shrinky Dinks and other similar crafts.

“Too bad he isn’t as into arts and crafts as his brother,” Draxum mumbled. Though, Raph DID like to knit… But a bundle of yarn wasn’t exactly an exciting gift either. It was a bonus “just thought I’d pick this up for you too” gift, at best. With a sigh, he decided to give the Lego aisle a try - and that’s when he saw it almost hidden away as it sat on the top shelf.

Funnily enough, he remembered seeing the game in stores when he was a child, though he was sure it wasn’t the original toy even if it was incredibly similar. Just by looking at it, Draxum could tell that it would at the very least peak Raph’s interest. It was inexpensive but not cheap, a surprise definitely yet not a total shot in the dark pertaining to whether or not Raph would like it. “It’s probably as close to a ‘perfect’ gift as I can get,” he admitted. So he picked up the box and headed towards the gift bags…

He ended up being the second guest to arrive to the small party, just a few minutes after April and her family. “You must be Ben,” April’s mother said as she and her husband shook his hand, immediately recognizing the man from both her neighbor’s and her daughter’s description of him, “Pleasure to meet you.”

“Likewise,” Draxum nodded, a bit stiff and professional though thankfully not standoffish. He did loosen up a bit however when Raph nearly knocked him over with a hug.

“You came!” Raph grinned, just as happy as he had been several days ago when his father first offered his boyfriend the invite. Truth be told, even Raph could tell that Draxum wasn’t much of a party guy - not like his pop, who always insisted on celebrating things whether it be in a big or small way. But the doctor had become such a big part of his life lately that it would’ve been weird and kind of sad to not have him there to celebrate with them.

Draxum seemed to share the sentiment, placing a gentle hand on the boy’s head and patting his long and curly hair. “I did. Happy birthday, Raphael.” Raph smiled, thanking him before excusing himself, wanting to get back to his brothers and friend. Having seen the whole scene, April’s parents shared a look before nodding in approval. Really, it was no surprise that their neighbor who had been single for as long as he had lived on their street had ended up choosing someone like Draxum.

The final guest arrived just a few minutes later, her parents unable to stay and instead just dropping her off. Draxum couldn’t help but stare at the pair as they stood in Lou’s doorway, the two men nearly complete opposites. One of them was huge, practically towering over Lou and his own family, with a firm brow and wearing a casual, light purple tank top and shorts. The other man was much smaller and thinner in stature, his sharp eyes framed with crows feet and dressed in a very nice sweater-vest and khakis combo.

Their daughter stood out just as much, looking about as old as April, wearing a black and purple jumper with hair so short that it had nearly been shaved off and face as serious as a nine year old could be. Though, as her fathers brought her into a hug, giving her plenty of quiet “We love you”s and “Have fun”s, her expression did soften just a little. And, once April took her hand and the boys gladly welcomed her, she even managed to smile.

“That’s Yuu. She’s a new friend from school,” Lou explained as he handed Draxum a cup of juice, “and a new student in general, having been homeschooled until this year. From what I have heard, she’s a bit of a loner. ...And apparently VERY intense when it comes to games in gym.”

“Well, it looks like she’s found her group now,” Draxum commented as he watched a grinning Yuu, who had teamed up with Mikey and was currently chasing after a laughing Leo and April with toy swords.

Lou smiled, nodding. “Yep, I think she has.” This was her first time over, but Lou was already certain that it wouldn’t be her last.

After about an hour of free play for the kids and socializing for the adults, Lou gathered all the guests up for party games. It was typical kids’ party stuff with musical chairs, duck-duck-goose and limbo. It was mostly for the kids, though each adult guest got dragged into at least one round, leading to plenty of laughs for everyone. (The O’Neils turned out to be very skilled limbo players, and Lou practically falling into Draxum’s lap as they both tried for the same musical chair had definitely been one of the most memorable moments.)

But the best game had definitely been saved for last, and all it took was Lou saying that it was time to go outside for the kids to all run to the backyard, where a big and round piñata with pictures of the various New York League wrestlers was already hung.

“You guys can go first,” Raph said, passing the bat to his youngest brother while the adults stood back to watch. He knew very well how strong he could be, and as much as he wanted to bash open the thing, he also wanted everyone else to get a turn.

Mikey tried to hit it as hard as he could, but to no avail. He pouted and passed the bat to Leo, who also couldn't manage to damage the piñata despite his efforts. Neither could Donnie, surprisingly. Not even April could manage to dent the thing, and by this point all the kids were starting to get more than a little frustrated.

“Geez, did you make it with super glue?” Draxum asked.

“Hey, I just bought it at a normal party store!” Lou insisted. Who would've thought a ten dollar piñata would be so tough. “Hmph, if they can't get open soon, I may just have to go over there and Hot Soup it open myself just so they can get the candy.”

“...That's not a verb, Lou.”

“It is the way I use it.”

Yuu took the bat now, screaming the mightiest battle cry she could muster as hit her ‘foe’. And, much to everyone’s delight, it actually cracked some, a huge dent now in it’s side. Yuu grinned at her victory, and passed the bat onto an awaiting Raph.

“Come on, big brother,” he heard Donnie say, “Finish it off!”

The other kids, as well as his father, joined in. “Yeah!” “Do it, Raphie, do it!” “You got this, Raph!” “Just one good hit, son, come on!”

Gripping the handle tightly, Raph prepared to swing. “Hot SOUP!” He yelled as he whacked the stubborn thing, resulting in a candy explosion that was so spectacular that even Draxum had to clap at it.

“Ha, that’s my boy!” Lou cheered over the candy free-for-all. He nudged Draxum slightly. “See, told you it was a verb.”

“Well, it is in this family, at least,” Draxum chuckled.

Once the candy and piñata bits (which everyone gladly let Mikey have for whatever future art project he had in mind) were cleaned up, it was back inside for presents and then cake. As was tradition in their household, everyone sat in a circle with Raph taking the spot next to the small pile of presents, all of which were wrapped or in a bag with the exception of one that instead had Chinese shipping labels on it.

“I know what this is!” Raph grinned, opening the box. He held up the various Chinese candies within for everyone to see. “Thanks, Auntie Shen!” He shouted, not caring if his aunt could actually hear him or not.

The next few presents were just as well received. A basketball from April to replace the one they had lost, some Teddy Bear Town accessories for his bears from Leo (courtesy of the small allowance his father had given him for the occasion), a VERY sparkly and colorful card from Mikey, a small homemade music box from Donnie, and a couple small ninja action figures from Yuu. Of course, Raph gave everyone plenty of thanks and hugs for their gifts.

Finally, Raph grabbed Draxum’s bag, and the scientist held his breath as he took the box out of it. “...Rock em’ sock em’ robots?” Raph read, looking curiously at the stylized pictures on the box before glancing up at Draxum.

“It's a game,” Draxum explained, not too surprised that Raph had never seen it before, “Each player takes control of a robot, and they fight to try and knock the other’s head off.”

“Whoaaa, really?” And now what he knew what it was, the birthday boy didn't hesitate to open it up. Sure enough, there was a small plastic boxing ring and two different colored plastic robots that were ready to knock each other's block off. “Awesome!” Raph smiled as he pressed a button, getting the red robot to throw a punch.

“Hey, I wanna try!” Leo said, already grabbing the controls for the blue robot.

“Me too!” Mikey shouted at the same time that Yuu insisted, “I also wanna challenge you!”

Within a few rounds, it ended up becoming somewhat of a robot rumble tournament, with several fights happening back-to-back with each new challenger going up against the winner of the previous round. Some of the kids even started putting up bets on who would win using some of their piñata candy, though it was still exciting no matter who won. It ended up taking the announcement of cake to finally drag them all away from the plastic ring.

By that time, Draxum was starting to feel a strong headache coming on thanks to all the shouting and excitement from his gift. “Maybe it was too perfect of a gift,” he mumbled to himself.

Still, he didn't want his oncoming bad mood to spoil Raph’s day, so Draxu, simply excused himself and went outside for some fresh air and quiet. Of course, it didn't take long for his boyfriend to join him, two pieces of red velvet cake in his hands.

“Hey, handsome,” he said, handing him a slice, “Everything alright?”

Draxum nodded, silently thanking him for the dessert with a soft kiss on his temple. “I'm fine, just a headache.”

“Ah, yeah,” Lou nodded, slouching a little himself as he reveled in the near silent backyard. “Kids parties can be fun, but they can be pretty rough too. If you need to leave, you can.”

“I’ll be fine,” Draxum told him, “I just needed a break is all, but thank you.” He glanced back towards the old house, and through the window saw Raph and the others race back to the living room, their sugar-spiked energy returned and their thumbs ready for more robot action. A small smile returned to Draxum’s lips.

Lou took a couple bites of his cake before speaking again. “Looks like your gift is the fan favorite.”

“Honestly I wasn't even sure if he would like whatever I got him,” Draxum admitted, picking up his own fork, “I didn't know what to get, and I ended up finding it by chance.”

Lou hummed. “You could've just texted me for gift suggestions.”

“I know,” Draxum said simply, letting the silent subtext behind his words speak for themselves. Lou smiled, shaking his head slightly. Of course Draxum would want to do it on his own, but while a bit unnecessary, it was also still sweet.

“Though, I didn't see any gifts from you,” Draxum continued, “Let me guess, you already gave him one of those big closet-reveal surprise presents?” Leave it to Lou to turn giving a present into a bit of a show.

“Oh, no no, I just took him to the toy store in Times Square after his birthday breakfast to pick out his own present.”

Draxum stood there for several seconds before finally uttering a perfectly flat, “What.”

Lou shrugged, taking another sweet bite before continuing. “I still try to surprise them with their Santa presents, keep the ‘holiday magic’ alive and all that, but birthday presents? I just let them pick it out for themselves. From what I can tell, they seem to like doing it that way. Makes them feel more grown up that they actually get to choose, and it certainly makes things easier for me.” When he noticed Draxum still giving him a flat look, Lou just gave him a “What?”

“Oh nothing, nothing,” Draxum all but sighed as he went to finally take a bite of his cake, “Just don’t be surprised if I use that strategy the next time I don’t know what to get your kids.”

((I love Recruit and her foot clan dads so much, I just HAD to put them in this universe. Anyway *points at Lt. and Brute* When I say underrated, you say ship! UNDERRATED! Lol. And yes, until we get her official name reveal, I am pretty much basing Recruit's name off that one "Hello, you" line from Brute in Hot Soup: The Game. It's silly but it's still better than calling her Karai imo....Also, Andy Suriano actually posted a sketch of Foot Lt. in a sweater vest on his instagram and I just... I need that to be canon. I need it. But for now, I'll settle for him wearing it in this universe, lol.))

[cs-ratking]

🍕💙

The little blue rat couldn't be more excited. It was Halloween, and he'd been preparing his costume and practicing his voice all month. Blue was nervous, too-- he'd never been trick-or-treating before, but this year he was actually home for the event and he planned to make the most of it.

Blue adjusted his too-big mask and the harness attaching blue-green wings to his back. Unfortunately, the fabric turtle shell he'd wanted ended up not being made in a size that fit him, but Blue thought his improvisation wasn't half bad. His favorite character Leonardo wore a belt and shoulder strap and in Blue's opinion the harness and patterned fabric wings looked right on him just the same. He'd even put a little blue turtle figure on the wings, just in case the rest of the outfit wasn't quite enough giveaway.

The eager rat was ready for the night, making sure to collect his props: glowy blue plastic sword, gray-brown rat plushie [as his designated Splinter, of course], and pizza box. It wasn't a traditional treat bag but by pizza supreme Blue was dedicated to his ninja turtle costume and he worked hard to turn a cardboard sheet into a pizza box to hold candy. He even made a pineapple pizza slice out of glue and paper to attach on top, drew another slice inside the box, and wrote "NYC's Best 'Za" on the inner lid in his neatest marker. Blue couldn't help a proud smile as he admired the box one more time before he hopped off the front porch and scampered to the sidewalk.

He passed underneath an orange-leaved tree decorated with a steamer of cutout ghosts and stopped beside some Jack-o-lanterns at the front of the first house he saw with a light on, his nerves creeping up on him. Blue glanced around, suddenly self-conscious again as he clutched his slightly-too-big fake sword. He could do this. He could do this!

"You're the face man!" Blue said to himself in his best Leo voice. "You got this!" He giggled a little, a grin easing his nerves, and marched across dry grass to knock on the door. Holding open his pizza box, Blue decided to forgo any puns in case he messed up and settled for the age-old saying in his Leo voice--

"Trick or treat!"

🍕 Bonus, Blue gets a treat 💙

Blue's ruby eyes lit up at the treat, a delighted smile stretching across his face. "Yeah! Leon's got it!" He squeaked happily in his Leo voice before remembering his manners. He beamed at the candy gifter. "Thank you!"

Confidence assured, Blue clutched his pizza box and dashed back to the street and off to the next house. This really was fun!

[kathydsalters31]

We Review the 15 Best Dog Harnesses for Every Kind of Dog

<!– Paste this code right after the tag on every page of your site. –>

Our website uses cookies. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our use of cookies. To see what cookies we serve and set your own preferences, please review our Cookie Policy. Learn More.

Share

Updated July 14, 2020 | For Dog People By Elisabeth Geier

This post contains affiliate links. Read more here.

Table of Contents

Some dogs need more than a plain old collar. Whether your dog pulls on the leash, has mobility constraints, or is easily distracted, a harness may be your new best friend. It’s less stressful on your dog’s neck and provides you with more control on walks.

Harnesses come in a variety of styles and uses. Before buying a dog harness, consider the following:

Safety and durability. Can you adjust the fit? Will it hold up to extensive use?

Comfort. Is it designed to keep your dog feeling comfy while in use? Does it avoid putting pressure on their throat and neck? Is it adjustable for a solid fit?

Cost. Is it affordable? A good harness is an investment, so don’t go for the bargain. But you should be able to find a good option at a reasonable price.

Style. Your dog may not care what they look like, and utility should be your primary goal in selecting a harness. But that doesn’t mean you can’t look for something spiffy

Whatever kind of dog you have, there’s a harness to suit them. We know because, well, the Rover community walks a lot of dogs.

The Best Dog Harnesses for Every Kind of Dog

The harnesses we’ve rounded up here are recommended based on a combination of in-house testing (indicated by verified reviews), well-researched online reviews, and my own experience as a dog owner of two rescue pit bulls. Read on for the dog harnesses we recommend, plus a bonus list of additional harnesses we like.

One of two Ruffwear picks on our list, the Front Range is a perfect go-to harness for any dog. It slips over your dog’s neck, and with one sturdy clip, you’re ready to go. The softly padded chest provides comfort and a secure fit, and its rugged materials keep it safe in all weather.

Why we like it:

Four adjustment points for a custom fit

Comes in lots of colors for visibility and style

ID pocket lets you slip in tags or a paper note for easy identification.

Verified review: “I loved how durable the harness looked and felt. The padding on the chest plate felt comfortable to the touch, and I think this harness will be gentle on my dog’s skin. I also loved that this harness offers both front and back clips. My dog is not a big puller when she walks, so I’ve never felt the need to look for a front-clip harness—but now that the Ruffwear offers both options, I’ll definitely be trying out both leash positions.”

Find on Amazon Find at REI

This padded harness is great for deep-chested big dog breeds like German Shepherds and Boxers. Its adjustable straps ensure a good fit, and the metal D-ring leash attachment point is heavy-duty and secure. As a bonus, the Expawlorer harness has a reflective strip across the top for safe walking in low light.

Why we like it:

Extra-thick straps for comfort and support

Handle on back offers more control

Comes in lots of vibrant colors

Find on Amazon

The Puppia harness is a best seller for a reason. Its soft, lightweight mesh is comfortable for your smaller dog. In addition, the material is durable and easy to clean, so it can handle a muddy winter walk. Best of all, the Puppia harness comes in tons of bright colors for the fashionable little dog on the go. Sizes run small, so be sure to double-check the size chart and measure your dog before ordering!

Why we like it:

Soft material won’t rub or irritate your dog’s delicate underarm skin

Webbed material distributes force evenly across chest

Adjustable neck and chest straps help ensure dogs can’t back out of the harness

Verified review: “The large fits my 20-pound Cavalier King Charles Spaniel very well as he has a deep chest. The medium also fit but I didn’t feel it was long enough for him. It’s really nice not having to pull the harness over his face and ears! I prefer this version to the original. He seems very content wearing it for walks and car rides—so much so that he tends to pull a bit while wearing it—he doesn’t pull while wearing other types of harnesses.”

Shop on Chewy

For dogs who walk like they’re pulling a wagon, a no-pull dog harness can make all the difference. My dog trainer recommended the Freedom harness, and I agree it’s effective. It may look basic, but its ingenious design with the front clip saved my back (and arms, and everything else) when my dog was at his pulling-est. Online reviewers praise it for its gentle control. It comes with a double-connection training leash too.

Why we like it:

Four adjustment points for a safe, comfortable fit

Dog owners who have reviewed this harness rave over how well it prevents pulling, and how comfortable their dogs are in the harness

Comes in lots of bright colors

Verified review: “This is sturdy and well made: The straps that go under the belly/into the armpits are soft and velvety. I like that this harness seems pretty inescapable and gives me control when my dog pulls and is reactive. You can clip in the front or back, and it’s easy to figure out which side is which because the straps are different colors.”

Shop on Chewy

Pugs, Boston Terriers, and other brachycephalic (flat-faced) breeds need harnesses that protect their necks from pressure. Pug enthusiasts love the PetSafe Easy Walk harness because its strong, adjustable straps help distribute pressure evenly across the dog’s chest and belly.

Why we like it:

Quick-snap buckles make it easy to put on and take off

Differently colored straps make it easy to put on correctly every time

Strong, soft nylon is secure and easy to clean

Shop on Chewy

Best Walk-to-Car Harness: Kurgo Tru-Fit (Verified Review)

Do you drive your dog to a walking trail? If so, you’ll want to buckle them up for the ride. The Kurgo Tru-Fit harness is designed with safety in mind and is crash-rated for dogs weighing up to 75 lbs. Best of all, unlike many car-restraint harness systems, the Kurgo Tru-Fit is equally comfortable and useful as a walking harness.

Why we like it:

Several adjustment points for a secure fit

Padded chest plate and wide straps keep your dog comfortable

Comes with a seatbelt tether to secure your dog in the car

Verified review: “The fit was spot on. Whiskey is a Boxer mix, medium-sized (45 lbs) and has a very broad chest but tiny waist. Sometimes it’s hard to find harnesses or coats that are big enough for his chest area. This one was perfect! Whiskey is a leash-puller, so it’s nice to have the option to clip in front or back. The firm fit gave better support and Whiskey seemed to like it a lot on our walk to the beach.”

Shop on Chewy

If you frequently walk your dog in the dark, this light-up LED harness is a must-have. It comes in sizes small to extra large, fitting dogs weighing anywhere from 10 to 100 pounds. The adjustable straps ensure a secure fit, and the bright, colorful LED lights mean you’ll be seen wherever you walk.

Why we like it:

Rainproof and machine washable for easy clean-up

Comes in sizes to fit dogs from Chihuahuas to Labs and anything in between

The bright, multi-colored lights will make you visible on even the darkest night (plus, they’re just plain fun!)

Shop on Chewy

If you have a medium- to large-sized dog who backs out of other harnesses, the Ruffwear Web Master Pro is an option to consider. It’s my personal choice for my dog because the chest and belly straps keep him securely harnessed, while the extra padding keeps him comfortable. Online reviewers praise the safety of this model and say it’s equally useful for active younger dogs and aging dogs who need a little help. Designed for working dogs and canine adventure companions.

Why we like it:

A handle for controlled, balanced lifting

A customizable fit with adjustable, foam-padded straps

Two secure leash attachment points

Reflective trim for visibility

Find on Amazon

This low-cost pick has a lot in common with other harnesses on the list. The spongey padding and breathable mesh are comfortable for your dog, while the strong handles and connection points give you plenty of control. A good bargain is meaningless if the quality isn’t good, but luckily, reviews for this harness are very high. It’s a great all-purpose harness at a very pleasing price!

Why we like it:

Comes in five different sizes and colors

Reflective striping makes your dog easier to see in the dark

No pressure around your dog’s neck

Shop on Chewy

Other Great Dog Harnesses

In addition to the nine best harnesses above, these are some other well-reviewed harnesses you can buy online today.

Step-in harnesses that buckle in the back are great for small dogs who can’t wear a traditional collar or front-attaching harness. This colorful choice from Best Pet Supplies is made with plushy fleece and super-strong velcro to keep your dog comfy. Plus, it comes in five color options!

What we like about it:

Velcro, clip, and D-ring closures work together to provide a custom, secure fit

Easy to put on and take off

Cozy fleece padding with reflective striping helps with visibility at night and early morning

Shop on Chewy

If you and your pooch enjoy walking at night, you’ll appreciate the ultra-bright reflective stitching on this versatile harness from Rabbitgoo. With back and front leash attachments, plus a handy back handle for extra control in tight spaces, it gives you tons of options for walking your dog. Please note that this harness is recommended for medium-sized breeds.

What we like about it:

Comes in four sizes and colors

Designed to withstand weather all year round

Four adjustable straps for a custom fit

Verified review: Our reviewer liked the quality, ease of use, and fit of this harness, though found its no-pull claims to be lackluster when she used it with her puller of a puggle. “Even though it has a chest hook in the front, it does not provide any control over your dog if you hook your leash there.” She found instead that the harness worked better with the D-ring on the back. (There is the option of using two leashes, one clipped to the front and one clipped to the back, for extra control).

Find on Amazon

This slick silver harness has a unique triangular design that distributes pressure and makes for easy adjustments to fit your big dog. The locking attachment points are extra-secure for dogs who pull, and there’s a top handle to grab and use when your dog needs extra control or help getting over an obstacle on the trail. Reviewers love the cute dog print on the chest, too.

What we like about it:

Breathable and weather-resistant material

Appropriate for dogs with large chests

Front and back D-rings

Find on Amazon

Here’s a bright, no-pull harness that comes in every color of the rainbow and then some. Get a couple of different colors to match your dog’s mood! But it’s not just fashionable: with quick-snap buckles, two sturdy metal leash attachment points, and a dual-elastic construction, it’s comfy and safe for your dog to wear for hours.

What we like about it:

Chest strap includes a lock for extra security

Reflective stitching helps with night and early morning visibility

Three adjustable straps for increased comfort and safety

Find on Amazon

Looking for a comfy step-in vest harness for your dog? This one is cute and practical, with strong double-layer mesh to keep your pup comfortable. It comes in a wide array of colors to match any dog’s personality. And it’s a great deal! Reviewers note how important it is to measure your dog to find the correct fit.

What we like about it:

Eco-friendly: made from recycled material

Designed to ensure puppies and small dogs won’t slip out

Easy to put on with just one buckle and adjustable strap

Shop on Chewy

This durable, lightweight car harness has a broad padded chest plate for extra protection and comfort. The large leash connection loop makes it easy to hook up a leash and take off on a walk, and the included seat belt attachment keeps your dog securely clicked in on the road. It’s a versatile, adjustable harness that goes from walks to car rides in a snap. And reviewers love the low price point for quality materials.

What we like about it:

Comes in eight colors and four sizes

No pressure around your dog’s neck

Two chest straps are great for dogs who don’t like to step into a harness

Find on Amazon

Why You Should (or Shouldn’t) Use a Harness

Using a harness in addition to a collar makes it easier to manage your dog on a leash. Plus, harnesses have other advantages:

They offer better control on walks

They discourage pulling by redirecting your dog

Harnesses can double as mobility aids for dogs who need a little help getting up and down

If your dog has a habit of backing out of their collar, a harness can be a literal life-saver

Brachycephalic (flat-faced) breeds sometimes have trouble with collars that put pressure on their necks. A harness helps redistribute pressure and keeps your Pug or Frenchie breathing easy.

Despite all the advantages of harnesses, some dogs still do better with a collar. In particular, if your dog loves to pull from the chest, or gets easily tangled in their leash, a flat collar may be just fine. But for many dogs, the right harness can make a world of difference.

Further Reading

Featured image via Wikimedia

Elisabeth Geier is a writer, teacher, and animal advocate with extensive animal handling experience and a soft spot for bully breeds and big orange tabbies.

sidebar

The Dog People Newsletter

Sign up and get $25 off pet sitting and dog walking!

source http://www.luckydogsolutions.com/we-review-the-15-best-dog-harnesses-for-every-kind-of-dog/ from Lucky Dog Solutions https://luckydogsolutions.blogspot.com/2020/07/we-review-15-best-dog-harnesses-for.html

[barryswamsleyaz]

We Review the 15 Best Dog Harnesses for Every Kind of Dog

<!– Paste this code right after the tag on every page of your site. –>

Our website uses cookies. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our use of cookies. To see what cookies we serve and set your own preferences, please review our Cookie Policy. Learn More.

ShareShare

Updated July 14, 2020 | For Dog People By Elisabeth Geier

This post contains affiliate links. Read more here.

Table of Contents

Some dogs need more than a plain old collar. Whether your dog pulls on the leash, has mobility constraints, or is easily distracted, a harness may be your new best friend. It’s less stressful on your dog’s neck and provides you with more control on walks.

Harnesses come in a variety of styles and uses. Before buying a dog harness, consider the following:

Safety and durability. Can you adjust the fit? Will it hold up to extensive use?

Comfort. Is it designed to keep your dog feeling comfy while in use? Does it avoid putting pressure on their throat and neck? Is it adjustable for a solid fit?

Cost. Is it affordable? A good harness is an investment, so don’t go for the bargain. But you should be able to find a good option at a reasonable price.

Style. Your dog may not care what they look like, and utility should be your primary goal in selecting a harness. But that doesn’t mean you can’t look for something spiffy

Whatever kind of dog you have, there’s a harness to suit them. We know because, well, the Rover community walks a lot of dogs.

The Best Dog Harnesses for Every Kind of Dog

The harnesses we’ve rounded up here are recommended based on a combination of in-house testing (indicated by verified reviews), well-researched online reviews, and my own experience as a dog owner of two rescue pit bulls. Read on for the dog harnesses we recommend, plus a bonus list of additional harnesses we like.

One of two Ruffwear picks on our list, the Front Range is a perfect go-to harness for any dog. It slips over your dog’s neck, and with one sturdy clip, you’re ready to go. The softly padded chest provides comfort and a secure fit, and its rugged materials keep it safe in all weather.

Why we like it:

Four adjustment points for a custom fit

Comes in lots of colors for visibility and style

ID pocket lets you slip in tags or a paper note for easy identification.

Verified review: “I loved how durable the harness looked and felt. The padding on the chest plate felt comfortable to the touch, and I think this harness will be gentle on my dog’s skin. I also loved that this harness offers both front and back clips. My dog is not a big puller when she walks, so I’ve never felt the need to look for a front-clip harness—but now that the Ruffwear offers both options, I’ll definitely be trying out both leash positions.”

Find on Amazon Find at REI

This padded harness is great for deep-chested big dog breeds like German Shepherds and Boxers. Its adjustable straps ensure a good fit, and the metal D-ring leash attachment point is heavy-duty and secure. As a bonus, the Expawlorer harness has a reflective strip across the top for safe walking in low light.

Why we like it:

Extra-thick straps for comfort and support

Handle on back offers more control

Comes in lots of vibrant colors

Find on Amazon

The Puppia harness is a best seller for a reason. Its soft, lightweight mesh is comfortable for your smaller dog. In addition, the material is durable and easy to clean, so it can handle a muddy winter walk. Best of all, the Puppia harness comes in tons of bright colors for the fashionable little dog on the go. Sizes run small, so be sure to double-check the size chart and measure your dog before ordering!

Why we like it:

Soft material won’t rub or irritate your dog’s delicate underarm skin

Webbed material distributes force evenly across chest

Adjustable neck and chest straps help ensure dogs can’t back out of the harness

Verified review: “The large fits my 20-pound Cavalier King Charles Spaniel very well as he has a deep chest. The medium also fit but I didn’t feel it was long enough for him. It’s really nice not having to pull the harness over his face and ears! I prefer this version to the original. He seems very content wearing it for walks and car rides—so much so that he tends to pull a bit while wearing it—he doesn’t pull while wearing other types of harnesses.”

Shop on Chewy

For dogs who walk like they’re pulling a wagon, a no-pull dog harness can make all the difference. My dog trainer recommended the Freedom harness, and I agree it’s effective. It may look basic, but its ingenious design with the front clip saved my back (and arms, and everything else) when my dog was at his pulling-est. Online reviewers praise it for its gentle control. It comes with a double-connection training leash too.

Why we like it:

Four adjustment points for a safe, comfortable fit

Dog owners who have reviewed this harness rave over how well it prevents pulling, and how comfortable their dogs are in the harness

Comes in lots of bright colors

Verified review: “This is sturdy and well made: The straps that go under the belly/into the armpits are soft and velvety. I like that this harness seems pretty inescapable and gives me control when my dog pulls and is reactive. You can clip in the front or back, and it’s easy to figure out which side is which because the straps are different colors.”

Shop on Chewy

Pugs, Boston Terriers, and other brachycephalic (flat-faced) breeds need harnesses that protect their necks from pressure. Pug enthusiasts love the PetSafe Easy Walk harness because its strong, adjustable straps help distribute pressure evenly across the dog’s chest and belly.

Why we like it:

Quick-snap buckles make it easy to put on and take off

Differently colored straps make it easy to put on correctly every time

Strong, soft nylon is secure and easy to clean

Shop on Chewy

Best Walk-to-Car Harness: Kurgo Tru-Fit (Verified Review)

Do you drive your dog to a walking trail? If so, you’ll want to buckle them up for the ride. The Kurgo Tru-Fit harness is designed with safety in mind and is crash-rated for dogs weighing up to 75 lbs. Best of all, unlike many car-restraint harness systems, the Kurgo Tru-Fit is equally comfortable and useful as a walking harness.

Why we like it:

Several adjustment points for a secure fit

Padded chest plate and wide straps keep your dog comfortable

Comes with a seatbelt tether to secure your dog in the car

Verified review: “The fit was spot on. Whiskey is a Boxer mix, medium-sized (45 lbs) and has a very broad chest but tiny waist. Sometimes it’s hard to find harnesses or coats that are big enough for his chest area. This one was perfect! Whiskey is a leash-puller, so it’s nice to have the option to clip in front or back. The firm fit gave better support and Whiskey seemed to like it a lot on our walk to the beach.”

Shop on Chewy

If you frequently walk your dog in the dark, this light-up LED harness is a must-have. It comes in sizes small to extra large, fitting dogs weighing anywhere from 10 to 100 pounds. The adjustable straps ensure a secure fit, and the bright, colorful LED lights mean you’ll be seen wherever you walk.

Why we like it:

Rainproof and machine washable for easy clean-up

Comes in sizes to fit dogs from Chihuahuas to Labs and anything in between

The bright, multi-colored lights will make you visible on even the darkest night (plus, they’re just plain fun!)

Shop on Chewy

If you have a medium- to large-sized dog who backs out of other harnesses, the Ruffwear Web Master Pro is an option to consider. It’s my personal choice for my dog because the chest and belly straps keep him securely harnessed, while the extra padding keeps him comfortable. Online reviewers praise the safety of this model and say it’s equally useful for active younger dogs and aging dogs who need a little help. Designed for working dogs and canine adventure companions.

Why we like it:

A handle for controlled, balanced lifting

A customizable fit with adjustable, foam-padded straps

Two secure leash attachment points

Reflective trim for visibility

Find on Amazon

This low-cost pick has a lot in common with other harnesses on the list. The spongey padding and breathable mesh are comfortable for your dog, while the strong handles and connection points give you plenty of control. A good bargain is meaningless if the quality isn’t good, but luckily, reviews for this harness are very high. It’s a great all-purpose harness at a very pleasing price!

Why we like it:

Comes in five different sizes and colors

Reflective striping makes your dog easier to see in the dark

No pressure around your dog’s neck

Shop on Chewy

Other Great Dog Harnesses

In addition to the nine best harnesses above, these are some other well-reviewed harnesses you can buy online today.

Step-in harnesses that buckle in the back are great for small dogs who can’t wear a traditional collar or front-attaching harness. This colorful choice from Best Pet Supplies is made with plushy fleece and super-strong velcro to keep your dog comfy. Plus, it comes in five color options!

What we like about it:

Velcro, clip, and D-ring closures work together to provide a custom, secure fit

Easy to put on and take off

Cozy fleece padding with reflective striping helps with visibility at night and early morning

Shop on Chewy

If you and your pooch enjoy walking at night, you’ll appreciate the ultra-bright reflective stitching on this versatile harness from Rabbitgoo. With back and front leash attachments, plus a handy back handle for extra control in tight spaces, it gives you tons of options for walking your dog. Please note that this harness is recommended for medium-sized breeds.

What we like about it:

Comes in four sizes and colors

Designed to withstand weather all year round

Four adjustable straps for a custom fit

Verified review: Our reviewer liked the quality, ease of use, and fit of this harness, though found its no-pull claims to be lackluster when she used it with her puller of a puggle. “Even though it has a chest hook in the front, it does not provide any control over your dog if you hook your leash there.” She found instead that the harness worked better with the D-ring on the back. (There is the option of using two leashes, one clipped to the front and one clipped to the back, for extra control).

Find on Amazon

This slick silver harness has a unique triangular design that distributes pressure and makes for easy adjustments to fit your big dog. The locking attachment points are extra-secure for dogs who pull, and there’s a top handle to grab and use when your dog needs extra control or help getting over an obstacle on the trail. Reviewers love the cute dog print on the chest, too.

What we like about it:

Breathable and weather-resistant material

Appropriate for dogs with large chests

Front and back D-rings

Find on Amazon

Here’s a bright, no-pull harness that comes in every color of the rainbow and then some. Get a couple of different colors to match your dog’s mood! But it’s not just fashionable: with quick-snap buckles, two sturdy metal leash attachment points, and a dual-elastic construction, it’s comfy and safe for your dog to wear for hours.

What we like about it:

Chest strap includes a lock for extra security

Reflective stitching helps with night and early morning visibility

Three adjustable straps for increased comfort and safety

Find on Amazon

Looking for a comfy step-in vest harness for your dog? This one is cute and practical, with strong double-layer mesh to keep your pup comfortable. It comes in a wide array of colors to match any dog’s personality. And it’s a great deal! Reviewers note how important it is to measure your dog to find the correct fit.

What we like about it:

Eco-friendly: made from recycled material

Designed to ensure puppies and small dogs won’t slip out

Easy to put on with just one buckle and adjustable strap

Shop on Chewy

This durable, lightweight car harness has a broad padded chest plate for extra protection and comfort. The large leash connection loop makes it easy to hook up a leash and take off on a walk, and the included seat belt attachment keeps your dog securely clicked in on the road. It’s a versatile, adjustable harness that goes from walks to car rides in a snap. And reviewers love the low price point for quality materials.

What we like about it:

Comes in eight colors and four sizes

No pressure around your dog’s neck

Two chest straps are great for dogs who don’t like to step into a harness

Find on Amazon

Why You Should (or Shouldn’t) Use a Harness

Using a harness in addition to a collar makes it easier to manage your dog on a leash. Plus, harnesses have other advantages:

They offer better control on walks

They discourage pulling by redirecting your dog

Harnesses can double as mobility aids for dogs who need a little help getting up and down

If your dog has a habit of backing out of their collar, a harness can be a literal life-saver

Brachycephalic (flat-faced) breeds sometimes have trouble with collars that put pressure on their necks. A harness helps redistribute pressure and keeps your Pug or Frenchie breathing easy.

Despite all the advantages of harnesses, some dogs still do better with a collar. In particular, if your dog loves to pull from the chest, or gets easily tangled in their leash, a flat collar may be just fine. But for many dogs, the right harness can make a world of difference.

Further Reading

Featured image via Wikimedia

Elisabeth Geier is a writer, teacher, and animal advocate with extensive animal handling experience and a soft spot for bully breeds and big orange tabbies.

sidebar

The Dog People Newsletter

Sign up and get $25 off pet sitting and dog walking!

from Lucky Dog Solutions http://www.luckydogsolutions.com/we-review-the-15-best-dog-harnesses-for-every-kind-of-dog/ from Lucky Dog Solutions https://luckydogsolutions.tumblr.com/post/623687602465357824

[fanfic-inator795]

RotTMNT/Baron Jitsu fanfiction: Dating… With Children - BONUS CHAPTER

((Just consider this a bonus chapter that could pretty much take place at any day during the story, since it's more drabble-like than the other chapters.

As much as I LOVE writing cute Baron Jitsu stuff, the other main part of this story is Draxum also bonding with the boys and learning to become a worthy stepdad. (or, second dad? Since Lou was never married before? Whatever) And I really didn't want that part of the story to sorta fall by the wayside in favor of romance so, here's a whole chapter focusing on Draxum and the boys. Enjoy! ^v^))

Draxum had never really had much experience with kids in his adult life. No brothers or sisters meant no nieces or nephews, cousins or other distant relatives weren’t really much of an option either, and the lab he worked at wasn’t exactly the type to get field trips.

Still, dating a man with four young boys allowed him to learn quickly and pick up on little things. One of the things he had noticed right away was that once a child thought of you as a good person - or at the very least, considered them someone they trusted enough and didn’t mind being around - they wanted that person to know every single detail about them.

Whether that be their favorite food (pizza, though each of them had vastly different favorite side dishes, snacks, desserts and juice. Draxum honestly wasn’t sure how Lou could keep it all straight), their favorite colors (that one was as obvious as, well, as the colored shirts they were wearing) or, the most ‘important’ of all, their favorite toys…

“-And this is The Annihilation, an’ this is Liberty Bill - he’s part of the Liberty League.”

“Naturally,” Draxum said dryly, adjusting his position slightly on the boy’s floor so that his legs didn’t fall asleep.

“Yeah, they’re okay. My brothers really like them though. But my favorite is-” Raph grinned, holding up an action figure in an orange leotard with a white cape and bear ears on his mask. “GHOST BEARRRR!”

“Ghost Bear, hm?” The scientist could hardly keep himself from rolling his eyes. How on Earth did these wrestlers come up with such ridiculous names and costume themes? Then again, they probably had to do something to help keep the audience’s attention, along with all the manufactured drama between the so-called ‘athletes’. It was no wonder so many children were fans of it.

“-and he’s always won every fight, and he’s super strong and just SO COOL!” Raph continued as he shook the figure around, “An’ sometimes, when I’m playing wrestling with him, I have him tag team up with other bears!”

The boy in red raised back over to his closet and began to pull out not more action figures, but instead plushies. First a small black bear Beanie Baby - “This is Capt’n Snuggles-” then a much bigger, much more plush bear with a small lab coat- “and this is Dr. Huggenstein, you’d probably like him ‘cause he’s a doctor like you-” and finally, a slightly smaller and very well-loved brown bear plushie covered in stitches and patches- “And THIS is Cheech! He was my first teddy!”

Raph’s smile softened a bit as he hugged the toy. He and Cheech had been friends for a long time… Since before he met Lou, since before he met his brothers! And as far as Raph was concerned, they were going to be friends forever.

“...It- er, He definitely seems special then,” Draxum commented.

Raph nodded. “Yeah, he’s great…” He then scowled slightly. “Some of the older kids back at my old home didn’t think so though. They said havin’ teddy bears makes you a baby, but I didn’t believe them…” Even when their words hurt. “Teddies are cool, and so are real bears.”

“Indeed,” the scientist agreed, “After all, they’re resourceful, resilient, protective of their young-”

“Yeah!” Raph smiled, hugging Cheech again, “And strong too! Really strong, like me! But they’re not jerks or anything, they’re just bein’ bears! That’s why I like them!”

Draxum smiled a bit, watching as Raph began to make Cheech wrestle Liberty Bill. “A good choice for a favorite animal, then...”

….

“I can’t believe you’ve never heard of Jupiter Jim!” Leo shook his head. What, did grown ups just miss out on ALL the fun stuff in life? “My brothers and I have seen all his movies!”

“Oh? All of them?”

“...Weeeell, maybe not all of them-” Sixty movies was a lot, even for a young fan, and some of them hadn’t been re-released on dvd yet- “But we’ve still seen a lot of them, and that’s more than you!”

“Hmph, fine, fine, I’ll give one of them a watch sometime,” Draxum half-promised. He enjoyed the sci-fi genre well enough but, much like the Lou Jitsu movies, Jupiter Jim always just seemed too cheesy for him. At least with the Lou Jitsu movies, he could still count on well done and realistic fight choreography as well as a performance by who he considered was a much more charming lead. ...Not that he had any biases or anything.

“You gotta watch ‘em,” Leo insisted as he dragged out yet another plastic vehicle, this one being a moon buggy (or at least, the Sci-fi Hollywood version of one) with a miniature version of the titular character himself in the driver’s seat. “Especially the ones where he’s gotta make an escape in his buggy, they’re SO cool! And he explores planets, and fights the bad aliens and monsters while saving the good ones!”

With a hop and a determined smirk, Leo activated his light-up space sword. Draxum made sure to take a couple steps back as the boy began swinging it around, but thankfully Leo had practiced enough (and seen the movies enough) that he knew the moves well enough. “Jim’s just the best!” Leo continued, “He’s cool, he’s good at sword fighting, and he can always think of a plan to win and get away and save the day! And he gets to do this all while in space! On the moon! In SPACE!”

Draxum smirked. “I take it you like space?”

“Don’t you?”

“Point taken.”

“It just makes everything cooler and awesomer,” Leo shrugged, “And I’m gonna try to go to the Moon sometime too. You know, in the future. But until then, I’m just gonna keep watching Jim go there.” Suddenly, the boy went quiet, glancing around for any eavesdroppers before bringing his voice to a loud whisper. “And don’t tell Dad but… Sometimes I think Jupiter Jim is even better than the Lou Jitsu in the movies!”

Draxum nearly snorted at that, managing to just barely hold back his chuckles as he promised, “I won’t say a word…”

…

“Leon might’ve said that Jupiter Jim was the best, but he’s wrong ‘cause he just can’t see who the REAL best character in those movies is!” With a bit of a dramatic flair, Donnie spun around to reveal the doll he had taken off his bookshelf. “Ta-daaaa~!”

Draxum raised his eyebrow, trying to figure out what exactly he was looking at. The doll had spiky bright-green hair, pink skin, eyes that as far as he concerned were much too big for it, and a blue and purple outfit with an atom symbol on it’s belt. The doll also had a giant plastic hammer in it’s hand. “Oh. Well, it’s-”

“Her name is Atomic Lass!” Donnie stated, smiling as he went into the explanation, “She’s a friend of Jupiter Jim’s! She comes from this town on a far away planet called Uraniumville, where she fights crime using her metal hammer and these really neat radiation beams that come from her hands!”

“Ah, I see,” Draxum nodded. That sounded about right, totally in-line with the style of those movies. “Is that why you like her then? Because she’s powerful?”

“Well, yeah,” Donnie replied, looking at the doll, “But she’s also super cool, and super pretty, and tough and, of course, smart.” He smiled at that. “Really, REALLY smart. That was how she got her powers, ‘cause she was also a scientist on her home planet before she became a crime fighter!”

Draxum nodded again, completely understanding now. When most heroes only seemed to rely on muscles and power boost, he could understand rooting for one who also had a brain. Donnie then sighed, fiddling with the doll’s hair a bit. “I know radiation makes humans sick, but I still wish I could just get some uranium and be a hero too instead of just dying from it. And it’ll take me forever to be strong enough to use a giant metal hammer!”

“...” A bit concerning but nonetheless all part of the childhood fantasy, Draxum assumed. “Why don’t you just focus on the things you can do now that make you feel smart and strong, and then figure out the ‘hero’ parts later?” he suggested.

Donnie thought it over. “...I’m trying to get Pop to let me do another science experiment at home, but now I wanna do something else, like… Like making my own robot! They’ve got books on how to make ‘em, you know! I just gotta find the right library… There’s robots you can buy at the toy store too but, I really wanna make my own - and I KNOW I could!”

With how smart and talented the young boy in purple seemed to be, Draxum had no problem believing that Donnie very well could make his own simple robot. Making a mental note to look up robotic projects for children later on, Draxum just smiled back at him. “Sounds like the perfect project to me.”

Donnie was full-on grinning now, eyes determined and mind already whirling with ideas. “Yeah! First robots, and THEN figuring out a way to get superpowers!”

“Well, I’d still maybe put that idea away for now…”

…

If Mikey wasn’t holding a crayon or marker or paintbrush, then he was usually holding one of his brother’s toys. One of their many action figures, or one of Raph’s plushies or Leo’s toy cars or Donnie’s puzzle toys. All of these toys were happily borrowed, and as long as they were taken care of and eventually put back, the other Jitsu boys didn’t mind whatsoever.

Of course Mikey had his own toys - including a play kitchen where he could ‘practice’ until he was tall enough to safely reach the stove - but more often than not his brothers’ toys were just more interesting to him. ...Still, what he did have that was all his own and that he played with happily was all the more unique, as well as all the more fitting for the young artist.

“Here!” Mikey proudly beamed, shoving the large shoe box into Draxum’s hands, “Look!”

“Wow…” Slowly, Draxum picked up each item one by one. Dolls made out of clothespins and spoons covered in paint, string and googly eyes. Birds and nimals made with paper and sticks and glue (loooots of glue, much to the doctor’s slight annoyance). Creatures that Draxum had no idea what they could be, created with puff balls and chunks of styrofoam and pipe cleaners, but still obviously made with lots of love.

And finally, folded carefully at the bottom of the box, a crane made out of a single sheet of bright orange paper. “Origami, right?” Draxum asked.

“Uh huh,” Mikey nodded, gently taking it from him, “But I didn’t make this one, Papa did! He made it for me the first night we came here to live with him, when I was too excited to fall asleep.” He pulled at the tail a bit, making the crane’s wings flap. “He said that paper cranes caused good luck, and that some people try to make a thousand so they can get a wish! But I don’t need a wish, so I just make ‘em whenever I feel like it.”

“That’s fair,” Draxum smiled, “I’m not sure if you could fit a thousand cranes in this house, even if you wanted to.”

“Heh, yeah, it’d be wayyyy too crowded!” Mikey giggled. He looked at Draxum, and then back at his crane. “...Stay right there!” Mikey told him as he ran over to his small desk, pulling out a sheet of paper. Not having much of a choice, Draxum leaned back slightly on the child’s bed and watched him work.

Mikey was surprisingly meticulous for his age, his tongue poking out in concentration as he carefully did each fold, though not once stopping or making a mistake. It was as if this sort of craft just came naturally to him, or perhaps he’d just done it enough times to know the steps by heart. Either way, it was pretty impressive, Draxum had to admit. Once the actual crane was done, it was onto adding markings and designs with markers and crayon along with the finishing touch of a bit of glitter before finally being given to Draxum.

“Here!” Mikey said, holding the teal crane up as far as he could, “Now you can have a good luck crane too, and it’ll make sure you’ll find a neat science thing at your work, or that you have good dates with my papa!”

Draxum chuckled, taking the crane. “I don’t think I need good luck to have a good time with your father, but thank you very much, Mikey.”

The boy beamed, and quickly climbed back up onto the bed to give Draxum a hug. “You’re welcome!”

The colorful crane never did find its way to Draxum’s lab, whether that was on purpose or on accident. But, it did however find a nice home on his nightstand, silently greeting him each night at bedtime and each morning when he woke up.

So, good luck or no, at least there was the small smile that it always seemed to put on his face whenever he noticed it - which only made sense, considering the place (and the family) it came from...

((It's been several episodes since Raph's mentioned his teddy bear collection in 'Mascot Melee', just SHOW US THE TEDDIES ALREADY! His collection sounded so cute, and I absolutely loved the names he had for them, lol. Also Leo being a huge space/scifi nerd in any incarnation is just amusing to me, heh. But yeah, hope you guys liked this! Next time, more Baron Jitsu with a bit of drama thrown in! See you then!))