#going to sew pockets in everything i own just so i have a place to keep him

[ballpitwitch]

John Wick: Chapter 4 - Blu-ray Featurettes

[xxdark-obsessionxx]

I’m a big sucker for Psych Au fics. Reader is a cis female doctor who treats Tord with kindness. He becomes obsessed with her. Refuses to talk to any other doctor.

Tord is always on his best behavior for her which leads her to let her guard down.

BIG MISTAKE

I was supposed to be asleep five hours ago but I couldn’t until I finished this. Just know that in my heart, this takes place in Arkham. Also I'm super rusty so I apologize if anything feels off/wonky.

CW: Noncon

Dark themes ahead, please read at your own discretion and keep yourself safe. This is a work of fiction and I do not condone or support scenarios like this in real life

_____________________________________________

“You dropped this.” 

The man stares at you wide eyed as you hand him his lighter. He stands, rigid. You give him a gentle smile and press it into his palm, your other hand curling around the back of his hand. 

“I know there’s no fluid in it, so you don’t have to worry about me taking it,” you say to him. You pat his hand and step away.

The man turns fully towards you and you’re able to read the name sewed onto his shirt. 

“I-” the man- Tord- swallows hard. He quickly pockets the lighter. “Thank you.” 

You give him another smile and walk past him. He had seemed to be going the same way as you but he never caught up. Nor did you hear footsteps behind you. Once you reach the director’s office, he leaves your thoughts. You were absolutely determined to make a good first impression on your first day of the job. 

The man you met earlier had turned out to be your first patient. And oh boy, what a patient he was. Like you had promised yourself you weren’t going to judge any of these people but god damn. His file was thick. At least twenty papers were inside the manilla folder you had received from the head director’s office. Maybe even more. 

You’d never know if you kept standing outside the director’s office gawking at it. You take a deep breath. Going through it sitting down was probably a good idea. As you make your way to the breakroom, your grip on the folder is tight, trying your best to make sure you don’t drop it and reveal your patient's file. 

Thankfully, it doesn’t take you long to get to the breakroom. A few people were there but they paid you no mind. They sit, hunched over lunch or their own files. You sit and start to read. 

Løvik Tord

3 7 2 5 9

DOB: 1995

Age: 28

Hair: Dark brown with lighter brown roots

Eye: Silver

You end up skimming through this until you get to the bottom of the page. It wasn’t… pretty. 

CASE INFORMATION: 

Tord is a violent man. He is aggressive, manipulative, and has a short temper. Many doctors have tried working with him to no avail. He does not respond kindly to Dr.Casey (see page 5), Dr.Bonnie (see page 8), Dr.Roxy (see page 12), or Dr.Harley (see page 15). 

He is extremely aggressive towards Dr. Bruce (see page 20). 

You stop reading there, your chest feeling tight. You flip to page twenty. It’s not the last page like you had hoped. There were still…. Quite a bit in the file. 

Dr.Bruce has tried everything he can to help Tord. He has tried finding common ground with the patient. Has tried being lax and strict with Tord’s schedule. Has tried working with Tord and letting him sit outside. Tord had found every loophole and burned every bridge until Dr.Bruce stopped lenient treatments. Tord stabbed Dr.Bruce fifteen times before guards made their way into the room. 

It is unknown how and where he had gotten his hands on a sharp long blade. Tord was seen licking the blood of-

“Don’t worry if you can’t fix him. At this point, Doctor Markman hands his case off to fresh blood to showcase this place. No one expects you to be able to tame him.” 

You startle at the voice, goosebumps raised on your arms. “I’m sorry?” you ask with a polite smile. Anger clouded your fear. What the hell was this person talking about?

The doctor, Alice, her name tag reads, smiles at you. 

“Nearly everyone has tried working with him at this point,” she continues. “No one expects him to ever get better. He's here for murder, after all.” 

You give her a tight smile in return. “I’ll just have to see for myself.” 

Before she can keep going, you straighten up the papers and close the folder. 

“I appreciate the advice, but I must be going now,” you lie through your teeth. What bullshit! What kind of doctors run this place? 

You actually hadn’t needed to be anywhere for another thirty minutes but if this conversation continued you wouldn’t be able to hold your tongue. Everyone can be saved. With compassion and kindness and help, no one was beyond redemption. Or too far gone for help. 

You storm out of the breakroom and wander. 

“I was hoping I’d see you again.” 

Tord grins at you as he’s escorted in. His hands are cuffed and before he can sit down, the guard pats him down. 

It makes your stomach churn but you keep your face kind. 

“It’s nice to see you too,” you greet. You watch cautiously as he sits down in the plush chair. The guard leaves the room. 

Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick.

It’s silent enough to hear the clock as the two of you study each other. He seems to drink you in, eyes wandering up and down, seeming to take in everything. You’d do the same if you weren’t a professional. 

“You used to dye your hair?” 

Tord raises an eyebrow. He tilts his head a little, eyes focused solely on you. It unnerves you almost as much as his file had. No patient of yours had ever stared at you so intensely in the past….

After a moment, he answers. “Yes. I fancied black quite a bit.” He gestures towards his roots. “It’s been a while since Bruce got me more dye. No one else will.” 

“I could look into it,” you clasp your hands, jumping into this opportunity. “I can’t promise anything, but I’ll talk to Doctor Marksman.” 

“And what do you want from me in return?”

“I’m sorry?” 

His gaze hardens. “What. do. You. want.” He grinds out, his body rigid in the chair. His hands were clenched.

Without thinking, puzzlement falls across your face. What did he mean? What did you want? For him to get better, obviously. 

“I want you to be at ease with your mental health,” you answer, still looking puzzled. “I don’t want anything else from this job but that. I’m not dangling hair dye in front of you in exchange. I want you to feel comfortable in your skin and at home here, Mr.Løvik.” 

Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick. 

“Is that really what you want?” Tord asks, an emotion you can’t quite place in his voice. “To help me get better?” 

Whatever it may be, you smile at him. 

“Of course. I want nothing but to see you succeed and be happy here.” 

Things were easier after that first session. You always started off kindly, asking Tord how his day was going. If his favorite show or movie had aired on the television today.If his favorite food had been served that morning or afternoon. If he slept fine through the dreadful storm. 

(“I know I wasn’t,” you had laughed. “I tossed and turned, jumping at each sound all night.”

“I’m sure your boyfriend was quite displeased.”

“Oh,” you chuckle. “Well, no. I have a cat but no boyfriend. I was too busy getting my decree to ever really mingle like that. Though, my poor little man was also distraught at all the thunder last night. He yowled at my door until I let him into my room and he curled up on my bed. I’ll bring pictures next time.”) 

Too well for you and only you. Tord refused to talk to anyone but you. He would sit in silence or insult other doctors during his sessions. In one instance, he broke a new doctor’s nose. The poor guy had quit on the spot, cussing Tord and the whole place out as he was escorted to the medical section. 

You were tense the next few sessions but that violent man was nowhere to be found. He kept his cuffed hands right in front where you can see them at all times. He never lunged from you. In fact, barely ever moved in his chair. 

Tord was easygoing. Polite, charming, even. He took any medications he needed obediently and put up no fuss when you’d have him describe in later sessions how he was feeling and if he was feeling any negative side effects. 

He asked about your cat. About how your favorite show was going. If the movie you were looking forward to has come out yet. If your favorite restaurant down the street from your apartment was still closed for renovations. 

Eventually, enough time had passed that you relaxed. You stopped keeping your eyes trained on his hands. You stopped worrying yourself sick about his body language. You focused on his treatments and his mental health. 

If he was going to hurt me he would have done so by now, you thought to yourself after your latest session with Tord. He was doing so much better than he had been doing six months ago. It seemed as if you were really making a difference, helping him improve. 

It had been three months since he last fought another patient. Two months since he assaulted another doctor. And five months since he refused treatment of any kind. 

You step outside the building and take a deep breath. A dopey smile sticks to your face as you walk to your car. Becoming a doctor was the best choice you’ve ever made. Nothing was more rewarding than helping people. Not even this cloudy weather could bring you down. 

In fact, nothing tried to drag your mood down. There was no traffic on the way home. Some asshole hadn’t parked in your assigned parking spot again in the parking lot of your apartment. And your sweet cat hadn’t knocked his little box over again. 

You happily reheat your leftovers and watch tv for a while before you get ready for bed. Unfortunately, your mood does come crashing down. 

In the middle of the night, thunder wakes you. You jolt up, scrambling for your phone. Your hands come up empty. Shit, you think. I left it charging in the kitchen. Ugh. Oh well, you don’t need to look at your phone to see it is late and storming. 

Another loud sound booms through your apartment. Only this time, it sounds like a crash. 

“It’s just thunder,” you tell yourself. “Nothing to be afraid of.” You lay back down. Your eyes shut and you’re just about drifting to sleep when your door creeks open. 

You bolt up, knowing damn well that your cat can’t open doors and you freeze. 

Your heart races as your mind tries to process just who was in front of you. 

“Tord?” you whimper, hands shaking. But that can’t be. That was impossible. He was supposed to be sleeping soundly in his room with the soundproof headphones you got him. He didn’t like storms. The thunder reminded him too much of gunshots and made him restless. 

Useless information floods your brain. 

“I’m home, sweetheart,” he rasps. His grin is soft in the moonlight. He reaches over to flick on your bedroom light. 

He’s gentle he’s kind he’s sweet he’s-

He’s covered in blood.

Tord steps forward and you’re frozen in bed. His eyes are wild as they drink you in. There’s blood on his hands. In his hair. Splatters on his face. 

“Oh honey how I’ve dreamed of this,” he croons at the foot of your bed. “Your apartment is just as cute as you described.” 

He grabs the edge of your blanket and pulls it off. His smile grows sappy. “You did go for the red pants like I suggested.” He giggles, staring between your legs. “I wonder if there’s a match beneath them.”

That snaps you out of your shocked stupor. You scramble off your bed, slamming your head hard against your nightstand as you try to avoid Tord’s lunging grasp. 

You lay fetal on the floor, tears in your eyes as you clutch your head. “Fuck,” you hiss.

Tord clicks his tongue. He slowly climbs off your bed, crouching next to you. “My poor clumsy sweetheart.” 

You feel his hands in your hair. 

“What do you want?” you gasp. Fear and pain mix as you start to cry into your carpet. 

His hands stroke your hair. 

“You.” 

With that, you’re powerless to stop him as he scoops you up into his arms. You thrash as he dumps you back onto your bed, pinning you down. 

“I know you're scared but it’s ok. I’ll be gentle, my love. So gentle.”

Your mind can’t wrap your head around what’s happening. Tord isn’t supposed to be tying your wrists to your headboard. He isn’t supposed to be kissing your neck and grinding his hard arousal between your legs. He isn’t supposed to be in your home. 

“Such a good girl, staying still for me,” Tord says softly as he pulls back. He slides your pants down. Disappoint clouds his eyes when he sees your panties aren’t red but it’s deepened when he pulls those down and you’re barely wet.

“It’s ok sweets. I’ll figure out what gets you going. There’s nothing to be ashamed of in needing help.” 

Anger wells in your chest as Tord fishes for something in one of his pockets. How dare he. How dare he parrot your own advice back at you. As if this was a simple therapy session. As if you were the patient and he was the doctor wanting to help. 

“Get off me!” you snarl. “You know this isn’t right Tord. Y-you’re sick! You need help!” 

Tord stops what he’s doing to stare dead eyed at you. He plucks a clean rag off your nightstand and stuffs it into your mouth. 

“Enough of that,” he scolds. “You need this as much as I do. In fact, doctors orders.” 

He grins at his own twisted joke. He fishes through his pockets again and pulls out a small bottle of lube. “Yes, just what my love needs. A good thorough fuck.” 

You desperately try to spit the rag out but your mouth is too dry. You twist and tug your wrists but to no avail. This was happening. Your gentle, sweet patient was going to take your virginity. 

Tord carefully squirts lube onto his fingers, rubbing them together. He parts your folds, humming appreciatively as he rubs your clit. 

“That’s it, my good girl. Get nice and wet for me.” 

You feel sick. Against your will, his crooning and his touches stir up arousal inside you. You close your eyes as he gently fingers you as if he was searching for something. 

A minute later, your eyes fly open as he jabs something horrible. Your pussy grows slick from it, pleasure building in your lower stomach. 

“There it is.”

You shake your head violently. Not there, you try to plead with your eyes. Anywhere but there! 

But Tord merely smiles at you and ruthlessly abuses that spot. Over and over his fingers jab and curl,  rubbing it. You squeeze your eyes tight, small moans making their way out of your throat as pleasure jolts through you.. His thumb strokes your clit and you cum embarrassedly fast. You stare at the ceiling and wish you hadn’t wanted to cum at all. 

“Good girl,” Tord praises. He pulls his fingers out, eying them appreciatively. He sticks them in his mouth and sucks, moaning. “So sweet. But I’m too impatient to try it from the source. You’ll have to forgive me, my love.” 

Panic jolts up your spine as you feel his tip pressing against your entrance. You try to climb up your bed rest but you only achieve getting a little higher up on your pillows. Tord sighs and presses forward. 

“It’ll hurt for a moment but I promise this will feel good,” Tord tries to soothe. He picks up the lube and squeezes more into his palm and strokes himself. 

You hate him. You hate him with all your heart. 

He pushed forward and once again, you squeezed your eyes tight. His hand roughly grabs your throat. 

“Eyes on me,” he snaps. “I want to see how good I make you feel.” 

The fear overturns the pain and you quickly open your eyes. He pushes further in, reaching down to run your clit. 

Tord rocks his hips a little, eyes starstruck as he stares down at you. “You’re getting wetter,” he mumbles to himself. A grin spreads across his face. 

His hips snap forward, setting a firm pace. He stops rubbing your clit to grab under your thighs. He lifts them up and pushes until they’re almost touching your breasts. 

He thrusts harder and- 

You squeal, bucking your hips as he hits that horrible spot. You can’t stop bucking your hips, jolts of pleasure stabbing your stomach and stars in your eyes. 

Tord pressed closer to you, caging you in. He holds your gaze intensely, panting a little. His eyes dart between your face and your bouncing tits. 

Like earlier, you cum fast. This one hits you harder. And Tord doesn’t stop. 

You cum again and he pulls out. “Move and I’ll beat your ass with a belt,” he growls. He pulls out a switchblade and cuts the rope off your headboard. He’s quick to tie your wrists together. 

You find yourself on your stomach, ass up. Tord firmly holds your hips. He enters again, pressing down against you. Caging you against the mattress as he pounds into your pussy hard. By the time you’re cumming again, he finally cums with you. 

You’re crying by this point. Overstimulation has you cringing, your pussy tingling as he pulls out. Once again, you start to panic. Tord had come inside you. You thrash underneath him. 

“Stop that,” he hisses, slapping your ass hard. You cry harder as he does it another three times. And another, until you finally go still. 

You hear Tord sigh harshly. “I need to be patient with you,” he mumbles to himself. He gets off of you and you hear him leave the room. 

He’s back within minutes, holding a wet hand towel. You’re gently turned over onto your back and he softly cleans you up. You can’t look at him. 

“Mrrow.” 

Your heart jolts. Your cat jumps onto the bed, purring as Tord pets him with his clean hand. Traitor. 

“You rest while I pack,” Tord says softly. He leans down to press a kiss on your forehead. “I’ll grab everything you need and love for our new home.” 

He climbs off the bed and leaves the room again. He comes back with duffel bags. Your cat paddles up to you and curls up next to you. He purrs hard as you sob your eyes out.

[obsessivelyloved]

This was requested on one of my nsfw blogs but I went insane and made it 3,000 words long. So I can post most of it here lol. Just know that in my heart, this takes place in Arkham. Also I'm super rusty so I apologize if anything feels off/wonky. The ending is abrupt here bc the rest of it/the ending is nsfw. I was up til 5am writing this and I'm not writing a sfw ending for this blog until after i get more sleep.

Anon asks: I’m a big sucker for Psych Au fics. Reader is a cis female doctor who treats Tord with kindness. He becomes obsessed with her. Refuses to talk to any other doctor. Tord is always on his best behavior for her which leads her to let her guard down. BIG MISTAKE

___________________________________________________________

“You dropped this.” 

The man stares at you wide eyed as you hand him his lighter. He stands, rigid. You give him a gentle smile and press it into his palm, your other hand curling around the back of his hand. 

“I know there’s no fluid in it, so you don’t have to worry about me taking it,” you say to him. You pat his hand and step away.

The man turns fully towards you and you’re able to read the name sewed onto his shirt. 

“I-” the man- Tord- swallows hard. He quickly pockets the lighter. “Thank you.” 

You give him another smile and walk past him. He seemed to be going the same way as you but he never caught up. Nor did you hear footsteps behind you. Once you reach the director’s office, he leaves your thoughts. You were determined to make a good first impression on your first day of the job. 

The man you met earlier had turned out to be your first patient. And oh boy, what a patient he was. Like you had promised yourself you weren’t going to judge any of these people but god damn. His file was thick. At least twenty papers were inside the manilla folder you had received from the head director’s office. Maybe even more. 

You’d never know if you kept standing outside the director’s office gawking at it. You take a deep breath. Going through it sitting down was probably a good idea. As you make your way to the breakroom, your grip on the folder is tight, trying your best to make sure you don’t drop it and reveal your patient's file. 

Thankfully, it doesn’t take you long to get to the breakroom. A few people were there but they paid you no mind. They sit, hunched over lunch or their own files. You sit and start to read. 

Løvik Tord

3 7 2 5 9

DOB: 1995

Age: 28

Hair: Dark brown with lighter brown roots

Eye: Silver

You end up skimming through this until you get to the bottom of the page. It wasn’t… pretty. 

CASE INFORMATION: 

Tord is a violent man. He is aggressive, manipulative, and has a short temper. Many doctors have tried working with him to no avail. He does not respond kindly to Dr.Casey (see page 5), Dr.Bonnie (see page 8), Dr.Roxy (see page 12), or Dr.Harley (see page 15). 

He is extremely aggressive towards Dr. Bruce (see page 20). 

You stop reading there, your chest feeling tight. You flip to page twenty. It’s not the last page like you had hoped. There were still…. Quite a bit in the file. 

Dr.Bruce has tried everything he can to help Tord. He has tried finding common ground with the patient. Has tried being lax and strict with Tord’s schedule. Has tried working with Tord and letting him sit outside. Tord had found every loophole and burned every bridge until Dr.Bruce stopped lenient treatments. Tord stabbed Dr.Bruce fifteen times before guards made their way into the room. 

It is unknown how and where he had gotten his hands on a sharp long blade. Tord was seen licking the blood of-

“Don’t worry if you can’t fix him. At this point, Doctor Markman hands his case off to fresh blood to showcase this place. No one expects you to be able to tame him.” 

You startle at the voice, goosebumps raised on your arms. “I’m sorry?” you ask with a polite smile. Anger clouded your fear. What the hell was this person talking about?

The doctor, Alice, her name tag reads, smiles at you. 

“Nearly everyone has tried working with him at this point,” she continues. “No one expects him to ever get better. He's here for murder, after all.” 

You give her a tight smile in return. “I’ll just have to see for myself.” 

Before she can keep going, you straighten up the papers and close the folder. 

“I appreciate the advice, but I must be going now,” you lie through your teeth. What bullshit! What kind of doctors run this place? 

You actually hadn’t needed to be anywhere for another thirty minutes but if this conversation continued you wouldn’t be able to hold your tongue. Everyone can be saved. With compassion and kindness and help, no one was beyond redemption. Or too far gone for help. 

You storm out of the breakroom and wander. 

“I was hoping I’d see you again.” 

Tord grins at you as he’s escorted in. His hands are cuffed and before he can sit down, the guard pats him down. 

It makes your stomach churn but you keep your face kind. 

“It’s nice to see you too,” you greet. You watch cautiously as he sits down in the plush chair. The guard leaves the room. 

Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick.

It’s silent enough to hear the clock as the two of you study each other. He seems to drink you in, eyes wandering up and down, seeming to take in everything. You’d do the same if you weren’t a professional. 

“You used to dye your hair?” 

Tord raises an eyebrow. He tilts his head a little, eyes focused solely on you. It unnerves you almost as much as his file had. No patient of yours had ever stared at you so intensely in the past….

After a moment, he answers. “Yes. I fancied black quite a bit.” He gestures towards his roots. “It’s been a while since Bruce got me more dye. No one else will.” 

“I could look into it,” you clasp your hands, jumping into this opportunity. “I can’t promise anything, but I’ll talk to Doctor Marksman.” 

“And what do you want from me in return?”

“I’m sorry?” 

His gaze hardens. “What. do. You. want.” He grinds out, his body rigid in the chair. His hands were clenched.

Without thinking, puzzlement falls across your face. What did he mean? What did you want? For him to get better, obviously. 

“I want you to be at ease with your mental health,” you answer, still looking puzzled. “I don’t want anything else from this job but that. I’m not dangling hair dye in front of you in exchange. I want you to feel comfortable in your skin and at home here, Mr.Løvik.” 

Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick. 

“Is that really what you want?” Tord asks, an emotion you can’t quite place in his voice. “To help me get better?” 

Whatever it may be, you smile at him. 

“Of course. I want nothing but to see you succeed and be happy here.” 

Things were easier after that first session. You always started off kindly, asking Tord how his day was going. If his favorite show or movie had aired on the television today.If his favorite food had been served that morning or afternoon. If he slept fine through the dreadful storm. 

(“I know I wasn’t,” you had laughed. “I tossed and turned, jumping at each sound all night.”

“I’m sure your boyfriend was quite displeased.”

“Oh,” you chuckle. “Well, no. I have a cat but no boyfriend. I was too busy getting my decree to ever really mingle like that. Though, my poor little man was also distraught at all the thunder last night. He yowled at my door until I let him into my room and he curled up on my bed. I’ll bring pictures next time.”) 

Too well for you and only you. Tord refused to talk to anyone but you. He would sit in silence or insult other doctors during his sessions. In one instance, he broke a new doctor’s nose. The poor guy had quit on the spot, cussing Tord and the whole place out as he was escorted to the medical section. 

You were tense the next few sessions but that violent man was nowhere to be found. He kept his cuffed hands right in front where you can see them at all times. He never lunged from you. In fact, barely ever moved in his chair. 

Tord was easygoing. Polite, charming, even. He took any medications he needed obediently and put up no fuss when you’d have him describe in later sessions how he was feeling and if he was feeling any negative side effects. 

He asked about your cat. About how your favorite show was going. If the movie you were looking forward to has come out yet. If your favorite restaurant down the street from your apartment was still closed for renovations. 

Eventually, enough time had passed that you relaxed. You stopped keeping your eyes trained on his hands. You stopped worrying yourself sick about his body language. You focused on his treatments and his mental health. 

If he was going to hurt me he would have done so by now, you thought to yourself after your latest session with Tord. He was doing so much better than he had been doing six months ago. It seemed as if you were really making a difference, helping him improve. 

It had been three months since he last fought another patient. Two months since he assaulted another doctor. And five months since he refused treatment of any kind. 

You step outside the building and take a deep breath. A dopey smile sticks to your face as you walk to your car. Becoming a doctor was the best choice you’ve ever made. Nothing was more rewarding than helping people. Not even this cloudy weather could bring you down. 

In fact, nothing tried to drag your mood down. There was no traffic on the way home. Some asshole hadn’t parked in your assigned parking spot again in the parking lot of your apartment. And your sweet cat hadn’t knocked his little box over again. 

You happily reheat your leftovers and watch tv for a while before you get ready for bed. Unfortunately, your mood does come crashing down. 

In the middle of the night, thunder wakes you. You jolt up, scrambling for your phone. Your hands come up empty. Shit, you think. I left it charging in the kitchen. Ugh. Oh well, you don’t need to look at your phone to see it is late and storming. 

Another loud sound booms through your apartment. Only this time, it sounds like a crash. 

“It’s just thunder,” you tell yourself. “Nothing to be afraid of.” You lay back down. Your eyes shut and you’re just about drifting to sleep when your door creeks open. 

You bolt up, knowing damn well that your cat can’t open doors and you freeze. 

Your heart races as your mind tries to process just who was in front of you. 

“Tord?” you whimper, hands shaking. But that can’t be. That was impossible. He was supposed to be sleeping soundly in his room with the soundproof headphones you got him. He didn’t like storms. The thunder reminded him too much of gunshots and made him restless. 

Useless information floods your brain. 

“I’m home, sweetheart,” he rasps. His grin is soft in the moonlight. He reaches over to flick on your bedroom light. 

He’s gentle he’s kind he’s sweet he’s-

He’s covered in blood.

Tord steps forward and you’re frozen in bed. His eyes are wild as they drink you in. There’s blood on his hands. In his hair. Splatters on his face. 

“Oh honey how I’ve dreamed of this,” he croons at the foot of your bed. “Your apartment is just as cute as you described.” 

[deadsetromance]

MY FRIEND FRANK

not my gif !

frank iero x gn!reader

summary : everyone sees him a different way. but to you, he's just frank.

warnings: short and sweet, language, unedited writing.

note: wrote this on the way home from wwwyf ! happy october :)

it’s easy to get tunnel vision when you’re on the road all the time. it feels like you have to be “on” every waking moment. it’s exhausting.

if it wasn’t for frank you’d have left a million times over. he made it easy to take a step back from touring and looking at the little things. he reminded you what day it was when you lost track of the weeks spinning by. he was sweet and he was good and he was everything you wanted in a best friend and more.

he’d make you laugh until you were dizzy, and push you to your limit, and he’d even go easy on you when you played guitar hero. to most people he was frank iero, the guitarist from my chemical romance. to you, he’s just frank.

☠︎☠︎☠︎☠︎

“hey frank, i’m fixing socks if you need anything done.” laundry was done once a week…if you were so lucky. coin laundries and dry cleaners and rest stop showers, and the smell of soap all reminded you of frank…because of course it did. who else would it be that you thought of? “they better be fucking clean. ‘m not gonna touch your dirty socks again dude.”

trading off on chores was routine on tours like this. you would mend the guys’ clothes, frank would do laundry, gerard would grab food and so on and so on and so on forever. it was natural, and it was easy, and it was right. especially with frank.

the two of you would settle on the couch on the bus, sewing kit in one lap and song book in another. he’d tell you a story you were pretty sure had never happened, and you would hem his shirts or sew on another patch somewhere. 

that was just how things worked–the two of you finding your own rhythm just like you did on stage. you’d tap your foot along to the sound of pen on paper, and he’d hum along to the sound of your breathing.

☠︎☠︎☠︎☠︎

you could think of more than one situation where you’d been alone with frank. he’d taken you by the hand and helped you navigate through backstage sets. you’ve stood outside takeout spots, freezing to death with your hands in jacket pockets just so he could have some company. 

but it had never felt like this. 

frank–your frank–had always had this grounding aura about him, some sort of constant through out it all. but now, sitting beside you, he seemed just nervous, something different hiding in his eyes alongside the flush in his cheeks and the adrenaline glimmer. 

you try to convince yourself that maybe it’s because it’s late. the two of you are the only ones left awake in the bus, sitting together on the couch after all. maybe it’s the way his thigh is pressed against yours because you're seated shoulder to shoulder, or the way that neither of you have said a word since you climbed out of the cold.

 maybe it’s this or maybe it’s that…you don’t know.

“can i tell you something?” his voice is soft and his eyes carry a fondness that scares you. you can’t help but nod anyway. “you have to promise you won’t get mad though.”

“okay. i swear.” his nerves are contagious, and your mind races with all the things he could possibly say. what could be so big it makes frank nervous?

“i love you. like a lot. like i’ve been in love with you since before this tour started and it makes me feel like i’m on fire. it keeps me up at night, and it’s driving me crazy that you don’t know…y’know? and i just…i just had to tell you. i had to tell you that everything i do is for you, and it always has been and it always will be.”

and oh. 

you’re whispering because you don’t want to wake the others–not now, not with this moment unraveling so perfectly between you. but it suddenly all starts to fall into place, and you’re spewing an equally heartfelt–and quite honestly sappy–confession back at him. because it’s frank and you’d be stupid to say you didn’t love him too.  

it makes you dizzy when he asks to kiss you, and you feel like a teenager all over again when he finally does. because it’s silly that you’ve waited this long to recognize the way that you felt, when it’s all been right there.

he kisses you like nothing else matters…because nothing really does. it’s just you and frank–who’s gone from being your friend to something more. 

☠︎☠︎☠︎☠︎

the thing about frank is that he makes everything so easy. he makes loving him so easy. maybe down the road you would realize that you had something better to do then darning socks. but for now you didn’t mind.

[littlefingies]

So I'm rewatching 2x04 and 2x05 and thinking about Lucius. And I think there's a decent chance that:

The Revenge is his first experience on a pirate ship, and

He and Stede are the only ones in this situation.

The show makes a point of telling us that the other people on the ship either have experience with pirating/violence, or have had a shit time of it so far.

We know Jim's backstory.

Olu doesn't have lots of combat experience, but between his "we have no other choice" speech and "la vida es dolor", he's had a rough go.

Roach sewed his own arm up once.

Wee John demonstrates his weapon with gusto and clearly has pyro experience.

Buttons just straight up tells us.

Pete may be lying (put him down as a maybe) but he's clearly happy to be here.

Frenchie was "in service" and has seen enough of the world to find it pretty blase.

The Swede could potentially be a maybe. We just know nothing about him.

We know that Lucius can read, and we know that he used to pick pockets, but he seems uncomfortable with violence in a way that only Stede shares. (See: "yeah he looks pretty stunned" re: Nigel Badminton)

So why am I thinking about this?

I think it's interesting that Lucius is the only one disturbed by Ed's weird half-apology speech in 2x05. AND I think there's a good chance that the horrors he experienced on the other ships (after getting thrown overboard) were yes, horrors, but also pretty standard for pirate life.

By this point in the show we have Archie, who gives us a window into how most pirates (who have never met Stede) would view the Kraken-era Revenge. And she seems to see it as... fairly normal? She's a bit perturbed by Izzy, and she's pissed at being asked to fight Jim, but she seems to see all the rest as pretty average.

This sets up a really juicy contrast between life under piracy in general vs. life under Stede piracy.

Lucius is the only character to experience pirate life when his *only prior pirate experience* was under Stede. That makes him a modern window into the show - he's like "wow this is fucking terrible", as we would no doubt agree if we were thrust into that situation.

Anyways, something about perspective, something about Lucius thinking his experiences have been uniquely violent when they probably haven't (not that they weren't awful), something about Blackbeard being a pirate but not a uniquely violent one, something about Izzy saying possibly his first true thing all show (yeah I lost a leg, I'm a fucking pirate, this happens all the time), something about how if Lucius told Archie about what he went through, she'd say "oh so you were... on a pirate ship? Yeah, piracy sucks, but so does everything else".

Something about how if any other crew members had that experience *before* meeting stede I think they'd find it pretty normal as well. Because the point of piracy in the show is that it's not a fun adventure, it's actually violent and awful and the people you care about are always at risk. (It's also one of the few ways to survive when there's not a place for you in a colonized world, I think? But I'm not the right person to write about that and others have said it better.)

[kimbap-r0ll]

How about giving the dorm leaders a handmade embroidered handkerchief with ‘To (Dorm Leader), Love Y/N’ sewn on it and their own special design embroidered onto it (I.e. roses for Riddle, an octopus for Azul, a dragon for Malleus etc.)?

Hi, thank you for the ask! This is really sweet!

Dorm leaders react to y/n's embroidered handkerchief gift

Riddle

He loves anything that you give him honestly, he'll place it in a really safe place in his room and always look at it for comfort.

Speaking of which when you first give it to him he says that you didn't have to, besides he didn't prepare a gift for you in return! But when you tell him that it's just because you really like him and you cherish him for who he is, you might see him blush and quickly stutter a thank you before awkwardly taking it from you

The handkerchief will not be used, even if Riddle wanted to because it's just too precious too him haha. If anyone tries to steal it from him he'll cut off their head

Overall, expect him to be absolutely flustered when he receives the gift but he'll love it a lot. He might try to make something for you in return too!

Leona

He'll first make fun of you for giving him such a "delicate" gift but believe me he's screaming on the inside by how cute it is. To make things more romantic he knows why you chose the specific pattern for him and it just makes his heart melt

I feel like he also won't use it, not even if it's for the smallest tears that he might have because he doesn't want it to get ruined. He'll hide it from Ruggie though because he doesn't want him to tease him about it

He's always flustered when you give him gifts but for this one specifically he's very flustered. Like, omg he's trying to hide his blushing face by looking up at the sky and giving you an awkward hug

Similar to Riddle he'll treat it with the upmost care but he has a harder time figuring out how to show he cares. He might be a little gentler with you during spelldrive if you two play together haha

Azul

He thought he would be the one to spoil you but here you are spoiling him! He's absolutely blown away by your skill in sewing but he's even more surprised by the pattern you embroidered onto the handkerchief.

"Darling you didn't have to," Azul says, pushing his glasses up and fumbling with the handkerchief. He says thank you and tries his best to keep his composure but you know he's going to go into his room and just scream into his pillow by how happy he is

If any of the tweels find out about this new treasure he has they will tease him relentlessly. Expect lots of giggles from Floyd and Jade for the next few days haha against the two of you

He'll make sure to give you something in return, maybe a handkerchief too except he'll have to learn how to make it himself

Kalim

He's like a really excited puppy when you show him what you made. He thinks it's so cool that you know how to sew but also the fact you sewed on something that meant a lot to him makes him so happy

Kalim wanted to give you a lot of stuff in return but he wasn't sure what he wanted to give you so he might consult Jamil haha. Expect something super opulent!

Kalim also doesn't use the handkerchief but he keeps it in his pocket everywhere he goes. It's like his lucky charm, and he'll tell you this as well while giving you the brightest smile

He's grateful for everything you give him but this is definitely something he'll keep close

Vil

He has a handkerchief that he always uses and utilizes them a lot but he will never use yours in case it gets damaged. Besides, it's just too beautiful for it to end up ragged

He tells you not to worry about giving him things since he should be spoiling you but he's extremely grateful for what you give him. He'll hold it gently in his hands, fold it neatly and tuck it in his pocket

He doesn't let anyone know he has this prized possession, not even Rook. Though Rook might notice Vil smiling a little more during the next few days

Expect something handmade from Vil in return, whether it be perfume or makeup. He doesn't care if you don't use makeup, he'll just say it's an excuse to do it with him and spend a day doing self-care haha

Idia

He's so flustered he has no idea what to say other than a shy thank you. He's extremely careful with your creation since he knows how long they can take. Besides, he also understands you took a lot of time and care into choosing the embroidery too!

He tells you he'll take care of it, fumbling with it before smiling at you. He still might have a hard time maintaining eye contact, but you know he's blushing.

Ortho will think it's super cute, asking you how you learned how to make designs like that (also how talented you are). Idia will have definitely tell his online friends how lucky he is to have something so special

Idia loves everything you give him and he tries to find things to give back to you. He'll probably give you a small tamagotchi in return

Malleus

He keeps everything you've ever given him on a special shelf believe me. He even has the random notes you passed to him in class because he loves you too much ;-;

He takes the handkerchief and notes how beautiful it looks, saying that he's super grateful to have gotten it from you. He loves that you spent the time to make it, and he'll think he should make something for you in return too

Lilia will find it super adorable, maybe tease you both about how you two are such a cute couple!

Malleus will probably give you a handkerchief in return, this time with an embroidered pattern fitting you. He keeps the handkerchief you gave him super neat on his shelf and might carry it around as a lucky charm. If it ever gets dirty or messed up though, expect an earthquake haha

[liquidstar]

Regulus- 🎈 🚨

Kari-🧣🥀

Ceres- 🐞 🍎 🎒

(And bonus if you’re up for it I’m also curious who all three would have on their kin carrd in the extreme hypothetical they’d kin because that’s ALWAYS fun to think/hear about with OCs)

This one ended up being kinda long so I'm putting it under the cut :D!

🎈 (balloon) - What does your character do at parties? Are they a wallflower or a party animal? Do they go with friends or alone?

I don’t see Regulus going to, like, normal parties. Like, he’s going to galas and shit instead. He’s social, striking up conversations with people while swirling a glass of wine or champagne in his hands. HOWEVER the exception to this is guild parties, because, well, he’s already there. I think he’d try to act the exact same way but with a red solo cup filled with spiked fruit punch. It kinda works.

🚨 (siren) - What’s your character’s relationship with the law? Have they ever been arrested? What for? What are their opinions on law enforcement?

Well, Nova Stella as a guild does do some under-the-table stuff, so Regulus not against breaking the law. But he himself doesn’t really see a need to do it, so he doesn’t. He’s a rich dude, but he’s not corrupt, so he has no real incentive to do crime. General guild opinion is that knights have mile-long sticks up their asses, which he agrees with but he also doesn’t really have any more complex thoughts on.

🥀 (wilted flower) - How does your character deal with stressful situations? Is their fear response fight, flight, freeze or fawn?

Oh, if it’s an immediate threat, absolutely flight. I mean, Kari is a speedster for a reason. Her first instinct would be to run away, because that’s what she does most of the time anyway. But for a more personal threat, something wrt relationships or general hardship in life… She might go for fawn instead. She’s very much a person who wants to be liked by others, but is often seen as annoying for being too hyper. Luckily the Pandemonium weirdos accept her, but if not for that she may have ended up repressing that.

🧣(scarf) - What comforts your oc? Is it an item? An action? A person? Whatever it is, how and why does it comfort them? 

The most comforting thing in Kari’s life is several bottles of Manic Panic hair dye. Very important for the scene kid.

No, but in all seriousness, she just finds comfort in being with people who don’t mind her quirks. I think for all the members of Pandemonium that’s true- The comfort is the guild itself, the place with the people in it.

🐞 (ladybug) - What does a perfect day look like for your oc? What do they do? Who do they see?

On an ideal day, Ceres would just like to relax. A day where all the scouts are behaving, doing quiet activities, not arguing or causing trouble. This has yet to happen though, and most likely never will. A quiet walk in the woods will have to suffice for now.

🍎 (apple) - Does your oc go to school or take classes? Did they go to college? What was/is their favorite subject? Did/do they get good grades? Did/do they enjoy school? 

Ceres was a timber scout themself at one point too! It’s basically a program that trains you to be in a guild, though some people stay to work within the scouts too. Ceres working as a leader of their own unit means they must have done pretty well! Dealing with kids is a different story though.

🎒 (backpack) - What items does your oc usually carry? Do they have a bag or just keep everything in their pockets? Do they carry a lot or a little?

You can already see their weapon of choice is a large swiss army knife! It’s useful for any scout leader, of course. Beyond that they’ll carry things to be prepared for different situations, like first aid supplies, a sewing kit, sunscreen, bug spray, water, snacks, etc.

Who would be on their kinlist?

OMG LOL I’ve never thought about this before. I’m not sure!!! I can definitely say Homare A3 was a huge influence for Regulus’s personality, so he’s gotta be on there, but I also think that if you explained the concept of kinning to Regulus he’d be like “Then I shall be the Concept of Beauty and Grace” and you’re like. “OK” Kari is the only one here who would actually genuinely be into kinning. Gir from Invader Zim and other iconic scenecore characters would be there for sure. Pon and/or Zi from Pon and Zi mayhaps lol. As for Ceres… I feel like Ceres is too tired to keep up w the concept of kinning. They’d be like, “Fine. I’m Fluttershy. Can I go now?” but like they really are kinda Flutershy tbh

[paalove]

*mumble mumble* whumptober 25 ray in the tower going through withdrawal

YOU KNOW THAT'S RIGHT! fdjndfjnfdnjn god i just went back and read through all of our message history about both zombie aus and you know what? we're so smart.

for anyone else that is not me or @missmarthanightingale this is an au of an au - specifically of my zombie au - essentially, what would happen if ray wasn't out of the city when the apocalypse hit.

day 25 – surgery stitches/being monitored/it’s for your own good

...

“How is he,” Mew asks, in not much of an undertone.

Boston’s hands are in his pockets, jaw clenched, as he says, “Does it have to go like this?”

At least he’s asking.

Mew sighs.

Everything’s so hard, since they got invited in. They’d thought it would be easier – it’s certainly safer, after all – but the hotel is a fucking mess. And having to negotiate for two secure rooms, when they moved in… well, Mew’s busy.

He opens the door to the second one and sees what Boston was looking so worried about.

…

It hurts, vaguely like coming up from something – he’s shaken on his side like this before.

Back then, he could get up, crawl to a cabinet or to a charming-or-not stranger and bat his eyes or just swipe, he could drink something and the shaking would subside, he can taste it in his mouth but they took away the last bottle, they keep giving it and then taking it away, and his head hurts and his shoulder feels all floppy and Ray doesn’t want to close his eyes.

He stares at the wall.

Do you hate me.

April won’t tell him – she does, it’s okay, he knows she does, it’s all his fault, but she won’t tell him.

Where did Ton go.

He’s out, doing something, getting chickens, or fighting dead things – it’s all the same, but it’s not all the same because the dead things, auntie no auntie please – no stop stop STOP- Mew’s voice saying someone sit on him and Ray can’t hear it because he’s screaming-

“Please,” he says. “I know there’s more.”

April looks at him, but not his face, she shakes her head, and he screams.

…

“We’re fine,” she says, getting out past the boys, letting Boston take her place by Ray’s side – he can hold him down more easily.

Mew’s face is pinched and lined and tired, a mirror to her own, and she shakes out her cramping hand.

“I’m sorry, ‘Pril,” he tells her.

She nods.

Then she shrugs and says, “My bad for not taking out the empties-“

“-He’s never smashed them before,” Mew interrupts, talking past her. “He’s getting worse.”

…

Ray won’t meet his eyes.

Ton wipes his hands down with the sterile wipes, wipes the needle too, and says, “Mew won’t let me slip you any.”

Maybe that was a shrug?

He’s lying on his side, where he crumpled after he smashed the bottles, and Ton checks under him, but all the shards are cleared away, out there with Pril and Mew – it’s safe enough, so he says, “Don’t hit me, yeah?” and then he starts sewing.

Ton just wishes Ray would yell – scream even, like before.

Anything but the silence.

[gojo-mochi]

Hey Softy!💙 For your Small Halloween Event: I want to give Law a treat. He deserves it. 🍬🍙🍬 Thank you for this event!

OMG HIIIIII <3

I hope you enjoy the treat!!!

“But Captain!”

“It’s Halloween!”

“Let’s go Trick and Treating!”

“First off, It’s Trick or Treat, not ‘and’. Secondly, it's just another day to me, and thirdly, no, I’m not going out today, there’s way too much work for me to do.” Law shooed off the three as he finished his last word. Focusing back on his paperwork, not leaving room for any argument. Penguin, Bepo, and Shachi all groaned in unison. Shuffling out of Law’s office with their head hanging low. You ran into them as they were leaving to go on the small island that the crew practically had to beg Law to stop at so that people could go have some holiday fun. 

“Y/N! Happy Halloween!”

The trio all bounced up to you, sporting their own handmade costume. Bepo dressed as a ‘boring human’, wearing a business suit with a suitcase and a paper mask depicting a bald man face. Penguin went as a vampire in a black/white theme coloring, and instead of a bat perched on his shoulder, he sewed on a small emperor penguin plush on it. Lastly, Shachi was wearing a krill onesie, the black beady eyes on top staring deep in your soul. 

You giggled at them, as they complained about Law and how he didn’t want to go trick and treating with them. They asked if you wanted to come but you denied as well; “Someone has to go look after Mr.Grumpy Pants.” You said, they gave you an understanding look and went off, leaving you alone. You walk up to the door of Law’s office, tugging at your cape behind you. You've been working on this Sora, Warrior of the Sea, cosplay for months now. Penguin helped with the sewing and a lot of the details, you were grateful for your crew. Now, if only Law could see and feel how his crew also loved him.

But that's why you were here, were you not? Steeling your resolve, you ventured into the cold and dreary den that was Law’s office. Paperwork strewn about, the light dimly lit up above, the air in here seemingly colder than it was in the hallway. Law didn’t even spare you a glance as you walked in, thinking that you were the trouble trio coming back to try to drag him out again. Even clearing your throat didn’t get his attention, so you mustered up some courage and pushed down any embarrassment you had and struck a pose. 

“Greeting Civilian! It is I! Sora! Warrior of the Sea!” 

You held the pose as you shouted out the lines. Silence, nothing said, the scribbling of pen on paper stopped and you could cut the tension with a knife. You swear you were about to combust from embarrassment until Law’s voice finally rang out in the quiet; “His right hand is the one on his hip, not the left one.” He was correcting your posture?! You gave him a deadpan look, Law surrendered, a small smile on his lips as he stared at you. His voice came out softer this time; “Did you really wear that for me?” 

From where you were standing you could see the eyebags and the way his shoulder droops slightly, Law was working so hard to keep everything in check for his crew. You walk over to him, he turns his chair to you as you saunter up, arms outstretched as you gently climb into his lap. Resting his head on your chest, your hand caressing his dark locks. Law rests his eyes, enjoying your warmth and taking in your scent, his shoulders letting go of some tension. “Why didn’t you go with the others? Shouldn’t Sora be out there saving some people right now?” He mumbled against your neck as he shifted his head up.

You snorted at his comment; “I think you’re the one that needs the most saving here…” Law tilts his head back to look at you directly. “Oh yeah, and how do you plan on saving me…” His golden eyes flicker down to your lips, a passion igniting in them. You giggled, reaching in your pocket for a chocolate, unwrapping it and popping it in your mouth, holding it in place. “Well, I can start by distracting you from all this work and doing something more fun and tasty..” You meld your lips with his, letting his tongue invade your mouth easily, the chocolate fastly melting in the fiery tango that soon happened. Soft pants of moan filled the quiet office now, you cup Law’s cheek as you two parts ways to catch air. “I have a bunch more candies in my pocket that I need help ‘eating’, so, I hope you’re ready for a long night.” Law chuckled as he nipped at your bottom lips, “Anything for my favorite hero.”

[thisblogisblank]

Divine Influence Babeyy!! (Aka Celestial Fankids au thingy)

Finally, they're all finished!!!! Here are the Celestial Fankids I posted about a while ago, complete with a bit of lore and a few headcanons!! They're a little old, so bear with me a bit :']

General HCs:

- Despite being Celestials, because of their unique nature of having two elements, they have their own category name as well: Divines!! Which is what I'm gonna be referring to them as from now on lmao.

- Divines are born the same way their parents are; from the stars!! It takes 2 months for the Divines to be born (in total - their creation starts the first month and ends the second. For example, Seedlin, the Blassoom x Plixie fan child, took 8 months to hatch. Oof.) The first month functions as sort of the 'breeding' stage, and the second as the 'incubation' stage, producing a physical egg, just like normal monsters :]

- Speaking of the Constellations, in fact! The reason the Divines came to be in the first place is because, when each individual pair of Celestials grew close enough, their constellations fused, becoming a new one entirely! For example, instead of Ocean's Tears and Earthen Ellipse, we now have Murky Depths that appears for two months out of the year!

- With the lack of anything for the kids to do, and the giant pitfall a few hundred feet into the continent, obviously Starhenge wasn't exactly the best nursery for young monsterlings. In order to remedy this, the Celestials created Divine Island, a home in a sort of pocket dimension that would allow them to raise their kids in a safe, stimulating environment.

- Divine Island is only accessable to Celestials and Divines, but normal monsters can sit just outside of it in order to get the occupants' attention. They'd need to know where to go though, of course.

- The Cataclysm happened when the Divines were super young and unable to understand what was going on. They were locked inside of Divine Island for their own safety and left to fend for themselves until they were strong enough to leave, when they were young adults. Once they left they learned about what happened and became guardians and leaders to the monsters that were still around.

- also they don't know about Celestial Island or their parents being alive. Yet.

Pluchere, the Attmoz x Loodvigg fanchild:

- The eldest Divine, Pluchere was defaulted to leader because of his age.

- When he gets mad, he creates super dark storm clouds. No thunder or lightning or anything, just. Really dark clouds.

- He can travel through shadows!! As long as a shadow is as big or bigger than him area-wise, he can meld into it and hide and sneak through them. However, if the shadow disappears, like if the lights are turned on or something, he'll pop back out.

- He's got super stubby legs (guess which parent he got that from lmao), so he prefers to fly on clouds instead of walking. The only exception is in Divine Island bc he'll knock everything over.

- He's got a plush Tweedle that his parents gave him as a baby, and now he can't sleep without it - he even learned how to sew so he can keep it in good shape!!

- he's eepy. Often. Got it from Loodvigg, can't sleep well when he's supposed to, and is just constantly tired. Luckily, the dewlap around his neck functions as a built-in pillow!

- Because of his third eye, he's got kinda-sorta clairvoyance. He can see people's greatest regrets and worst memories (albeit they're kinda fuzzy) and can predict disasters!! He absolutely despises his powers because he's being bombarded with horrible things 24/7-

Condair, the Glaishur x Furnoss fanchild:

- he gets his name from a cloud of mist that follows him wherever he goes (which I never draw smh) - his fur is extremely cold, causing moisture to crystalize upon impact, and his skin is extremely hot, causing moisture to evaporate on impact, which makes it stick to his fur- you get the idea.

- Despite the info above, he can, for the most part, regulate his temperature!! For example, he can make himself cool enough to touch without burning anybody.

- After he left Divine Island for the first time, he learned about the Fire elementals and managed to save them far earlier than in canon by just. Diving headfirst into the Living Core and digging them a way out. Pros of being simultaneously the hottest and coldest being in the universe ig?

- Anger. Issues. He has a lot of abandonment issues because of his parents just straight up leaving him and the others behind, and he copes by getting mad and setting things on fire. Luckily the other Divines know how to help calm him down :']

- ironically HATES Boskus (Boskuses? Boski?? Idfk-), they just. Freak him tf out.

- yes, his fur is as soft as it looks, but unless he likes you or you are one of the other Divines, good luck trying to touch it.

- has a soft spot for kids, funnily enough. He can't bring himself to be mad at him the same way he gets mad at everything else.

Seedlin, the Blassoom x Plixie fanchild

- Uses his tail to grip onto things, or to balance himself in the air, kind of like a blubberfly!!

- hate hate HATES having to walk on the ground, it just feels. Bad™. Gotta be flying or he will cry.

- His glass skull doubles as a fully-functioning terrarium!!! There's a bunch of moss and other such greens in there, along with the centerpiece - a bright pink flower, just like his father's :]

- Loves sleeping in the sun!! Y'know, terrarium and all. He even has some lights above his bed!! How the hell does he sleep? No clue smh.

- speaking of which, he flies in his sleep! The others have to drag him down to the ground when he sleeps, or he'll end up not actually resting.

- Not only is he capable of controlling plants and plasma, he's able to combine his two elements and create these indestructible plasma plants!! They're bright pink and feel kinda gummy-ish?? Freaky, but neat!

- Speaking of which, he has a giant monster-eating (not really) flytrap made of that same stuff! His name's Audie and he's Seedlin's pet and best friend :]

..he also tends to try and eat anything that he can fit in his mouth, including the Divines (minus Seedlin, ofc). He's getting better tho dw

- as a kid, Seedlin really struggled to fly, because of a mix of tiny wings and big ol tail. It kept him in check for a while, and made him pretty easy to take care of for Blassoom and Plixie! Once he started flying tho.. Oh boy

Malik, the Syncopite x Scaratar fanchild:

- Despite only having one eye, Malik doesn't struggle with depth perception! How?? Idk man, monster magic.

- Also, don't worry!! The crystals growing out of his skin don't hurt at all, it's like growing fingernails or something along the lines.

- Malik can actually heal physical wounds with Good Vibes™! Y'know, healing crystals and all that-

- Be careful around his pincers?? Claws?? Whatever they are they're s h a r p, like literal glass.

- Wise™. He's the braincell of the group, and his cousin Pluchere's right-hand man. He usually helps him decipher his visions and figure out the best way to go about the impending disasters.

- the crystals that fall off his body often have similar healing abilities to himself, albeit to a much lesser extent, and are often given out as gifts. he doesn't mind it much.

- His wings (that you almost never see) are actually quite beautiful! their appearance mirrors that of stained glass, and when sunlight shines through them, is projects wonderful colors all over the room!

- Despite being so large and clunky, his claws are actually quite delicate and precise! He can perform the most intricate acts with ease.. Given they can be done with just four fingers.

Rivette, the Vhamp x Galvana fankid:

- Being the Celestial of Electricity (at least halfway), Rivette is, understandably, the most hyperactive of all of the Divines! She's constantly on the move, and can never sit still. She's also extremely prone to zoomies.

- Big!! Brain!!! An inventor just like her mother and father, she spends her time tinkering with whatever pieces of scrap she can find, usually accidentally creating weapons of mass destruction in the process.

- Speaking of which, she owns a staff that she wields on the regular! (I just forgot to draw it HSHS-) She actually welded it herself as a child (with the help of Condair) out of random pieces of scrap metal she found around Starhenge, and it works as kind of an outlet for her electric powers, doubling as a sort of lightning rod!

- she's. Very clumsy. Trips over a lot, rams headfirst into walls, ect ect. The fact that she has wheels built into her feet doesn't help much either. Dw, tho, she can put herself back together just fine!! ..But her torso might end up backwards sometimes.

- She's an older sister figure to the Wubboxes (because yes, technically THEY'RE the baby brothers), and an aunt to the Wublins! She'd die for each and every one of them.

- the weird. Collar. Thing around her neck is, of course, a part of her body! Rivette needs to be actively holding it down mentally, because its default position is sitting upright. Of course, as a baby, Rivette couldn't exactly do that, so it stayed up for a majority of her childhood until she figured it out. It's essentially second nature to her now, though!

Fossoil, the Hornacle x Torrt Fankid:

- The very definition of a gentle giant, Fossoil is HUGE, and strong enough to pick up rocks and hurl them across the monster world! However, he's learned to control his strength, and is one of the gentlest Divines.

- Because of his element of Earth, Fossoil's skin is extraordinarily tough, and is near impossible to pierce with even the sharpest blade. Which is strange, because he also has claws that are capable of cutting straight through diamond like it's butter.. Wonder which would win?

- Fossoil is an artist! And a very good one at that - he can draw, and paint, but his favorite form of art is pottery, and since he's able to essentially create infinite clay out of nothing, it's no wonder why he's a big fan. He usually gets Condair to fire them for him-

- He inherited Hornacle's balance and motor skills issues, causing him to just kinda.. start falling over for no apparent reason. Luckily, though, he's learned to balance himself before he hits the ground! His baby form, though? Not so much.

- One of his favorite past-times is just chilling in thermal vents at the bottom of the living ocean... Giant hot tubs,,,

- As a kid, Fossoil had little to no control over his thagomizer - he was like a baby Stogg!! So, in order to remedy this, Hornacle and Torrt.. Stuck corks at the end of his spikes. Brilliant idea, guys, well done.

- He's figured out a way to help Condair with his anger issues - play fighting! Whenever Condair starts getting frustrated and aggressive, the two will wrestle and fight until they're both tuckered out and Condair's vented out his rage. Because Fossoil is nearly indestructible and has excellent control over his own strength, there's a near zero percent chance of either of them getting hurt! So yeah, play fighting!! Best form of therapy :]

- He's also pretty much the only one that can hug Malik without getting hurt, because yk. Malik's covered in broken glass essentially and Fossoil's skin is impenetrable-

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And those are the kids!!!! AAAAA, I love them sm you have no idea HSHS-

Of course, There's more info about them bouncing around my singular braincell, but I'll get to that later lmao. I hope you love em as much as I do!! Tell me what y'all think :]

[melissamasakari]

Confessions you didn`t notice

Chapter eleven. Martial arts

“Kid, are you ignoring social calls again?” Sam asked reproachfully as she leaned on my fence.

“Has it already started? I signed up yesterday.”

“Almost, and your match is scheduled after lunch. But Arlo was real upset that you didn’t even come to cheer for him. His fight is coming soon; shall we go?”

“Well, since the boss wants to see me, let's run. Wait, how do I look like?”

“Good enough to crush just everyone. But I won’t give in to you, don’t get your hopes up.”

I climbed over the fence to her side and we quickly ran across the field. Oh, here are the standings. Wow, looks like I'm going to have a tough fight today. Sam and I pushed our way closer to the arena.

Qualifiers. First round. Arlo vs Russo. What a competition! Right away, two of the most powerful fighters in the city opened the festival. I watched in fascination as they thrashed, threw each other around and on the mats. Alas, as expected, the butler won the first match. My redhead (Bro? I wish he isn’t!) had only recently recovered from an injury, and he is still nursing his hand, so this is why he has a clink in his armor. For such an experienced fighter as Russo, noticing that was not a problem.

Break.

“Come on, Arlo! Beat him!”I shouted, finally making my way to the first row. Why not? I’m the smallest one here, I can hardly see behind other people’s backs.

“Oh, you’re here! I didn’t notice you in the crowd earlier,” but he clearly perked up. Arlo smiled at me, stood up and began the second round.

This time it turned out much better. It looked like Russo was already tired. Or the support of friends had such a serious impact. Arlo was very dangerously close to losing a couple of times, but managed to level up and even win, albeit with a minimal advantage in points. The third round ended as a loss to Russo. Everything happened so quickly that I almost missed the ending by simply blinking at the wrong time. I greeted my hero with a standing ovation.

“YAY! And you said there was no chance. I KNEW you could do it. How are you?” Where did Sam go?

“Fine. I should go rest on the stands. Let's go to the shade, this heat is killing me.”

“Well, yes, going home is not an option now. All of us are in qualifiers today. Do need some water?”

“Yep. Did you submit your application at the last minute? I haven't seen your name in standings this morning.”

“Remy said, I now have to. Well, I comply. By the way, am I not entitled to your beautiful uniform now?”

“We don’t have any uniform! But you really should order stripes with medical information.”

“Which ones? I didn't pay attention to it.”

“So here it is. On the shoulder,” he pointed to what I thought was just a decoration on the jacket. So, height, weight, date of birth. Oh. Blood type, AB +. I have to remember it; it might come in handy later.

“Our Corps wears badges. I still have mine if it's needed. So I didn’t take a closer look at those stripes. Do I have to sew this on all of my clothes? Will you help me to review Regulations?”

“What do you mean about having your own badges?”

“And I see you still didn’t read my profile careful enough. Don't go off topic. What should I do with these patches?”

“Evening gowns don’t qualify, if that’s what you’re asking. Just add it on your outerwear in a visible place. How much patches should I order for you?”

“Based on the number of jackets I guess it should be four. That’s all I’ve got except my copycat one, I just won’t ruin it. For that one I’ll just put a patch in my pocket. Will it work?”

“Then go see Phyllis and sign the permission. I'll arrange everything. Let's go, Remy is going to have his match soon.”

The fight between Remy and Paulie did not bring any surprises. Even though they are nearly even, the furniture maker was efficiently dispatched two rounds in a row. Flawless victory.

“Well done! So, it turns out that tomorrow we will spar, won’t we”

“That's right, Captain. I try to keep up.” Remy smiled cheerfully and punched Arlo at his open palm.

“Well, kid, you're next. Are you ready?” Sam appeared from somewhere and hugged me from behind by my shoulders.

“Yes. Would you hold my bag for a moment?”

Putting on a calm expression, I slowly walked into the arena. My opponent today is Django. Well, that will hurt. If not physically, then emotionally, for sure. I also knew that he's as bouncy as desert hopper. Looking at me, he somehow immediately shrivelled, but got ready for battle regardless. Seems that I greatly offended him with my refusal.

Signal to start fight sounded.

Breathe deeper!

It was strike, turn, retreat. Step, kick, rebound. Almost like a dance. Another blow, left, right, bend down, strike from bottom to top. I was going well. Distracted by Arlo, who was looking very carefully, I missed a very sensitive blow which Django landed on my belly with a knee. Ouch, that hurts! The stands became agitated. I resisted and didn’t fall down. My opponent was speeding up. Great. I crawled under him, rolled over and kicked him in the back of the leg. Django lost his balance and fell onto the mats. The first round was mine.

Break.

Oh, here came pacifists, what a dubious honor. It's surprising that SHE wasn't here during the first battle. But now she has cheerfully joined the Civil Corps team. What are they whispering about? And why do I so want to show her an obscene gesture? Jealous, or what? What nonsense, they're not dating so I have no need to be jealous.

“Melissa! You can do it!” My redhead shouted and waved his hand at me, smiling encouragingly. Take that, Nora.

I flexed my fists, stretched and stood up. It was time to settle this matter. Django quickly rushed to attack. I missed a couple of blows but broke through his defense on the right. Did he guess who I had in mind when I returned his heart knot? Well, by now, everyone probably had already guessed it, except for Arlo himself. But that doesn't matter right now. Ouch, it hurts so much. He got me again. I should try to go around it on the left. Jump, turn, hit. Wow! I didn’t even know I can do THAT! Django received a powerful kick to the jaw, took a few hesitant steps back and sank down. Didn't I break him any bones?

“Are you alive? Are your teeth intact? Should I call the doctor?”

“It's okay, my princess!” He stroked the bruised area and slowly stood up. “Victory is rightfully yours. Losing to you is a great honor.”

Yell louder, I'm not your princess! I'll kick you for this! Oh, yes, I already did it. Well, okay, I won.

Next is Sam so I need to take my bag from her. While I was going down to my friends, Nora got lost somewhere. Scared? It’s better for me, I don’t really want to stand next to her. My friends met me and immediately hugged me all together. Sam rubbed the top of my head and went to prepare for her fight, after having returned my belongings.

Sam's opponent was Sanwa. I had no doubt at all about her victory, although the hairdresser is very agile for his size. That’s all spectacular. Wow, what a great jump and strike. I wonder if I looked just as cool?

Oh, did she finish with him already?

“Well, little fella, now there’s no escape. Tomorrow at lunch, second round. It will be tough.”

“Do you promise?”

“I guarantee it.”

“In total, it turns out that... The entire Corps team is in the finals? A tournament for our own people?”

“Ha ha, so funny. I didn't expect that.”

“Maybe we can agree on two by two?”

“And we’ll get a scourge of redheads against everyone? No way, kid, we’ve already been through this in the winter.”

“And guys against girls isn’t too fair,” Remy said.

“I would suggest a celebration, but the restaurant seems to be closed today.”

“You knocked him out great. It's like you've been possessed by an imp.”

“Plierimp,” I joked, taking pliers out of my bag and clicking them with a clanking sound.

[sheliesshattered]

I've been sewing so much that I keep forgetting to take pictures and post an update about my progress. In the last five days since my last post I have:

Hand-sewn the final hem for the overdress!

Sewn on the round flat beads at the wrists and the lacing points to the ends of the front laces!

There's one small adjustment I'd like to make to the neckline trim, and then do the beading on top of it if I get time, but for now I'm calling the overdress officially done. (Though certainly in need of a good ironing.)

With that checked off my list, it was time to turn my attention to the underdress -- in the two pics directly above, I had the underdress on the hanger with the overdress so I could mark how much length to remove from the neckline, armscye, and skirt hems.

Buuut since I also needed to cut some silk organza for the overlap flaps at center back of the underdress, I also took a small detour to make a little bag to carry all my stuff around at con:

It's lined with the same organza as the underdress is made of, and has pockets for my phone, card case, and purell, and a bit of space besides to carry other stuff like chapstick and whatever else. If I end up with time at the end of the month I might fancy up the drawstrings a bit, but eh the whole point was to have something simple that will hold my stuff and blend into my dress. (And then I pattern-matched on the side seams anyway because I have zero chill.)

With that out of the way, it was time to really focus on the underdress. I got those flaps for the center back cut out and sewn on, and all the raw edges finished since they tend to be a bit itchy. Once those were on I was able to mark out how much I wanted to remove from the neckline and armscyes so that they don't stick out under the overdress, trim those back and start handsewing them down. As of tonight the armscyes are done, and the neckline is trimmed and ironed into place (which was more of a pain than I thought, and took almost an hour all on its own) and the handsewing started:

That lowest part of the V is actually center back, and the darker section folds over to overlap with the other side. Once the neckline is all in place I'll tack down the pointy outer corner (and the matching one on the other side) to the edge of the neckline. This will keep the neckline nice and fitted, but let the center back section open freely so the whole thing goes on over my head easily. It'll also give a nice, opaque, no-skin-showing underlayer right beneath the back lacings of the overdress, without actually having any closures of its own.

Once the neckline is done and the back flaps tacked down, it'll be time to really finish up the seam finishes that I've been handsewing off and on since, oh March or so, lol. I have all of them finished to about hip level, and since the skirt seams all are straight, I'm hoping I'll be able to iron them in place and either handsew them much faster or just machine sew them, we'll see. Last thing for the underdress will be the hem for the skirt, but since the overdress's hem went fairly smoothly with fabric that is much more fiddly, I'm hoping that the hem for this one will go pretty quick, too.

There's one bit of construction that I need to do for the jewelry, and I need to finally actually style the wig, but I'm starting to feel close to the finish line for Rhaenyra. Like I said earlier, I would really love to get the beading at the neckline done too -- but not as much as I would like to have all my other costumes pulled together, so that will definitely be a late August thing, if I get to it at all.

Ideally I would like to have all of the underdress sewing done by Thursday or Friday so that I can shift gears and start working on sewing the shorts for my Harley Quinn mashup. I've got five four weeks and a couple of days to finish everything, so if I can spend one week on this underdress, one week on Harley Quinn, and one week on all the wig work (five in total), I'll still have two weeks and change roughly 10 days to get to all the various detail work that I've been putting off. I'll try to remember to take pictures and post updates as I make progress!

[alowlycaterpillar]

If you are poor or just hate capitalism and want to do things to spit in the face of the construct, here are some things you can do:

- steal

- grow a garden of easy produce items like potatoes, beans, berries, greens, tomatoes, and herbs

- look into local food banks and free markets in your area, I promise your community probably has one, and the more people who use their service the more volunteers and donations the programs are able to get! They want more people to come!! Like if you're making 500k a yr maybe don't but if you're a student or single parent or in a lot of debt, take advantage!! The more those services get used, the more funding and support they will receive so they can continue to operate!

- get a library card and use everything your local library offers, use the books but also use the space and the tables and the fireplace and the wifi and the audiobook library and the printers and scanners and computers and the parking lot and the streaming services, use all of it, often. The more all of their stuff gets used the more it will be funded, the more stuff they will have to offer.

- learn to sew and patch your clothes & avoid replacing them at all costs. Save your favourite hoodies and jeans and button downs, stitch up the holes and add elastic to waist bands and patch the worn down joints of jacket sleeves and jeans. Stop giving up on your clothes. Maybe even start making your own clothes!! It turns out it's not actually that hard, if you're patient and motivated.

- s t e a l

- make food at home, not just cook your own dinner but bake your own bread, bake cookies and muffins to snack on through the week, cook dinners in batches and freeze some so you have stockpiles of microwave dinners without the commercial packaging or cost.

- shit on company time. I'm so fucking serious right now, clock in at your job and then go take a dump. Fill your water bottle on company time. Dilly dally at the water cooler on company time. Wash your hands for two and a half full minutes of company time, count those Mississippi's, scrub under those fingernails, get that soap all the way to those elbows, do it. Waste their time. Make them pay you to waste their time.

- S T E A L

- steal from corporations.

- steal from superstore.

- steal from walmart.

- steal from target.

- just kidding you should not steal, stealing is wrong and bad, you definitely should not stick your eco friendly reusable bags in the cart and then oopsy-daisy half your items land in a bag and don't get scanned, silly you, such a ditz. You should not get doubles of important household items and in the rush and chaos if the self checkout you happen to only scan half of them. You definitely should not put heavy items like flour or sodas at the bottom of your cart in that shelf that you always forget is there and then inevitably forget it's there and not scan them. You definitely should not peel sale stickers off cheap items and place them on other items to snag a discount. You definitely should not tuck one item into the pocket or open space of another item and it doesn't get scanned at the checkout. All of these things are bad and wrong to do, and you Should Not Do them.

- if you see somebody stealing, no you fucking didn't.

[liviavanrouge]

Outing

Livia: *Sits beside Leah, sewing the princesses handkerchief*

Leah: I heard there's a festival happening across the sea, I never got to see it up close

Livia: A festival?

Leah: *Nods, looking at her* I can usually see the pretty lights from the balcony

Livia: Then lets go..I'll take you to see it!

Leah: But-

Livia: *Smiles, standing up* Trust me

Leah: ...alright...

Livia: *Pulls an item out of her pocket, holding a mini mirror* My Dad gave this to me, he said it's not useful for small distances or places I haven't spent that long in

Leah: Then how will it take us there?

Livia: I found a loophole, it'll take you to a place close to the area!

Leah: *Stares, her eyes sparkling* Really?!

Livia: Mirror Mirror! Take us to a place close to the festival!

Leah: *Gasps, her eyes widening as the mirror glowed*

Livia: *Smiles, standing on a grassy hill* SEE!!

Leah: Wow!

Livia: *Chuckles and grabs Leah's hand, pulling the princess after her* Let's go! Come on!

Leah: *Looks around as Livia walked through the festival* So pretty!

Livia: Two kebabs please either a side of fruit for me!

Leah: *Blinks, Livia handing her a kebab*

Livia: *Hums, taking a bite out of her own kebab* So good!

Leah: *Bites into her kebab and gasps* It's Delicious!!

Livia: *Laughs, beaming at her* I know right!

Leah: What's next?!

Livia: *Laughs, holding Leah's hand as the two ran around the festival trying food and watching puppet shows*

Leah: *Laughs, clapping as she watched people dance*

Livia: COME ON! *Grabs Leah's hand, the two laughing together as they danced*

Leah: *Smiles wide, spinning around with Livia holding her hands* This is so fun!

Livia: All festivals are fun! You should see the ones back home where I come from!

Leah: *Walks beside Livia smiling* I hope one day you can take me to see them...

Livia: *Stares then looks down sadly* Maybe....

Leah: Livia...

Livia: *Perks up, looking at the princess* Yes?

Leah: Thank you for bringing me here, this is the most fun I've had in such a long time

Livia: *Stares then smiles* No problem princess, it's my job to make you happy as your lady in waiting....

Leah: You're starting to be more than just a lady in waiting to me..

Livia: *Blinks twice then perks up* Princess wait here!

Leah: *Tilts her head to the side, watching Livia go over to a stand*

Livia: *Smiles, hurrying over to Leah with a bracelet* My big brother got a bracelet like this, his lover gave it to him! It symbolizes eternal happiness and health!

Leah: *Stares, Livia slipping the bracelet onto her wrist* Such a small and ordinary item symbolizes that

Livia: Not everything has to be jewel studded or fancy, sometimes the most ordinary items can have big meanings!

Leah: *Smiles, touching the bracelet* Thank you, I'll treasure this forever!

Livia: Shall we head back?

Leah: Can we stay for a little longer?

Livia: *Giggles and nods* Where to next princess

Leah: Leah..

Livia: Hm?

Leah: Just call me Leah

Livia: *Smiles and nods, walking beside Leah* Where to next, Leah?

Leah: Wherever our feet takes us

[echantedtoon]

Blooming Friendships Ch2 Dadtcher P2

"Nice place you got here, Kiddo."  

To say that it was a surprise to the children to have found the noodly spook sitting on top of the giant pile of pillows reading a book and surrounded by lit candles with his own face on them. He however was absolutely BEAMING. Everything was ready. Everything he had learnt from those diaries of the Kiddo's and from what Bow told him during their talks about her life were now finally going to be put to the test. His contracts were ready. The small little rewards to entice them into ensuring they'd do it. And the best sure fire way to get a reaction out of them both. All he had to do was to get them to actually agree to get them to do it. Although it did take him quite a few days to complete both the contracts and rewards. Sewing wasn't really something he did a lot of since making his minions bodies and it took a lot of magic to make the 'Death Wish' concept he constructed. He's lucky they decided to stick around instead of leaving in time for him to show up. Both had different reactions to seeing his smirking jack-o-lantern face down upon him. The Hat brat perked up immediately and Bow blinked in confusion but neither seemed afraid as he approuched him. 

 "What's up? Still alive and well I see. What a shame," he greeted in his usual cheery but menacing tone. It was easier now that the stupid empty feeling had went away now wanting to spend time seeing them....Uh. Seeing them FAIL!!! 

The Hat Brat giggled but smiled seeing him. "Where were you?" That was her first question as he smiled down at her, bounding over to him and stepping on her tiptoes and craning her neck to try and peer at what he was reading. "I thought you wanted to see me."

"That's right!," he sing songed as he closed the book for a moment. "It's been a long time since we've seen one another and I decided what we needed was some quality bonding time." His smiled stretched even wider across his face. "How would you two like to earn some really nice rewards?"

That certainly caught both of their attentions as they perked up. BINGO!! Just like he wanted. "What KIND of rewards are we talking about?" Of course she'd inquire about that. 

he chuckled. "It's a little game I came up with called 'Death Wish'! Oh don't worry it's completely safer than it sounds." One dark purple hand reached up and with a snap of his talons two rolled up scrolls appeared within his claws. "I've got this little map for you. You'll notice I've only marked just one contract for now. You'll have to complete it before you unlock the rest. Each contract you'll both have to sign agreeing to complete not only the base terms but the bonuses as well! And abide by any limitations or rules I've included with each task to make it harder for you all. You can both take as long as you need with as many tries as you'd like." Both gave him a look. "Oh don't worry. There's no soul payments or danger with these ones. I've included a fail safe that'll keep the both of you alive and immune to that. Once my symbol turns gold from you completing the base task and bonuses you can move on to the next contract. For every gold stamp or candle you two complete you'll receive one reward each. Checks and balances you know. So what do you two say? Complete my new contracts and I'll reward you handsomely." 

Both children looked at each other regarding one another for a moment before Bow nodded and they looked back up to him. "Yeah! Let's do it!"

"GREAT!" Taking a map in each hand he unfurled them and from each magically floated out a contract each and two quills. "Just sign across the dotted line and do as the contract instructs within the magical pocket dimension. Don't worry." He smiled much much wider. "I'll be watching from the sidelines to view your progress." He watched gleefully with a chuckle as the two without hesitation signed away on the papers feeling a laugh nearly bubbling up from himself. The contracts disappearing in a puff of purple smoke as soon as they finished signing their names on them. "AHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAA!! Alright! Back to work! And be careful, Kid! These aren't your average everyday contracts. These are ADVANCED contracts."

And just like that the two were whizzed off into the magical mapped world he had constructed his laughs following after them both as both maps floated up for him to observe their progress like two live tv specials. THIS WAS GONNA BE GOOD!! He found amusement in seeing how many times they failed only to dust themselves back off and try again. And he was there to taunt them while doing it. Ahh. Is this what it was like to have a favorite show? He could get used to this then. Of course they didn't appreciate his taunts and teases which only seemed to make them more determined to complete the bonuses and base mission the contract stated. By the time they finally finished and he marked the first stamp as GOLD COMPLETED they were all tired and covered head to toe in dirt, and in the hat brat's case giving him the stick eye but he just laughed at them. It wasn't until the hat brat held out her hand expectantly did he finally come down from his laughing. Oh right. Their reward. Well he supposed that they DID earn it turning the stamp to a gold one, and they wouldn't likely want to do any others if they weren't rewarded as promised. So he gave in and gave them one of the rewards. Which was really just some basic clothes he designed for them. It was the one thing he could think of that the two could use around here since their closet was just an empty tomb for now. To his credit they seemed pleased with his handy work. GOOD. As they should be! After all he WAS very talented so anything he made them should be praised. But he just didn't give these out for free. If they wanted anymore then they were going to HAVE TO EARN it!! He gets entertainment, and they get fun little trinkets he conjured up. It's a great trade deal!! With the two satisfied two more contracts appeared before the two of them detailing the next task they had to do. And again they were whisked away to the next task to complete. Maybe he didn't exactly realize what he doing at first or why but he'd soon find out. Right now he was having too much fun watching these two to care, taunting and teasing them both. One contract after another was completed. One stamp after another was turned gold. One reward after another was handed over to tired but excited faces. And slowly both maps were being filled. Of course he let the two have breaks when they got too tired. Or were hungry. And he'd leave if they fell asleep. .....NOT because he cared about them pushing themselves when he 'reluctantly plopped them both on the bed! But because he wouldn't get to watch them fail more if they exhausted themselves too much. Because of this their little 'Death Wish' adventure started to extend into a few days. Each day the same thing would happen over and over and he was content to watch them both. Ah. It was almost like a proud parent watching their child learn to strengthen their skills.....ALMOST. And by the fourth day of them doing this he noticed that they had completed a fair amount of them. Even if they had to do some multiple times in order to turn them all gold. 

"Looks like you've completed quite a few of my contracts," he commented one time after they returned from completing yet more contracts. The Hat Brat was farther ahead in completing them than Bow was, but both seemed to be progressing steadily. "Regretting the whole best friends forever thing yet, Kid? I can do this a whole lot longer than you can." He smiled at both their dirt covered faces but they both seemed irritated by his teasing towards them.

"Hey! Your contracts were always easy to beat,  Purple Ramen Noodle!," the hat brat insulted him pointing her umbrella towards him.

He rolled his yellow eyes. "Oh yes. Burn some paintings. Unclog a toilet. Deliver some mail. You thought my contracts were so easy back then." He listed off a few of his past contracts before smiling menacingly and reaching a long arm over to flick the kid on the nose. She shouted a 'Hey!' and scowled at him while grabbing where he flicked her. "But don't be too proud of yourself. I'm only half finished with you two."

"BRING IT ON!! GIVE ME ANOTHER STUPID CONTRACT!!," She challenged him back, "I can best it with my eyes closed!"

"That's the spirit! You'll like this next one. Just don't harm any birds while doing it."

More days passed like this. And his minions were starting to grow curious about their King's sudden good mood. He'd often return when night fell on the world and then(after gaining a quick progress report. Wouldn't want anything bad happening to his forest while he was gone.) he'd just simply read until the next morning and disappear somewhere. Before the process repeated itself. Don't get them wrong, the minions were glad he wasn't in that grouchy almost sad funk he had been for a long time now, but they were curious about what was making him so happy. But none dared ask him about it in fear of ruining that good mood he had going on. He was feeling pretty good about himself but it couldn't last forever. The Hat Brat was almost done with the entire map and Bow was gaining on her fast. Both tearing through these contracts like flimsy wet paper

"You're...really tearing through these contracts aren't you?," he commented after handed the two another little reward each. Once he did notice almost the entire map filled with gold that feeling came back. He hadn't had time to even think of anymore contract ideas or make any rewards to entice them into doing things!! It already took him a long time to even think and make everything he DID provide!! But he....He couldn't figure out why he was feeling almost..panicked? He shouldn't be feeling like this! So what if they were almost done!? It's not like they were going to...to.....To leave. The very thought made him literally drop his book. All focus off the maps. Thank goodness he was the only one around to really witness himself do that as he stared blankly at nothing in particular. They...They wouldn't actually LEAVE would they? ...Not that he cared or i-it was any of his business of course. NAH! Of course they wouldn't! They had no where else to go according to the hat brat's diaries. And when speaking to Bow it sounded like she had no other home than on the ship either. But then what's stopping them from leaving here either if they had nothing holding them back from exploring the vast reaches of space far, far away from him-...Away from the planet? He tried not to think about that and only focused back onto the progress the two made. Doesn't matter. After all it WAS none of his business and he only wanted to make them suffer after they trespassed in his forest, ruined his vacation, and beat him. ....Right? It wasn't long before the two of them came back both looking exhausted, dirted, and the Hat Brat had to pat her tophat where smoke was coming off of it. Most likely from the last contract. He pulled himself together enough to smile menacingly at them. "Hey there! You smell worse than the burning parts of my forest!"

"CHECK THE MAP!!," she demanded before tossing the hat back onto her head and pouting. Arms crossed and foot tapping. Which did make him raise a brow. Not demanded a reward this time and instead jumping right into the next contract?...Fine by him! 

"You ready to die some more? Great! Now let me see here." Only when he checked both maps, he paused. Almost froze like a statue really. Because on every open stamp and candle area, was a shiny golden marker. On. BOTH. Maps. He sat there speechless. ".......WHAT!?" He screeched. A glare coming over his face before snatching both maps from the air and holding them both to his face. Carefully scanning over them and checking each corner for anything he might've missed...but both maps and all contracts were completed. Otherwise they wouldn't have turned gold. He NEVER made a mistake with his contacts. "Neither of you could take your time in enjoying what I went through to set up for you??" He looked up and over at them and noticed their confused looks. "I mean.....You're not dead!?" Making both maps disappear with a snap of his fingers he frowned and picked up his book as an excuse to not look at them. "This book was useless!! I should..SUE!!"...he sighed. Placing his head in his hands and giving them an almost pout. "Ugh. You completed all my contracts, but somehow you're still alive to pester me. Thanks. I guess. No. Really. That's just great. Congratulations!" Bow giggled at his reaction and he huffed. Kids. 

"We're not done yet." He hummed and raised a brow at Bow who pointed at him. "You still need to give us that last reward for finishing your last contract!"

"...Huh? You want a reward?," he asked and both nodded yes confirming his question, "Look, Kid. We've done this before. You really need to learn to negotiate up front."

"Hey! That's not fair! You promised us!" Bow insisted pointing one finger into her hands other palm as her friend kept frowning at him. "One reward for every contract we defeated! You still need to give us one!"

"I get the feeling you're not going to leave me along unless I hand over something. It's always about you, huh?" He huffed and looked away. Truth be told he DID have one last gift for the two of them but...he was for some reason reluctant to give it. "You know you weren't even supposed to make it this far! They should be picking out flowers for you right now! So I guess we can't always get what we want- HEY!!" He very quickly had to snap his head back up to avoid his head getting swatted by a bright blue umbrella as the hat brat stood on her tip toes with a scowl waving it at him. "Now there there!" he tried holding up his arms to her. "At least you have the feeling you achieved something. You earned it."

"SNATCHER!! C'mon you Pecking pool noodle!," she said threatening with her umbrella, "Cough it up!"

he gave her a dead panned look before pushing her umbrella away from ease. "If it wasn't clear, our business is concluded. Go Bother someone else, Kiddo."

He nearly jumped when Bow placed her hand on his side and he blinked at her. "Please Mr. Snatcher?" She asked a smile on her innocent face. "We did everything you asked and you already gave us all the others."

He stared at her for a long moment before sighing. "Fine. If it'll get the both of you two off my back." Both watched in anticipation as Snatcher reached a hand up and with a snap two things happened. The book and candles he had brought with him disappeared and what looked like two slightly torn capes appeared before them. The perfect size for children their sizes. They grabbed them and he grumbled. "There the last thing I have to offer the both of you. ...When you put it on you might be in for a big surprise. You won't get any ghostly powers of course." They looked at him. "And you won't get any magic or anything and it won't stop you from dying if you do anything foolish. But it's a nice little look a like. Now if you excuse me, I have some unfinished business elsewhere to take care of." Before the two could respond they were blasted with purple smoke and a moment later Snatcher had disappeared.

Snatcher had gone back to his forest. A mixture of emotions running through his mind as he just...paced and sat around staring at nothing for the next days and now his minions were worried again. It's obvious by the large frown on Snatcher's face that something was bothering him and bothered he was. But he just. Couldn't. Understand. WHY!? Just...WHY!? He felt angry. He felt upset, worried, anxious, and panicked!! He felt..empty. Just like when they were gone again. They hadn't attempted to visit his forest either during this time, as if they were done with him- Snatcher ended up growling and minions ran for cover when he let out a raging screech claws digging into the fluff around his neck and threatening to rip out the fluffy purple hairs of his fluff. WHY COULDN'T HE FIGURE THIS OUT!? HE HATED FEELING THINGS!! WHY WERE THINGS SO COMPLICATED!? WEREN'T YOU SUPPOSED TO REST IN PEACE ONCE YOU WERE A GHOST!?

"My, my. What a tantrum." His anger form into a snarl on his face snapping like a mouse trap towards the voice and found none other than a pink wearing witch standing there. But instead of her usual cocky and infuriating smirky self she just stared at him blanking arms crossed across her chest watching him. "I could hear you all the way in the Horizon if you tried hard enough."

...He hissed again turning way from Hazelle. "If you're here to make fun of me, Witch, I suggest leaving! I DONT want to be bothered right now."

"Mmm hmm." Instead of leaving she came right on in and made herself at home, daring to sit on his chair's footrest. One leg crossed over the other as she stared at him blankly. "I'm sure you don't but I'm going to be a bother anyways and say that I think you're avoiding this whole liking kids thing for too long."

"What the peck are you spouting out, Hag!?," he demanded crossing his own arms still bristled up like a procupine. "As if I'd like ANYONE let alone two snot nosed brats who make it a point of barging into MY forest and daring to embarrass me in front of all my minions!!"

"So you say." Her brows rose and her eyes narrowed, "But yet you haven't made any point to actually harm them? Or trick them into lifelong servitude? Or giving you their souls? And you created a fail safe within those contracts so that they wouldn't die?"

He bristled more a sudden fury coming to his bright yellow eyes. "HOW THE PECK DO YOU EVEN KNOW ABOUT THAT!?"

"The darlings visited Timmy yesterday. Nice get ups you made them by the way. The ones you made to make them look exactly like you when they put them on? If that doesn't scream attachment I don't know what does, Snatchy."

"YOU WOULDN'T KNOW ANYTHING!!!"

"There's no reason to yell you know."

"THEN WHY ARE YOU EVEN HERE!?"

To her credit Hazelle didn't flinch or get angry back. "Because as your friend I became concerned for you. Last time I heard you were happy and I thought you had solved your situation but clearly there's something deeper bubbling under your ectoplasm." he opened his mouth- "Snatcher. This is completely out of character, even for someone as eccentric and dead as you are."

".....What are you getting at?''

She sighed. "Snatcher, you're essentially treating them as if you care about them. Albeit to a strange extent but it's pretty obvious you're going about this in your own ghostly way." He gave her a look. "Before you say anything let me ask you a question. It's a simple yes or no. Do you care about your little helpers running around here?"

He huffed. Floating over and plopping himself down into the giant armchair across from her. Digits digging into the arms of the chair. Both exchanging a look for a silent moment. ".....They're what's left of my people."

"That's a yes then." She moved her head into one of her hands. "You went through all the trouble of making most of them bodies that you hand sewn together and made a whole bunch of them sign your little contract of work and protection. And I remember how heated up you got when Mr. Moonjumper snatched a couple of them away from you-"

He growled again. His grip on the armchair threatening to leave cuts in the chair's fabric. "That no good star gazing peckneck would benefit from not sticking his nose where it doesn't belong!! Which includes my contractors."

He blinked when she suddenly pointed a hand at him. "See! That's what I'm talking about. Right there. You usually don't care about anyone other than yourself but when you do actually care for someone you deny it of course. But then you do things like get mad if someone threatens them."

"HEY!! THEY. ARE. MINE!!" Her brow rose. "......T-To torment!! And I always need contractual workers. Moonboy can go find his own forest of the dead to take over and he has that magic brat of his own!! So those two brats are mine to take revenge on!"

"You're also very territorial and protective over them as well and get angry at anything you perceive as a threat towards said people you care about. You care about those two girls. There's no doubt about that." He jumped...and scowled opening his mouth to argue- "Argue and rant all you want. We both know I've known you long enough to know it's the truth!...But what I can't understand is why you're acting so uncharacteristic about all of this? You usually don't get so uptight and practically on a verge on a mental breakdown. You're usually like 'If I care about them, I care about them. So what? I have traps to set and contracts to make people sign.' Not 'I'm going to spend days on end hung over them and roar into the sky'. It's concerning to say the least."

Snatcher said nothing as he stared at Hazelle for a long, long moment....before he groaned and a hand reached up to rub at his face. "....It's nothing personal." She blinked as he slumped down into the chair. "But this is between whatever those brats did to me and just me. It's no concern of yours. I'd rather not have you messing about with my matters. I don't need another person to deal with so stay out of it."

Hazelle made to stare at him longer before sighing to herself, and making to stand up as he watched her from behind the hand rubbing his face. "Alright. I get when I won't be able to do anything else. But Snatcher for your sake please just...think about what I said. Ok?'' 

Snatcher said nothing when the witch left. And he still didn't say or do anything but stay there slumped in his chair, one hand holding his lower face as he stayed there for a long, long moment. The words Hazelle had spoken staying in his mind replaying over and over silently but instead of getting angry as was his usual reaction to something like this...he let it come together like a puzzle from the attic. All dusty and then all of a sudden brought out into the light and put together at long last, until he realized there was still some pieces needing to be placed. And so he got up from the chair to go find them. Minions and dwellers alike only watched on in confusion as a dark shadow shot out from the tree house and start snaking it's way through the trees in the woods. Faster than a bullet it shot from the hot and humid areas of the swamp to the cold and desolate area of the forbidden frozen bridge. Easily flying over the long broken bridge that separated the two areas and into the forever winter areas. The cold wind blew at his face as he made his way past houses. Some perfectly preserved frozen in ice while others were completely dismantled slowly rotting away in the winter forever. Well he went past all that, and being a ghost he easily phased through the ice barrier that was all around the manor which loomed in the distance. He slowed the closer he came to it, eventually stopping in the giant looming shadow it casted upon the snow. Snatcher's yellow eyes narrowed at it as another snarl appeared on his face. He LOATHED this place. After all it was the place he died. He hadn't been back here in a long time. In fact the last time he was even here was when he messed with the kiddo on the third floor, keeping the key away from her in a sort twisted game of tag. Since then the place had been completely empty except for ....HER of course. With the snarl still on his face, the shadow continued forward. Like with the ice barrier it was easy for him to just completely phase through the walls and right into the manor. The inside was just as dark and eerie as ever but he came here just to see one specific place in particular. It wasn't too much for him to go through the ceiling and arrive on the second floor, and it took him even less to go through one wall and arrive at the one spot that always seemed out of place among the entire manor. The child's bedroom. 

"You know...out of every room in this place..I never once gave this one a second thought," he mumbled to himself in the dark.

The room itself was dark. Happy royal blue made up the carpet comically made to look like a patchwork quilt. The only company the room really had was two frozen statues of two foolish souls who dared to come in here. And of course the eerie toys. The giant teddy bear in one corner was barely still sewn together having the seams coming undone after so many years of sitting there with his only company being the just as creepy rocking horse in another corner with it's happy pink paint chipping and peeling off. Who knows. Maybe they would've lived in the fantasy scenery set up in the very middle of the nursery. But none of those were important to him. It was the crib that caught his attention as he stared at it....Snatcher neared the cradle.  Settling his claws on the side, and stared down at the neatly made and undisturbed quilt blanket and pillow that was still sitting there the exact same day the bed had been first made. Still waiting for the little baby to be swaddled in it's grasp for him to look at and have to call his own. Seeing it now...staring up at him back empty made him feel...Strange. Empty almost. Snatcher was right in what he had said before. Out of every room in the manor he never once gave this room much of a second thought. Why? He wasn't too sure. He guessed it must've been because he was too caught up in the events that happened his death and anything that had happened afterwards but those two kids stirred up some old feelings of his...And he finally had gotten the answer to it. It took a while for sure not realizing what he was feeling, but Hazelle's blunt but obvious points had helped him piece it together. (Not that he'd ever admit it to her tho-) This part of him was buried deep down but it had resurfaced and he knew what it was now...Kids. A long time ago, back when he was alive, he had wanted kids. With...With Vanessa before the whole falling out thing. That made him shiver. Thank PECK they didn't actually have any children together when alive! He dared not think about even the possibility of having any ties with her than he already did! But....They were planning on having them after they were married. After all when one was the rulers of two kingdoms you'd need an heir to pass on your legacy too...Or in his case he guessed he didn't actually need them considering he didn't have to pass his legacy onto anyone being able to continue ruling after death. But thinking back on it now..Hazelle might've had a point. Ever since the Great Subcon Freeze he had taken the village's children and any adult spirits into his care so why would he have this empty feeling about children if he already took care of many that were both children and adult before they died??....Simple answer. They weren't the children he remembered. No longer running around with that happy cheerful giggling, singing songs, asking him to play whenever he had Visited Vanessa's kingdom. PECK!! Most of them couldn't even remember who they were in life and just acted like-....Like minions. Sure most had different personalities and they all acted differently, but they just-....It just wasn't there anymore. Not that it was his fault at all. After all it was Vanessa's pecking actions that did this all under a blooming misunderstanding!! ...Sigh. That didn't matter anymore anyways. 

Y'know...The two of them were both very different in personality. The hat brat was adventurous, had spunk, courage, not afraid to really face danger head on, spontaneous, and a lot more crafty than given credit for. A lot like him actually. If he had a daughter he didn't have a doubt that she'd be a lot like the Hat Brat. But Bow....Heh. Bow was the complete opposite minus one or two things. She was a harder worker than her friend, often having to work harder to catch up to her progress but she had determination which he admired. From all the times he had spent with her back when he was waiting for the Hat Brat to show up, he had gotten a feel for how she really was. Bow was...sweet. Kind. Very, Very creative often telling him her many stories and adventures from her pictures. But she was also very, very smart on the ways of survival. For one she knew how to sneakily pick pocket someone and hide really well which he was surprised at, but lost the surprise when she casually explained where she had grown up. Nyakuza Metro. A place full of cat crime and in an orphans home. How or why she had grown up amongst cats neither had any idea, but he was a bit concerned. A child her age grew up among criminals in a thieving city, picked up a few bad habits, left, and then wondered around homeless without adult care until she had somehow ended up in Mafia Town and there she met the Hat Brat who invited her along and took her to live on her ship. Well...at least it explained why Bow loved cats. Both wondering about in space without anyone else except each other and a cleaning robot. Just like all the lost souls he had to take in. Just like his people it wasn't any of their fault others put them into this mess. He couldn't just leave his people alone to struggle on their own. He was their ruler. Their Prince. Their KING. With Vanessa's mother dead from her illness, his parents most likely dead from the frost, and Vanessa betraying them he was their only option. Maybe he wasn't the best but he was certainly better than the Ice Hag. And he was very guilty back then resorting himself into taking responsibility for the lost souls. If he couldn't save them in life, then he'd guide them in death. And so, after many years of harvesting souls and keeping trespassers out, the first lively children in a thousand years came trotting back into his life. Stirring up all these hidden wants and desires within him and reminding him of the has-beens and almost-hads in life. And any day now they might leave soon. Peck. They might leave today or right this second as he was blissfully staring off into the cold and barren crib.

......With a long and drawn out sigh his hands squeezed the old wood of the crib making it creak under his grip before he let go. Well. That settled it. His mind was made up. After all he had gotten everything he wanted in life in death. His own kingdom? YEP! The whole forest and frozen area. And all his loyal minions. Wanted to do what he wanted? He had all eternity and the freedom for that now!! Revenge? HA!! He had taken everything Vanessa once had and she was trapped forever inside the manor by her own curse! If he wanted he could mess with her anytime he wanted! Friends? Hm. He guessed Hazelle and his subjects counted. Not that he'd admit it. Children? Well...Again he guessed some of his subjects counted as some were young during the freeze, but again none were as..Alive as he envisioned them once as....But there was a good solution to fix that problem right up. After all. What better revenge could he have on those two kids than to make them eternally obligated to stay with him and do as he says?! 

"Whooooo's theeeeeere?"  With a snap of his neck towards the door he scowled. Oh great. The witch sensed a presence in her home. The cold aura of the manor intensified to great levels as the red eyed woman made her way towards the destroyed nursery by her own claws. "My Prince, is that you?"  The door to the nursery was opened with a flurry of snowflakes as the shadow woman burst her way into the nursery only to find no one .

Back on the ship two small children were happily watching TV. Some kind of cartoon with a cat chasing a cartoon mouse and getting into all kinds of hijinks making the two small children giggle at what they were doing on the screen. Neither was really expecting the dark poof of purple behind them, or to be startled by the entity that showed up before them, or really expected to see SNATCHER of all people appearing in the middle of their spaceship. They had jumped spooked, but upon seeing who the specter was calmed down quite quickly.

"Snatcher?," The Hat Brat asked raising a brow.

He regarded them both for a very long moment. The silence becoming eventually so awkward that they both looked at one another before shrugging. Oh boy....here we go. They watched as he gave off a sigh. Reaching a clawed hand up to slowly drag down his face silently, eyes closed....before he opened them again and regarded the both of them for a long, long moment. Well...this was it. He came here because he wanted something. However he wasn't too sure how to approach this at all...except professionally. Not sure if that'd work on two children but it's worth a shot.

"I'm here because I want you both to sign a contract," he finally settled on saying crossing his arms over his chest. Both seemed to perk up at the idea. "It's not like those fun little 'Death Wishes' and it isn't a work contract either. Don't get that mixed up." He clarified pausing for a moment regarding them for a bit. "......I couldn't help but notice you two haven't really taken off in this fancy spaceship of yours for quite a while now. It either means you decided to stick around, at least for a while, or you don't have anywhere else to go." As expected both had reactions to what he had just said. Hat Kid flinched and Bow paused as they both stared at him wide eyed. Guess he must've caught him off guard with that. "That doesn't matter to me though." he continued before either could say anything. "I'm more interested in making your stay here actually permanent. You both could he highly useful to me and it's not everyday I stumble across someone who I actually make an investment like this in." He smiled. "So I might as well expand our business endeavors!" With a snap of his fingers a single contract and quill appeared from no where and both kids watched as it floated down to them. "Just sign on the dotted line and you won't ever have to worry about a home again!"

Both exchanged a look again, then looked at Snatcher, before taking a good at the new contract. The paper looked old and slightly torn around the edges here and there. At the very top of the paper was a fancy drawing of the creature before her with the face and his arms outstretched, beneath that was some very fancy writing that read "CONTRACT" in fancy bold capital cursive letters. The Rest was also in fancy cursive but lucking she could read it pretty well reading someone's fancy cursive order of flowers all the time. It read as followed:

CONTRACT

SERVE THE DEAD WITH WHAT THE AGREEMENT STATES

You have been chosen by the benevolent and merciful the Snatcher. The terms and services will include your life long servitude and loyalty to said ruler The Snatcher. You have been lost but you are lucky enough to have been selected as few mortals to help the eternal after life and anything the Snatcher requests within reason of the servants morals and abilities. The following territories of the forest shall be available for the signer to visit willingly as they please.

-The Subcon Forest

-The Employer's Home (with special permission)

-The Subcon Village

These parts shall NOT be available for any reason and will not be negotiated unless the employer says otherwise.

-The Haunted Manor

-The Frozen Bridge

-The Subcon Swamp

-The Subcon Well

-The Frozen Territory

-Any place my employer has said is off limits

By signing this the signer shall be paid for their service and loyalty with immortality (non ageing), protection from the Snatcher and those under him, a home, and anything the signer requests within reason. Binding by contract means your soul shall remain bound to the contract which cannot be broken by any means except by will of the employer, a.k.a the Snatcher. And in return the signer shall do ask the Snatcher asks with they're full cooperation and be given full custody of the signer. If the Snatcher at any point terminates the contract the signer's soul shall be released from his care and they shall live a normal rest of their life. By agreeing you shall also be safe from other supernatural entities and their influences whatever they may be, including influences from the employer and other minions. Also by signing this the signer agrees to willing do this and become a certified minion of The Snatcher. If you have complaints, suggestions, or other, the signer must report them to their employer immediately. As a down payment for all provided by the Snatcher, he shall be given the contract with your soul will be bound to for eternity unless decided otherwise, but the servant will be allowed free of will, full freedom, favors the employee asks of The Snatcher, with full control of their mind, body, and their soul in their body. Room and board, immortality, food, and any other living necessities shall also be provided by the Snatcher as stated.

SIGNED

And then there was two small lines for both their names.

He watched as they both stared at it. Anxious and worry feeling bubbling up beneath. What if they say no? "Are you trying to take our souls again?"

WHAT!? NO!! "Hey! You get to keep literally EVERYTHING. You're soul won't even belong to me. Only the contract it'll be connected too." So he could keep you both safe from MOONBOY!! The very thought of that puppeteering glitching rat trying to control either of them with those pecking red strings of his made his talons did into his arms in annoyance. He was lucky Moonjumper hadn't thought of that blasted idea earlier and he'd gotten to them first. Who knows what he'd do then? "UGH!! Look...this is...complicated. But there's no tricks. Not this time. I honestly wouldn't mind having you brats around to work for me."

"So...you're adopting us!?," Bow's eyes suddenly sparkled as a hopeful smile spread across her face. Hattie's eyes widening.

He paused........ Adopting? Well, he guessed in a way he was although he had a different idea about going about this. "I-....I suppose one could call it that. BUT D-DON'T YOU BOTH BE GETTING ANY IDEAS!! IT'S NOT LIKE I CARE ABOUT YOU IN THAT SENSE OR ANYTHING!! N-Now are you going to si-" he paused at the sound of scribbling pencil, and looked down. Eyes blinking wide in shock.

Bow was smiling and signing away on the small paper with the quill. It didn't take her too long to write her name down before she handed it to Hattie who smiled just as wildly and excitedly to also scribble her name down on the paper.....And Snatcher's smile widened as relief and JOY flooded his ectoplasm! Once she did sign the pen disappeared in a small puff of smoke and she jumped, her grip on the contract loosening enough for the giant ghost to snatch it from her. At the same time a giant burst of energy throbbed hard within the very core of their bodies. Temporarily knocking the wind outta them. They gasped and fell to her hands and knees at the sudden tight feeling within them. Their body emitting a small purple light in the dead center of their chest before as soon it came it left and they stayed laying down gasping and blinking at the sudden sensation that came and left. Leaving goosebumps across the their flesh and shaking like a leaf again. Coughing and eventually snapping up to him. He smiled reading over the contract before it disappeared in a puff of flames too. 

"AHAHAHAHA!! That seals the deal, Kids! We're in business!"

"W-W-What the PECK was THAT?!," Bow stuttered out, sitting up and pressing a hand against her chest where the purple light had appeared. Hattie getting up beside her slightly dazed.

"Relax. You're unharmed. It was just the bond ceiling between us and the magic forming a strong protective shield around your soul so no one, not even Vanessa, can harm you. Don't worry. You're perfectly fine. Although you might feel winded for a bi- OOF!!."

In a blur of purple and yellow, he was tackled hard to the floor by the Hat Brat. Landing straight to the ground by her launching herself straight into his chest like some strong tackle hug to him. .....He groaned and soon long after Bow also threw herself onto him in a fit of giggles. His scowl was met with that smug face the kiddo did all too well. 

"I'm going to call you Dad so much!"

....He sighed flopping his head back. Well...he guessed he was asking for that when he even had them sign that contract. Fulfilling one of his greatest wants and desires after nearly a thousand years of never being given the chance to have any sort of family. Perhaps this was fate dealing him a good hand finally all these years. But now he had another problem...He had to remember to get a How To Care For Kids book.

[dinosaurcharcuterie]

A month ago, at one-ish in the morning, when all the best decisions are made, I was messing around in Tinkercad to recreate archeological finds of bag handle frames from iron age Scandinavian areas, when it struck me that a) I can just use the svg import setting to get these in there and b) I wasn't interested in using leather or wool, so why was I suddenly hell bent on using a historical shape? I could make my own as long as the general concept of "two big holes, attachment holes, some weight to the entire thing" was there. So... I made some rain clouds. In glow in the dark filament, because that's what was in the house.

Long post under break

Did I have anything remotely suitable for making a bag? Of course not. My knitting yarn is budget acrylic used for white elephant gifts and toddler whims, and my fabric stash is light cottons and stretch materials for dresses. But I vaguely remembered a V&A tutorial on boro that went at it from a "mend with what you have if you don't have sashiko thread and needles" perspective. I had a lot of scraps in the cabbage patch. I had, in a moment of madness, bought some truly awful polyester embroidery thread a few years before that was just sitting there. So, after patching together a flimsy backing, sorting on enough scraps to get to denim weight and yolo-ing together a lining to keep the thread heavy backing from snatching on every thing I owned, all that was left to do was a bit of embroidery. With chronic joint pain. Just as the seasons were changing.

It took a month, 64m of thread in 8 colors, and I chose to be stabbed repeatedly with straight pins over basting because stitching through this with sharp embroidery needles is painful in every sense of the word, and my memory wasn't good enough to patch this as I went, which is what you're supposed to do, apparently.

Things I learned from this stage: don't be like me and forget that boro shrinks your fabric, making your lining about 6cm too big after you've put in 4 inner pockets. Also don't put on the bottom as a part of your fabric piece. This was not fun to construct from this shape. Don't get your embroidery thread from Action, because boy, did this not want to split or sew without tangling. It frayed and pilled while being sewn at one arm's length at a time. Just splurge on sashiko thread, or at least DMC cotton if you follow me in this madness. Seven years of cross stitch under my belt, plus another five of helping assemble beginner kits for a secondary school, and I've never struggled this hard with just a bunch of running stitches. Thank mercy they're not supposed to be even.

Did I know that, if a lot of sources recommend you use certain materials, that might be habit, that might be parroting others--but it's usually because that is the least frustrating way to go about it? Intellectually, yes. Will this be the last time I choose to smother the little voice in my head reminding me of that? Not while the higher quality materials are less easily available.

Bad decisions made, I fumbled through. The only way to get it vaguely symmetrical was to first sew the vertical seam, them the other long side of the bottom, then the short sides. My overlocker didn't even blink when I shoved every fraying, uneven edge through it to keep this from entirely falling apart during use. It feels as solid as heavy canvas, but far softer. My sewing machine, which throws of a fit if anything is too thick or too tight a weave, didn't mind going through this, or over the knots keeping everything in place on the back. "Good enough works" in action, baby.

There was no easing the lining in prettily, so there's a lot of creases. And since all the embroidery is low quality polyester, I can't iron any part of this. Maybe that's for the better. I've got no idea what shape this would be if I went by the actual seam lines.

The only thing left to do was attach my cute little clouds... For which I found no tutorial. Or historical find pictures with enough fabric still attached. Plenty of archeological pictures of one line of big holes, but most people use either the holes meant for straps and sprang or the chunky holes for lots of loops. I'm sure they're learning from other people's mistakes, but those mistakes are severely undocumented with the state Google is in these days. Oh well. The historically accurate thing to do is work with what you have (more crappy embroidery thread) and use what techniques seem sensible based on what you've seen (Frixion pen to transfer the holes off the frame onto the lining and long, looping stitches).

And that's how, in a mere five weeks of work, you make a whimsical bag inspired by rain clouds over a stormy landscape.

Just gotta nip into town to get some flat hoodie thread for a strap.

Note to anyone reading this: it's now 8 hours after I've finished construction on this and I've realized that the sewing hole shape makes more sense if sewn/brute force appliqué'ed directly onto the bag instead of as loops over it.

Will my way work too? Guess I'll find out.