#I can sew clothes - more or less - and I feel a plush takes a lot less artistic skills than drawing so uh yeah

[starsmuserainbow]

Guess who just browsed through that one popular "ppl sell their crafts" just for the sake of it, and got thinking through that.

One of these days, I really should find the motivation together to at least try for once to make my own plush, or something. Idk. I just really wanna be able to have merch for my own characters, and how am I supposed to get that if not by doing it myself?

[maochira]

hey!! i was wondering if you can do some headcanons for a reader who has a massive plushie collection with barou, rin, aryu, hiori, and niko(underrated king i need more content about him). they wouldn’t even guess that reader would be the type of person to collect that sort of stuff until they see that literally every corner of their room is filled with plushies (literally my dream). they can also tell that it must’ve cost a lotttt of money to gather that much. maybe they even recognize some of their favorite characters in the collection

can be platonic or romantic connections with the characters. i don’t mind either way! feel free to remove any character if it’s too much. thank youuuu <33

Adding two more characters cause <3 I love plushies so much (I also collect them)

Characters: Barou, Rin, Aryu, Hiori, Niko, Raichi, Tokimitsu

Requests open! - masterlist

Tags: gn!reader, can be seen as platonic or romantic

The first time Barou walks into your room, he's shocked at the sight of your plushies. Not because he thinks you're weird for collecting them (okay, maybe a little) but because he hates how unorganized they are. Why are some of them all over the floor? Why do they take up an unnecessarily big amount of space on your bed? Before he even says anything, Barou starts tidying up your plushy collection. He's sorting them by franchises and colours and also putting them in places where they look the best. Barou wants you to keep them this neatly because he thinks if they mean so much to you, you should treat your plushies with care like this.

Rin doesn't understand why you have so many plushies. And even less does he understand why you would spend so much money on them. He tries to not say anything judgy, but the look on his face while he observes your room says everything. And the longer Rin stays in your room, the more uncomfortable he gets. He feels watched by the many eyes of your plushies which creeps him out a little. This guy loves horror movies but gets creeped out by cute plushies? Apparently, yes. But you get to have fun teasing him about that. Although, over time he slowly gets used to your plushies. And after a few more weeks, he actually starts liking them.

Aryu absolutely adores every single one of your plushies ever since the first moment he got to see them. He buys a lot of clothes which are actually meant for baby dolls, but dresses your plushies in them instead. Each time he visits you, he's having the time of his life dressing up all the plushies together with you and taking photos of them. For some plushies, he doesn't find any fitting clothing, so Aryu starts sewing some on his own. They may be plushies, but he knows you love them, so they deserve to be stylish. They absolutely need to be stylish.

Seeing your plushies for the first time caught Hiori completely off guard. He didn't expect your room to look like that at all, but he quickly starts loving them. He's not vocal about it, but it's obvious how much he adores every single one of your plushies. His attention constantly drifts off and instead of looking at you, his gaze wanders to the shelf full of plushies right behind you. He hasn't thought about plushies in a very long time, but now he kind of wants to have one for himself. Luckily, before he leaves your place, you put a cute little blue bunny plush into his hands.

Niko doesn't seem to mind your plushies at first. He doesn't think anything of them and mostly ignores the fact that they are even there. But then he spots some plushies of anime characters on your desk. He knows most of the characters, but not all of them. So he obviously gets curious and starts asking questions about which animes they're from. Niko already owns a bunch of anime merch, but for some reason, he hasn't thought about buying plushies of his favourite characters until now when he got the idea because of you. He's already thinking about which ones he wants to get, but he'll probably need your help to decide. Of course your answer will be to buy all of them.

Raichi's first reaction to your plushies should have been predictable. But you're still startled for a moment when he walks over to one of the big plushies and punches it without hesitation. After asking why he did that, Raichi only laughs and says he thinks it's funny. Then he continues doing the same to other plushies, thinking you find it funny as well. Only when he looks back at you he realizes you don't think it's funny at all and you're getting upset instead. Raichi feels embarrassed and quickly apologizes, but he doesn't feel like that's enough, so he goes on and apologizes to every plushie he punched as well.

Tokimitsu treats your plushies extremely gently with a lot of care, almost as if they were real living beings. Every time he touches them he does it very carefully and whenever he pushes one to the side only by a little bit, he apologizes to the plushie. Tokimitsu knows how much every single plushie means to you. That's why he wants to treat them with as much care as he can, because that's how he knows you treat him. And of course, he treats you like that as well. It's always cute to watch whenever he interacts with your plushies and how he talks to them with genuine care.

Taglist (sign-up link): @kaineedstherapy12 @zyuuuu @luvcalico @remy-roll @truegoist @vanitasbrainrot @weichspuelertrinker @acacIa @kermitslefteyeball11 @futuristicxie @bluelock4life @https-archangel @userwithlotsoftime @nikokii @slowlyholypeanut @astruosie @gojosorrygeto @rienniey @kalinkavx @blueberrryui @keiidaydreams @sagejin @ririgards @depressed-bitchy-demon @kaiserkisser @chaosinanutshell @mang05 @wheresmysoulidk @rzu @orah-s @thedaisy78

[rimeiii]

Random demon HCs (SFW)

Eyo, it's your girl, the one WHB poster who's interested in this game for all the wrong reasons with something non-gameplay related for once! Part of what definitely interests me is the demons in general and how they'll play off with each other + the MC. Doesn't even have to be related to the sexy stuff - some of these demons I feel have the potential to have interesting and complex dynamics with each other, particularly the Avisos demons!

So, um. Yeah. Enjoy my brainrot-

(Also I will be particularly biased towards the demons who've caught my eye. Refer to tier list below. So, um. Yeah. Sorry about that orz)

I feel like out of all the demons in Hell, Belial would be the one most attuned to music. He'd be the one to replay songs again and again, probably wearing noise-cancelling headphones so that he'll truly be immersed in the music. He probably used to love singing as a child, so when his voice was taken away, he was completely and utterly devastated. To compensate, he'd take up an instrument (like an acoustic guitar) or learn how to compose, so that at least he can express his love for music and performance...

Gusion desperately wants to cut down on work, but it's hard. He spends countless days and nights just going around solving problems - and there's an abundance of them in Hell. Honestly, he thought of creating systems to help streamline his work and problem-solving shenanigans, but holy shit everyone just loves wrecking those too, huh. After calculating and approximating the time and effort required to perform his duties, merely solving issues as they crop up is the more effective and less tiring solution to everything. Which is saying something, when that in itself is already tiring as fuck.

Leviathan is a gentleman, through and through. Cool, calm, and collected on the outside, he practically perfected the art of hiding away his negative emotions behind a charming smile and a no-nonsense attitude on the battlefield. The only people able to pry away his emotions from beneath the mask are his fellow kings, the demons of Hades, and eventually MC. And even then, he'll only be able to show his most vulnerable sides to his nobles and, again, MC (eventually). It's hard to win his trust and openness, what with his jealousy often getting in the way of him forming healthy relationships with others.

Beelzebub is actually a pretty bad cook. Like, Mystery Food X levels of bad - at least, starting out. Now, though? Well, the people who said they enjoyed his cooking have somehow deluded themselves to think it's good before the side effects kick in. Does it have hallucinogenic properties? Is it a side effect of Beelzebub's tendency to have weird things happen around him? Or perhaps he really did improve on his cooking? Who knows...who knows.

Naberius and Gusion are the perfect drinking buddies. They'd get together at a random pub somewhere in Hell when they have the time, and they'll spend their time getting buzzed while unloading everything weighing them down at the moment. Honestly, this started as an effort to help Naberius - letting out his emotions bit by bit to ensure everyone's safety is much more preferable than letting his anger and annoyance explode to an extent he becomes a Kerberos. Sometimes, they'll be joined by Bael, although rarely as he is standing in for Beelzebub. More often, Satan shows up and chats with them, as amiable as always - and they end up being his main listening ears if he needs to vent. Satan's secrets are always safe with them, and for that, he is forever thankful.

Leraye and Paimon often make things together! The former has a knack for sewing, while the latter has a lot of ideas for clothes and stuffed toys! Working together, they'd be able to create a large variety of trendy clothing and cute plush toys.

I know a lot of people HC this but yes, Marbas would be a gentle giant. While he's aroused by being restrained, I'd like to think the reason why he's always restrained is because something bad happened while he was doing something while not being restrained. Perhaps he accidentally killed someone with his sheer strength, during a more "daily life" scenario. While his strength is his pride, his ability to heal is a larger source of pride for him - which is why he agrees with the notion that putting restraints on him is for the best.

Sitri is a tea connoisseur! He likes tea, knows which tea leaves are the best, how to make specific blends of tea, how long each tea needs to steep in order to bring out a specific sort of flavor...and among the demons in Hell, there are few who can appreciate the finer details in tea brewing like him. Some of these demons include Barbatos (surprisingly enough), Foras, Bael, Bathin, and Paimon. They regularly get together to sample his teas!

Whenever Bathin wants someone to accompany him in his travels, Amon often takes him up on his offer. They'll wander around without any prior destination, dealing with problems that crop up during their travels along the way. They both live in the moment while traveling, letting the winds dictate where they'll head to next. Amon deals with most of the logistics of travel while Bathin would focus more on finding and learning about the points of interest wherever they end up. An MC who enjoys traveling would love being travel buddies with them!

Mammon's way of showing his affection is gift-giving. Though his gifts might come across as overboard sometimes. Because what do you mean he already sent over some more jewels your way? Nobody needs that many jewels, sir! Either way, Tartaros is a prospering land purely because of the many treasures Mammon gives away to his people. Whether or not these overflowing treasures gets sent off to other areas is a different story entirely.

Andrealphus would be the most sympathetic towards MC, I feel. He knows how it feels to lose someone you care about deeply, to have your life ripped away from you in an instant. He had already been in that position a long time ago, and it would greatly please him if MC would let him support them any way he can - up to and including sticking by their side to protect them.

Out of all the demons in Paradise Lost, I feel like Morax would be the one most versed in the logistics involving healing and first aid. Which is understandable - his method of healing involves transferring his patient's wounds onto him in the form of pain. As a result, he'll have to be able to gauge just how far into the healing process he should perform with his abilities - especially on the battlefield. He'd have his nose buried in books during his free time just so he can increase his healing efficacy.

[helen-birb]

Got too silly, restuffed Pompom

My school had this little build a plush event where they handed out stuffies for you to dress up and more importantly, stuff with a provided bag of stuffing! I been meaning/thinking of getting Pompom refurbish ever since I discovered plushie hospitals but I could never send Pompom over to one since that's not only expensive but I would also be much too worried about her during her trip (what if her box gets lost? There are plenty of pompom kitties on the web but only one Pompom)

So I brought out the sewing kit I got for my birthday, cut out a hole in her back (sorry Pompom) and got to work getting all that gross 10 year old clumps. Despite their less that stellar condition I still feel a scene of nostalgia and I actually have a bit of it on hand as a memory.

I stuffed her to be a bit firm yet huggable but due to her position she's now in a perma lying down pose. This is fine by me since she's now so much huggable and squishy, although I probably should had played off the stuffing in the limbs so they can be more floppy but again, no big deal. It honestly feel amazing just hold her and carrying her around now, before it always felt like I was gripping onto her for dear life, especially if I had other thing on hand (which I often do, that Helen swag man). She feels... like my other, newer stuffies and made me think "oh, that's what she's supposed to feel like" and its making me a bit emotional.

The tail may be my favourite part, it was so flat and had this big nasty that was convenient for taking all the stuffing out, and now it had some dimension. My next goal in "operation refurbish Pompom" would defiantly be putting back some fur so it would be backing anymore. I think needle felting would be perfect for that but if any crafty fellows here have better ideas hit me up.

One sad thing about destuffing Pompom is that before, her non existent mass meant she was very poseable and floppy, easy to shake around and made to sit. Now that she some girth to her though, its a lot more challenging since her front paws really bad want to return to the A post (mainly her right paw oddly enough) Its possible with enough force and a bit of pressure but future photo taking might be more difficult.

Another thing is that for my birthday, I bought her some clothing to wear and they now are a bit tighter now that she's plump. This should have been expected but I didn't really think of that and thankfully she still fits in her clothes, just now fills them a bit more :)

Thank you for all who reads this, I did not expect this to become an essay, guess I had more thought than I expected. Sorry that there were no wip photos, I was very much in the moment working on her and didn't want to ruin that by taking pics (The image of flat Pompom is mine alone to see). I didn't do any deep clean or anything like because frankly I just want to make Pompom can still look good even 10 years after I first got her. She's a very important friend to me and I want her to be study enough to be with me for at least another 10 years.

[goddess-pan]

Tailor!Reader in Dream SMP

Dsmp x reader prompt; Tailor!Reader in Dream SMP. Credit would be appreciated so more people can find this and make their own things based on it.

Can fully be read as platonic. GN!reader with they/them pronounce as a placeholder so anyone can adapt it however they want. Both general and character specific parts included.

Characters who have a lot written for/about; Eret, Ranboo, Foolish, Tommy, Technoblade, Philza and Michael. Mentioned; Tubbo, Sam Nook, Purpled and Foolish Jr.

This ended up being super long so I’m putting it under the cut in order not to clutter people’s pages. My personal favourite part is Phil’s and Techno’s part. These could be read as headcanons but are still available as a prompt(s) to use for anyone.

------------------------------

The reader joining after the doomsday as a time frame in my mind.

The reader helping people patch up their current clothes since most of it got pretty banged up during the doomsday, and it's not like they can just go get a new outfit since quite a few people had just lost all their belongings and only had the clothes on their back. So at first prioritizing helping patch up the current clothing people were wearing and then moving on to making some simple fast to make and easy on the resources clothes for people. Just like basic shirts and shorts/pants, nothing fancy. Then when everyone has at least a couple of different clothes to change to and from starting their own business to sell people more if they wanted. However waving payment if they brought them the materials and what they wanted wasn't overly complicated.

People at first thinking they are just some chump who knows basic sewing or something. A very kind chump, but still a chump. So imagine their surprise when one day they are just walking by the reader's now established tailors and they see these absolutely stunning designs displayed at the windows. 

Just like their reactions seeing these beautiful designs they can't help but stare at. I'd imagine some of them just doing a double take when they walk by, someone pressing their face up to the glass trying to see it closer, the braver ones going inside and talking to the reader about their designs and the more anxious and/or shy ones only going inside when the reader isn't there to look at designs closer. 

And the reasons they like/are amazed by the designs vary also ! Some just have monkey brain that goes "Pretty. WANT", some who just love the colour and art of the pieces, some who imagine how epic this design or others would look on them, some who love the fashion aspect of it and of course the very small portion who actually know anything about tailoring/sewing and the amount of work that goes into making something intricate.

Some specific character/group interactions I thought of;

Making warm well insulated clothes for people moving to Snowchester so they don't freeze. +A warm cape for Ranboo for the same reason.

Eret being one of the firsts (if not the first) to get himself a fully tailored and customized outfit. Them also being the first and very possibly only person to get a dress or a skirt since most of the other people on the server prefer to wear pants (excluding maid dresses which people might get as joke). The reader crying in joy for getting to design something different for once. And hey if the reader ends up making a few extra ones that she didn't order, but decided to give her anyway it was all just some extra ones they had lying around, never mind the fact that the dresses/skirts are perfectly tailored for Eret and are her style. Just a coincidence, nothing suspicious there. Eret also models for the reader and once he even convinced them to hold a fashion show to showcase some of their work to the whole server. Of course he was the main model presenting the outfits.

At start of the reader beginning to display their designs at their shop Ranboo sees a really cool looking suit on display and his brain just goes "Want." He probably wouldn't be able to buy anything pre-made and be comfortable in it due to his physique. And him having just moved into the arctic and only starting to get settled in, he doesn't have comfortable enough funds for him to get something as expensive as a custom tailored suit AND have enough for any possible rent that he might be required to pay. 

Eventually when he gets richer he starts considering getting one but the anxious side of him always ends up winning and he doesn't. However once he finally gets the courage to go commission the suit for himself he doesn't regret it at all. The reader did their best to not overwhelm him and to make it the best possible experience. Just imagining the absolute joy he would feel for having a properly fitting suit that's made just for him, not too short sleeves nor too wide torso and shoulders, just perfect. If he ends up ordering a couple more suits that's between him and the reader. He actually ends up probably being their most frequent and reliable customer.

And we should all know why that is, but let me clarify just in case; Michael.

The reader basically becoming Michael's personal stylist (/hj) . Not only does Ranboo buy a god awful amount of clothes for Michael, the reader also makes some free ones for him. The free ones are things the reader felt like designing since they absolutely adore Michael and the ones Ranboo pays for are commissioned by him. Michael absolutely has the biggest wardrobe in the whole server. The reader learning how to make plushies so Michael could have some more toys, this learning experience including learning to crochet and knit to see what he like best.

Using their newly acquired plush making skills, the reader starts their quest to make some plushies for others after seeing people stare at the plushies wistfully either while they were working on them or seeing Michael with the plushies. People who got them include the minors, their close friends and basically anyone they thought might benefit from them. Some of the ones they made (that I could think of);

Of course a bee for Tubbo, but also throwing in a little ram one as well

Ranboo gets a grass block plush/pillow

Tommy gets a cobblestone block plush and a cow plush. He also later receives a Sam Nook plush while he's working on the hotel

Purpled getting two different sized ufos, one to hold and the other more of a big pillow

Eret definitely gets a flamingo plush

Foolish gets a totem and a gold block plushies

Phil gets crow plush as well these tiny fake coin and gem plushies (the latter causes problems for him which I'll expand upon later)

Techno gets a pig one as well as polar bear one

Back to the individual/group part

The reader just chilling w/ Foolish as a fellow artists. Them talking about both their arts and catching up every time the reader comes to deliver something to Snowchester when Foolish is building the mansion. Just two pretty peaceful artists talking about their passions. I’d imagine Foolish and the reader could relate to each other and their place in the server due to their similar hobbies/jobs as well as their similar time of joining the server. Foolish's first commission from them being an intricate blanket for Foolish Jr so he could have a more comfortable resting place. He may or may not end up receiving that and several other (though less intricate) blankets as well as a tiny shark plush to give to Foolish Jr. Later on when the reader gets better at either knitting or crocheting they end up making a tiny shark jumper with a hood for Foolish Jr as well. Foolish would definitely cry when he sees his tiny shark baby. Any commissions of clothes for himself tend to always take some time due to sheer amount of work needing to be done due to his size so he always makes sure the reader doesn’t already have a lot on their plate and that they know he’s fine with waiting if they need to take a break from it.

Then there's Tommy, who they sometimes teach more about sewing since he already knows some basics. Him probably being the first person aside from Michael they make a plush for, due to him demanding one once he saw the reader making them. Then proceeding to get three plushies in rapid succession. The first being the cobblestone, the second being the cow and the third one being the Sam Nook one. He ends up losing one of them during the prison fiasco and when the reader asks if he'd like a new one they only get the answer of "Don't want to think about what happened and the same one might make me do that". He then promptly receives new clothing (so he isn't wearing the same ones he was wearing in prison) and some extra blankets (for comfort) from the reader. 

After Tommy meeting Michael does he use him to scam the reader to make them matching outfits for free? Yes, yes he does. Does it work? Yes, yes it does. Are they bothered by it? Not really, they look adorable in their matching outfits.

The reader being the source for Sam Nook's construction gear/clothes or at least the original patterns for them.

And then there's the arctic boys (minus Ranboo, who will still get mentioned) who are an interesting bunch clothing wise. The first one to commission the reader out of them would be Phil who got the original warm cape for Ranboo but also at the same time commissioned one for himself that would include slits for his wings. Eventually getting to design clothing for him which is always an exciting challenge with his wings. And when Phil finally manages to convince Techno to get something made for himself as well, Techno almost immediately gets addicted to having high quality clothing when they finish their first piece for him. The fun the reader has designing clothes for these boys is immeasurable with their different styles and needs in the clothing. Aside from clothing Techno also commissions them for a pet bed for Steve. 

When the boys got their plushies it was adorable but also a very chaotic. Techno giving his pig one to Steve so he wouldn't miss him when he was away from home, but also bringing the polar bear one with him when he couldn't or wasn't allowed to bring Steve with him but still needed comfort. While on Phil's side of things; he was showing his crows the crow plushie joking about he'll replace them if they aren't careful however he made the mistake of showing them the tiny coin and gem plushies as well. I want you to imagine hundreds of crows descending upon this poor fool of a man in the background while the reader is walking away hoping they like their plushies. 

The war that ensued the couple following days amongst the crows starts to cool down but the bickering doesn't, every waking moment Phil can feel eyes on him and one or more of the crows coming to complain about the others having had the shiny plushies for too long. He quickly caves under the pressure and commissions more of the tiny shiny treasure plushies. And by more I mean a lot more. 

When he finally has enough of the things he goes around distributing them to the crows. Finally a moment of peace, but he still feels like something is staring at him occasionally. Deciding to ignore it since it's finally quiet he goes to makes himself a cup of tea and while waiting for the water to boil he fishes out the few shiny plushies he had saved for himself. The second he does he feels eyes burning into him and now that it's quiet he hears it, quiet muffled snuffles and snorts of discontent. Then he sees what ‘it’ is, it's Techno behind the window looking at the shinies in his hand with such intensity Phil fears for his life (/hj). Phil just sighs deeply before walking over to the window and opening it. For a second Techno looks like a deer in headlights before returning to intensely staring at the shinies in Phil's hand before Phil just dumps the shiny plushies into Techno's hand and closes the window. Happy piglin noises can be heard outside while Phil debates the pros (getting to have shinies himself) and cons (the embarrassment of having to commission even more of the shiny plushies than he already has) of getting new ones from the reader. And in all this the reader has no idea the amount of chaos they inadvertently caused.

And finally; Techno commissioning robes/cloaks for whole the Syndicate to wear in their meetings, because he’s dramatic like that. But since he’s a thoughtful guy, he wants them all to fit the members well and not be uncomfortable to wear so he gets everyone’s measurements. Once he has them all he goes to the reader with the order for the robes, he has all the measurements written down under just Person 1, Person 2 etc. to keep their anonymity and when asked what the robes are for he just tells the reader it’s a book club. When he gets them all and the reader asks no further questions he thinks he’s gotten away with getting some cool robes for the Syndicate with their secrets safe. Little does he know the reader actually now knows all the members in the Syndicate since they can just reference the gotten measurements with everyone’s measurements written down from previous work done by them. Whether the reader thinks it’s some weird cult they all are a part of or just an actual book club people are too embarrassed to admit they are in, is up to interpretation. 

[thr-333]

Mismatch- Part 24

Bio dad Bruce Wayne Month 2020

Oh dear, oh dear Lila what a shame this is

First< Previous > Next

--------------------------

The next couple of days are... awkward. Dick keeps calling which is nice, they even go for dinner one day dragging Tim along. Tim seems fine, tired but that's hardly unusual. Jason had just straight up disappeared, but Dick had assured them he would be coming to the Wayne Gala that weekend. Speaking of which they had been invited, well they were already going because of MDC stuff but now they were also invited as civilians. The news would have been happy if Damian hadn't stormed out the room when it was mentioned. The next day and the day after that hadn’t improved anything, Damian was completely ignoring them and they weren't the only ones to notice.

“What did you do to upset Dami so much?!” Lila announces rather loudly to the entire cafeteria, “I told you, you were going too far,”

“Lila, and I mean this sincerely, fuck off,” Marion says flatly, he hears Marinette cover a laugh despite swatting at him lightly.

“How dare you?! I’m just trying to look out for him,” Lila sniffles, basking under the attention of her large audience, looking between the girl and Damian. Marion catches Damian's eye, raising a brow basically saying you’re going to let this slide? Apparently he was as Damian looks away from them, and if anything was going to give Lila more believability it’s that.

“Marion are you alright?” Rose asks gently, having tiptoed after Lila with the rest of the class. Had he been looking so downcast she actually noticed?

“I’m fi-” Whatever assurance he was about to give is mute as he feels tears sliding down his cheeks, “Fuck-I just-”

He tries to wipe away the tears, very aware of everyone watching him. It’s starting to get hard to breath when he feels gentle arms wrap around him. It’s Rose. Rose is actually hugging him! It’s been so long he forgot what her hugs felt like. Well if she was trying to stop him from crying that certainly didn’t help matters. He tries to take a calming breath but it comes out more like a sob and soon enough he can’t hold it back anymore. A fine place to break down Mari, really, truly a testament to your skill.

“I can’t believe you’re doing this here,” Lila scoffs, Marion can feel the arms around him tighten, “After all the work I put in for this trip-”

“LILA WOULD YOU JUST STOP!” Alya’s scream makes them all jump back, Marion turning to face the absolutely seething girl, “This is the first time in YEARS we’ve been allowed to feel emotions! So just leave it alone, they’re allowed to be sad!”

“Well-I-its-they-” Lila splutters looking completely blindsided that one of her puppets broke off its strings, clearly she hasn't been paying attention the last few weeks, funny when you save someone's life they tend to listen and care about what you say a bit more. And if that leads to noticing a few more jibes in their direction... well that's just a happy coincidence.

“What is your problem!? You’ve been nothing but nasty to them since we got here!” Well a bit longer than that but good on you for noticing Alya.

“Oh, it’s just been so hard for me!” Lila exclaims, crocodile tears coming in as Marion still tries to wipe off his own, the genuine article at that, “If you had heard some of the things they’ve said to me-”

Lila jumps as Damian appears next to her. He doesn't look at or acknowledge the twins. In fact, he still looks rather pissed but at least some of its directed at Lila this time. He silently hands his phone over to Alya with some hesitation, Lila's eyes go wide. As quickly as he had come he’s gone, disappearing into the crowd that had formed around them.

“What’s-”

“Give it!” Lila screeches, lunging for the phone. Alya jerks back in surprise, Lila’s nails tearing down her arm. Ugly red marks that had broken the skin and gone in deep.

“What the hell!” Alya shouts through tears, clutching her bloody arm as the class crowd around her.

Instead of apologizing Lila tries to snatch the phone in the moment of distraction, but Alix is a hair quicker. She presses play despite Lila shouting threats that made the rest of the class go pale. The recording plays everyone is glued to it. The class becoming increasingly more hysterical. Marinette doesn't wait for it to finish, she gently guides Marion out of the room slipping through the crowd. They hide in an empty classroom, far enough away they can’t hear the outcry that follows.

“Do you think that’s really it, it’s done?” Marion whispers, Marinette is wiping his face with a handkerchief he had always made fun of her for carrying.

“Maybe, I honestly can’t bring myself to care anymore,” Marinette rests her forehead against his, her standing as he sits on a desk, “I thought I’d feel more…”

“Victorious?”

“Yeah,”

“I don’t think there are any winners here,” He can hear someone shouting their names down the hall, voice wobbly with tears, he doesn't care about any apology the can muster, “How lame did I look crying?”

“In front of the whole school like that?”

“Yeah,”

“I’d say it was pretty brave,” She pulls him into a hug, squeezing tight.

“He was just ignoring us,” Marion admits quietly, Lila hadn’t made him cry in a long time, but Damian? Damian did.

“I know,” Marinette pats his head, the same way she would tease him as Chat Noir, “But he did something in the end didn’t he?”

“Oh, gee look at this lame-ass, better make him stop before people associate him with me’,” Marion does an impression not remotely close to Damian, Marinette pinches him.

“That’s not what he was thinking and you know it,”

“Yeah,” Marion sighs, he can hear doors opening and closing now, apologies cast out through the school in hopes they’ll hear them, “What do we do now?”

“Jump out the window?”

So they did end up jumping out the window. Something Alfred had somehow known they were planning because he was waiting right there to pick them up. The debated on actually going to the manor, but their phones were lighting up with messages and the hotel was not an option. The Manor was silent when they arrived. And it remained silent for most of their stay.

Dick had apparently set himself a mission of making them feel at home, whatever that meant, and was nowhere to be seen. He seemed like the only one actually happy to have them join the ragtag family so without him it was likely the others were just avoiding them. That was fine, really, Alfred set them up with a movie and ice cream that they used to ignore everything else.

Dick was their saving grace and the bane of their existence. When he came back he had apparently made the decision they would be staying at the manor for the rest of the trip, despite it only meant to be a few more days(it wasn't for them but he didn’t know that yet). Alfred had apparently told him what happened and he had brought it upon himself to bring their friends, actual friends not classmates to the manor. This was a blessing and a curse as all they seemed to want to do was fill them in on what had happened.

They listened and ate ice cream together. And yeah Marion kind of wished he could have seen Lila as every lie was torn down but Chloe rejoiced in relaying her reactions with great detail. She had of course tried to lie and turn it all on the twins, them trying to frame her. However, with blood running down Alya's arm that warranted a trip to the hospital it was met with a cold shoulder. Their talk eventually morphed into laughing at all her outlandish lies, which Chloe gladly compiled into a list to share with the rest of the class, ranking them in order of their stupidity. She planned to go through the whole list on the plane ride back where there would be no escape for anyone. It was fun in a way, and if Marion noticed more than one pair of eyes spying in on the conversation he wasn’t going to point it out. Lila was yet to face her dues.

When their friends had to go back to the hotel they promised not to give anything away. Alfred gratefully let them skip over dinner and Dick was overjoyed to show them to their rooms. Marion kind of wanted to laugh when he was shown his, wondering how much of it was Dick, how much was Bruce, and what was Alfred.

There were cat plushies everywhere which he had to guess was Bruce latching onto the detail from the fair and indeed Dough boy is sitting front and center on his bed. Then again wherever he was over he did spend a lot of time with Catfred. It could also be Dick taking note of that because really everything has cats on it. There's blankets, pillows, a rug with kittens over it. There was an armchair shaped like a cat head, and where had they even found that? It only got worse the further he went into the room noticing that the curtains had been replaced to have cats on them and there were pictures of cats hanging on the wall, the lamps in the room even cast shadows of cats. The only thing he could find that wasn't cat-related was a picture of them with Bruce at the fair, each sporting a plushie with Bruce holding a cutesy Batman plush between the grinning twins.

“Nette my defining trait isn’t cats is it?” He walks into her room through the joining door he was willing to bet didn’t exist a week ago. His side, of course, had a cat painted on it, he closes it just so he has less exposure to all the cats.

“Course not,” Marinette grins from her sewing machine.

She had a more, let's say subdued room. Oh sure Bruce had apparently found her all the Ladybug plushies he could but they apparently didn't have the same abundance as cats. Instead, he seemed to have focused on her sewing kit. Mannequins littered about her room that Marinette had already started pinning fabric to. Half of her walk-in closet was dedicated to spools of fabric, the other stocked with clothes. Marion didn’t dare brave his own knowing he would find only cats .

“Did you notice the dollhouse?” Marinette asks as Marion flops onto her bed, at least you could actually see her bed and it wasn't hidden by a pile of cats.

“Yeah mine was stocked with camembert and sugar cubes,” and it had personalized rooms for both Kaalki and Plagg that they were happily exploring.

“Mine cookies,” Marinette hums, more concerned with her design than the topic at hand, “Think we got found out,”

“Probably, whoever it is hasn't said anything tho,” Marion looks over at the large dollhouse in Marinette's room, Tikki waved at him from a window and he waved back.

“Probably Alfred,”

“Probably, that mans a witch,”

“A Witch?”

“I know what I said,” Marion sighs, sealing himself to go back into the cat infestation. How do you politely say ‘thank you so much but what the fuck?’

He knew he had to brave the closet sometime as someone had been so kind as to put away his clothes. Sure enough, it was as bad as he had imagined. Everything from t-shirts with cartoon cats to clothes carefully crafted to have cat ears. I was actually kind of amazing at this point. Giving up his conquest to find his actual pj’s he buttons up a two-piece that is, naturally, covered with cats.

On his way out he notices a bit of black at the very front of the closet not fitting in with the color-coded organization. He pulls it out to find a gorgeous leather jacket that was completely devoid of cats! Huzzah! There was a note hanging from the sleeve which Marion unfolded.

Knew Bruce and Dick would be idiots so I got you something actually decent

I saw the room and yeah it's a fucken mess

If you ever need it gone or I don’t know accidentally set on fire give me a call

Marion chuckles knowing it could be no one else but Jason he tucks the note into the jacket, pulling it on to find a perfect fit. He keeps it on as a shield, something solidly not-cat is comforting at this point. He pushes the piles of cat toys onto the floor and seriously he was going to have to have a talk with Bruce about moderation and interior decorating. He lies down looking up at the ceiling, then immediately getting up and storming into Nette’s room. He was not going to sleep under a mural of cats! Nope not tonight! Not ever!

Marinette doesn't even look up from where she’s hunched over her desk as he flops onto her bed. Can someone be over the moon to be surrounded by ladybugs? Yes provided they have had an overexposure to cats first.

“I know we don’t want to go to school tomorrow but I can not stand a second more in that room,”

“Schools over Mari, it’s the concert tomorrow remember?”

“Goddammit,”

“Jasons having a bad influence on you,”

“Can’t we have just one day of rest?”

“No, now go to sleep,”

“You first,” Marion shoots, back despite curling up under the blankets.

“If you want to wear that jacket tomorrow you better take it off before it gets ruined,”

“I can wear it for the concert?” He shoots back up, excited but takes her advice anyway.

“ No I did not spend weeks designing a new jacket for you to wear that,” Besides it doesn't even have bats on the back,”

“I’ve been thinking about that,” Marion yawns, sinking back into the bed, and wow it’s really soft, “What if we changed them to Robins?”

“... you really don’t want me to sleep tonight do you?”

“Means I get the whole bed to myself, a master plan if I do say so myself,” Marion doesn't even stir as the pillow hits him square in the face.

----------------------

Taglist:

@technicallyburninggarden @fusser90  @misslenamooney @superbwhispersconnoisseur @biodad-bruce-month @nalu-ismyjam @the-one-woman-army @rosesandsailboats @blackmagicforever @zeneralla @ivymala07 @tired-butterfly @Ranger-gothamite @A-star-with-a-human-name @enchanted-nerd @trippingovermyfeet

[sincerelyreidburke]

[“Another one??? Mel, are you okay?” No. I’m never okay. But have fun with this one anyway. Also on AO3.]

three years after graduation | january

 To say that Quinn is exhausted would be a bit of an understatement.

It's... been a long week, and the week isn't even quite over yet. It isn't like weeks being over makes much of a difference anyways, because with all things considered, there's always something to do no matter what day of the week it is. He's trying so hard to keep good spirits, and he's glad to say that for the most part, he's succeeding on that front. To be sure, he's tired— but being tired is an internal thing, and he refuses to let it affect external parts of his life. He may be very tired, and very busy, but he has responsibilities, and the importance of exactly none of those responsibilities is any less just because of the fact that there's a lot on his plate.

It's just that if Quinn is being honest, medical school is like having tech week every single week. Or perhaps not every week; that's rather dramatic. Many of them certainly feel like it, though. There's always an exam on the horizon— like the one coming up a week from now, and the most recent reason for his stress. On a less large-scale basis, there are daily assignments, grades to keep up, labs galore, the dreaded collaborative project with his fellow students. All of the work is towards a goal, of course, and will be well worth it once he finally makes it to the other side. He's learned quite well that the work is worth the goal, when it comes to his career. It's the whole reason he decided to go to medical school in the first place. It's just that the knowledge that it'll be worth it doesn't take away from the fact that it's hard, busy, difficult work. Any medical student knows this, and he was well warned before he chose to take this path that this was the way it was going to be.

Quinn, though— Quinn has an advantage. Quinn has something that many of his classmates don't have. Because when Quinn goes home at the end of each long, grueling day, he isn't going home to an empty house or apartment. When he goes home, he goes home to the most lovely man— and now, additionally, to the sweetest, most precious little girl. And that, above all else, is what keeps him going.

Tonight, he gets home just after five o'clock. It's a late day, and he knows it, but he was caught in a lab for most of the afternoon, and he texted Sebastián to be sure his arrival time at home would be on his radar. Sebastián goes back to work next month, but for now, he's still on paternity leave, and has been since Violet's very sudden arrival just before the holidays. Quinn asks him if he should pick anything up on the way home, but Sebastián declines; he tells him he's already taken care of everything for dinner. Quinn is grateful beyond words for that— there's always dinner on the table, when he gets home. So many things around the house are taken care of, because Sebastián takes care of them for him. Raising a baby and maintaining a household is a team effort, to be sure, but he's aware— and immensely grateful— for the slack that Sebastián picks up.

So once he's finished on campus, he gets in his car and heads straight toward home. He hits several green lights on his drive, which, without traffic, takes about fifteen or so minutes. Today, he's lucky, and by the time he pulls into the driveway at home, he notes that he's made good time. It's moving toward sunset, but not completely dark yet, and just cool enough for a light jacket and cotton scarf. Quinn has lived in Arizona for three years now— five if you count the summers and Christmas breaks he spent here during the latter half of college— and he believes that slowly, but surely, he's growing used to the temperature cycle here. Really, his scarves are less for practicality and more to complete an outfit nowadays. There's seldom a real need for them. But he wears them anyway, because he wants to.

He parks next to Sebastián's car. The windows of their house are warm-lit, and with the pinkish sky behind it, home has never looked more welcoming. He takes his school bag off of the passenger's seat, slings it over his shoulder, and makes his quick way up the driveway and through the front door.

Walking inside is like getting a hug— home is his safe haven, where even though stresses and school duties may linger over his head, he can find comfort and at least a bit of calm. It smells wonderful inside, like Sebastián's enchiladas, which must be what they're having for dinner. Sebastián himself is not immediately visible, and though her high-chair is by the kitchen table, neither is Violet. He turns on his hearing aids, and speaks quietly, as not to disturb her should she be asleep. "Hello, my loves. I'm home."

There's no response— but he can hear a very faint something in the living room, so he leaves his Oxfords by the door, hangs up his school bag and jacket, and walks across the kitchen. He notes that the oven is on, and through the small window, he can see a tray covered in foil— definitely enchiladas. There's a pot on the stove, which is probably rice. Sebastián is a true wizard in the kitchen; Quinn has been swooning over his food for seven years now. He's extra grateful for it since they graduated, and he grew accustomed to the luxury that is eating it every day.

In the living room, he finds the rest of his small family. The television is on, which is the source of the faint noise; the sound gets a little clearer as he actually enters the room, though he'd never be able to decipher what's being said. It's a cartoon, he notes— one of the ones Violet likes to watch. The play blanket Quinn rush-sewed her in the week following her adoption is spread out on the ground in front of the TV, with a few toys scattered on it— a purple bear he crocheted for her, the plush duck Remy sent in the mail, the doll from Mrs. Hernandez, a teething toy Sebastián bought.

As for the baby herself, though— she's not on the blanket. Instead, she's on the couch, in her papa's arms. Violet looks asleep— with her head pressed into Sebastián's shoulder, she's peaceful and adorable, in a yellow onesie that matches the big cloth bow on her headband. Her hair is getting longer, and curlier, too.

Sebastián is rumpled, in a Kiersey t-shirt and a pair of gym shorts— he's favored his comfortable, casual clothes during paternity leave. His curls are a little ruffled, and he's stretched out on the couch; it's only when Quinn approaches that he lifts his head from bowing it, as if he were almost asleep before, but not quite there. He smiles, and the warm light of the evening catches in his eyes.

Quinn puts a hand to his heart. This, right here— this is everything he'll ever need. "Hello, my dear."

 "Hey, baby," Sebastián whispers, and his voice comes out a bit raspy, as if it's the first time he's spoken in awhile. "How was your day?"

Quinn tries to decide how best to answer that question— because truth be told, he had a long and tiring day, but everything seems better standing here in their living room. He settles on, "It's much better right now than it was five minutes ago."

Sebastián laughs, just gently. "That's good to hear," he says. Quinn walks to him, and leans to give him a gentle kiss hello, minding Violet's head on his way down so he won't disturb her. Thank goodness, he doesn't. She sleeps away.

"How long has she been out?" he asks Sebastián, who shrugs and looks briefly down to her.

"Half an hour?" he replies, when he meets Quinn's eyes again. "I was gonna put her down in the crib, but... I was comfy, and then my arm fell asleep."

Now Quinn laughs, with a hand to his mouth. "Oh, honey," he says. "Do you want me to take her?"

Sebastián shakes his head. "I'll wait it out," he murmurs. "Dinner's in the oven," he adds, tilting his head in the direction of the kitchen. "It should be done soon, but it has to cool awhile."

"It smells delicious," Quinn tells him. "Thank you, honey."

"Of course." Sebastián shifts himself a little on the couch, but keeps Violet in the same position in his arm. He looks up to Quinn, and tips his head just a little, like he's beckoning for him. "Can you join us?"

Quinn has a million things he should be doing, most of them for school. His exam next week is going to drive him completely insane. The only thing in the world he wants right now is to join the two of them, on the couch— and yet he knows he shouldn't. He should be getting ahead on his next reading assignment. He should be proactive. It's a Thursday. He still has class tomorrow.

And yet. "I have a bit of reading to do," he tells Sebastián. "But as long as you wouldn't mind my book coming with me, I don't see why not."

Sebastián smiles, from ear to ear. Quinn didn't know it was possible to love him more than he already did, but every day, in that department, he proves himself wrong yet again. It's only more and more since they became parents. "I don't mind," he says.

So Quinn retrieves his textbook from his bag, and brings a pen and notebook with him, to keep track of what he reads. He can't escape the weight of school on his shoulders— almost literally, as this hefty textbook weighs what feels like a million pounds— but he has a home, and an almost-husband, and a beautiful daughter, and the stress has nothing on those things.

He sinks down next to Sebastián on the couch, and presses against his side. Violet, because she's a tiny blessing, continues, just as peacefully, to sleep. Sebastián gives Quinn's hand a good squeeze, and leans to kiss his temple. He says nothing, but he doesn't have to, because the quiet is a comfort all its own.  Quinn cracks open his book, and dives into the reading. It's dense, and complicated, and all very necessary in order to attain a good grade on his exam next week. He has a headache. His limbs hurt. He only has a few minutes between now and dinner, and after dinner, he'll have to study more. He is exhausted beyond all compare.

But Quinn can do this, because he's not alone.

[shadowthrone-ammanas]

In an effort to be a good dad, Snatcher learns to make a really durable doll for Hat Kid to use since she was upset about not having a body. (I love all your writing by the way! ^-^)

Thank you for the request! It ended up being a bit angstier than I’d thought it’d be. Also, it’s in the same timeline as the Guilt and Therapy drabbles. Though, this one, like Guilt, ended up not really being a drabble. I got a bit carried away.

Haunted

Despite being both legally a father for just over a full year now and a ghost for three hundred something years, Snatcher had no idea how to console Hat Kid. He’d never seen her cry anywhere even close to this much before. But he couldn’t blame her for doing so; dying was a very traumatic upsetting experience.

The people from her home planet had finally found her. Snatcher had killed all of them, not even bothering to snatch their souls he was so angry. But he’d arrived just a tad too late. He’d still been in the middle of his rampage when her ghost had formed meaning he hadn’t even been there to protect her from the sight of her own body lying in a pool of blood on the ground.

So now all he could do was hold her while she cried into his mane. It didn’t feel like enough though. But… what else could he possibly do?

Eventually he sobs started to peter out and then stop completely.  Her grip on his mane even loosened some.

“I’m sorry,” he said in a whisper. “I was too slow.” If he’d shown up on the scene even just a minute or two faster, he could’ve saved her. “I should’ve come sooner. I…”

“It’s not your fault,” she interrupted, letting go of him to move back and look up at him. “Don’t blame yourself, okay?” How was he supposed to do that? “But… you killed them, right? You made them pay for… for… doing that to me, right?”

“Of course, what do you think I am, kiddo? I don’t let people get away with hurting what’s mine, ever.” He’d set another part of the forest on fire while he was at it too but who cared? “And if any of them ever show up again, I’ll kill them too, okay?” He forced an evil smile for her.

She nodded as she wiped away the tears leaking from her now ghostly glowing eyes. “T-thank you. But uh… I… don’t want to be dead. I know you’re dead and so are all the Subconites so I shouldn’t complain but…”

“No, it’s fine. We’ve been dead a long time but we all remember what it’s like. It’s… rough.” And she was a child, making it so much worse. But a lot of the Subconites had been children when they’d died too – children seemed have a higher chance to turn into ghosts upon death, whether that was because it was extra tragic, tragic deaths being the most common deaths that led to ghosthood, or something to do with their souls was unknown, nor did it really matter. “You’ll get used to it eventually though… probably sooner than you think.”

Hat Kid made a soft whining sound in response, hanging her head.

“Is… is there anything I can do help you feel better?” Emotional things really weren’t something Snatcher knew much about even after going to therapy for half a year now.

“I… don’t know.”

“Uh… I could make you a body to possess. I did it for all the Subconites, it helped them some.”

Hat Kid perked up a bit. “Really?”

“Uh… yeah but… it won’t make you any more alive.” He needed to clarify that in case she got her hopes up. “It just makes you feel a bit better.” He’d tried it once himself, way back at the start, but he had too much power for a doll to hold, even a well-crafted one; it had completely disintegrated within an hour of him possessing it. He’d since just grown to prefer being a free-floating spirit. It wasn’t for everyone though, especially with how hard the initial transition to it was. So… “Does that sound good?”

“Uh… yeah, yes please. I want a body.” Hat Kid nodded, sniffling a little.

“All right. Give me a few days and I’ll make you one.” It wouldn’t be the same but her death already meant things would never be the same. They just had to adjust to this thing however best they could. She wasn’t gone and that’s what mattered most.

-

 At first he started knitting another doll much like the Subconites had except he planed to make it look a bit more like Hat Kid – since he only had to make one instead of hundreds, he could afford to spend more time on it and personalize it. But while he hadn’t had a choice in what to make the Subconites bodies out of since sewing and knitting had been his only relevant skills and he didn’t exactly have time to learn a whole new skill he could perhaps do so with Hat Kid’s doll.

The Subconites were made out of cloth and stuffing. Serviceable materials especially when laced with a little bit of magic but not very durable. They had to be careful about not getting too wet or too close to fire that wasn’t magical in nature. It meant they were the least dangerous things in the forest because they were literally plushies. He had the time to at least try to give Hat Kid something a bit more durable so… he should do it. What though?

It would still have to be a doll of some sort. Human shaped things were both easier and more comfortable to possess. Maybe he could try to carve a sturdy chunk of wood into the right shape, make it a bit like a puppet expect without the strings so it could move. Or maybe he could try to make her a body made of metal? Basically make her a Hat Kid shaped suit of armor to possess. That’d be nigh on indestructible. It was worth a try at least. If it failed, he could go back to the puppet idea. If that failed, a plush doll would have to do because it’d certainly be better than nothing.

 He spent all his free time with either Hat Kid, helping her through this difficult time as best his limited ability to handle emotional things would allow him to, or working on the suit of armor. As with most things, he had books on the subject to help him through the process – having a book on making plushies would’ve been so nice back when he had to make all those dolls for the Subconites but that had been before he’d started collecting books again. He had more control of his magic now too which also helped a lot.

The materials and tools he used to make it were stolen from Hat Kid’s ship or the wreckage of the ship the peck necks who’d hunted her down had used to come here. Working on it was actually a really good way to distract himself from how he could’ve and should’ve prevented her death. It also made him feel better about failing to protect because if this plan worked, almost nothing could ever hurt her ever again. … Ugh, the whole therapy nonsense was making him in tune with his emotions and motivations, gross.

Eventually the question had to come up though. “You… said you were making me a body,” Hat Kid asked one evening when he visited. “How’s that going?”

“Pretty good.” He couldn’t leave at that though, could he? He’d told it’d take a few days and he’d been working on it for about a week now. “I’m not making it quite like that Subconites’ bodies so it’s taking a little while. Sorry about that kiddo.”

Her face lit up with interest, good anything to help her feel less miserable. “Really? How is it different?”

“You’ll see,” he replied with a sly grin.

“Ah! But I want to know.”

“Nope, I ain’t going to tell you kiddo. It’s a surprise and no amount of ugly puppy dog eyes is going to change my mind.” Let her frustrated curiosity distract her for a bit. “I ain’t going to tell you when it’s going to be finished either.” Mostly because he didn’t know either. “That’s got to be a surprise too.”

“Hmmm… I’m real excited then. Thank you, you’re the best dad.”

He wasn’t and he never would be but… he was trying his best. That’s all anyone could ever ask of him, right?

-

 It took almost another whole week to finally finish it. It was… a suit of armor shaped like Hat Kid, the same height as when she’d died. The head had been the hardest but with a little magic and assistance from a Subconite who’d been a smith when alive, he’d gotten it about right.

Next, he sewed clothes for it. Just like Hat Kid’s normal outfit except the cape he made looked like the ones the Subconites wore. He even put her hat on it after making absolutely sure all the blood had been cleaned off. Now all that was left to do was check to make sure it wouldn’t fall to shambles when Hat Kid possessed it. It shouldn’t, it was human shaped and suits of armor were the second most possessed thing after dolls but it was still possible.

“Yo kid,” he said as he popped in on Hat Kid playing with some of the Subconites. “I got a surprise for you.”

Her face lit up with excitement. “Is it the doll you made for me?”

“Bingo! Let’s go.” He snapped as he transported them through his pocket dimension to the hidden room he’d been making the ‘doll’ in.

Hat Kid let out an audible gasp soon as she saw it. “Really?” She turned her head back to look at him. “For me?”

“No, I made it look like you and dressed it up like you for one of the Subconites. I’m just showing it to you to tease you and be mean.”

She giggled a little, a sound he hadn’t heard from her in what felt like ages now. “Okay uh… how do I do the thing?”

“Just go up to it and slide into it. It should come naturally to you once you’re in the right position.”

Hat Kid floated over to hover in front of and then around behind it. She tentatively placed her hands on it shoulders. She faded into it and a second a later it jerked to life as if taking a breath, yellow light suddenly pouring out of its eye sockets.

“Oh, this feels… weird but in a good way,” she said looking down at her hands and moving them around, flexing her fingers. “Oh and I have legs again.” She marched around in a little circle, clanking softly. “This is so cool! Thank you.” She turned back to face Snatcher. The metal face was weird to look at and the mouth couldn’t change from its soft smile but he could tell she was probably smiling internally wider than she had since before her death.

Snatcher allowed himself a small sigh of relief. It had worked and wasn’t falling apart and she was happy again. “It’s whatever,” he said, trying to wave it off as not a big deal because he didn’t want to talk about how hard he’d worked on it or why. Emotions weren’t his thing.

She wasn’t having that though. She ran over and hugged him tight. “I love you dad.”

He flinched. She’d never said that before, she’d implied it plenty of times but never outright said it. “Uh…” He patted her awkwardly on the top of her hat. “I uh… um…”

“It’s okay,” she said as she released him and stepped back. “You don’t have to say it. I know you do. You wouldn’t have made this for me if you hadn’t.”

Snatcher looked away. “Let’s uh… go show all the Subconites, huh? I’m sure they’ll love it.”

He brought them back to Subcon Village and moved back to let her run around and show everybody. It needed a good stress test anyway. So far it seemed he’d done a good job though.

For this drabble event.

[tibbinswrites]

Prompt: “Wait a minute. Are you jealous?”

Prompt requested by @psychicbouquetblaze-stuff​ (sorry I’m retagging you for the same story but the ‘keep reading’ link no longer worked so I thought it would be best to repost. I’ve also edited it a bit because it needed doing).

Prompts are open. I’ve got a few lists to choose from in the ‘Prompts’ section of my blog or feel free to send me an ask or a message if there’s a specific one you’d like ^_^

Dean/Castiel

Prompt #5 from this list: “Wait a minute. Are you jealous?”

Castiel flashed his badge and a smile to the janitor as he opened his front door.

“Mr Faukes? FBI Agent Moore, and this is my partner, Agent Mathers. We were hoping to ask you a few questions about the incident you reported last night.”

Dean held up his own badge with a faint tightening of his eyes at the alias. It had been one of Cas’ spare sets of badges in the glove compartment of the continental, Sam had taken the impala to the next town over, where a possibly related case had also popped up. Dean hadn’t been happy about it, but he had conceded that point that seeing as he had a fully powered angel with him, it was best Sam take the vast majority of their weapons, just in case.

Faukes, after throwing a cursory glance at Dean, looked back to Castiel with a shy smile of his own. He was a tall man, late 30s, with strong arms and rugged features. His clothes looked to be a patchwork of different autumn-coloured fabrics but they blended together well and looked soft and comfortable. His light brown hair was neatly combed and he had kind brown eyes that Castiel found himself trusting.

“Sure thing,” he said, stepping back to let them in with the slightly awkward movements of someone who didn’t get a lot of visitors. His voice had a gravelly tone to it that matched the slight German accent. Castiel liked the sound. They walked past him into the small apartment. It smelled pleasantly of lemongrass and was sparsely decorated with an overflowing bookshelf, a sofa squashed beside it and a rickety desk that looked more like storage space than a place of work. A kitchenette was in one corner with a square table and a single chair for meals. The dish rack next to the sink was stuffed with crockery and there was a small sewing machine on another table, along with a couple of rolls of fabric leaning against the wall. A small electric heater clunked slightly as it fought against the morning chill. It was a messy home but meticulously clean. Faukes gestured them to the sofa and spun the dining chair around to face it before sitting himself on the plush cushion tied to the slats with ribbon, “And you can call me Matt. What do you need to know?”

“Your report said you found a jar of eyes in your boss’ office?” Dean cut in as Castiel opened his mouth. His tone was sharp, accusatory, as though Matt was their prime suspect when in reality he was just a witness. Matt looked a little unsettled at the heavy scowl Dean was levelling his way and Castiel couldn’t blame him, he shot Dean a look to take it easy, which was ignored.

“Um… yeah,” Matt said, dragging his eyes from Dean back to Castiel, who nodded encouragingly. Matt cleared his throat, fiddling with a stray thread on the hem of his shirt and began to speak, “So, I was cleaning up after we closed and I noticed the door to Mr Hitching’s office was open. I thought it was strange because even when he’s in he keeps it shut, and he’s supposed to be on holiday for the next two weeks. I figured his one of the other owners might have needed some papers or something and called up his secretary to come and fetch them so I thought I might as well just pop in to vacuum and empty the trash. But I saw it as soon as I turned the light on. It was just… sat on the desk. Like a paperweight, like it wasn’t something important enough to even hide. Five eyes. I remember thinking how weird that was, why five? That’s not even three people… That’s horrible, right? I shouldn’t have thought that.”

“Not at all.” Castiel assured him, leaning forwards intently, “When faced with trauma, the human brain—if it doesn’t reject the trauma entirely—might try to focus on certain details to distract from the trauma itself. You’d be surprised at some of the things people notice when faced with things of this nature. Sometimes their observations are vital to solving the case.”

Matt smiled again, smaller this time, but grateful. It was nice, Castiel decided, making this man smile.

“I bet you’ve got a load of stories like this, huh?” Matt said, shifting forward slightly too, sounding awed and impressed at the idea, “Job like yours. God, I couldn’t do it.”

“Well, we can’t all be janitors.” Dean muttered. The comment was innocuous enough, and Castiel would have ignored it if it hadn’t been for Dean’s tone, practically dripping with venom. Matt’s face immediately fell and Castiel shifted on the couch to glare his ‘partner’.

“Agent Mathers, that was incredibly rude. I think you owe Mr Faukes an apology.”

Dean flushed, an angry red tinge creeping up the back of his neck. He stared at Castiel and the angel saw a kaleidoscope of emotions flash across his face, too fast to catch any of them, but after a moment he relented and turned back to Matt.

  “Sorry,” he mumbled, “my partner’s right. I was out of line.”

“It’s alright,” Matt said, looking more confused than offended now, “but thank you.”

Castiel took over the questioning from there, gently prying for all the details Matt could remember. Castiel found himself intrigued by the man, it was clear he was very self-conscious, about his job, his home, himself, but there was also a confidence to him born of self-reliance that Castiel couldn’t help but respect. He also seemed grateful to talk. From what he told them, he didn’t have many friends in the community.

“It’s a small town,” he said, when Castiel asked him why that was, “around here, everyone knows everything about everyone, and they’re pretty quick to judge. Most of them are heavy church-goers. And not the kind that preach love and acceptance, if you get my meaning.”

“That must be difficult.”

Matt shrugged, “It is what it is,” he said, his head tilting slightly to the side as he met Castiel’s eyes, “but it’s nice to talk to some folks with a different mindset for a change.”

Castiel nodded, trying his best to ignore the click of Dean’s jaw and the tension oozing from the seat next to him, “I understand,” he said, “I too find it difficult to ‘branch out’ when it comes to socialising.”

That was an understatement. Excluding other angels, who were less likely to want to catch up than they were to want to bury an angel blade in his chest, most the social interaction Castiel had experienced was through the Winchesters. Sam and Dean were the best men he knew, and their chosen family was a good one, but that didn’t stop Castiel from thinking that it might be nice to have people to talk to without the weight of world-shattering consequences as a constant looming presence in every conversation.

“Anyway, thank you for your time,” he continued, standing and indicating that Dean should follow suit, “you’ve been very helpful.” He produced a card and handed it to Matt while Dean made a beeline for the door. “Here’s my number. If you remember something else, or if you just need to talk to someone with a different mindset, don’t hesitate to call.”

“Oh, I’ll definitely call.” Matt said with a wink. “Agent Moore, would it be terribly inappropriate if I were to ask you on a date?”

Dean froze, his hand on the doorknob.

“I- it would,” Castiel stuttered, heat rushing to his face, “but I think I would like that. Perhaps once this case is over?”

“Keep me updated.” Matt grinned.

Dean yanked open the door and strode off down the hall, not even waiting for Castiel to catch up. The angel rolled his eyes and glanced at Matt, who snickered and held up his card.

“Good luck with the case.”

Xxx

“I can’t believe you, Cas. First of all, you made me a rapper, what the hell? Second of all, how do you go into a freaking suspect’s house and come out with a date?”

“Nothing’s been arranged,” Castiel said calmly, watching from the end of one of the twin beds as Dean wore a path in the already threadbare carpet of their motel room, “besides, Matt isn’t a suspect, he’s a witness.”

“Until we can prove he’s not the one carving out eyes, he’s both.” Dean insisted. “I just… I don’t get it, man, I thought you liked chicks anyway?”

“I’m indifferent to gender.” Castiel said, frowning. “I’ve never understood why it matters so much to humans what pronouns their partners use. I liked him. He was interesting and kind and I would like to get to know him better, what’s wrong with that?”

“We’re in the middle of a case, Cas, you can’t afford to get… you know, distracted.”

Castiel raised an eyebrow, “and how many bartenders and waitresses and almost-victims have you gotten ‘distracted’ with, Dean?”

“That’s different!”

“How?” Castiel demanded, truly irritated now. Dean had many wonderful traits that Castiel admired but his hypocrisy was not one of them. He supposed it stemmed from being the older sibling, more often left in charge than not, ‘do as I say, not as I do’ was practically etched into his bones.

“Because...” Dean spluttered, “because they’re just a bit of fun, alright? They knew the drill, we’re not exactly planning to settle down, and were never go out on dates.” He spat the word like something filthy, “What kind of future do you expect you can have with this guy, huh? Are you gonna tell him what we do? Bring him home and introduce him to your half-archangel son and all the people we yanked from another world? The guy was squeamish about a jar of eyes, how do you think he’d handle literally any of the crap we go through?”

“A first date is not a marriage proposal, Dean. What’s the harm in dinner and a movie?”

“You don’t eat.”

“I can, I just don’t need to.” Castiel shot back, “Random sexual conquests don’t appeal to me. I would rather find a person I have a connection with, and I felt I had a connection with Matt. Why are you so angry? The last time I had a date you were happy for me. Is it really because he’s a man?”

“No!” Dean yelled, a little too loudly, he winced as the sound bounced back to him from the cheap cinderblock walls and lowered his voice to a hiss, his arms folded tightly across his chest and he finally stopped pacing, “It’s because I think you’re being irresponsible. We don’t know that we’re not gonna have to gut that guy before the week is out. And what are you talking about a connection? You spoke for half an hour, you don’t build a connection in half an hour.”

“You’re not angry-” Castiel realised, squinting at the man in front of him. His hands were tucked up into his armpits and his shoulders were slightly rounded, almost as though he was trying to curl into himself, “you’re hurt. Wait a minute, are you jealous?”

“What?!” Dean exclaimed, “Jealous? No, I’m not jealous. Of what? I didn’t like that guy.”

Castiel tilted his head, “Then what?” he asked, his voice low and even, “You don’t like that I like him? You don’t like that I could possibly show interest in anyone other than you?”

Dean took a step back like Castiel had hit him. All the blood drained from his face.

“What are you talking about?” He said, which is what Dean always said when confronted with something he didn’t want to admit to.

“Come on, Dean,” Castiel said impatiently, “you’re not stupid and subtlety isn’t my strong suit. You know how I feel about you, you’ve known it for years. So you don’t want it but you don’t want anyone else to want it either?”

“That’s… that’s not-” Dean choked out, looking sick now, “I didn’t mean-”

“Then what?” Castiel cried, finally standing to be on even ground with Dean. He was frustrated, he was angry, he was overwhelmed, “Explain it to me, because I don’t understand.”

Instead of speaking, Dean’s jaw snapped shut and for a moment, Castiel was sure he was going to bolt from the room. Instead he strode forward two steps and cupped Castiel’s face with his hands before bringing their lips together, effectively shorting out his brain.

“I’ve always wanted you.” Dean murmured against his mouth, “Since Purgatory I’ve let myself want you. But if I had you, I could lose you. And I’m not strong enough to lose you.”

They stayed that way for a while, breathing each other’s air, foreheads pressed together, lips barely brushing. Dean’s hands were warm and calloused and gentle against his skin, Castiel’s hands gripped at the fabric of Dean’s shirt, though he didn’t remember moving.

“It’s worth it for this,” Castiel whispered back, half-lost in the feeling of Dean so close, “isn’t it?”

“Losing you sucked bad, Cas.” Dean said shaking his head and pulling back slightly, just enough that they could lock eyes, “I gave up.”

Castiel sighed and pulled away completely, stepping back, feeling cold as Dean’s hands left him. “I understand,” he said, “but I disagree. Neither of us can guarantee forever and it’s not fair for you to try and keep me from seeking elsewhere something that you aren’t willing to give me.”

“I know,” Dean said, but he reached out to take his hand and slot their fingers together, “So this is me realising that I’m willing, I guess.”

Castiel squeezed his hand and quirked a small smile, “Finally.”

[stimtoybox]

[image description: a photo on a dappled white and blue night sky quilt cover, showing an assortment of stim toys. From top to bottom, left to right, toys include: a purple unicorn Squeezamal, a plastic tin of Super Brain Putty, a cake scroll squishy, a DIY sponge doughnut squishy, a Mickey mini Tsum Tsum plush, a black infinity cube, a purple metal Slinky, a knobbled pink sensory shape in a pyramid, a marble maze in a sheep print, an orange-red prickled ball, a purple-spotted bean bag, a pink/white/yellow/purple knock-off Tangle Relax Therapy, four hedge balls, and a pink/blue/green Twiddle.]

Today I had to throw out one of my stim toys--a powder-filled balloon-type squishy/stress ball--because the rubber had split from age.

So I thought I’d put together a list post of the stim toys that I find durable--ones that don’t break on me (like Tangles and squishies), don’t deteriorate or become sticky as the plastic degrades (like vinyl cooler packs, silicone squishies, stretchables) or need to be thrown out after a certain amount of time through aging (like slime). If you can’t afford to keep replacing stim toys, these are the ones I’d be looking for in building a stim kit. It’s worth noting that I’m not the most forceful or aggressive stimmer due to my chronic hand pain: some of these things may not be so durable in another stimmer’s hands.

I’ll also give an honourable mention to mermaid sequins (not pictured) although I tend to find sequins on my floor (they do come off) and the pencil cases (especially the K-Mart ones) have issues of zippers stiffening over time. In the main, though, they’re reasonably durable.

For short discussions on why I like the aforementioned toys, please hit “keep reading”:

Squishables

I’m a fan of the many varieties of squishy plushies (the major brand name is Squeezamals, but there’s many knock-offs and imitations) now available. They’re a plush (usually animal) or faux fur coating over a memory foam sphere, and while they’re a little more dense than most squishies, they don’t crack, split, tear or yellow like a commercial foam squishy.

They do cost more than a commercial squishy, but they last a lot longer, and the plush can be wiped over with a damp cloth or baby wipe.

DIY squishes, the kind made from a memory foam or sponge base and covered with layers of fabric paint, are much more durable than commercial foam squishies. They’re more expensive to make, but my doughnut has lasted for almost a year with no cracking or splitting; none of my other active-use squishies has lasted anywhere close to as long.

The one commercial squishy that seems to be stacking up for durability is the Squeeze Eez scroll squishy. The paint is peeling off mine, but the squishy underneath isn’t cracking or splitting, and I carry mine in my backpack where it’s getting smushed between my wallet, water bottle and keys.

Putty

I’ve stopped using slime altogether, although I have kept a few of my favourites. It’s wet, it’s oozy, you have to wash your hands before using it, it melts with time or heat, and it isn’t that portable. Putty doesn’t have the same poking sound, but it’s clean, portable, has no residue (but is slightly drying--use hand lotion after) and while it does soften more in warmer temperatures, it doesn’t melt, mould or discolour. I can leave a tin for six months and find it in much the same state it was when last I used it.

Most brands are fairly decent. Thinking Putty is too expensive here in Australia; my favourite local brand is Ultra Putty.  K-Mart’s Super Brain Putty is a little more brittle (depending on colour/formulation) but its easy to find (and the Super Cosmic Sparkle variant has the prettiness and add-ins of many fancy slimes).

All the putties I’ve liked are as perfect now as they were two years ago, whereas I’ve made and thrown out a lot of slime. The putty just seems so much more cost-effective to me.

(I also like putty over playdough; it doesn’t dry out or collect dirt and dust anywhere near as badly.)

Plush and Soft Toys

If you like fabric textures, these are always going to be among the more durable stim toys. They’re soft, they can be washed when needed and well-made plushies/soft toys are difficult to damage under most stimming conditions.

I like Miniso plush for softness and size (some are as big as pillows) and mini plush like the Disney Tsum Tsums for portability and the texture of the embroidered details and different fabrics.

Slinky

The brand name Slinky is pretty difficult to damage (unless you’re intentionally seeking to do so). I’ve got a few paint chips on mine, but that’s it. It still works as a Slinky despite these cosmetic flaws, and the thicker metal comprising the loops means it’s harder (unlike cheap knock-offs) to get the Slinky tangled in on itself or kinked in the wrong way. It’s not the most subtle or portable of toys, but the sound it makes is amazing.

I’ve used real and fake Slinkies, and if you can get the real one, I do recommend it. It’s easier to use, less prone to tangling, and sturdier; the difference in sound and hand-feel is worth the higher price.

Marble Maze and Bean Bags

Most fabric stim toys, if they’re well-sewn, are going to hold up: the worst that will happen is that a stain doesn’t completely wash out.

I will observe here that I sew my own and I double-seam everything so the fabric or thread will start to rot before it unravels or frays. The durability here may depend on the ability and time of the maker, but if you’re making your own, you have control over the sturdiness.

It’s worth noting that if you fill your bean bag with anything other than plastic pellets or aquarium gravel, you shouldn’t wash it. Unstitch a seam, remove the filling (dried beans, rice, soup mix) and wash the outer before refilling and sewing the seam back up. You can wipe over the outside fabric of bags with mould-prone fillings with a dryish-damp cloth (like a baby wipe) for minor cleaning, if you’re careful not to let the filling get wet.

Infinity Cube

I admit that this isn’t my favourite stim toy, since there isn’t a lot of variation in how I use it. Short of dropping something heavy on it, I don’t think I can break it. It hasn’t stiffened, it hasn’t cracked or broken, and can be wiped over with a baby wipe should it get dusty or dirty.

I wouldn’t toss it loose in a bag for fear of cracking a hinge, but under normal stim usage, the worst I’ve done to it is scratch it.

Tangle Relax Therapy

I love Tangles, but they’re not the most durable stim toy. They’re just not. This said, I haven’t yet managed to break my (knock off) Relax Therapy. For that reason, I’ll cautiously suggest that it may be more durable than other Tangles, perhaps in part because it isn’t designed to come apart as easily as a Tangle Jr.

Twiddle

I don’t like these as much as a Tangle, but they’re designed to break apart and clip back together more readily than a Tangle. There’s no stress on the connector pieces when I do so, in large part because they fasten together by means of a tiny ball slotting into an equally-tiny depression on the opposite piece (making it far more durable than the Tangle peg-and-slot connection). Even when I’m forceful, I see no white stress marks on the pieces.

The real issue, I’ve found, is the risk of losing a piece when the Twiddle is pulled apart.

Prickle Balls and Hedge Balls

Short of taking a pair of scissors to these (or losing the mini hedge balls under the bed) I’m not sure how I’d break these. Likely by putting them under something heavy; running over them with a 4WD might do it! The hedge balls with the stretchable fronds are more prone to breaking and tearing, but the others are just textured balls for rolling, pressing down on and massaging. I’ve had a prickle ball shoved in a bag for a couple of years and other than the ball turning black from the outer bag leeching dye, nothing’s happened to it.

[lousylark]

the winter peacock

(Part 2/10ish. Read part 1 here. Part 3 here. Adrienette and Marichat heavy with some DJwifi thrown in, too.)

Marinette is miserable.

She’s a firm believer in the idea that a person is only as sick as they believe themselves to be, and she believes that she is ill.

Alya puts a cold wash cloth against her head. She’s been taking care of Marinette since school got out two hours ago.

“Are you sure it’s a good idea for you to watch Manon tonight?” she asks, obvious disapproval in her tone.

“Totally,” Marinette says, squishing the cloth against her forehead to revel in its coolness. She lets out a blissful sigh. “See? I already feel better. And I can take more tylenol in an hour. I’ll be fine.” She sits up, swinging her legs over the side of the bed but keeping the cloth pressed against her face. “Besides, Adrien is coming! To my house!”

But even as she says it, her face falls. Normally, the prospect of Adrien coming over to hang out would be earth-shatteringly wonderful, but her sickness is putting a cloud over the sun and making her mostly indifferent to the idea — a true miracle, Tikki would say. For once, she finally has her priorities in order.

“Speaking of which,” she says, looking around her room. She looks at Alya with her best puppy eyes. “Will you help me take down these posters before he comes over?”

Alya grins. “Nah, you should leave ‘em up. Middle school boys are really into stalker girlfriends.”

Marinette pouts. “Harsh.”

But Alya stands and starts helping her take down the various posters nonetheless, even rubbing some of the tack off the wall where it sticks.

As Marinette places one of her favorite shots of Adrien in a black sweatshirt in a pile on her desk, she muses, “You know, maybe I won’t put them back up after this. It is a little creepy. Or I’ll just put up one or two instead of…” she trails off, quickly counting the posters, “…twenty-five.”

Alya whirls on her. “Okay, you’re way sicker than you’re letting on if you’re really talking about taking down your Adrien collection. I think we should call Mrs. Chamack and —“

Before she can continue, there’s a knock at the bakery door downstairs, shortly followed by Manon’s distinct voice crying for Marinette.

Marinette smiles. “Come on, Alya. Can’t keep Manon waiting.”

Adrien loves the Dupain-Cheng residence. The smells, the colors, the warmth — all of it combined makes him feel calm. He can’t help but envy Marinette for her being able to come home to this every day after school.

“Thank you for having me, Mrs. Dupain-Cheng,” he says, taking off his shoes and leaving them by the welcome mat.

“Of course, Adrien!” she says, smiling. “We’re always happy to have Marinette’s friends over, and it’s so nice of you all to help her babysit.”

Mr. Dupain-Cheng swings enters the foyer from the bakery door, holding a plate of fresh chocolate chip cookies. “To tell the truth, Adrien, our girl’s a bit sicker than she’s letting on. You look after her, alright?” He hands him the plate of cookies. “And take this up with you. Manon loves ‘em.”

Adrien nods. “Will do, Mr. Dupain-Cheng.”

He smiles. “Just call me Tom, Adrien. We’re not big on formalities around here.”

“And call me Sabine,” his wife adds.

Adrien smiles. “Will do, Mr. Tom and Miss Sabine.”

Tom laughs heartily. “We’ll get there. Alright, head on up. They’re all in Marinette’s room. Sabine and I will be down here if you kids need anything.”

“Thanks!” he says, and just before he puts his foot on the first step, he gestures with the plate of cookies and tries for a pun: “That’s really sweet of you.”

Tom and Sabine both look at him strangely for a moment, and then they dissolve into a fit of laughter.

Adrien can barely contain his smile as he treks up the stairs. Just before he opens the hatch to Marinette’s room, he hears Tom say from the foyer, “He’s a good kid. Funny, too.”

His heart blooms like a flower as he raps once on the little trap door.

Barely a second passes by before the door swings open to reveal Alya’s face.

“Shh.” She holds up one finger to her lips. “Marinette’s asleep.”

She moves aside so Adrien can climb up into the bedroom.

“That didn’t take long,” he says, careful to keep his voice down.

Alya shook her head. “Right. One minute we’re telling Manon about the winter formal on Friday, and then she’s snoring mid-sentence.”

He looks over to Marinette’s bed. Sure enough, she’s fast asleep: she’s sitting upright but her head is propped up on a cat-shaped pillow, and her chest rises to a slow, steady rhythm.

“We’re playing the quiet game,” Alya says, taking the plate of cookies from him.

“I’m winning!” Manon pipes up from the other side of the room.

Alya winks at her. “Not anymore.”

Manon clamps her mouth shut, and motions with her hand like she’s zipping her lips and eating the key. Adrien smiles.

“Nino and I are gonna go make some popcorn, and then we’re gonna start the movie,” Alya says. She looks over at Manon. “You wanna come help us? We can take a break from the quiet game if we’re in the kitchen.”

Manon grins. “Yes. But I want a cookie!”

She bounds over to Alya, who lowers the plate so Manon can reach. “Just one for now. You can have more when the movie starts.”

“Not unless I eat ‘em all first,” Nino jokes, moving from his spot on Marinette’s desktop chair to join them.

Manon makes a face at him, and Alya shakes with quiet laughter.

“We’ll go get the popcorn and some drinks,” she whispers to Adrien. “Can you look after Marinette? She should stay asleep, but, you know, just in case she wakes up.”

He nods. “Leave it to me.”

Without another word — not even from Manon, which is impressive — they’re climbing down the stairs. Their tiptoeing is strangely reminiscent of a movement from The Nutcracker ballet. He smiles at the thought.

After quietly closing the hatch behind them, he straightens back up and looks around Marinette’s room. He hasn’t been here for some time — not since he and Marinette competed together in the Paris video game tournament — but it doesn’t look much different.

If anything, it’s even more colorful than the last time he saw it. His gaze sweeps over all the knick-knacks and designs that she’s made — he lingers on the album cover she designed for Jagged Stone, which sits on a little shelf of honor next to her computer. But there are lots of other impressive things to look at, too. Some of them he recognizes, like the banner from Alix and Kim’s race almost a year ago, and others he doesn’t, like a little handmade Chat Noir plush on her nightstand. He smirks — he hadn’t realized Marinette was one of his closet fans.

Then, he notices a sketchbook next to her sewing machine. The book sits on top of a bolt of shimmering blue fabric.

His curiosity gets the better of him, and he tiptoes over to the book. He’s surprised to find the pages covered in dress designs — beautiful dress designs, at that. Each one is a little different from the others, and then —

— and then he turns the page to find a final, fully fleshed-out color pencil rendering of a dress. It’s midnight blue and beautiful. It takes his breath away.

That’s when it hits him: this must be her dress for the Winter Formal. He smiles, feeling a strange warmth rise to his cheeks. Of course Marinette Dupain-Cheng would design her own dress for a school dance. How very like her, and how very…amazing.

“Adrien?”

He jumps.

Marinette blinks sleepily at him. He doesn’t know quite what to say.

After a slightly awkward silence, she asks, “Am I dreaming?”

He can’t help but smile at that. “No, you just fell asleep.”

Her eyes widen to the size of teacup saucers. She tries to jump out of bed, but the minute her feet touch the floor, she wavers. He reaches out a hand to steady her as she rubs her head.

“Where’s Manon?” she asks, and he feels so sad when he hears the groggy sickness in her voice.

“She’s with Alya and Nino downstairs,” he says quickly so as not to worry her. “Don’t worry, I don’t think you were asleep for very long. They’re making popcorn. They wanted me to stay up here in case you woke up.”

“Oh.”

He realizes that his hand is still on the small of her back. He slowly takes it away so she doesn’t fall.

She looks up at him with wide, glossy eyes. “I’m not dreaming?”

He chuckles. “No, Marinette. At least, I don’t think so, because then I’d have to be dreaming too.”

“You are a dream,” she muses, and he wonders if maybe he should get her parents. “I mean, I think you’re a — no, that’s not right. Now I wish this were a dream.” She smacks a hand against her forehead and groans. “I think I should sit down.”

“Great idea,” he says, smiling at her obvious lack of lucidity, and holds her hand until she sits back down on the bed.

She reaches for the tissue box on her nightstand, and Adrien can’t help but cave in to his curiosity. “Marinette?”

“Mhmm?”

He looks at the sketchbook near her sewing machine. “Did you design this?”

“The dress?” She blows her nose, then says, “Yeah. It didn’t turn out the way I wanted to, though.”

He looks at her disbelievingly. “You’re kidding, right? It’s beautiful.” Running a finger along the edge of the page, he continues, “This belongs in one of my father’s magazines.”

She blinks at him. Her cheeks flush pink — probably because of the sickness. “That’s…thank you, Adrien.”

She gets up from the bed, wobbling less than the first time and bringing a blanket with her, wrapping it around her shoulders like a cape. Adrien watches her carefully. This is the first time in a while that they’ve talked without her stumbling over her words, and he can’t help but wish it were always like this. He wishes she didn’t treat him differently — but even more than that, he wishes he knew why she did.

“I couldn’t decide whether I wanted the dress in midnight blue or lilac,” she explains, flipping back a page and pointing at some of her original sketches for reference.

“I like the midnight blue,” he says. “It goes better with your eyes and your skin tone.”

She nods. “That’s what I decided, too. But the final draft still feels like it’s missing something. Like, a theme, or a purpose.”

Adrien shakes his head. “I think it’s perfect. You’re gonna wear it to the Winter Formal, right?”

“That was the plan.” She sighs, pulling her blanket tighter around her shoulders. “But to be honest, I don’t even know if I’m going to the Winter Formal anymore.”

“Not going?” he asks. “Why wouldn’t you?”

She sits on the edge of her bed. “I don’t know. I mean, I don’t feel well enough to sew, so I won’t be able to finish the dress in time. And I don’t even like the dress I designed, and I don’t have a date, and I have lots of homework I could catch up on this weekend —“

“Hold on, Marinette,” he interjects. He sits next to her on the bed, but she swiftly avoids eye contact. “The dress you designed is amazing. And I’ll bet that if you took a sick day tomorrow you could stay home and finish it.”

She smiles sadly, and says almost to herself, “I don’t get the luxury of sick days.”

He isn’t entirely sure what she means by that, but the statement resonates with him like a gong ringing inside his ribcage. He shakes his head, ridding his mind of the ironies that try to bubble up in his subconscious.

“Regardless, you shouldn’t not go to Winter Formal just because you don’t have a date,” he adds.

Her expression turns suddenly dour. She folds her arms over her chest, and the blanket falls from her shoulders into a heap at the base of her back. “W-Well, that’s easy for you to say.” Her voice softens. “After all, you can have your pick of any of the girls at school to take on Friday night, Mr. Model Agreste.”

He picks the blanket up and replaces it on her shoulders, looking at her with what he hopes is sincerity. “I can’t even go on Friday. I have a photo shoot.” He doesn’t know why he feels like there are six billion butterflies flapping around in his stomach. Probably because he’s hungry. “And even if I could go, even if I had my pick of anyone in the school to go with — which I don’t,” he says, tucking an errant lock of hair behind her ear, “there’s only one girl I’d ask.”

She finally makes eye contact with him. Her eyes are wide with some feeling he doesn’t recognize, and —

— and he’s never noticed before, but those sky-blue irises are uncannily familiar.

At that moment, the door to Marinette’s room opens. Both of them jump; Marinette levitates so far off the bed that the blanket falls from her shoulders again.

Sabine pops her head up into the room.

“Oh good, you’re awake,” she says, looking toward her daughter. “Adrien, could you give us a second? I need to take Marinette’s temperature.”

“Mom, I told you I don’t have a fever,” Marinette says, and the hint of a whine in her voice makes Adrien chuckle.

Sabine narrows her eyes. “Yes, and Manon doesn’t love chocolate chip cookies. Come on sweetheart, let me be a mother.”

Marinette sighs, but wordlessly stands up and starts trudging toward the stairs nonetheless. Sabine guides her through the trap door with a gentle hand on her shoulder.

Watching them go, Adrien feels just a hint of sadness pull at his heart strings. Sabine reminds him of —

“What was that?”

Adrien sighs. Plagg whizzes out of his inside jacket pocket, smirking suggestively.

“What was what?”

“Please,” he says, crossing his little arms over his chest. “That whole mush fest with Marinette!”

Adrien’s cheeks feel warm all of a sudden. “Come on, Plagg, that was nothing. She’s sick, and I’m just trying to be a good friend.”

“Always the ‘good friend’ stuff with her,” Plagg says, whizzing over toward her sewing machine. “Ooh, that is pretty, and I don’t even like foofty stuff like that.” He whizzes back over to Adrien. “So what about ‘there’s only one girl I’d ask?’ ‘Cause you were definitely talking about her, right? What happened to your massive crush on Ladybug?”

Adrien looks at the floor. “C’mon, Plagg, it’s not like I can ask Ladybug to a school dance.”

Plagg flies right up to his face. “Hmm. Something tells me you’d rather ask pig-tail girl, anyway!”

He smirks. “Well, after all, it’d be hard to find a boutonniere that matches Ladybug’s costume.”

“So you were gonna ask her!”

“No. Yes? Maybe,” he sighs, flopping onto Marinette’s bed. “Drop it, Plagg. It’s not like I can go to the dance, anyway.”  

Plagg bounces on the bed next to Adrien. “I don’t know, kid. I think if you showed your dad that design of Marinette’s, even he would have a hard time saying no to you taking her.”

Adrien blinks.

He sits up straight on the bed, then snaps his gaze over to Marinette’s sketchbook.

“You know, Plagg,” he muses, taking out his phone and opening the camera app. “That might not be such a bad idea.”

[cannonkurosawa-blog]

Here’s the 45 Questions

Does your character have siblings or family members in their age group? Which one are they closest with?

Her adopted older sister Yelena, who [trains noises], is a year older than her. Kazuko considers Yelena to be her role model, even though she surpassed her in under a year of working for the Kurosawas. She also has a younger half-brother named Jurou who she’s funding on his way through art school. They used to be really close, but since they never see each other, they’ve grown distant. Kazuko still thinks of him as her responsibility though and considers herself closer to being his mom than their real mom. She’s closer to Yelena.

What is/was your character’s relationship with their mother like?

Oh boy. Not good. The fact her real mom (Hana Kagami) is dating her fake mom (Darya Kurosawa) on and off makes her SUPER uncomfortable. Kazuko grew up as a latchkey kid, and from the time she was old enough to make food, it was her job to take care of the family. Growing up, she did everything she could to pretend that this was normal and that it didn’t bother her, but she developped into a very jaded woman. Her relationship with her fake mom is very businesslike. Darya scares Kazuko more than anyone, but she respects her. So, for short, she has mother issues.

What is/was your character’s relationship with their father like?

Kazuko has no clue who her father is, nor does anyone else. Kanon’s father also has no clue who Kazuko is half the time, since he can’t tell the difference between her and Kanon, or any other black haired girl their age.

Has your character ever witnessed something that fundamentally changed them? If so, does anyone else know?

Yep. And no, not even Kanon. Some things you never speak about.

On an average day, what can be found in your character’s pockets?

A small notebook, a lighter, a pack of cigarettes, a cellphone, a baggy of cat treats, and a lot of scrap paper she just shoved in there when she saw it on the ground. No writing tools though, she always loses them.

Does your character have recurring themes in their dreams?

Cuddling with Kanon has been the dream that’s kept her going since she got to Praetis. Just, long lazy days where they lay about and nap. She dreams quite frequently about food, especially going outside and having a nice picnic. In her normal dream, mazes are a common theme, and often times dancing is involved. Movement is more prominent than language in all of Kazuko’s dreams.

Does your character have recurring themes in their nightmares?

Laying on the ground, being unable to move as everyone rushes around her is probably the worst one. In many of her nightmares, she never moves once and is just forced to watch whatever is going to happen. It’s not even always bad things. It can be good things, but she’d overcome by a fear that something will happen if she doesn’t get moving. Though they aren’t nightmares until after she wakes up, she frequently has dreams where she’s just Kanon.

Has your character ever fired a gun? If so, what was their first target?

Yes. Her first target was a failing report card that she and Kanon taped to the wall. They got in huge trouble for that.

Is your character’s current socioeconomic status different than it was when they were growing up?

Yes and no. She doesn’t want for money, but also owns none herself. Everything is handled for her, but she’s in a rather risky situation. If she ever needs something, her employers could simply refuse to give it to her and she can do nothing about it.

Does your character feel more comfortable with more clothing, or with less clothing?

Kazuko actually really favours revealing outfits that make Kanon uncomfortable so they compromise (aka, they wear what Kanon wants because Kazuko would wear jantie and tank top equivalents everyday if she could).

In what situation was your character the most afraid they’ve ever been?

After [train noises].

In what situation was your character the most calm they’ve ever been?

Just before calling Sosuke so she could kill him. It was not a good calm. She felt completely disconnected from the world and was completely unable to understand why this might be a bad idea.

Is your character bothered by the sight of blood? If so, in what way?

Nope. She’s pretty used to it.

Does your character remember names or faces easier?

Faces. Names confuse her. There are three people who are named basically the same thing here.

Is your character preoccupied with money or material possession? Why or why not?

Extremely! Kazuko is super scared of getting in debt.  If you give her money, she never spends it for fear of being unable to control herself and getting into debt. Better to own nothing than to owe something.

Which does your character idealize most: happiness or success?

Happiness, success is meaningless to her.

What was your character’s favorite toy as a child?

A plush cat that one of her neighbours gave her as a cat.

Is your character more likely to admire wisdom, or ambition in others?

Wisdom.

What is your character’s biggest relationship flaw? Has this flaw destroyed relationships for them before?

Kazuko is completely convinced her life is meaningless, and as such, she’s super reckless. This makes nobody happy, especially Kanon. It hasn’t ruined any relationships yet, but she knows eventually people will get tired of her being such a downer.

In what ways does your character compare themselves to others? Do they do this for the sake of self-validation, or self-criticism?

Like, in every way. Kazuko doesn’t think of herself as much a person, so she sews together a persona for herself based on the traits of other people. It’s basically the “making people like me” personality quilt. The more she sees of other people, the more she hates herself. Watching people and their fulfillment only makes her feel more hollow.

If something tragic or negative happens to your character, do they believe they may have caused or deserved it, or are they quick to blame others?

Kazuko knows things just happen something. Doesn’t stop her from endlessly wondering how she could have stopped it. She’s aware, even if you do everything right, you can still fail, so every mistake is that much worse.

What does your character like in other people?

A little bit of everything, really. Kazuko admires dedication to just about anything. Be it a talent or a person, she just loves it. If you value friendship, Kazuko is almost always on your side. She also really likes people with talents similar to her’s (earning even people she claims to dislike a lot of respect). She’s drawn to chaotic neutral people. Stirring up some trouble is always fun, but nothing too evil. If you’re protective of your friends and family, she is very likely to like you.

What does your character dislike in other people?

She hates flighty people who can’t commit to anything. Anyone who values themselves over their friends sucks. If you have ever insulted an animal, she hates you. Also, if you waste money, she gets irritated with you. Repressing your emotions and not emoting regularly makes her mega uncomfortable.

How quick is your character to trust someone else?

It can happen slow, or it can happen fast. Which ever way, she trusts far too much and far too easily.

How quick is your character to suspect someone else? Does this change if they are close with that person?

She’s paranoid, but if she trusts you, she will never ever suspect you, right down to the very last minute. Even if she catches you with the murder weapon, she’ll just deny it. Kazuko is weirdly trusting for someone so paranoid.

How does your character behave around children?

Surprisingly, she’s got a lot of maternal instinct. She tends to spoil kids though, as she can’t resist pretty much any demand they make of her, as long as it’s not risky. She draws the line at risk. Kazuko is quite protective after all.

How does your character normally deal with confrontation?

She basically throws a fit. Kazuko s pretty good at faking confrontation as Kanon, but real confrontation causes her to kind of lose her cool. A lot. Like, she’s trying to funnel a fire hose worth of emotion through a keyhole. The Kanon disguise is not nearly expressive enough to get her point across.

How quick or slow is your character to resort to physical violence in a confrontation?

Pretty slow. Kazuko is not a very violent person, however, when she is violent, she goes overboard. [gestures to case 7]

What did your character dream of being or doing as a child? Did that dream come true?

As a child, she dreamed of growing up, walking out of her house one day and just disappearing. A life with no obligations or true identity seemed like a dream to her then. I guess you could say she’s living the dream. :3

What does your character find repulsive or disgusting?

Russian food! Also, pretty much any kind of gambling or wasteful spending. Also people who would sacrifice their friends to protect themselves. Also bugs and plastic surgery. Top of the list is loan sharks, though.

Describe a scenario in which your character feels most comfortable.

KKCD, Kanon-Kazuko Cuddle Days. After a long day or a long separation, they just spend a day lounging around and listening to music. Kazuko generally ends up laying in Kanon’s lap while she brushes her hair for her. They spend the day catching each other up on their lives and syncing up. In that moment, there’s very little divide between the two of them. It’s like they can both just disappearing. They normally end up so emotionally drained by this, though, that they skip out on work or school the next day and sleep in. This is when Kazuko is at her happiest.

Describe a scenario in which your character feels most uncomfortable.

For days, and even weeks at a time, Kazuko forgets about herself. She ends up thinking she’s Kanon for a while. It hurts the worst that nobody notices that she’s forgotten, that she wasn’t acting strangely. It makes her sad how happy she was.

In the face of criticism, is your character defensive, self-deprecating, or willing to improve?

Honestly, if you insult her, she’ll probably help you find new things to insult.

Is your character more likely to keep trying a solution/method that didn’t work the first time, or immediately move on to a different solution/method?

Kazuko is nothing if not stubborn. She’s likely try the same things three or four times before trying something different. She’s not very good at doing things if she’s not following someone’s example, so changing up can be very difficult for her.

How does your character behave around people they like?

She turns up the sweetness like a hundred fold. She’s also very cuddly, especially with friends. A good sign she likes you is that she starts to pick up your mannerism. Basically, if you ask something of her, she will always accept. She has no self-control.

How does your character behave around people they dislike?

She’s cold and distant. Somethings she’ll play cruel pranks on them and leave gross things outside their door.

Is your character more concerned with defending their honor, or protecting their status?

Neither, honestly. It I had to pick on, I’d say status. She doesn’t want to have to leave Kanon’s side.

Is your character more likely to remove a problem/threat, or remove themselves from a problem/threat?

[looks to Sosuke] I’d say remove the threat.

Has your character ever been bitten by an animal? How were they affected (or unaffected)?

This happens to her a lot. She’s most likely to apologize to the animal. Surely they don’t bite without a reason.

How does your character treat people in service jobs?

Kanon treats them horribly, meaning that Kazuko has to be super nice when she’s not pretending to be Kanon to make up for how much of a jerk she is the rest of the time.

Does your character feel that they deserve to have what they want, whether it be material or abstract, or do they feel they must earn it first?

Everything in life must be earned.

Has your character ever had a parental figure who was not related to them?

Yes

Has your character ever had a dependent figure who was not related to them?

[looks to real Kanon] Yep

How easy or difficult is it for your character to say “I love you?” Can they say it without meaning it?

It’s hard, but once it starts, it never stops. Kazuko can say anything without meaning, but she wouldn’t do it unless she had to.

What does your character believe will happen to them after they die? Does this belief scare them?

Alright, flat out. Kazuko believes in ghosts. She thinks if enough people knew and loved you in life, you’ll be a ghost until everyone who knew you is dead as well. As such, she’s also afraid of ghosts and really doesn’t want to piss them off. As for fear she is terrified of disappearing, but not of dying.

[otakraft]

(Assuming my posting week runs from Tuesday to Monday, I’m at the wire for posting twice in the first week of 2019, but it’s done to I’m going to count it as good.)

My library holds Saturday programs monthly or so and January’s program is based around Sanrio darling, My Melody’s birthday. I wanted to dress up for the program, but since it’s only for a few hours in the afternoon and we’ve gotten a lot of talks about professional attire, I needed a piece I could easily put on and take off. I decided I wanted to try making her hood complete with ears. Thus began my search for a little capelet style hood with rabbit ears, a shockingly low demand item. I haven’t done too much sewing pattern hunting in my life so I was probably not using the best terms, but I also think the problem was that I kept typing caplet which was probably not helping me. 9_9

Anyway, I broadened my search and started to look for hooded cowls as well which led me to Sew Desu Ne’s Hooded Cowl pattern. It’s completely free and super cute. One snag though is the hood was originally fashioned as either a unicorn or a dragon hood. Cute, but not what I’m going for. What the hell though, right? I’ve barely any sewing experience and definitely none for clothing, but I could totally make up a rabbit ear template that doesn’t exist to create ears for this hood. Oh, and her ears are round and plush so instead of just clothe ears I’m going to stuff them too. Which reminds me, I want the hood to be a bit more fitted, so instead of going with the adult hood size I’ll just bump down to the tween size, that should still fit me, right? Like snugly? This will totally work out fine without any complications.

So I print out my pattern, buy some fabric, and get to work.

Complication #1

Yeeeeeah, remember how I mentioned that I have barely any sewing experience and none for clothes? Guess what grain cut guides mean to me? Yeah that’s right, nothing. For those who know about as much as I did when I started, if a fabric has any stretch it’s opposite of grain or the warp side of the fabric.

Guess who didn’t look it up and definitely cut the grain the wrong way?

  Oops… Well, luckily I had extra because when I went to buy the fabric it was the end of the bolt and the store threw in the extra inches to avoid awkward scrap. Then with the help of a more knowledgable coworker I was able to recut my fabric correctly and with a minimum of waste! I’d originally toyed with just using the original cut, but I can say with absolute authority, it’s a really good thing I did recut the pattern, because I definitely wouldn’t have had enough give long term.

Complication #2

Well that was solved, but I still didn’t have an ear pattern. So I literally made one up. I grabbed up a ruler and measured out how wide I wanted to ears (6″ with a 1/2″ seam allowance) and used a bowl to make the round tops. It actually turned out pretty well, though when I was sewing it all up I got a little wonky on the curves.

Complication #3

Ok, so I had ears, I had a correctly cut pattern, now it was just about getting it all together, simple right? About that… The original pattern was a dragon or unicorn, both of which had these petite little ears that were in no way stuffed. My ears were about twelve inches long, five inches wide, and at least inches thick in most places… working that out got interesting to say the least. My roommate can corroborate some creative swearing occurred while I struggled to bast the ears functionally to the outer hood and then sew through four layer of fleece to create a dart for the head. I managed it (terribly in some places, but I made it work) but I definitely don’t recommend it.

By comparison, the lining, which had no ears, went like a dream though I did my best to skip over the opening I was supposed to leave in the back to actually turn the garment, but I remembered before I had to rip back. I’ll admit fitting the ears through a two inch hole that was originally supposed to be a four inch hole was challenging. Then many, many pins later I sewed the whole shebang together!

The last bit was less of a complication and more of a general fuck-up on my part: I definitely had my settings all wrong when I was trying to do the button hole and the first one was a disaster because the second side of the button hole just went off instead of remotely lining up with the first and let me tell you, ripping back setting 1 stitching from a plush fleece? Don’t even bother, it’s not worth your sanity. The second one went better except that it was way to long… so I went back after cutting the actual button hole only through part of the sewn outline and added a very clumsy edge where I actually wanted it to end… And then picked out a bunch of tiny machine stitching…Ugh. The result is super ugly, but it’s mostly hidden by the button so I’ll live.

After much trial and just so much error: here it is my (almost) complete My Melody Hood! (I’m going to add a little felt flower to finish up.)

Damn, it feels good to be a gangster.

  My Melody Hood (Assuming my posting week runs from Tuesday to Monday, I'm at the wire for posting twice in the first week of 2019, but it's done to I'm going to count it as good.)

[shortqueershakespeare]

Ask set ??

simple and soft asks

What did you dream about last night?

What is your favorite color?

Do you feel more connected to the moon or the sun?

Have you ever wished on a shooting star?

Yes I have.

Name a movie that makes you genuinely laugh.

The Proposal.

When’s the last time you felt like you were floating?

A couple of nights ago I was tipsy and happy.

What do you enjoy daydreaming about most?

Love, future post-transition, mundane things.

Do you believe in guardian angels?

Not really.

What’s a smell that reminds you of home?

Baking bread or mulled wine.

What is something (or someone) you’re in love with?

hot chocolate and late night reading

Describe the memory of the last time you felt true happiness.

looking around a room of my friends, everyone in fits of laughter, exchanging gifts and eating.

Name a song that makes you feel ethereal.

august

What’s your ideal summer aesthetic?

short dungarees on a bare chest and bare feet.

Talk about one of your most cherished childhood memories.

Okay so I’ll talk about a couple, I vividly remember being at a family friend’s house - I’m the youngest of four and the family friends have 3 kids, all around or older than my sisters’ ages so I often had to go to bed before they did. So one time my sisters and the one of the boys were in the oldest’s room, throwing shoes at the youngest out of the window (no I don’t know why). I was in the room below and watching out the window to witness a shoe hit our dads as they were leaving the house and I have never heard anyone sprint around the house to hide so fast in my life. It was hilarious.

Talk about something exciting or good that happened to you this year.

I moved countries and lived without my parents and supported myself for the first time!

Where do you feel most at home?

I pretty much always say my bed for this question, but also the kitchen at my dad’s with my puppy.

What is something you own that is important to you? What makes it so important?

My teddy bear Brownie is the first gift I got from my sister and I’ve had him as long as I can remember, he comes with me whenever I go somewhere overnight.

Do you believe dreams have meanings or are they completely random?

After my fucking dream about geese and periods I did try to google dream meanings but my brain created a dream too fucking weird for interpreting.

Do you believe in love at first sight?

hmmm not in that sense but I definitely have vibes about making connections with people as soon as I see them.

What’s the sweetest thing someone has done for you?

Took a day off work and designed a whole day out for us so I could be distracted from my first break up.

Do you believe in mermaids?

Nope.

What do you like most about nature?

I really like walking among trees and swimming in rivers.

What’s your zodiac sign? Do you think you fit the general characteristics of that sign?

I’m a pisces! I just googled the characteristics and I’d say so.

Are you more of a hopeless romantic or realist?

A cross between the two but I have more fun being a hopeless romantic.

What’s a song that gives off good vibes anytime you listen to it?

RAIN by Ben Platt.

Do you usually remember your dreams?

Straight after I wake up I’ll either remember them for long enough to write them down or have zero memory of them at all.

Have you ever written a love letter?

Yeah! My first ex and I wrote letters when we were dating and it’s actually really sweet being able to reread them - it’s nice to have a record of us falling in love and also seeing how much I’ve changed.

Name a book you don’t mind reading over and over.

We Were Liars - E. Lockhart

Do you collect anything? And what are some hobbies you have?

I collect shot glasses (which is a weird habit I started when I was about 12??) I like sewing, reading, writing, origami, baking, tennis, and anything creative I can learn quickly, especially if it occupies my hands and is somewhat repetitive

What do you do to feel at peace?

Have a bath, take my meds, drink some tea or hot chocolate, read a book.

cute asks

cherry - what is your sexuality?

Oooof thats a loaded question. I usually refer to myself as queer or gay and I strongly lean towards men and nonbinary people. I also call myself bi sometimes.

lollipop - favorite makeup products?

I don’t wear makeup! Except at pride, at which it’s glitter and face paint. I do like eyeliner too.

daydreams - if you could be anything or anyone, who would you be?

Ooh I’d love to be an actor or a stage manager.

october - what month were you born in?

February, which I actually really like as a birthday month.

caress - do you like to snuggle?

Yesssssss.

ivory - describe your pajamas?

I only own two pairs of pajamas - both are 101 dalmatians themed, one is a onesie and I love them both. Oh I also have a reindeer and a tiger onesie.

golden - favorite stationary product?

The fancy envelopes my sister sent me and my fountain pens!

freckles - most-worn article of clothing?

Dungarees!

twilight - best friend?

Char or Oscar probably. Or Kat.

silk - do you like k-pop?

Not really.

poppy - favorite pastel color?

Ooh I like pastel yellow and blue.

dimples - most attractive features of a person’s face?

Eyes, smile.

sunkissed - autumn or spring?

Autumn

buttery - favorite snack?

There are these really good lentil crisps in my supermarket and I’m genuinely gutted I can’t have them when I move home.

whisper - how much sleep do you get?

Depends, but I aim for 8-12 hours. I go through phases of needing a lot of sleep.

pencil - do you own a journal?

Yeah but I haven’t used it in a while, I’ve found it easier to just have a general to do list notebook and combine that with my writing.

cupcake - are you a good cook?

I think so! I cook quite a range of things and I do like trying new stuff.

honey - favorite term of endearment?

Love or sweetheart.

clouds - describe one of your favorite dreams?

The fucking goose dream in which I dreamt that I was doing stand up and my routine centred around me having a misogynistic boss who turned out to be a goose.

velvet - who was your first crush?

Possibly Teddy.

paper - favorite children’s book?

Der Regenbogenfisch!

peaches - do you have a skincare routine?

Significantly varies depending on how I’m doing, I usually use my cleanser in the shower and then a scrub a couple times a week and a facemask maybe once a week. Then I shave after I’ve showered and then moisturise.

mochi - favorite studio ghibli film?

Ponyo

backyard - did you ever have an imaginary friend?

I don’t remember having one.

strawberry - favorite fruit?

Passionfruit, pomegranate and persimmon.

kiss - have you ever kissed a friend?

Yeah, the most obvious one I can think of (which I’ve spoken about), my most recent kiss from a uni friend post-breakup and a couple kisses for friends at pride.

nightlight - do you read before bed?

I like to yeah, but it tends to end up with me reading the entire book.

shampoo - favorite scent?

I love sea smells and generic “man smell” shower gels, and honey or citrus scents.

skin - what distant relative are you closest to?

Oh god our family tree is such a mess but maybe my adoptive grandparents?

aphrodite - favorite actress/actor?

Ben Platt and Liv Hewson.

cuddles - do you have any pets?

One boxer puppy and four chickens (at separate houses).

lace - if you own any dresses, which is your favorite?

I don’t own any but I really like my oldest sister’s taste in dresses.

sheets - sanrio or san-x characters?

I do not know what this is.

cream - frozen yogurt flavor?

Oh mannnn I haven’t had frozen yogurt in so long, I like mango.

watermelon - do films ever make you cry?

Oh hell yeah, although less so since being on T.

sapphos - favorite poet?

Shannon Barry or Savannah Brown.

plush - how many stuffed animals do you still own?

Too fucking many. I have two in this flat though.

roses - what flower do you find most beautiful?

I bought a rainbow rose on a trip through London once and I loved that.

sweetheart - favorite mug/cup?

Here it’s a blue and brown patterned one - it’s the perfect thickness and size.

sunset - what are your pronouns?

He/him and they/them.

[kathydsalters31]

11 Tough Plush Toys That Will Survive Your Dog’s Playtime

This post contains affiliate links. Find out more here. Looking for a luxurious pet dog plaything that will not burst into a million tufts, scraps, and also squeakers the min it encounters teeth? We’ve got some top deluxe picks that’ll offer your pet dog something to bring, chew, and also even cuddle with, many for even the toughest chewers.

And also– who does not require a break from those slobbery

chews and also fragrant

bully sticks scattered around your home? 11 Best Plush Dog Toys Here’s a round-up of our favored plush pet dog playthings, a lot of which we’ve checked internal. Keep reading! No need to bother with cleaning up piles of poly-fill with this popular deluxe dog plaything. This toy is stuffing-free and features a sturdy, inner bouncy frame that’s covered with super-strong(yet cozy) faux sheepskin. It’s available in two dimensions and also

3 styles, consisting of a bunny(envisioned) as well as panda. If your pet manages to chew it down to the rubber inside, just make certain to toss it. Verified testimonial:”Enzo was lifting and also down for this plaything, likely since it is hairy as well as advised him of squirrels. I liked just how the material appeared thicker, as well as the plaything was simple and portable to throw around. Enzo was enamored with it! ” Find on Amazon

This little furball withstands heavy play with strengthened joints, a durable, chew-tolerant cellular lining, as well as a squeaker that will have your pet dog coming back for even more. Due to the fact that you’re ensured a substitute if it does not outlast a common luxurious plaything, we like it. Verified testimonial:”This is a great toy! This plaything is&pretty big as well as&hard for my small dog to squeal(give thanks to goodness). Ginger can truly damage a toy, yet this has held up for 2 weeks and also checking.” Shop on Chewy When you can’t make it outside, this fuzzy Chuckit indoor round makes it possible to still play all day. With a lightweight style that protects indoor surface areas, this luxurious pet toy still includes the particular rubber sphere bounce that drives pets wild. And also, it fits in the Chuckit Indoor Launcher to take your fetch video game to an entirely brand-new degree( and also perhaps quite essentially have them jumping off the walls– without breaking lamps). Validated review(from&The Best 16 Dog Fetch Toys for Hours of Endless Play):”This plaything brought an intense quantity of joy to both my pet and the Rover dogs that were sticking with us this weekend. I was shocked that the sphere allowed sufficient for two canines to play contest of strength with it, that made the challenges of sharing a sphere fun as opposed to affordable. It also did a superb job of not making marks on my wall surfaces throughout our interior fetch sessions.” Find on Amazon Whether they’re playing conflict, trembling their”target,”or making this serpent squeak, pet dogs of all sizes love this stuffing-free plaything. Dura-Tuff inner lining stands strong versus pointy teeth. This plush canine plaything evaluated fairly well inour evaluation, below. Validated testimonial:”Skye our German shepherd quickly attacked the serpent and got so excited to listen to one of the six squeakers squeal back! Skye has the capacity to stand out tennis rounds in regarding 30 secs of chewing, as well as squeaker toys are typically not sturdy enough to stop her from removing the squeaker swiftly! To my surprise, her bites were insufficient to pierce the outer cellular lining of the serpent! The volume of the squeakers was additionally not unreasonably loud.

One of Skye’s favorite things to do with toys is “yank.” When we played, I discovered the toy is certainly not something I would consider weak, as it held up to Skye’s fatality hold. After I surrendered (or as Skye would certainly put it, after she won), Skye happily took it back to her bed to begin her work of trying to stand out the squeakers.

The claim of this item is the “invincible squeaker,” and also while Skye provided it a run for its cash, after regarding 24 hrs the invincible squeakers were not so unyielding any longer. The squeakers felt like smashed soda containers when I chose up the plaything. I could hear the rattling on the inside of the actual squeaker. She had actually broken it loose, as well as thus, say goodbye to squeaks!

The plaything as well as lining itself is still intact, as well as she is extremely satisfied to parade it about, but she does now dislike it much faster as a result of the absence of squeaky feedback.”

Shop on Chewy An excellent green choice, this plaything is made in the USA from safe, recycled products. Not

only is this critter very plush as well as charming, it’s likewise constructed from difficult things– Zogoflex rubber and HardyTex fabric product– so it’ll stand up to lots of roughhousing. Verified review:”This plaything is excellent for playing pull, or throwing like a frisbee. The limbs have rubber ends, which gave my pet dog something

to chew on that particular will not simply rip off instantly. It’s a terrific size, is equipment cleanable, as well as has actually in 2014 in our residence!” Shop on Chewy Canines love this hairy friend. The majority of reviewers can not quit chatting regarding just how stressed their dogs are

with cuddling this duck! Long lasting and larger than the typical deluxe, this toy also squeaks for the sound aficionados and is available in multiple color choices (Chewy’s pick). Shop on Chewy This thoroughly crafted beast has a double-layered outside and also tough joints that make it ideal for even the toughest chewers. And also you can really feel awesome regarding every purchase– it’s made from 100%post-consumer recycled plastic bottles and also is washing machine and also clothes dryer friendly.

Find on Amazon Multiple squeakers are loaded right into this plushie, a soft, solid and also lovable plaything numerous Chewy reviewers have claimed their canines get quite consumed over.

“She’s like a psycho little beast with it,”states one. Shop on Chewy Added Toys To Try No toys are indestructible, as well as plush playthings can be a specifically variety. While these toys and brand names are well-loved by dogs, their toughness obtained combined in-house testimonials. As always, your dog’s chewing and play behaviors may differ and also these could be extremely enjoyable as well as worthwhile additions to their toy collection.

This cutie with great deals of extremities to pull on boasts boosted longevity with what it calls” Chew Guard Technology,”which includes a solid internal liner to this soft exterior plushie plaything, as well as seams are double-stitched as well as enhanced. Validated review:”I liked the various structures as well as densities the dragon had throughout its body, I assume it kept Enzo delighted much longer. Due to the fact that of all the arm or legs the dragon had; it is not a boring looking plaything, Enzo had his eyes glued to it when he first saw it. Nevertheless, the material didn’t appear that thick and durable, it was thinner than expected. Enzo loved this toy and displayed it around our home, running up as well as down the corridor with it. I loved exactly how it had a squeaker as well as also had a various body shape than more mainstream playthings, yet Enzo damaged the toy rather quickly, he tore the nose open as well as swallowed the nostril. He loved it, however eventually it was also simple to tear into, likely due to the thinner textile selection.”

Shop on Chewy Kong is usually known for top quality products– this one could just drift your pet’s watercraft (it provides for plenty of Chewy customers, believed not ours). It squeaks and rattles(but a little less noisally than some other toys)as well as has an additional tough mid-section for some trembling action. Verified evaluation:”I assumed the toy looked great and also Ginger was delighted

regarding it. I like that it didn’t have very apparent squeakers so Ging didn’t really squeal it that much. I such as that it had the shaker in the nose so it’s a quieter plaything. It turns out I didn’t like the product. It really did not last more than 2 hours with Ging playing with it on as well as off. She revealed a weak point in the sewing and also ripped every little thing out consisting of among the squeakers. The product was actually disappointing. I’ve had playthings of Ging’s for greater than a year and also this was probably the 2nd fastest that she’s ever before totally ruined a plaything. The squeaker was as well simple to reach as soon as the plaything was opened which isn’t very secure for pets as a possible choking threat.”

Find on Chewy

This multi-layer, machine-washable luxurious pet toy drifts for summertime or bathroom time enjoyable. It asserts longevity with reinforced joints, yet it’s most likely matched for smaller canines and light chewers.

Verified evaluation: “I was really dissatisfied by this product, as it was promoted to be a difficult and resilient toy. While a lot of high-grade toys will last my pet a while, this plaything lasted for much less than one hour prior to my pet bit via the textile, revealing the hairy guts. It wasn’t up until my pet dog ingested some material that I discovered she had broken through. I do not advise this product to anyone with a pet dog that is a reasonably strong chewer.”

Find on Amazon More Reading

Checkout a lot more plaything alternatives in the write-ups below.

source http://www.luckydogsolutions.com/11-tough-plush-toys-that-will-survive-your-dogs-playtime/

from Lucky Dog Solutions https://luckydogsolutions.blogspot.com/2020/06/11-tough-plush-toys-that-will-survive.html

[barryswamsleyaz]

11 Tough Plush Toys That Will Survive Your Dog’s Playtime

This post contains affiliate links. Find out more here. Looking for a luxurious pet dog plaything that will not burst into a million tufts, scraps, and also squeakers the min it encounters teeth? We’ve got some top deluxe picks that’ll offer your pet dog something to bring, chew, and also even cuddle with, many for even the toughest chewers.

And also– who does not require a break from those slobbery chews and also fragrant

bully sticks scattered around your home? 11 Best Plush Dog Toys Here’s a round-up of our favored plush pet dog playthings, a lot of which we’ve checked internal. Keep reading! No need to bother with cleaning up piles of poly-fill with this popular deluxe dog plaything. This toy is stuffing-free and features a sturdy, inner bouncy frame that’s covered with super-strong(yet cozy) faux sheepskin. It’s available in two dimensions and also

3 styles, consisting of a bunny(envisioned) as well as panda. If your pet manages to chew it down to the rubber inside, just make certain to toss it. Verified testimonial:”Enzo was lifting and also down for this plaything, likely since it is hairy as well as advised him of squirrels. I liked just how the material appeared thicker, as well as the plaything was simple and portable to throw around. Enzo was enamored with it! ” Find on Amazon

This little furball withstands heavy play with strengthened joints, a durable, chew-tolerant cellular lining, as well as a squeaker that will have your pet dog coming back for even more. Due to the fact that you’re ensured a substitute if it does not outlast a common luxurious plaything, we like it. Verified testimonial:”This is a great toy! This plaything is&pretty big as well as&hard for my small dog to squeal(give thanks to goodness). Ginger can truly damage a toy, yet this has held up for 2 weeks and also checking.” Shop on Chewy When you can’t make it outside, this fuzzy Chuckit indoor round makes it possible to still play all day. With a lightweight style that protects indoor surface areas, this luxurious pet toy still includes the particular rubber sphere bounce that drives pets wild. And also, it fits in the Chuckit Indoor Launcher to take your fetch video game to an entirely brand-new degree( and also perhaps quite essentially have them jumping off the walls– without breaking lamps). Validated review(from&The Best 16 Dog Fetch Toys for Hours of Endless Play):”This plaything brought an intense quantity of joy to both my pet and the Rover dogs that were sticking with us this weekend. I was shocked that the sphere allowed sufficient for two canines to play contest of strength with it, that made the challenges of sharing a sphere fun as opposed to affordable. It also did a superb job of not making marks on my wall surfaces throughout our interior fetch sessions.” Find on Amazon Whether they’re playing conflict, trembling their”target,”or making this serpent squeak, pet dogs of all sizes love this stuffing-free plaything. Dura-Tuff inner lining stands strong versus pointy teeth. This plush canine plaything evaluated fairly well inour evaluation, below. Validated testimonial:”Skye our German shepherd quickly attacked the serpent and got so excited to listen to one of the six squeakers squeal back! Skye has the capacity to stand out tennis rounds in regarding 30 secs of chewing, as well as squeaker toys are typically not sturdy enough to stop her from removing the squeaker swiftly! To my surprise, her bites were insufficient to pierce the outer cellular lining of the serpent! The volume of the squeakers was additionally not unreasonably loud.

One of Skye’s favorite things to do with toys is “yank.” When we played, I discovered the toy is certainly not something I would consider weak, as it held up to Skye’s fatality hold. After I surrendered (or as Skye would certainly put it, after she won), Skye happily took it back to her bed to begin her work of trying to stand out the squeakers.

The claim of this item is the “invincible squeaker,” and also while Skye provided it a run for its cash, after regarding 24 hrs the invincible squeakers were not so unyielding any longer. The squeakers felt like smashed soda containers when I chose up the plaything. I could hear the rattling on the inside of the actual squeaker. She had actually broken it loose, as well as thus, say goodbye to squeaks!

The plaything as well as lining itself is still intact, as well as she is extremely satisfied to parade it about, but she does now dislike it much faster as a result of the absence of squeaky feedback.”

Shop on Chewy An excellent green choice, this plaything is made in the USA from safe, recycled products. Not

only is this critter very plush as well as charming, it’s likewise constructed from difficult things– Zogoflex rubber and HardyTex fabric product– so it’ll stand up to lots of roughhousing. Verified review:”This plaything is excellent for playing pull, or throwing like a frisbee. The limbs have rubber ends, which gave my pet dog something

to chew on that particular will not simply rip off instantly. It’s a terrific size, is equipment cleanable, as well as has actually in 2014 in our residence!” Shop on Chewy Canines love this hairy friend. The majority of reviewers can not quit chatting regarding just how stressed their dogs are

with cuddling this duck! Long lasting and larger than the typical deluxe, this toy also squeaks for the sound aficionados and is available in multiple color choices (Chewy’s pick). Shop on Chewy This thoroughly crafted beast has a double-layered outside and also tough joints that make it ideal for even the toughest chewers. And also you can really feel awesome regarding every purchase– it’s made from 100%post-consumer recycled plastic bottles and also is washing machine and also clothes dryer friendly.

Find on Amazon Multiple squeakers are loaded right into this plushie, a soft, solid and also lovable plaything numerous Chewy reviewers have claimed their canines get quite consumed over.

“She’s like a psycho little beast with it,”states one. Shop on Chewy Added Toys To Try No toys are indestructible, as well as plush playthings can be a specifically variety. While these toys and brand names are well-loved by dogs, their toughness obtained combined in-house testimonials. As always, your dog’s chewing and play behaviors may differ and also these could be extremely enjoyable as well as worthwhile additions to their toy collection.

This cutie with great deals of extremities to pull on boasts boosted longevity with what it calls” Chew Guard Technology,”which includes a solid internal liner to this soft exterior plushie plaything, as well as seams are double-stitched as well as enhanced. Validated review:”I liked the various structures as well as densities the dragon had throughout its body, I assume it kept Enzo delighted much longer. Due to the fact that of all the arm or legs the dragon had; it is not a boring looking plaything, Enzo had his eyes glued to it when he first saw it. Nevertheless, the material didn’t appear that thick and durable, it was thinner than expected. Enzo loved this toy and displayed it around our home, running up as well as down the corridor with it. I loved exactly how it had a squeaker as well as also had a various body shape than more mainstream playthings, yet Enzo damaged the toy rather quickly, he tore the nose open as well as swallowed the nostril. He loved it, however eventually it was also simple to tear into, likely due to the thinner textile selection.”

Shop on Chewy Kong is usually known for top quality products– this one could just drift your pet’s watercraft (it provides for plenty of Chewy customers, believed not ours). It squeaks and rattles(but a little less noisally than some other toys)as well as has an additional tough mid-section for some trembling action. Verified evaluation:”I assumed the toy looked great and also Ginger was delighted

regarding it. I like that it didn’t have very apparent squeakers so Ging didn’t really squeal it that much. I such as that it had the shaker in the nose so it’s a quieter plaything. It turns out I didn’t like the product. It really did not last more than 2 hours with Ging playing with it on as well as off. She revealed a weak point in the sewing and also ripped every little thing out consisting of among the squeakers. The product was actually disappointing. I’ve had playthings of Ging’s for greater than a year and also this was probably the 2nd fastest that she’s ever before totally ruined a plaything. The squeaker was as well simple to reach as soon as the plaything was opened which isn’t very secure for pets as a possible choking threat.” Find on Chewy

This multi-layer, machine-washable luxurious pet toy drifts for summertime or bathroom time enjoyable. It asserts longevity with reinforced joints, yet it’s most likely matched for smaller canines and light chewers.

Verified evaluation: “I was really dissatisfied by this product, as it was promoted to be a difficult and resilient toy. While a lot of high-grade toys will last my pet a while, this plaything lasted for much less than one hour prior to my pet bit via the textile, revealing the hairy guts. It wasn’t up until my pet dog ingested some material that I discovered she had broken through. I do not advise this product to anyone with a pet dog that is a reasonably strong chewer.”

Find on Amazon More Reading

Checkout a lot more plaything alternatives in the write-ups below.

from Lucky Dog Solutions http://www.luckydogsolutions.com/11-tough-plush-toys-that-will-survive-your-dogs-playtime/

from Lucky Dog Solutions https://luckydogsolutions.tumblr.com/post/621962480124624896